Sister Hendrick's Missionary Blog

The crime scene from my stolen bike.
Haha I couldn't stop laughing

Hello everyone!

Well, I must say I never thought this day would come. My last week here has been quite the experience. I was just barely telling myself that I went my entire mission without any bike problems, or anything too serious and that's about all I said before my bike got stolen that night haha. Then the next day I lost my umbrella and the sole of my shoe came off. My companion keeps telling me I'm too old and it's time for me to retire, haha. But other than the fact that my mission comes to an end this week and all my possessions are falling apart, this last week has been full of joy and experiences that I wouldn't trade for anything. I was feeling a little bit nervous this week about going home and having some feelings of anxiety, but I've done my best to take things one day and one step at a time and it's amazing the miracles we've seen this week as a result. Just like any other week :)

These shoes have done me well throughout
my mission.

One special experience I wanted to share is that we were street contacting the other night, and I just tried focusing on my purpose for that hour of time and I committed to just put all my heart and energy into sharing this message with people- not thinking about how many days I have left or whatever. But just focusing on the moment. And then we met this lady, LiaoTingYu. She was waiting for the bus stop and we started talking with her about our free english class and then she asked what we do as missionaries, so we talked about how we come here to share about Jesus Christ and His restored gospel and she started asking a bunch of questions about the difference between our church and other churches and that she's been to so many other churches before and they all claim to have truth but they're all a little different for some reason. She said it's so confusing so she's kinda given up. So we shared with her about how after Christ was crucified, many people began creating churches according to their thoughts of His teachings and the Bible and over time His true doctrine was corrupted and lost. But, the gospel was restored through the prophet Joseph Smith who sought for truth and prayed to the Father to know which church to join. We shared with her that God the Father and His son Jesus Christ appeared to Joseph Smith, and they restored God's church again on the earth today. We gave her a Book of Mormon and explained that she can read it and ponder it for herself and directly ask God as Jospeh did whether or not it's true, instead of asking other peoples' opinions, or searching the internet. But she could literally ask God, the creator of us all, the one who knows all things. As she held the book in her hands, her eyes were filled with wonder, and she was staring at it as if it were pure gold. "I can really know?" she asked us. My heart was filled with this feeling of pure joy. Throughout my whole mission I have testified of the truthfulness of this, and as I was standing there on the side of the street at this bus stop looking into her eyes, the spirit testified to me once again that it is true. It is absolutely true. I smiled and told through her prayer and true desire, she could know for herself. We taught her how to pray, and then asked if she would like to try. She was so nervous, but she did and she said a very heartfelt prayer - asking Heavenly Father where she could find His truth. I know with all my heart that God will answer her prayer.

That's why I am here in Taiwan. My heart breaks as it comes to an end so soon. I will miss it more than anything. I know it's true. A lot of people we meet on the street always say "你們很辛苦!" (NiMenHenXinKu!) Which basically means "wow, you guys have it pretty bad". But I almost always reply "我們很幸福!" (WoMenHenXingFu!) Which means "we are really blessed". And it's true. Of course it's a tiring work. If it wasn't true, I wouldn't do it. But because it's true, there's nothing I'd rather do. :)

I am so grateful for this experience to serve God's children in the Taiwan, Taipei Mission. I feel so blessed and overwhelmed with joy to have spent the last 18 months of my life testifying of a loving Heavenly Father that truly lives and truly has given us the way to enjoy and endure this life, and the way to return to Him through His restored gospel. I know He lives. I wouldn't trade the experiences I've had here for anything - not even the days when it feels like rejection after rejection, or when it's pouring rain and I'm covered in mosquito bites or I'm just dead tired and just want to sleep. I wouldn't trade any of it because I can see now how it has all been for my own good. I know this church is true and I love the people of Taiwan with all my heart!

I'll be seeing you all soon! For those who want to attend, my Homecoming talk will be this Sunday April 24th. Have a great week!

Sister Zoe Hendricks

And then it got worse haha. These shoes mean so much to me because of all the hard
work they represent. I love my mission!

This dog was hilarious. You can't really tell, but he was clapping haha.

I will miss these days~

Last time doing temple tours!

We went on exchanges again this week and played frisbee with the ShuangHe missionaries!

My companion and I :)

My last exchange as a missionary! I love these sisters!

I love sister Beeston! Such a good exchange. I will forever be grateful for her influence in my life!

Our ward gave us treats after church since it was my last Sunday! No matter what ward I serve in, no matter how long I'm there for, they never fail to make me feel at home. I will miss these people!!