Monday, September 7, 2015

Where did this week go?!  I seriousloy feel like I was just emailing like yesterday.  Time is a funny thing.

So this week did NOT go according to plan.  We did a lot of exchanges with the sisters and we had planned to go to the Temple with 王JM and 鐘DX. So we're on the bus and we get stuck in traffic and I start to stress out a little. We texted them to let them know we're going to be a bit late and they call us to tell us they'll just go in and we'll join them when we get there.  So we get there and they're not there so we start to call them again and they told us the workers told them it was at 2 and not 1 so they went to eat so they'll be back at 2.  So we go off to the distribution center to buy something for one of our LA's and we got back to the temple a little before 2.  2 comes and goes and they're not here so we start calling them and they're not answering.  So after half an hour we go and do a Temple tour with one of our investigators who just happened to be in Taipei.  Near the end of the tour we got a call from 王JM. They were like we're done! ---___--- yep! without us! oh well, at least they got to the temple and had a good time. don't worry about it.  we just went all the way to Taipei to do a temple tour. 

Yesterday for fast sunday I did my first split work with some members and this adorable YSA helped and I just wanted to give her the reigns and let her teach because she was so awesome. Too bad she's going to Gaoxiong this week for school.  Bummer. 

I LOVE FAST SUNDAYS! Literally.  They bring so many miracles.  We got to church and there were literally NO investigators there.  Then one by one they started to show up after church started and during relief society my companion turned to me and we just marvelled at how amazing Heavenly Father is and these investigators (a Su JM, Qiu Jm, and Casey) have such potential to be baptised and be great members.  

Wow...what a cupcake. eating chicken and stuff the day after having his widsom teeth taken out...men!  I was out for a while and I had to go to work!  Speaking of work I had a dream last night that I came home and only you and dad were there and nobody cared I was home and it was really dry and my skin cracked and I forgot my chinese...oh yea, and I went to get a sandwhich at Subway and they asked me why I wasn't working and I was like because I'm going up to college.  Crazy!

I CAN'T BELIEVE RACHEL AND ETHAN'S PAPERS ARE IN!!! WHAT THE FREAK?!  Make sure you take lots of pictures or a movie of the opening so I can get the feel.

So I've really gained a testimony of teaching kids how to cook and clean and basic living standards because I'm teaching my companion how to cook.  She's picking it up pretty quick but I'm just really grateful for you and dad teaching me the basics.  It's been a fun adventure!  :) 

Yep. That's all folks! It's starting to cool off here.  I'm still not ready to brave January in Idaho so I'm trying to enjoy it while it lasts.  

          LOVE YOU :)
          Sister Fish

Monday, August 31, 2015

Hailey's wedding sounds crazy to plan...I'll just never get married 好了。just kidding.  

that sounds pretty stressful with all that running around.  It'll be okay though.  You're the best at the job.  The best multitasker.  Just keep your scriptures close by.  Failsafe just read it out loud.  It'll calm everything down :)

Wow, I'm really excited to know where Rachel and Ethan go on their missions!

Any news on BYUI stuff? I have no idea what classes I want to take so you'll have to talk to Hailey about that.  I was thinking a couple of online classes so I could visit home a lot with Ethan and Rachel and Hailey's lives going crazy. :)

Oh, yea and my shoulders are crooked.  My shoulders and neck have been hurting for a couple of weeks now.  I changed my bag so I can't carry as much stuff so it helps a little but I noticed today that my right shoulder is lower than my left shoulder.  weird.

I love personal study! I get so much out of it now.  IT's like a ton of aha! moments! I love this gospel! So much greater than anything!

Getting ready to ride

A picture my companion took

Monday, August 24, 2015

Alohaaa! 

Okay, so I'm not in Hawaii, but Taiwan is way more gorgeous :) 

First things first. A TSUNAMI IS COMING! yep, okay, not an actual tsunami. It's a missionary term for when they send a ton of missionaries into one are to go finding all day long for about a week to build up that area.  So yep, I'm returning to the Zhunan zone and I will be knocking and contacting for 4 days straight. so excited! 

couple trunky is when there's a couple and they're so cute that you get couple trunky.  it just means you think they're so cute and you really want to be a couple...one day ;)  A lot of elders here get baby trunky which basically means they want a baby.  Elders...

