after all this time, I still hate typing characters on these computers.. 

I am so grateful for this week. I have learned more than I could ever put into words. Its like my spirit was just filled and there is no way to explain it. 

We had our zone meetings this week. One in Hualian and one in Taidong. Sister Hendricks and I had a lot of time to talk about its contents and bear testimony with on another. I am so blessd to have the companion I do. She and I are able to support and learn from each other. Her ability to serve like the Savior did is incredible. She radiates with sincere love and charity to all we meet. being with her is an honor and she is helping me become more like my Savior. 

This week we prepared and trained on what faith is. 

It started to make myself think.. what is faith? 

In preach my gospel it says that faith is believing that Jesus Christ is our redeemer and Savior. and that we trust him and do what he says. 

I asked myself questions like 

Do I believe in Jesus Christ? 

Do I believe what he says?

Do I trust him. 

Those questions are so powerful. I have worn Christs name on my chest everyday for almost 18 months. 

I have testified of him and his gospel every single day. But do I know him personally? Do I have faith? Thomas (his apostle) walked with him, heard his teachings but still doubted him when his faith was tested. I wondered if I was at all like Thomas. 

The past weeks I have studied Christs life everyday and I have spent my time striving to become like him. to teach like him, contact like him, speak like him, and especially to love like him. As I have done this I have come to know him better and have built my faith in him. But this week I have spent a lot of time thinking about Faith in Jesus Christ. and being with so many incredible missionaries, I feel that God gave me a lot of revelation. 

Faith is interesting.. we have to always help that seed grow. It doesn't just burst into a flower after a couple days of watering it and giving it sunlight. I think that the seed really has to be nourished.  In doctrine and covenants it says that if we have a little light and nurture it, it will grow brighter and brighter until the perfect day. 

I always thought I would have this perfect faith when I came home. I thought that I would KNOW every single thing.  What was I thinking? The end of our missions isn't the end of our life. This is just the good ground that God has allowed me to place my seed and now I get to start to nourish it. 

But things that I do know from this week are..

God teaches our lessons and they go EXACTLY how he wants them to go. 

And 

God has a perfect plan that we know nothing about.  We might get discouraged along the way but after time and faith, the pieces all fall together and he will allow us to see miracles. 

The first one is something I told my trainie everday. If we sound dumb in a lesson or we can't think of something to say, its because thats what God wanted to happen. Maybe the investigator needed to see us struggle so they knew how much we believed it. maybe there was nothing in our mind to say because the spirit needed to speak to them. I know this is SO TRUE! we do the preparation and plead for the spirit and then God does the rest. 

Do you remember the beautiful lesson I  talked about last week that we had with Sister Xu? 

Well we met with her this week and she brought her two daughters. It was the first time she had brought them and we decided to reteach the plan of salvation.  Sister Hendricks and I prepared well and prayed for help and went in very faithful and hopeful. and... the lesson was so rough. Trying to keep the lesson going and knowing what to say was so hard. Its been a long time since I have had a blank mind in a lesson.  At the end of the lesson, we asked them what their favorite part of the whole plan was and Sister Xu said, "This is the second time I have heard this and it meant so much more to me this time. I felt it more."

Sister Hendricks and I's mouths dropped open.  Heavenly Father provides perfect lessons for all investigators. He gives them what they need. We just get to be on the front row seat of some miracles. 

The sencond thing I learned was how perfect Gods plan is and how much he loves us. 

As I left Xinzhuang, I prayed and asked God if I could just help one more soul be baptized. 

With my time coming to a close and after having some very very rough weeks here (7 of our 10 baptizmal dates dropped us this week), I was a little sad and discouraged that I wasn't going to help anyone progress before I left. 

While still being very grateful for what God has helped me see, my prayer turned to just see someone progress before I left.

Well about three weeks ago, I was on an exchange and we were finding in an area that I had never been to. I had a distinct feeling I needed to be there and we got HARD CORE rejected.  

But we said one last prayer and there came a 19 year old man walking around the corner. 

We talked to him and set a date with him. He was incredible!! 

Well, he didn't answer his phone for about a week and so we thought he might not have interest. finally at english class, he showed up and the elders were like "hey! have you met our investigator?" I was so confused. I guess he had met the elders too in their area and then somehow he stayed in contact them and kept meeting with them. I was so happy he was meeting with the missionaries and that I still got to teach him every wednesday in English class. 

