my miracles

This week was STELLAR FAB! Okay a few items of business before I get to the meat of this week. (:

Okay just one item. I found out just the other day that I can use a members home when I call you on Mother's day. And by call you I mean skype with you! I almost cried when I got that news. (: The white handbook suggests that our skype session only be for 40 minutes so it's not as much time as you probably would like, but it's precious nonetheless (:

Okay this week has been great. I haven't eaten anything to weird. Except for straight gluten. I don't know what that means. Eek. This week we had a lot of different things in our schedule. On Tuesday we had a Zone training meeting in TuCheng. It was great. After the meeting we went on exchanges. I brought Sister Wu back to Xin Zhuang with me. I was so scared. She's a native so I had a whole day where I was the senior companion in my area... with someone who doesn't speak English. It was a really hard day because I only kind of know my way around and I only pretend to speak Chinese. It turns out though that I can do hard things. I was amazed. We had a really good day and we had a lesson on the street with this sweet 16 year old girl. When Sister Daye and I went back to visit her we gave her a Book of Mormon. She was really excited. I called her the next day to see if she had read the introduction. She said yes and she really liked it. We're gonna visit her again soon and set up a time to meet with her. Precious girl!

On Wednesday we went to Taibei city to do temple tour training. It was a great/very spiritual training. I learned a lot about the importance of teaching the restoration always. That is our unique message. HELLO PEOPLE THE GOSPEL OF JESUS CHRIST AS IT WAS WHEN HE WAS ON THE EARTH HAS BEEN RESTORED IN IT'S FULL ORIGINAL FORM. That is the reason we are here and that is the reason I will stay here and that is the reason I will spend my entire life sharing the gospel with people. The church is so true. DOUBLE TRUE!

I also learned something from eating truffles this week. We have this bag of truffles. They are DELICIOUS! Except they are covered in the most bitter cocoa powder that makes me want to cry every time i taste it. But I keep eating more because once you get through the powder you discover the most beautiful delicious chocolate on the inside. It is literally one of my favorite things to eat. Lesson learned--opposition in all things. Maybe that chocolate isn't any better than other chocolate but because I have to go through a trial each time I eat one, the sweet that immediately follows makes me want to go back for more. Cool, huh? I'm sure you can apply that to your life somewhere. Mmm. Chocolate (:

I read a few more conference talks this week and I have an assignment for you. I know you are all really busy, but I think this talk would be worth reading together and having a quickie family home evening on. It's by Bishop Gary E. Stevenson "Be Valiant in Courage, Strength, and Activity." It's really a good read and gets you pumped to stand for truth and righteousness. Garrett and Braeden-- you two were saved to live in this time because the Lord knows your hearts and he knew that you could handle it. I know you can too. Both of you are getting to the stage in life when many young men fall away from the church because they get sucked into something that goes against their standards. Make the decision now to stand up for what you believe. It won't be easy all the time but I promise you that it will be worth it. Live worthily to go on missions. Speaking to you from the mission field-- this is the most satisfying thing I've ever done. If you work hard for your missions and on your missions, you two will be unstoppable forces for good on the Lord's side. ARE YOU UP TO THE CHALLENGE?! Your mission if you choose to accept is to not only be on the Lord's side, but to do it loud and proud in the Anderson fashion!

^^And this invitation isn't just to them-- it's to anyone. It's to everyone. (: Go and do!

Follow the example of the Savior in Mark 3:7. The pharasees go over to criticize and tempt him... And he just simply withdraws himself away. If you encounter temptation. Why stay? Just peace out and find something new to do. There is no reason to walk on the edge of the cliff when falling off means death and backing away means eternal happiness. Head towards the eternal happiness side (:

This week in my training we have been studying revelation through the Book of Mormon. I realized this. Everything I am doing now and everything I believe in comes down to whether the Book of Mormon is true or not. Put in the effort to find out for yourself. The Book of Mormon is our evidence that God and Jesus Christ indeed appear to Joseph Smith and that their church is restored. The evidence is tangeable. You can feel the book, read it, and apply it's principles to yourself in a way that will change your life. Put that to the test. Find out if it's true. I KNOW it is. I've read it. I've prayed about it. I've seen my life change because of it and I've seen other people's lives change because of it.

Also this week I saw dad's Mormon.org profile. I love it. The grammar isn't perfect, but it's real. I felt the spirit while I read it. Everyone should make these profiles. Share it with your friends. Let them see Mormon.org. It's really a neat website!

