Week 75: Baptisms!!!

大家好！

Well just to start off I just have to tell you that the highlight of my day was HUANG JM AND XIE DX WERE BAPTIZED!!!!!!!!!!! And it was incredible!!!!!!!!!! It went soooo smooth and it was just wonderful!!!! I can't explain how much I love them!!! The Elder's helped baptize them. Huang JM was soooo sweet in her testimony. She just talked about how grateful she was for us. And how much we helped her. She told me one thing that really stood out to me, she said "No matter where you go, whoever you teach, and whether or not they get baptized, they are grateful for you. And if they get baptized they are even more grateful" It was really sweet. She's incredible... OH but did I ever tell you that they were a referral from BanQiao sisters?  And do you know who are the Banqiao sisters? SIster DeWitt (my trainee)!! Sister DeWitt found her!!! :D So so awesome. I love her!

Oh we also had zone conference! So that was pretty cool. Elder and Sister Funk were there and it was super cool. Elder Funk talked a lot about what he talked about in MLC. But President and Sister Jergensen also had incredible lessons and I'm just so amazed by their ability to teach from the scriptures. I also had the opportunity to do a special musical number at zone conference. I sang with Sister Austad, and Elder Walters (who is like a legendary pianist), Sister Clawson (on violin), and Elder Thompson (on cello). We sang Beautiful Savior! Soooo incredible. I'm so grateful to have had the chance to sing on my mission!

This week was just full of great lessons and cool little miracles. We've really been trying to find new people but using all kinds of methods to find. We street contact, we also have been visiting LA and part member families, and we are also asking referrals from everyone we can! We now have two 9 year old investigator boys who are gonna get baptized:) Both in different families! So awesome!

OH MY GOODNESS I ALMOST FORGOT TO TELL YOU ALL, SATURDAY I HAD 4 INVESTIGATORS BAPTIZED!!!!! So I don't know if I said much about Li JM but she was a member's friend in the zhong he second ward. We passed her off to the SongShan sisters because Li Jm moved to Neihu. Well she got baptized on Saturday morning!!! And we got to go!!! Then I get there and Sister Reinhard and Sister Kim were like "Hey did anyone tell you that Chen Yeye is getting baptized today at 3"? And of course I freaked out! Chen Yeye was the grandpa who is like 80 but that understood pretty well. And he really really wanted to get baptized but couldn't because of his living situation. Well I don't know what happened but I think because of health issues and stuff he was cleared to be baptized! Don't know how that worked out but he was baptized!!!!!!!! AHHHHHH and then Huang JM and Leo were baptized Saturday night!!!!!!!!!! Oh my goodness how incredible right???? Miracles!!

That was basically our week. We just teach a lot. We've dropped a couple investigators. But yea. 

Our most progressing investigators right now are Wang JM. I found her on the street with my old companion, Sister Wang's little sister on exchanges. She's sooo awesome. She really wants to get baptized and is just golden. I love her :)

The other one is Qiu JM. Or Ruby. She selt contacted herself. She walked in the church last last week. She went to the Jinhua ward (the biggest chapel, by the temple). And she came because of a friend from Canada who had introduced the church to her. Well she said that she has been so happy since she's come to church, and without us telling her, she told her boss that she wasn't going to work on Sunday. And just like that, she isn't working on Sunday. She's been reading the BOM, and has a baptismal date, and everything!!! Incredible. 

I have loved my time in 永和 so much. I love this place. I love the ward. I love my companion, the apartment. The location (it's only 20 min away from the mission office), it really just couldn't get any better. I am so grateful for this time that we have had success and have baptized. Sister Yee and I had 4 baptisms together! 5 counting Li JM (we taught her together before she moved to Neihu). And I just can't express how grateful I am. And now coming down to my last 6 weeks as a missionary, I'm excited to go somewhere else. I don't know where I'm going yet. I'm a little bummed to be in another place for only a transfer because 6 weeks isn't a long time to get to know the area, but I just hope and pray that we can baptize someone, or a family:) But whatever happens, I just am going to try my best. I want to live every last minute and every last second of being a missionary. I think my absolute favorite part of being a missionary is just having the confidence that I am doing exactly what God wants me to be doing. I am serving Him, and I am doing exactly what the Savior would be doing if He were here. He would be finding, and He would be teaching repentance, and baptizing converts :)

I just want to finish by sharing a scripture that I studied this week. I was looking for scriptures about the Atonement for a lesson. It's in 3 Nephi 27:14-15.

"14 And my Father sent me that I might be lifted up upon the cross; and after that I had been lifted up upon the cross, that I might draw all men unto me, that as I have been lifted up by men even so should men be lifted up by the Father, to stand before me, to be judged of their works, whether they be good or whether they be evil—

15 And for this cause have I been lifted up; therefore, according to the power of the Father I will draw all men unto me, that they may be judged according to their works."

