Mission Conference!

We had Mission Conference this week!  It was amazing.  I just love hearing the words of our inspired Mission President, Sister Blickenstaff and President Chen.  I really learned so many new things to help me improve my mission as well as how to become an even better missionary that con go out and find the people the Lord has prepared to hear and make changes for the gospel.  We can only help convert others as far as we ourselves are converted.  Know the gospel!  Learn it!  Study it!  Live it!  :)

Other than Mission Conference, another interesting thing happened.  Church was cancelled because of a typhoon.  It started over here in Gaoxiong, so all school and work were cancelled and closed on Saturday afternoon through Sunday.  A typhoons danger point would have to be the wind.  The bigger the wind, the bigger the chance of be hit in the face by a hunk of something flying around.  But, not to fear!  We had our own little Sunday school and Relief Society lesson at home.  Sister Chang prepared a little Gospel Principles lesson and I prepared something from The Teachings of Joseph Smith book.  It was quite enlightening.  

Well, that's it folks!  Thanks for reading!

Sister Hsu

Pictures:  Some stuff I had posted on Facebook.  :)

So many new friends!

My super awesome raincoat. (My really good, fairly expensive one was lost by the movers, along with everything else that I had in my bike box)

We were able to find 4 new investigators this week!  And they were all just great little miracles.  One of them is a former who met with us for the first time on Tuesday, but in the lesson said that she won't be able to meet until after December because of some stuff.  Needless to say were were a bit devastated, but after feeling and following the promptings of the Spirit, bearing testimony of how the gospel can bless her and giving a few pretty direct invitations, she said she wanted to find the true church and agreed to meet with us every week and that same time.  Miracle!

Our second investigator is a friend we made in English class, we had known her for a while but hadn't gotten around to asking if she wanted to learn the gospel with us.  But, she agreed and we had a good meeting.  But, it turns out that she is in our neighboring district.  But that doesn't matter!  Us missionaries are all here to help others to come unto Christ!

The third was also a former.  We were not too sure of her interest level at first, but we met her on Saturday and she agreed to continue learning and to come to church for the full three hours.  Our wonderful Liu Family invited us, the Elders and our investigators over for dinner.  I think it was a great opportunity for her to feel a bit more comfortable.  (She is the awkward shy type.)

Our fourth is another former investigator, although she is also a bit more special because her mom is a member and she already comes to church every week she can and keeps the commandments.  She has met with missionaries many times before, but always got stumped at the actually deciding to get baptized part.  We are praying to be able to help find out what her concern and need is to help she overcome her worries about baptism.

That's all folks!  Hope you all have been living well and spreading the gospel in your own ways!

Sister Hsu

Random photo of me behind the gate at church.

Lotsa stuff I guess...

What I Eat

We had Stake Conference this past weekend.  It was a great uplifting weekend.  The topic was on "Hastening the Work of Salvation" and "Feed My Sheep."  We learned a lot about how members and missionaries can work together to bring others unto Christ and how we can work as a ward to help members stay strong disciples of Christ, as well as how to uplift and help find those sheep who may have lost their way and gone astray.

This week we were able to meet a pretty golden sounding investigator.  She really is so sweet and great and willing to learn.  She has questions that she has been seeking answers to and we know that the gospel is where she can find them.  Love her!

Jamie

This week is also the last week that we are able to see our beautiful new member Jamie is leaving GaoXiong to go back to college in Hualian.  Gonna miss her!  She is worried about being a new member and having to go to church in a new place, but she is a amazing, she will make it!!

Sister Chang

Recently I've just been really grateful that I have the companion that I do.  We of course are always finding new ways to better our relationship and strengthen our teaching, but I'm happy to know that the Lord always knows exactly what I need.  I Love my companion Sister Chang!!!

Okay, that's about it for this week.  Love you all!

Sister Hsu

LaDiDaaaa....

Jamie was baptized!!!

Jamie!

Who is Jamie you ask? She was a super cute amazing investigator when I first got here.  She already was preparing herself to hit her baptismal goal which was on Saturday.  She is super amazing and although I was only able to meet with her a few times, I will really miss her when she goes back to Hualian for school next week. :(

This past week we also had Sister exchanges.  I went to Sanmin with Sister Johnson.  It was really fun and I learned a lot.  It was also fun to hear how it is that she is able to stay so skinny and fit here in Taiwan.  Turns out a good diet and exercise really go a long way. Haha.

