Sister Samantha Haacke: Many Miracles

Family and Friends!

This week has been great! I have learned so much and grown so much from my new companion, Sister Cardon!! She is absolutely amazing!! I have already learned and grown so much from her in just the first week we have been together!

This week has been absolutely crazy! We have seen miracles upon miracles upon miracles! Most of them have been in finding new investigators! It all started last Monday night when a less active wasn't at her home for a FHE we were going to have with her and her family. Instead, we decided to knock doors. On one of the first doors we knocked, a 13ish year-old girl came out and started talking to us. She was so excited to be talking to 2 girls from America it was so cute! As we were explaining to her we were missionaries and about prayer, her mom walked out. We were really nervous her mom was going to tell us to go away but she came and joined in on the conversation and we were able to have a short lesson with them in their garage. We were able to give them a Book of Mormon and invited them to begin reading it together. Although they can't meet with us for about 2 weeks, we were able to get a return appointment!

Another really neat miracle is that same night, we talked to a man who was sweeping his garage. He wasn't too interested in the gospel but he gave us a referral! (Who wasn't interested either-but we never get referrals!) About 30 minutes after we talked to him, we were leaving that area, and a man came up to us on his motor scooter and gave us two huge bottles of water. It was the same man who was sweeping. He told us he has been watching us and the work we do as missionaries is really tiring and xinku so he ran to a family mart and bought us some water. Because of that, we were able to talk to him some more and come to find out, he is really interested in learning English. We told him about our free English class. It all starts with a little desire in something, and as that small desire begins to grow, interest in the gospel comes!

Also, as we were walking down a street in a neighborhood this past week, a man started talking to us in perfect English from across the street. We went over and squatted on the side of the road with him and got to know him. He is from China but his whole family now lives in Taiwan. He is a chemistry teacher and is 85 years old! But honestly looks like he is in his 50s or 60s. He has heard of God and prayer but explained to us that he thought he was useless because he is this old man. We taught him that he is one of God's precious sons and that God knows and loves him very much. We gave him a Book of Mormon and explained to him through this Book, he can learn more about Jesus Christ and the love Christ has for him. We asked if we could come back and read it with him sometime, he said, "Of course! What do I need to do to prepare?" We invited him to start reading from the beginning and we will talk about it and discuss it the next time we come!

Also this week, We were also eating dinner at a fried chicken and shaved ice place when this man and his 6 year old daughter came and sat at the same table as us. He started talking to his daughter about us and telling her that as missionaries, we work before our missions to save up money and then during our missions we come to teach people about Christ and we don't work at all. Sister Cardon leaned over and asked me if I knew him--which he didn't look familiar at all. So, we started talking to him. He said he used to be a member of the church. He named off multiple people in our branch and said he was friends with all of them! We were really kind of confused as to why he isn't coming to church anymore. We asked him if we could visit him and his family sometime, and he said of course! (We are actually meeting with them tonight!) We asked a member about him at church yesterday and they said that his father-in-law told him that when he was getting married to his daughter, if he wanted to get married to his daughter, he had to stop going to church. We are hoping that maybe his father-in-law's heart has softened and we can hopefully start beginning to teach a part member family!

The miracles were so large this week. The largest miracle of all is that Lai Ming Jin passed his baptismal interview with President Day this last week and is set to get baptized this coming SATURDAY!!!! I am so excited. He is also so excited to get baptized. When ever we talk to him or see him is is always talking about his baptism. It was cute. Yesterday in sacrament meeting, he leaned over to me and said, "Sister Haacke, I haven't drank beer in 5 days now." He relapsed for 2 days last week but when President interviewed him this last week he told us he have to be clean for 7 days and then can get baptized. The change Lai Ming Jin has made in his life is absolutely incredible. As he was introducing himself to the branch in our combined third hour yesterday, he talked about his son who is going to high school in Taipei and how he is going to talk to him about the church and invite him to is baptismal service this coming Saturday. What joy comes when we see those Heavenly Father has put in our paths progress towards making their first covenant with our Father in Heaven.

Other investigators we are working with are continuing to progress. The work in TouFen is really booming. I am blessed to be serving here in the time that I am.

I love you all so much! Thanks for all the emails and letters! I appreciate them all so much!

LOVE YOU!

Sister Haacke

P.S. MOM-happy birthday again!! I hope you had a great week!