July 16 Letter--Last one from America!

Hello family!

So this is my last e-mail in Provo, UT. Tomorrow morning I wake up and head toTAIWAN! I can hardly believe it- this is
something I have been preparing for for LIFE! And it is here.

When we get there we have two days training in the mission home and then they send us to our area. I am hoping I get a
more rice field area than city to start with. The way my teacher describes the two of them- the rice field sounds better to me-
although they don't speak Mandarin- they speak Taiwanese. I figure if I don't understand either it will make no difference.

I am really so excited. I don't think I could even explain it. I just can't wait to get there and serve the people and love them.
I have been having China withdrawls so I am so excited to have part of that hole filled. WOOT WO!

So I am a little bit nervous because I don't completely know what to expect. But I know I am not alone and that I have the
companionship of the Holy Ghost and the prayers of many! Pray for the people of Taiwan and that they will be prepared to
hear the message of the Restoration. I have been praying for amissionary experience in the airport tomorrow, so we will see
how it goes!

I think I told you a taught a real investigator last week...? Well, we did and this week, we had another one. Except this time,
I was the senior companion and had a new young companion and we taught the first lesson. It was an amazingly humbling
experience. Our investigator had never heard the missionaries before, but our teacher had convinced her to come to the MTC
TRC and help us practice our language. Well, our language practice was teaching the first lesson. My companion and I were
speaking and I don't even know if a word of what we said was right, but you could feel the Spirit! And if you could see it, you
could see it radiating from her. Halfway through we stopped talking and told her to just to sit and think about what she felt.
She did and then I told her in my awful broken Chinese... I know that you may not understand me, I know that my Chinese is
no good, but I know that you can feel the Spirit now. And I know that what I am saying is true and I know you can know for
yourself. She got a little teary eyed. And we asked if she would meet with the "real" missionaries. She first called me to
repentance and said, "Shao, you are a missionary." And then said she would meet with them! I am so excited and it was
awesome to have such an amazing experience on Saturday! I think it will help me SPRINT INTO TAIWAN! I AM A MISSIONARY!
But let me just tell you, I am so thankful that I will have a senior companion. I hope that I can learn so much from them! I need
to!

We went to our in field language plan meeting and realized how little we know. We are below functional in Chinese on the
scale. I think we could probably communicate with a 3rd grader. The man teaching us informed us we weren't smarter than a
fourth grader. He thought it was hilarious! He then realized, we have been twelve weeks without TV and we didn't really get
his joke. So I have so much to learn and realize I am never going to stop learning. Like Pres Hinckley says, "None of us ever
knows enough." I don't know enough!

Well, family! I think I will get to talk to most of you tomorrow. I am going to call mom and from my understanding and she
will conference call everyone! I love you all! I am excited to bear my testimony to you in Chinese!

Be good! Pray always! And D&C 6:36!
           Wo ai ni men!
            Shao Jiemei
           Sister Shaver