Anna's Voice

Here is an audio clip from a tape that Anna sent us. Its a short clip from the 120 minute tape. She shares some things she's been studying in her personal studies. There is no video, just audio.

February 26 Letter--My Presents are Here

Hello everyone!


Wow! My new area is great. I'm starting to get the feel of things and am trying
really hard to memorize all the main road characters. It is weird to not be able
to read. When we get lost, we can't even tell someone where we are. So needless
to say, my Chinese asking directions is getting like a thousand times better! It
is so good though! I wouldn't trade it for anything. We have been blessed in our
states of being lost!

We got lost the other day and asked the cutest lady at 7-11 for directions. She
ended coming to church on Sunday and is going to get baptized this move call!
She is so cool! We've seen so many miracles this last week! Your prayers are all
working.

We had 14 investigators to church on Sunday! That is a mission record for me.
The most I had had before was about 4 or 5. So it was amazing! I was losing hair
like none other though! And no joke- I have a few gray hairs now... AHH!
Everyone tells us our hair falls out from the acid rain so I am not sure which
to credit it too... the rain or the stress... but it is ok because my hair is
growing so FAST! So anyways, church was amazing. We had a family we met tracting
on Saturday night come to church on Sunday. That was so amazing too... AHH!
Pretty much your prayers are amazing and I can feel the power of them. I think a
lot of it too is that Heavenly Father is so loving, understanding, and merciful.
He is letting me see miracles so that I can keep moving forward. He is seeing my
efforts and saying Poor Sister Shaver- she really is trying so hard.

That is the amazing thing about it. Heavenly Father really does see us and our
efforts. He really knows the desires of our hearts and is trying so hard to help
us! We just have to let him and live worthy of His help! Moroni 7:33/ D and C
6:36!

I am glad that you got the tape. I wasn't sure if you would like it or not. My
companion told me not to listen to it after I made it because I would want to
delete it. So hopefully, it wasn't to dorky or anything. It was fun to make and
to think of you listening to it. I'll have to start another one, but it probably
will be Mother's Day before I finish it... he he.

I am glad to hear everyone is doing so good. How was the trip to Saint George?
And oh Ali... she is a crazy one. And Steve's secret is safe with me- I've
gotten a lot better at keeping secrets... Surprise, huh?

Thank everyone for the mail this week! It was a good mail week! Meg, I got your
talk. Mom, thanks for the pictures. Liz, thanks for the family picture. Kate,
thanks for the letterSSS! Dad, it was good to get your letter. I'll have time to
write back today, so expect mail!

I love you all and miss you! Time is flying! Make the most of it!



Sister Shaver

More pics

Here are some more pictures from Anna. I apologize they don't come with involved descriptions, but I think you all can figure it out.

Center pole of Taiwan Jan. 2008

Anna under Waterfall Jan 2008

Xian Ru, Sr Browning and Anna Jan 2008

Xian Ru, Anna Sr Browning Hiking Jan 2008

February 17 Letter--I need double the prayers

First things first, mom, I am not hurt.

Hello everybody!

This last move-call was amazing. My companion and I were pretty sure we were
going to stay together because we had seen some good success and lots of
miracles. Well, Saturday night arrived and our zone leader was making a big deal
out of move call. We figured it was just because he knew it isn't as exciting if
you stay in the same area with the same companion.  So we were being baoyuan de
ren (whiners) about it.

Finally, he was like I want to tell you on speakerphone to my companion. So she
put it on speaker. He told her she was having a short term missionary. A
Taiwanese companion who only serves six weeks. Wow! That is so cool for Sister
Browning. He then informed me I am not a little kid anymore! That I am a big
kid- aka senior companion- and I am moving to a new area!

So this is why I need prayers. I moved and went senior. That isn't quite the
easiest thing, because I know nothing about my new area. But I am so excited to
learn quick and get things moving forward fast! So now I have a little more
responsibility and a little more room to do things! I am excited and a little
nervous. I hope my Chinese is good enough. I know that Heavenly Father will see
my desire, diligence, and obedience and will help me! He'll be there on my right
and my left! D &C 84:85 and 88! So to Xinzhu! I am back up in the icy cold
North! BURR!