Something that is amazing is seeing people progress. We've had a few lessons this week where people's progression is obvious. You have no idea how neat it is to be part of that and see that change. The spirit is really strong during the moments of progression. What's also cool is seeing people's reactions to the Book of Mormon. A lot of people's eyes get wide. They are so excited to get this. They've never seen it before and when they hold it you can feel the spirit prompting them to read it. We've given out a few copies this week. Each time the people on the receiving end got wide eyed and thanked us profusely. It's awesome to hand out. And it's even more awesome to know that they will be blessed immensely for reading it! They have no idea. (:

This past Thursday was SOLID! During my personal study I read something from a conference talk and my patriarchal blessing that really gave me a kick in the pants. I wrote down in my study journal. "Today I'm going to see miracles. I don't know how or where, but the Lord does and I'm gonna work hard to make things happen!" Needless to say, that day was STELLAR! I don't know if it was that my commitment changed or if I just was looking at everything in a different light, but I had a GREAT DAY! Here are some of the great things that happened.

Before our weekly planning session we had a lesson with an investigator that we haven't seen in a while. We started to read the Book of Mormon with her. We really wanted her to figure out that this had meaning to her life. We we able to apply it to her and by the end she was REALLY excited. When she said the closing prayer she asked God to help her learn how to apply it more. Her desire got so strong in that lesson!

We we riding our bikes to a qingke (dinner at someone's home) and (as per the example set by the tucheng missionaries) I talked to someone at every stop light (that sure does make the 35 minutes bike ride to North Xin Zhuang go much faster). Every stop light was great. I assessed what people needed from me. Sometimes it was just to see that I had a nametag (with Christ's name on it) on and that I cared about their day, but regardless I did work at every light! I pulled up later to a lady with really cute red glasses (i'm a glasses person myself) so I told her that I liked them a lot. We talked for a minute about glasses and where we were both headed. Turns out she works right across from our qingke's apartment. When we got there she was working pretty hard so she couldn't really stop and talk to us, but sister Daye told her she liked her scarf. I gave her a family tract. We asked her what makes a successful family. She said if we're all alive then it is success. Interesting. I put our phone number on the tract and invited her to come to church. She said she'd probably come because she hopes to see us again. I didn't ask to schedule an appointment. I'm not sure why, but I didn't feel that it would be right. She seems like the type (after our conversation) that wants to/will act on her own. I feel confident we'll see her again.

After the qingke two AMAZING things happened! We saw this boy with green hair. He had just lit a cigarette. He was just sitting there just waiting for the Gospel! We started talking to him. As we talked he put the cigarette out. There was a light in his eyes that belongs to the people who are prepared. He happily had a lesson with us on the street and was really willing to meet with the elders. After he prayed, when he opened his eyes he said, "wow that was cool." I KNOW he felt the spirit. I feel really good about this referral. During our conversation with him I could feel so strongly that he was ready for this message. He is AWESOME! His name is A... (:

Then we went over to our bikes. As I put on my helmet I said hi to a passerby (actually he was getting on his scooter right next to me). He said hi back so I asked how his day was. He looked surprised but we started talking. I told him I was a missionary and started to get to know him. Then sister Daye came over. We asked if he believed in God and he said yes because he had a dream about him one time. His questions led to us teaching the entire first lesson. After we told him the first vision in the first lesson he audibly exclaimed "What?!" It wasn't a doubtful what though. It was a full of faith what! SO GREAT! He was SO excited to get the Book of Mormon. During our conversation he said "I would like to be just like you and be a missionary. I know it would be hard, but I know God will help me." WHAT?! YOU'RE KIDDING! I wanted to scream. We gave him our contact information and committed him to come to church next week (because he already had shiqing [thing] this Sunday). We asked if we could give his number to the elders. The only phone he has right now is a work phone that he's actually not allowed to use. He offered us his email but we didn't take it because we didn't know what we could do with it (we probably should have taken it). We left on a really good note though and I'm sure he'll be at church next week. He's REALLY great.

A few days ago during planning we felt like we had another lesson to get in the next day but we didn't know who. We called our investigator P... JM (who's sister is a member). She set up for the next day. Our lesson with her was awesome. We taught the Plan of Salvation and when I asked her how this would change her at the end she said she wants to do what the Lord has asked in this life. When people see the end, the inside becomes much clearer. BAPTISMAL DATE! The beautiful thing is that her date is exactly a year after her sisters... They will work together to get their mom baptized.. I'm positive!

I LOVE BEING HERE!

Last thing. We've had the same taxi driver twice.  We ran into him on our bikes yesterday. He's great. Not ready quite yet, but he's gonna be ready very soon.

Okay that's all. Do work!

Oh wait. Ready Alma 14:1-2. Sometimes this is how I feel. LOL!

I love you all! Share the gospel with your friends!

Love Cae