November 26 Letter--New Place. New Companion.

Hello family!

Well, I am really excited and nervous right now. I am in the city. Right by the
mission home for Christmas. We cover two areas Beitun and Tanzi ---there is a
shortage of sisters right now. My companion is really nice and seems like it
should be interesting. She is a big hunter and outdoors person. She was telling
me all about her hunter's safety class she took. She is from Monroe, Utah. Her
name is Sister Moore. I am pretty excited to see how this move call goes. I was
really praying for a companion that was going to push me or could handle my
pushing. I guess I am an intense companion. Who would've guessed that a Shaver
was intense... and had no patience. Sister Moore doesn't seem to be either of
the two so it should be a huge growing experience for me. She has struggled with
wanting to work and other things, but I think this will give us an opportunity
to soar together. I think it will give me an opportunity to love her into
wanting to work and will help me develop more charity.

I have learned that change is essential and so hard.
Satan wants us to think that we cannot change and that it is too hard. I am so
thankful for the Atonement. I am so thankful that Heavenly Father and Jesus
Christ know our weaknesses and are there ready waiting to help us overcome them.
I have only begun to learn the importance of the Atonement and applying it in
our lives. I am so excited for the changes I am making... I know I have much
more to go, but I love it. It was hard for me at first and I was a little too
prideful to hear that I needed to change this and this and this, but I am so
appreciative now. It makes life so much better. As I see the change in me I see
the change in my investigators and new members. I cried when I left Zhubei. I
have nine new members there and four investigators a week away from baptism. It
was so heart wrenching to me, but made me realize the importance of coming here
to the city and loving the people here! I know that this is where I am supposed
to be.

I am thankful I have been so blessed to see the Lord's hand so abundantly in my
life and especially the last little while. I have learned so much in the last
six months and pray I will continue to learn as much in the coming while. Time
is going too fast and makes me sick.

Well, I love you all and am so thankful for all of your examples. Thank you for
all of your support. I pray for you nightly and work hard for you daily.

I know the church is true.  I know the Atonement is real. I know we can apply it
to our lives and become better everyday... don't settle for good or even
better--- reach for the best. I know no Shaver, Iverson, Sookhoo, Horne, Young, 
etc would settle. So reach!

Wo zhende feichang ai nimen!
I really really love you all!

Sister Shaver

Pictures from Anna

Anna and Taiwanese Mickey


Half of the mission sisters


Anna and Sis. Flake

November 21 Letter--Lots of Time

Dear Family!

First things first, I need to thank everyone for their prayers. And especially
thank whoever has been praying extra hard for me these last few days. Monday
night, I was a mess and was convinced I needed to just go home. Which was
completely false and completely ridiculous, but I was so close and then all of
the sudden a peace came over me and I knew I was loved at home and that that
wasn't where I was supposed to be. I could feel someone's very prayer for me,
Sister Shaver, so I am eternally grateful for everyone and their prayers. Don't
stop! I felt so selfish and prayed the hardest I've ever prayed that night. So I
hope my prayers were felt in turn. I know that without a doubt Heavenly Father
hears and answers our prayers!

We had a nice day at the temple. No spotting of Elder Anderson. It seems to fast
for him to be going home next week. Wow! How the time flies. My trainer is
already home and my current companion goes home next move call. I don't like how
measured and set the time is. We watched a church movie on the way to the temple
called The Last Leaf. Has anyone seen it? It was so sad and a little depressing
at first. On the way home though, we watched Johnny Lingo and that made up for
it! Ha ha...

I got three packages all on the same day! Thank you Mom, Dad, and Laura. I don't
think I've ever been so excited for Triscuits! They seriously were so good, I
don't remember them being that good before. And the bookmarks and stickers are
so perfect. They are just the right size to put a sticker on the back and then
write my short little Chinese testimony. Thank you for the jacket, music,
scripture markers, and candy! I am nice and warm now. It is a good feeling. The
socks are really good in our apartment too. I, actually forgot to take them off
the other day when we left. Luckily, I didn't make it too far with them on. So
really thank you--- the packages were a huge happy joyful moment! Along with the
letter I got from the Salisbury's. It made me happy to hear from them. Kyle and
Ian are going to make such good little missionaries. I hope they get to come to
Taiwan too- it is only the best... Sorry, Sean.

