10/27/14 ~ 20 missionaries shot in Taizhong.......

1). Plans for PDay?  Still having fun with Sister Thao?

I'll say later in the big email.  I still love Sister Thao! Really hope she is my last companion, and I can stay with her for the next move call as well.

2). Is Sister Wei, was that her name?  Still progressing?  She sounds so awesome and so ready!  Any other people progressing?  Did you have any investigators or LAs in church?

She didn't answer any phone calls all last week, and we thought we had lost her! And then she texted this morning saying that she was just busy and that she's been praying every day! :D

Investigators, and no LA’s...

3).   Anyone feeding you guys in Nantun?

Yup! Yesterday we didn't even have to prepare anything, and tonight we are going out with a member family.

4). Are you being accepted by the ward members?  You said they needed some TLC and hopefully you and Sister Thao have been able to offer that.

They just are too busy for us.... the few who do meet with and help us are AMAZING though. :D

5). So, have you determine whether your area is large or small?  How much biking is involved?

I think it's medium.  My comp thinks we bike very far when we bike for about 25 minutes... She has clearly never served in Zhanghua... Haha! This is her first area.  I'm going to get her in shape! Haha

6). Are there other missionaries in your apartment complex?  What floor do you live on?

Nope just us.  We live on the fourth

Hello Mom, Regan and Loved Ones!

How are you doing today?  I've had an interesting day.  The Mission treated all of us missionaries to some shots. Haha! Flu Shots!  So apparently there is a new mission department rule that all the missionaries had to get flu shots, and will have to get flu shots every year.  So all of us spent a couple of hours at the hospital getting all the paper work figured out in order to spend a couple of minutes actually receiving our shots.  You keep having to run from building to building, floor to floor getting everything taken care of....  but it's all over now.  And I hopefully won’t be getting the flu this year, but I do have a sore arm now. 

There were about 20 of us missionaries who were traveling in packs together, and we all looked rather confused because no one was giving us very good directions.  But it was fun seeing some missionaries I haven't seen for a while.  We were all talking, and then an elder comes up to me and says, "Sister Peng, did you hear? There was 20 missionaries shot today in Taizhong!  All of them are currently at the hospital, and hopefully there will be no fatalities" Hahaha!  Yes, those 20 missionaries are safe and sound.  And won't have to get shot again for another year. Haha!

Anyways, this week was... hard?  But only because I've been on the verge of falling asleep every day.  So tired! Mission life makes you feel drained!  But it's all good.  

Hmm... I'm not sure if there is anything major to report.  Oh! We have a new investigator named Liu JM, she's 20 and she's up here for college.  She actually did a short study abroad, and her host family lived in Idaho, and they took her to church with them.  She is really awesome, just shy.  Too bad she is going back to her home city after a few weeks.  Don’t know how long she'll be gone....

Wei JM is doing well still.  We weren't able to get a hold of her all last week, and we were a bit worried and confused.  We texted her some scriptures, but still no response until this morning.  She texted us saying that she is doing well, just busy.  And she thanked us for the scriptures and told us that she was praying every night.  Yay!  Hopefully we'll be able to set up a time to meet this week.  She is amazing!

Hmm... What else...  Sister Thao and I talked to this old lady on the street for like 30 minutes, since she kept saying she wanted to know more about why we believed in the Book of Mormon.  But she wasn't willing to set up, or even let us give her a book... She kept saying, that she heard that the Mormon Church was of the devil.  And then I asked her if I looked like I was a follower of the devil, and she's like "Well, No.... That's why I'm curious about you guys." Then we led her to our church, and she looked at the outside and was like: "Okay, I'm going to read the stuff you gave me, and one day I'll call and have you take me on a tour.  I just want to know why you guys are here, and why you would be Mormon."  So hopefully one day we'll see her again.  She seems more of the talkative type though.  The kind that say they want to learn, but don't stop talking long enough to listen... Sigh... Ah well.

On Tuesday we went to the temple, but I already emailed about that.  I love the temple!  I can't say that enough!!! 

Oh! We also watched the General Woman's broadcast.  That was good.  It made me really excited to go to the temple often when I go home.  It also made me really miss being with my family.  Ah well, I'm here for only a short time longer, and I'm going to help others receive eternal blessings for their families as well.

I know the Lord is proud of the work I am doing.  I am trying my hardest, and I am seeing the miracles.  My faith is growing, and I am ever so grateful.  I know that what we are doing is what the Lord would have us do.  If it wasn't the Lord's work, then none of this would be worth it.  None of it would have a purpose.  But it is worth it.  It is the worth of souls.  We do have a purpose.  To bring people unto the true knowledge of the gospel.

I love and miss you all! I pray that you are all doing well!  May God be with you!

Love, 

Sister Nicholle Peng

P.S.  Sad story.  My SD card is blank from the last time I used the internet cafe... I think my pictures got wiped by a virus or something... so sad... I have another SD card that's full, it's just the SD card that I was using had like 800 pictures on it... and now they are gone.... so now I'm paranoid of these computers.  I may or may not upload pictures for the next couple of months....

