Week 37: Expect Success!

Hello!

So holy smokes this week 1:went super fast. 2: I just learned a lot. 

I don't even know where to start... 

Monday: we went up to Gui Shan and went on a little hike. Then came home and went to chuan the jiao. :) Do missionary work. Didn't have any special experiences but this old man in a white beeter flexed for us haha. I told him he was awesome and he flexed silly silly haha. 

Tuesday: So... our house flooded. Haha just kidding. But our porch flooded and they still haven't moved us out of this apartment.. I'll send pictures. Basically...no actually I don't even know what to say. We heard weird noises all morning and I went to go grab water or something and I see water splashing from somewhere and am like.....SISTER DEWITT COME HERE. She goes "Is it a bug?" Cause she kills the bugs and I clean them up. I say NO JUST COME HERE. And we find the flooded porch and run downstairs, and call the bu. It eventually stopped and nothing got in the house but it was a good 6 inches of water, up to about my ankle.... 

Then we went to a funeral. Kind of interesting. Nothing special or weird because it was an LDS funeral but I'm just so grateful for the gospel. Then later I had the best burger I have ever had. It was just a tiny little place. This guy only sells like 20 patties a day but it is the best burger I have ever had in my entire life. It's called the Mexican burger and holy smokes... but the best thing is that he gave me the recipe. So if anyone ever wants the best burger ever come to my house. :) Sometime next year haha. 

Wednesday: We had zone conference with President and Sister Jergensen!!! So awesome! I learned three main things and they have basically changed my mission. 1: Pride. pride is the gateway sin and everyone has pride because pride is the comparison sin. I don't know how to explain all that I learned but just go watch the talk by President Uchtdorf about pride. 2: Negative thinking. One of the new senior couple missionaries is a mental counselor and he talked about positive thinking and it was just exactly what I needed. 3: Doctrine is the most important thing we can teach our investigators but analogies, scriptures, and personal experiences are all things we need to use to enhance our teaching and make the doctrine more clear. This is something I've known but for the first time it clicked, and I was able to apply those things in my teaching and it was just awesome. I'm so grateful for President and everything he does. I love that man so so much. I know he's called of God. Oh another funny story, this happened on Thursday, but we get a call from President on Thursday and he's like "How's Jeremy doing" (one of our investigators) and we are like "good? we haven't gotten to meet with him this week, so yea." And president then says that he was thinking about him and shared a scripture with us to share with him. WHAT? President was thinking about OUR investigator? Woah. Sweet. That's basically all I have to say. haha 

I got two packages!!! One from my family and the other from the Weddles!!!! Thank you so so so much! I'm not opening them though until my birthday haha...cause I wanna have something to look forward to for my birthday. I realized mission birthdays are kinda weird... just like non eventful haha. 

Thursday: We met with this really funny investigator of ours that was a miracle. We were riding to a place, and this guy starts riding next to me on his motor scooter and starts talking to me. We were out in the rice fields so we stop and talk to him. Hou lai he sets up and we met with him twice this week and he came to church. But he's an interesting guy. Wang DX. He's really confused by our Chinese and has every word of wisdom problem basically. But he has great questions and just is great. I wish I could explain him better but just know that's he's funny :) Oh and Guo Mama and Baba have helped us with him. They're already good friends. If I haven't explain who Guo Mama and Baba are, just know that they are the most amazing people you will ever meet. They are so dedicated to missionary work and haven't even been baptized a year. But they are going to the temple in August!!!!!!!!! YAYAYAYAYAY!!!!! I love them so much. Like I can't explain how much I love them. 

Friday Saturday and Sunday. Miracle days. We met with this investigator Peng DX who is an eternal investiator and he's kinda hard to work with. He's willing to do things but only when they are convenient. He's so awesome though and I Just wanna help him so bad, but it's hard when he isn't willing you know? 

