Xinzhu # 48

Happy Mothers Day!! To all of you wonderful women in my life... I love you and am so grateful for you. I won't be there to give you a rose and a hug or anything, but know that I love you and I know that because of our Savior Jesus Christ we can be together forever. Moms are my Heros. Especially my mom though :D I am loving the work here. We had a baptism!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! The 6 month dry font for our area is over!!!!!!! Zhou Chang En will be great in the church. He has been ready for 6 months and is finally on the path!! I'm going to do the best that I can to make sure that he is going to get to the temple! Elder Willes is super good. I am so happy to work with him. He makes me better and keeps me accountable. I have actually been able to see the change that has happend in me and in my nature since I was trained... I remember just little things that my trainer would do that made me kinda mad, and i would occasionally get mad at him... now I have learned that I should love everyone and always remember that I can't control other people and the things they do, but I can decide whether I will just change myself to love the things they do. It makes things easier. :) I love it. Thank you so much for all of your prayers!! Love, Elder Westover I'll send pictures next week... I'm having some mishaps with the computer this week....

Xinzhu # 47

This week was so wonderful. I can definitely tell you that, but as far as the specifics I don't know that I could be very specific... :P We had a little longer of a week this week because we went to the Taipei Temple today which was a wonderful experience and was full of learning, and enlightenment. So what I'm trying to get at is that I really don't know what to share about the last week. But The last two days have been full of great stuff. We had exchanges with the Zone Leaders and I got to go to Zhu Dong which is the first area Joseph served in. It was cool! I got to minister unto the same people that my brother ministered to and invite them to come unto Christ. I learned alot and was humbled alot. I have alot more that I can do as a leader to make sure I am really truly helping the missionaries in my district also come closer to Christ and become the best they can do. I learned that making plans to lift, inspire, encourage and bless the lives of those that the Lord has so much strength. Wingin' it is possible, and it may work, but the thing I learned is that when there is a plan and a follow-up to help them really go and do has helped me think of how I can be a great father to my children. To make sure that they are always improving. Inviting and encouraging them to go forward and see how much potential they have when they obey the commandments of the Lord and become better. I'll give you a little update on our investigators... Shi Dx- set a baptismal date for May 24 and said we could meet with his family!! :) He's so great. He has some problems with the tea part of the Word of Wisdom, but we are really trying to help him overcome that through the Book of Mormon and his Testimony of it's truthfulness. We need help from both sides of the veil for this one :) Sui JM- she is reading and praying and really is developing faith in Christ. It's really growing!!! Thanks so much for prayers. She is wonderfully progressing and the light of Christ is just glowing in her eyes every time we see her now. She loves the feeling of the members caring about her and the big family here. She is truly having a change of heart and I pray that she can actually come to church this week. She has always had some stuff come up with family that has not allowed her to come... pray that she can come and never leave again!! :P Zhou Chang En- He is getting baptized this week!!! finally! He has been ready to be baptized since I got here in Xinzhu but because of things with some family members he has not been able to. He has a burning testimony and is so ready. Pray that the Young Men will love him and get him into the flow of things smoothly to help him get to the temple!! Habip (Turkish) and Chen JM (wife)- They are doing good!! Habip received a very strong confirmation of the truthfulness of the Book of Mormon this week and we pray that as we help him with cigarettes he will use the strength of the Savior to overcome that challenge and prepare to be baptized. Lee JM and her son (Tu Dx)- came to church and are reading the Book of Mormon... They are not really clear on our purpose of helping them be baptized, but that is a small thing :) haha. Pray that as we go over there tomorrow that we can have the Spirit to help them make the goal of entering the waters of baptism and following the example of Jesus Christ. Thank you so much for your prayers. You're so great. I'm praying for you. I'll send pictures next week!! Hurrah for Israel!! Love, Elder Jordan Westover https://www.lds.org/prophets-and-apostles/unto-all-the-world/zhu-ching-suns-story?lang=eng https://www.lds.org/prophets-and-apostles/unto-all-the-world/gospel-light?cid=HPTU042214727&lang=eng

Xinzhu #46

This week was a wonderful week. There were so many good things that happened this week. We had an Area Seventy, Elder Larry Wilson, and his wife came and they gave us some wonderful training on using the Book of Mormon in our proselyting efforts. I want to invite you all to read the 1 Nephi Chapter 1 again and pay attention to how many similarities there are between it and the story of the restoration..... It's super awesome!! We have been invited as a whole mission to use that as a way to review the 1st Lesson and to help our investigators get a hold on the Iron Rod from the very start... Also... Ask your missionaries in your ward if there are any investigators that you can read the Book of Mormon with once a week. That is one of the most important things for a lasting conversion to the Gospel of Jesus Christ... Help some one get that habit of Holding Fast to the Iron Rod!! I don't know if you still remember that Ye Dx from awhile back, but we had a feeling to go over to his home to visit him again. (It's been about 2 1/2 months since he told us he didn't want to meet). Elder Willes wanted to go try him again and as we pulled up right as I was knocking the door I looked in the front door and saw him with a tube in his nose and he had had surgery.... he came and answered the door, allowed us to come in and it hurt me so bad to see him the way he was. He had stopped meeting because he was not willing to quit tea, and I have no idea whether the surgery he had had anything to do with his tea drinking, but they cut a hole in his throat and feed him through his nose... I felt so much love from our Savior as we read 3 Nephi 17:7-8 with him and offered to give him a priesthood blessing. Although he could not speak I asked him to pray and speak intently with his Father in Heaven about what his hopes were and to express his faith in Christ to help him have strength in this time. It was one of the most wonderful times I have had on my mission and the time on my mission that I have felt closer to the Savior. I felt an overwhelming love for Ye Dx and the Atonement heal, and sanctify us. I testify that we have loving Heavenly Father who is hearing all of our prayers. I testify that Jesus is the Christ and He is our Savior and Redeemer. We are saved through the Atonement of Him and are obligated to keep His commandments. If we come unto Him we will find rest and peace in this life and obtain Eternal Life. Hurrah for Israel!!!!!!! Love, Elder Westover

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