Feb. 5, 2014  

 

Hello Family! 

 

This week we saw many miracles even though we were far from Taipei! The Sisters I exchanged with had so much faith and we were so blessed this Guo Nian week! The East Coast feels so... zen. It felt as if I was in traditional Asia. Unbelievable.

 

Sister Mao (in Ji'an): Sister Mao has a fire for missionary work! She is full of energy and love for the gospel. I was very impressed with her ability to let the spirit guide lessons and 'Teach People, Not Lessons'. Mao JieMei is very 'people smart' and is good at using her gifts with the spirit to teach according to needs. We saw miracles as we knocked on doors in her area! I remember us talking with a young woman at her front door. She was Buddhist, but as we began to share a message about our eternal identity and the importance of baptism, her face began to soften. We were only a minute or two into our lesson when her mother called out from behind her "Tell them we don't need their message. Come back inside". We felt a little crestfallen until the young woman looked back at us, and in a hushed voice said, can we talk more next time? We wrote down her phone number and felt excited that she had felt something that caused her to want to hear more about the gospel!

 

Sister Bennion (in Yuli): Sister Bennion is a very strong missionary. She has a deep love for the work which is manifest in her diligence and sincerity. She has a great desire to be exactly obedient and give everything she has for her area. Aside from lessons we had on the street, the most miraculous part of our exchange took place in companionship study. Ministering to other missionaries is just like teaching investigators. I now have a very strong testimony that the Holy Ghost can help us to understand the needs of other missionaries and know what to say to bring them the peace that they need. Sister Bennion shared her discouragement that, after her four transfers in Yuli, she has not helped an investigator be baptized. I could see how much she loved her area and the great effort she had given. I know the spirit helped me know some of the things I needed to say to help her. As we talked about being a successful missionary and tried to renew our perspective together, the Holy Ghost was present and directed our discussion. It was a little sacred space that left us both feeling so lifted.  I greatly admire Sister Bennion.

 

Sister Miao (in Hualien): It was so much fun to go on an exchange with my beloved trainer! The language barrier is not the challenge that it was when we were both in JiLong and it allowed Miao Jiemei and I to talk so freely about the work, about lessons the Lord has taught us, to share miracles. I LOVED IT! :) This was easily one of the most memorable days of my mission. I admire Miao JieMei so much and working with her felt so natural and easy. We just followed the spirit and were led to people that needed to hear the gospel.  Our exchange helped us both see some of the ways God has changed our character and our understanding of who we are and what is possible with the Lord's help. Such a special day... incredible.

 

I wasn't with Sister Chu much this week, but I missed her! Our relationship and communication is becoming more open and comfortable every week. Something I love about our companionship is that we will discuss things together and listen and learn from each others’ thoughts and experiences.

 

On exchanges, I have had a few sisters ask me how to help other missionaries and investigators recognize the spirit and understand how to follow it. I've been prayerfully pondering this topic and reading Chapter 4 of PMG and a few Conference talks. From my own experience, I have felt times where I grew in my understanding of the spirit and how it speaks to me. These spiritual growth experiences include times where an environment was created that invited the spirit and times when I was given opportunities to exercise the gift of the Holy Ghost, that is, I was given a responsibility (great or small) where I needed to rely upon the Holy Ghost for direction and comfort. 

 

Sometimes, God needs us to relearn lessons. We are imperfect and susceptible to making the same mistakes. This week, I realized that I was creating high expectations. I was reminded of some of the feelings I had when I became a trainer... feelings of being inadequate and not fully enjoying the process of learning from the mistakes that we all make as we grow and become better. However, I know that as I consistently find that quiet, humble, peaceful place in my heart that reminds me I am doing my best and God will always help us do the work he needs us to accomplish, the spirit comes more easily. It is at this 'place' that our minds are clearer, our hearts are turned outward, and we are better able to distinguish between smart and wise decisions, between what might help another person and what they actually need. I am grateful for the opportunity to consistently learn how to stay in this 'peaceful place'! 

 

Love you all! 

Sister Barden