July 23 Letter--Bronchial Asthma...

Hello family!


I have been sick! I have been coughing and not able to breath and what not for
the last three weeks. So yesterday, we made a trip to the doctor after much
screaming and kicking on my part. The doctor told me I needed to stop smoking. I
informed him I don't smoke and he said oh... well, it turns out the pollution
has gotten to me and I now have asthma. And have a sweet inhaler and it has been
suggested I wear a mask for the next three months. Ha ha, I don't think so! I am
not sure how that would work so well doing street contacting. Sidenote: about
the inhaler... in Chinese it is called a fat fat fish. So now our investigators
are calling me fat fat fish! They think it is FUNNY! And I don't mind now
because when I laugh now I don't start wheezing and coughing. So I am FIXED!


Today was our trip to the temple and it was awesome! I got to sit with my
friend, Sister Smith. She came on island with me and goes to BYU Idaho too. So
0Awe got to sit and talk about all the same things we are going through at the
same time and it was so nice. It was refreshing to know I am not alone!

Ｓｈｅ　ｉｓ　ｇｏｉｎｇ　ｔｈｒｏｕｇｈ　ａ　ｌｏｔ　ｏｆ　ｔｈｅ　ｓａｍｅ　ｅｘａｃｔ　ｔｈｉｎｇｓ．　（
Ｓｏｒｒｙ　ｔｈｅ　ｆｏｎｔ　ｋｅｅｐｓ　ｃｈａｎｇｉｎｇ　ａｎｄ　Ｉ　ｄｏｎ’ｔ　ｒｅａｄ　ａｎｙ　ｏｆ　
ｔｈｅ　ｃｈａｒａｃｔｅｒｓ　ｔｏ　ｃｈａｎｇｅ　ｉｔ　ｂａｃｋ！　ＬＡＭＥ！Ｉ　ｃａｎ’ｔ　ｉｍａｇｉｎｅ　
ｎｅｖｅｒ　ｌｅａｒｎｉｎｇ　ｈｏｗ　ｔｏ　ｒｅａｄ．）Ｔｈｅ　ｔｅｍｐｌｅ0ｉｔｓｅｌｆ　ｗａｓ　ａｍａｚｉｎｇ．
Ｉ　ｆｅｌｔ　ｔｈｅ　ｅｎｅｒｇｙ　ｐｏｕｒｉｎｇ　ｂａｃｋ　ｉｎｔｏ　ｍｅ　ａｎｄ　ｆｅｌｔ　ａｎｓｗｅｒｓ　
ｔｏ　ｑｕｅｓｔｉｏｎｓ　ｔｈａｔ　ｈａｄ　ｂｅｅｎ　ｗｅｉｇｈｉｎｇ　ｍｅ　ｄｏｗｎ！　Ｓｕｃｈ　ａｎ　
ａｍａｚｉｎｇ　ｆｅｅｌｉｎｇ．　Ｉｆ　ｙｏｕ　ｈａｖｅ　ｔｈｅ　ｏｐｐｏｒｔｕｎｉｔｙ　ｔｏ　ｇｏ　ｔｏ　
ｔｈｅ　ｔｅｍｐｌ　ｇｏ　ａｓ　ｏｆｔｅｎ　ａｓ　ｙｏｕ　ｃａｎ．．．　ｆｏｒ　ｙｏｕｒ=E Fｅｌｆ　ａｎｄ　
ｆｏｒ　ｔｈｅ　ｐｅｒｓｏｎ　ｙｏｕ　ｗｏｕｌｄ　ｂｅ　ｈｅｌｐｉｎｇ！　Ｗｈａｔ　ａｎ　ａｍａｚｉｎｇ　ｗａｙ　
ｔｏ　ｓｅｒｖｅ．　Ｏｎｅ　ｏｆ　ｔｈｅ　ｓｉｓｔｅｒｓ　ｉｎ　ｏｕｒ　ｗａｒｄ　ｈｅｒｅ　ｉｎ　Ｘｉｎｚｈｕ　
ｗｏｒｋｓ　ｉｎ　ｔｈｅ　ｔｅｍｐｌｅ，　ｓｏ　Ｉ　ａｓｋｅｄ　ｉｆ　ｗｅ　ｗｏｕｌｄ　ｂｅ　ａｂｌｅ　ｔｏ　
ｓｅｅ　ｈｅｒ　ｏｎ　Ｗｅｄｎｅｓｄａｙ　ａｎｄ　ｓｈｅ　ｓａｉｄ　ｓｈｅ　ｗａｓ　ｇｏｉｎｇ　ｔｏ
ｂｅ　ｗｏｒｋｉｎｇ．　Ｂｕｔ　ｉｎ　ｔｈｅ　ｅｎｄ，　ｔｏｄａｙ　ｓｈｅ　ｃａｍｅ　ｂｅｃａｕｓｅ　ｓｈｅ　
ｓａｉｄ　ｓｈｅ　ｃｏｕｌｄｎ’ｔ　ｂｅａｒ　ｔｈｅ　ｆｅｅｌｉｎｇ　ｏｆ　ｍｉｓｓｉｎｇ　ｔｈｅ　Ｓｐｉｒｉｔ　
ｔｈａｔ　ｓｈｅ　ｗｏｕｌｄ　ｆｅｅｌ　ｉｎ　ｔｈｅ　ｔｅｍｐｌｅ　ａｎｄ　ｔｈｅ　ｆｅｅｌｉｎｇ　ｓｈｅ　
ｗｏｕｌｄ　ｈａｖｅ　ｗｉｔｈ　ｔｈｅ　ｍｉｓｓｉｏｎａｒｉｅｓ．　Ｉｔ　ｗａｓ　ｓｏ　ｈｕｍｂｌｉｎｇ　ｔｏ　
ｍｅ．Here is a woman that works in the temple almost every single morning and still
respects it so much and took her one day of rest to come to the temple with us!
I  love that woman.