Christ was lifted up upon the cross. He suffered that pain, so that we wouldn't have to. So that we would be lifted up from our burdens, and our grief, and our sorrow. We was lifted up so that He might draw all men unto Him, so that we could be lifted up to the Father. That is the joy of the Atonement. We come  unto Jesus, to become free from out sorrows and pains and sins, and so that we can be clean and stand before the Father to be judged and rewarded. I know that Jesus Christ is our Savior and Redeemer. I don't think I understand completely how great He is, or how amazing He is, but I know that what He did was real. I feel it, and I've seen it change and bless others lives. I know that this gospel is real. This is God's plan for us, and each of us have a unique and divine identity. I love you all and hope you have a wonderful week! 

I'll have a new companion and new area next week....wish me luck. Haha just kidding :) 

加油

Love,

Sister Roberts

羅姐妹

Week 74: Another Busy Week

Hello, 大家好！

The reason why I love 永和 so much is because we are so so so busy. Well there are actually a ton of reasons why I love this place, but one of them is because we are so busy. We teach a lot, and hardly have time for studies. But when we do have time to find, we find miracles! 

This week started off by going to YingGe for p-day. It's this little city that is famous for it's pottery. And they let you spin your own pottery. So that's what I did for p-day. Spin pottery :)

Then on Tuesday, we got 2 new investigators which was super cool! One has already dropped us though. That's ok :( Just a tip: if you ever hear someone is meeting with missionaries, encourage them to keep meeting with them! 

Tuesday night we also met with our beloved Huang JM and Leo and taught them the Law of Chastity. They love it. THEN ON FRIDAY THEY PASSED THEIR BAPTISMAL INTERVIEW SO WHO IS GETTING BAPTIZED THIS SATURDAY?!?!?! THEY ARE!!!!!!!!!! :D YAY!!!!!

Wednesday, we had a lot of lessons. We had a lesson with Rachel, and found out she had a bad experience after church. She accidentally used the men's bathroom to change her son's diaper and someone got mad at her. Then her son was running around the halls after church and ran in between these two sisters and the sisters kinda got mad at Rachel and asked her to "control" her son. She was offended. We were really really sad to hear that and that's the first time that I've had an investigator have a bad experience. :( She told us she doesn't want to go back. But after talking to her and sharing a lesson with her, I think she was reconsidering it. I had a really special moment where I just bore my testimony of how much I loved her. The Spirit was really strong and it was really powerful. After Sister Yee and I talked more about the lesson afterwards, we realized that some things were just kinda off. We prayed about what we should do and just felt that she needed a little time. We actually had the key to her house, so we had to go back and give it to her. So later that week, we went and gave it back. But she started to cry and say "I don't want to say goodbye" and it was actually kinda hard to explain that we just thought she needed some time, and that we would come back in a couple of months. We exchanged contact information. It was really strange though. She was really dramatic and just cried and cried... :(poor thing. I love her a lot. 

Sorry for the long paragraph on that one haha. Wednesday's English class was also rough. My children's class has gotten to be a little crazy and I can't seem to find the balance between games and teaching, and I think I've lost my little kids skills... oh well. I have learned that being an English teacher isn't the thing for me. 

Thursday-Friday we went on exchanges! We went to JingMei and went on exchanges with Sister Wong and Munsee. (I was Sister Wong's breaker) It was really fun! I was with Sister Munsee this time and we just went and chuan'd the jiao :) Made some good goals, talked. I learned a lot and I hope it helped them. I love them a lot. 

Saturday, we had an awesome ward activity!!! It was sooo incredible to see all these members that I love sooooo much, all together, and to be smiling and having fun. I love YongHe so so much!!! 

Sunday was full of miracles! We had 7 investigators at church!!! So so so crazy! We had ward conference and so the stake president was there, he complimented us on how well we were doing and we also had a couple other members just say how awesome we were doing. They are so excited for the baptisms and for the awesome investigators!!! I love this ward and I'm just so so so grateful that the Lord has been blessing us with so many people to teach! 

I know I mentioned this last week, but I've really been trying to make the Sacrament meaningful in my life.  And how I can personally apply Jesus Christ and His Atonement in my life, and last week, I really wanted to have more desire, and charity, and just give myself, and as I really focused on those things this week, really prayed and tried to have more love, and not think of myself so much, it happened. I have been happier, and not so worried because I've been focused on others. And I know that it's not anything that I did. I know that the Atonement of Jesus Christ allows us to be better, to overcome weaknesses, and to be strengthened. I love this gospel so much and I have just felt much more strength and spiritual power in my life. I'm so grateful to be a missionary and I'm just living every last second of it :)

Have a wonderful week and I hope everything goes smoothly!!!

