A Visit From an Apostle of the Lord

Family and Friends,

I don't even know where to begin today. This week was Crazy!!

First things first. This last Tuesday, the whole mission gathered in Taipei and ELDER and SISTER STEVENSON of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles came and spoke to us!! It was such an incredible experience, one I will never ever forget!! It was also a really special thing we were all able to gather together in Taipei. Serving on the East Coast, I haven't gone up to Taipei since I moved over here and it was incredible to walk past the temple again and see so many people! We had a great couple hours of training. President and Sister Jergensen gave talks. Sister Jergensen is so learned in the Scriptures. She shared with us about Moses and how he was tempted by Satan but that Moses called upon God and he received strength. We all in our lives must call upon God daily to receive the strength to overcome the adversary. President Jergensen shared about the Atonement and also sustaining our prophet and apostles. The world is going against the teachings of the church. The church will never change. We must simple support and sustain our church leaders. Do all we can to defend our beliefs. The most important thing we can do is to be an example. Live your life as you would if Christ was by your side every second--because He is! Sister Stevenson did a small training on being PRO. How can we become PRO? Prayer. Read. Obey. When we daily do this, we can give ourselves a thumbs up! We are promised so many blessings from doing these three simple things in Alma 37:37, 1 Nephi 15:24, and Mosiah 2:41.

Elder Stevenson is such an amazing man. Interestingly enough he and the Jergesens are pretty much neighbors. They live in the same ward and Elder Stevenson found the company that Pres. Jergensen worked for before he became Mission President. Elder Stevenson was hilarious! He made us all laugh SO much but he is also such a powerful man. He carried the Spirit with him so powerfully and bore powerful testimony. The thing I loved the most about his training was that he talked about not only creating a vision for ourselves but also creating a vision for everyone we meet and teach. He explained and taught the importance of promising blessings and bearing testimony in every lesson we have. Through our testimonies, only then can the Spirit testify to the hearts of our investigators the truthfulness of our message.

Oh, I almost forgot!! So, at the very beginning, we all had the opportunity to shake Elder and Sister Stevenson's hand and say where we were from. As I said that I was from Idaho Falls, Idaho, Sister Stevenson said No Way?! Do you know the Baldwins? (They have a son my age-Scott) who actually also served in the Colorado Springs Mission while I was there visa waiting as well. What a small world! We quickly made the connection. Then, after the meeting, as Sister Coleman, Sister Lindsay, Sister Komatsu and I were walking to the temple (temple day was last transfer but the east coast missionaries can't go because we live to far away so President took the advantage of us already being there and we did a session) and Elder and Sister Stevenson were standing in the lobby of the temple. Sister Stevenson came over to me and said that she wanted to take a picture with me to send to Scott! So, we went outside of the temple and took a picture together AND THEN, Elder Stevenson and Sister Coleman joined us and we got a PICTURE with an Apostle of the Lord!! It was so neat! So, as you can see pictured below, the 4 of us!
 

  
Connections are SO awesome! hahaha Being able to attend the temple was also so amazing. I LOVE the feelings, answers, and peace we receive while being in the temple. Go often. I can promise you you will receive so many more blessings and peace. Our lives will be smoother when we regularly enter the House of the Lord.

As for the work here in YuLi: To be honest, we had a pretty crazy week....
We sadly got dropped by a pretty progressing investigator on Saturday night. Sunday was going to be her first time coming to church. We have been working with her for some time and every weekend, she either goes home to GaoXiong or to TaiDong to visit friends and she blocked out this week several weeks ago to attend church with us and then Saturday night, we received a long text from her explaining that she has decided she wants to continue to follow her mom and be a Buddhist. It broke Sister Coleman's and mine heart. But, with faith, we know one day she will hopefully remember the feelings she felt as she was learning about Jesus Christ.
We also figured out for sure that our recent convert has been struggling with keeping the Word of Wisdom. It is so hard! But, I hope she can really apply the Atonement of Jesus Christ into her life and be able to completely rid herself of such harmful substances. Please keep her in your prayers!
For a miracle, we were contacting in a park yesterday and were able to meet a man who in the end set a new baptismal date! It was a huge miracle! The neatest part about the contact was when we promised him that we knew Heavenly Father loved him, this man teared up. As tears were streaming down his face, he asked, "Really? He loves me?" What an incredible thing that we know our Father in Heaven loves us.

