September 23rd, 2012

DAJIA HAOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Wow...have I been in Taiwan for 6 weeks already?? How is this possible? It ISN'T!!!!!!!!!! The time seriously flies by, yet it feels like I have seen and done so much more than I would have in regular life in that amount of time. I'm loving Taiwan. This week I'm going to work on a new top 10 list in honor of the start of a new transfer (every 6 weeks is a new transfer but you don't always move around). I'm so glad I am staying in my first area for at least another 6 weeks. There is so much to do and so many people to talk to!!!!!!

The main thing I wanted to share with you this week is the tremendous experience I had on Saturday of having one of our investigators get baptized!!!! It was so incredible! She is a single woman.  She works in a factory. She is very humble. She actually met my companion on the road before I arrived here. That day my companion was doing a lot of contacting but wasn’t having much success. She and her companion at the time stopped and prayed that they could have the Spirit guide them. Right after that, they met this woman. They invited her to church.  She said she would come, but would not give them her phone number. She just kept saying "No no no I will come to church." Usually when that happens, people DON'T come to church.  You never see them again, and never have another chance to share this beautiful message and how it can help and bless their lives. My trainer and her companion kind of forgot about this woman, but lo and behold, she showed up at church the next Sunday! And that just so happened to be my very first Sunday in this area!!! I have been with this woman since the beginning of her journey. It has been so powerful for me to see her come unto Christ and develop her relationship with God. There were a couple of weeks when we didn't meet with her at all, and we were worried that she would stop meeting with us and stop progressing, but then everything kind of just fell into place.

She showed up early for her baptism and became increasingly delighted with the prospect of it all. She rode her tiny little bicycle (it really is ridiculously small...like the size a 6-year-old would ride) to the church in a skirt. She was blown away by how many people showed up to support her and was so grateful. The elders in our ward also had 2 investigators get baptized that same night, but she didn't seem to mind sharing the spotlight. After she was baptized, I asked her how she felt.  She said "comfortable". She was so happy and couldn't seem to stop smiling. As we walked back into the main room where everyone was waiting for her, she had a little bounce in her step and already seemed to literally be walking in a newness of life as she went to greet her brothers and sisters in Christ.

She shared her testimony which was very simple but so sweet and pure. I can't believe how miraculous it is that she found the missionaries....out of thousands of people and hundreds of streets she could have been on, they were at the same stoplight at the same time.  God had very clearly been preparing her to receive our message. My companion made cards for the people who got baptized so that everyone could sign the cards and wish them well. This sister was so surprised to see how many people wrote in her card and asked us if she could keep it. We told her she could and then she kissed it and held it to her heart! It was such a beautiful experience. She kept expressing that she hoped she could keep learning more and know as much as we did. I reassured her that I really didn't know that much, and that we all get to keep learning together.

She got confirmed the next day at church. Sometimes people don't show up for their confirmation which is a stressful experience but she was there early, and she brought me and my companion treats!!! Little sweet rolls from a bakery. Then she got to share her testimony again, and this time shared a scripture...she's going to be a great asset to this ward. It's so wonderful that she already has sure faith in God and a testimony of the Book of Mormon...that faith will really help her continue to grow and develop her own relationship with Heavenly Father.

Being able to see this woman's conversion to Christ from the first meeting to helping her get baptized and on the path of God and enduring to the end strengthened my testimony of the work I am doing. This gospel of Jesus Christ really does change lives. It can bring greater happiness and peace than we have ever known. I'm so blessed to be a part of it.

Dang it, that wasn't nearly as eloquent as I was hoping it would be...it never is I guess haha. Just one more thing I wanted to share from Elder David F. Evans in his April 2012 conference talk "Was It Worth It?" He talks about sharing the gospel with people and establishing the pattern of talking, rejoicing, preaching, prophesying, and writing of Christ in our homes. He says, "We can write of Christ by writing letters to those who are away. Missionaries serving, sons or daughters in the military, and those we love are all blessed by letters we write. Letters from home are not just quick emails. Real letters provide something tangible that can be held, thought about, and cherished." So for all of you who have forgotten me....it is not too late to repent and change your ways!!! :) I love you and miss you and am anxious to still be involved in your lives while simultaneously focusing on the work I am doing here. I think I can handle both ;)

Love always,
Ke JieMei

Sister Coco Mack!

sun shiney greetings from your favorite sweaty faced missionary in the smoke filled billiard parlor September 17th, 2012

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 21^st! 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

THERE CAN BE MIRACLES WHEN YOU BELIEVE! September 9. 2012

Dajia hao! Another miraculous week has come and gone on la isla formosa!!!! (old Portuguese name for Taiwan. Google it.)

There can be miracles when you BELIEVE (Prince of Egypt!!!!!). This is such a true statement. This month my mission president wants us to study the Christlike attribute of faith. In his email to the missionaries he said, " Remember, faith is a decision, a desire or hope to believe. Make that decision and exercise and strengthen your faith." When we choose to have faith instead of doubting and being full of fear, when we choose to believe in the power of an almighty God, we can see that His miracles are all around us!!