Christmas... hmm... I am not sure exactly what I would like, but I would like to
give my companion Forgotten Carols. So that would be a good present. Probably a
few more button up shirts. I can hardly believe I've been wearing the same ones
for over six months. I've put on a little weight, but luckily, they still fit.
If there are any sweat like stretchy skirts that would be good too. Hmm... what
else. New clean garments(carinessa buttons especially and then any top besides
the silk ones- probably medium)... I think that probably would be more than
enough.  I did like the triscuits a lot and the fiber one bars. (Just a sidenote
about enough- the chinese word for enough is gou which is pronounced like go so
to say enough or not enough you say go bu go. I think that is pretty cool.)

Wish everyone a happy happy Thanksgiving tomorrow. For English class tonight, we
are having a Thanksgiving party. It should be a lot of fun. Some of us are
dressing up as pilgrims(Americans) and some as Indians(Taiwanese). I could
hardly believe that we were actually doing it that way, but we are in Taiwan.
Things are different here in that way. We are going to do a skit and play
pioneer games. The Elders made a huge Turkey pinata so we are excited about that
too. It should be a good little Thanksgiving. No pumpkin pie or turkey though so
make sure to eat lots for me. YUM YUMMY IN MY TUMMY.

Meg, thanks for delivering the letter! And could you write me the lyrics to that
song. I would love that! It was so good, I just have no way to print out.
Speaking of print out.

Laura, thanks for sending hard copies of Amos. Everyone in Taiwan is going to be
very familiar with little Ao mo xi! They think he is the cutest most interesting
thing. They love the one of him in the car seat and Morgan next to him. They
think it is too cute (tai ke ai o!)

Kate, thanks for the letters and the e-mail(S)! I am not really sure the purpose
of Steve's insert in his letter. But I am not going to lie, it was a little bit
of a tender mercy.  Steve, I don't know if you remember the girl screaming on
it, but my companion and I decided that is what we are going to look like when
we hit our hundredth baptism- he he.

That reminds me of a funny story. S Flake got hit by a car the other night. She
got hit hard and I was a little worried for her. By the time I got to her she
was standing up and getting back on her bent bike. She looked at the driver and
smiled and said oh xie xie ni. Which is like aww thank you! I think she was a
little bit in shock. I am just thankful that was her first response to thank the
driver. Her face kinda looked like the girls, however.

Liz, it sounds like you've gotten a few breaks having the girls spend the night
at grammies and grampies. That is so fun and so good. How's little Morgan? Is
she growing growing?

Mom, I am not sure why, maybe I haven't repented of it or forgiven myself really
for it. But remember that one time I tried to hug you at girl's camp and I ended
up knocking you down and hurt your back... I hope you can laugh and smile about
that now... and know I am sorry and love you more than life itself! p.s. Thank
you for teaching me so much in seminary and in life. I think my habit of
scripture study only blossomed because of when I was younger.You and the
"scripture dog" would sit in your rocker and read your scriptures. That made a
huge impression on me and I hope to have a "scripture dog" one day for my
children to look to as an example. Thank you for setting that example.

Dad, thank you for your letters. Whenever I am having one of those days, I can
place money that tonight there will be a letter from dad. I hope you know how
much I love you and love this gospel and love the perfect brightness of hope it
can bring to us.

Well, my timer is ticking. I love you all and miss you. I pray for you often and
work hard for each of you.

I know the church is true. I know the Gospel changes lives and brings peace and
comfort beyond measure. I am so thankful we have been so blessed to know our
purpose in life and so much more. The Gospel gives us the answers to the
questions of the soul... Share those answers with others. Join in the missionary
effort!

Wo ai nimen!
Sister Shaver

November 12 Letter

Hello family,

Sorry, I am really short on time this week. We are having a turkey bowl down
South today, so we just have a quick minute to send off an e-mail before we
catch a train.

Thank you everyone so much for the e-mails this week. They were so good! I LOVED
IT! It sounds like everyone is doing really well- between Liz having Tuesdays
and Thursdays back and Amos being a smiler (and gassy- he would be Eric's kid)
it sounds like things are good.

Sick! A cochroach just crawled across the computer screen... yummy. Speaking of
bugs, I woke up with my eye swollen shut this morning. So we are hoping it is
just a bug bite. I can open it a tinsy-bit now, so that is an improvement.