Another crazy story, Sister Coleman a couple weeks ago called this random LA on our Branch List and she set up with us. She seemed super nice on the phone and everything. Then when I called her Wednesday night to confirm our appointment on Thursday, she was so sweet and nice. It was so so weird and she was really excited to see us. When we asked about her on last Sunday before our lesson, we were told she had joined the Jehovah Witness' church but that we could go anyways. We thought about it long and hard. She lives kind of far away and a member was willing to take us also because she had yet to meet her and wanted to meet her. Well, this lesson was a mess. Long story short, Sister Coleman and I are really close to Chen JieMei, our branch president's wife, now. We had a lot of fun on the car ride there and back. Chen JM shared experiences with us from her mission and we also had really good gospel conversations...here is the experience...so we go into her home/restaurant and there she is..sitting at a table and she brought a friend--their bibles and other textbooks were open out on the table and as soon as I saw, I was like oh dear oh dear...I was saying as many prayers in my head to try and know what to do. we were super nice to them. When we tried to start to say a prayer, they wouldn't even pray with us--they wouldn't even say amen (and they told us this before we even prayed) because they believe we don't pray to the correct Being and so on and so forth.  They tried to pound us with all these questions and each question, we had a perfect answer filled with the spirit. Each bible verse they shared didn't make sense and they wouldn't explain them. But the neatest thing of this experience 1. I will never ever forget visiting them and 2. As we bore testimony of what we knew to be true, the Spirit was so strong. As Chen JieMei bore her testimony towards the end about how this gospel has brought her more happiness than she can imagine, I could feel the Spirit. What a neat thing we have to testify of truth. No matter where we are, if we are worthy, the Spirit will always be in our hearts. What a powerful tool and a special gift Heavenly Father as given us. So just to say, as you were all having a nice Turkey Thanksgiving, I was visiting a Less Active Jehovah Witness :)

Another neat experience as we were proselyting in RuiSui on Friday. We were knocking in this pretty old beat down neighborhood. First, might I add that there are so many stray dogs on the East Coast and there is no pound or anything for them...so these dogs are pretty feisty.  Well, we went into this home where there is only one way in and one way out. Out of now where, these two dogs came running at us, barking, etc. I was thinking, "well, here goes my life..." Sister Coleman and I were just a little nervous...we were praying so hard that the door would open and to our luck...no one was home/they didn't open the door. As we were standing at their doorways getting barked at by these scary looking dogs, Sister Coleman turned to me and said, "We should say a prayer." As we prayed with our eyes half open making sure we wouldn't get attacked, Heavenly Father immediately answered our prayers. The two dogs calmed down, one left, and we were able to safely leave that area :) Prayers are SO powerful--no matter where you are or what situation you are in!

ALSO, As we had about 30 minutes before we had to catch our train back to YuLi, we tracted into this FAMILY! Yes, a FAMILY! They are SO GOLDEN!!! We got to get to know them-a dad, mom, 2 kids and their grandma. They are so happy and invited us to come back! We contacted them when we didn't have much time and they asked us so many questions so we couldn't even teach them about prayer but as we were leaving, the dad turned to us and said next time, we would love to hear about prayer! I am so excited to go back!!

Missions are filled with so many different experiences. I am so grateful for all that I have learned thus far on my mission. I know I say this pretty much every week but I am so grateful for this opportunity to serve!!

And it came to pass that when Jesus had made an end of praying unto the Father, he arose; but so great was the joy of the multitude that they were overcome.

As I continue my study in 3 Nephi, my appreciation for the Savior and His teachings continues to grow. In 3 Nephi 19-21 is says:

 19 And it came to pass that Jesus spake unto them, and bade them arise.

 20 And they arose from the earth, and he said unto them: Blessed are ye because of your faith. And now behold, my joy is full.

