Week 41: We're Moving (apartments)!!!

SO MAYBE THE BIGGEST MIRACLE OF THE WEEK IS THAT WE ARE MOVING APARTMENTS!!!!

Monday: We finished e-mailing and went to Jiao Xi to get our feet eaten by fish :) And we get a call from Elder Vatcher (one of the senior couples ) and he tells us that they are going to move us!!!!! We hadn't heard anything for a while about our apartment or about decisions or whatever, but ahhhhH!!!!!! You don't understand how excited I am!!!!!!!!!! :D :D :D :D :D It was the best p=day ever! 

We also had a cool experience this week. We were finding at Luo Dong Zhan (Luo Dong train station) and we saw this stand of Bible stuff. So we go look, and it's Jehovah's Witness stuff. This lady comes over and starts talking to us. She's super nice and asks if she can share a scripture with us. Of course we say yes and she does. We were about to leave after giving her an English tract, and Sister DeWitt is like "can we share a scripture from the Book of Mormon?" She says sure. So we do, but it was amazing the difference in her countenance as we bore testimony. It was amazing for us to look back on and we both recognized the power that we had. This was a really nice women sharing a scripture from the Bible, and everything she said was completely true, and we agreed and added our thoughts too. Then we shared, and it just changed. There was something there and we know it was the Spirit. Her countenance went from very nice to "I don't want your English tract" I said "You can give it to your friend" She said "I won't" ANd kinda forced us to take it back. It was really interesting but I was so grateful because I truly felt the power of the Book of Mormon and the Spirit. (Btw we shared a scripture about charity in Moroni). It was cool :) 

Tuesday: We went to Taibei and had interviews with president! Taibei is about an hour and 15 by bus. It was great talking to President Jergensen, and I Just always love being in his presence. We didn't get back until pretty late, and we had a lesson with Lin DX. Which we were going to teach one thing, then ended up teaching tithing because our pei ke's Guo Mama and Baba started talking about it. But it felt ok, so we did. Lin DX is our most progressing investigator right now. He's working on getting ready for baptism (word of wisdom) and we gave up chocolate for him. Just until he quits, then I will continue to eat the glorious chocolate from the few packages I've gotten recently :) 

Wednesday: We were finding, and it wasn't very productive. People weren't home and we weren't really talking to many people. But we were knocking and just to give you a little taste of my funny companion, everytime someone wouldn't answer the door she said "It's ok, they have a neighbor!!!" It was just a really fun way to lighten the mood and she's so awesome at doing that. There's never a dull moment with her :) Love her!!

Also, we had english class and no one came to our english class...well they did haha but only two men so we couldn't be there with them so we combined classes. Mei guan xi. 

Thursday: We had trainee trainer follow up meeting! Sister DeWitt is halfway done with training! So crazy!!! It was fun to see Sister Toronto (who I still call Abby...) and Sister Harvey!!! I love them so much!!!! Then we got back and had a lesson with Lin DX and taught him about the Book of Mormon. Our pei ke, WU JM was awesome. She shared a great experience about the Book of Mormon and Lin DX just soaked it up. To give you an idea of what Lin DX is like, just know that he's not very talkative and at church (which he comes every week) he just sits by himself. But it was just so good. I also shared an experience and just was a really good lesson. 

Then Wu JM offered to take us home. It was getting close to 9 and we weren't even sure if we would make it back by 9:30 because we had to take the train to Jiao Xi to meet with Lin DX. But anyway, she then had to pick up her daughter. Her friend was also in the car, which was cool. We invited her to church and she came!!! Then she set up with us and became a new investigator! So fun :) I love this gospel!

Friday: We just had more lessons (This week was a lot of lessons and not a lot of finding time) We have been so blessed. In fact, we hit all of our key indicators this week!!! So many miracles! :D :D :D I have never been happier!!!

Saturday and Sunday were pretty normal. It was super cool cause on Sunday, we needed to find 4 new investigators! And guess what happened? We did it! Well God did it! And we found this super cute family (a husband and wife and 1 year old girl) And they are so prepared!!!! I'm so excited! AND I also had a cool experience . We had 15 minutes to find and we weren't exactly sure which direction to go. So we stopped and said a prayer and I felt like we should go to our home area. So we did and found this super prepared man. It was so awesome. He doesn't live in our area but I just gained more confidence in myself and my decisions and it was cool. 

