Xinzhu # 34

So I got a phone call from the Financial Assistant this week and he told me that he had to go to the customs office and look at a package that was sent on December 16, 2013. Haha, he continued saying that they opened the package right there in-front of him and they pulled out the bag of Beef Jerky... Apparently because of the Mad Cow Disease a while back, the Taiwanese Government doesn't import beef from America. So That Christmas package, just hasn't gotten back to me :) haha I love you!!! I really am so happy that you love me enough to send me Beef Jerky, but just to notify everyone. DON'T SEND BEEF TO TAIWAN!!! :) I will still accept the Pork Jerky that dad buys :) That stuff is to die for!!!! Ok, I want to say I love you all. Kiah, Happy Birthday on the 6th of January. Jacob and Rebekah, Happy Anniversary on the 8th!! (I hope that little boy is growing healthy and strong) This is one of the miracle from this week :) On Thursday we went to do service and we got fanged, so we fell back on the best back-up plan... The Prayer of Faith. It was just less than an hour before we had to start our Weekly Planning Session, and we went knocking doors in that area. We just rod until we came to a street that we felt good about, and started knocking. it was the third house. There were just some kids out front with their Ama (Grandma) and we just talked to them for a while. Let them look at a picture of Jesus Christ and started to share... Then a man rode up on his scooter. The Ama started repeating over and over, "He's one of you! He's one of you!" We got to know him and started to share what differences we had with other Christians. As I shared with him Joseph Smith's experience of seeing God the Father, and Jesus Christ, he just looked at me. After I finished sharing and testifying, he kept on looking at me. Finally, he said, "Do you want to come in??" Hahah!! So crazy!! We still haven't set a baptismal date with him, but he has felt the Spirit and is in the process of finding out the truth for himself. :) I love you all and am so blessed to be out here serving my Lord and Savior. I want to invite you all this week to think about the restoration of the Gospel of Jesus Christ and how it has blessed your lives, then go share that with a friend :) (show them Mormon.org, give them a Book of Mormon, have a conversation about God, Testify!!) I know the Savior lives. I know that Joseph Smith is a true prophet of God, and that this work will move forward, no matter what. Just make the decision. Are you going to be a part of it?? :) Love, Elder Westover

Xinzhu # 33

I got a ton of letters this week :) Thank you so much for all of your Christmas Cards and all of your love :) I can't even start to explain how thankful I am for this week. There are not words able to express the gratitude that I have for the Gospel of Jesus Christ. The time that I have available to write to you is not enough, but I just want to tell you that the Lord is so wonderful. We have had a wonderful week proclaiming the Gospel of the Jesus Christ, and inviting all to come unto Christ through baptism. We had our Zone Training Meeting on Tuesday morning where we received some incredible and inspiring training from our Zone Leaders, my companion and I went out to find those that would receive the message of truth. In our training we were reminded of the healing power of the Atonement by this statement in Preach My Gospel, "We all make mistakes in life, and these mistakes create feelings of guilt and shame. These feelings cannot be relieved without repentance and forgiveness. They can be fully healed through the Atonement of Christ" (Preach My Gospel, pg. 183). We were invited to go out and invite everyone to be baptized and receive a remission of their sins on the very first contact. We saw so many miracles. We found three New Investigators and set baptismal dates with them that day. Wu Dx, Luo Dx, and Chen Dx. They were all so incredible. The first two were right in a row, and then the last one was a little before we had to go home, right after we got "fang"-ed (stood-up by Luo Dx). I'll tell you about Chen Dx. We were in front of the Family Mart (convenience store) that we said we would meet Luo Dx, and our Ward Mission Leader, our peike (member present at the lesson), had already come. I saw this guy go in and I had said hi to him and all, and then I saw him come out again and go over to his scooter. I had an overwhelming feeling to talk to him. I left my companion and WML to talk about a backup plan, and I just started talking to him. I introduced myself as a representative of Jesus Christ, pointing to my name tag, and shared that we had a message of happiness that would bless his life. At first he was really not that interested then, all I remember is he said he was "Fu jiaotu" Buddist, and then I just remember me speaking some words and asking him some questions, and listening, and telling him, that there was a loving Heavenly Father that wanted to share a wonderful message with him. Next I invited my companion, and our WML to come over and then we shared with him how to pray, and communicate with Heavenly Father. It was so wonderful. I know that he felt the Spirit. His prayer was so heartfelt, and full of his humble desires that his Heavenly Father would help him overcome. So great. We invited him to baptism and to continue to develop his relationship with Heavenly Father through prayer and prayerfully studying the scriptures. So awesome. I have had the blessings of the Lord to do His work and His Glory, and to have patience, love, charity, and faith. He is Almighty, and Great. Have a wonderful week you all!! I love you :) I'm praying for you all, whether you be at home, or in the field working... "Thrust in you sickle with all of your might"!! Invite others to come unto Christ. Love, Elder Westover

