Monday June 23, 2014

Monday June 23. 2014

Dear family,

Last week was crazy! There was so much going on. My new companion's is Sister Peay (pronounced "pay"), from Mapleton Utah, and she is wonderful! I'm still waiting for that one really hard and difficult companion, but I'm going to have to keep waiting. She is full of love and a desire to serve. I'm really excited for this transfer! AND Sister George, the sister I trained, moved into our apartment too!!! I love her so much and I have missed her, so I am super excited about that.

Nian JM (Andrea) is doing so well!! Last week she agreed to obey the Word of Wisdom and set a goal to be completely following it by the 21st. We met with her on Saturday, the 21st. She has finals, she's still recovering from her car crash a couple of weeks ago, and she didn't drink any coffee the entire week! Not only that, but she gave all her coffee away. She told us her roommates were so surprised, because they wanted her coffee before and she wouldn't give it to them, but now she voluntarily gives them all of it! She is absolutely amazing!  Because she's following the Word of Wisdom, she’s been receiving blessings. Her body has been healing a lot faster than she expected. And she's saving money from not buying coffee! These are subtle but significant blessings. She is amazing. And so is God.

Zhao got baptized on Saturday!  It was crazy planning his baptism while working around transfers, but it turned out alright. And I've never seen someone laugh so much walking out of the water--it was so cute.

Zhao, his mother, Sisters Peay, Edwards and the member baptizing Zhao.

Today for exercise we woke up early and biked to the train station to drop off a bike there. So on our return trip we switched off one companion running, one biking. We pulled up to a guy in a blue truck, with watermelons in the back, eating Binlang (Betel Nut--super disgusting stuff) and looking like every other blue truck guy, which is not super great. But we said hello and chatted for a second. As we invited him to church, he started quoting the beatitudes from Matthew. What?!  It so happens that we have a Book of Mormon in the back of our bike. We flipped open the Book of Mormon to 3 Nephi 12 and showed him Christ teaching the Beatitudes to those on the American continent. And then he agreed to come to church. And then he gave us a GIANT watermelon!! So even exercise time is a great time to contact.

I've been thinking lately about the agency involved in belief. We must choose whether or not we are going to believe. In Alma 19:31-32 we see Lamoni, who has just had an incredible experience and converted to Christ. He teaches his people, "and as many as heard his words believed, and were converted unto the Lord. But there were many among them who would not hear his words; therefore they went their way." God will never take away our agency. But if we choose to listen, we will hear and believe. But we must choose ourselves.

I love you! Have a wonderful week!

Love,

Sister Rachel Caroline Edwards

Monday June 16, 2014

Monday June 16, 2014

Dear family,

I hope all of you are having a wonderful father's day!

This week is transfers, so Sister Steed will be going home this weekend, all the way back to California. So that is a little sad. But there will be a new adventure starting as well! So I will have a new companion next week.

Our investigator Nian, Andrea, is doing so well!! She got in a car accident last week that left her really bruised and in pain, but without any serious injuries. When we met with her after church, she shared with us that she was grateful to God that it wasn't more serious, and takes it as a blessing from God.  She still came to church even though she was drugged up with a bunch of painkillers and hurt if anyone touched her. A member brought her :) There is something about Nian JM. I feel like she was the one we were meant to find. I remember feeling a while ago that there was someone in Hualian that we were meant to find, and I believe it's her. The hand of God in her life is so apparent, and His love for her is great. I feel like I am getting a window into something much greater than myself. I think she is part of the reason I am in Taiwan.

Rachel and Andrea

 

This morning as I was reading my scriptures, I was impressed with so many things. One of them was the spark of light that exists in human beings. The light of Christ. Just the spark of goodness that is evident in human behavior. Bad things happen, and people do bad things, but there is a basic yearning in human beings to reach for one another in love. To help one another. We really are a family, a family that consists of everyone on the face of the earth, and God wants us to lift each other up.

Another thing I noticed this morning was the promise of the Lord's presence as missionaries. The Lord states over and over again, that He is in the midst of those that are on His errand. I think one of my favorite ways that it is stated is in 2 Nephi 22:6 "Cry out and shout, thou inhabitant of Zion; for great is the Holy One of Israel in the midst of thee." I believe that the Lord is guiding this work, and is great in the midst of us. I would say most of the time I don't notice perhaps as much as I should, but there are moments when it becomes so clear, just for a short amount of time, and I realize the hand of God.

I love you!

Sister Rachel Caroline Edwards

Monday June 9, 2014

                                                                                          

Monday June 9, 2014 

Dear family,

This week was a bit crazy (as usual), but it was good.  

We met with our investigator Andrea yesterday after church. I mentioned Andrea last week whose father died when she was 8. She told us that Saturday night she was feeling SO tired and lonely. All her roommates were gone, she is really busy with school and work, and feels a lot of pressure. She felt alone and tired to the bone. She prayed, told Heavenly Father, and went to bed. At 4:00 in the morning, she gets a text from her mom who, by the way, does not text. Andrea says it must have taken her at least an hour to write a text that long. Paraphrased the text said, "I had a dream, and in my dream you told me you were SO tired." She then went on to encourage her daughter. Andrea said she cried when she got the text. And she recognized it as an answer from God. She believes in God now. And little did she know she was answering a personal prayer of mine as well.

