Nov 24, 2013 from Taiwan

Dearest Family,

    Happy Thanksgiving! Tell Julia to eat left-over chocolate mousse cake for breakfast... just for me ;)

    I've been transfered! I'm currently sitting in Zhubei, an upperclass suburb of Taibei. (Xinzhu is my zone). Wow. Wow. It just about broke my heart when I left JiLong. The night of transfer calls I had a bunch of members call me and say "Who is being transferred? Its not you, is it?" It was me :) Thursday night, word got around that we were teaching a Recent Convert at the chapel.... a group of members came to tell me goodbye. I have never..... never felt such an expression of grateful love in my life. I was hugged and cried over and given cards that they painstakingly tried to write in English. Unbelievable. They didn't want me to go. Rita came and brought us cake...and cried. Lin Chuan zi printed a card for me that I wasn't there to receive... Sister Tracy will give it to me later. One particular member hugged me and cried and said she thought I was unbelievably brave, that she had seen me overcome so many overwhelming challenges. That her faith in God was strengthened because of the miracles she has seen in my language in only six months. I felt bulldozed by love and overwhelmed by their support. God is great...
 
    What did God do to me in JiLong? Something miraculous. In the mission, we say that a third companion is a "breaker", they teach you a lot of new skills aside from the ones your trainer taught you. They are also supposed to "break" any bad habbits you acquired during training. haha. God... was my breaker. I have never done anything as challenging, lonely, exhausting, and terrifying as what I overcame during those six months in Jilong. (aside from a few months at Edina ;) ). JiLong has made me in so many ways... so hard to leave.  As I walked away from the chapel that night... I felt numb and so grateful.  Oh- the blessings...  This mission is unbelievable.

    Because I was split between two areas this week, I have miracles from both to share. In JiLong, we arranged to meet with a young single adult who hasn't been to church in some time. As we talked, she told us she felt she wasn't in any danger of leaving the church.... she needed time to "look around" and take a rest. I felt prompted to have us read 1 Nephi 8 together, the chapter about Lehi's dream and the tree of life. We talked about the symbols of the iron rod and the great and spacious building. We then told her that we loved her so much, that the ward loved her so much, and that true happiness was - and always would be - at the tree of life; within the bounds of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. We were bold and loving, and we felt the spirit come as she began to cry. "I need to come back, don't I?" She said to us. Such a beautiful moment. She stayed in the chapel the rest of the night while we had English class and told us she would attend church on Sunday.

    Yesterday, Sister Lu and I were contacting by the train station when it began to rain. We started walking around the streets to see if anyone was out of doors but weren't meeting much success. Finally, we saw two young friends waiting out the rain next to their scooter. We went up to them and began talking. We had a wonderful lesson with them, taught them how to pray and answered their questions about Jesus Christ and why we had chosen to be missionaries. They are coming to English class this Wed! One of them said one of the most beautiful prayers I have ever heard in a contact. As soon as her prayer ended, the rain stopped and they had to drive away. Miracle!

    This week, I turned to the 'Knowledge' attribute section of PMG. I've been learning many different things since moving to a new area so I've been thinking about the way God teaches us new principles and skills. There were a few phrases that I particularly liked. I've known the scripture "seek learning by study and also by faith" (D&C 88:118) for a long while, but I realized I hadn't pondered what it actually meant. Learning by study is straightforward. This means studying the scriptures, attending meetings and listening to the counsel of leaders. But study by faith.... that is different. I think faith means action, it means application of the things we have learned and an anxious desire to understand more. I also liked the sentence that counsels us to watch and listen to others, particularly church leaders. The mission provides an opportunity to observe and learn from many church leaders. This sunday, the bishop came and attended Gospel Principles class. He surely had other things he could have been doing, but he felt it was important that he come to the class and fellowship the new members and less actives. I know I will keep learning wonderful lessons from many church leaders throughout the mission.