I love this gospel so much. This week was great but we also didn't get to see a lot of our investigators. Mike, wasn't able to come to church and we met with him and had a good first lesson but his friend was also there and he's not really interested so it's kinda awkward. But yea. Other investigators, there's not much to bao gao (report on). No one is super progressing except Lin DX who still doesn't have a baptismal date. I love him so much though :) He'll get there! 

This transfer is only 5 weeks long which is sad. And we are already on week two!!! AHHHH! Time flies! 

I love this gospel so much and I know that's it's true! Basically that's it! Something I've learned recently is how important prayer is. Prayer truly is communication with God. I realized that I hadn't been asking God his opinion. Or hadn't been asking for specific help. So that's something I've changed and it's been great. I really feel like I'm doing this work with God now. I love it :) I love you all and hope all is well!!!!

Love from Taiwan,

Sister Roberts or Sister Luo 

Faces of how it feels as the fish eat your feet

Fish eating the dead skin off your feet

unbelievable burger ... cheese, bacon, peanut butter, and banana!  Who would ever think ...

Diagon alley!!!

fun cookies

Abby!!!! or I should say Sister Toronto

Sister Toronot & Sister Harvey!!!! So fun to see them

new shoes (post-mission)

Week 40: Short week of miracles!

I don't really know what to title my e-mails.... cause basically every week is just full of more miracles!!!!

This week was so great, even though it was only 4 days we had so many miracles!!!! I'll just start with the biggest :) 

We dropped off Cai JM at the train station, then went to drop off her bike at Dong JM's house. Well Dong JM has a referral for us and we are going to visit them this next week so she invited us in and we talked about details, but then it turned into her showing us pictures for like 20 min.​I​t was ​a bit of wasted time and we were supposed to be finding. SO we get to the place we planned to go finding (actually we picked a general area, then we trusted the Spirit to guide us) so we stop and are about to pray to start finding, and suddenly this guy pulls around the corner. I say hello and he stops his car. His name is Mike and he's this little punk 17 year old haha. He has dyed blonde hair, driving a motor scooter, he also smokes, and is a break dancer. We start talking and turns out he was baptized in July​ in a church​ because he wanted a new start. We started talking about priesthood authority and how you need it for a complete baptism. Well we share the first lesson on the street to explain the priesthood and then we talk about baptism. He asks (before we invited him), with this look of glee on his face, "can i get baptized again?" then after talking a little more he's like "I didn't really feel anything when I got baptized. There was no change​." So basically we just ran into the most prepared punk kid you'll ever meet. He called his brother to see if he could come meet us right now, but his brother didn't answer. And he also asked if his friend could come to our meeting next week. He also came to church AND invited his friend. So his friend and him were both there. They came for half of sacrament meeting and Sunday school, and in Sunday school, Mike was like shushing his friend so that he could listen. The lesson was on fasting and we split into small groups and someone asked him what he thought fasting was for and he just gave a brief answer but just said "I think it can help others and ourselves" Basically he's just the coolest thing that's ever happened to this planet. Haha just kidding. But it was a miracle!!!

Honestly other than that, Sister DeWitt and I are just trying to figure out how to be better teachers. We feel like none of our investigators understand how important it is that they pray and read everyday!!!! And it's so frustrating. We are going to work more on following up and just trying to help them understand how important it is. 

Honestly, other than that I don't know what else to say. I had a cool experience on Sunday, we watched this video of family search, and it was of a recent convert and of her story

​ ​

going to the temple and being sealed to her husband who passed away, and i just felt the Spirit so strong tell me that this work is real. What I am doing is real, and my heart was and is just so full of desire to help others experience the joy that this gospel brings!!! To help them feel this and just ugh! i don't know how to explain! I just want nothing more to see someone go to the temple and just see their lives change! This work is real. God is real. He is in the details in our lives and He loves each and every one of His children. He is waiting with outstretched arms to help you and to bring you back into His presence. He wants every single one of His children to return back to Him, and that's why we have this gospel. That's why we have the plan of salvation, and the Book of Mormon, and everything. This is REAL. I know it with all of my heart! I love you all and I love this gospel! I am so grateful for my Savior Jesus Christ who died and atoned for us so that we could all return back to God's presence. 

