Hualien - Week 36 - My new trainee is amazing!
Before I went to Taipei to pick up my new companion, I spent a couple of days in a trio with Sister Tu and Sister Xie (the Sister Training Leaders in Hualian who live with us). We had a fun time bouncing around both of our areas, finding and teaching here and there, getting fed free lunch from a member at their restaurant, fun stuff like that...
I'd say the most meaningful experience that I had while the three of us were together was when we taught the first lesson to one of our investigators, sixty-year-old Sister Li, inside her home. Sister Li was referred to us by her younger sister, a member who lives in Taipei, because after many many years of rejecting the church and wanting nothing to do with it, something has finally changed inside her heart. She told her sister that she is now willing to meet with missionaries, to learn the gospel through prayer and reading the Book of Mormon. After a long time of seeing how the gospel has blessed her sister's family (the sister has a returned-missionary daughter who will soon be married in the Taipei Temple and another daughter currently serving a mission in the United States), she is finally prepared to hear and accept the message of the Restoration. And she told us that she wants to learn because she has a desire to learn, not because anyone else is forcing her. Amazing, right?
The other two sisters are such great teachers who use crisp, clear and simple language to express the doctrine and the message, who bear strong testimony, who love the person being taught. And during the lesson I was blessed to be able to share Joseph Smith's First Vision account in his own words. Every time I speak or hear those words, it's like I just come to know that they are true all over again. I've said this before, but they never get boring! The undeniable warmth in my chest that lingered throughout the whole lesson, the calm stillness that surrounded us, and the light in Sister Li's countenance as we shared all confirmed to me that we were all learning the truth by the power of the Holy Ghost. This is probably my favorite part of the mission, when we teach and are all edified and rejoice together (D&C 50:22).
SO, when I got to Taipei I met my trainee, SISTER LEE from Sandy, UT. She graduated in 2017, went to BYU for a semester and a term, got to the MTC in March and then was reassigned to Los Angeles for a transfer due to Visa issues. Now she is HERE in TAIWAN! People, she is so awesome. She is bright-eyed, excited for the work, always smiling her big smile, hard-working. She is taking the little suggestions given her to improve her Chinese speaking and is improving so fast! I see her and see a little of myself from when I was in training and it is so nostalgic. I hope I can help and inspire her like my trainer helped and inspired me so much.
It's been only like a total of four days but it's been a joy to do missionary work with Sister Lee. Different than anything I've experienced before and kinda scary since I'm technically the "big companion" and I have this sort of responsibility. But as I take the lead in teaching her from the 12 Weeks booklet and PMG, and helping her prepare to contribute fully in lessons and finding situations, I am excited to learn from her and with her.
We have made some big goals and we are ready to take on the next two transfers teaching repentance and baptizing converts!! I am also so happy that I get to stay in this beautiful land of Hualian for a while. I love love love it here, and I love the people. I love this home.
See you next week!!
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I'd say the most meaningful experience that I had while the three of us were together was when we taught the first lesson to one of our investigators, sixty-year-old Sister Li, inside her home. Sister Li was referred to us by her younger sister, a member who lives in Taipei, because after many many years of rejecting the church and wanting nothing to do with it, something has finally changed inside her heart. She told her sister that she is now willing to meet with missionaries, to learn the gospel through prayer and reading the Book of Mormon. After a long time of seeing how the gospel has blessed her sister's family (the sister has a returned-missionary daughter who will soon be married in the Taipei Temple and another daughter currently serving a mission in the United States), she is finally prepared to hear and accept the message of the Restoration. And she told us that she wants to learn because she has a desire to learn, not because anyone else is forcing her. Amazing, right?
The other two sisters are such great teachers who use crisp, clear and simple language to express the doctrine and the message, who bear strong testimony, who love the person being taught. And during the lesson I was blessed to be able to share Joseph Smith's First Vision account in his own words. Every time I speak or hear those words, it's like I just come to know that they are true all over again. I've said this before, but they never get boring! The undeniable warmth in my chest that lingered throughout the whole lesson, the calm stillness that surrounded us, and the light in Sister Li's countenance as we shared all confirmed to me that we were all learning the truth by the power of the Holy Ghost. This is probably my favorite part of the mission, when we teach and are all edified and rejoice together (D&C 50:22).
SO, when I got to Taipei I met my trainee, SISTER LEE from Sandy, UT. She graduated in 2017, went to BYU for a semester and a term, got to the MTC in March and then was reassigned to Los Angeles for a transfer due to Visa issues. Now she is HERE in TAIWAN! People, she is so awesome. She is bright-eyed, excited for the work, always smiling her big smile, hard-working. She is taking the little suggestions given her to improve her Chinese speaking and is improving so fast! I see her and see a little of myself from when I was in training and it is so nostalgic. I hope I can help and inspire her like my trainer helped and inspired me so much.
It's been only like a total of four days but it's been a joy to do missionary work with Sister Lee. Different than anything I've experienced before and kinda scary since I'm technically the "big companion" and I have this sort of responsibility. But as I take the lead in teaching her from the 12 Weeks booklet and PMG, and helping her prepare to contribute fully in lessons and finding situations, I am excited to learn from her and with her.
We have made some big goals and we are ready to take on the next two transfers teaching repentance and baptizing converts!! I am also so happy that I get to stay in this beautiful land of Hualian for a while. I love love love it here, and I love the people. I love this home.
See you next week!!
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