Chi bao le ma?

I LOVE your emails and pictures.  "boring week" haha yeah right.  Jake had surgery right before his birthday?! hao xinku.  Poor kid.  but anyways,

HAPPY BIRTHDAY JAKE!!! I can't believe you are 13.  wow.  You have grown up so much these past 7 months.  I cant believe how different you are when I see pictures of you.  You are turning into an amazing young man.  (teenager) ahh!! I remember when I turned 13.  I thought I was so old;) just wait until you are turning twenty.  but anyways, I am so proud of you and all the incredible things you have accomplished these past few months.  You are pushing past all odds and making all of us proud.  especially our heavenly father.  When I think of you, I think of Enoch.  He is my favorite person from all the scriptures.  As he relied on God, all his weaknesses became strengths (ether 12:27).  from the sound of it, you are doing just that.  You are so strong Jacob. whenever I have a hard time, I think of you and how strong you are.  I LOVE YOU SO MUCH!! keep an eye out for a letter from me ok?

Miracles. Miracles. Miracles.  Thats all I've got to say.

Sister Wood and I have worked our tails off this week.  I have worked hard my whole mission but this week we both have just kicked it up another notch and we have seen nothing but miracles.  In the scriptures, every miracle is according to faith.  Every single one.  Evertime Christ healed someone, it was always according to their faith.  Enos' sins were forgiven through faith.  Moses split the red sea with his faith. This week Sister Wood and I have worked on strengthening our faith.  We are new new missionaries and our chinese isn't very good yet.  we both don't know exactly how everything works yet and we definitely can't read anything...hah.  BUT We have done everything we could this week to be exactly obedient and trust God.  As we have been exactly obedient, we have built our faith, and we have seen miracles without end.  When I got here, they had one investigator and one baptismal date.  Between the two of us and with Gods help, this week we have like 15 investigators and 4 solid baptismal dates.  

Because we are so incapable of just about everything we have relied so much on the Lord.  We are constantly stepping to the side and praying, pleading with God to help us.  He is helping us.  I know without a doubt in my mind that faith, obedience, and miracles are all very very closely related.  God LOVES us all so much more than we know... our faith and obedience ALLOWS him to bless us. He is pleading with us to  put down the umbrella and allow his blessings, miracles, and love freely fall upon us.

The miracles come everyday but yesterday was incredible.  Yesterday Sister Wood and I fasted together.  I fasted especially that I could overcome my  weaknesses.  I have so many... and sometimes it is so hard to have the power to push through them.  Its like mastering Mosiah 3:19. Anyways, Heavenly Father put us to the test yesterday. ha.  So Neihu is in the mountains and so all our area is hill, after hill, after hill.  And during a fast, the last thing you want  to do is bike twenty minutes up hills just to be rejected over and over again. But we had faith Heavenly Father wanted us to go to this place and knock yesterday afternoon.  At every door we were told "bu yong!" "Fou Jiao!" and so forth.. we even got someone over an intercom say (in english ) "we are really really buddhist." "I pretended I didn't understand I just kept telling them about our message.. they then again said "no no no, we are really really reeaaalllyyy buddhist". haha I guess we will have to come back when they are only kind of buddhist.  

Anyways, after two and a half hours of rejection, Sister Wood and I were still trying to keep pushing through and smile.  we decided to pray again.  After the prayed, Sister Wood said "Someone is going to let us in".  The LAST DOOR.  no joke. THE VERY LAST DOOR, the cutest little woman answered and she let us in...  We sang "Families can be together forever" and then taught about how we can have eternal families.  we then taught her how to pray. It was a beautiful lesson and the spirit was so strong.  At the end, she thanked us for coming.  When we left, sister wood and I just gave each other a hug hug and thanked Heavenly Father for such a beautiful afternoon.  Mid hug we heared the door open again, the little lady stuck her head out again just to say thank you again :)

The miracles continue...

So last week on sunday we were finding and we prayed specifically for a family... the next door we knocked was the most beautiful family I've ever seen.  LITERALLY THE FIRST DOOR WE KNOCKED.  Turns out they had met with missionaries before and they set up with us for the next sunday (yesterday).  So yesterday we went to meet with them! Sister Wood and I were so nervous..hah.  we were soooo excited but we wanted them to feel the spirit and have interest in our message even though  our Chinese isn't perfect.  So after lots of prayers, we went! The mom and the two kids, Maggie (11) and Aayden (7) answered the door and were so excited to see us.  They bought us fruit and cheese and we all just squished on their little couch.  It was homey and beautiful.  The spirit there in their little humble home was tangible.  We got to know them and then shared the Book of Mormon with them.  Then they pulled out a dusty, old Book Of Mormon from off their book shelf:)

The little boy was soo excited to see the pictures in the front and loved hearing about Jesus.  We shared about Gods love for them and they just ate it up.  They just stared at us, hungry... spiritually hungry.  Heavenly Father knew they were ready now and that is why he led Sister Wood and I to them.  As we listen to God, he will lead us to the prepared.  As we listen, we will hear his guidance, and as we stop, we will feel of his love. 

LOVE.  Love is the most incredible thing a mission teaches you about.  Love isn't what I thought it was.  Its deeper, sweeter, more sacred, and eternal.

This week we watched Finding Faith in Christ with a couple LA's.  As I watched, I thought about Christs love.  Can we see it? Can we touch it? Can we smell it? no.  But I know... I know that it is there.  Here in Taiwan, it fills my whole soul.  I can't explain it.  I am getting all teary just thining about it.  I wish I could just open my heart and let you look inside because there is no way to explain.  

I just know without a doubt that God our Father loves every single  one of his children.  Jesus Christ really is the Savior of the world.  The Savior of us all.

I get to see this love change people every day.  I get to see people eyes change as I bear testimony of this eternal love.  

Our investigators are coming to know this all and it is BEAUTIFUL.  Everyday I thank Heavenly Father for today and that today I get to serve in this incredibly beautiful place.  

Its not easy but you already know that:) and So does He.  thats why he gives us so much help.

Funny things: I made Sister Wood dinner on saturday because she was having a hard day.  I made this really great noodle soup that I spent like 45 minutes making. When it was done, I thought I'd empty a little out in the sink because it was bubbling over and as I was pouring it, the handle broke and the whole thing dumped into the sink and all down my dress... hahahaha.  mei you guanxi, hai houzhe.  ( no worries, I am still living) This is my new favorite thing to say.

I LOVE YOU SO MUCH!! So glad everything is going so well!! SO PROUD OF YOU ALL!!!! Send me letters.. ok? :)

love love love, Geng Jie Mei