:)

Last but not least, last Monday...  I was able to go to Brother Zhongs shop.  He is a member who is super good at doing hair and does missionaries hair for free as a service opportunity.  Sister Chang went to get her hair cut, but I had just recently gottten my hair cut by him.  He had seen me a few days earlier by chance and immediately said he wanted to perm my hair.  So, on Monday when I went in, that's what he did...  Yup, I got a perm.. sounds scary right?  Hahaha.

Perms weren't as scary as I thought.

Well, I think that's about it.. Oh wait, no, our other investigator Ruby is going to China for a few weeks.  I'm really hoping that when she comes back she was have the time to accept a baptismal goal.  Keep your fingers crossed!

Love you all!

Sister Hsu

Week 1 in Yuanshan: Success!

Week 1 was a good week, I found out that I really do just love Sister Chang.  We have a lot more in common than you'd think.  I've loved getting to know her as well as our investigators and members.  I was able to meet with our investigator Jamie who is getting baptized on Saturday.  She is really just so great and so cute and so ready to enter the waters of baptism.  It will be sad when she has to move back to Hualian for school.  :(  

Yesterday I had the opportunity to go to Kuha'o 's (he is a boy from a Mormon Message) performance.  He really is such a sweet boy with amazing talent.  His heart is full of love and he just wants to be able to share the talent that Heavenly Father gave him with everyone he can.  He was such an example of faith, love, service, and charity.

Biggest surprise, I saw my college friend Erin at Kuha'o 's performance.  Turns out she is in Taiwan for a year for work.  Surprise!

Sister Hsu

New!

Hello! So, last Wednesday we went to the temple!  It was a great experience.  I really do just loving going to the temple.  That same night we also had our English Party, it was basically a huge free-for all for children, hahaha.  There was jump-rope, volleyball, four square, bouncy balls, and chips.  Really, just organized chaos.  :)

OH and Surprise!  I am now in Yuanshan, Gaoxiong!  My new companion Is Sister Chang.  She is from Australia and super awesome.  We were in the same zone the move-call before last.  I absolutely loved my last ward and companion, but I am also so excited to see what kind of miracles this new place, new companion and new ward will bring.

Well, okay.  I'll let you in on the miracles we see next week.  :)

Sister Hsu

Beitun District

Yao Family!

"On the road again"

It's been a great week.

Pretty self-explanatory I think.

This week we had a challenge from our Mission President for every single companionship in the mission to find 3 new investigators.  I don't know if that sounds like a lot or a little to you, but it was an opportunity for us to band together as a mission and really pray for one another and really go out and also try to help your fellow missionaries find new people who have interest in the gospel.  I was feeling the pressure just a bit because it had been a while since we last found 3 new investigators in the same week, but with lots of prayers and throwing my fears and caution out the window, we were able to find our 3 in the first few days, and after that the people who seemed interested lived in neighboring areas or were guys.  So, we were about to give those phone numbers to other missionaries.  On top of being able to help other people, we received a lot of love too.  We got more contacts from other missionaries than ever before.  It was awesome to really feel the love and desire that all of us had to work together to find prepared people to teach.  Now is the really hard part, it to be able to remember that feeling, that drive and have it push me every single week whether or not we are doing it together as a mission.  It was a great experience that showed to me my potential as a missionary, and now is the time to really internalize it and just do it!  SPIRIT FIRE!!

I saw this and thought it was pretty funny. I hope it puts a smile on your face. :)

On another note, our investigator Huang JM is no longer an investigator... She is a new member!  She was baptized on Saturday and confirmed on Sunday!  We are so happy for her!  She really is full of faith and fire.  One of her biggest trials in being baptized was her fear of water, but due to some circumstance she needed to go under twice.  Sister Funk and I were so worried about her, but happy that while she was in the font, she was wiling to do it again.  While she was changing we asked her how she was doing and she said, "I wasn't scared!"  Sister Funk and I truly believe that her having to do it twice was a blessing from the Lord so that she could grow even more in confidence and faith.  She is awesome!

Huang JM was baptized!

Okay, well I think that is all for now.

Love you all!

Sister Hsu

P.S.  We are going to the temple on Wednesday.  So excited!