Sister Barden from Taiwan - July 20, 2014
Dear Family!
Goodness, we are spread out all over the globe. I hope Dad and TJ have an incredible time in Peru this week. Thanks for the Birthday package... all the cousins' cards were so funny and encouraging. BEST family ever.
This was a wonderful week! I want to share a miraculous experience we had with a less-active named Sister Pan. Sister Pan was found because she self-contacted the missionaries a few months ago. She has severe depression and has been to the hospital for intense treatments. She craves the gospel in her life. This week, we had the chance to share with Sister Pan about the plan of salvation. Sister Keung and I retaught her the lesson hoping the spirit would help her to feel faith and hope that, someday, all would be well. Sister Pan listened intently when we talked about the Atonement, the Resurrection, and the three Kingdoms of Glory. She asked insightful questions... Sister Pan quietly asked us if the people in the other kingdoms would also have the blessing of the resurrection. As we responded, the prompting came that Sister Pan might think she had no way to make it to the Celestial Kingdom, that she was asking if the other kingdoms would allow her to be resurrected because... she thought she would surely go there. As we taught her that the Atonement covered every imperfection and enabled every person to live with Heavenly Father through the Atonement, she seemed very eased. She's regaining her faith!
I've been pondering about light this week. Light... it's such a special word. It means physically bright or illuminated, but it is also used to describe feelings and experiences... Often, we can see and feel the light in others. Our goal in life is to grow "brighter and brighter until the perfect day" by adding light to our lives, filling our actions and desires with things that uplift, inspire and energize. I had two experiences with noticing the "light" in others this week that left an impression on me. The first was with two Filipino members at church. They don't always have the chance to come and attend because their work schedules are very demanding, but when they are at church, they are radiant. Because they don't speak Chinese, they need translation to understand what is being communicated in all the meetings. However, despite the language barrier, they are friends with so many of the members. These sisters try to help and reach out to others. They have some of the most selfless, loving hearts and their eyes shine with light. Every time I'm with these sisters, I'm struck by the same feeling. They illuminate the room and uplift everyone around them. They inspire me to always seek to increase the light of Christ that I carry so others will be drawn to Him. The second example comes from an experience we had with one of our most progressing investigators. His transformation has been miraculous. Sister Keung and I had been praying so hard in preparation for his most recent lesson, and we felt a powerful spirit as we taught him. As he wrestled with some concerns, we focused on the way he felt... what he was feeling and what he thought it meant...As he looked at us, his face became open... "I feel so peaceful, so great. This atmosphere is miraculous". The spirit bore witness to all of us in that lesson... the light is powerful, and when we are touched by it... it stirs the fibers of our soul in deep and undeniable ways. I hope we can inspire others to seek the light.
I'm still loving serving with Sister Keung! She's teaching me so much about how to love and have perfect confidence in the Lord. I'm trying to soak in all her New Zealand wisdom!!
Love you always,
Keep walking in the light!
Sister Barden
Sunday, July 27, 2014
Tuesday, July 15, 2014
Sister Barden in Taiwan - July 15, 2014
The week of the Taiwanese duanchuans!
Sister Keung and I were able to split up in our area this week because two YW from the stake volunteered for a special missionary experience activity. As result, we got an UNBELIEVABLE amount of work done. These Taiwanese sisters brought miracles by the bucketload!!!
I was paired with a little Sister Wu who was baptized by Sister Edwards (so cool!) back in February. She had the funniest, driest, most loving sense of humor you could possibly imagine. I loved seeing her change over the course of the week. She wasn't afraid to work hard, and even though she was shy at the beginning, by the end she was sharing scriptures and bearing testimony to people in street contacts. Whoa! She and I are now incredible friends. I love her faith. We saw dozens of miracles together, but I want to share two special ones in particular….
