Miracles in the Most Interesting Places

My amazing Trainer and her fam ! LOVE you ❤️❤️

Li Jiemei! 

Buddah Fruit

My RC Chen Pei Ru coming to visit!! 

My RC Chen Pei Ru coming to visit!! 

My amazing Trainer and her fam ! LOVE you ❤️❤️

Sister Bennett with Elder Swesen photo bombing! 

 Li Jiemei again! 

Sister Zentz! We grew up together and now we live in the same apartment! 

District dinner from last transfer! 

Gave this awesome kid a Book of Mormon at the train station! 

Hello Everyone! 

This week started off with an awesome Pday where I got to say goodbye to my trainer, Sister Nielsen. Her and her parents came all the way to Hualian to eat with me and I was just so happy! We have so many memories and it was really awesome to meet her parents! So bitter sweet but I'm just grateful we had so much time together in Taiwan 😊🚜❤️

Then Monday night was one of the craziest on my mission! We had set up to meet with a member and had asked for the address so we thought we were ready go! ...we definitely were not ready! We couldn't find the place, no matter how hard we tried! (It also didn't help that it was dark and raining! Haha) We called the member multiple times but we still couldn't find it. We pulled over and asked this cute mom for help and she offered to let us follow her on her motorcycle! She took us to a place, and it still wasn't the right one. We got her phone number, she went on her way, and we kept looking! We knocked on a door to ask for help, but no one was home! We ran into some young adults from the Philippines and they didn't know where to go. Then, a huge miracle happened! We were still standing outside the door we knocked on because we didn't know what to do! We had prayed for direction but didn't get any promting to leave! But the family who lived at the house came home and we started talking to them! Turns out, they needed what we had to say and we had a very spiritual experience with them. They are very prepared and invited us back! 

This night was just another testimony to me that God really does lead this work. It was a very frustrating night, but looking back on it, we saw so many miracles. I know we were meant to meet those people and we have already seem them start to progress, all because we got lost. Those type of things wouldn't happen without God's guidance so I really know he leads this work! 

Another awesome miracle happened at English class! We were disappointed when we didn't have any students at the start of class, but then a mom and her daughter walked in! They were so awesome and we could focus the entire English class on them! They loved it and loved our spiritual share about the Book of Mormon. We found out the mom was searching for the true church, but hadn't found it yet. We set up to meet with her again on Friday, and after hearing about the Restoration, she agreed to be baptized! Such a big miracle and it made us so so happy 😊 

Other fun things that happened! 
1. My recent converts Pei Ru came to visit! Love her so much and its been fun to see her improve. 
2. Got a call from someone random who wanted to hear about the Gospel. Ended up teaching the whole family ! 
3. Had a recent convert fireside at our chapel. It was really cool to hear everyone share their testimonies. 
4. Started talking to a guy in this huge car while he was stopped at a stoplight and got him to set up so we could visit him ! It was funny watching people stare as this huge car pulls over to talk to this white girl! Haha 
5. We had a RC fireside and our friend Jia Zhen came! I sang "Where can I turn for peace" and she said it really touched her soul. Seriously love her so much. 

Love you all so much!

Sis. Meeks 

Transfers!

Pday pictures!!! 

Kao Rou! (BBQ)

Learning how to make food with Duan JM! 

Lesson with Li JM and the new Elders in this area !

New comp! 

Line dancing at our ward activity! 

Fun activity on Saturday!

 Cute friend Lin JM! She brought us a ton of gifts the first time we met with her! So sweet!

Hello Everyone! 

This week has been awesome! It was the week of transfers so a lot of things changed! 

But first off, we had an awesome Pday last wee where we went to Taroko National Park. It was BEAUTIFUL. Seriously so beautiful. We went with the sisters who live with us and their friend who got baptized a few weeks ago. Her name is Toast and she is the sweetest! It's been so awesome to see her progress and improve in so many ways! The Gospel has changed her life and it was cool to spend the day with her and hear all about her cool experiences. 

