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