 21 And when he had said these words, he wept....

These are the verses that are recorded just after Christ finishes praying for the people. I LOVE verse 20. We are truly blessed because of our faith in Jesus Christ. Jesus Christs' joy is FULL when we have faith in Him and Rely on our Heavenly Father's plan personally made for us all. Jesus Christ wept because of the joy he felt from witnessing the faith of the people. Continue to grow your faith by having more in depth personal Scripture Studies and Prayers, Family Scripture Studies and Prayers, and faithfully attending church and partaking of the Sacrament each week.

LOVE YOU ALL!! Have a great week!!!

Sister Haacke

 Lunch in Taipei.

   

Outside the temple! 

 AND FRIDAY we had to pull out the tights and coats BUT, today and yesterday is pack to sunny and warm! 

  

 Two members of a part member family. They are the cutest!

  

Our Thanksgiving meal with a member from the West Coast of Taiwan...we had Italian. :)

Happy Thanksgiving!

Family and Friends!!

HAPPY THANKSGIVING! I hope you all have a great week celebrating with family and friends! I am so grateful for you all--your support, love, friendship, and prayers. They are all felt! Here in Taiwan, Thanksgiving isn't celebrated too much--except our cute little branch had a fun Thanksgiving dinner Saturday night. Just like what Bryan said last week, all the Christmas things are coming out and they are started to play Christmas music--mostly everyone also doesn't know why we celebrate Christmas either.  I am so excited for this next month that I have to spread the word about Christ's birth and ministry!

Family, I am glad you are having a great time in Hawaii! Too bad it has rained a lot but glad the rain hasn't stopped you from having fun!

Saturday was the biggest highlight of the whole week!! 菜仁和 got BAPTIZED!! He has basically been an eternal investigator and now everything worked out and he was able to be baptized!! What a miracle! His mom is currently living in ZhangHua so she took the train all the way here to 玉里 to attend his baptism! She is a nonmember and feels like she is not quite ready to give up some things in order to be baptized! But, she loves the influence that the church has on her boys and wants them to grow up with the gospel principles. 仁和 is really a twin to 仁平 but he is considered the 'older brother' because he was born before 仁平. He is really shy-due to a really really challenging and hard childhood- but has really opened up to Sister Coleman and I this last transfer it is really cute! Every time he was asked why he wanted to be baptized, he would tell us that is it because he is excited to get rid of all his sins! At his baptismal service, his brother 仁平 shared his testimony. It was so adorable. He said that he was so happy his brother could get baptized and become a church member. He also said that he hopes his brother will read the scriptures and pray everyday. :) How cute coming from a little 9 year old :).

After his baptism, our branch had our Thanksgiving Dinner. Bro. Gunn (a member from America in our branch) cooked a turkey--American Style. But, 高弟兄, was the one who cut it up and they have no idea how to cut a turkey..haha...he basically was chopping it up like he was killing it...haha. It is safe to say, there was not a piece of meat left on those bones! Other than that and some Taiwanese style cranberry sauce, the rest was Taiwanese food! It was really fun to be able to chat with a few of our members and spend time with them! We are really working hard to unite this branch. There is so much drama and hatred between the members here but through these activities and showing our love to everyone, it has helped so much. The branch has slowly started to become as one.  Years of built up troubles are trying to be solved. It is definitely not easy but it is needed in order for this branch to grow and succeed.

This week, we went and also said goodbye to our Filipino investigator! She got permission from her boss to take her two week vacation time and is going back to the Philippines for her daughters wedding! We were so excited for her! She told us that chocolate in the Philippines is really expensive so Sister Coleman and I went and bought a few chocolates for her to give to her children! She was SO excited!

Friday night we go the the small night market in 玉里 and English Board. To be honest, I have not always really enjoyed my time during English Boarding BUT this last week was SO fun! We got a new sign to bring and we went with the Elders! Everyone was so much more interested. Because 玉里 is so small, pretty much everyone here has heard about our English class so as we have become more creative, more people are starting to come!! While we were English boarding, I stopped and talked to this cutest female for a good 15-20 minutes. She is from BanQiao--Taipei area. What an amazing lady. We literally became best friends and exchanged contact information and she wants to stay in contact with me when I return home from my mission!!. I asked her if I could ask the missionaries in Banqiao to get a hold of her and she said of course!! Team Jesus!!