My new companion is cute. Her name is Whitney Cassens and she is from Arizona.
She is fun. She has one older brother (31 years old.)  She is 21. She is still
in school- like me. She is at BYU. She seems to be really on top of things. I
like that. She wants to work hard, so that is so good. We should have a good
good move call.

Kate, this last Sunday, my companion and I wanted to celebrate our move call and
do something fun for dinner. We had the best Nachos ever! And it was all thanks
to your taco seasoning. I would have never thought to send a packet of taco
seasoning! You are so smart! But seriously, thank you! We took lots of pictures
and will send them to you. Sister Browning told me to definitely thank you for
her!

Steve, I have to make sure you are publicly thanked... I am pretty sure you know
what for, so I am not going to tell everyone else... They don't need to know,
right? I really did like the espm (every second a progressing missionary) and
the quote... It is our lives! And we know what we can take on with the Lord'sn
help... te hehe.... My companion thought it was pretty sweet.

Dad, thank you for the pictures... they don't hunt here in Taiwan and they
thought the picture of you hunting was pretty cool. My new member wants to come
hunt with you... he is a 14 year old boy and thinks it is like the most
unbelievably coolest thing he'd ever seen. And they like the one of the "real"
Christmas tree... they only have plastic ones here. It is funny the things they
notice in pictures that I never noticed. It is a different life.

Mom, thanks for the package! It was ver very yummy. And today I got the e-mail
about President Hinckley. Thank you for sending that to me. I appreciate being
updated. It is funny the things we don't hear on missions. I am probably going
to go home and know nothing... ai yo! P.S. you'll have to let me know if you get
a little package with something inside of it... and if you have a way to use
what is inside of it, ok? You don't have to do the whole thing at once. I think
it would take a little too long!

Liz! Thank you so much for the address labels. Every preparation day, I look at
them and am so thankful I don't have to handwrite my address. It is so much
easier. And how are the girls doing? I haven't heard much about them lately. Are
they getting big? Carrie is probably so big! And so different. And Morgan I
probably won't even recognize. p.s. what size scriptures do Ali and Carrie have?

Laura and Eric... everyone thinks Amos is so cute. They want to keep the
pictures of him. I cut him out and he is my scripture case now with all the
other family pictures and they always look at his the longest. And then one of
Liz because they don't believe it isn't me. They think we are twins... and don't
believe me when I say we aren't.

Meg, hey, how did your nanny experience go? Do you ever want to do it again or
did you get your fair share? Probably close, huh? Did you get my e-mail from
last week? Did you try it?

Well, I love you all. I hope to hear from you soon. I miss you all. Pray hard
and long for me!

To a new move-call! My sixth one on island... oh how fast they go. I feel like I
skipped my fifth. It is just gone! Gone gone gone! Come back... It'll probably
be tomorrow I am sitting here saying where did the sixth one go.

Wo ai nimen!

Be good. Pray! Read! And go to church!

Sister Shaver

February 12 Letter--Cold, cold, and yet warm!

Hello family!

It is so cold here in Nantou right now... I have gotten really good at the
layering of clothing... thermals, socks and nylons on top. I am sure it looks
pretty sweet. But I am warm on the outside and inside. It really has been
interesting to be so so cold and yet be so warm inside. Let me explain... we
have been blessed to see so many miracles here in Nantou. The Lord has prepared
more souls this last move call then in the last year to come unto Him through
the waters of baptism. It has been amazing to see the diligence, obedience and
worthiness of missionaries before who prepared this area to now see the fruits
of the labor. We have two amazing kids who are getting baptized this coming
Saturday. How amazing it is. When I am standing on those street corners for
hours freezing I just think about all the miracles I have seen and a different
warmth comes in that keeps me standing on that street corner when it would be so
much easier to come inside and just rest. So yeah... it is cold and warm all at
once!

Can't really think of much "exciting" that has happened lately- everything is
different and new, but seems so normal to me. I have decided the life of a
missionary is normally unnormally normal! Or usually unusually usual. I hope
everyone is confused now... I am sure you are.