Love,

Sister Roberts

 羅姐妹

Week 73: March Already???

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大家好！

HOLY SMOKES WHY DOES TIME GO SO FAST??? I can't believe it's March already!!!

Well I think the biggest thing about this week was Sunday. We had 5 investigators at church! And it was sooo crazy! So we cover 3 wards. Our area is YongHe but if there's any single female investigators

​ in the other wards

 we teach them. So sometimes we go to all three wards. Only sometimes, well a lot of the time. BUT yesterday, we get to church

​be​

cause an investigator is supposed to come (this is in the morning and the zhonghe ward so not ours)

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and we call another investigator who we had went to go visit the night before to ask if she was coming because she has a two year old son and no motorcycle cause her husband takes it. So she needed a ride, but she doesn't answer her phone, so we had no way of confirming with her. Anyway, we called her (Cheng JM) and she actually answered and is like "They haven't come yet to pick me up" And we started freaking out because we didn't ask anyone to get her because she never answered and anyway

​s​

, last minute we found someone to take her to church.

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We pulled someone out of class and she drove us to her house, then drove us back to church, and Rachel (ChengJM) had a great experience. Elder Evans from the 70 also happened to be there and shared a great testimony and she was really touched. She was really nervous the whole time though so that was kind

​ of

a awkward but it's ok. She's great and we are so glad she could come!!!!

Then we had the Xie family come. Huang JM and Leo are getting baptized in two weeks and just keep asking if they can learn faster haha. They did a temple tour on Saturday and we taught them tithing and they accepted! Of course. She's like "No problem". Literally, she's incredible. We ha

​ve​

 been so blessed here in YongHe with so many prepared people. I'm so grateful. 

We also found a super cute new investigator this week, her name is Wang JM. She came to church on Sunday and Liao JM (our RC) totally took her in. She really guan xin'd her and just is incredible. These people are incredible. 

We also had the new member fireside this Sunday and the assistants texted us that morning saying that a "goldy"

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had walked into the church. Well she stayed for all three hours then we met her at the fireside at night, and set up with her. Her name is Ruby. She has a friend from Canada who is LDS and has talked to her about church and stuff. We gave her a Book of Mormon and we're so excited! People to teach (especially prepared people) just fall into our laps! I'm so grateful!!!

We just see so many miracles and I wish that I

​ ​c

ould explain them to you! But my fingers don't type fast enough!!!

Oh I forgot to say, last p-day, we had a member, Brother Xie take us on a little tour of Taiwan. He's a taxi driver, and we went with the zhong 2 elders to 4 different places. Taiwan is soooo beautiful!!!!

I can't believe that it's already the 4th week of the transfer!!!! Like literally it's unbelievable. WE

​ ​

JUST

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STARTED

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A

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NEW

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TRANSFER!!!! Why does time go so fast??????? Ugh.......it's ok. 

We also had interviews with President. We have interviews with him every transfer now!!!

​P​

oor President!!! But I know that he is called of God. I didn't know I was having a hard time but through some questions he asked I realized that I had gone back to thinking about myself and being hard on myself. SO I've made some goals to just focus completely on others and develop charity. I

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also really want to study the life of Christ more. To learn more about my Savior and how the Atonement really applies to me. I am just soooo grateful for President. He encouraged me and  told me I was doing well, and just helped give me the assurance I needed. 

I think the biggest thing I've learned recently is about the Sacrament. President has really been focusing on this lately, and it was something talked about in the worldwide missionary broadcast. They said if you want to be good

​at ​

*anything*, partake of the sacrament. And I've really been pondering this and figuring out what I can do to really understand and partake of the Sacrament

​ more meaningfully​

. I really liked how Sister Jergensen put it, just putting something on the alt

​a​

r. Thinking of what we want to improve and praying and asking God to help us. And I've really been trying to ponder what the Savior has done for me. But I have come to really appreciate the sacrament. I

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know that my Savior lives. I

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know that He atoned for our sins and through Him, we can become complete. We can overcome our weaknesses, we can find strength, we can become clean. I

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love Him and I'm so grateful for the honor that I

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have to always have

​H​

is name on my lips. I testify of Him everyday, and it's such an honor. 

I love you all and hope you have a great week!!!

Oh yea, we also had MLC today. MY

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LAST

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ONE! Elder Funk of the 70 came and is doing a mission tour. I learned a lot :) I'm so grateful for this chance I've had to be a STL. It's been 5 transfers of being a STL....and that's almost half my mission. I

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have learned so much and am so grateful that I've had this chance to learn from these incredible Sisters. And this time is coming to a close haha. Still have time though. 

I

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LOVE

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THIS

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WORK!!!!

Love,

Sister Roberts

Beautiful Taiwan and I love these people!!!!