Cindy is so golden.  Unfortunately, her parents aren't so they won' t let her go to church or to English class so the only way we can contact her is through FB.  She's still going strong. She will get baptized as soon as her parent's hearts soften. 

So I think this ward is teaching me a lot about how to be a ward missionary.  The members here are so great at helping the missionaries out and it's helping me so when I go home I know how to be a member missionary.  

I think coming on my mission has magnified my love for my family.  Oh my gosh, I love you guys so much. I thank God every day for you all...name by name.  I think it's the perspective. 

Hey! also, maybe talk to Emily about moving tracts for one semester so she can room with me...it'll be fun!

So I wear crocs every day. It's Taiwan... lots of water and sun.  So I was cleaning my feet a couple days ago and I noticed these brown patches on my toes and so I start scrubbing at them...and they didn't come off! It was not a dirt tan ladies and gentlemen, it was a real tan. My toes are white and brown. yea....missionary tan! 

love you all! this work is so miraculous! The Lord loves his children!

LOVE YOU!

Sister Fisher

Monday, August 17, 2015

So we have this amazing investigator Cindy and she wants to be baptized so bad but her parents don't agree so we didn't get to meet with her this week.  It's so sad when someone can't get baptized because of other people.  She just loves the gospel and reads the Book of Mormon and is probably a better missionary than we are and she's not even a member.  wow, it's a good reminder to us to see how much this gospel is worth.  We had a member help us who when she was a Young Women would wake up at 5 to get all her chores done so she could go to church.  How much is the gospel worth to you?

Wu (aka Ling) Jie mei is slowly progressing.  She knows it's true. She can feel it every time we meet with her.  For some reason the idea of prophets gets her stuck...that and homosexuality, even though she's married and has two kids.  I just love meeting with her because she does her homework and really asks good questions.  Last Monday we had a couple in our ward help us peike and oh man they would make any missionary couple trunky. They're just so cute I just want to die every time I see them.  My companion is the same way...couple trunky.

We met with Wang JM and her and her husband are going to the temple this month to do baptisms!!! I can't believe it! It's so exciting to see people progress after baptism, to continue and see how they do after baptism.
  

Wednesday we went to a sisters temple tour training in Taipei and they brought in returned missionaries that had served on Temple Square in Salt Lake to trains us. It was cool. Then they told us the greatest identity you have is a child of God.  That's all that matters because everything else will leave.  

Sister Jenkins and I are together for another transfer! Greatest transfer ever here I come!!! I don't know though, lately, we've been having a lot of water fights...I win, of course, so don't worry.  

So, I've made a decision.  Let me tell you of the wrestle I had with God...okay, maybe it wasn't that kuazhang but it was kind of cool.  The whole week I was wondering and pondering and praying because I decided I needed to make a decision...stuck in limbo isn't fun.  I felt good about both going home and starting school early and then good about coming home in January like I was supposed to.  So I put it to the test.  I figured since I had the prompting in the Temple to go home and start winter semester I'd put it to the test.  I finally told Heavenly Father that if I stayed in Xinzhu it meant I was supposed to go home and start Winter semester.  If I left Xinzhu then I would be staying until January. I figured it was okay to ask that because it's like the Brother of Jared and Gideon (Bible story) to ask for a confirmation.  Well, I'm still in Xinzhu, so looks like I'm coming home in December and starting winter semester.  so yea...that's my decision! LOVE you all! Thanks for the support :)

My District

Monday, August 10, 2015

master the typhoon is raging

the windows are breaking in

the water's all over the floor now

the wind is coming in

For the missionaries:

1. typhoon...I'm okay:)

2. investigators come and go. church is awesome

3. God loves miracles

4. 13 MONTHS BABY! 