Since it was transfer week and we were pretty sure my companion was leaving, a lot of people wanted to take us out to lunch or dinner. They are all so so sweet and I have loved serving in this ward. Then...transfers came!!! We found out my companion Xie JM was leaving and I'll be staying with Sister Caten! She was actually with me for a few weeks in the MTC and I'm excited for our transfer together. 

We also found out we are switching wards! We moved to one of the most rural places in the mission! So beautiful! The air is so fresh and the people are so kind! I'm so excited for my time in this area!! 

Well, I don't have much time today because my amazing trainer, Sister Nielsen, and her mom and dad are coming to eat lunch with us today! I'm sad she is going home but so grateful we have had so much time together in Taiwan ❤️ 

Love you all and have an amazing week! 
Sister Meeks  

Pday pictures!!! 

Typhoons and Qingkes!

Qingke with Duan JM at her store

Danny got us ice cream! 

大家早安 ! 

To explain the subject line, we had a typhoon this week and it was crazy! It wasn't as bad as we originally thought it was gonna be...but still pretty crazy! The wind was strong and we got soaking wet! We hadn't heard anything about permission to go home yet so we stayed out, but when we saw a construction cone fly through the air...we decided to stay inside the church ! Haha crazy times in Taiwan! 

The other part of the subject line is qingke! Which means someone taking you out to dinner or making dinner for you. Since transfers are this week, all the members have been taking us out to dinner and we have been stuffed! So kind and so generous! 

This week started off with the best Pday ever! My recent convets Xie Jiemei and Austin came all the way from Banqiao to come see me! I love them so much and have been looking forward to this day for almost a month now. They got up early and took a three hour train ride here, and later in the afternoon took it back. We had such a fun time all day! We went to the beach (sadly it was raining) then went to this cool historical building in Hualian! We then had some amazing curry, and went to this cool art museum where we got to make our own wallets. Such a fun day. 

As I was with them, I couldn't stop smiling! I just love them so much. I know they are one of the very big reasons I was sent to Taiwan, and specifically Banqiao. They have already gone to the Temple and have progressed so much! I met them just a little more than two months ago. It shows that God knew they were prepared and sent us misisonaries to find them and help them get baptized. These stories are the reason I am on a mission! They are now going to be together forever and their lives will never be the same. The Gospel is true ❤️❤️

Another miracle this week was with our investigator Zhang DX. He has a hard work situation so he isn't able to come to church right now but he already knows when he will be able to and we set a baptismal date for that time. He loves the Gospel and recently has changed so much. Over the last 5 weeks, his countenance has changed. As he has been praying and reading the Book of Mormon each day, he said he has seen his life change! So awesome. 
We met with him on Thursday and got the feeling we should share the story of the Restoration with him again. The Spirit was so strong throughout the lesson and when I finished saying the first vision, the room felt so peaceful. He had a special facial expression so we asked him what he was thinking. He said "I'm not thinking, but I'm feeling a lot." He said he hadn't had a feeling like this before but he really really liked it. I got very emotional as I explained that this was the Spirit testifying to him. He said he was going to write down this experience after the lesson so he wouldn't forget it. 

I've been thinking a lot about this experience and how powerful it was. As misisonaries, we often share Moroni 10:5 which says, 

And by the power of the Holy Ghost ye may know the truth of all things.

I've heard this scripture so many times but in the lesson with Zhang DX, I saw this promise be fulfilled right in front of my eyes. The Holy Ghost testified to him that what we were sharing was true. I know that God loves and he will always keep his promises. If we seek the truth and ask him with a "sincere heart and real intent" he will give us an answer. I know this is true! 

Anyway, love you all! Have an incredible week! 
Sister Meeks 

One Man's Trash is Another Man's Treasure

Zone Conference! We had at an amazing hamburger place for lunch in Taidong! 

Exchanges in Taidong! First time I have been outnumbered by Taiwanese missionaries on my mission haha

Trying to get my package and other stuff home! #bikinglife

Cute young women we are helping to learn English as she prepares for a mission! 