Sadly, Sister Coleman got sick this week so most of Wednesday and Thursday, we spent some hours inside so that she could rest and recover. But, Heavenly Father truly blessed us this week even though we had to be inside for a few hours!!

I love serving. I am so GRATEFUL for this wonderful opportunity. I love representing my Savior, Jesus Christ and having the opportunity to spread his gospel to all. I know this church to be true. I know only through the Atonement of Jesus Christ can we be saved from sin and death. I know that Christ loves and know us each individually and wants the best from us. Trust in Him. Trust in the plan that Heavenly Father has given to us all. Align your will with His!

I love you all so very much. Thank you for your examples. Thank you for your testimonies!  Happy Thanksgiving!!

Have a great week!!

Sister Haacke

 Our cute little 玉里.

  

As we were finding this week out in RuiSui, we met this cute old lady---she was a little crazy but SO adorable! She took us into her home, and cut up oranges for us to eat. Pretty much every older person you ask to take a picture with, they always say no. But when we asked her, she was so willing! So we took  a picture with her.

  

And this is a picture of us and Valis, one of our new investigators in RuiSui! She is AMAZING!

  

 Our portable font!

  

 Sister Coleman and I with 菜仁和 and 菜仁平.

  

 Our branch President, a young man who baptized 仁和, and their mom!

 Some kids in our branch.

  

 Gao DiXiong cutting the American style turkey.

  

 Sister Coleman and I Thanksgiving dinner. Dad, sadly there is not any fast food places in YuLi--they don't have pizza, McDonald's, KFC, or anything here...so we will probably be having some fried rice and zhua bing for our thanksgiving meal :) :) 

  

 

 Sister Coleman and I with 陳子令 and  陳元怡 they are also twins in our branch and are the only members in their family! They are 15 :) and YiLang photobombed our picture. :)

New Adventures

Family and Friends,

What a fantastic week Sister Coleman and I have had this past week! We literally saw so many miracles! It was incredible!
Some miracles we saw this week:
1. 王志文(Wang Zhi Wen), an investigator that has been investigating for some time came to church for the first time yesterday and brought his son, 2 nephews, and 1 niece!! (His nephews and niece are also our investigators!) Just when we thought 王弟兄 was starting to lose interest, he came to church. This last week we never got an opportunity to meet with him due to the fact that he was extremely busy with work and even when we called him Saturday night to remind him about church, he didn't answer. We decided to send him a text reminding him we had church at 9. And I guess that was the trick because he ATTENDED CHURCH!! What a miracle!!
The last couple of times we have visited him, we have been trying to figure our his true interest because we weren't quite sure. He always tells us he really wants to get baptized but every Sunday when church comes around, he gets called from his boss to go into work. We weren't quite sure if it was an excuse or what BUT, our faithless thoughts were shattered!
2. Our investigator from the Philippines, Marieta, is giving up coffee and got permission to go home for two weeks to take her vacation time from work and attend her daughters wedding! To be honest, Sister Coleman and I had no faith Marieta was going to try to give up coffee. When we taught her the Word of Wisdom, she was totally fine with it until we told her it also included coffee and she said, "oooohhhh nnnoooo, there was no way!" (in the cutest Filipino accent) BUT, she is down to one cup of coffee every morning and that's it! Also, when she goes back to the Philippines next week, she is going to try to attend our church with her sister who became a member of the church a few years ago when her husband passed away!! The cutest thing is that she is completely surprising her entire family. The only person that knows she is going home for two weeks is her husband and she is going to surprise all of her kids, parents, etc. She is so excited because her daughter told her that she doesn't want to get married without her mom there and now she gets to go home and surprise her daughter!!

3. On Thursday, Sister Coleman had to go up to Taipei for a meeting for the English Leaders so I stayed in YuLi and a missionary from TaiDong (whose companion also had to go to the meeting) came and served with me for the day! We saw SO many miracles--the neatest is that we went and visited 李姐妹 and her 11 year old son, Michael. Michael knows quite a bit about Christianity because he has been on and off attending church but his mom knows very little. We shared The Message of the Restoration and the Spirit was so strong. It like clicked in Li JieMei's head. I truly know the Spirit testified to her about the truthfulness of this wonderful message. I am so grateful for the Spirit. We can't teach without it!

