Transfer #4!

Transfer 4 Area 4

Wow. Its been a week of miracles and I have a lot to be thankful for this week. I am going to start by relating a miracle:

On Wednesday my companion and I went to visit a recent convert a little farther off and on the way back we took a short cut to get to the church faster for a lesson and to see another recently baptized convert of Sister Collyer's. She has all the people she baptizes sign her Book of Mormon cover with their info and such and since she knew she was moving she wanted to get it done before she wouldn't see this dear woman again. But we got to the church and her scriptures weren't there. We called the house we had just been at and they weren't there either. We were very perplexed, and upon more fruitless searching it turned quickly into distress.

We went home that night and said a prayer of faith that she would find these priceless scriptures. She woke up that morning and as she said it, she'd had a vision of where the scriptures were, she'd seen exactly where they were. "They are on that dirt road." she told me as we were getting dressed for exercise. "Your sure?" I asked her. "The Lord told me they were there." She said. "Ok," I replied, "Lets go get them."

As we booked it out there and arrived on the scene we spotted them laying to the side of the dirt path. I have no idea how they fell out of her bag, the path wasn't even bumpy, but there they lay, untouched, un-rained on and un-ran over. It was a miracle. The Lord loves his children indeed.

The night of move calls also came this last week. Sister Collyer was up in anxiety all day. She'd been in Taidong almost a year, that's an absurdly long time to be in one place and she was definitely going to leave and it was paining her greatly to leave the people she had given her heart to. "You are not leaving," She told me seriously, "Get yourself used to the fact. No one has ever left Taidong in less than 2 transfers." She answered the phone when it rang bouncing up and down nervously on the balls of her feet. "Noo." She said in shock and thrust me the phone, "Sister Thiessen," my district leader Elder Sessions said, "You are moving. To Zhong Li, with Sister Wynder."

What a shock indeed! I'd resigned myself for a long haul in the beautiful Taidong but the Lord had other plans. No one has ever moved in one transfer that anyone can remember, except for me. But you know me, I don't live by other people's 'usual' haha. Oh beautiful paradise Taidong, I will miss you so. I will miss the wonderful members there. They were all shocked that I was leaving too, "Name de Quai!" (how fast!) they all told me.

Oh, but do you remember that friend of mine from school that decided to come on a mission then got called to the same mission? The one that was in the MTC with me? The one that is half Asian so already speaks perfect Chinese? Sister Esther...Wynder? Yes! She is my companion! What are the odds? I didn't think so good so soon in my mission. See the Lord does love me. And Zhong Li, do you remember my first area, Taoyuan? Well its the area right below it. I'm back in the Taoyuan city limits. Wow, never thought I'd be back here ha. I have the same Zone Leader.

Speaking of soon, I'm already on my 4th transfer on Island, I only have 6 left. I am no longer a new missionary, just an average one...oh the pressure. But a miracle occurred the last few days in Taidong. Suddenly its as if my ears opened and I can understand so much more of what people say! And I can compose a fairly understandable answer! Its amazing. Its like the Lord pressed an entire transfer of growth into three days. I still can't really communicate brilliantly, but its at least understandable.

Well That is all I have time for. I love you all. Thanks for the Snt. Patties cards! I love them! I also love the Letters Grandma! Keep sending mail!
Sister Thiessen