Sister Richards takes Taiwan: Week 19: Light the World (December 11, 2016)

Good morning world! I hope everyone had a wonderful week! Things are amazing as always over here in good old Taiwan. What a place! We always joke that Taiwan is 1.5 world(?). You think it's pretty 1st world until you go into some public bathrooms to see holes in the ground or until you see some people's homes and kitchens and such with literally nothing. It's a great place!

There were so many amazing things about this week. It was actually kind of a crazy one with zone meeting, exchanges, we got a MINI-MISSIONARY, and had this all day choir thing up in Taibei on Saturday! So needless to say, we were busy. But, it was another testament that we are dong the Lord's work. No matter how busy we were and how much less proselyting time we had, we still set our goals high and were able to accomplish them through the Lord. He always provides!

Our mini missionary's name is Joanna, and she is a RC from Taibei! She is 27 and just decided she wanted to check out missionary life a bit! She'll be with us for one week, and she is adorable. Just imagine this little Asian girl that has so much energy and ZERO fear. She goes up to everyone, and I mean everyone, and teaches them just about everything she has ever learned! ha! She is so cute. She has a very strong testimony and is so willing to share it! It was cute doing weekly planning with her on Friday because she got emotional thinking about her our missionaries doing it for her! Each Friday, us missionaries have a planning sesh where we plan for each individual we are working with, and plan how we will help them, what we will teach them, and how we can serve them. She was so cute about it and said, "I didn't realize how much work you missionaries put into your investigators!" ha! YES, it's a lot. But the best kind of work really.

Our biggest news of the week is the our sweet Ye JM passed her baptismal interview yesterday, and is going to be baptized next Saturday!! We are so excited for her, and can't wait for this weekend to roll around! Ye JM is a 15 year old girl who was introduced to the gospel by her member friend! Her member friend is 15 too (MEMBER WORK IS REAL PEOPLE. NO MATTER WHAT AGE), and because of her, she started meeting with us and is now getting baptized! So cool. It has been cool to watch her progression through meeting with us. She is only 15 and it's not like she had to make these huge life changes to join the church, but we have been able to see so much change in her. Her attitude and perspective have changed, and she has become a smiling, positive, happy, welcoming person as she has come to know Christ. In the beginning, she would never share anything with us. Not her thoughts, not answers to questions, or really even smile. And now she will call us telling us things she has found while reading the scriptures and share her thoughts with us about everything! I love that no matter how old you are or what you are experiencing, the gospel will always change you for the better.

As we are now about half way through December (and halfway through the transfer:((((), my thoughts have been turned a lot to the Christmas season and to our Savior. On Saturday, Sister Cullen and our Christmas Choir had the opportunity to sing in a nativity put on by members in Taibei. It was your classic nativity. A nice primary number with kids pushing each other and hitting each other on stage, oh so happy dads forced by their wives to be wise men, and young women primping themselves up to be angels. But, I love that no matter the actors, no matter how the story is told, no matter what language it is in, you can always feel the spirit of peace and love as you learn of our Savior.

This year, our Church has a Christmas initiative #lighttheworld going on all about sharing the light of Christ with those around us. In reading 3 Nephi this week, I loved stumbling upon the famous verse in 3 Nephi 12:14-16 about sharing your light, being a light on a hill, and shining for all to see. What a perfect passage to remember with this time of year. As members of the church, we enjoy the light of Christ every single day, and what better of a time of year than now to focus on sharing that with others. The "Light the World" thing helps us think of easy and simple things we can all do to share our Savior's light with the world and remember Him. I invite all of you to look it up, and think of the simple ways you can help others to feel of Christ's light and love.

I hope you all have a wonderful week and enjoy your last few days of school and work and such before the holidays! Always remember your Savior, and do the little things to strengthen your testimony so you can strengthen others! LOVE YA'LL

xoxo

Sister Richards

李姐妹

Lǐ Jiéměi

Sister Micah Richards

Taiwan Taipei Mission

4/F, #24, Lane 183

Jin Hua Street

Taipei, Taiwan 106

1- Fav ward members giving us cards and presents