God is real, and He speaks. Everyone's answers are different, but they are there, if we simply place our faith in Him and ASK. Truth is everywhere. It's just as Alma says, "The scriptures are laid before thee, yea, and all things denote there is a God; yea, even the earth, and all things that are upon the face of it, yea, and its motion, yea, and also all the planets which move in their regular form do witness that there is a Supreme Creator." Alma 30:44.

I've had a greater understanding this week of what it means to not fear. And I've learned in a different way that God exists. It's not finished, but it's exhilarating. Also this morning I read Alma 11 and 12, and I invite everyone to go and study those two chapters and look for something new! They are filled with things I never saw before; perhaps they will be for you too. I love you!

Love,

Sister Rachel Caroline Edwards

Monday June 2, 2014

                                                                                                                   

June 2, 2014

Dear family,

I hope you all got to eat some good Zhongzi to celebrate Dragon Boat festival! Ask Dave and Jeff if you want to know what Zhongzi are:) We actually got to go to the Lake and watch the dragon boat races. Super fun.

Last week we had a contact from weeks ago agree to meet with us when we called. He and his daughter actually came to our baptism, they stayed after for a discussion, and then both set baptismal dates!! Which was a really cool experience for me, because I personally remember contacting, and feeling that they were special and I could not forget to call after the daughter's test was over like they told us we could. The dad originally wasn't super interested, but just thought it was for his daughter. Now they are both making commitments to prepare them for baptism! And, they came to church yesterday!

Also on Sunday, Ling2 came to church. We'd met with her for the first time Saturday night. She'd come to Wen’s baptism the previous Saturday and had come to church the week before that. We met with her again after church. It was one of the most intense lessons I've ever taught. Her father passed away when she was 8, and since then she hasn't believed in God. We shared the Plan of Salvation with her, and she . . . began to cry. She wasn't sure if it was true or not, but you could feel the Spirit working with her. I don't know how to explain it, but you could just FEEL God testifying to her that He exists. It wasn't . . . loud, but it was just there. It was incredible. She NEEDS the gospel, and is reaching for it herself.

I love the tender mercies of the Lord. As I put my faith in him, I feel the companionship of the Spirit, and my heart is at peace. This peace comes mostly through prayer and scripture study.  I love you! Have a wonderful week!

Love,

Rachel

This is the bishop and his wife from Danshui who came to visit on May 5 with our recent convert, Angel.  It was SO FUN. I love them soooo much.

I loved this picture of the ocean.  Wished that I was there.  But..the sun never seems to shine. 

Monday May 19, 2014

 

On Sunday May 11, 2014 Rachel turned 22!!!

                                                                                    Monday May 19, 2014

Dear family,

This week has been wonderful! The mission just gets better and better.

Shirley, who is Buddhist, a little older, and retired, set a baptismal date with us! From our first visit to the second she had read the Plan of Salvation pamphlet and a little bit from the Book of Mormon.  She was definitely reluctant to move forward because she has had bad experiences in the past with missionaries, going to church and being "thrown into the water" as it were. I don’t think that they were missionaries from our church. That made her step of faith to try all the more exciting!  Especially when I remember her initial reaction to our knock on the door a couple of weeks ago. She said, "I'm Buddhist, I don't need it." But Sister Steed kept talking to her through the intercom, and she let us in. Last time we met she told us that because of her bad experiences, she doesn't let missionaries in. She's not sure why she did this time. But we know. God has prepared her for the gospel!

Another cool miracle was church yesterday!  Close to the end of Sacrament meeting, a member tells us that some of our investigators are sitting in the foyer. What?  So we went to look. Two super cute girls, whom we had never met, were sitting on the couch. It turns out that they were English class students who had come to church ON THEIR OWN. We took them in for the rest of Sacrament Meeting as well as Sunday school. Then they not only set up an appointment with us, but THEY LIVE IN OUR AREA! What goes around comes around. One of the girls told us that last year a missionary had written down her number, told her they were going to call, and then never did! So she has been waiting.

XXX who is a former investigator, brought herself to church last week. Turns out that she has been gone because she had a stroke, but is back now, and wants to get baptized! She had her baptismal interview after church on Sunday and is getting baptized on Saturday!!  I was really nervous about letting her get baptized and really didn't want her to get baptized that fast. After praying about it with Sister Steed I felt a small calm, the Spirit I believe, telling me it was OK.

This morning I was reading from Alma 1, and it made me ponder on the principle of enduring, enduring trials of all kinds. In that chapter it talks about the people of God being afflicted with words. I think this kind of affliction is both the most common and most destructive of all, because it wounds us in ways that can't be fixed by just going to the doctor. I think that is what makes the Atonement that much more precious. Words are powerful. It makes me think as well about the power of the scriptures. That is why I have a testimony which I share with people constantly.  It is because of the words written in the Book of Mormon. I know that as we feast upon the words of Christ as found in the Book of Mormon, we will find a power in our lives, just like President Hinckley said.

