Dear Barden clan!
We had an incredible week in Yilan. The spirit took us new places while finding. There are less populated parts of Yilan that I haven't had the chance to explore yet, so this week we decided to go find in those areas. Sister Graham and I biked through dimly lit streets spread out in every direction. We were stopping, praying, and making decisions about where to go.... Finally, we rode up to a single street, walked up to a single door, and knocked. The woman who opened greeted us with a smile and invited us inside. She and her daughter welcomed us and began talking to us about their belief in God. The daughter, named Cindy, told us the testimonies of her Christian friends had caused her to develop faith in Christ. We started to get so excited!! After introducing ourselves, we felt prompted to share the plan of salvation with them. When we finished the lesson, Sister Graham asked the mother which part of the lesson was her favorite.... This mother (Sister Chen) told us that Resurrection was her favorite. She then told us that she had never had interest in religion until her mother passed away a few months ago. "After that..."she said quietly..."everything changed". Sister Graham and I biked away from their house on cloud 9!! (Fist pumps!) Later in the week, Cindy set a baptismal date. Stunned at how prepared these Taiwanese people are!
Another amazing miracle in a member's home. This was easily the most powerful member visit of my entire mission. We have an incredible sister in our branch who often helps the missionaries. She comes to church with her son, every week, and sits alone. Her husband has been inactive for close to ten years. Her daughter also chooses not to attend church. Her son recently told us that he doesn't know if God is real but he believes God may exist. Sister Graham and I really wanted to share something that would inspire him to sincerely act so an answer could be given to him. As we planned, an article came to mind... Elder Holland's Conference Address "Lord, I Believe". The story at the beginning is so striking and, later in the talk, Elder Holland mentions a sweet experience with a young man who honestly declared he had "belief" but lacked faith. As we shared portions of the talk with the family, the Spirit came. We asked the mother, daughter, and son what they felt as they read the story of the suffering father and his child. To our surprise, tears began to roll down the mother's cheeks. She told us about the suffering her husband's inactivity had caused her. She shared her pain every time she saw a family sit together at church. She emotionally told us that she had stopped praying for her husband to change and accepted her circumstances. ....She had lost her belief in him. After her story, a heavy silence sank into the room. I started praying for help like crazy.... we wanted to help and ease her pain .... And the Spirit started doing all the talking. The lesson focused itself on the Savior. We watched the clip 'Because of Him' about the influence of Jesus Christ on every good thing in this world. We testified, offered our personal experiences with heartache and hope, and.... the room flooded with the testimony of the Spirit. It was absolutely incredible.
This Sunday, this amazing sister quietly came over and gave us a bag filled with food. I know God wanted us to share words with her that wouldn't change her circumstances... but maybe they invited her to hope again.
I know that God gives us the opportunity to "be His hands". The member visit we experienced this week taught me that when we genuinely want others to receive help, God gives us His reserves of love and truth. When He is with us, the warm, thick aura of the Holy Ghost pours into our interactions. I'm so grateful we have the chance to be "on the Lord's errand", that we have a charge to "bind up the wounds" of those around us.
Remember where your reserves come from.
Love you always,
Sister Barden
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