4. Friday was another day spent up in RuiSui! Sister Coleman and I got stood-up by all of our new investigators BUT, we saw SO many miracles! (How many times have I said that). So many people that we stopped and talked to on the street were so open to listening. It was such a cool change. The neatest experience is when we met 黃弟兄。He is one prepared person!! When we knocked on his door, he seemed really excited to see us. To be honest, it made Sister Coleman and I a little nervous--how excited he was. BUT, after we knew why. He is Buddhist and doesn't really know if Heavenly Father is real. We explained the Book of Mormon to him and promised him that all the questions he has, this book could answer them. He had never prayed before and he said the most sweetest, humble, fervent, incredible prayer ever. It was so sincere. In his prayer, he asked that he could come to the knowledge that Jesus Christ and Heavenly Father are real beings and that he could come to know truth. etc. After closing, we asked him again if that was his first time ever praying and he answered us again saying yes. We were in complete awe. I know we have the message this man needs in his life. What a privilege that Sister Coleman and I have the opportunity to begin teaching him.

5. 仁和 is getting baptized this SATURDAY!!!!!!!

I could go on and on about the miracles we saw but those are just a few :)

Some gross things for the week: Yes, I serve on the East where the binlang is everywhere. Many chew and in fact there is some right in front of the keyboard I am using to type this :) They must be stocking up for the winter or something because everyone is bringing the nut down from the mountain and harvesting it right now.

Saturday Sister Coleman and I saw a truck full of dead pigs--skinned and gutted. Yes it was disgusting and I was about to puke over my handlebars. I wish I could have taken a picture to let ya'll experience that with me :)

We tried to branch out this week in trying some new food...Sister Coleman describes it as alien membrane. :) Nuf said. :)

I love my companion, Sister Coleman!! She is so amazing! We get along so great and I LOVE serving with her! We have become such great lifelong friends! She is a huge example to me!

3 Nephi 7:21 "And it came to pass that the thirty and first year did pass away, and there were but few who were converted unto the Lord; but as many as were converted did truly signify unto the people that they had been visited by the power and Spirit of God, which was in Jesus Christ, in whom they believed." 

 As I have been studying in 3 Nephi right before Christ comes and visits the Americas, I have learned something very important. Are we truly converted? We may be numbered among the few but it doesn't matter. When we got baptized, we took upon ourselves the name of Jesus Christ. We promised to represent him at all times. Every week, we partake of the Sacrament at church and renew that covenant..We promise we will always remember Him. Keep him in your thoughts, and frequently ask yourself, "If the Savior is standing beside me, would I do what I am currently doing?" Stand Tall, be proud, and have a great week!!

I love you all so much!!

And for my Tagalog word for the week: Mahal Kida :)

 I can't believe it is the middle of November and it still feels like the end of Summer!! Crazy!!

  

 Binlang

DaYu

My dear family and friends,

What a great week...full of miracles and memorable experiences. Everyday I am so grateful for all I am learning on my mission. It is purely true joy being able to share the gospel with those hungering to receive it.

This week was spent with a lot of finding time. Monday night, we went out to a place called DaYu. We met a mom, Li JM, and her son, Michael. At first when she saw it was two missionaries, she said, We a 'baibaide' but as we continued talking, she opened up and told us her and her son attend a Christian Church together and Michael's grandpa is pretty religious!  We were able to have a short lesson with them about how the gospel blesses families and the Book of Mormon. And she was willing to let us come back again! We are planning on going over tonight! What I really learned from this experience tonight was the power of bearing testimony can bring. Like it says in Preach My Gospel, bearing testimony is SO powerful! Because we bore testimony to Li JM and Michael, Li JM was willing to talk to us and allow us to share a little about the church. AND Michael came to English class on Wednesday night AND he came to CHURCH yesterday! Li JieMei couldn't come because she had work. What a HUGE miracle!

