HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY!

Skyping with the Family!

Hello,

This week has been so incredible in so many ways. I've been offered so many opportunities to grow and change and I feel very humbled and blessed. It all started with a decision. It's hitting me now more than ever the importance of soaking up my time here in Taiwan, and being here. Not just physically, but in my mind and heart as well. These past 7 months have passed by impossibly fast. The lessons I've learned in this time have been so necessary to my growth, and I want to enjoy all of it while I'm still here. And that's the decision I made - to be fully engaged in this work. I've seen from my time here so far that that is truly the only way I can change for the better, as well as feel content with life as it changes every day. Sometimes the unexpected happens when things are going so well. But I'm learning to find happiness in those situations. I feel I can finally say without a doubt that I trust in God's plan for me. I have no reason to doubt or fear for the unknown. It's a beautiful feeling.

This week we saw so much growth in our area in a matter of days. Sister Stevens and I have prayerfully searched for people to teach seeing that for so long, we only had 2 investigators to focus on. Since then, one has been baptized, and the other still needs time. It's been a challenge to not feel discouraged at times, or to feel like our effort was being wasted. But our hard work, and prayers continued. This week was a turning point. We had about an hour at the end of the night to find, so we did so in faith. We started talking to a guy that was getting into his car. He said his name was 何先生, which is the same last name as mine in Chinese. It didn't take him very long to say that he remembers meeting me on his motor scooter at a stoplight a while ago. The memory sprang into my mind and I realized that I remember talking to him after having a battle in my head whether I should or not. We started talking to him, and really got to know him. The whole conversation we had with him, I was filled with the Spirit. I was so touched that everything worked out as such. If I hadn't talked to him at that stoplight, I don't know how different that conversation would have been. But I feel like it was the perfect way to start talking with him and testifying of God's plan for him. Ever since that experience, we just saw miracles one right after another. The next day we had a few hours of finding. It was a little bit of a rough start, but we kept going and met this amazing family, 黃家庭. Then we went to English class and met this other guy that we met outside of our apartment while we were late getting to an appointment. But we talked to him quickly and got his number. At English class he expressed his desire to learn more and set an appointment with us. That wouldn't have happened if we weren't running late and met him and got his number. And following him, we've met several other people from various sources that want to meet with us. I've never had so many people to prepare for on my mission so far. Needless to say, we have been given such an incredible opportunity to really help these people.

I just know without a doubt in my mind that everything always works out to God's plan. I didn't realize that right away, but I feel so blessed that this week we were able to see so much progress in our area from little efforts that came from listening to the Spirit. I want to always feel like I'm doing my best, so the success from this week was followed by many goals. I feel like Sister Stevens and I were very blessed to witness so many blessings, and at the same time I have been so humbled. These people are so precious and their understanding of the gospel and helping them have an uplifting experience is on our shoulders at the moment. Not to mention that there are only 2 weeks left in the transfer where anything could happen. I just want to make sure I'm prepared to help these people even if Sister Stevens isn't my companion. But I know with the Lord's help, it will all go according to God's plan.

"Yea, come unto Christ, and be perfected in him, and deny yourselves of all ungodliness; and if ye shall deny yourselves of all ungodliness, and love God with all your might, mind and strength, then is his grace sufficient for you, that by his grace ye may be perfect in Christ; and if by the grace of God ye are perfect in Christ, ye can in nowise deny the power of God." Moroni 10:32

Also, Happy Mother's Day! Skyping with the family was so awesome!! I hope all of you with family members who are on missions enjoyed skyping them today :) 

Sister Hendricks

何謙柔姐妹