    Every missionary has the experience of being transferred for the first time, but no one knows exactly what it feels like unless they've experienced it. It's hard... in all the best ways. I remember getting off the train with sweet Lu JieMei and walking to our apartment. When we entered an unfamiliar room and I sat at an unfamiliar desk, the strangest feeling came over me. I listened to the soft rumble of trains outside and almost felt the distance from JiLong sink into my heart. However, I began thumbing through my things and slowly placing them on the desk (PMG, Book of Mormon, planner)... and I felt a sudden, subtle, steadiness. This is the same PMG, this absolutely is the same gospel - the same BOM- and I am still the same Deng JieMei. I trust the Lord, and I'm excited for all of the new lessons He has to teach me this transfer.

    I already adore my new companion. Lu JieMei is a native, so I'm constantly speaking Chinese again. Love it! Lu JieMei is absolutely wonderful. I have rarely met anyone who expresses love so easily. She is full of charity - it's a priviledge to be her companion. She's doing a wonderful job navigating roads and being up to date on investigators even though she hasn't been in the area for the past two weeks (She was in the MTC her last two weeks of training- interesting ;) ) . I'm very impressed with her and excited for this transfer.

So much to be grateful for this week! Remember the blessings.

Love you all,
Sister Barden

 

 

 

 

 

 

On Nov 18, 2013 Lauren Barden in Taiwan wrote:
Dearest Family!
 
I have some great stories to share. On Wed. night, one of our RCs came up to me and told me her mother wanted to be baptized. I was surprised because her mother had stopped meeting with Miao JieMei and me at the beginning of July due to family opposition. Her mother came to church this Sunday and we sat down to talk with her about her desire to be baptized. She explained her amazement at the changes she has seen in her daughter's happiness and the good feeling whenever the missionaries came to her home. She said she wanted to understand God better and wanted to be baptized quickly. It was a powerful testimony to me of the good influence of this RC as she has grown and progressed in the gospel. Miracle! Companion exchanges also brought many miracles. When I went to Tucheng with Sister Gummow, we didn't have more than 5 or 10 minute breaks between lessons where we found new investigators and visited LAs who hadn't been contacted in some time. The spirit truly guided us to be in the right places at the right time. Exchanges bring miracles!

This week, I read about the Israelites in the book of Exodus. The interesting pattern with the Israelites is that, despite the miracles God gives them, they forget to remember and trust Him. Soon after the miraculous crossing of the Red Sea, the Israelites begin to accuse Moses of leading them into the desert only to die from lack of food. God then blesses the Israelites with manna, their "daily bread". God could have used many miracles to sustain the Israelites while they wandered, but he choose to send them bread daily. The manna helped remind them of how real and necessary God was in their lives. They could not physically live without Him for much longer than a single day. The law of Moses was also full of rituals and symbols to frequently remind the people to remember God and his role in their lives. Remembering is important. When we remember we have gratitude. I realize that sometimes, when I get discouraged or frustrated, I am like the Israelites and forget to "remember" the blessings of God in my life. Gratitude is so important!

   Love. This week I thought about love and how it is the key part of this work. There are times when I feel the spirit tapping my heart- telling me that the moment I am experiencing is precious, that it is a gift from God, and that I will never forget it. I've never experienced love in the way i've felt it here on the mission. I felt those sweet "tappings" as one of our investigator's little daughters used her beautiful,soft voice to pray to her Heavenly Father. I felt it when one of the Relief Society sisters gave us a letter that I could not read, but felt its meaning all the same. I felt it when I wrapped my arms around one of our young investigators who was crying because she had just experienced a very difficult week.  These moments are so precious - I'm grateful for every one of them. I hope God never stops teaching me how to love. It's the most beautiful feeling life can ever give us.
 
All you need is love :) - truly
Love you all
Sister Barden
 
ps- ALY KELLER. You're going to be marvelous! I'll be thinking of you this week. Knock em dead ;)

 

 

"Tribulation worketh patience” - Nov 10, 2013

Dear Family!