Thursday, we also spent a day out in an area called RuiSui. We spent our entire day finding and we saw so many miracles. We met a lady who just became Christian about a year ago-Zhou JieMei. She was really hesitant to take the Book of Mormon because she has been taught that we only need the Bible. But, from bearing simple testimony, she was willing to accept it and for us to come back this next week. Our only concern was that she told us she is going to ask some people in her church about the Book of Mormon. We promised her that if she did her own studies and relied on her own prayers, she would get an answer for herself. We also met a lady who moved to RuiSui from down South a few months ago and has yet to find a church! She was leaving for a meeting so we couldn't teach her anything but she told us to come back this next week! And my favorite, we met a 謝家庭(Xie Family). They are amazing. They attend a different Christian Church (I have never met so many people in one day here who are already Christian) but were super open to listening and hearing more. They have what seems to be a pretty hard life but they rely firmly on their relationship with Jesus Christ and Heavenly Father and know that in the end, everything will work out. We shared with them mostly about the Book of Mormon and they asked how much it was. When we told them we want to give it to them for free, they were shocked and so grateful. The neatest part of the entire visit is that the dad said the closing prayer in their aborigine language (there is like 16 different aborigine languages or something like that here). It was crazy. At first, it sounded like he was yelling and talking very harshly but the Spirit was SO strong. After the prayer ended, his wife translated some of it into Chinese for us and he thanked Heavenly Father for allowing us to be directed to their home, giving them a Book of Mormon and inviting the Spirit into their home. Also, when the prayer was ended, we looked up and Xie DiXiong was in tears. It was such a neat experience. One I will never forget. I LOVE spreading the gospel. Bringing light into individuals eyes is the greatest thing in the world.

While in RuiSui, we also met a young mom, Chen JieMei. She has previously been to a Christian Church but doesn't know very much. We are excited to visit her again this week!

Yesterday at church, we had 3 investigators come! IT was a HUGE miracle. All 3 were children.  5 of the Elders investigators came for the first time and they were also all children. We literally almost doubled our numbers in Sacrament meeting due to how many children were there. It was crazy!! I love working in 玉里. I have learned SO much here in this cute little town. I am so grateful for the many blessings and miracles Heavenly Father has allowed me to see while I have been serving my mission. I love who I am. I love who I am becoming.
Transfers were this last week AND Sister Coleman and I are staying together!!
My Scripture for the week is found in Mosiah 5:15:
Therefore, I would that ye should be steadfast and immovable, always abounding in good works, that Christ, the Lord God Omnipotent, may seal you his, that you may be brought to heaven, that ye may have everlasting salvation and eternal life, through the wisdom, and power, and justice, and mercy of him who created all things, in heaven and in earth, who is God above all. Amen.

I LOVE YOU ALL!!! Have a great week!!!

Love,

Sister Haacke

 It was 玉美's birthday this week and she turned 8! She is a part member family. Her older two siblings are members and we are hoping we can now start teaching her the lessons. Sister Coleman and I are sportin' our rain gear!

 

 We also had zone training and Sister Coleman and I have the same coat from DownEast so we matched for the day!

  

 We also had English Party this week! This is one of the kids, Pablo...he is ADORABLE!

 The weather is still super warm here!! And the clouds were beautiful! 

 

  

 Sister Coleman and I with 6 year old twins. They are our investigators daughters! They are the cutest and have the cutest personalities!  Our arms are supposed to look like hearts. :)

Monkeying Around

Family and Friends,
 

What a great week it has been once again. Happy Halloween! I hope everyone had a great, fun holiday! Lachlan and Alexa, you both looked awesome! Marissa, glad you had fun with all your friends at the house! Mom and dad said there was tons of people! What fun!!

As I reflect back on this week, Can I say, I am so grateful for the things I am learning on my mission. I remember before my mission, talking to returned missionaries they would always say how much they learned on their mission but could never fully explain what they learned...now I understand. Words cannot describe these experiences we have each day as missionaries. This work has blessed my life more than anything I could have ever imagined. It is not easy in any way BUT I am learning, growing, and loving every minute--even when I sometimes think I can't do any more.

