Xinzhu # 45

Happy Birthday Rebekah Jane and Savannah!! :) love ya'll!!! :) You're all great. I really don't have too much time this week, but it's going great! The miracles!! :) So many :) all that have to do with families!! We found a lady that was waiting for daughter to come home on the bus. Her name is Yang JM. She was wearing a very unique hat, and she also had another daughter with her at the time, but we started to share with her about the restored gospel and how it can bless the families through true principles and a living prophet and we asked for her phone number so that we could find a time to share with her husband and the family... she wouldn't do it. Tried another time... she kept on going on about how her husband would probably not want to listen and all this stuff, and I had a feeling to show her my family picture. I pulled it out and she was amazed!!! She could not believe that my mother birthed 12 children, and she started to cry. She then just told me that I was lucky to have that big of a family. She loves children and wants the best for her children. I then testified to her the truthfulness of the message our Heavenly Father has given us, His children, and again asked for her number. She accepted the invite. She read it with her husband and we called and set up a time to go over next Sunday!! So Wonderful!! :) I love sharing with families!! It's not going to be easy, but it's definitely hastening the Work of the Lord. :) Our mission is super focusing on the Book of Mormon to help our investigators and less active members feel the Spirit and become more converted. It has been incredible to see the strength of the Spirit in all of our lessons as we share the message of the Restoration, and I have been able to take the invitation in Moroni 10:3-5 and have had the Spirit reconfirm to me the truthfulness of the Gospel. I know that a family established on the teachings of the Book of Mormon and reading together daily will be able to obtain a greater peace in life only attainable through Faith in Christ. I know that Joseph Smith is a prophet and the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints is the Kingdom of God on Earth. In the name of Jesus Christ, Amen. Hurrah for Israel!!!!!!!! Love, Elder Westover

Xinzhu # 44

:) I love the missionary life. There is nothing more wonderful. :) We've already seen some wonderful blessings and miracles from reading the Book of Mormon with all the people that we teach. Elder Willes is an awesome missionary!!! His language is seriously so incredible. He is just a hard worker. Not afraid to mess up, and is a very humble kid. I am so blessed for the Lord to give me such a wonderful son. We saw many miracles and have a lot more investigators progressing toward baptism. One incredible miracle I want to share is of our investigator named Sui JM. She is about 65 years old and she has such a sweet spirit. She has a 94 year old mother who she cares for everyday, and she has some physical problems, and then also in our lesson we found out that she had a little brother who passed away in a car accident awhile ago. We and our two peikes sang Families Can Be Together Forever for her, and she was tearing up. There was such a strong, wonderful feeling that came into the room as the Spirit testified to her the truthfulness of those words. We shared with her the Plan of Salvation and invited her to be baptized. She has not accepted a baptismal date yet, but she will get it. She wants her daughter to learn the Gospel with her, so we will get them this week on track get baptized them as a family!!! Another one is about Habip and his wife... Haha, he is from Turkey and is a Muslim. He met his wife online 4 years ago, and just moved here about two months. He does not speak any Chinese at all. Originally a less-active invited us over to ask us to teach him Chinese, and then we shared with him what our real purpose was and he felt it. As we testified of the strength and peace that we receive through the Atonement, he felt the Spirit speak to him and testify of Christ's love. He even had a dream of himself getting baptized!!! So incredible!!! His wife and him use English to communicate and he has only been speaking for 3 months!! He is really good for only three months. Haha I think the most wonderful miracle is is just that We are so blessed. The members are so good (Bishop Huang just started a Preach My Gospel class for all the leaders of the auxiliary leaders to attend during Sunday School) and their getting better!!!!!! :) The Work is Hastening, and it's not going to stop. :) Hurrah for Israel!!!!!!!!!! Love, Elder Westover This is he and his baby, and a visit to Costco. :)