So I don't know who heard about the typhoon that is the worst Taiwan has had in the past 20 years. It flooded some apartments and some lost electricity.  I am in Xinzhu.  so on the west coast which is protected by mountains.  It all started on Friday when we were on exchanges and the weather started to go crazy like pour rain and instantly sunny.  Then we got a text saying we needed to cancel all exchanges so we had to exchange back....quickest exchange I've ever been in.  That night the wind was so strong we were either off our bikes pushing against it or on our bikes going race speed down the road.  so bipolar.  The whole time I was like, "Heavenly Father, I just want the experience of having a typhoon!" That night nobody could sleep because it was HOWLING outside. In the morning we exercised inside and studies came. By the end of studies it had calmed down and we were getting ready to leave for a long day of knocking because all our lessons canceled due to the typhoon when we got a call from our DL saying we were to stay inside until 6! YES! Heavenly Father loves me :)  so we stayed inside and cleaned up the apartment, sorted the area book, and called a bunch of formers.  And you know what? As soon as we got the call the wind stopped and nothing was happening outside.  When we went outside that night to walk around because we weren't allowed to ride our bikes there was a lot of wreckage. Trees, branches, a lot of leaves.  Even some motorcycles got blown over. It was like a ghost town. 

On the bright side, we had an amazing day at church.  We couldn't get ahold of a lot of our investigators so we get to church and nobody's there.  we sit down and two minutes before it starts Qiu Jie Mei comes in and sits down. Then another investigator comes in and sits with her son and daughter in law. Then our amazing investigator Cindy turns around and says hello...we've been surrounded! It was so cool! 

We had language testing this week and I went back and listened to the ones from the MTC. I've improved a LOT! 

We taught, testified, and prayed this week.  God gave us so many miracles! I know He watches out for each of us.  

I always am doubting whether it's actually a prompting or whether I'm just letting others influence me.  I just want to do what the Lord wants.  I trust that He will guide me and expects me to make the right choice.  It just makes me nervous because it's a big decision.  I think the biggest thing is that I won't be able to room with Emily :( It's kind of small, but really big. 

the longer I'm on my mission the more I just want to spend eternity with you all.  It is going to be so much fun! I've really come to realize how much I love you all :) Bring on eternity. It's going to be a blast! I love it! 

I'm safe from the typhoon.  I wouldn't have minded a little more wind or something exciting.  Oh well. it was fun :) 

love you!

sister Fisher

13 Months!  I've been out for 13 months!

Typhoon aftermath

Monday, August 3, 2015

So ARLYN IS BAPTISED! just in case you didn't read the header. FYI

She has been waiting for this moment since last March...or April. She's been waiting to go to church for forever because her boss won't let her go to church.  She's Filipino and so she's here just to work.  but we finally got to help her come to church three times and into the baptismal font! it was so amazing to watch her do something she's been waiting so long to do.  In her testimony, she thanked Sister Murri and sister Smith for finding her and helping her.  it was so sweet. 

Jedi council was this week.  It is such an amazing experience to spend time with the president and his wife in training.  and they make delicious Mexican food.  sooo good! 

Lastly Sunday! Cindy, an investigator from English class came to church for the second time this week and we met with her after church and asked her why she decided to come to church.  She said that she feels like she needs some direction in her life so she felt like coming to church would help and she said she gets this really good feeling about coming to church.  She absolutely loves church and the YW president really guanxin's her.  and She ACCEPTED BAPTISM! God is so great. We don't really know his plans, but he does have a plan when we trust Him. 

I've also been thinking about the importance of obedience.  and then one day it hit me.  We don't really do anything in this work, it's all God. The only thing we can really do is be obedient.  Us being exactly obedient is what brings the blessings.  Us being obedient shows the Lord our effort and desire and he blesses us so much for it.  There are prepared people everywhere. no matter where you go.  As we are obedient he either leads us to them or them to us.  As we are obedient we are able to have that power to teach and testify.  

Hey Momskies! 

