Dajia Wu'an!
Today our regular
email place was closed, so we are in this super junky internet cafe attached to
a billiard hall. The stench of cigarette
smoke is surely stenching our clothes so that, while we might leave this place
and look like disciples of the Savior, the way we smell might not match what is
coming out of our mouths.....
Also because this
place is so....basic...there will be no pictures this week :( I had a lot to
send you, but this computer is way too slow, and I'm kind of thinking meiyou
banfa (not have possible). Sit tight for next week though!!!
Ok just in case she
reads this...here is a birthday shout out to one of my favorite, goofiest love
ducks, RJD!!!! Happy 21st! A birthday letter will find its way to
you in about...3 weeks :) Also congratulations to my beloved KB on getting
married! So exciting and so wonderful!! I wish I could have been there.
So last week we had
sister exchanges which meant 2 crucial things: 1. I got to go to a new part of
Taiwan and have an adventure with a new companion. 2. I saw my cherished MTC
companion who I love with all my heart! All the sisters met at the train station,
and so I saw her there twice, at the beginning and end of transfers. It was
glorious to see her. She looked
incredible and happy. There was too much we wanted to express to each other and
not nearly enough time, but I was grateful for the tender mercy of being able
to see her and give her several huge hugs. It was like seeing family. We also
saw each other at this meeting for trainers/trainees...and two of our MTC
Elders were there too! What a week.
On my exchange I
had a marvelous time with a totally amazing sister who is from Taiwan. Earlier
in her mission, there was a death in her family. She got permission to go home,
but after a couple of days she called the mission president and told him she
needed to come back out on her mission. She told me that being at the funeral
made her realize the vital importance of the plan of salvation, and she
desperately wanted to share that with people. She has seen a lot of miracles on
her mission. Her incredible faith
inspired me and gave me so much strength. The area I visited is enormous. It is a lot more rural than my area, so that
was a big change for me. The traffic was pretty skimpy. There were a lot of fields. Here in my area, it is buildings stretched
out everywhere as far as the eye can see, and the only time the streets might
be empty is if it's pouring rain, but even then the traffic is pretty steady. The
area I visited still has its fair share of pollution, though. My contacts were very dry by the end of the
day.
While I was on
exchange, we went to visit a former investigator who was Buddhist. The teaching
record mentioned how this woman always gave the missionaries TONS of food every
time they went to visit her, so we thought "How interesting" and went
to see her, having no idea how accurate the previous missionaries' phrase
"she fed us her entire fridge" was. In fact, this generous woman was
so concerned about giving us food, we were completely unable to give the
message we had prepared. It was a little discouraging. We spent a lot of time
thinking, praying, and preparing to share a spiritual message with her. While she really admired us for being
missionaries and making the sacrifice to be on missions, she wasn't really
willing to pause for a minute and listen. She was really kind and friendly, and
EXTREMELY giving, sending us on our way with two bags full of food....including
some food that she ran out and bought on the street in the middle of our visit.
After visiting her I thought a lot about how I can prepare and fast and pray to
share this message with other people, but in the end it completely comes down
to their agency. THEY have to choose to listen. They have to choose to let the
Spirit bring truth into their hearts, or they can let the Spirit bring the
truth UNTO their hearts, but not let it in. It is a somewhat frustrating but
very beautiful principle. Heavenly Father will always let us choose for
ourselves and in His mercy, He will give us countless chances to choose Him our
entire lives, and even in the life to come! He truly loves us.
Ok two funny things
I need to point out: 1. My chopstick skills are still not improving that much.
Apparently it's really obvious, because one of the less active sisters we visit
pretty frequently gave me a training pair of chopsticks the last time we went
to her house. It's like the kind that little kids use when they are first
learning how. The chopsticks are connected at the top by this rubber figurine
of a little girl. It's hilarious. I actually think they are harder to use....
2. My Chinese skills
are also chugging along kind of slowly. There are some days when I can hear my
strong American accent every time I speak, and I realize that my tones are ALL
OVER THE PLACE. The other day I invited this couple to church, then the light
changed. I was about to speed off on my bike, and I turned around to say one
last power sentence, perhaps to promise them some fantastic blessings, or say
something inspiring to them that would make them want to meet with the
missionaries. A whole jumble of sounds
came out. Not Chinese, not English. They really were just a bunch of strange
sounds strung together. I smiled big and sped away, murmuring,
"Oooookkk...THAT'S not Chinese." Almost every day I have to remind
myself to be patient and that with time....apparently MUCH more time....this
language will come to me. In the meantime, I'm having some really hilarious
experiences.
Time for my
spiritual share of the week. On Sunday during sacrament I was flipping my
scriptures open to read 3 Nephi 11, but accidentally turned to chapter 16
instead. I LOVE verses 2 & 3:
"For they of
whom I speak are they who have not as yet heard my voice [...] But [...] I
shall go unto them, and they shall hear my voice, and shall be numbered among
my sheep, that there may be one fold and one shepherd [...]." This Sunday
we had 2 really incredible investigators come to church. They are both such
fabulous women who have really different backgrounds, challenges, struggles,
and needs, but they have kind of become friends. One helped the other figure out what to do,
because she came last week and therefore knows the ropes ;) As I read this scripture in 3 Nephi, I
thought about these wonderful friends who were sitting in the congregation with
me. I realized how glorious it is that I
am able to witness them as they hear and recognize the voice of their Master
and Savior for the first time in their lives. I reflected on how at certain
points in my life, I have been a lost sheep.
Through the mercy of God I was able to find my way back and start the
process of true and lasting conversion to Christ and His teachings. I'm serving a MISSION now...and I get to help
other people recognize their Savior's voice beckoning them, and help them come
unto Him. What a supernal privilege it is to be a missionary!! I have never felt
this joy before....and I love the women I get to work with so much.
One woman has been
meeting with us nearly every day for the past week and a half. She is
progressing rapidly. I think I mentioned she has been keeping a gratitude journal
and the entries are in English. She has had so many challenges and has gone
through so many dark periods in her life...even a time when she completely lost
her will to keep living because she was so miserable. Now that she has started
to taste of the great light of the gospel, she clings to it and hungers more
and more for it. She started wearing skirts when she meets with us :) We
invited her to a baptism last week, and she started crying. I asked her
why she was crying and she said she was so moved. She realized how special
baptism is and how holy it is. She desperately wants to be baptized but because
of some decisions in her past, she thinks she is unworthy and is afraid to make
something that is so holy, dirty. We are working on building her self confidence. It is amazing to see how much the gospel has
changed her life already. Yesterday at church she showed me her gratitude
journal entry from Saturday. She wrote about how she had had a dream in which
she joined the church and everyone in her family was mocking her and making fun
of her. She wrote "I actually bravely tell them, yelled, 'Yes! I joined
the church! Him is good!" She is totally amazing. This gospel really can
heal us, it really is for everyone.
"Press
forward, saints, with steadfast faith in Christ, [...] thus saith our God, Ye
have eternal life"! Continue to spread good and be publishers of peace,
wherever you are.
I love you all so
much.
Love,
Ke JieMei
Sister Coco Mack
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