I absolutely LOVE preaching the gospel of Jesus Christ. It brings so much joy and happiness. This last week as we were teaching one of our investigators, he realized how much he needs to give up--mostly with the Word of Wisdom--if he wants to be baptized. I know giving up a lifestyle of drinking tea, smoking, drinking beer, and chewing binlang has been part of his life ever since he can remember but through this gospel and through him developing his faith in Jesus Christ and know everything and anything is possible!! This man loves to crack jokes and 'test' us. Funny story, this last week as we went to visit him, (he is the one that lives on top of the mountain in the 中正 Tribe) he brought out glasses and told us it was beer. I quickly told him, we don't drink. He then said, "this is what we do as Aborigines up here. People come to our house and we drink beer together." I started to get a bit nervous and said, "Well, we don't drink beer..." He played with us for a few minutes and then laughed and said, "I know you don't drink beer. It's Coke!" We smelt it and yes, it was Coke! As Sister Coleman and I were biking down the mountain, we were laughing about it and knew he was 'testing' us. This man has so much potential. He just has to change his entire life around. But, I know he will be willing.

Saturday night, we had our Branch Missionary Fireside. We strive to have as many investigators attend this fireside and in the last couple months, it has been really difficult to get investigators to attend. BUT, Saturday night, 王志文 came!! AND he brought his son, niece, and nephew! It was SO amazing! First, his son walked in and I turned to Sister Coleman and said, 王志文 IS HERE! We were SO excited!! We have been working really hard with 王志文. He is pretty much ready to be baptized BUT he can never come to church due to work--he drives a car for the mayor of a small Tribe. Little Tender mercies like these just make everything worth it! It was a great opportunity for our Branch President and a few other members to meet him and fellowship him!

Sister Coleman and I are working our very hardest to build up this area and find the prepared who are ready to receive the gospel. I have truly been converted on my mission. I know with out a doubt in my mind this work, the work of a missionary, could not be done without the help of our Heavenly Father. The Spirit is KEY in this work. I know my Savior lives and loves each and everyone of us. Jesus Christ IS our LIGHT. I know the words of the Song The Lord is my Light are true. We should never fear. He is always by our side. He knows us perfectly and is there to build us up and to strengthen us. The Lord is my LIGHT, the Lord is my STRENGTH!

Lastly, I LOVE the passages I was able to study this week in Personal Study. I am currently reading in Helaman about Nephi and Lehi. In Helaman 10, Nephi is walking back to his home, pondering the wickedness of the people and how hard he was trying to help them but wasn't able to help them realize their wickedness. A voice then came to Nephi saying in verses 4-5,

4 Blessed art thou, Nephi, for those things which thou hast done; for I have beheld how thou hast with unwearyingness declared the word, which I have given unto thee, unto this people. And thou hast not feared them, and hast not sought thine own life, but hast sought my will, and to keep my commandments.

 5 And now, because thou hast done this with such unwearyingness, behold, I will bless thee forever; and I will make thee mighty in word and in deed, in faith and in works; yea, even that all things shall be done unto thee according to thy word, for thou shalt not ask that which is contrary to my will.

Heavenly Father saw the unwearyingness of Nephi. Nephi was a super 認真 missionary and despite the fact he didn't see the results that he wanted to see, Heavenly Father blessed him because of his hard work and diligence. I know we can learn from the example of Nephi. No matter what we are doing in our lives currently, whether it be being a grandma or grandpa, mom or dad, friend, a school student, business worker, etc. when we are diligent, have a Christ centered life, and are honestly trying our best, Heavenly Father will bless us and we will be prosperous like promised in Mosiah 2:22. It doesn't matter the outcome, just that we are diligent! 

I love you all so very much! Thank you SO much for your example to me, your prayers in my behalf, etc! You are all so amazing! I hope you have a great week!!!

 
LOVE YOU!!!
Sister Haacke

LAST MONDAY, we were able to go see MONKEYS!!!!!!! It was the neatest thing ever!! It had signs everywhere to not feed the monkeys so we didn't. But many others who were there did, so we were able to watch them eat the bananas, carry their babies, jump from tree to tree, climb on the rocks--it was so neat!
  

 Yup. that was as close as i was willing to get. :)

  

Dinner with Liu Jie! Yes, I know love shrimp!