Sister Cecily Roberts: Week 31: I LOVE being a missionary!

Hello hello hello!!!

How are you all? I hope you are all doing fantastic :)

This week went so so fast! And I can't believe that it's more than halfway through the transfer already! Where does time go?

Well this week started off kind of slow. By Thursday we hadn't had too much success, as far as key indicators go. Well I had this really awesome experience. I have been praying more to be able to recognize the Spirit, and follow the Spirit. Sister Hadley is really spiritually in tune and I really admire that about her. I also realized it's something I want to improve, so I had been praying for that. And on Friday, we were going to take some time to call people, and we had just started but I had the thought that we should go to the library. I didn't think too much about it. But I told Sister Hadley, and she goes "Yea I think we should." So we were gonna go in like 10 -15 min. But then we were both like "We should go now". So we went, and we went the bike path way (which I normally wouldn't have done but I decided last second to) and I see this girl on my left. I wave and smile and say hello, and she smiles and says hello back. As I got further away though I was like "we should go talk to her" and I did this little debate in my head. "Maybe we should go talk to her. But I don't want to miss anyone at the library. Should we? I don't know. Yea we should" So I turned around and we went and talked to her and it was amazing. Her English name is May. She's 20 and we taught the restoration, gave her a Book of Mormon, and when we shared a scripture with her, she was like "Wait, really? Oh..." And she read it a couple times over and you could just see her really thinking. She's so amazing and I know that we were completely guided by the Spirit, and I'm just so grateful. Especially because I had been praying for it. I just need to work on not second guessing myself haha. She set up with us and I can't wait to see where it goes!

We've had so many set ups and so many lessons and it's such a miracle. I've never enjoyed being a missionary so much :) This week was good btw with Sister H. I think we've gotten used to each other and she's super fun and outgoing.

We have an investigator that's getting baptized next week! Hopefully :) Her name is Huang JM. She was a referral from the Elders, and she's golden. The only trouble we've had with her so far is that she talks too much haha. She spent the whole last lesson just talking about Taibei and going to institute. Which btw was completely her idea. She went to Taibei and the temple on her own. And she even went to institute. She's so amazing!!! And she also makes soap which is super cool and super delicious smelling! So we have to make sure that we are straight forward with her and tell her we need to teach haha. Hopefully she can make it by next week!!! She's already been to church 3 times! :D

Our next closest investigator is Xu JM. (Dora). She's so sweet! Everytime she sees us she just lights up. She came to English and she was out of town this last week so she wasn't able to come to church but no biggie. Her date is the 23rd and as long as she comes the next two weeks she'll be able to get baptized! Well and as long as her parents don't fan dui. (say no? or disagree) We met with her twice this week and she's just so awesome. She loves the Book of Mormon and already has it all marked up. Her Dad has been sitting in on the lessons too and might come with her to church on Sunday. It's General Conference so yay :)

I also had the experienced with a man who had evil spirits. Apparently that's common here. He said he hears voices, and while reading scriptures it's just...i don't know, just scary. He's the Elders' investigator and he came to du jing ban. (Scripture study class). They took care of it after du jing ban though. But the adversary is real. And the most powerful thing that he has done in this world is convince the world that he doesn't exist, that sin doesn't exist. That's all I have to say about that.

Oh we also met this really awesome girl. We met her at the library, and geng hao (even better?) a member was there and had a pei ke (member lesson) and she said a really nice prayer at the end, and THEN she came to 2 hours of church!!!!!!!!! What/???? No way! She's amazing! Miracles happen! :)

We met with Zeng Shu Yuan, and it was really good. She's the one who has the daughter Emy. We didn't think she was very interested so we did a "make it or break it" lesson. And she told us she read the passages we left for her, and she has even been doing it with her kids. I think because her kids have been involved she's more willing to "progress" but then we went back hou tian (day after tomorrow) and she said she was eating dinner and said to come back in an hour, so we did. But then she wasn't home when we got back, and her husband was waiting outside her house and told us she had gone somewhere. So I don't know. We will see. It's hard to set up with her because she never answers her phone. Oh well.

So we had a good week. Lots of lessons, and lots of miracles. I have gained such a personal testimony that the witness doesn't come until after the trial of your faith. I have learned very personally that you don't see the "fruits of your labors" until you actually labor. Having two transfers of struggling, you really learn to appreciate having people to teach. Not really that, but I have just learned that no matter how obedient I am, no matter how hard I work, that this is God's work. He is completely in charge, that it doesn't matter what I do, it's always up to Him. He's in charge of who is in our path. Who we meet, etc. And I know that He has given me this experience so early so that I could learn to rely completely on Him. I also learned to work really hard.

I have really started to love being a missionary. I love teaching, I love meeting people. I especially love the Taiwanese people. I can't express how much I love the ward here and love these people! I also love God a lot :) Haha :) I just can't express how true this gospel is. My question this week has been "How can I help my investigators have the necessary experiences that will strengthen their testimony enough to last the rest of their lives?" It's a tough question, and maybe one I will have the rest of my mission, but I just want to help them to really have a testimony. Especially because we ask them to be baptized relatively soon after we meet them.

I know with all of my heart that this is God's work. That He lives. That Jesus Christ is our Savior, and that because of Him, we can return to God's presence. Just think of that … we can return to GOD. The supreme creator of the universe. He loves us and has created for us a plan so that we can live with Him again some day. You couldn't ask for a more perfect truth. I am so grateful I get to share this with others and to bring the happiness that I feel from this gospel to the lives of others. I know this is true. I have also come to know the Book of Mormon is true. Oh my goodness I love that book!!!!! :D I love you all and I hope you have a great week!!!

Invitation: Read "Becoming Perfect in Christ"

Love,

Sister Roberts