I love the people of Xinzhu... we had combined district training meeting and
interviews with　Ｐｒｅｓｉｄｅｎｔ　Ｈｏｅｒ．　Ｉ　ｎｏｗ　ｋｎｏｗ　ｗｈｙ I was supposed to serve
in Xinzhu. In my interview,　Ｐｒｅｓｉｄｅｎｔ　Ｈｏｅｒ　ａｓｋｅｄ　ｍｅ，＂Ｈｏｗ　ｄｏ　ｙｏｕ　
ｌｉｋｅ　Ｘｉｎｚｈｕ？＂　Ａｎｄ　Ｉ　ｒｅｓｐｏｎｄｅｄ　ｉｎ　ｔｅａｒｓ　ｔｈａｔ I loved it.Ｉ　ｈａｄ　
ｎｏ　ｉｄｅａ　ｔｈａｔ　ｔｈａｔ　ｗｏｕｌｄ　ｂｅ　ｍｙ　ｆｉｒｓｔ　ｒｅｓｐｏｎｓｅ．　Ｉ　ｒｅａｌｉｚ
ｄ　Ｉ　ｈａｄ　ｔｏ　ｓｅｒｖｅ　ｉｎ　Ｘｉｎｚｈｕ　ｆｏｒ　ｓｏ　ｌｏｎｇ　ｓｏ　Ｉ　ｃｏｕｌｄ　ｌｅａｒｎ　
ｔｏ　ｌｏｖｅ　ｔｈｅ　ｐｅｏｐｌｅ．　Ｔｈｅ　ｍｅｍｂｅｒｓ，　ｔｈｅ　ｉｎｖｅｓｔｉｇａｔｏｒｓ，　ｔｈｅ　
ｐｅｏｐｌｅ　ｔｈａｔ　ｒｅｊｅｃｔ　ｍｅ　ｏｎ　ｓｔｒｅｅｔ　　ｃｏｒｎｅｒｓ，I have come to love them.
Some of them have even rejected me multiple times and ask me how my family is and tell me my
Chinese gets better and better each time they see me. I wish they would come to church one of
these days, but I know that I am leaving an impression and I know that they need these
opportunities. So I had my interview with President Hoer and then prepared for planner checks.
Planner checks are something... pretty much the assistants pick up your planner. Tells you how
bad it is and that if you want to baptize or if you had faith your planner would be better.
And then throw your planner on the ground. So needless to say they are quite the enjoyable
experience. (P.S. Your planner could be perfect and that would still happen. I am obsessed
with mine and it has happened.) Well, we have a new assistant now.　Ａｎｄ　ｂｅｆｏｒｅ　ｔｈｅ　
ｐｌａｎｎｅｒ　ｃｈｅｃｋ，I said a little prayer and asked the Lord to help me love my leaders
because sometimes it is hard. He picked up my planner and praised it. Shock number one!
He then told me he could tell I loved my investigators from it. Shock number two! And shock
number three! He told me he respected me as a missionary and said that he knew I was a Preach
My Gospel missionary.Ａｎｄ　ｔｈｅｎ　ｓｈａｒｅｄ　ｗｉｔｈ　ｍｅ　ｉｎ　Ｐｒｅａｃｈmy Gospel the
part that talks about no effort is wasted. He told me that he knew I was not wasting anyone's
time. And just went on to share with me his conversion story... so there he is crying telling
me how he was converted and how he wasn't baptized with his first set of missionaries, but he
still remembers their testimonies no matter how hard he tries to forget and remember the other
missionary's testimonies. And there I am crying because before the check I am feeling a little
bit like I have been in Xinzhu too long and feeling  a little rejected. He went on to tell me
that my testimony in Xinzhu will not be forgotten. And that I am touching these lives of our
investigators even when they chose to exercise their agency. So Heavenly Father also answered
my prayer to be able to love my leaders... hey, it is pretty easy to love them when they
are prasing you... =) But now it will really make it easier when he corrects me to know that
it is sincere and to help me be a better instrument in the Lord's hands.  So combined district
meeting was a huge boost to me! More so how I imagined them to be before my mission. So good.


Well, I love you all... and hope you don't find the font too annoying.Ｉ　ｌｏｖｅ　ｙｏｕ　ａｌｌ　
ａｎｄ　ｍｉｓｓ　ｙｏｕ．　Ｂｅ　ｇｏｏｄ！　Ｐｒａｙ　ａｎｄ　ｒｅａｄ！　Ｗｏ　ａｉ　ｎｉｍｅｎ！


Ｓｉｓtｅｒ　Ｓｈａｖｅｒ