Chen JM set a baptismal date! Yaaayyyyyy! Sadly she doesn't live in our area but we are excited for the Elders to keep teaching her.  

Hey Everyone! 

This week started out with Zone Conference in Taidong! Ever since being companions with Sister Hurst and hearing so much about how Taidong is amazing, I've always wanted to go there! It for sure didn't disappoint! It is beautiful and incredible. It's the most south part of our mission and it's completely different from the city! I feel so lucky that I have been able to see so many different places on this beautiful island!

But Zone Conference was incredible! President Peterson talked a lot about the Gathering of Isreal and we all felt the Spirit very strong. I feel so blessed to have a role in this great gathering. We also talked a lot about Family History and how we can use it more in our misisonary work. Long story short, we all felt very inspired and ready to use the new tools we have been given to help more people come unto Christ!

After Zone Conference, we stayed in Taidong and I was able to go on exchanges with Chen JM! SHE IS AN INCREDIBLE MISSIONARY. I learned so much from her. She has such a strong desire to do the work and share the Gospel with everyone she sees. She always has a smile on her face and people are drawn to her because she is always so happy. Such an awesome exchange.

This week we set a goal as a Zone for each companionship to get at least one Set Up a day. (Meaning you meet someone, talk to them about the Gospel, and set a return appointment) We have already seen so many miracles. Our biggest one this week was finding Zheng JM! We were biking to do language study and we see a lady on the side of the road walking and she looked super super sad. So I decide to turn my bike around and talk to her. At first she flat out said "buyong" which basically means she has no interest. This is usually our que to leave but for some reason we had the feeling to not give up and keep talking with her.

We found out that reason about two minutes later when we started asking more questions about her life and found out she has been having a lot of challenges this past little bit. She got so emotional and we ended up comforting her a lot. We shared a scripture with her and long story short, became good friends and she is really interested in learning more! Such a miracle!

We have had so many small miracles like this and it really helps me see God's hand in my missionary work. I really know that God leads us to exactly where we need to be. But this doesn't just apply to missionary work! This applies to everyone! I've been reflecting on a lot of things that happened pre-mission and I'm realizing there were even more miracles than I thought! God loves us SO MUCH! His greatest joy is seeing us happy, so of course he is going to bless us, we just need to do our own part as well 😊😊

I love being a missionary! I know this church is true! No matter what doubts or challenges we have, we can always go back to the basics of this Gospel to obtain comfort and strength. God is our loving Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ is our Savior. Through Christ's Atonement, we can have happiness and eternal joy.

Love you all and have an incredible week!
Sister Meeks 

Love you all.

This week was really good! We had a lot of rain so we got very very wet but it was also really really fun! It started out with a Pday where we went to the gym! Remember really wanted to take us to the gym so she got us all free passes and we went to this huge gym with all the other missionaries in this area. It is for sure wasn't very relaxing but it was very very fun and we worked out a lot. We all joked that we needed another Pday afterwards because we were so tired! This week we for sure are resting a little bit more haha

I had the chance to go on my first exchange this week! It was so so fun. We have two other sisters living our apartment with us so we know them really really well but we got to go exchanges within this week. I went with sisterly and we had a party. We worked really hard and talked a lot and it was very fun. She is in training right now and I learned a lot about missionary work from her. I think sometimes we get a little farther along our mission and we forget about the simple things that make missionary work important. She reminded me of that that the simple things are the most important and we shouldn't focus on the more complicated things. I am excited to continue working with her in this area!

That night we had English class and it was a little bit chaotic! We teach the children's class and sometimes we have a hard time keeping it under control! But it is still a good experience. We met this awesome Mom who has a baby about 1 year old but she still wants her baby to print English so she brought her to class! She really wants to have a happy family and so we told her that we think families are very important and she wanted to learn more. We are excited too continue to meet with her.

Then the next morning we had our second Exchange! I got to go with sister Bennett and we had a lot of fun. We always have wanted to be companion so it was fun to have that wish come true for just one day. She goes home in a few transfers and has a lot of experience. She helped me a lot and we had a good time. Her companion had never gone to something called "kaorou." This is basically where there is a griddle in the middle of the table and you fry your own meat and other things. It is so good so we decided to take them there. It was fun to get the to know them a lot better and just to have a chill time or we could talk about a lot of stuff and how we can improve as missionaries. SO FUN!