I just wanted to tell you that you pretty much made me cry when I read your email.  I seriously could not ask for better parents.  I don't know what I would do without you.  I'm still not sure if it's what I need to do but I'm so grateful you all are backing me up and supporting me no matter my decision. 

We haven't been able to meet with Ling JM since Wednesday. We're meeting with her tonight so hopefully, it'll go well. We met with a tongxue named Cindy and she is so cute.  She just knows it's true and when invited her to be baptized she basically told us she's wanted to be baptized for a long time but worries about her parents.  Our Peike told her her conversion story about how her mom didn't want her to get baptized and how her dad signed the paper but afterward, her parents eventually got baptized.  Life is so amazing.  Being a missionary is so amazing! 

love you!  I'm glad Ethan got his Eagle project done. I prayed really hard for him.  I'm glad Levi is okay and you all had so much fun swimming.  I'm kind of envious of Elders because they can actually swim on their missions because they get to baptize people.  Sisters cant.  It's just one of those things.  

Yep...that's what I learned this week...that and eating meat is part of the word of wisdom. hamburger it up!

Well, that's all folks: )
LOVE Sister Fish

Arlyn is getting baptized

SO excited when Arlyn came out of the water

Costco muffin!

 

Wednesday, 29 July 2015

oh by the way. Today's temple day...that's why I didn't have P day on Monday. 

I made stroganoff and alfredo this week...and taco salad :) with Doritos :) living the dream baby. thank you for teaching me how to cook. My comp doesn't know so I'm teaching her :)

I thought the member referral was going to die as an investigator but it turns out we met with her parents (RC's) and they said she had this idea to say a prayer and wants to know when she can get a BOM, so I'm still rooting for her!

Ling (actually wu) JM got back from Thailand and read up to 2 Nephi 11 on the plane! She had a lot of questions about the difference between a prophet and apostle and why women can't have the priesthood.  What's your take on women and the priesthood? just curious?

did you know cockroaches sleep on their back? It looks comfortable I guess

some crazy miracles this week.
ONe: we were coming home one night from exchanges and I went to take my bag off my shoulder and it popped my nametag off. Great. But it gets worse. I'm watching my nametag fall and it bounces once, twice, and into the gutter. A Taiwanese gutter, an open sewer!!! NOOOO! and it was my magnet one, those are precious because I ripped the magnet off my MTC one so it's precious. So I try a multitude of different things. attaching the magnet to a strap and trying to fish it out or ripping out two stick things and like chopsticks trying to get it out but to no avail. great. and it's getting close to 9:30. I just couldn't leave Christ's name down there in who knows what!!! But we have like one minute left so we race upstairs. Sister Jenkins is like, "I have enough faith that tomorrow morning it is going to be out and on the side of the gutter" so that's what we pray for that night. enough faith. I then realize that I had been praying for the Lord to help me increase my faith. great. So morning comes and we go to exercise and forget to look. when we come back home we go to look and it's GONE!!! Sister Jenkins is like, it's a miracle and I'm like, great, someone stole my nametag. so we go upstairs and I'm like, have faith. and right on my desk is a paper with my nametag on it. I know God works through the hands of earthly angels before he uses heavenly angels. Our angels, (sister Beaston and sister Fan) were in the shower.

Two: we were on our way to lunch when my companion says we need to go back to this old group of ladies and talk to them. nothing happens so we go back to our bikes and we had actually parked it outside of this lady's house. yea. Right as we get back she arrived and was trying to figure out how to move our bikes out of the way. So we apologize and move our bikes and as we're riding away I'm like, there's no way that was a coincidence. God needs us to talk to this lady. So we stop our bikes and go talk to her and she becomes a new investigator. what?! Listening to God is so important. There are no coincidences. Sometimes he prompts us to talk to someone not because we need to talk to them but because it will help us come into contact with another person.

Three: ARLYN CAME TO CHURCH!!! we're praying that she'll be able to get baptized this week.

love you all!!!

Sister Fisher

Like our new glasses?

Noodles with a cat in the background.

My nametag came home