New Famiy to Teach

FAMILY AND FRIENDS!!

What a great week we have had this week here in Taiwan!

First things first, Sister Coleman and I found a FAMILY to work with!!! AND, they are taking us out today for Preparation Day! They are incredible! We actually found them last Friday when we were in RuiSui finding and then went back on Tuesday night for a follow-up stop by and they are totally prepared!!! We shared with them the entire first lesson about the Restoration of the Gospel. When we were teaching how Heavenly Father gave us our families because He loves us, I asked them what blessings have come from their family. Lai JieMei (Mom) went on the explain a whole long story of why they are now investigating Christianity.

So, they are Buddhist/Diaoist and the husband, Zhong DiXiong, has an older brother who has devout his life to his religion and works in a Buddhist temple, Lai JieMei also has a sibling who is basically a Buddhist Priest, basically someone who also works in the temple and people go to them to receive 'council' about their lives--normally these people give them a bracelet or something to wear to 'solve' their life problem. Anyways, their 13 year old daughter has a heart disease a more serious form of heart burn (from what I understood when they were explaining it) and they have been all over Taiwan to try and see if they can do something to help her but the doctors haven't found anything yet. So, they decided to just take their daughter to one of their family members in the Buddhist temple and the person told them that if she drank a little glass of a type of alcohol everyday given to her by them that her disease would be cured and that she would also do some other random things in the temple. After that experience, their daughter came out of it and told her parents she didn't want to be Buddhist anymore. The parents also thought that it was so weird that if it was that easy then the doctors would have told them she just needs to drink alcohol. So the parents decided they also want to change religions because they now believe their religion isn't quite right and they thought they want to become part of the 'Amen' religion. :) Yes, the 'amen' people here are referred to Christians. The Zhong family know nothing about Christianity but are so willing to learn. They are some of the nicest people ever (Mom, you got a Facebook friend invite from someone that lives here, yes that is this family, the dad. add him. :)) This family has two kids the 13 year old girl and a 10 or 11 year old boy. They are both really really shy. AAWWW It brings me so much joy we can teach this family!!

All the Sisters gathered in Taipei this week for a meeting (it has been so crazy all of us from the east coast have gone up as much as we have recently) but while we were there, a missionary who is on her 3rd transfer talked to sister Coleman. Wang JieMei is from southern Taiwan serving in this mission and her aunt ( a member) is in our branch and her grandparents (non-members) live in YuLi. Wang JeiMei actually also came and lived with them for a little bit and took care of her grandma for a bit so she gave us their address and invited us to go visit her. The grandma can no longer walk and her husband can't hear at all but we sat around the grandma's wheelchair and got to meet her. When we told her that her granddaughter told us to come visit her, she broke down in tears and expressed to us her gratitude to her granddaughter. It brought Sister Coleman and I also to tears. It was the most precious thing ever. She said her granddaughter would pray with her and so we prayed with her and she would repeat out loud each line in our prayer. It was so awesome. So neat. So precious.

Our recent convert, Zhu Hui Ling, is doing much better this week. Sadly, the doctors came back and told her there is nothing wrong with the tumor that is growing on her sons brain despite the fact that he cant play basketball anymore, his grades are rapidly getting lower and lower, and he is dizzy all the time. But, we have a member working with her to try and find one more doctor that can look at him. Being the doctor that I am not, I would think there was something wrong with this tumor.

ALSO...GREATEST NEWS EVER!! (Which I totally forgot to say last week) MY PREVIOUS AREA TOUFEN BECAME A WARD TWO SUNDAYS AGO!!!!!!! (I have served in the two branches in our whole mission that I could serve in and it has been a blessing. There are now only two branches left in our mission boundaries--YuLi and one in Taipei but only Elders serve in that branch!) AND FAN ZHU SONG (remember him?) WELL, HE GOT THE MELCHIZEDEK PRIESTHOOD!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! AWWWW It makes me so happy to hear this amazing news and so I wanted to share!!

I hope you all have an amazing week. It is the everyday miracles that bring so much joy to missionary work! I truly know we are doing the Lord's work no matter where we are in the world. I continue to try to work as hard as I can. I know Christ lives. I am so grateful for this month (can you believe it is already December?!?) that we are able to celebrate Christs' birth. How grateful I am for Him. His Sacrifice. His Love. We are so blessed.

Attend the Temple often. I know in the temple we can receive answers to all our questions and receive the guidance we need as to how to live our lives.

I LOVE YOU ALL!!

Sister Haacke

 We had zone meeting this week.

  

 Sister Coleman and I and Wang JieMei's grandma, Lin JieMei.

  

 Sister Coleman and I found this abandoned house...we think we are going to move into it. :) The view outside the windows is incredible.

 

   傳ing the 教 :)

  

 Last p-day we went to some hanging bridges with the Elders, their investigator, Qiu DX, and Lin Zhi Nan.

  

 The TEMPLE!

  

Coming back from Taipei with some of the Taidong sisters.

   

 I got to see my Mission MOM!! SISTER FISHER!

  

 AND Sister Wright.

  

 AND all the Sisters in my generation!! :) 

  

AND Sister Cardon and Sister Belnap.