We also had a lot of lessons cancel on us this week. 6 lessons to be exact. But mei guan xi. This work still moves forward. I had a cool experience on Saturday. We were finding, and talking to this girl, and she wasn't really interested, but I pulled out one of our tracts that leads to the Because of Him video on the church website. We watched it with her, and hou lai she completely changed and set up with us and became a new investigator!!! :D So sweet. I also had another cool experience the other day. One of our (half) investigators in one of our lessons was like "I don't know if prayer has helped me" SIster DeWitt and I both look at each other and we're like "How do we address this" Well we sit in silence for a second and I thought to share a personal experience. I just shared about how when I moved back to WI it was hard. I prayed but didn't really feel God's help. But then I met my best friend Kayleigh, and that because I met her I knew that God was watching out for me and that He cared. I learned to rely on God and trust in Him. I don't think that the experience really helped the investigator Lin JM but it helped me to realize how personal experiences can work. So yea good things happened haha. 

This week was a lot better in terms of numbers and President shared some things about how you can't be 100% focused on numbers and you can't be 100% focused on just loving the people. You have to find a higher middle, and I think that's what I did this week. We worked really hard to get the numbers but of course focused on loving the people and teaching to their needs and it was just really great. I learned a lot and am so grateful for this gospel and for President and for God. I know He is leading this work.  

Have a great week!!!!

Love,

Sister Luo

Mango drinks!  Yum!!!

When you want success so badly that you knock a door that isn't actually a door...haha #share the gospel with everyone. 

And a monkey!!! WHAT?Hope I don't get rabies hahaha or however you spell it.

Sunday dinner!  Haven't had this in a long time

Sister DeWitt just making some calls

Week 36: Happy Father's Day!

Hello!

This week was another week of miracles! We again didn't quite make the mission standards (key indicators) so that was disappointing, and I just feel like that hasn't changed my whole mission. Sister DeWitt and I talked about it and just tried to figure out  what we were doing wrong, and just what we can do better. A lot of things that she said as she expressed what she felt was exactly how I have felt my whole mission. About "I don't know what more I can do" "Why aren't we seeing more success" Kind of thing.

It's interesting though, here in YiLan we've seen more miracles than I feel I've seen in any other area. But all these amazing people we meet and miracles we see all turn out to be referrals because they don't live in our area. But I guess that's ok...Team Jesus. :-)

We started the week off with exchanges. Sister Kitchens (who I knew when I would go visit HuaLien and who I absolutely adore) and Sister Wang who is a ben di ren (native). I was with Sister Wang. She's so great and it was so cool to be companions with a ben di ren for a day because I got to hear great Chinese! :D I spent the evening talking to Sister Kitchens and basically just crying because of how badly I want to help others come unto Christ, how badly I want to help amazing people accept this amazing gospel and feel the amazing joy that it has brought me. And I just haven't felt I've done that. Maybe I shouldn't say it like that haha but I just wish sometimes that I could see more success in terms of baptisms/new investigators. In terms of my commitment, I'm completely 100% successful so I can't complain. Because in the end the numbers don't matter, it's the commitment. But anyway, sorry that was kind of a rant. 

Wednesday turned out to be a crazy day! The STL's left their phone in our apartment (they came to YiLan which is different but fun). So we were trying to figure out what to do, and then an investigator called us and was like I can meet you in an hour and this was an investigator we hadn't met with ever and hadn't been able to get a hold of so we were like "oh my goodness miracle" so we struggled to find a peike, and it was just crazy. The investigator turned out to be really weird and we aren't going to meet with him again but anyway. The rest of the day was ok but it started off crazy. We had English class and I had the awesome opportunity of teaching and bearing my testimony of the Savior in English class and the Spirit was really strong. I'm so grateful. 

On Thursday we saw an awesome miracle. We were going into a 7 to buy water, and we gave a lady an English tract. Didn't think too much about it. Well we walked out of the 7 and she asked us for more information about it. We wrote down her number then left. Well we were trying to find this place that we had planned to go and couldn't find it. Or it turned out to be a road with rice fields and two houses....usually how it goes... anyway, we turned around and we see this lady waving at us, well it turned out it was the lady we had just met at the 7. We had stopped right in from of her house. Except it wasn't her house it was a rentable house/apartment. It's called a mi shu. But I don't know how to explain it. Anyway, we talked to her some more and she set up with us! We went back the next day and taught her lesson 1, and she set a baptismal date. Well turns out she has three houses and the one she actually lives in is in Luo DOng, in the Elder's area. 