     How frightening to hear about the devastation in the Philippines!  Storms in this part of the world can be very severe. I am keeping Micah, the missionaries, the members, and the people of the Philippines in my prayers.
 
    This week was amazing - they keep getting better and better. I'm learning that the sweetest time with each companion is often at the end when your love for your investigators is greatest, when you have been through so many miracles and disappointments together. It's becoming bitter-sweet. I love Sister Tracy! A trainee/trainer relationship is very special and I love everything I have been able to learn from her. We're planning adventures back in Provo post-mission!
 
     This week was so gorgeous. I'm glad I'm in a warmer climate but we have no snow, no Christmas decorations, no reminders of Thanksgiving. It does not feel like mid- November in so many ways. I'm excited for my one Christmas on the mission - I know it's going to be one that I never forget!  
 
    We experienced beautiful miracles this week. We called up a former investigator who had four different baptismal dates a number of years ago. She agreed to meet with us and learn about the church. When we began the lesson, we asked her why she enjoyed meeting with the missionaries before and why she was willing to meet with us now. She told us that she had always felt safe and peaceful with the missionaries and wanted to experience more happiness in her life. The spirit became stronger and stronger as we reviewed lesson 1 and taught her that she was a daughter of God. By the end of the lesson, she was smiling as she told us she was willing to continue meeting with us. I know God prepares individuals to receive the gospel in different ways and according to His timing. It was beautiful to watch this sister remember the warm feeling of the spirit as she came in contact with the church again. We experienced another miracle as we contacted at the harbor. An older, kind-looking man approached us and intently looked at our nametags. He then began asking us about our church and suggested we sit down so we could explain our beliefs. As he listened to the first lesson, he thanked us and said he was going to ask his children to attend our church. "I feel that my relationship with them is becoming distant". He told us. He mentioned that he had a Mormon friend and he had seen this friend's family experience greater love and strength from their beliefs. He told us, "I want to understand" and said he would give a Book of Mormon to his son. What a miracle! I was so grateful to the LDS family who had been such an example to this loving father.

     Recently, I've been reflecting on how peaceful and happy I've been this past transfer. Looking back on the beginning of transfer 3, I've been pondering all the important lessons those difficult first weeks taught me. While looking at the Christ-like Attributes section of PMG, re-reading the description of 'patience' felt like a light-bulb clicking on in my mind. PMG describes patience as the ability to handle stresses and trials by waiting calmly and hopefully. When I felt stressed and put undue pressure on myself, I was lacking patience. I was not trusting the Lord to guide me and the work in JiLong according to His time and His own way. I had such a desire to be a good trainer and take care of JiLong that I wasn't grateful for the chance to overcome my weaknesses and better understand skills that I needed to improve. I'm grateful God has given me the chance to learn to be more patient.

      I've also learned that as new callings and pressures present themselves, faith and reliance on the Lord allow worry to leave and calm confidence to come. I know God gives us challenging experience to strengthen us and allow us to help others with their struggles. This week I read about Joseph and his experiences in Egypt. He endured slavery and years in prison. However, when he is finally reunited with his brothers he is full of forgiveness and gratitude. He recognizes that his trials and experiences were part of God's plan to help those around him and save them from the famine. I know that my experiences are not for my benefit alone, but for helping me better understand and uplift my companions and other missionaries. God has enabled me to empathize with other sisters who may be stressed as they begin training a new missionary and tell them that it will be ok, that training is a beautiful experience that only requires that we do our very best and have fun. Looking back at the wonderful and challenging first weeks of training, I'm grateful God gave me the chance to learn to trust Him more, to have more fun, to see miracles and allow me to reach out to other missionaries who might be going through a hard time. God's plans for us are always more beautiful than the ones we could imagine for ourselves.
 