Xinzhu #43

So I am officially a dad. :) And thank you so much for your prayers because I'm still in Xinzhu with my Trainie. He got here last Wednesday Night and I got him on Friday. Elder William Willes (sounds like Willis) is from Bountiful, UT and is such a wonderful missionary. Like stellar!! It's crazy how they just get better and better!! We have seen a ton of miracles and are learning so much!! One of the miracles is just that after another companionship's baptism that we were asked to attend, I asked Elder Willes what he felt like we could do on the list of Finding Ideas in our planner, and we both decided that it would be good to invite people to come to church. So after a very sincere prayer we went out! We talked to three people, and on the fourth we talked to a woman who was willing to come!! She couldn't come this week but committed to us as Representatives of Christ that she would come next week! It was so good. for only being our 4 days, my companion is awesome with his Chinese, and we are going to continue to see miracles through our faith and Help 5 souls be baptized this transfer! :) This week was alright until I got my baby boy (Elder Willes)... and then it got a whole lot better!!! He is so great! I am learning so much with him so much, and it's only been 4 days! Haha. He has got so much faith and is so excited to be working to help them according to their needs and build a testimony. His Chinese is so good. It's so much better than mine was when I got here, and I know it's because he is such a hard worker. He really has a great desire to help these people obtain a testimony of the truthfulness of our Father's Gospel and develop faith in Christ. He is not scared to invite to baptism and is super willing to get into everything. We took the opportunity to kneel down on Saturday morning and ask Heavenly Father what he sees happening in this area with in the next transfer and we feel that He would like us to specifically work really hard on working with the ward to accomplish our ward mission plan. The goal is to get our area caught up with our baptisms for the year. We would like to help 5 people receive the blessings of baptism and establish good footings for the rest of the year. We are still working on our plan, but Heavenly Father has given us the vision, and we are going to go forth as Nephi with faith and follow the teachings of the prophets in the scriptures and PMG, and seek the guidance of the Spirit by being exactly obedient. Happy belated Birthday to Savannah, and Laci!! I love you!!! :) The next family that goes over to visit Grandma Dixie... Give her a hug for me, and tell her I love her. Jia You!!!! Hurrah for Israel!! Love, Elder Westover

Xinzhu # 42

Hello all!! :) This week has been so wonderful. I want to tell everyone.... I'm gonna train again!!! haha and this time it'll be a normal period of time. It's still not forsure that I will be here in Xinzhu either... so I might be training, opening an area, and possibly district leader.... I will be doing alot of growing this next transfer, that's for sure. :) This week was very good. I forgot to bring my study journal!! I had some really good thoughts that I wanted to share, but that's ok. We're really excited about the work that has been happening here with the members. Although the WML is working on getting married, and is kinda busy with that, the ward is doing great!! We are striving really hard to work with the members here, and have a member present at EVERY lesson. We recently have found out all the Home Teaching assignments, and are going to have the Home Teachers go with us to visit their brethren. I am so happy to have the guidance that you have received from Heavenly Father and effectively sharing it with us. Although I am not perfect, I feel the presence of the Spirit every time I do any of the invites and specifically make changes to improve. Thank you for sharing the knowledge that you have, and loving us enough to give us opportunities to learn from the Spirit for our selves. To Change the nature of me to become more like the Savior. Also inviting, testifying, and promising blessings to all those that I speak with. This week we had a lot of trials... our investigators have not been answering their phones so, we spent alot of time finding, but there was not much success on our part of setting new baptismal dates, and helping them have faith to go and do. To act and believe that the Lord will help them prepare for the baptism. We are going to focus on the vision to use the doctrine of Christ to bring an ever increasing number of souls to Him. To help these people overcome their doubts and fears through faith, repentance, baptism, receive the gift of the Holy Ghost, and endure to the end. And pray a little harder (understatement) when we are planning for the Lord to show us where we should go to find his chosen ones. Hurrah for Israel!! Love, Elder Westover

