We've had an incredible week here in Zhang Hua! This week was meetings week! We had mission leadership council, our first ever! It was so wonderful! We talked about councils and their importance in the church. We were also able to ask questions about us sisters new role and how to work best with the elders, and we received some great leadership training! I was so grateful for that meeting!
Then Thursday we had a Sister's only meeting! It was so fun to get together with the sisters. My companion and I were asked to present a training on preparing to become a leader, and it went really well! We were nervous because neither of us knows how to prepare to be a leader...we were just thrown into the positions =] But we figured there has to be something we can teach these sisters. So we focused on following the example of our leaders and developing Christ-like attributes. After all, Christ is perfect, so He must be the perfect leader right? Overall, it went really well I think, and I think, at the very least, it gave the sisters a boost of encouragement =] That is something I've learned about myself this week: I'm really good at giving encouragement! Yay!
Then Friday and Saturday we were on exchanges which was really fun. I'm really enjoying being able to get to know these sisters better and be able to give them the support, encouragement and training that they need to be the best missionaries they can be! I really, really love being a sister training leader. It is the best!
Our investigators are all doing so good! We invited our families to be baptized, but they declined...for now! We aren't giving up on them that easily! This gospel blesses families, and we are going to help them see that. Our Amah and Abei are doing really well too! Abei came to church again yesterday!!!! Let me tell you the miracle of that.
My companion and I were talking about how we could help Abei have a good experience at church yesterday because we know last week he didn't understand what was going on. We had another brother bring him to church yesterday and before church we sat down with him and shared with him a little bit about the plan of salvation. We went into the chapel and he sat in the back with my companion and the sister who was going to translate for him. Yesterday was fast Sunday, so people were getting up to bear their testimonies. Sis. Xiao, the sister who was translating for Abei, got up and bore her testimony all in Taiyu so Abei would understand. I was really grateful for that. And then the brother who brought Abei to church last week got up and bore his testimony. He said that he brought Abei to church last week, but because Abei didn't understand, he didn't think he'd come back; but he did. This brother said that he was too proud, and that sometimes we are all a little too proud. And he used Taiyu to say all of this. But that isn't the best part. After him, many more members got up and bore their testimony to Abei in Taiyu. I was so incredibly grateful for their willingness to help Abei have a marvelous experience at church. Then in Sunday School the teacher used all Taiyu to teach the class so that Abei would understand. My companion and I didn't know how to help Abei, but Heavenly Father did. I am so grateful for the members in our ward who were willing to go out of their way to help Abei have a good experience at church. I hope that his wife will come next week.
We've also had some incredible miracles with less-actives this week! First, we had a great lesson on the plan of salvation with a less-active sister last Friday. She has such a strong testimony, she just doesn't have a way to get to church, so we are working on helping her get to church. Then we met two new less-active sisters, both of whom are mothers of young kids. It was so fun to meet them and I hope we can help them, and their families, come to church. The last is a sister who we have been working with for quite some time. We invite her to church every week, but she hasn't come yet. Last week we once again invited her and she said she'd try. We called her on Sunday morning and asked her if she was going to be coming. She said yes! And she did! She came for all three hours, and then at the end of the meeting, she asked us to help her fill out a tithing slip because she wanted to pay her tithing. I asked her afterwards why she chose today to come to church. She said she had reread the pamphlets we gave her and she decided that if she wanted her faith to grow, she needed to start acting, so she is! I was so happy to hear this! This is what we've been trying to help her do, and I know the Lord has His timing; I'm just glad I got to be here when it happened!
So yes, this week has been another week of miracles! I truly have felt the hand of the Lord in my life these past few weeks. It is incredible! I am loving reading the Book of Mormon everyday and am learning so much from it! Being a missionary is truly a fantastic thing and such a huge blessing. I know my time left here is short, but I hope that I can make the best of it and do what the Lord would want me to do!!
I love you all! Sorry the emails haven't had pictures recently...I haven't done anything on preparation day. But today we are going to my companions old area to eat and visit the sisters there, then next week we are going to the temple!!! So I'll have temple pictures when I email on Wednesday (no one freak out when they don't get their email from me on Monday =] )
Love you all!!
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