I called President to ask a question about one of the investigators we have that was baptized and never confirmed, and he talked to me for a little bit and just asked me how I was. It was so wonderful! He told me about how we all have weaknesses and that yes I am a new missionary but that he knew we were going to do great things and that the Spirit will compensate for any of my weaknesses. Well I saw that. The previous sister from YiLan texted me a potential. A little boy with great English and gave us his dad's number and address. Well geng hao last last week? We knocked into the same people. It was a miracle because I forgot to call the boy and forgot about him completely, until I made the connection. I realized that God really wants these people to be connected with missionaries. His whole family (Chris's family) except his mom, came to English class and I just know that we are going to be able to teach them later. I hope :)

Well other than that, we have one investigator that we are confident will get baptized. His name is Zhou DX. He's so great and his date is for the 16th. He's been an eternal investigator but he is so close now. He wants to get baptized, he's just a little afraid. 

That's pretty much it. Basically it was another week of reflection of what I can do better, and just wondering what God's will is for me. Yup. 

It all just comes down to my testimony and my conversion. I know with all of my heart that this gospel is true. I don't really know how else to say it. I just know that God is in charge of everything, and that He loves each and every one of us. I'm so grateful for the trust that He has put in me, and in this area, and I just hope I am making Him proud. I haven't felt it too much, but that's just probably because I'm too hard on myself. I don't know. I love you all so much and hope everything is well! Gong xi Dyllen and his new wife! :D 

Love,

Sister Luo 

these little black birds that attack us!

Zongzi!

Friendly lady on the subway ... she ditched her plans to help us go to YiLan

Waffles!!!! Who knew you could put so much in waffles!!!! He has lunch waffles and dessert waffles! Every Thursday!!!!

Week 35: Dragon Boat Festival ... Peace!

​HELLO!

Ni men hao! Sorry I'm too lazy to write in Chinese characters! It takes a lot of time and I would rather write you.

This week was pretty stinkin good! We saw so many awesome miracles!!! First I'll bao gao (report) on our investigators. So far we still haven't met everyone, but we're getting there. So far we have three that we are mainly working with, and have met with twice.

Jeremy ​Z:.  Our most progressing investigator​.   He wants to know truth, and he's trying. His problem is faith. He thinks he has to believe before he can know, but we are trying to teach him that he needs to make the effort, then God will help him believe. If that makes sense. He also says that he knows he's supposed to follow the commandments, but that he doesn't like the constant reminder in the scriptures. Or it gives him an uncomfortable feeling. He had a date for the 25th, but then didn't come to church, so he won't make his date.

Our next progressing investigator is Peng DX. He is almost 50 and lives with his girlfriend. He knows he's breaking the law of chastity and he wants to do what's right, but he doesn't think there's any way. Or he's waiting for an answer from God before he makes any change with his girlfriend. He's waiting until 50 to get married because then he won't have the financial responsibility for her 4 kids, and his 2 kids, who are almost all in college. He came to church on Sunday all dressed up and I can just feel that he is so special. God loves him so much and I know that he will get baptized, we are just working on building his faith to the point that he will be willing to move out or have his girlfriend move out.

Then there is Lin DX. He's super great. He is a little hesitant about reading and praying just because he forgets  but he wants to know and is willing to be baptized, but it's kind​ of a man man lai thing with him (slow).

We saw some awesome miracles this week!!! For the first time I really felt like we were guided to very specific places. This one man came out of his house and said, "Where are you going?" I said "Here" He said "No one here is interested, they are all sleeping" Then I kept talking to him and he invited us in to his house for water. His whole family was there so we went in. And it was super crazy but so awesome. I shared the first vision/lesson with him while SIster DeWitt talked to the rest of the family. They were visiting from Tai​b​ei and they said we could give their number to the Taibei missionaries. So that's super awesome! And then the owners of the house set up a time for us to come back! So that's super super sweet!!! Miracle​ ba​sically. In the middle of the rice fields, we found a miracle. That's usually how it is actually haha. Who knew? Oh yea God haha. :)

THEN we were knocking and had been knocking for a little over an hour, and we were about to leave, but the last house we knocked on, they invited us in and were incredibly friendly. We were kind​ of​ taken aback. They acted like they knew who we were. Well haha hou lai (turns out) they did. We found a previous investigator. Well ​actually he is a current investigator! He was almost baptized but he fang'd his own baptism because he smoked!!! Fang'd means he ditched, or was a no show. So talk about a miracle. We have a huge area and just happened to knock into him? God is amazing. We set up ​time ​with him and he fang'd us...so ​we will have to see about still meeting with him ​... oh well.