Xinzhu # 32

Hello!! This week was a good week for the district. Just as always, we're all just working hard.The vision of focusing on our Less-Active Melchizedek Priesthood members (LAMPs) is taking the first few steps. Xinzhu 1st Ward has given us a list of all the LAMPs, and we have split those up and given some to the Sisters. This week I learned a lot. I learned that we all have our own pieces of heaven that our Father has given us. He has allowed my companion and I, as imperfect things, to come out here and do this perfect work. I have really recognized that the Lord does His perfect work through imperfect things, because as we see how this perfect work changes imperfect things to be more perfect, it strengthens us, and provides us opportunities to become perfect. Actually, on Saturday I was reminded of the fact none of us are perfect, and this is how the Lord does His work. I'm going to do the very best that I can do to change myself, and take every opportunity that He gives me. I really don't have too much time this week, but I just want to say that I love you all. I know that the Savior Jesus Christ is the Only Begotten of the Father, and I know that ONLY in, and THROUGH HIM ARE WE made NEW. I love the Father. I know of His plan and I am so blessed to be a part of the work that brings these truths to the world. I am a son of God, and I am about His work. Love, Elder Jordan Westover

Xinzhu # 31

I survived with the transfers!!! :P Haha, I'm still here in Xinzhu with pretty much the same district except for one new sister missionary. The Lord has some great plans for this area and it's going to be great!! Included in the Message of the Restoration is the invitation to follow the example of Christ, and once an answer and confirmation by the Spirit of the truthfulness of the message, be baptized. As a result of that, I have set a goal that no matter what, to invite to baptism on the 1st lesson. I have loved it. the miracles and the experiences have been great!! Saw some wonderful miracles. I'll share my favorite one with you: We were out finding on Saturday, and we weren't finding anyone that really wanted to listen for about the 1st hour, but then I had the feeling to ask Elder Huang to lead us. He led us for about 45 minutes and not anyone, but finally we were riding back into town, and there was a man (Gu Dx) riding a bike by the Airforce Base Entrance (oh yeah, I forgot to tel you... Xinzhu has an Airforce Base... :) ), we were going the same direction. I just slowed down to his speed, and started to chat. I just got to ask a little about him, and found out that his parents had passed away. I had the feeling to ask him what made him happy. He just thought, and didn't have an answer. I then shared that family was the thing that made me the most happy, then shared that we had a message about the Restoration of the Gospel of Jesus Christ, and asked if he had some time to listen. He ACCEPTED!!! It was so awesome. We went to a park bench, and shared a short message about families and how the Gospel blesses them, and about prophets w/ the Book of Mormon. We invited him to be baptized and he ACCEPTED!!! I know that God the Father, is a loving Father. He knows us all completely, and knows what our needs are. I am so blessed to have the opportunity to share that message with the people here in Taiwan. Especially here, there are so many that rarely, if ever, hear the word "love" directed toward them, and when they hear that they have a Father in Heaven that loves them... they feel the Spirit. Whether they know it or not, and whether they choose to accept it, is another thing, but as they act on the invitations that we as missionaries give them, they are able to go and understand what kind of a loving God He is, and how He loves them. Actually, yesterday in our Sacrament meeting, we had an old guy from our ward get up and bare testimony of the divinity of the Father. That we are created in His image, and his characteristics. I can't tell you how wonderful it was and how clearly profound that truth spoke to me. Although there are alot of Christians in America, there are few that know what kind of a personage God is, and what characteristics He has. I would like to invite you to study that... and think about how that knowledge effects you in your everyday life. Once you have done that, pray and ask Heavenly Father, who among your friends, classmates, co-workers, or family members you could share your testimony or give them a reminder of that simple truth. Nimen yuanyi ma?! (Are you willing to do that?!) :) I know that there is someone in your life that can be blessed by your testimony. And I want to bare testimony that there is nothing that brings greater joy in our lives than, sharing the truths that we know. I know that The Savior Jesus Christ lives. He loves us, and wants us to return to our Father's presence. Love, Elder Westover