That's about it for this week! Enjoy some pictures! 

Loves! 

Sis. Meeks

Can You Say Rain

Celebrating one year on the misison with some yummy steak! 

Breakfast with the district

Celebrating with Sister Love! She was in the MTC with me. 

Skyping Chen JM before the baptism! 

Chen JM at her baptism!! My trainer brought a picture of me because I couldn't attend in person! 

Yummy Taiwanese food :) 

Me and my comp! 

Hello everyone!!

I hit my one year mark this week!! Crazy that I have been wearing this same tag everyday for an entire year. I feel so blessed to be here in Taiwan serving the Lord. I have made so many lifelong friends and changed myself in ways that I never could have imagined before the mission. I am so grateful to be able to serve a misison! Six months to go!! 😊😊

A huge miracle that happened this week was that Chen Pei Ru got baptized this week! Sister Nielsen and I taught her all the way back when I was in training! She is incredible and I am so happy she made the choice to be baptized. It made me think a lot about my time in Zhubei. Such a happy time and I am so happy I could start my mission there. I really hope I can go back and visit all the amazing people there. #zhubeiforlife

These past few days went by quick but we still saw a lot of miracles! The biggest one happened on Wednesday night, which is when we teach English class. Xie Jiemei and I were a little bit dissapointed because we didn't have any students in our class :( but we decided to call a few people in the time we had and invite them to come next week. We were going to sit in our classroom because it had air conditioning, but I had a strong feeling we needed to go sit on the chairs by the front door. We decided to sit in the air conditioned room anyway, but I got the feeling again so we finally went outside. As we were sitting there sweating in the humidity, a lady cautiously approaches the door so I jump up to go talk to her. She said she has been wanting to come into the chapel for a long time but had been feeling nervous. But she knew we had English class so she waited until then because she knew there would be people inside.

We asked her if we could give her a chapel tour and she was very excited! She loved every part of it and commited to come to church next week and bring her two sons!! She then asked how our church was different so we asked if she had time to sit for a few minutes! She said yes and we shared with her about Joseph Smith and the Restoration! So cool!

BUT WAIT! It gets better. After we finished, she said she wanted to share something with us. She said as she was sitting in her car outside the church, she said a silent prayer and in her prayer told God that if someone came up to her and welcomed her into the chapel, she would take it as a answer that what she was doing was right. My companion and I were blown away. If we had had students come or I had continued to ignore the feeling to sit outside the classroom, we never would have met this incredible person.

This experience made me super emotional! As she was sharing, I felt the Holy Ghost so strongly! It helped build my testimony that God really does lead His church and His missionaries! Everyday, I become more amazed because I really know Heavenly Father loves us and will never abandon us. He knows exactly what each of us need and if we listen to him, he will guide us down the successful road. So grateful for this guidance in my life.

Thats about it for this week! Love you all and hope you have an amazing week 😊😊
Sister Meeks
毛姐妹 

TRANSFERRED TO HUALIAN!

I love Xie JM! 

Saying goodbye to Jerry! 

Skyping with Xie JM and Austin on the night of their baptism!! SO HAPPY FOR THEM! 

My cute new comp and I in the rain! 

Dinner as a district before transfers!

I got a chance to see one of my investigates from my first area!! She is getting baptized this week! 

Eating steak with some cute members from my companion's last area! 

Hey Everyone! 

This week was probably the craziest week of my entire mission! So bear with me, this email is going to be a little long 😊

This week started off with a super fun Pday where we went ice skating! I saw a lot of really good friends and we had a really good time! I had to say goodbye to a few good friends, which is always really sad. It's such a blessing that you can make really good friends on the mission, but its always sad to see them leave!