Well... 

on saturday, sister hendricks and I literally had the hardest day of our mission. we lost almost everyone. We tried so hard to stay positive but we ran into investigators on the street and the dumped us and then others called us and dumped us. And lastly we called some and they yelled at uas and then hung up. We experienced what Godly Sorrow was that day. 

Sunday we decided we would get up and have faith and go to work. 

At church we saw that man we found on the street. Turns out... he lives in our area and he is getting baptized this up coming saturday. my last saturday on the island. 

I couldn't believe it. 

I was really juist happy he was getting baptized because he meant a lot to me. But just to see the mercy of God so clearly in my life left me in shock. I am able to see one more person get baptized on the last saturday of my mission.  Someone who I got to help teach, someone that I found.  

God might not give us a miracle right when we expect it. But he will always hear our prayers. 

What a miracle. 

Our investigators name is Sun Zhi Jian. His faith is incredible. he has been so prepared by Heavenly Father. There is a small problem. The elders didn't tell him that he needed parental consent to be baptized and his parents do not know yet. In taiwan they have to be 20 to count as an adult. 

On tuesday we are all fasting with him and Sister Hendricks and I are going with him to talk to his parents. Please pray for him. 

I love my Savior Jesus Christ. I testify that he is the savior of the world.

I testify that God is in every aspect of our lives and he gives us strength, power, mercy, and love. 

I will zan mei his name forever. 

I love you! 

Sister Griffin

I love her. She is my little angel. Her name is Xin Ai

It sounds like you all had a wonderful day! I loved looking at your pictures and reading your sweet words of gratitude and joy. You did all my favorite things! eat, go to usu, go to the temple, and eat! I am so glad you got to spend time with grandpa and grandma. I sure do love being with them! 

All I have to say is.. THANK YOU!! and you all are legends among our zone in Hualian.  The cookie mix and the instant potatoes warmed everyone heart this week.  I think you almost had some elders in tears. haha.  Our pictures are priceless.  We had an incredible Thanksgiving.  I have never been so grateful in my life.  There are no words to express how incredibly grateful I am for this chance to serve the Lord here in the land of Formosa in the Mandarin language to these beautiful people.  Only tears come when I begin to think of this amazing blessing God has given to me.

  This week SO MANY things happened and there is no way to explain everything but in a nutshell..

1. Elder Stevenson from the quorum of the 12 apostles came and spoke to us.

2. We went to do a temple session with the members of our east coast zones. 

3. Had the best Thanksgiving ever.

4. Had Missionary Leadership Conference

5. Had a Ward Thanksgiving party and talent show.

In each of those experiences I received so much revelation. I had my testimony built so much and joy over flowed from my heart. 

But I feel that I should share two stories with you this week. 

On Thanksgiving morning right after studies, we went to our Relief Society Presidents home to meet with Our sweet investigator named xu yuan zheng. She is a mom who was living in another city but was beaten by her husband and so she ran away to hualian and took her two girls with her. She barely has enough food to allow her kids to eat.  If she doesn't make enough money the day before, her girls and her go with out breakfast the next day.  Because of this struggle she is unable to attend church.   She is searching for help from her Savior and she has a huge desire to know if this is all true.  She is weighed down with so much stress and hurt but she is one of the sweetest people I have ever met. Her smile warms my heart. While Sister Hendricks and I were praying and planning for her, we felt that she needed the plan of salvation and we needed to talk more about Adam and Eve.  How Adam and Eve must have felt so much pain and had so much stress and worry when they ate the fruit.  And none of us can probably even imagine the joy and hope that they felt twhen God presented our Savior for them. I talked about this in my farewell talk but as we studied more about it, Sister Hendricks and I both had eyes full of tears by the end of our companion study becuase of our love and gratitude for the Savior. 

In the lesson, we prayed that the spirit would direct us and help us know what to say.  We spoke slow and listened intently to what promises we were to promise and to know what God wanted his precious daughter to know. The lesson was full of the spirit and we all are brought closer to our savior. At the end of the lesson we extended the commitment. I said "sister xu, are you willing to come to church this sunday? and she looked at me and said no. She said she had no way. 