    Sister Tracy and I had sweet moments this week as we discussed some of her concerns as she approaches the end of training and experienced beautiful memories with investigators/members we love. One of Sister Tracy's greatest strengths is that she is teachable. As I have trained her, I have noticed her willingness to try new methods, accept counsel, and listen to our missionary leaders. She has learned many things and I know she will continue to learn the lessons God wants her to learn through her beautiful and teachable spirit! Training is such a wonderful experience. I remember Sister Tracy falling asleep early one night as she wrote in her journal. We'd had a busy day! I remember smiling as I picked up the things on her bed and put them on her desk.... As I went to turn out the light, I thought about how much I love Sister Tracy and all the things we have learned together. Training provides a small taste of what it feels to be a parent, to teach and take care of another person. This, by extension, is a taste of what God feels for us as he loves us and helps us to grow. I will always be so grateful I had the opportunity to train Sister Tracy!

Love you all- Stay warm!
Sister Barden

Taiwan Mission November 4, 2013

Dear Family!

   It's November.  How did that happen? Sometimes I feel as if I just arrived on island. Blessed to be so busy.
 
This week was.. stuffed with miracles. God is opening the "windows of heaven" on our area and I feel as if we are scurrying around trying to keep up!  Here are some unbelievable stories:
 
  1. Rita. We were contacting at the harbor and only had a few minutes left before we had to head to the bikes. As we walked, little families running about the dock and the cool breeze pulling at our clothes, I saw a tall woman leaning against the rail as she looked at the ocean view. I felt a little drawn towards her and told Sister Tracy I thought we should try talking to her. When we went over and asked her how her day was, she gave us a sad but beautiful smile. She told us she had not had a good day. When we asked her why, she broke composure and began to cry. The Taiwanese people are not as emotive as people in the states so this was surprising for me. I'd never had someone cry during contacting before. She went on to tell us her struggles at work, with relationships, with life. Sister Tracy and I went in for a hug and just held her for awhile. SHe told us she didn't know if God existed. We taught her to pray and said a prayer on her behalf. After the prayer, her tear-stained face broke into a big smile. After showing her Alma 37:37 and inviting her to pray, she talked with her Heavenly Father about her struggles. She was much happier and told us we were angels as she hugged us many times. When she came to church on Sunday, she stood up in Gospel Principles and Relief Society and talked about how the missionaries had hugged and helped her. We love her so much!
 
 2. We also had an eleven year old investigator (Li QIan rou!) whose parents have been too busy to bring her to church for a very long time- finally have the opportunity to come to church! We brought the ward mission leader to meet her mother on Saturday and were able to arrange for her grandfather to bring her. As we greeted members at church, the elevator doors clattered open and this little girl came bounding up toward us calling our names! Priceless.
 
So many miracles…
 
 I'm studying in Genesis right now and it is such a fun experience after having taken Brother Harpers OT course in the Holy Land. Every chapter, city name and footnote seems to open up a landscape, smell, or sensation that I experienced in Israel. Soooo remarkable "experiencing" the scriptures. As I read in Genesis 24, I found so many insights and parallels to missionary work. When the servant arrives in the land of Abraham's kinsman, he prays to God and "sets a goal" with him. He promises God that if a woman waters all of his camels he will know that is the woman God has appointed to be Isaac's wife. Whenever we go contacting, we also set goals with God. We ask Him if he can place Books of Mormon, teach lessons, write down phone numbers etc. I also love how Rebekah felt about her service for Abraham's servant. It says that she "hasted" to water his camels and that she "ran". These words describe her zeal for service. I think Rebekah is an incredible example of faith.
The Old Testament is so fascinating.
 
Sister Tracy and I are committed to pushing hard these last few weeks we have together. We've had so many beautiful experiences together and we're determined to make the most of every day... Even if Sister Tracy is bitten by a million mosquitoes! She's a trooper.
 
You are all so wonderful- enjoy the last of fall and remember that I love you!
 
All the best from Taiwan,
Sister Barden