Sounds like everyone is having fun playing. So cute to see mom and little Amos
together. He is a cute baby and looked so fuzzy in his fleece outfit. Snuggle
with him for me.

My friend, Sam, that went on his mission about the same time as me wrote me
today. He went to Switzerland German speaking. His mission is so different than
mine. I didn't really realize how blessed I was... I decided I had to come to
Taiwan Taizhong because I am not strong enough for anywhere else. Sam's mission
is so hard and has missionaries go home on a regular basis. They haven't had any
progressing investigators the whole time he has been there. He is such an
amazing missionary though he says he hasn't given up and has decided to everyday
count his miracles and just like President Eyring said as he has been doing that
he has seen more and more. What an example he is to me. We need to stop and
count our blessings no matter how low we are or how unhappy we are. That is when
we need to the most... gratitude leads to happiness.

Well, I am doing good and am getting excited... I am not sure about what, but
just have a huge huge excitement stirring inside. I love you all and miss you. I
wish I could quick hug you all and then come right back to work. I really am
going to hug hug hug when I see you all again. I didn't realize how touchy of a
person I was before... and the Taiwanese people definitely aren't... so I am
missing that a little bit. I think I scare our investigators sometimes when I
hug them. But I am sure my family would never have thought, right?

I love you!

Sister Shaver

---

New Pictures

February 5th Letter--New Presidency

Hello family!

You all are cliffhangers... Pretty much all of you mentioned in your e-mail how
exciting a new presidency is, but none of you said who it was. Mom was the only
who came close by saying it must have been exciting to have talked to President
Uchtdorf. I loved him when I got to talk to him in the MTC. And I absolutely
love his wife. She is the cutest, little spunky thing ever. Her English is
really cute too.

We didn't get to watch the funeral because the satelite was broken. But they are
going to try to find a way to watch part of it sometime. I really hope to get to
see it.

This last week has been good. They changed power week to next week because this
week is Guo Nian or Chinese New Year, the biggest holiday in Taiwan. Everyone is
with their family and says they are too busy, but that is ok. It is a slow week,
but I know as we are diligent, we will see blessings for it next week. Today is
Chinese New Years Eve. Tomorrow is the actual day... it should be fun. There are
lots of superstitions about what you can and can't do, so it is kinda
entertaining to watch people. We've learned a lot about "hongbaos"- red
envelopes. Everyone puts money in them and then gives them to single people or
kids. We only are going to do chocolate coins. And we won't except them unless
someone insists. But it is fun to see people get them and swap them and what
not. P.S. this year is the year of the rat... and how funny is this... it's
Dad's year... mu haha! Just kidding, but it is.

We had two baptisms this weekend. The work is really moving forward here in
Nantou. It has been so amazing to just work and see the Lord take over. He
really has everything in control. Liao Yi Ting is a mom. She has a daughter 5
and and a son 3. They are cute little kids and it makes me so excited to think
about in a few years when they will be baptized! It is fun to see how
generations will be effected by the decision of one. Just like mom and dad...
their decision to be baptized has affected all of us. It is so amazing to me to
just sit and think about it for a second. (I attached the pictures of their
baptisms.) Oh yeah, the other one is Li Yang Rong. She and her boyfriend got
baptized. We taught her and the Elders taught him, so that was kinda fun. They
were living together so they had to move out. It was pretty amazing to see the
faith they had. Hopefully, they will be getting married soon.

Last week, we went and saw a beautiful waterfall. It was so nice to get outside
and hike a bit. I love being outside and just looking at things- so I LOVED THE
WATERFALL. (attached are a couple pictures of it.) Hiking a mile in my skirt and
church shoes wasn't bad at all... probably because I am used to it now. I was a
little worried about it at first.

Glad to hear everyone is doing so well. I have loved getting the Christmas
stories this last week. It is fun to read them and I often find myself shaking
my head and just laughing as I read them-between Kate and her visits to Vera and
Laura and her brown mucus of a baby. I didn't quite realize how funny and
entertaining my family was... oh boy.

Thank you for remembering me and all your prayers. I can feel the power of them!

I love you all and miss you!

Sister Shaver