Staying in Hualien!

THE BEST District I've ever been in. It's been really cool seeing how unity in the missionaries can really build up an area. All of us stayed except for Elder Casper. We will miss him so much! 

I'm staying in HuaLien! I'm seriously so happy to be here. And Sister Haupt and I are going on our 4th transfer together! My mission just gets happier and happier with every transfer. And this week has been so incredible. Having faith in our area and in our investigators has made all the difference in their progression.

We met with Cai again this week and he's doing so well. Unfortunately, we had to pass him over to the sisters in the other ward because he lives like 2 houses outside of our area. But our stake president talked about how we are called to build up the area in where we are serving, and it's cool that we still get to build up all of HuaLien together. The sisters had a hard time getting a hold of him this week, so on Sunday we had a feeling to call him right before ward council and when we looked at our phone he had just called us. So we called him back and he said he was at the church to attend the 1:30 sacrament! It was so happy! 

Best investigator ever! Cai Cheng Zhu. We will miss teaching him, but I'm super excited for him to be coming closer to Christ.

Li Chong Wei is also doing amazing. We meet with him almost every other day because he loves reading the scriptures with us. We are teaching him the commandments right now, starting off with the Word of Wisdom. He has a smoking problem, so it was a little hard for him to accept it. But he understands how it will bless him. After teaching the lesson, we invited him to follow it again and then after thinking for a second, he decided he didn't want to be controlled by a substance anymore. Sister Haupt and I also told him that we will go off all sweets to support him, haha. It's been really cool seeing him smoke less and less everyday. We asked him if he's seen a difference and he said he really has. It's been so fulfilling seeing people make real changes in their lives that actually make them happier.

Yang Mang Fang is also doing amazing! Seriously everything we taught her this week were things that she already studied on her own while reading the Book of Mormon. The other day, I shared this scripture with her while we were explaining how to recognize the Holy Ghost in Moroni 7:

"12 Wherefore, all things which are good cometh of God;and that which is evil cometh of the devil; for the devil is an enemy unto God, and fighteth against him continually,and inviteth and enticeth to sin, and to do that which is evil continually.
13 But behold, that which is of God inviteth and enticeth to do good continually; wherefore, every thing which inviteth and enticeth to do good, and to love God, and to serve him, is inspired of God."

And then she was like "Oh yeah, I've read this before" haha. Sister Haupt and I just laughed. She is coming so close to baptism. She came to church for the second time yesterday literally 2 minutes before sacrament meeting started. Her car broke down on her way to church so she ran into the chapel all frantic, but it worked out well. It was a very inspired sacrament meeting. We actually had our Mission President come down to HuaLien with his family to speak. He spoke about a time when he was giving an investigator a second baptismal interview since he had been involved in an abortion, and how this man was able to be relieved from this burden through repenting. Yang cried through the whole meeting, and later we found out it was because she, too, has been involved in abortions. In China, they don't allow you to have too many children. So, she's just had this burden placed upon her for years and years that she feels like she can't get rid of. She's been so excited for her baptism, but I feel like promising her that baptism will take away that grief helped her better understand why she needs to be baptized.

I think this has been the happiest time on my mission because I am so blessed to see people literally change their lives. I wish I could just spend an eternity sitting down with people and talking with them about God, and watching them feel the spirit for the first time. I've grown such a testimony that the teachings of Christ will bring us more happiness and peace than we could ever ask for. Developing faith has also been very life changing for me. I have seen first hand what it means to believe in people in comparison to doubting that they will change their life. Believing in and loving people is just a happier way to live.

Well, I've written enough. That's all for this week!

Sister Hendricks

過年! Chinese New Year is coming up this week!