10/20/14 ~ A Week of Miracles!

1). Plans for the day?

We are working as normal.  Temple day tomorrow, so only one hour of email.

2). How was the trip to Costco's and IKEA last week?  Do they sell similar things as the stores here or is it all more Chinese stuff?

It was fun.  IKEA is the same.  Costco has more Asian stuff.

3). Are you and your companion still getting along splendidly?  You know, I saw the picture you sent last week and you guys really look alike like you really could be sisters.  In fact, Seca was looking at the picture and said that Sister Thao looks a lot like me too, especially with her hair.

Haha! We love each other so much! I actually hope she and I stay together until I leave.

Temple Trip

4). Any progressing investigators and less actives?  Are you having lessons to teach?

Tell you later

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Dear Mum, Regan, Family and Friends,

So today's email may be a bit short, seeing as we have only an hour to email today.  We are going to the temple tomorrow, so tomorrow is our actual P-Day, though there won't be as much time to do the normal P-day activities seeing as it takes like 2-3 hours bus ride to get the temple and back.  So tomorrow, I'm looking forward to waking up at like 4 to make sure we are out of the door by 4:30ish so we bike to the Mission Home before 5:20.  So crazy! We might be so physically tired... so I'm hoping that we receive a spiritual high to keep us going throughout the rest of this week.  I'm so excited for the temple! I love going to the temple!  How blessed we are to be able to go the house of our Lord to serve those who have gone on before us, as well as to meditate and receive much needed guidance and revelation for our personal selves.  :D

So, seeing as my time is short, I'll just get right down to the miracles!

So, the biggest miracle that we came across this week was an investigator named Wei JM.  We first met her like two weeks ago, when she wanted to come to our ward's institute class.  And she is a referral from a friend in Daya.  Anyways, she's been in Taipei since then, so we hadn't really heard much from her.  But then, on Saturday morning, we were at the chapel doing our language evaluations on the chapel computers, when I get a phone call.  It was Wei JM apologizing that she slept in, and was late, but now she was at the church door, but it was locked.  Very confused, I go over and let her in.  I then figured out that she thought she was late for church! But church is on Sunday!  So, we get things figured out, and she decided that she wanted to just sit and talk with us.  So we share with her the message of the Restoration of the Gospel, and she is just taking it in.  She seemed to understand everything, and asked a ton of good questions.  The spirit was so strong!  At the end of the lesson, I was thinking that it would be a great time to bring up baptism, but I felt a little hesitant, since the lesson had already gone on for almost an hour, and most of the time when we bring up baptism it adds a bit more time.  But just as I was about to open my mouth to ask her about what she knew about baptism, she said: "Hey, I have another question.  Can you guys tell me about baptism?  My friend was talking about it."

Well, we go over a simple over view, telling her that it's a covenant we make with God that we are willing to follow the example of Christ.  And she has only one concern about the fact that she's afraid she won't be perfect after baptism, and so she is worried about the commitment.  We tell her she doesn't need to be perfect, in fact, the Lord knows we aren't perfect so we can always work on becoming better through repentance.  And she's like "I can accept that.  Yeah, I'll get baptized."  So then we gave her a date!  Her goal date is for 11/29!  We were so amazed at the experience!  It was definitely planned by God that we got to meet her! Especially since lately we've been struggling with the work soo much.  Like, no investigators and such... And then we meet Wei Jm!

So the story continues when she goes to church the next day.  She tells us she is a bit stressed because she learned that her mom opposes her learning about any sort of religion.  But when we go throughout the rest of church you can just tell that the spirit is working with her, and the members were great at making her feel comfortable.  Especially Macy who also has some family opposition.  Well, after the meeting, Wei JM shows us the church program and starts acting about the different activities listed.  And then she points out one that says "New Member Fireside- Nov. 16," and she's like: "I want to go to this." and Macy is like: "Well, that's for people who've just gotten baptized."  And Wei JM responds: “But my baptism is on 11/29!  Can I move my baptism up?"

Needless to say, Macy and we missionaries were astounded! And laughed and did our best to plan in everything that needs to get done before that date.  The problem is that she doesn't want her mom to notice she is coming here very often.  She is in her 20's, but her mom is still very controlling apparently.  She said that she'll get baptized one day.  She just doesn't know when.  She told us that since the first time she came, she felt that she would be baptized.

​ I have never met someone so prepared before! But I am blessed to have met her.  I know that the Lord is looking out for us.  I know he loves us and this is his plan.  I love teaching Wei JM, because I know we aren't doing anything.  The spirit is doing everything.  You can just see the light in her eyes!

I think things are looking up.  I am so grateful to serve here in Nantun.

Well, time is almost up.  I need to write president!

Hope you all have a good week! Love you!

Sister Nicholle Peng​

Meatballs at IKEA