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