April 22 Letter--Thank you for the birthday wishes!

Hello,

Things are good here... Hard, but good. President Hoer told me he is proud of my
efforts this move-call. So that was reassurring. I am trying my best and really
really praying. I have had to change a lot of my expectations lately and that
has been an interesting experience.

Speaking of interesting experiences. We had an amazing baptism this week. It was
a women named Amy. She is the one in the wheelchair. It was a spirit filled
baptism. It took two brothers to baptize her and a primary chair, but it will be
a baptism I will remember forever. It was amazing to see her overcome a physical
challenge in entering the waters of baptism. It made me think of all my
investigators and think of all the challenges they had to overcome- most of them
were spiritual and weren't so plain to sight but really made me ponder on all of
the sacrifices and everything they each had done in order to prepare to enter
the waters of baptism and receive the gift of the Holy Ghost. We had to help
this women change clothes, carry her to the font, and do every little thing for
her, but to see her come up out of the waters in tears and smiling was truly a
humbling experience. As she bore her testimony afterwards it was so apparent to
me her testimony of the Lord and how He knows what each one of can handle. He
knew her and knew she could handle this experience of being in a wheelchair. So
Amy Zhang is now baptized and confirmed! This was probably my best birthday
present. 

My birthday was amazing and once again strengthened my testimony in that the
Lord will provide in all aspects of our lives despite how silly and
insignificant they seem. We woke up and one of our investigators called and
asked if we could meet her by the train station and that she needed help. We get
to the train station and there she is with the member who had been to her lesson
the week before. They ended up not needing help, but wanting to take me to
lunch. The member said she wanted to take us to teppanyaki (a.k.a. a Japanese
steakhouse.) Can you belive that? I cannot! I thought this is a dream! But
really we went into a teppanyaki difang and it was good! Then we went and ate ic
ecream. Then we had district meeting and went to that. The Elders sang happy
birthday! As we were doing our little talks a member brought in a birthday cake
and we all got to eat birthday cake together. So that was just the start of the
day... it continued on and on. We had three cakes, two icecreams, and two HUGE
meals! I am still feeling full. So I was very well taken care of on my birthday.
The members in Xinzhu Taiwan are amazing!

Meg, xincu is like "hard working." Like when we are riding our bikes our big
hills people drive by and yell "xincu! jia you!" Which is like tough work and
add oil or lets go! Sometimes it is encouraging and other times it is like ahh!
you have no idea... te he he!

Thank you everyone for the birthday wishes. I loved my package from Kate! My
duan chuan is exciting to have tacos- she has never had them before. Liz and
girls, thank you for the little birthday cards... they are too cute. I miss you
all! Mom and dad thank you for the birthday card- the package should be here
soon. Laura thanks for the e-mail and allowing me to prolong birthday... yeah.
Meg thanks for the pictures... your hair is BLONDE. My companion thinks it is
pretty impressive. Is it still that color?

Sidenote: There is this little girl standing right next to me right now and
keeps saying hmmm hmmm... it is a little annoying and a little cute. I asked if
I could help her in Chinese and she ran away. So I guess problem solved.

Not much has happened this week. Wow, actually, kinda boring. Not much else is
new. Working hard and seeing blessings.

I love you all! I love this Gospel and the comfort it brings into my life. I
wouldn't be able to make it through this move-call on my own so I am so thankful
that I am not expected too! What a blessing.

I love you all! And miss you.                               

Can't believe it is already time again. I need the house number one more time
and need to set up a time to call. This time I think the time will be better
because it is only me calling. We are in church from 8:00 am to 5:00 pm. So what
time would be best to call- before or after? I am not good at the time
difference. Just a quick time reference. Since the last time we talked till this
next time we talk is how much time I will have left. How fast it is going... I
asked President how to slow it down and he said be disobedient... but that
doesn't sound like a fun alternative. My companion Sister Flake is home and
married already! How crazy is that?

Well, I really love you and miss you. I love my mission. I was watching Called
to Serve with my companion and this translation is going to be really bad
because it was in chinese, but one of the dad's said something along the lines
of every missionary parent waits for the letter to come home where it is the
first real testimony of the missionary... like not the mom's, dad's, scout
master's or whoever. Is that true?

Wo ai nimen! We yao nimen zhidao! Wo meitian wei nimen zuo qidao! Ranhou Shen
gei wo yige tebie de ganjue--- ping an! Suoyi... ping an kuai le!

Sister Shaver