This week was a good week. We went to Liu Fu Cun theme park last Monday and had a great time. I got way motion sick. There was a really intense rollercoaster that thrusts you up then pulls you upside down and backwards. I think I damaged my vocal cords from screaming. I couldn't sing most of this week and my laughs came out as little Winnie the Pooh like chuckles. We had a good time. Our ward's awesome counselor in the Bishopric Liu Fuzhujiao took us and bought us a bunch of chocolate peanutes and stuff. He is such a great member.
This week has actually been pretty emotional...mostly hormonal, I'm sure. Haha. But still, we've had a lot of stress trying to get the ward's work going here. We've had a lot of miracles though, actually!! I'll start out with the disappointments, and end with the miracles...so Saturday we met with Li Zhi Zhong, the coffee shop man with the dead wife. We took along the Bishop Jian and Liu Fuzhujiao. I have been praying for this investigator like crazy this whole week and all that day, and I figured miracles were going to happen since we had 2 members of the bishopric with us. It turns out the investigator wouldn't really let us teach but just talked to the bishopric forever about he didn't like missionary's "pattern" of coming in, praying, singing, teaching. He just wants to see what makes missionaries and members "tick" without any specific interest. I was deeply disappointed. But when it was time to go I felt the Spirit really really strong and testified and got choked up. Li Zhi Zhong wouldn't look at us in the face and when we left it was just awkward and he wouldn't look us in the eye. I don't know. I cared alot about this investigator so I pretty much bawled my eyes out all that night. I felt really sorry for myself and was so sad that so many investigators I've loved have disappeared and that I can't speak Chinese and blah blah blah. I read 1 Nephi 16 the next day and felt sufficiently chastened. But it was still a pretty sad night for me. I just want to find people who are ready to be baptized. But as long as they feel a little closer to Christ, that's all that matters.The miracles! We have an awesome member who felt the Spirit tell him to go into a health food cafe. He went in and said "dish me up something healthy because I'm getting fit for a mission!" He's kind of an interesting kid, but I have a lot of respect for him. The woman asked him alot of questions and she asked if she could meet with us. We taught her the first lesson and she came to church. She's really wonderful. She has a strong testimony of Christ because every encounter she's had with something or someone Christian, she is moved to tears. Then I went on exchanges with Sister Howell in Zhongli. Both of us haven't been out very long, so it's interesting teaching a lesson. But miracle of miracles, we taught 2 women who said "of course I will be baptized!" and one of them started bawling during her closing prayer because she was so touched by the Spirit. We also got 11 referrals this week, which was a miracle too. Things are going so well here, but they are little by little, so they are sometimes hard to see right away. Haha, we have this phone referral system where missionaries send referrals of people they contacted who are in your area...we have over 100 in our phone!! It's crazy...we have alot of calls to make and for once I'm grateful for all my call center experience because it's not so bad calling dozens of people over and over.
In all, this week, I've just grown in love for the gospel. It was no even in particular that brought about this love...maybe prayer. I just decided I wanted to have more of a testimony and appreciation for the Atonement, Restoration and the Book of Mormon. So I started praying for it this week and really I've just felt closer to Jesus Christ. I've also appreciated how amazing it is that we have the Book of Mormon. I can't believe that we have this amazing ancient record that is so perfect in it's guidance and doctrine. The Book of Mormon is so perfect, it could only have been written by inspired men. I love it. I know that if we pray to know, even when we already DO know, Heavenly Father WILL answer. He will let us know and help us appreciate these things. It's like He opened my eyes to see how cool it all is. I love this gospel!
Anyway, life is great. Draining, but good! Oh yeah, I can't remember if I already told you guys, but go to youtube and search lds missionary biz taiwan or something like that.
I love you my family!! You all mean so much to me!! I hope life is so wonderful and this summer is going so well! Remember to pray every day and read your scriptures.
Love, Coley
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