Tuesday, November 11, 2014

11/10/14 ~ Sister Peng's Final Move Call

Dearest Mum, Regan, and Loved Ones,

Hola! Como Estas?  Haha! Anyways, this week went by fast.  It was the last week of the move call, and yet it wasn't the same as the other move calls.  The new missionaries have still not arrived yet.  We haven't had new missionaries for the last two move calls.... But missionaries have been leaving, so right now our move call chart shows a few more closed areas and a several short time missionaries (members who were willing to go and serve for just a week.  Bless them! We really needed their help). So hopefully within the next two weeks the new missionaries will come.  Otherwise, we may not be getting more missionaries until my generation leaves.  So weird!  

But with this move call not changing much, Sister Thao and I are still together! Yay! We are so happy with this prospect of staying together longer.  We had such a great move call last move call, which explains why it flew by!  We are hoping to see more progression and more miracles.  It's going to be the BEST MOVE CALL EVER!!!  We are going to give it our all!  And we are going to baptize people and help them come closer to Christ!  My only desire is to leave this mission with no regrets.  I want to know that I've sacrificed everything I could and gave the Lord my all.  I know I'm still not a perfect missionary, and I know I'll probably never be.  But I can be a progressing, diligent and faithful missionary.  I can't believe that I've come this far already.  I can't believe that I'm on my last move call.  Where did the time go?  How could this journey be so short? 

Anyways, it's a battle everyday trying to stay focused on this work.  Everyone keeps telling me of how little time I have left.  The dates on my planner don't help either.  But the Lord is helping me see the blessings of being here and staying here.  I am forever grateful, and I'm learning what other past missionaries have said about feeling like they don't want to leave.  Of course, I love and miss everyone back home.  And I'm excited with the prospects of catching up and getting to know people.  But I don't want to ever stop having the experiences being a missionary brings.

So, I guess I've rambled for a good bit.  Oh! Also, with move call, Sister Pope, my companion in Zhang Hua was one of the few missionaries who moved.  And guess where she moved to!  PING DONG!!! I love Ping Dong and I'm so excited for her!  So excited that I'll be able to catch up with her at the Christmas activity, and see how she and Ping Dong are doing.  

Sister Thao and I are still doing good.  Sister Thao is doing better, I think the medication is working.  She could actually eat normal food, which led to an exciting discovery!  We went to Costco to eat salad, because that was the healthiest thing we could think of, to realize that they are now selling Churros (sp?- Mexican twisted bread with cinnamon).  They are so yummy!  Haha! But they made me crave nachos... Ah well...  I'm just blessed to have Costco so close to where I live. :D

Hmm... What else happened... At the beginning of the week, we were taking it pretty easy, staying around home and the church because of Sister Thao's ailment.

On Tuesday we had our ZTM, so we took the bus to Dong Ying's chapel.  We had a great meeting discussing what it means to be a diligent faithful missionary.  And I decided that diligent faithful missionaries are happy missionaries, because they are blessed and they have hope!  No matter what hardships happen, diligent missionaries have the right attitude and don't get discouraged.  They "forget [themselves] and go to work."  I feel like it's when we start thinking about ourselves and being selfish, that's when we start struggling.  Because this work was never meant to be about us.  It wasn't meant to be comfortable or easy.  It is supposed to be challenging and life changing.  Doing hard things is the best way to make yourself stronger.  We must exercise faith always.  We must never put ourselves before the Lord.  For if we choose the Lord, all things will be for our benefit.

Wednesday we had our English Party!  But  before that we met with Liu JM, who is like one of the most prepared investigators I've ever run into.  She's come to church four times already, we are almost done with the lessons, and she hasn't had any concerns as of yet.  She is very cute and really opens up to us.  She and I are the same age, and have become good friends.  I love her so much!  Her goal is coming up soon.  But she will be going back to her home town for a week (she is up here for university).  So we won't get to see her for a little bit (that's why we've been going through the lessons fast, so she can hit her date).  The best thing is, she wants to hit that date!  She is already like a member, and I'm super stoked for her.  

The English Party was good.  It was a Thanksgiving themed party, and Sister Thao and I did the decorations and taught the little kids how to make an Native American head band out of paper. So cute! I really want to upload pictures, but I'm paranoid about these computers....

Nothing really exciting happened for the rest of the week, just some lessons and hoping people that people will progress....  We keep praying and thinking of what we can do more to help these people have their own conversion process.

Oh, Sunday was fun.  So, the single's branch had hardly anyone in attendance, since the majority of the singles went to a single's conference during the weekend and attended church elsewhere.  So we had like 10 people there.... And they needed help with the music for sacrament... so, guess who they asked for help! Me and Sister Thao who don't really have any experience in music.... But Sister Thao got invited to be the chorister and I got assigned to be the pianist.  So, those of you who know me, I can't play the piano....  But, I can work a piano that plays the hymns if you push random keys. Haha!

So basically,  I "played" the piano by tapping the same key over and over to the time of the meter for all the songs in sacrament.  Technology is so cool! Haha!  Because it made me be able to fulfill my dream of being the sacrament pianist, without even being able to play the piano! Haha! Perhaps when I go home, I should try and learn how to play the piano for real....

Anyways, that's about it... Today we are going to the mission home to say good bye to Sister Park, my companion in Tainan and Sister Thao's trainer.  She will be heading off back home to Korea.  So good luck to her!  But that's so crazy, since she is in the generation above me... so that means I'm next.... weird....

That's about it, folks.  I really hope you had a good week! I love and miss you! But there is not much days left on my calender until I'll get to tell you all how much I appreciate you in person.  I can feel your love and support!  Until Next time!

Love, Sister Nicholle Peng

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