In my heart I had a feeling. I knew she had a way. I knew that God needed her to come to church so she could have the support of Him and the wonderful members of our ward. She needs the sacrament. She needs the spirit. 

So I look a breath and just listened... I then testified of Gods love and I opened my mouth and God promised her that she will have enough money and food to make it. and that she needs the blessings of the atonement in her life.  I then again said Sister Xu are you willing to come unto the one who will help you and heal you?.

It was so powerful to hear what God wanted to say to her. I was nervous and in my head I was thinking I AM A 20 YEAR OLD GIRL! I don't understand this womans pain. I don't have a job or the stress of providing for my family. Who am I to tell her what to do? But at that time, something in my heart said "I can tell her". As missionaries, if we listen, we are able to be the mouth piece of our father.  Its an amazing thing.  I am nothing, as for my strength I am weak, but I will praise my God.  For it is through his grace and love that I have seen so many miracles in these 17 months. 

While being on this journey, I have also come to a sense of my own nothingness.  

On the train ride to the bu for Missionary Leadership Conference, I was making goals for my week and started to have a little anxiety. I wondered what of the many weaknesses that I have should I focus on working on this week (my second to last full week of my mission).  I found myself in the bathroom of the train, in tears pleading with Heavenly Father to tell me wht to do and what he wants me to change. 

In the meeting, an elder said something that hit me. He said "The more we become consecrated to God, the more we see that there is to give to him." 

Is that so profound? 

I have thought so much about that this week.  

When I came on my mission, I thought, "hey I am pretty humble!" yeah right. and then I also thought "Hey I am a pretty hard worker." yeah right. 

As time has gone on, I have had times where I have looked at myself and thought "I have definitely become worse on my mission!".  But from that elders comment, I started to realize... The more I come unto Christ, the more I will realize I can give to him. the more I can give up to be like him. The deeper I can search within myself. The harder I can work. The more christlike I can become.  

Every day I have been shown my weakness and everyday I wake up to another.  But I am grateful. For if there was no chance to be better, I would never learn. I would never be brought to the feet of my savior to plead for forgiveness, help, and saving.  

I want you all to know that a very imperfect Sister Griffin is going to walk off that plane in a couple weeks.  But the change is that now I know why I am so imperfect and I know where to go to receive healing and strength. 

I am so grateful that when Adam and Eve partook of that fruit, God in all his mercy and love provided a Savior. 

I am grateful that I know him better now than ever before. 

I love these people and I love this gospel. Those are two things that will never change. 

love, Sister Griffin

This is Sister Pendergrass and Sister Kirkham

Its weird that my memories of thanksgiving are now in a little, cockroach infested apartment in xin zhu with duck and a cake made in a rice cooker. It was one of the sweetest thanksgivings I have ever had. I am so grateful that I get two here in this beautiful land. 

This week I have had many things to be grateful for and as I have put gratitude as my focus this week I have changed and better understand the joy that God wants me to have. 

This week Heavenly Father guided me to aa quote that really hit me and also made me chuckle a little. It was by President Hinkley and he said:

"Absence of gratitude is the mark of the narrow, uneducated mind. it bespeaks a lack of knowledge and the ignorance of self sufficiency."

Leave it to President Hinkley to tell me that I have lately had a very narrow and uneducated mind. 

Last monday after I emailed you, I was alittle heavy. And the heaviness carried into tuesday and wednesday. I had wonderful days, saw amazing miracles, and felt the spirit so strongly. However I still had a pit in my stomach. It was like everything that went well made it worse. I was sad and stressed about going home and wishing that I could be better than I am. 

I prayed and thought a lot about this. and then all of a sudden I found a talk about gratitude just laying in our apartment. As I read it, I received so much revelation. 

I was being grateful for the things god was allowing me to see and be apart of but in the back of my mind I was thinking about how I have to leave and I just dont want to. I thought that I have learned a lot on my mission but not enough. I thought that my chinese, my teaching skills, and my ability to feel the spirit was great but not perfect and so it just wasnt enough for me.  

How terribly is that?

Heavenly Father has given me this precious time to live among his beautiful children in Taiwan, to learn this amazing language and learn it well, He has given me chances every day to see miracles and he has changed me into a new woman.  A saint. He has taught me the gospel and has taught me how to love love love. He has allowed me to meet my savior in a way I could have never imagined.  Is that not something to be grateful for?! 