I love you!

Sister Rachel Caroline Edwards

This is my companion's description of our first lesson with our LA's son, who has some minor mental handicaps, but we think he can still be baptized . . . we think :)

We actually used this picture book that Sister Edwards has and it was dynamite. He LOVED it, and he loved learning about Jesus. He was confused why all the pictures happened in Israel, why Jesus never took the train, and why the people who killed Jesus were not arrested. And he was very confused as to why people from outside Taiwan have such long noses... I about died laughing in the lesson as he is looking at the pictures and sincerely perplexed by the differences of the length of those noses and his. 

Is this how missionary work is done?

 

The great and mighty.

Now we are ready to begin to work.


Rachel in Hualien

Sisters Edwards and Steed

Monday May 12, 2014

Monday May 12, 2014

Dear Family,

Thank you for the birthday wishes! I might not be able to answer everyone's right now, but I really am grateful for your love.

This past week has been such a blast! It's interesting; we've done so much finding (something that I used to dread) . . . and I've been happy!! There is something interesting about missionary work, and everything really meaningful in life. I often feel lazy and don't want to start whatever I’m supposed to be doing. But as soon as I do, everything rights itself and I feel fulfilled and happy. Running and contacting aren’t exactly the same thing, but just getting out the door and starting for either one is so hard. The feelings after a good run, or a good contact, are unbeatable and always worth the energy exerted! This we've had a lot of contacting time.  It's been fulfilling and fun. We've said more fervent prayers asking for help to find someone, and these prayers have made a huge difference. We've seen a lot of success knocking doors.  This is something I used to feel was kind of a waste of time. But that's a lie! Most of our contacting time is actually spent teaching. Teaching people on the streets!

We were biking down the street yesterday. A guy riding a scooter next to me asked, (while we were both riding) "Are you missionaries?"  "Yes!" I told him. "Oh," he said. Then I asked, “Do you want to talk with missionaries?"  "Keyi." (Sure), he told us.  We pulled over and talked to him for a bit. Turns out he has talked with the missionaries before, and was willing to set up an appointment with us again! Super cool.

One is a Tai girl who is in Taiwan for a couple months learning Chinese. I think the most incredible part of our lesson was teaching it all in English. It was so cool to say, in English, "When you know that the Book of Mormon is true, and that this is the true church, will you follow the example of Jesus Christ and be baptized by someone holding the Priesthood authority of God?"  And to hear, "I will."

Also this past week we were contacting up a street and skipped one house, because there were a bunch of men meeting inside, a few waiting outside, and it looked like they were busy and perhaps about to leave. As we kept contacting up the street we noticed them looking at us. After a lesson and more contacting up the street, they drove past us and stopped. It turns out that one of them was an investigator from THIRTY YEARS AGO!! HE was talking to US about Joseph Smith and The Plan of Salvation. He set up an appointment with us. We met with him a few days later, and he had his old Momenjing (the really old translation of the Book of Mormon), with all of the tracks that that missionary had given him. He was super interested, and even invited all of his friends to sit in on the lesson too! No effort is wasted. Some missionary forever ago prepared this man for this time now.

I love you!  

Sister Rachel Caroline Edwards

Monday May 5, 2014

                                                                            

Monday May 5, 2014

Dear family,

We met Sister Liao a couple of weeks ago, and she agreed to meet with us again on Wednesday.  We went to our appointment.  As we began to talk with her, she pulled out her Book of Mormon. She had read to 2 NEPHI 2:26!  In less than a week!  It was incredible.  And… she remembered what she had read. As we began to teach the Plan of Salvation, she was stunned and enthralled with the spirit world.  She had never heard about the spirit world before. It was so cool to see her so touched.

Apparently we had stopped a Sister Huang on a scooter, invited her to church, and given her a tract with our names and number on the back. SHE contacted US to tell us she wanted to come to church!!!  That does not happen.  And then, she and her daughter, Sister Zeng, CAME TO CHURCH! They were humble and willing to listen. As she introduced herself in Sunday school, the teacher asked how she happened to be there.  "Du Jiemei talked to me at a stoplight," she told the teacher.  It was one of those moments that you never forget. Perhaps I actually do do some good sometimes:)

I’ve been thinking a lot that I need to have better prayers. I love the Bible Dictionary's definition and description of prayer. I don't have it in front of me right now, but it goes something like "prayer is the method by which the will of the Father and the will of the child are brought into correspondence." I love this. When we just pray for all of the selfish things that we "want," we miss the point of prayer. But when we seek the will of the Father, our prayers become much more meaningful. I also love the part that says "prayer is a form of work." And it is! I know when I am saying true and sincere prayers, I don't start falling asleep, because I am truly pouring my heart out to God and crying to Him. When we TRULY cry to the Lord in our prayers, we will find the answers we are searching for. Not in our time or way, but in His. And they do come.

I love you!

Sister Rachel Caroline Edwards/ Du Jiemei