That's pretty much it, but I just love being a missionary!!!!! I think the hardest thing this week was just knowing that everything that has happened has been God's will. Sister DeWitt is so fun and she's so prepared. And sometimes it's a little intimidating :) She had an amazing experience in the MTC and she just talks about her investigators like they were real investigators. She's just an awesome missionary and yes I'm a little intimidated. But I'm working on it.

I have also realized how much my Chinese has improved.  I can understand ​so much more ​in lessons and I can teach lessons​ better​ in Chinese. I just didn't realize how much I could actually speak and it's a miracle. An absolute miracle!!!!

There's been a lot of rain recently. Like everyday. It's rainy season. And I found out that July and August is Typhoon season​, a​nd we are right by the coastline. So I'm not really looking forward to that.

This week was dragon boat festival so we ate a lot of zong zi (traditional food)​. ​ Kinda cool! So delicious!!!! I love Taiwan!!! Oh and they say Peace instead of happy.

Also....i'm terrified that I'm coming up on 8 months. Next month is my halfway mark. I haven't been counting but  I ​want to make sure my time isn't gone​.​ But man I'm just scared! I just have to be so much better than I am!!! Basically that's it. I just love being a missionary so much and I don't ever not want to be one​,​ seriously.

So I have one last thing to say. A lot of times on the street, we'll ask people if they've gone to church before. And I'm so impressed that a lot of people say that they've gone before with their friends. And I just realized how awesome that is. That people are inviting their friends to church! So my invite to you is invite people to church! Even if they only come for an hour! There is such a special spirit about church. Seeing families together, the Sacrament, etc. You never know what will happen until you invite. So that's my invitation to you.

I know that this church is true. With all of my heart, and then more. I cannot deny nor will I ever deny that my Savior, Jesus Christ lives. He is the center of this message that I share as a missionary. He lives and He died for each one of you, so that we can change. So that we can become better, so that we can live with God again.

Sister DeWitt navigating the bikes

Bird poop on the hand ... seriously?

Missionary life

Puppets ... they make TV shows out of them

Cute girls from a miracle family

So green!!!

Week 34: New Area & I'm Training!!!

HELLO HELLO HELLO HELLO HELLO!!!!!

OH MY WORD YOU ARE NOT GOING TO BELIEVE WHAT HAPPENED THIS WEEK WITH TRANSFERS!!!!!

So it's Tuesday, and we just finished planning. Wednesday morning we find out about transfers, so we are super excited about that. Except that we heard from this one Elder (Elder S, the Olaf Elder) that Sister Wong and I were both leaving, we we were really both so ready to hear what happens. Well I was in the closet folding my clothes, and suddenly we get a call from the Bu. (The mission office) and it's one of the Assistants. My heart is pounding and I answer and he says "Is this Sister Roberts?" I'm like... Yes. He asked me how I liked zone meeting and just kinda did some small talk then he said "President prays a lot about who should train, and he's asked you to train" Or something along those lines......WHAT! MY 5TH TRANSFER AND I'M TRAINING??????? WHAT???????? He goes on to talk about how it's a really really important calling and that I set the expectations for this missionary's mission. Well wow...so of course I said yes. SO WHAT??? I'M TRAINING!!!!!

Right before studies are about to end on Wednesday, I get a call from our zone leader and he's like "He congratulations! I heard what's happening" And I was like "Um yea haha thanks?" And he asked where we were going. I told him we hadn't checked yet, and that we were going to check now. So we go check, and we have to go this machine at a 7, because we get an i-bon code texted to us, and we use that code on the machine that allows us to print our transfer information. Well, we go to the i-bon code and didn't know how to use it, so I call our zone leader back and ask him, and he helps us. Then we look at it, and it says I'M GOING TO YILAN!!!!! WHAT?????? And Sister Wong is going to Zhu Dong! SO our area is being white washed and I'M WHITEWASH TRAINING!!!! WHAT???????? You don't understand how in shock I was. Our zone leader was still over the phone and I'm like practically yelling at him like "How could you not tell me? You didn't even hint at it!" Etc. So yea.....my new area is Yi Lan :) Which is so so so similar to Tai Dong!!!!! WOOHOO!!!!!!! God knows me :) 

My new companion is Sister DeWitt. And she is the most sweetest, funnest, coolest Sister missionary you'll ever meet! Seriously. I'm so impressed with her. We get along so well and it's so so so fun! She is so much more prepared to be on her mission than I was. She's always thinking about the investigators and her Chinese is also better than mine was. She's so great! She's from Utah and yea. I don't know what else to say. We have been here 5 days together and we just are having so much fun!