I invite you all to invite someone to church this week. That's my simple invite :) 

Love,

Sister Luo

Our beautiful church building in Yilan

Our apartment

Mike

Street contacting

Week 39: We're famous & Halfway mark!

So goodness gracious...

I have so much to say and so little time. First of all the temple was awesome. I did sealings for the first time and it was great because it was all in Chinese and I didn't understand any of it haha. Anyway. It was awesome. 

Second, it was awful having to wait a few extra days to talk to you, not because I needed the break or anything like that, but because I have so much to say and no possible way to say it all!!! I'll just summarize...that's the worst. 

Well, yes the typhoon. It was fine. We were so excited for it and we were at the night market picking up some dinner and this news reporter comes over and asks if he can interview us. He's like "Where are you from" and "Is this your first typhoon? How do you feel?" And basically that was it. We called to make sure it was even allowed for him to do that so hopefully it was BUT basically Sister DeWitt and I are famous and now everyone in the area is going to be baptized because they saw us... yea. Be Jealous. :) 

We only felt a little bit from the Typhoon. It was crazy. We didn't get any rain really. Just wind. There were a few occasions where we would be biking and then suddenly we were pedaling and not moving... and laughing/crying cause it was so fun. The wind was crazy!!!!! And we just laughed!!!!

So this week we have a duan chuan!!! We got a call the other day saying that there were a bunch of young women who were going to do mini missions, and guess who got to host one. WE DO. Duan chuan is basically short term missionary. SO yea :) Best thing ever! She's so great and I feel sorry for her because this week has just been a lot of her standing around waiting for us because this week was kinda different with the temple and such. It's also been hard ONLY speaking Chinese!!! Like it's a struggle and most of the time we just end up speaking English.... not knowing that we are doing it. Yea. Anyway. She's brought miracles. We have seen so many miracles because of her. Maybe not because of her but it's just awesome that she is here. Specifically one investigator Shi JM. She was baptized before we came to YiLan and we've been trying to get in touch with her but she hasn't answered our calls and this week we went and visited her in a last attempt to find her and she let us in and we just talked and found out she's sick and that's why she wasn't confirmed? I don't know exactly what the sickness is. But Cai JM our missionary companion had a similar experience and she was able to share how the gospel helped her and then Shi JM completely changed. She reset a baptismal date and just is so awesome! It was a miracle and that's why she came to YiLan!!! 

I also ran into 

​Kate

 Weddle today!!! The triplets are also doing the mini mission but unfortunately I struck out and wasn't able to host them!!! But Lily is in San Chong!!!! Ah so cooL!!! 

We also had Zhou DX (Jeremy) who canceled his baptismal date because of some things and he's just not ready. He was going to get baptized this week but yea he's not ready. We happened to (it was a miracle) run into him at the train station. We were finding and it was like 15 minutes until the Elder's baptism started and we were about to leave, and suddenly we see Jeremy standing there. Well we invite him to the baptism and he's like "I haven't eaten yet, but I'll come". We were a little non believing and weren't sure if he would really come. Or he would come but would be late. Well the baptism started at 7:30 and we were standing by the bathroom and suddenly he walks by at 7:30 exactly and says "Chi bao le" Which means "I'm full" basically "I've eaten". It was so so so funny!!!! We were so amazed that he came, and we actually had 3 investigators at the baptism which was so awesome!!! I was playing the piano for the baptism and I was standing up at the stand during the talks and such and I just was overcome with love for these people. Especially my investigators and just missionary work. I was so grateful that we are having so much success and I have never been happier. 

SO another miracle, Sunday night. We still had to find 4 new investigators, to make the key indicator of 6 for the week. And actually we miraculously had 2 new investigators from church because Hong JM and her daughter (a referral from the elder's) came and set up with us. We've met with them and they are amazing and so golden!!! I'm so excited. But sorry that wasn't the point. Basically, we had 25 min left in the night to find 2 new investigators. And we did. ... just like that. I don't know how to explain it but it just was a miracle. 

The biggest thing that has changed in our companionship and in the way that I do missionary work is our attitude. We truly BELIEVE that we can accomplish goals. That we can hit the key indicators and we have an attitude of expect success. Basically our faith is just super strong and it's just amazing. 

There were other things that happened last week but I can't remember right now....sorry. 