One evening, Sister Wu and I were contacting in a small town called Wu Jie. It was dark and almost no one was on the streets. We had been trying to follow the Spirit and had felt led to a cluster of houses. I am very new to the area and had no idea where we were supposed to go,however, we said a prayer together and stopped a minute to see if we had any feelings. We rode up to one of the lit houses and rang the doorbell. A mid-older aged woman came to the door. She had big brown eyes and a light in her face... an openness. We began talking to her and she shared her feelings about God, listened to our message about baptism, and told us she wished she could increase her spirituality. She wanted to increase her spirituality!? Sister Wu and I just looked at each other. This woman then told us she felt a special love about us and wanted to hug us. We testified that she was feeling the Holy Ghost and that the Gospel of Jesus Christ teaches us how to love. She read Moroni 7:45-48 in the Book of Mormon and agreed to read the book. She then asked us to come back to her home in a few weeks as she was taking a long vacation to Egypt during the rest of July. She seemed too amazing to be real!! I will never forget the powerful spirit that accompanied that lesson on her doorstep.
Another finding miracle took place later in the week. Sister Wu and I had 30 minutes left to find in the dark and we - again- didn't know where to go. I told Sister Wu we still had someone we needed to find... I could feel it. We parked our bikes and stopped to say a prayer. We prayed to find a family and to know where they were. On the next street, we saw a home with a lit window.... a young girl inside was playing the piano. The door was knocked on.... we were let inside... we taught the little family about prayer and baptism... I'll never forget telling the little boy that he could make a call to Heavenly Father to talk to Him. The little boy looked up at his mom and said "What is His phone number?!" He then said a quiet, little prayer before we left. The family told us we could come back in a little over a week. UNBELIEVABLE! The spirit is REAL..
This week, in scripture study and in the work, I had lots of little experiences that reconfirmed the reality that God is in the details. We are in His mighty hands. He "leads us along" and teaches us "line upon line, precept upon precept". This week, I simply feel that I ...."stand all amazed" at the wonder of it all... and want to never lose that sense of wonder. I want to see Him more in my life by praying for eyes that see, ears that hear, and a heart that more fully comprehends the love and peace that He constantly speaks to my soul.
Sister Keung! I missed her this week! She is still teaching me many things. Her little Taiwanese companion had a wonderful experience with Sister Keung as they worked together. One of the things I admire about Sister Keung is her patience. It is one of her great attributes. I'm continually working on patience so I'm lucky I get the chance to learn from her!
Life is good. Oh so good.
I love you all so much!
From your soon to be 22 yr old! (That sounds so old?!)
Sister Barden
The week of the Taiwanese duanchuans!
Sister Keung and I were able to split up in our area this week because two YW from the stake volunteered for a special missionary experience activity. As result, we got an UNBELIEVABLE amount of work done. These Taiwanese sisters brought miracles by the bucketload!!!
I was paired with a little Sister Wu who was baptized by Sister Edwards (so cool!) back in February. She had the funniest, driest, most loving sense of humor you could possibly imagine. I loved seeing her change over the course of the week. She wasn't afraid to work hard, and even though she was shy at the beginning, by the end she was sharing scriptures and bearing testimony to people in street contacts. Whoa! She and I are now incredible friends. I love her faith. We saw dozens of miracles together, but I want to share two special ones in particular….
One evening, Sister Wu and I were contacting in a small town called Wu Jie. It was dark and almost no one was on the streets. We had been trying to follow the Spirit and had felt led to a cluster of houses. I am very new to the area and had no idea where we were supposed to go,however, we said a prayer together and stopped a minute to see if we had any feelings. We rode up to one of the lit houses and rang the doorbell. A mid-older aged woman came to the door. She had big brown eyes and a light in her face... an openness. We began talking to her and she shared her feelings about God, listened to our message about baptism, and told us she wished she could increase her spirituality. She wanted to increase her spirituality!? Sister Wu and I just looked at each other. This woman then told us she felt a special love about us and wanted to hug us. We testified that she was feeling the Holy Ghost and that the Gospel of Jesus Christ teaches us how to love. She read Moroni 7:45-48 in the Book of Mormon and agreed to read the book. She then asked us to come back to her home in a few weeks as she was taking a long vacation to Egypt during the rest of July. She seemed too amazing to be real!! I will never forget the powerful spirit that accompanied that lesson on her doorstep.
Another finding miracle took place later in the week. Sister Wu and I had 30 minutes left to find in the dark and we - again- didn't know where to go. I told Sister Wu we still had someone we needed to find... I could feel it. We parked our bikes and stopped to say a prayer. We prayed to find a family and to know where they were. On the next street, we saw a home with a lit window.... a young girl inside was playing the piano. The door was knocked on.... we were let inside... we taught the little family about prayer and baptism... I'll never forget telling the little boy that he could make a call to Heavenly Father to talk to Him. The little boy looked up at his mom and said "What is His phone number?!" He then said a quiet, little prayer before we left. The family told us we could come back in a little over a week. UNBELIEVABLE! The spirit is REAL..
