Sister Cecily Roberts: Week 45: Teach Better

Hey hey hey! Da Jia hao!!!

Well this week went super fast and honestly I don't even know what happened!!! On Monday, we went to the beach and it was so beautiful and so fun!!!

I feel like this week, I was a little frusturated with not being able to keep our schedule as it was intended to go. I felt like things kept changing and that we wasted time. But it all turned out and we saw a lot of success.

Precious Lin DX is doing so well and his baptism is this Saturday. Well his interview is on Thursday. We went over the questions with him last night and he's ready. It's very interesting because his testimony right now is based off of others and the happiness that he sees in others. I feel like he is a little depressed because of his family situation, and right now he doesn't have many friends here, but I know that this gospel has changed him, he just hasn't realized it as much. But I'm so excited for him and I just hope that we can both be there for his baptism! It would mean so much to him and to us!!

This week aka yesterday, Elder Evans came to visit. It was very interesting. It was so different from the last general authority that came. But he basically sat there and said "This is what you are doing wrong, and how you can fix it" He said it with love of course, but it was just not what I expected. And for a lot of the time he was talking, I felt very inadequate. I felt like there was no way that I could teach someone repentance and help them be converted to the depth that he was teaching us. But I also know that we aren't really the teachers. We are the preachers. We declare these glad tidings and the Holy Ghost is what teaches them. What changes them. And allows them to have a change of heart as they humble themselves and repent. I have learned a lot about faith also. I know that 99.999% of missionary work is faith and what I've learned this week is having faith in myself. I think because I haven't had as much success as I want or others have had, that I don't believe that God wants me to baptize. That God wants me to go through this struggle of working hard and not seeing much from my labors. BUT I realized that by having that xiang fa (thought) I wasn't having complete faith. I remember from one of my first interviews with President Jergensen, he told me I was the only one that didn't see how amazing I was. And I think I forgot that for a little, that faith isn't just believing in God, it's believing in myself. And my ability to do this work. My ability to teach, and follow the Spirit. If I don't have faith in myself, I don't have faith in my calling. If I don't have faith in my calling I can't do the work because I don't fully believe God called me to do this. But I of course know all of this and I'm just working on having more faith all around because I know that faith is only way this work can be done. It's 99.99999% of missionary work.

Sister Evans spoke and it was my favorite part. I really feel like she helped me to realize how important faith was. She said something alone the lines of "Sometime, somehow, somewhere down the line, God will let you know that He recognizes your faithfulness" She also said that He is blessing me. He is sending blessings to my family, and I believe that. I know that even though I haven't seen the fruits of my labors like I thought I would, that he is there and that he is answering my prayers. I'm just so excited to go do this work with this new faith that I have! :D So great!

This Sunday was bitter sweet cause we said goodbye to people. I don't actually know if it's forever goodbye because we don't know who is leaving yet but just in case, we took pictures with people and such. It was pretty fun but also sad :( I love these people so much. The people in YiLan are amazing and I am so grateful that I have been here and been able to be in this beautiful city. I love Taiwan so much. I know that this gospel is real. While we were with Elder Evans (which it was the whole mission btw so I got to see all my buddies), I really felt as though he was speaking from the first presidency. He talked about the white handbook, and about our missionary purpose/focus of "Teach repentance and baptize converts", and I just really felt like what he was saying was from them. But as I was listening, I just had the sweetest feeling of truth. I just felt in my heart that Thomas S. Monson truly is God's prophet on this Earth. That He leads and guides this church, and that even though he may not be able to do everything that he used to be able to, that God works through him to guide us.

This work is real. I know it with all of my heart. I'm so grateful for this missionary opportunity that I have and I'm so grateful to be a missionary for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. I know our Savior lives and that He loves us. I know that through the Atonement, we can become stronger. We can overcome our weakness (which are super annoying and I just wish I could rid myself completely of), we can overcome anything because of the Savior and because of His sacrifice for us. He knows us. He loves us, and He is there for us to turn to. I love you all so much and hope you all have a great week! Who knows? I may not be in YiLan anymore. The chances are 50-50.

Love from Taiwan,

Sister Luo