I just have grown so much this last transfer. (By the way transfers are this week, so half way done with training) and next transfer is only 5 weeks instead of 6 because of school. So that means the next next transfer will be 7 weeks. Yikes :( One week less of amazing chuan jiaoing with Sister DeWitt. I'll miss that one. Anyway. I just think that the biggest thing I've learned is to believe. Truly believe. And to love. Especially these past couple weeks. I have really grown to love these people. Not just love the Taiwanese but to love them individually. Even the one's who reject us. I really feel it's this missionary "mantel" I carry. When I would normally judge the way someone looks, I don't and instead I think of them as a son/daughter of God. It's just amazing. 

I know this church is true. It isn't just another church. And it isn't the mormon church. This is the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. It's Jesus Christ's EXACT church that he organized when He was on the Earth. I'm so grateful to be a part of this work and I frequently ask myself. What did I do to deserve this opportunity? It's an amazing thing and I'm so grateful. I love you all and I'll talk to you in 4 days haha. 

Love,

Sister Roberts

Oh wait, I forgot to say another miracle. In the temple, right before our endowment session, I ran into Sister Kang? The missionary from TaiDong who served in Georgia and who was companions with Sister Barben!!! It was a miracle!!!!!! God is amazing!!!

We were interviewed on the TV news!

I saw Kate Weddle!  She's beautiful ... and we matched! 

Week 38: Happy Birthday America!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY AMERICA!!!!!

I gotta say, I have a lot of pride for my country. I guess it kinda happens like that especially when you don't live there...haha.

This week was amazing. Flat out amazing. Like it was amazing! The best birthday present ever was that we hit all of our key indicators. It was so so so awesome. It was a miracle, and I just can't explain how grateful I am. I think Sister DeWitt and I just realized how critical it was to focus on the key indicators and just to have a good attitude about it all. Expect success. That's our motto. And it's brought us miracles. We focus on the key indicators but aren't forcing them, you know? It's awesome. I just feel like we've worked so hard, and that God then makes up the rest. 

I don't even know what else to tell you about this week. My birthday was pretty great and it was really cool because we went over to visit a member's daughter's home who isn't a member, and had a good spiritual share. The member kept telling her kids to wish me happy birthday (haha) it was so cute. I don't even know how she knew. But it was awesome. Then we came home and ate frozen cheesecake, and just had fun. Sister DeWitt made my birthday feel like my birthday and I'm so grateful! She's so much fun and I love her so much!

We had some good lessons with our investigators and our most progressing is Jeremy Zhou. He came to church this week for an hour and it was awesome because we found out that his underlying reason for not coming to church is because he didn't like it. He didn't like priesthood class because it's too strict? He also hates wearing white shirts...so we've got some work to do. But he's great and his date is for the 16th. He wants it and I know that if he makes a few more changes like coming to church every week, he'll make it! 

We also had a lesson with my friend Peng Di Xiong. He's an eternal investigator and we found out he didn't even know who Joseph Smith was and didn't know how to ask God for answers, so we basically started over again. Taught him lesson one, and it went really well. He commited to praying about it and I know that if he just makes the effort, he'll make it. 

We saw a cool miracle this week. We went and biked about 20-25 minutes away and we found this one road, and went finding on it. And we got three set ups and 2 new investigators!!! On one road!!! In like an hour!!! How amazing is that???? God is a God of miracles. End of story :) 

OH OH OH OH!!!!! So last p-day we went and hiked up to a waterfall! BUT then we had spicy icecream!!! It has like the hottest peppers I've ever tasted IN SIDE the icecream!!!! We were all like crying!!! And we only shared one scoop between three of us! So crazy!!!! You'll have to try it some time :) We also went hiking with two elders and their investigator!!!!!

Seriously, other than that I don't know what else to say specifically. It was a lot of good finding, and just a lot of little miracles. Basically, for the first time in my life, I feel like a missionary. I love teaching so much, and I'm so suprised everytime how much Chinese I speak. Like...I'm teaching lessons in complete Chinese. WHO KNEW????? 

I know with all of my heart that this gospel is real. I just can't say it any other way. My heart literally burns with the Spirit and I'm so grateful that I get this opportunity to share about my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Our Savior and Redeemer. I don't know what I did to deserve this opportunity, and I just am so grateful for everything that has led me to be here. I love you all and hope you have a great week!!!!

Love,

Sister Luo

Turtle Island 

Just as it says!!

Birthday Cheesecake

me emailing you!

Birthday packages

Us emailing on Pday