Xinzhu #41

Hello!!! :) Too much goodness this week. :) I have way too many miracles to tell this week. . . . . . I don't even know how to start!! I was on exchanges with our Zone Leaders here in Xinzhu and on that one day alone, we found 3 new souls... :) It was awesome!! We also found two others with Elder Kesler here. Both accepted baptismal invitations and set a goal for April. :) It's amazing proclaiming the Gospel. This week in our Zone Training Meeting we were introduced with the Monthly Mission Vision, "Using the doctrine of Christ to bring an ever increasing number of souls unto Christ". :) This made me really think of my relationship with the Savior and the strength of that relationship that was able to bring souls unto Christ. There is always ways that we can improve and ways that we must change to obtain the blessings that Heavenly Father can bring to those who are in our lives. I don't have enough time this week, but I love you all. I am so thankful for all of your prayers, and I will start to write the names of our investigators next week. :) I love you all. HURRAH for ISRAEL!!!!!!!!!!!!! Your kuazhang missionary, Elder Westover

Xinzhu #40

大家好! Hello Everyone! Happy birthday Mom!!! and Happy Anniversary Jared and Laci!!! This week has been awesome and I am so happy to say that I am serving here in Xinzhu with a wonderful (another) new companion!! Hahah this time it is actually an American! His name is Elder Kesler from Liberty, Missouri. He is a wonderful missionary and very motivated to work!! I am not saying that I haven't loved my other companions before, but it's been a while since I've had a companion like him. He's just moved here from Toufen, so him and I have had alot in common. :) It's been good! We are seeing miracles with the member work and helping all of the members in our ward create family mission plans and it's awesome to see the miracles and the blessings that come when the work is done the way it's supposed to be done. The members and missionaries working together. I have only a little time, but I will share one quick miracle. We had some people cancel on us on Thursday night and we had a member who had signed up to come out with us so we started to knock doors and find, and on the second door we were rejected, he thought of two of his employees that were still at the office. He asked us if we could go visit them, and we were like, "Yeah, I guess you can just let us go meet some people that you have been sharing the gospel with"!!!!!! He called, and they agreed, so we got in the car, and it was awesome. We invited them to be baptized, as we shared Eternal Families, and although they didn't accept now, but they know how important the message is, and they know what our purpose is. :) We had 0 investigators come to church last week, and we set a goal to use the members to help our investigators come to church by teaching in their homes, and this week we had 5 investigators come to church. The importance you have in missionary work is so essential, and I want to encourage you to ask the missionaries in your ward what you can do to help their investigators at church have spiritual experiences. You are the example of the Light of the World. Our Lord and Savior, and these people need your prayers and your help. :) Go and Do!!! I love you!! HURRAH for ISRAEL!!! Elder Westover (Jordan)

Xinzhu #39

Hey ya'll!! :) I have so much more that I want to tell you, but I just have to tell Julia, Happy Birthday!!! :) Love ya sis!! My companion took off to the MTC today :) Sarah, look for him! His name is Elder Tseng, and he is going to Minnesota. Tell him I love him when you see him, and a good hand shake! His English is good. I had a good hour and a half with President Day all to myself as he took me back to my district and I will be with the other Elders in my district until Thursday when my duanchuan (temporary missionary) I love it!!! For me, I feel like the thing that I learned the most was to Teach People, Not Lessons. It's really good because that is the principle that we are covering in the training program. The earth is full of Children of God, and just like a good wise friend of mine told me once... "People are important." I must make lessons for the people and all the doctrine in a way that the person needs to come unto Christ. Our Father has called me to rely on him. To lift me to higher levels, to receive inspiration for those who I bring unto Christ. Then I must walk with them and pray my heart out for them. Really desire their Salvation. Elder Graves (my Zone Leader) shared something with me as I followed up with him on the PMG Power Promise that I really loved. He said that as he goes out to find, he actually desires to talk to them! This week, he didn't feel like he was talking to them because he had to, but he did it because he wanted to! That's what I want. I will pray for the gift of Charity to love them, and WANT to talk with people and share with them!!! I have been so blessed, and I am so happy. Though there are obstacles, nothing will stand in the way of the Lord and His work. I know that the Lord lives, and I know that the Book of Mormon is a testament of Jesus Christ as well as a testimony that the Church of Jesus Christ has been Restored upon the earth and I must go forth with the members and the Investigators, and RCLAs and walk the road to Calvary. Praying unto the Father to lift us up when we fall. Love, Elder Westover