So my are is completely different from the area I had in Tai Dong though. In Tai Dong, I was in the city area. But here, I'm in the rice fields....so like there is literally no one. Seriously. I'll send you pictures. There was an area like this in Tai Dong, and the other Sisters were in it. So I'll have to ask them for advice. It's kinda hard though cause we have no idea where we are going, and there are no people so we're like "Um how do we find?" Seriously haha. Anyway!!! I love this area and I seriously feel like I fit so so well! It's interesting because I never felt this with San Chong. I never felt like I quite fit. But I'll be here in Yi Lan for the summer so wish me luck!!!! AHHHHH I'M JUST SO HAPPY!!!!

We've also seen so many miracles already. Including the pouring raing stopping just long enough for us to walk to another house, then as soon as we got under the cover, it rained again. And yea. We also have found two new investigators and we've only talke to like 10 people haha. Seriously, the houses are I swear a mile apart from each other! It's so great! It's such an adventure and Sister DeWitt is such a good sport about it. We have so much fun. The past week it's been raining, and what can you do but laugh? 

Only bad thing is our apartment....it's awful. We have a whole in our wall that is covered with tarp and duck tape hahahaha! I also haven't gone a day without seeing a cockroach. Don't worry, I've already talked to the mission office about it. We will probably move. President wants us living in nice apartments because he wants us focused on missionary work. I seriously...it's gross. Anyway.

I've been pretty nervous about white wash training, but really I haven't. And it's a miracle. Our last zone training was on fear and how to overcome it, and I swear it has changed my mission. In our zone meeting, President said (he stopped by for a little cause I was in the Taibei central zone which is the zone that the mission office is in), anyway, President said that in the MTC, Elder Bednar said "There is one emotion that the quorom of the 12 never feel, and that emotion is fear". I learned that it is possible to not fear, and I've also learned that that's why I've been having a hard time mentally. Is because I'm afraid. I didn't realize it, but now I know. Everything has changed since then. I can't explain how amazing it is to just completely rely on the Lord. That's what I've learned to do, and I just wish I had learned earlier. I just have so much confidence that God trusts me to do this. That he trusts Sister DeWitt and I to do this. And I haven't come into this area thinking "Man this is probably gonna be hard" Or "I don't know what I'm doing". Or "My Chinese isn't good enough". Etc. I have come in saying "Wow, this is crazy that I'm doing this BUT I know that everything will be ok, and God won't let me fail" Basically. I'm obviously had a lot more thoughts than that, but yea. It's rockin. I love it. And we're killin' it. 

I've really learned to rely on the Spirit. We had an awesome lesson with this investigator, Lin DX. And I really felt the Spirit so strong. I felt the Spirit guide my words and also, I've learned that I actually ting de dong (understand) a lot more than I thought I did. Well, I know that God is helping me a lot. But I've really learned these past couple weeks to listen. Really listen to them and focus on them, and it's changed my whole Chinese experience. It's so amazing!!!

This whole things has been a little stressful, but it's bu cuo. I'm having a good time. And really, It's not stressful, it's fun. I LOVE THIS WORK!!!

I know this church is true. There is no power in this world that could ever make me deny that. God is leading His church. He knows His children, and He helps them. Just have faith and not fear. I invite you to watch the bible video on lds.org of Jesus feeding the 5000 and I want you to think about fear vs faith. What you notice. Who has fear? Who has faith? And discuss with someone. It was kinda an eye opener for me. The natural man fears. Even when they are standing before Jesus Christ himself. 

I love you all so much! I hope everything is well and just have faith and not fear!!!! It's possible!!!

Love,

Sister Roberts

Yummy Mango Shaved ice dessert with sister Wong

Unbelievable dessert a member made for us .. tasted just as good as it looks

our building in San Chong

Transferring sister Wong

Sister DeWitt ... I'm her Mom :-)

our area is literally rice fields.  Beautiful!

Rain ... and more rain