As I made a concious effort to think of the blessings God has given me on my mission and then thank him, I have become happy inside and out. 

Yesterday I fasted. It was a fast of gratitude. I didnt ask for anything nor did I expect anything. I just fasted and thanked Heavenly Father all day long. It brought just joy and light.

Gratitude is the best medicine. Hope you can feel that this week!

This week I had my "Exit interview". 

It was scary. 

It was also the best thing that President Jergensen could have done for me as I am preparing to head out. It was so guided by the spirit. I have heard from past missionaries that in the interview President asks about boyfriends and how to be a good wife ect. and I wasnt looking forward to that. But he knew exactly what I needed to hear and exactly what we needed to talk about. 

We talked about my mission and he asked me questions.  He then gave me a temple recommend interview. 

He looked at me in the eyes and asked me each question. As I answered, I felt that burning in my bossom that the scriptures talk about.
Before in my life, I have heard and answered those questions but to hear them again, the answers that came out of my mouth were with so much conviction and certainty. 

In these 18 months I have learned the gospel of Jesus Christ and I know that the doctrine is true. I know without a doubt in my mind that Jesus Christ is the savior of the world and the God is our heavenly father. I know that Jospeh Smith did see God the father and jesus christ and that presidnet monson is our prophet today. I know that all of this is true.  And to realize just how much I knew, surprised me. I am so grateful that I have had the chance these 18 months to be Gods mudaoyou. 

We have been out on the streets everyday preacvhing the gospel and inviting all to partake of the happy sounds of the gospel. We pray probably 50 times a day pleadig to know where God would have us go and what He would have us say. Heavenly Father is the third member of our comapnionship and it is so obvious that he is doing his work here in hualien. 

We have an investigator named xu yuan zheng and she was beaten by her husband.  she took her two daughters and ran away to Hualien to find safety.  She works two jobs to just get them food to eat. She has such faith and has a huge desire to feel of Heavenly Fathers help. 

We have another woman who is an LA who has a terrible husband who drinks and smokes and yells and says nasty things.  She has to provide for her children and all she wants is her children to walk in righteousness but her son is taking the path that her husband walked.

We found and taught a man this week who lost both his hands and smells so thickly of alcohol that he drinks to take away his worries and pains. 

Our investigator named xu qun is 15 and wants to do the right thing.  His parents sell bean lang (drugs) and alcohol and they dont care one bit what he does with his life and when we meet with him, we sit around the table as his mom wraps the bean lang to sell. 

After everyone of these lessons, Sister Hendricks and I just hug eachother and pray for them.  We are only 20 year old girls. We have nothing to offer these people. We have no way to help them. But we go back and we fight against satan with them as much as we can. We pray for them and we fast for them. and we share what we KNOW is true and what we KNOW will help them. It is the message of our savior Jesus Christ. 

Every single person on the earth was with us in the pre existance. They knew the plan. They knew it would be hard but they decided to come because they knew there would be hope through a savior.  

But how many of our brothers and sisters have forgotten? how many dont know any more where to find that hope and that peace? 

This work is NOT ABOUT NUMBERS. It is not about whos chinese is the best or about how fast we get from door to door. It is about love and sharing hope and helping our brothers and sisters who are in pain come to find safety and rest in their savior.  

"If any man thirst, let him come unto me and drink" (john 7:37). This is the call from  our savior.  We just have the chance to guide them and help them there. 

My favorite of the people we work with is an RC couple named Ou. They have a goal of going to the temple and it is their greatest desire.  All they want is to have an eternal marriage because they love eachother soo soo much. However, they have hit satans winds and they were pulled back into old habits.  They have lost some hope that they will ever go to be sealed and over come these temptations.  But as we sat there and looked into their eyes and testified of Christ and his ability to change us, their despair melted away.  

Christ is our rock. We all need to come unto him. 

I love you so much everyone and I hope you have a great thanksgiving! 

This week is going to be great for us! Elder Stevenson of the 12 apostles is coming, we are going to the temple, and we have missionary leadership conference! We are sooo blessed.