Then... TRANSFER CALLS CAME! Sister Lyman and I for sure thought we were staying together ... But we were surprised that I was getting transferred to Hualian!! I am going to be an STL (a sister training leader) and I'm super pumped to be able to go on exchanges with a bunch of cool sisters in this area! But, we were not expecting that at all! It's really far away (literally the opposite side of the island) so I had to say goodbye to even more people because it's very likely I will not see them again!

At English class that night, I had to say goodbye to my good friend Jerry. I've talked about him a lot in emails! He is incredible and someone who has helped me in many ways. We have grown and learned together and it was heartbreaking to have to tell him I was leaving. A few weeks ago, he helped me pick my Chinese name (which he worked very hard on) and then at English class, he gave me a very cool scarf with my name embroidered on it. Made me so emotional ! It was so thoughtful. Then he decided to come with me to English class (we teach kids class) instead of going to his normal class. He sat by me the whole time and it was just a really good way to say goodbye. As we were walking out, we started talking...Then he started tearing up. So naturally I started to as well. The mission is such an interesting experience. You come to a foreign land, not being able to speak the language very well, but somehow still develop incredibly strong relationships. The friendships I have developed on my mission will last forever and I'm so grateful for the chance to serve here.

Also after class, I had to say goodbye to Xie Jiemei and Austin. Luckily Xie Jiemei held it together but as I was talking to Austin, he started to cry too. I met them about a month ago and THEY GOT BAPTIZED THIS WEEK! I wasn't able to attend because I had already moved but I got to Skype and talk with them about it that night. (I'm so grateful for technology!!) They are very very special and are going to do some amazing things in the church. They are already planning a trip for next summer when I'm home from my mission to come visit me, literally the cutest thing ever.

The next morning, we picked up the new missionary coming in, and I said goodbye to Sister Lyman. This transfer really was a shock so we both hadn't prepared. But I'm excited for her to have this new experience in the good old land of Banqiao! All day Saturday, I was with Sister Eyring! She went home this week but she needed a companion after transfers. I helped her take care of a few things and also got to talk to a bunch of other good friends going home. It was a super chill day and actually perfect because the next day I woke up bright and early (around 4:30) and headed off to Hualian!

Sister Chen and I took a taxi to the train station and were trying to find where to get on the train. Because we got a little lost, I didn't have time to buy breakfast. (My train was a little earlier than Chen JM's) so we hugged goodbye and she went back upstairs to wait. It turns out my train ended up being a little late and I look over to see Chen JM running down the stairs, with breakfast in her hand!! She told me "you can't just not eat breakfast!" She is the sweetest thing ever. We hugged goodbye again and I rode on the train for three hours until I finally got to Hualian!!

When I got there, I met my new companion! Sister Xie!! She is from Taiwan and is super solid. She was baptized about three years ago and has a super super strong desire to share the gospel. She is also super kind and thoughtful. I had a super bad cough this week and she was super patient and kind the entire time. She also makes me super yummy food and is going to teach me how to cook some yummy Taiwanese meals 😄 I'm excited for this transfer together! I'm going to help her with English and she is going to help me with Chinese, we have already seen improvement!

Hualian is incredible!! So different than my last areas. Banqiao was one of the busiest areas in the misison, and Hualian is for sure a LOT less busy. I no longer have the constant fear of getting hit by a big bus! 🤣🤣 It really is a totally new experience and I'm getting to keep getting to know all the people here.

But on Saturday we had an awesome ward activity!! We called it the "Summer Palooza" but it was basically a water balloon activity! My companion and I filled up over 1000 water balloons and we for sure used all of them. All three wards in this area came and it was a lot of fun. It was a great way to meet a lot of new people in a fun way!

Ok, almost done! Lastly I want to share a super huge miracle! As Xie JM and I were riding to the church and started taking to this lady on her way to work. She was really nice and we literally had a two minutes conversation and she was willing to meet with us. A few days later, she came to the appointment...And brought her daughter with her! We had a bomb lesson with them and they are very excited to come to church with us this Sunday. We have a really good feeling about them and are excited to continue getting to know them 😄😄

That's about it for this week! Love you all! 

Sister Meeks