Lately my companion and I have been working really hard to find new investigators and to talk to more people. Last week we had a really long day, a couple of no-shows to appointments, and no one wanted to talk to us. It was blazingly hot, and the sun was beating down on us all day, so we were sweating like crazy. In the evening we biked over to a less active lady's house hoping to surprise her with a little faith-building lesson. We parked our bikes and walked up to where she supposedly lived. The bottom part was a restaurant and we were kind of looking around not knowing what to do next. I think my companion called the phone number we had for her, but no one answered. Suddenly this other girl came up and started talking to us. She knew the person who we were trying to find and said she wasn't around. We started talking and shared a little bit of our message with this other woman, then invited her to come to English. She was very friendly and a little blunt, which is pretty unusual for most Taiwanese people.

So, this girl we met when looking for someone else showed up to English on Wednesday and was willing to meet with us after class. My companion went to teach another lesson, so I taught her by myself. We didn't want to keep her long because she had already been in English class for an hour and a half.  I just wanted to teach her about how we are all God's children, and that He loves us so much, and that we can communicate with Him through prayer. It was really simple.  The woman offered a prayer, then my companion came back and joined us. All of the sudden, this woman started to open up to us. She's had some challenging circumstances in her life that have led her to a point of really low self worth. She told us about some of her experiences and started to cry because they were so painful to her. Then she told us she didn't know what real love was. My heart was so full for her. We promised her that as she continued to study the gospel, she would feel of God's love for her, His true, pure, real love. I was so struck by how much she needs the message we have.

We met with this woman 4 times this last week, and she came to Church on Sunday. She is very open to learning but has a mind of her own and uses it to decide if she wants to accept the things we teach her or to act on the invitations we give her. She's an incredible person, and I love her so much!!! She truly is a miracle. At church she shared her testimony in Relief Society, saying that while listening to one of the testimonies in sacrament meeting, she felt like she got an answer to her prayers. She also keeps a gratitude journal (an assignment from one of the other missionaries who taught her English class). Her English is far from perfect, but the entries are so sincere, and she always lets us read them. She often mentions my companion and me as people she is grateful for. Yesterday she wrote that she is grateful for our friendship and that it fills her heart with so much happiness!!! I am so amazed at the transformations I get to see firsthand when the truths of the gospel work in other people. It strengthens my faith in my purpose as a missionary, and especially my faith that God is with me in this work. This woman's story is so deep and rich, and I have barely known her a week. As Ammon says in Alma 26, "I cannot say the smallest part which I feel.”

 I love being a missionary. I love it so so much. I'm grateful for the reminders I receive everyday that it's not me who helps people to believe the message of the restored gospel, or to know that God loves them—they believe and know through the power of the Holy Ghost. I'm so grateful that I have this chance to be a minister of the joy and peace the gospel brings to all kinds of people of different ages, backgrounds, personalities, and beliefs. I really believe that every person can be blessed by the teachings of Christ when they seek to understand and live them.

Thank you for your sacrifices, for your prayers, for being the incredible people you all are. I am who I am because of your influence, love, friendship, and example in my life. Keep letting your light shine!!!

This week I was reading in Alma 24 and 25 and was so moved by the story of the Anti-Nephi-Lehis who chose to "[bury] their weapons of peace, or they buried the weapons of war, for peace." I think I still carry a lot of weapons of war with me even though I tried to leave them at the MTC. I want to invite all of you to read these chapters and think about the things that are holding you back from completely loving other people, from feeling God's presence in your life, and just get rid of them!!! I know God gives us a strength beyond our own as we do so, and our lives can be filled with great peace.

I love you all so much!! Keep being wonderful you.

Coco/Sister Mack/Ke JieMei

PS this week we have sister exchanges and I get to go work in another area....yay adventures!!! :)

Repentance and the Book of Mormon

Sister Mack

September 3^rd, 2012

Nimen hao,

Wow it has been another incredible week on the fair isle of Taiwan. I've seen so many miracles and been so strengthened in the Lord. I love it here. I know I haven't been here long, but I already feel that my mission has completely changed the course of the rest of my life.

I want to talk a little bit about some things I have learned recently about repentance . . . I don't know why, I just feel like I want to. Today I wanted to read the conversion story of Alma the younger in Mosiah 27. It is such a beautiful testimony of the power of true repentance, the mercy and powerful healing of forgiveness. Alma has a pretty intense process of conversion and repentance.  Afterwards, he he is filled with the love of God and with joy because of the mighty changes he underwent in his heart and mind.

     "I have repented of my sins, and have been redeemed of the Lord; behold I am born of the Spirit.

     [...] Marvel not that all mankind [...] must be born again; yea, born of God,  changed from their carnal and fallen state, to a state of righteousness, being redeemed of God, becoming his sons and daughters;

     [...] they become new creatures; and unless they do this, they can in nowise inherit the kingdom of God.

     [...] and this I know, because I was like to be cast off.

     Nevertheless, after wading through much tribulation, repenting nigh unto death, the Lord in mercy hath seen fit to snatch me out of an everlasting burning, and I am born of God.

     My soul hath been redeemed from the gall of bitterness and bonds of iniquity. I was in the darkest abyss; but now I behold the marvelous light of God. My soul was racked with eternal torment; but I am snatched, and my soul is pained no more."