Love, Sister Griffin

If I could I would just leave my email to that.  but I know everyone would just be a little upset with me.  However, there is no way that I could accurately describe the things that I have seen and felt this week. I have literally felt embrace of my Father as I have been beaten down and tossed around by satan. I have felt very strongly of the power of my saviors atonement and have felt wounds be healed and hope fill my life.  

I cant explain any of those feelings. however, I can testify that God is aware of all His children in whatsoever land they may be in. 

Sister Hendricks and I have felt of the mighty winds of Satan this week. He has taken our weak spots and pushed and pushed. But the most incredible part is that this week we have been able to learn how to truly used the saviors atoement. 

I have been blessed with anangel of a companion. She serves me and loves me every single moment everyday and together we have made a great vision for this transfer, specific goals and specific plans on how to give our all and help our investigators, ward, and sisters. 

We are with our heads bowed most of the day in gratitude to our father for his tender mercies and for guiding us. 

This week, we went on two exchanges.  The first one, I was pretty excited and thought I had the routine down. Well, my pride blinded me and it was definitely my stumbling block, we were rejected sooo hard core all day long and our schedule wasnt very good. We were rushed through some important things and by the end, I was exhausted and just torn down. I felt so bad that it didnt go very well. It made me wonder what was wrong with me. It only took one prayer, and it was clear as day what had happened. I had relied on myself and my own knowledge. Heavenly Father, he will give us opportunities to wake us up and make us come unto  him.He will try our patience and our faith so we can know that it is by his grace that we do all things. 

Its is amazing what happens when we rely on our fathers grace. 

This week I studied much about Grace.  I read "sweet above that which is sweet" by sheri dew. It is amamazing talk and it came at a perfect time. 

Grace is the power by which all things are done. As missionaries we not only teach of grace but we rely on grace to keep going. To be protected, to speak in tongues, to testify and to promise. 

We are all in serious need of Gods power. The key to unlocking the power of His covenant children is learning to unlock the power of jesus Christ. 

God is so eager to heal us, to change us, and to fill our lives with power and mercy but it is only done when we have faith and become true disiples of christ. 

In her talk she says that the formula to discipleship  is:

1. Coming to love the lord more than anything in the world.

2.Experiencing a change of heart. not becoming perfect but giving up any evil within us. 

3. behaving like true followers.

Two weeks ago in zone conference, I hear a quote that is also in this talk. it said something like, a personal sacrifice never was placing an animal on the alter. but instead it is a willingness to put the animal in us upon the alter. 

when we place that animal within us on the alter, that is when we are able to understand grace and the power of Jesus Christ. 

I have had beautiful moments this week to feel this and I testify that it is true. I just want everyone to have the chance to feel it!!

This week I have felt more of the love for Gods children. everything I do is because I just LOVE these people and I LOVE my savior. It has taken time but God has given me this change of heart and this ability to see his work like this.  

We have a sweet 15 year old kid who we meet with and he will hopefully be baptized on 11/28.  we meet with him at his parents store that sells bean lang and beer. Its a hard enviornment and sometimes its hard not to get frustrated with his parents for bringinghim up like that. But as I have spent time getting to know them this week and testifying to the of the truthfullness of this, I have seen their eyes fill with hope and they hearts start to soften. Theywill allow him to be baptized and I hope that one day they will listen too. 

We saw SO MANY MIRACLES!!

even though this week was filled with some rough times, it was overflowingwith blessings. We have made a goal to put someone on date for baptism everyday and it happened with extra this past week. not because we are incredible missionaries but because God is incredible. 

I love you all so much and I love my savior so much. This work is running through Hualien and all of Taiwan. 

I am so blessed

Sister Griffin

I am still in Hualien! WOO! and my new companion is Sister Hendricks. aka the companion I have been waiting for my whole mission.  She is 8 months on island and she is a hard working, full of love missionary.  The past few days that I have spent with her have been amazing and we have seen Heavenly Father work work great miracles.  Our companionship really is a tri panionship. Me, Sister Hendricks, and Heavenly Father.  We have made a conscious effort to make sure that He is apart of every goal and every decision that we have made.  We have made incredible goals and plans for our companionship, our area, and our zones that are straight from heaven and we are so excited to see what Heavenly Father has in store for the Taiwanese people and his sweet missionaries this transfer. 

