even better yet... transfer 4: week 2

hello! how are you all? i miss you dearly, but honestly taiwan is spectacular 

these days. i can't think of anywhere else i'd rather be. 

actually, today there was one day that i wished to be somewhere else. it was 

super gray here in pingdong (my favorite kind of weather). i didn't feel very 

well and wanted to be wearing sweats rather than a skirt. i had visions of 

myself reading the latest jonathan safran foer and drinking a vanilla steamer in 

the basement on federal heights drive. then, we went to circle's mom's house (if 

you send something to circle you have to do it now!! she heads back to taiwan on 

friday.) and to a ysa fhe and all was well again. the next day fabulous, my 

headache was gone and it was reconfirmed that southern taiwan is where i need to 

be. 

beside that one achy day, the song of the week has been "i feel my savior's 

love". honestly. when i'm riding down guangdong lu looking at all of the people 

here that need the gospel i can feel the lord working in my heart. it's 

extraordinary, highly recommended. my favorite line in that primary song is "in 

giving i receive". everytime i share my testimony, even when it is met with a 

hand shewing me away, it's reaffirmed. every morning that i study for an 

investigator or less-active member i gain new insights. every time i serve my 

companion i love her more. so, pretty much every act of giving turns selfish 

because i am benefitting ten-fold as i serve. 

so, as is implied, this week has been great great great...

wednesday night we had our first english meeting as a district. i shared on 

charity and teaching with the spirit (the lesson i planned a few weeks ago but 

had no opportunity to teach). as i looked over my notes from weeks prior, i was 

so baffled by where i found all of the references i had and how i was able to 

tie them all together. i was kind of nervous to use them. but duh! i got the 

references from the holy ghost and he taught that night. i think this move is 

going to be a good one within our district. i know that if we strive to love our 

companions and our god first, love for the people will come naturally and they 

will be able to feel it. coincidentally, our gospel share with our english class 

was on charity and feeling heavenly father's love. i think one of the things 

i'll miss most about pingdong will be my advanced english class. i have four and 

a half weeks to become unattached. i'm the english unit leader again this move. 

the last week of last move we had a talent show, it was really fun. i think this 

move i want to have a carnival. sister blackham and i talked about it. she did 

one in gaoxiong. they had games that had to do with commandments. when you did 

things that went in line with commandments (ex. choosing an apple over a donut 

in some sort of game), you got a star sticker on your notecard. in the end the 

people with the most stars made it to the celestial kingdom and they had a share 

on the kingdoms of glory and what we have to do now. i'll propose this tonight 

in english meeting. 

we met with jean twice this week. i don't know what to do for her. she's 

doubting a lot lately. it breaks my heart. she has such amazing potential! i 

think she has a desire to believe, she just doesn't whole heartedly yet. she 

even says, "i need to believe in christ more." over and over i wish i could take 

the things i know and just give them to those around me. the gospel is true and 

is happy! 

something interesting happened in church this week. it was so awkward! i 

couldn't believe it. remember when the sister in iceland started screaming 

during richard hinckley's fireside? it was kind of like that, but less extreme. 

there is a new member, xia jiemei. she lives in first branch but attends second 

because she was offended by the branch president in first. she's kind of 

different. well, this fast and testimony meeting i saw for myself what sister 

juang told me about months ago. cindy went up and said, "wo yao chang ge, gei 

nimen ting. jiu hao le." essentially, "i'm going to sing for you." then she 

started singing "as i have loved you". the branch president jumped up and told 

her she needed to stop. they argued on the stand for a moment then she sat down. 

someone got up and bore testimony, then tao dixiong, an old old old member (the 

same one that kept singing when everyone had finished once) stood up to bear his 

testimony. he started talking about how xia jiemei probably isn't a member and 

still doesn't understand how things are in our church. ni huizhang, the branch 

president, again jumped up and corrected tao dixiong. tao dixiong then said, "so 

she is a member. she just doesn't understand..." and went on and on. awkward! i 

worry that xia jiemei will now stop coming to second branch too! 

yesterday we stopped by aki's work. she hasn't been to church since her baptism 

and we haven't been able to get a hold of her. last week we saw her as we came 

to do emails. she works at a cram school and because of summer vacation her 

schedule is insane (7am-10pm each day). we went to the school expecting to leave 

a note, but she was there! we got to sit down and talk to her. i miss her so 

much. she's so good!!! she told us about how hard things are... working like 

crazy, unable to go to japan for the summer as planned, had some friends visit 

but couldn't entertain them, found out her boyfriend was cheating on her. i 

think she feels really lonely and overwhelmed. we reminded her to pray all the 

time and to rely on heavenly father. this part made me so happy... when telling 

us about her slimy boyfriend she said that she wasn't sad just angry and hurt. 

she said (in english) "no sex, so i don't care." hooray! she's still living the 

law of chastity! i have never been so happy to hear about someone keeping the 

commandments (more proof that the mission is turning me into a mom!)! we gave 

her the address to the church in gaoxiong, where she spends the weekends, and 

she said she'd go. then, last night she called and said she really wanted to 

come to church so she's leaving gaoxiong early and telling her boss she can't 

work and coming to first branch!!!! yes! 

so, life is wonderful. i love it! i hope you are all well. i have an invitation 

to extend. i'm working on being more grateful. i can already see it effecting 

me! i love d&c 78:19 (i think) that says that through gratitude we are glorified 

and that all that is received with a grateful heart will be added to. so, every 

day i write down what i'm grateful for that day. i invite all who read this to 

do the same. i promise you that as you recognize the lord's hand in your life 

and the blessings he gives you, your testimony will grow and you will be 

happier. (go read o remember, remember by henry b. eyring!) 

i think that's all for now. i love you! i love heavenly father and i love 

christ. the church is true! 

LOVE LOVE LOVE,

sister jade.