My testimony- December 29, 2014

Hey everyone!

In this last email before I come home I  just want to bear my testimony really briefly:

I know that God is our loving Heavenly Father and that we are all His children. I know that we can communicate with Him through prayer. He will hear us. He will answer us. 

I know that Jesus Christ is the Savior and Redeemer of the world. I know that the Atonement is a real thing. We can use it in our lives and become the people that God wants us to be. 

I know that God called, and still calls, prophets today. Through their teachings we can find true happiness. I know that Prophet Joseph Smith restored the gospel of Jesus Christ. 

I know that the Book of Mormon is the word of God. I know that when we truly apply its teachings to our lives, we will find lasting happiness. 

I know that through faith in our savior Jesus Christ and His Atonement, repentance, baptism, receiving the gift of the Holy Ghost, and enduring to the end, we will find a lasting happiness in this life and in the world to come.

I know that family is the most important social unit in the world. We must focus everything on developing our relationship with them. Families can be eternal. 

I know that God's commandments bring true happiness and protection. 

I know that for the rest of my life, I want to commit everything to being a true disciple of Christ. For the past 18 months of my life, I have spent every second trying to do so and I have never ever been happier. I have never ever seen more blessings in my life. 

I am absolutely in love with my mission. 

I love you all. Thanks for supporting me. 

Skype with family on Christmas Day!

Love, Sister Tracy

(next to last edition): Miracles! - December 22, 2014

Hello! 

So not much time to email today. I basically just spent most of this time uploading pictures from last week. I made it a goal to take more photos...so that’s what I did! Yay for attaining goals! (Beware- LOTS of pictures!)

But some highlights you can find from these photos/this past week:

-We had our Ward party (HUGE SUCCESS!) A ton of LAs, RCs, Investigators, Members all came!

-I learned how to make sushi and dumplings

-We went to a Disney Exhibit for Pday and it was amazing

-Sister Wu found a GIANT worm in her dinner...all she had to say about it was "Well, Taiwan uses really strong fertilizer...not bad." then kept eating! hahhaha Epic! I love her. 

-I taught a bunch of Asian children how to do the hokey pokey

THAT’S WHAT ITS ALL ABOUT

Lastly, thank you for praying for Sister Ke.. unfortunately, she didn’t pass her interview. She still has a small concern that needs to be resolved. I probably will not be here when she gets baptized...But I know one day, she will be baptized. After her interview, that same night, I was in my room saying my night time prayer and I just had a really strong impression..."Don’t worry, she will be baptized. The Lord is proud of you for helping her." It was probably the strongest impression I’ve had on my whole mission. I know I know I know it will happen! 

It is such a privaledge to serve here in Xin Dian. We see miracles every day. Miracles really do happen every day. We just have to be alert enough and know how the Spirit speaks to us in order to find them. 

Love you all! Look for the miracles this week!

And have a Merry Christmas!

Love, 

Sister Tracy

Pray for a Christmas Miracle!- December 15, 2014

Hey everyone!

First and foremost EVERYONE please please please pray for our investigator 柯舒譯 (pronounced Ke Shu Yi). She should be getting baptized on Christmas. Her interview is scheduled for the 20th (this Saturday). It can happen, she just needs to work out some things with beforehand. Everyone please please please pray for a Christmas miracle!!!! I have so much faith that she can do it!--We have been working with her for 3 months now. I have seen the gospel literally transform her life from day 1 to now.

The other day we were in a lesson and we asked her to write down her testimony about the gospel of Jesus Christ. At first she didn't really know what to write. She started by making a list of things that she usually prays for every day: help her co-worker have good health, protect her boyfriend, get married to her boyfriend next year...Suddenly she started to realize that in the past 3 months--God has done ALL of these things for her. She told us a month ago her co-worker went in for a check up--thinking that maybe her cancer had come back, but it didn’t come back! She's totally fine. Also last week her boyfriend got in a car wreck but he came out without a scratch. Also the other night she was eating dinner with her dad and he out of the blue said, "I have a feeling you're going to get married very soon." She realized that God had been looking out for her all along. When she shared this with us I was BEAMING. I felt prompted to ask her: "Do you believe that God is your loving Heavenly Father?" She smiled, looked at the ground for a second, then looked back up at me with tears in her eyes..."Yes, I do," she said crying. 

I know she can do it! Please include her in your every prayer! 

Merry soon-to-be Christmas!

Our ward Christmas party!

Nativity sets!

Love,

Sister Tracy

One Soul- December 8,2014

Hello everyone!

This week I would like to share a super awesome experience I had in the temple. This last week we had the opportunity to go to the temple with our recent converts and do baptisms for the dead. We took our recent convert 林育甄 to the temple for her first time. The morning of we went to her house and read D&C 109 with her:

12 That thy glory may rest down upon thy people, and upon thisthy house, which we now dedicate to thee, that it may be sanctified

and consecrated to be holy, and that thy holy presence may becontinually in this house;

 13 And that all people who shall enter upon the threshold of theLord’s house may feel thy power, and feel constrained to

acknowledge that thou hast sanctified it, and that it is thy house, a place of thy holiness.

We promised her that at the temple God's holiness really would rest upon her and she would be guided and protected and have the Spirit to be more with her. She was really excited but also really nervous about going in because she’s really afraid of water. She has scoliosis and when she did her own baptism it was super hard because she couldn't bend back all the way--it was too painful. It took about 5-6 trys until she was finally fully immersed. So she told us--"I'll go to do confirmations, but I don't want to do the baptism part."

When we entered the temple later that night, we were sitting in the waiting room all dressed in white and we asked her how she was feeling. She said really peaceful. After she got confirmed she was sitting by the baptismal font. A worker asked her if she would like to do baptisms for the dead. At first she panicked and said, "No, no that’s okay." The worker asked, "Are you sure?" Suddenly she stopped shaking and sat still for a moment. She didn't say anything for about 20 seconds, then she finally said, "Okay, I'll do it." She got up and went down into the water. And then...she did it!!! She had such a brave look on her face too. The worker behind me said, "She is so brave." 

My heart was just bursting. I was so so so happy. I felt the Spirit so strong. Proudest moment of my life. 

The following Sunday she bore her testimony at church. She read the scripture from D&C 109 and started to cry and said, "I know this promise is true. And I will keep going to the temple." 

Lately we haven’t had much success with investigators and baptisms. At first it was getting me down. But after this week I've learned a very valuable lesson...this is a work of ETERNAL salvation, which means we need to have an ETERNAL perspective. I've been thinking a lot lately about why I'm here in Xindian, why it’s been so hard lately to find new investigators and such, but I had a real impression the other day that if anything I am here for 林育甄. And if that’s the reason, then my time here is worth it.

D&C 18:15

 15 And if it so be that you should labor all your days in crying repentance unto this people, and bring, save it be one soul unto

me, how great shall be your joy with him in the kingdom of my Father!

I love you all :)

Sister Tracy