A lot has gone on this week! Sister Belnap and I had zone meetings on tuesday in Hualien and Wednesday in Taidong. They were incredible.  The zones were so prepared to learn from the spirit and as we met together, I really felt that I was among the called and chosen. We discussed how to make the savior the center of our lives and our saviors.  

On wednesday after Taidongs zone meeting, we went to the train station to get home and we walked up to a sign that said all the trains were stopped until thursday (maybe) because of rain.  As we looked at each other in shock and our dead phone, we took a glimpse out at the beautiful blue sky of Taidong. haha. Luckily the Zone Leaders had taken us to the train station so they could help us figure out what to do.  We decided we would pray.  After our prayer, The elders went to go talk to the ticket booth people and we went to find a bathroom.  As we walked into the bathroom, all the stalls had no tp so we tried to find some in our backs.  While going through our bags, an announcement came on saying something about a train making it through. So we ran. Like literally ran to the station. by that time, our tickets had already been sold back by the elders. So we told the lady at the booth and she said RUN! haha so we grabbed the money out of the elders hands and left them speachless and ran as fast as we could through the halls, up the stairs and to the platform and jumped on as the train was pulling away.  I felt like I was on anastacia.  We were illegially on a train, that we ran to jump on, in the middle of Taiwan, and we werent even sure it was going to Hualien.  I felt so cool. 

The rest isnt exciting, we made it back for english class where we played games and the missionaries acted out Neohi cutting off Labans head and getting the gold plates. I have never laughed so hard in my life. But even with the madness, the spirit was still there and It was an incredible day. 

The next day, Sister Belnap packed up her stuff and went up to Taipei. I had a temporary companion (Sister Stevens) in Hualien for two days as we waited for our new companions. She goes home with me in december and it was a tender mercy to be able to talk with her and work hard with her before oure last transfer started.  I feel that Heavenly Ftaher has shown me a lot of love and mercy through things that are really difficult for me. Which is why He sent me Sister Hendricks.  We have the same goals, we have the same vision for our area and the ward and our sisters.  She is so loving and so supportive. I feel like we can really work with the spirit to do the work together.  I know this will be an incredible transfer. It already has been.  

The areas were all changed last week and we got another ward in Hualien! Its wonderful but it has taken a hit on our area. at that time we lost all our investigators. So we have been finding and praying so hard for Gods direction. He has provided so much. We are striving to do things his way and His way is through the spirit.  

This week I have been praying to know what God would have me do this transfer. I have had very specific impressions come to my mind and heart andI know that Heavenly Father doesnt expect me to be a perfect missionary. He only expects me to love, love,love, serve, serve, serve. and He wants me to learn the language of the spirit.  No matter how good our mandarin is, if we do not know the language of the spirit, we are unable to do his work.  

I am keeping a log of my everyday feelings and impressions that I receive from the spirit.  

As I have done this, I have been able to better distinguish what is the spirit and what He is saying.  I know that as I do this, I will be a better tool in my fathers hands in this life and the life to come (this transfer and the next).  I want to be a servant of the lord who will not only answer Gods call by saying "Speak for thy servant is listening", but I will be able to know that call.  

I know that the gift of the holy ghost is truly given to us through Gods power and we are able to have its companionship everyday of our life if we will learn his voice and act. 

I have been guided to do many things this week by the spirit and because of that, I know God loves me and is helping me and all of his children through their trials and obstacles. 

And he is able to do it through His son.

Lastly, I found a scripture this week as I was studying "living water" that I want to share with you.

Isaiah 12:2-3  "God is my salvation.  I will trust and not be afraid.For the Lord Jehovah is my strength and my song. He also is become my salvation. Therefore with joy shall ye draw water out of the well of salvation."

I love you all so much. Listen to the spirit and draw water out of the well of salvation. 

Sister Geng

ps.  HAPPY BIRTHDAY MOMMA!!

I am so happy to hear that you had a fun week with halloween, cardinals games, and kicking peoples tail in sports.  You all are doing so great and I love hearing about it. 

This week, lots happened. It was a hard, hard week.  But it was also a chance for me to see the hand of the lord in my life.  

This week Satan has worked hard to bring me down and to scare me about many things. Especially going home. I dont know why I am getting crushed by this so much. Everyone else is like jumping for joy and I am just not feeling very good about it.  Your emails today really helped me though.

