I'm not sure how to describe this week. It has been thrilling and I'm excited to share with you some of the miracles I've seen!
We have been teaching a sweet lady recently (well I've only taught her once). She loves the bible and is very Christian. She was interested in the church because of the Book of Mormon, but she has been really skeptical since beginning to meet with missionaries. Sister Daye and I prayed a lot about her and what we should do. We didn't want to bomb our lesson and scare her away because we know the Gospel will help her so much. We prayed a lot in preparation for her lesson and made sure we were in the right setting for the spirit to freely be there. The great thing about Ong Jie Mei is that before she even met with us she had a really strong testimony of prayer. Our lesson was AMAZINGLY powerful. All of us had tears in our eyes at something and I felt the spirit the entire time. We taught her a bit from Moroni 7 about discerning what is right and what is wrong and encouraged her to read that whole chapter and pray to know if the Book of Mormon is true. I wish I could adequately describe the lesson and how incredible it was. We felt prompted to extend the baptismal invite. She didn't accept but she did tell us that she wants to know if this is true. I know she will find an answer and she will join the church someday. This woman is so prepared for the gospel. Her relationship with God is very strong and I'm amazed by her determination to follow Him. Anyway, during the lesson, I didn't understand a story that Ong Jie Mei shared with us so Sister Daye translated for me after the story was over. While she was translating, our Peike (member accompanying our lesson) talked to Ong Jie Mei one on one for a few minutes. I heard a little bit of what she said (about her testimony of the Book of Mormon), but I was only paying attention enough to feel the spirit very strongly. Using the members is an invitation inspired by God and I am so happy to be in a ward where the members are jumping out of their seats to share the Gospel.
We had another interesting experience one day when we just biked down a random street. There were a couple people out that we started talking to (two men and a woman). One man and one woman were NOT interested at all. They thought we were crazy and were actually very rude and kept laughing when I didn't understand what they were saying (which surprised me because Taiwanese people are usually so gentle with us). We stayed a couple minutes longer and bore testimony and really kind of moved on to talking to the other man (Xie Xian Sheng). According to his verbal response, he sounded uninterested. Before we left, I just said to him that I'm giving up everything I have right now to be in Taiwan on a mission. I said I know I don't speak much Chinese, but I know how to say one thing. I bore my testimony that the Book of Mormon is the word of God and that anyone who reads it will find themselves and gain purpose in this life. I felt the spirit when I spoke. Sister Daye and I, when talking about it later, both saw something in his eyes and feel very strongly about going back sometime when his neighbor isn't home. We drove by another day and just kept going because of the neighbor. Then we went back again the next day and he saw us on our way but he was on his bike leaving. He called are names and waved (excited to see us). We left a note for him at home. I feel strongly that this man is looking for what we have and we need to catch him away from his neighbor. He really is a sweet man.
I know that the Lord protects His missionaries and gives us experiences that will help us teach. One of our lessons at the church fell through so Sister Daye and I decided to go up to the park and proselyte there. We said a prayer and told the Lord of our plan and our goal. We both felt the spirit saying that it was good. When we got to the base of the stairs to walk up to the park we still both felt the spirit even though the stairs were dark and it was kind of daunting. After taking 3 or 4 steps up I just felt like I was going to throw up. We stopped and very quickly said a prayer because the spirit had LEFT! After the prayer we ran back down those stairs and away from that situation quickly. As soon as we started running away, the spirit came back. We didn't know why that happened. We're not sure what we were being protected from, but I do know I was being protected. We were a little confused because we felt fine all up until we started taking that step. The next day we realized why the Lord allowed us to have that experience. We learned something very important there. The Lord will NOT let any of His children take the wrong path. We tell that to our investigators when they are scared about the church because they want an answer before they try it out. We tell them that we had to walk up three steps and the Lord then made it very clear to us what path we ought to be taking. Of course we know that once they try out the Gospel they will gain a testimony of it, but it's comforting for them to here that we have a testimony that the Lord WILL NOT ALLOW US to take the wrong path without a very clear warning that it is wrong.