This week, in scripture study and in the work, I had lots of little experiences that reconfirmed the reality that God is in the details. We are in His mighty hands. He "leads us along" and teaches us "line upon line, precept upon precept". This week, I simply feel that I ...."stand all amazed" at the wonder of it all... and want to never lose that sense of wonder. I want to see Him more in my life by praying for eyes that see, ears that hear, and a heart that more fully comprehends the love and peace that He constantly speaks to my soul.
Sister Keung! I missed her this week! She is still teaching me many things. Her little Taiwanese companion had a wonderful experience with Sister Keung as they worked together. One of the things I admire about Sister Keung is her patience. It is one of her great attributes. I'm continually working on patience so I'm lucky I get the chance to learn from her!
Life is good. Oh so good.
I love you all so much!
From your soon to be 22 yr old! (That sounds so old?!)
Sister Barden
Sunday, July 6, 2014
RE: Sister Barden from Taiwan - July 6, 2014 - The YW Taiwanese Tsunami!
Hello dearest Family!!
What a busy week! We were blessed to see so many little miracles every day. One night, the spirit guided us to remarkable finding miracles. After meeting some people willing to listen, we had just a little bit of time on the way home to contact. Both Sister Keung and I had the feeling that we still needed to find someone. We had the feeling to turn down a side street and saw a woman walking toward us in the dark. As we stopped to talk with her, her face lit up in a happy smile. Her name was Vivian and she is very interested in religion. While discussing the existence of God, she told us that -sometimes, for an unknown reason- she starts to share her thoughts and feelings as if there were some 'Being' listening to her. When we told her that was because she was a daughter of God, a God who hears and answers prayers, her smile became wider. "Really?" After teaching her the first lesson, giving her a Book of Mormon and inviting her to baptism, Sister Keung and I were again blown away at the truth that we are sent to find those who will receive us... and there are always, always those that will receive us. We just need to find them!
Sister Keung and I also saw an explosive miracle in finding with our two YW Taiwanese companions! (They are serving with us for one week) They are having a missionary experience and teaching with us for a whole week! They are both hard working and full of faith! We've experienced incredible blessings the past few days they've been with us. Love their fire!
This week, I've been really pondering about the Atonement. I've been pondering what I truly understood about the Atonement in my life previous to the mission... and what i've learned during my mission experience. I keep having a scripture come to mind in Mosiah 12:27. In context, it is the prophet Abinadi calling the wicked priests of King Noah to repentance... however, I think every good teacher should continually ask themselves the same question. Abinadi tells them "Ye have not applied your hearts to understanding; therefore, ye have not been wise. Therefore, what teach ye this people?” Simply knowing and actually applying our hearts to understanding are different actions. I know there are many times where I "know" what the Atonement of Jesus Christ is... in simple terms... but do I actually utilize it? Do I utilize it to the fullest potential I could? I think I fall short. I love the story of Enos... Enos obtains peace and the 'sweeping away of his guilt' because HE knew that God could not lie. This required applying his heart to understanding and letting the peace of the Atonement into his soul. The Atonement is always there for us, it is OUR decision to access it. So... am I accessing the Atonement to the fullest extent that I could? I want to do better. When I understand more I can help others understand more, I am happier and more able to do everything that God wants me to do! The Atonement is the greatest message the Earth could ever know - but we have to help others use it and... we, in turn.. need to use it ourselves.
I'm having a great time with Sister Keung. I think her relaxed islander influence is helping me be funnier- haha! I'm learning that although we need to give it everything we've got.. we also need to stop and 'smell the roses’... keep time for laughs and funy stories about New Zealand. We're doing a bit of a logistical dance with our -now two- companionships working far apart in different areas, but it's going well and we're able to cover a lot of ground!
I'm glad the Sun Valley family reunion was such a magic experience as always. Love you so much! - MOM - HAPPY BIRTHDAY! This is a big one for you :) Hope you feel a hug from the other side of the Pacific!
Love you all!
Sister Barden
P.S. Our little nine yr old investigator was baptized in JinHua this week. So happy!
[gallery]