I feel that satan has been working on telling me that I havent learned enough, I havent changed enough, my chinese abilities and my missionary skills just arent good enough to be going home.  Also there have been some struggles in our companionship this week that has also made it harder. I have been trying to give my all to my companion and love her and serve her. However, I think she is going through some things that are making it hard for her to work with me right now. I am trying everyday to just love her and work with her even when its hard to.  Heavenly Father has helped me so much. 

This week, the temple sisters (the sister assistants) came to hualien to go on an exchange with sister belnap and I. My previous companion Sister Guo is now the temple Sister !! It was the best. I went with her companion however, sister kunzler. While I was with her, I was just so happy. It was so easy and natural to do the work and she helped me have more confidence in myself and feel calmer about starting my last transfer. After the exchange however, it got really really hard again. I just didnt know how I was going to make it through this week.  But we onfriday had our Mission Leadership Conference in Taipei and so on thursday night we took the train there.  The zone leaders on thursday morning informed us that we would be leaving early and Presidet was letting us do a temple session!!! That is a HUGE miracle.  Because people on the East Coast never get to do temple sessions.  It was a huge sign that God had heard my prayers. I needed a couple hours of just being with him in his house. As I walked in, I felt automatic peace. 

We did the session in chinese and it was so incredible. I was really nervous as it started because I was afraid I was going to mess something up because I didnt understand. But surprisingly it was no problem and I understood almost all of it. The temple is an incredible place, no matter where you are in the world and no matter what language it is in. As I was in the House of the Lord, I knew that he was right beside me. I can testify that the promised blessings in the scriptures are real and powerful and God will ALWAYS come to his children whe they seek him. 

At the leadershop meeting, I felt so happy and relieved. I saw all my friends and they all welcomed me with so much love. President and Sister Jergensen did as well.  The trainings were incredible.  We talked about the sacrament and the sabbath day.

I have never realized this before but the most powerful spiritual experiences that I have had on my mission are when I have been taking the sacrament.

It is through the sacrament that I have made it through my mission because through the sacrament I am reminded that I always have Christs spirit with me. 

I have found hope as I have eaten the small piece odf bread and drank the small cup of water. I know that as we reach out to partake, we are really reaching out to Christ and partaking of the power of his atonement. What a blessing it is that every week we have a chance to be clean again and come one step closer to our savior. 

I may have shared this with you before but I thought a lot about it this week. 

In xin zhuang I had an inv who came to church one day with us.  She told me that she was starving because she forgot breakfast.  However, after the sacrament, she said "Sister Griffin! something crazy happened. My stomach hurt because I was so hungry but when I ate the bread and water, I was completely full."

Our spirits every week are starving for our saviors help.  We may not even realize it after a while and sometimes we dont know what to eat to fill it.  But every week, as we go to the chapel and partake worthily of the bread and water, our spirits eat and are filled. I never ever want to miss that chance to fill my spirit and partake of those blessings.

As I prepared myself yesterday for the sacrament and laid my sins and imperfections on the alter, I felt Christ near me. I was given a new start and help to do it.

While we were in Taipei, I sat with Sister Guo at lunch and just talked ot her for a hwile. I asked for her help with my chinese (she is always so honest and loving with helping me). and I asked for advice with my current situation. She is one of my dearest friends and as we talked, the spirit was so strong. She said things that I needed to hear and I said things she needed to.  We reminisced about our time together as companions and cried a little together. It was exactly what I needed. I am so grateful for all the things heavenly father gave me this week. I am also so grateful for her.  (she told me to tell you all that she loves you and she is still gan dong that you all sent her a package.  she will never forget that).

After getting home from Taipei, I have strived to forget myself and work, work, work.  Also to pray pray pray.  Those two things fix anything and everything. 

We have had the chance to meet people with a lot of suffering and pain this week. We have taught women who were beaten by husbands and had to run away with their two children. We taught a woman who was dying and had no money for treatment and instead was searching for work even though her body was weak and giving us.  We met a woman whos child was taken from her.  In all of these situations, we were able to share the good sounds of the gospel and comfort them.  I cant fix their problems but I can testify of the uncomprehendable love that God has for them.. and for me. I have felt that so much. My problems are small and insignificant in the big scheme but they are big to God and he has made that very clear as he has reached his hand out to me this week.