I've discovered the blessing of being a Waiguoren (foreigner). It's hilarious how many people approach me because I have blonde hair instead of me approaching them. We were on a busy street looking for dinner one night and we ended up having a 30 minute conversation with a woman from China who wants to meet with us because she came to me and talked to me first. We also recently got a referral from a woman whose sister is Christian. She's in China right now for Guo Nian but we will get in touch with her when she returns. That all happened because on our way to find dinner on a busy street, and street vendor stopped me to talk (so we asked for referrals of course!). The most amazing thing that happened because I am a Waiguoren happened yesterday on my way to church. A man came over on his scooter. He read my name tag, told me I was a foreigner, and asked where I was going. I said, "I'm going to church. It starts at 9:00. Wanna come?" He said yes! He had to run home first so he didn't show up until Sunday School, but he stayed for the last two hours and I think he may have met with Elder Beck and Elder Huang afterwards. SO HILARIOUS! I think he has strong potential. The moral of the story is the the Lord uses EVERY aspect of our lives to do the work. Whether it is our background and history or our looks and how much we stand out, He will use it. I love being an instrument in the work. I feel so blessed to be entrusted with this incredible opportunity!
We stopped by an investigators home the other day. She wasn't there, but we had the chance to sit down with her parents. They are Buddhist and probably wouldn't be interested in the church if we had just come up and asked to share a message, but they talked to us because we were there to visit their daughter. Eventually we were able to lead our conversation into the first lesson. We taught the entire thing and left them with a Book of Mormon and an invitation to read it. It was obvious that they both felt the spirit. Sister Daye and I agree that it will take some time for them, but we look forward to going back sometime and seeing how they are doing.
There really have been many miracles in Xin Zhuang. We work hard. We laugh hard too. But I think people notice how happy we are. I'm happy to tell them that all my happiness comes from the Lord and they can have it too. The people are READY for the Gospel. Sister Daye and I are READY to share it with them. I have such a testimony of the studies that we do in the morning. It takes up a good chunk of the day, but it prepares us spiritually. I'm amazed by how much I feel the spirit testify as we share what we learned in personal study and discuss our investigators and potentials.
I love being part of something much bigger than myself. I know that this Gospel is true and that the work I am doing is worth the time away from you all.
Okay time for some hilarious stories. First, I have a sleep talking problem... BUT SO DOES SISTER DAYE! The other night we woke up confused. It turns out we were sleep talking to each other! Weird. I had asked her how to say some word in Chinese (or something like that). We woke up mid conversation and were trying to figure out why we were talking. Hilarious. Also, the next morning I woke up and went into my bathroom just to see that there was water all over the floor. Sister Daye told me later that she did hear me in the bathroom for a long time with water from my shower running and was a little confused. Whoopsies! (Oh ps, I don't have a separate shower... it just hangs from the ceiling in the corner of the bathroom. Everything on the floor gets wet. I just laugh and laugh. I love my bathroom!)
I painted my bike this week. It's orange. That's probably a good thing because the traffic here is ridiculous. Sister Daye puts it well-- Traffic in Taiwan isn't about laws and guidelines, It's about who fits in that space. I do know that I am protected by the Lord though.
Chinese is coming along interestingly. In lessons I am very comfortable teaching and listening, but outside of lessons can be very overwhelming. Basically, I pray a lot for the gift of tongues and interpretation of tongues. I appreciate all your prayers on my behalf.
I had my first experience with a cockroach this week. While I gagged over the toilet like a baby, my brave companion massacred it with a large knife. His small mangled corpse is in our freezer now. I hope to avoid these types of experiences in the future.
We laugh a lot. A LOT! But I can't think of every story now and my time is running low.
I love you all. The Church is true!
Love,
Cae
PS. Sarah Elizabeth Kron, write to me (:
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