Chapter 30: Blessings, Baptisms, and Bitter Cold

你好!!

Wow, this week has just been so amazing. One of the best weeks on my mission so far. We have seen so many Christmas miracles, and everything is just so so wonderful. Let me tell you about a couple miracles.

First off, we are getting 2 baptisms this week! Our great friend Iris is getting baptized on Friday, and she just could not be more excited. She is kind of shy and quiet, but when she talks about the gospel, she just lights up. It's so amazing to me to see how much people change through this gospel. IT'S SO GOOD. We met Iris through the Elders in TuCheng. They told us they met her on a train because the doors were closing and she jumped through them just barely to make it on the train, but her backpack got stuck (note about the trains here, when the doors close, they don't stop for anything, even you. I have seen plenty of people get squished between the doors; it's the funniest thing ever haha). So with her backpack stuck, the doors just kind of slowly opened and she was let free!  Because the Elders thought it was funny, they talked to her for a couple minutes and she said she would be willing to hear more! And now she is getting baptized! She is literally the most prepared person I have ever taught, and I know she is just so ready for baptism. #iloveiris

Our other baptism is our member's daughter Jade! She will get baptized on Sunday after church, so literally a baptism just about as close to Christmas as you can get. She is 11 years old and the cutest thing ever, and she wants to get baptized so much. I am so excited for her and this covenant she is going to make that will change her life. 

More miracles from this week: we had a zone meeting this week where we talked about how our zone needs to do better on getting investigators and how we need to be urgent in finding people to teach. As a companionship, we have been struggling in weeks past on finding new investigators during the week. But this week we all told our districts our goal of finding new investigators and then added them all up to get a zone total. When we got a new investigator, we would put it on our zone group chat that we have on LINE and how we met them. It was really cool to see how many people we share the gospel with every week! Sister Christensen and I worked super super hard this week on hitting our goal for new investigators. We were out talking to literally EVERYBODY (sometimes I would be biking and I'd stop and get off my bike and talk to people, which people sometimes thought was a little strange haha) and it was just a super fun week. But Saturday rolls around and we only have 2 new investigators, and no one set up for the next day (our goal was 4 new investigators). We were really praying hard for some miracles to happen, and God is so good that they did. 

First miracle: we were going to go do language study at a Family Mart for 30 minutes before we had to go do our Christmas performance in North Taipei, and we sat down next to this lady named Angel. We ended up talking to her for those 30 minutes and she set up with us for Sunday! We met with her on Sunday and she said she loved the feeling that she had in the chapel and that she really wants to learn more about our gospel. WOW. God is so good. 

Second miracle: These two members in our ward always bring their mom to church every week, and we have tried to meet with the mom for several months, but she was never willing. Until this week! I walked up to her yesterday and I asked if we could meet with her this week to share the gospel with her, and she said, Yes! You are welcome at my home. WOWOWOW. Another miracle. 

Sorry this email is way long today. Just so many miracles happening in SongShan. It's wonderful.

Also quick apologies to my friends who are in colder places than here, but I AM DYING IT IS SO COLD. It was like 60 degrees yesterday, and it was SO. COLD. I guess I wouldn't call it bitter cold, but 60 degrees?! I'm dying hahaha.

I hope you all have such a wonderful week! Christmas is in one week, which is totally crazy to me. Time flies by so fast. Love you all! Merry Christmas!

Sister Larson 

Pictures:

1. literally the best curry in the world. Also IT'S SO CHEAP

2. One of the Elder's investigators has been wanting to get a picture with me for weeks. He wanted one with just me at the Thanksgiving party, but my companion wasn't around and as missionaries we can't be in a picture with just one girl and one guy, so I told him I couldn't take a picture with him right then. I guess I explained it wrong because when the Elders taught him the law of chastity, he thought that's why I couldn't take a picture with him hahaha. We just happened to be at the church this week as he was meeting with the Elders, so I was finally able to fulfill his wish and get a picture with him. Stanley cracks me up.

3. SISTER KWAN AND I SAW LIL SEBASTIAN THE MINIATURE PONY. So we had to get a picture with it.

4. Our district is so extra and great, so we took a Christmas card picture. I forced all the Elders to wear red and green to our first district meeting so we could take this picture. It basically describes our district hahaha.