I start my last transfer this week... ahhhhhhhhh. 

I am making goals and plans and I am going to give all that I have to the lord and the people of Taiwan. 

Love you so much..

Next week you should stare your testimonies with me :) I'd love to hear them!! maybe I can share them with my investigators. 

LOVE LOVE LOVE

Lately I have been translating the chinese I say back into english and it sounds ridiculous. I love chinese so much (and hate it at the same time.. ha)

This week has been a crazy blur and so my email will probably not be very long.  

What happened was we went on exchanges every single day except monday and sunday.  We were in Ji An, Taidong, Bei Nan, Taidong, and Yuli. 

A lot of our sisters needed help this week.  actually all of them. As we were praying, we felt that it was important that we went to help them all this week. Even with leaving our area so much and being run into the ground with being tired, we saw so many miracles and our area did awesoem as well this week.  I have never been so emotionally, physically, and spiritually tired.  Also I have never felt the power of prayer so strongly in my life. 

I know that God hears every little plead of my heart and his hand is manifest all day every day.

This week I ponderized Ether 2:14.  I didnt know why then but I had prayed that Heavenly Father would help me find a scripture that would help me this week. The last line is: God chastened him because he remembered not to call upon the name of the Lord.

I found myself constantly praying this week whether it was on my knees, on my bike or in our lessons.  I am being pushed with helpiong sisters with emotional problems, obedience problems, and discouragement.  100% of the time I have no idea how to do it. I don't know how to help their areas, their investigators or their hearts but everytime I pray, I am given peace and the path is put before me.  I have also been able to see these sisters incredible strengths and feel of their love. I am making great friendships and am learning how I can be a better disciple of christ. 

When Sister Belnap and I finally got back together on saturday afternoon, we were dead tired.. But we pushed through and hit the streets.  We were hard core rejected by everyone.  at first it was hard but after a while, we couldn't stop laughing.  Sister Belnap has a nasty ingrown toenail and so since we were having no success and she wasn't walking right, I made her go to the hospital. we went into the emergency room because the rest of the hospital was closed.. (I dont understand how).  So we went in and were ignored for like 15 minutes even though we were the only ones in there.  Then we finally get her in and the doctor just laughs and makes us leave.... we were rejected by the hospital. ultimate rejection.  After a couple lessons after that, we were struggling to stay alive and remembered that we forgot to eat.  So we went biking around trying to find somewhere to eat and everything was closed.. We then pulled over and decided to go to a place that we alwasy eat at on the otherside of town. Even though it was far, we knew that it had food we could eat. With the last little bit of energy we had, we peddled there, as we pulled up the owner came out with a huge smile and siad "We are resting today! we will be open on monday!" I just started dying laughing. our dinner time was like over and we had nothing to eat. we went across the street to get food at a little gas station and when we went in, all their food was gone too!! I said THATS IT! I am getting a coke.. I walk over, and the only thing they are out of in drinks is coke...... I havent lauighed so hard in my whole life. 

FINALLY We found a fruit stand and a little food stand on the side of the rode.  

As a missionary you are sometimes "bu yong'ed" by people on the street, LAs, emergency rooms, restaurants, and gas stations.  But heavenly father still blesses you with pure joy of the work.  

Even though that day was hard, Heavenly Father blessed us with incredible lessons and we found a wonderful new investigator who set her date for christmas on the street:) It was the first baptismal date we have set for that special day.

I don't know why I just shared that story with you but I just want to testify that God hears my prayers, your prayers, and everyones prayers.  we are all his children and he loves us.  He is just waiting for us to rely on him.  His power is enough to help us through any pain, trial, sickness, or rejection. 

Joy comes from God through our Savior.  It is the light that is open to us in every situation and during every trial.  

I love you all so much. 

Even though I love you, I am struggling with going home. Sister Belnap is a time bomb. she knows the days, the hours, and the minutes until we are on the plane coming home. she told me right before our weekly planning session how many days we have left and I cried. I was probably being a little dramatic. haha. but she is also helping ease me into it.  I went to get in bed last night and found a cockroach right above my pillow. She came in, killed it, and say "Sister Griffin, just think, these will be gone one day soon".  That helped a little.

I LOVE MY MISSION.

I ALSO LOVE YOU!!

Sister Griffin