RE: Sister Barden in Taiwan, Oct. 12, 2014

Family dear!

Another amazing week in Yilan. I'm always surprised at the special miracles God sends our way every single day. I was reminded that a missionary's sphere of influence is sometimes even broader than he/she realizes. There are people we need to touch that may not even be the first names always on our minds.

Let me give an example...

There is a wonderful LA we are working with who has made little to no progress for some time. Her family situation is difficult and our lessons, while full of the spirit, have not greatly influenced the results of the invites we continue to extend. We love this sister and are anxious to see her improve. This week.... something extraordinary happened. We were calling members to find someone who could help teach an investigator. No matter how many members we called, from one end of our area to the other, no one had free time. As we worked hard to think of other options, this LA sister came to mind. I thought it was strange and, aware of her lack of progression, dismissed the prompting. Over the course of several hours, the feeling came two more times. Finally, I asked Sister Graham what she thought about asking this sister to help us.....Sister Graham, being very gracious at this seemingly unusual idea... called up this sister and she accepted!  The lesson, in sum, blew our minds!  We were reading the BOM with our investigator when this LA began to share her conversion story and what the Book of Mormon meant to her. Over the course of the lesson, she was kind but bold, full of the spirit and sincere...Our jaws almost dropped open at this incredible display of her faith. The embers of her beautiful testimony seemed to spark to life and give the whole lesson a warm light...... God knew she needed the opportunity to bear her testimony... He fanned the flame of her faith in a way we did not think of on our own.

We were also blessed to find a young man who had never attended our Church before. This Sunday, he biked over 40 minutes to get to the chapel! In a country where a 15 minute drive is often considered "far", that is an incredible miracle! He is special.

This week, I've been thinking a lot about joy. How can missionaries feel SO MUCH joy!? How can we love these Taiwanese people SO MUCH!? How can the spirit give us moments everyday where we are so excited, grateful, and full we feel we could burst!? The Lord truly does allow our souls to "expand" and "sing redeeming love" in ways we had never before dreamed possible. The gospel gives us unending new horizons and panoramic views of what is possible, of what is beautiful, of what people are and may become..... It's just simply extraordinary.

Love you all,
Have a fun week!
Sister Barden