Sister Barden from Taiwan March 10, 2013 

Dear Family! 

Sister Steed and I saw miracles in Hualien! One of the most beautiful miracles we saw occurred as we were knocking doors. We only had thirty minutes before we had to leave for our next destination. After starting with a sincere prayer, we started moving down the street. After about five doors, we came up to a lit house filled with the sounds of children. A kind woman came to the door, immediately invited us in, and told us that she was Christian. She also told us she had seen our missionaries before and that they had given her a Book Of Mormon. She also told us she would like to listen to our message! We shared our purpose, talked about baptism, and taught her to pray in the brief time that we had together. Miracle!  Sister Steed has a great desire to be the best missionary she can.

 

I had a wonderful experience with Sister Lee. As we worked together in Taidong, Sister Lee seemed to be a consistent and able missionary. She has a gift for giving others joy and naturally teaching the gospel in a simple and fun way. She told me she is enjoying being with Sister Pieper and they are seeing miracles together. We had a beautiful lesson with a young boy who is getting baptized very soon. We taught him a simple principle and helped him to practice his prayers. As Sister Lee taught, I could feel her love for this little boy and the powerful spirit that was present in the lesson. It was a beautiful thing to see.

 

This week, I have been pondering how I could magnify my calling as a missionary. While focusing on this topic, I started thinking about service and how I can do more to give to everyone I have the ability to serve. I began thinking about ways that I might be living beneath my capacity to serve.. (my companion, investigators, ward members, other missionaries) and pondering how I can develop increased awareness to recognize more opportunities. Unselfish service is something we need to work on every day. Every day, we can always do more to "forget ourselves and go to work" to choose to turn outward instead of inward. I know that the real measure of one's life is not found in possessions or even in positions, but in the simple answer to the question "how many people did you help?". In Ether 7: 20-27, I find a beautiful example of the importance of selfless service in the example of Nimrod. These verses describe a time in Jaredite history where two kingdoms were constantly at war with one another in selfish desires for power. However, when Nimrod's father is killed and Nimrod inherits the kingdom, a remarkable thing occurs. Nimrod gives his kingdom to Shule. He simply gave up his kingdom to the forces that killed his father. The following verses continue to describe how the peace following this "forfeiting" of the kingdom brings prophets and times of peace and righteousness. I am in awe of Nimrod and his example. When Nimrod gave up the kingdom, he gave up a life of prestige, power, and maybe even submitted to the possibility of imprisonment or death. However, I know that Nimrod's act spiritually and physically saved generations of his people, providing a service perhaps more influential than the rule of King Shule. I hope that God will help me to have increased sensitivity to recognize where I am falling short of my potential to serve. I hope that I will also never hesitate to give when I see an opportunity to help. I know that the more we give the more we gain…  the more we prepare, teach, and share, the more we learn and the more we have to give.

Love you always, 

Sister Barden