We have another baptism this weekend (Last weekend all three got baptized, but
one missed her confirmation, so that was scary, but it is ok now.) The girl
getting baptized is so amazing. The second time we went to go met with her, she
told us she had decided she wanted to go to early morning seminary so she had
enrolled and was starting on Monday. She was behind in the reading the first day
so she read for two days straight when she had time and caught up. That is so
amazing to me. I am not sure if I would've had such a strong desire to learn.
Sidenote about early morning seminary. It is not for just highschool students---
it is for everyone. I think that is interesting so a lot of the man and women go
to it before work in the morning.

Well, I have to get running, but I love you all a ton. I think about you in my
prayers at night. I hope you know how much I love you all!

Next week is the temple trip so I am not sure how much time I will have next
week either, but I kept all the e-mails as new, so I will be sure to write back
one of these next weeks!

WO AI NIMEN!
Sister Shaver

November 6 Letter

Hello family!

Well, this week has been a quiet week- if those exist on missions. We have been
working really hard and seeing lots of tender mercies. We have three sisters who
are getting baptized this weekend. I am so excited for that. They are amazing
women and are making the most important decision ever... wow, I am amazed by
their faith and courage.

The first one is Wang Xiu Zhu. Well, first let me say, I met all of them with my
last companion, S Kang. We met Sister Wang's daughter at English class. Her
daughter is a member, so we asked her for her mom's number and asked if we could
share the Gospel with her. She gave it to us and said the missionaries years ago
tried and she wasn't interested. Well, we decided to try again. It is amazing
how the Lord's timing is so apparent in missionary work. This time she was ready
and waiting. From the first time we met with her, I knew she was going to be
baptized. I could feel it and see it in her eyes. She would come every time with
questions and scriptures she loved. She prays and reads everyday. She really is
going to add to the building of the kingdom of God. She is already helping our
other invesitgators... so good! She has really taught me the importance of
studying it out in our minds and then turning to the Lord and asking Him for His
help.

The next one doesn't like her Chinese name- it is a boy's name- so she goes by
Wendy. She is amazing. She was a referral from the Elders. She is so awesome. We
have hardly taught her anyything because she is self motivated in her learning.
I really have seen the truth behind Elder Holland's statement that we
(missionaries) are not teaching anything new just bringing things to
remembrance. Every time we met with her, I leave feeling on fire... I feel the
Gospel burning in me. I love it when we have a contacting time after we met with
her because then when I am contacting I really feel the Spirit and feel the
boldness in sharing. She just strengthens my testimony so much. I feel a little
bu hao yi si ( I am not sure how that translates in English) because I feel like
I am learning so much more from her then she is learning from us.

The last one is a fourteen year old girl. Her mom is an inactive member and we
have been working hard with her mom and that opened the door for her daughter.
She is so excited to get baptized and her excitement is contagious. The YW love
her and she is just so happy. I am really happy for her and her mom. She is
helping her mom so much--- it is so good especially, when you think of the
covenants her mom made and the blessings she will now be able to receive because
of her daughters excitement and desire to learn about the Gospel.

It has been raining and freezing cold here. I somehow overlooked the fact that
Taiwan would be cooled and forget to bring a jacket on my mission. No problem,
right? Wrong! We have been looking for one the last few days and I am just too
fat and my arms are too long.  (I am not complaining about the long arms though
because when the Taiwanese built all their fences they underestimated the length
of my arms. And that makes for whole new buildings (apartment complexes) of
racting...ha ha.) So sidenote: mom, if you could mail me my Northface jacket
from China--- the one without a hood that is tan: it is in my big tubberware---
that would be amazing.

Let's see... not much other news so I will tell you a little about Taiwan and
the random thing I have come to "love" on my mission--- The music playing ice
cream/garbage trucks. So one of my first days in Taiwan, I heard an ice cream
man... I was so excited. I remember thinking, "wow, they have ice cream trucks
in Taiwan. It doesn't get much better than that." Well, I quickly learned that
in fact the ice cream man -even playing the same exact music- is actually the
garbage man. BLAH! The Taiwanese don't leave their garbage out on the curb. They
leave it in their house and then when they hear the "ice cream man" coming, they
all run outside with their garbage and throw it into the garbage truck. It kinda
makes sense, but I don't think I will be able to buy ice cream from the garbage
man for a long time... the sound now immediately brings the smell to my nose and
it is not a nice smell.

Well, my time is up! I love you and miss you.
Love life. Be happy, worthy, obedient, and diligent!

Wo ai nimen!
Sister Shaver