                               -Mosiah 27:24-29

I love that Alma describes salvation as being "snatched". It's such a powerful image in my mind. God loves us so much, but He will not take away our agency. We have to choose to reach out and grab the hands that He ever extends to us.

In Mosiah 26:30 it says, "as often as my people repent will I forgive them their trespasses against me." I really believe this is true! Repentance is not something we need dread or fear, it is a joyful thing! It is a precious gift and a chance for us to be swallowed up in the love of Christ and to be healed spiritually, to become new creatures, new people. I have felt this redeeming love in my own life, and I have been striving to be able to feel it every day. Being on a mission is so humbling because it makes you realize how much you really do need God to get anything done in this work. It forces you to reexamine your own testimony and faith. Can I really invite my investigators to start repenting daily if I'm not doing the same thing? If I don't really believe that Christ will take these burdens from me? No! Of course not! I am grateful that my understanding of repentance, and of many other teachings, grows every day that I'm here. There's a quote I love from Elder Jeffrey R. Holland's talk "The Laborers in the Vineyard" (last April General Conference) that says, "[...] however late you think you are, however many chances you think you have missed, however many mistakes you feel you have made or talents you don't have, or however far from home and family and God you feel you have traveled, I testify that you have not traveled beyond the reach of divine love. It is not possible for you to sink lower than the infinite light of Christ's Atonement shines." I love that. And I know that it is true. Every day I have the chance to feel that magnificent love for the people I am privileged to teach, God loves them so so much. And He loves all of you too!

Ok sorry I don't really know what that was. Just something to think about I guess :)

Some things I wanted to share from this week:

* We started getting in touch with a less active sister a couple of weeks ago. This week we wanted to meet with her, and she invited us over for lunch . . . along with the relief society president (who is our little ward’s version of Judith . . .  she's seriously incredible), one of the counselors in the relief society, and another less active sister we have been visiting with (we hung out with her 2 P-days ago...she took us to that crazy mall). It was an amazing experience. First of all the food was to DIE for. I ate so much. Also I'm pretty sure I ate a fish eye ball....it was about the size of a quarter. I couldn't look at it or think about the fact that it was an eye ball and I swallowed it down just fine. It was actually quite tasty.

After lunch we started talking about the Book of Mormon.  The Spirit was so strong. I was just in awe that I could be in the presence of these really powerful women. I know each heart was touched and uplifted.  It made me feel so good.  I just kept thinking, this is why I'm here. This is why, instead of being in school right now, I'm on the other side of the world sweating my brains out trying to learn one of the hardest languages ever, to help people have this feeling. To remind them of their faith and to strengthen it. I love this work!!

* Yesterday we had stake conference, and I saw an Elder from my district in the MTC!!!! I got so excited I almost yelled at him across the room, but then decided I'd better be on my best behavior cause A. I'm a missionary. B. Our mission president was there. C. We had several investigators there. He came and found me after and gave me a hearty handshake haha. It was so great to see him.  I could tell he was doing really well.  He seemed very happy. I am so grateful I got to see him!

*One of our investigators who is having a hard time progressing had a good experience this week. She is only 17, but she always comes to church. She really wants to be a Christian and to learn about God and Jesus.  She has so many questions, but not enough motivation to do a lot of work to find the answers. I was sitting next to her, and I thought it might help her to take notes during the meeting. I asked if she brought her notebook, and she said no.  I gave her a little one out of my bag. Instead of taking notes, she wrote me a really sweet note. It was in Chinese characters though, so I told her I couldn't read it. She told me it said basically thanks to me and my companion for "accompanying her" and teaching her. She said she was really unhappy before she started coming to church and meeting with the missionaries, but she feels like her life is changing. She said we were her angels!! And then she told me I looked like a princess!!!! It was so sweet, and a testimony to me of how we can't give up on people even when they are slow to progress. She has a long way to go to build her own testimony, but her heart is pure, and she has felt the love of God. It's amazing to me that somehow I get to be a part of this amazing process of people changing their lives. This girl also asked me to share why I went on a mission.  I wrote it down for her. I told her that I always felt I should go, but that I was too self-centered and decided I wouldn't do it. My life totally changed when I took a Book of Mormon class in college, and my friend read the book with  me and helped me to understand it. After that, I realized I really believed the book was true, and it made me happier than anything else. I felt so full of joy that I couldn't just keep it to myself, I wanted to share it with other people. My story was simple and brief, but I think it really touched her. I leaned over to her and whispered, I know you can have the same experience with the Book of Mormon. "You're just like me!" she said. I think it gave her some hope that her prayers really can be answered. She just needs to start reading it consistently!!!!

Well that's probably enough blabbering for this week....I am happy and thriving. Every day is a dream come true, even when it's hard. God truly loves us, and we can have greater peace as we repent daily and read the Book of Mormon. Developing my relationship with God and with Christ has been the most worthwhile things I've ever done, and helping others to do the same is even sweeter and richer. Be true to what you know, and share it with others!!

I LOVE YOU!

Sister Coco Mack

Ke JieMei