Thornley: January 2014

Wednesday, January 22, 2014

What a change

Well everyone there is a big change about! Here's what it is. My area has been changed. But I am still in Yilan... maul that around for a bit. Our Mission President has made a big change here for us all that I am super excited about Every area that has two or more sets of missioaries is now being split up to ensure that EVERY area of our area gets touched and has the people see the missionaries. So, I have been here in YiLan for 3 transfers felt like I knew it really well and now me and my companion are now being pushed into a new area to serve in here! EAST COAST! Go look on a google map of ILan and then realize that I will be biking or walking up and down the coast line of that for a while preaching the word! I am SO EXCITED! BUt it is a big change. I have NEVER been over there except on p-days and now because sisters and elders will no longer be only teaching their sex we will now be teaching men of the gospel... odd. Its been a big change already and a very hard time last night. We also have to give all of our investigators that are no longer in our area to whoever it is that IS in their area. And because I have never been in my new area at all we have now found ourselves with no investigators. OPEINING AN AREA I have already been in for months here we come! I really am super excited to be doing this with SIster O'Brien I know I am going to learn a TON! But PLEASE keep praying for all my old investigators who I can no longer teach because they are now in the elders hands. But... I need to remember they are really in the hands of the Lord.

So also this week I found myself in the Taiwanese tai da yi yuan which translates to Too Big Hospital.. okay no but really it is HUGE but it wasnt for me. Sister O'Brien was having some ear troubles so we went to get it checked out... pray for her. Good news is today her hearing is back! YES! BUt yeah.. taiwanese hospitals are pretty crazy you all will have to come check it out sometime it will blow your mind. Sick people EVERYWHERE oh and over an hour wait and stuff.. its real fun! :)

Well wish me luck and please offer prayers that this week Sister O'BRien and I will be able to find some new investigators to start working with and build up the YiLan coast line!!! I love you all have a great week!!!!

-Sister Thornley

Tuesday, January 14, 2014

Families are Eternal

This morning I had the opportunity to atend a funeral service here. It was very interesting and very different than in America but the spirit is the same everywhere. I am so grateful for the knowledge of life after death and that I know and can be comforted that death is not the end! I am also very grateful for the knowledge that my family is eternal and we will be together forever as long as we all remain faithfull to our covenants!!!

Alright, so for this week lots and lots of rain accompanied us but dont even worry I LOVE the rain!! I really am so blessed and lucky to still be here in YiLan serving these people I love them all so much and love this area so much! We got to meet with one of our long time no progress investigators this week and met with her adorable little son... its always a little awkward when I am playing with the little kid and not sure what he is saying so I am happy as ever and then the mom yells at her son to appologize to me right now or he will not get cake... the whole time I am sitting there thinking.. uhh.. what did he say to me that he now has to appologize for.. haha oh the joys of new languages! But its really awesome to see the people here progressing and developing the faith in Christ!

Hmm... something exciting to write to you all... OH! So this morning I also saw a HUGE culture differance here they really REALLY respect their decesed ancestors so rather than just a grave they are in a beautiful mountain with large gorgeous sites for them to rest its really beautiful and very different than anything I have ever seen before!

And for the last quick note- Heavenly Father watches out for His missonaries the picture is not a set up. We were washing dishes and I moved a pan that was upside down and felt our WOODEN SPATULA fall onto my foot. Until then I looked down to pick up the spatuala to wash it again and there sat our BRAND NEW CRAZY SHARP KNIFE! Yes, I am not kidding. So if any of you were worried about me or another missionary you can calm down Heavenly Father has got this under control! :) Alright well I love you all have a good week!!

-Sister Thornley

Monday, January 6, 2014

2014

Well Everyone 2014 is here and I HAVE A NEW COMPANION! How crazy is that! Came out of no where I was sure Sister Gruwell and I would be together for at least 2 transfers but the Lord is way more wise than me. So now I am so blessed to be with Sister O'Brien who has been here for over a year and will be going home in march. I am so privledged to be here with her Oh I didnt move by the way still in YiLan! (So happy!!!) So yep this week was really such an amazing week and I am really grateful to know that the Lord is watching out for us all and knows whats best for us. Go look up the Mormon message from Todd Christofferson about a current bush. I really have a testimony that God is out Heavenly Father and He knows His children. Sister O'Brien is already teaching me so much its like I am in training all over again but this is good I am excited to see how she does this work. She is amazing and has been in the Leadership counsel here as a sister Training leader for half a year.

Other fun and exciting things to tell you all... I cant think of any. mmmm..... I am still alive??? I feel healthy and strong My calves are HUGE from biking everywhere its kinda nasty... but its alright It will make dancing easier when I get back. OH I know! It seems like the winter season is wrapping up here haha all you unlucky people in the states! NO SNOW HERE and its warming up! Sister O'Brien and I will probably go up to jiao xi and hike up in the mountains sense she came from months and months in the central city of Taipei so hasnt seen green in over a year dont worry we'll change that and get her up in the gorgeous mountains surrounding us here in YiLan!

OH!!! I think that we will ACTUALLY have a baptism soon!!! Her name is You2 Yi1 Hua4 or Coco... yes Chinese English names are the cutest things ever. But she is so amazing. She is 55 and loves Heavenly Father so much I am so excited to see her progress and hopefully enter into the waters of baptism this month! It will be so great to see her baptized I love her so much! Oh also a quick shout out thank you to whoever helped in getting me that Christmas package with the mp3 player it is really nice to have music so thank you. Yes that is my advice to any future missionaries TAKE MUSIC YOU WILL REGRET IT IF YOU DONT I PROMISE!!! that and also get good at asking people where they are going... awkward I know but true. Okay well other than that I am pretty much drawin up blank on what to say but know I love you all and I hope you are all doing well!!!

Check out what I learned to do this morning-

Love, 姚姐妹 yes that is my name! IN CHINESE

or just plain- Love Sister Thornley Yao Jie Mei

Thursday, January 2, 2014

Ramen is so special in a very special way

Well HELLO!!!

It was so nice skyping home and seeing all of your bright beautiful faces! You all can not know how important and special you all are to me!! Justin Tisha Easton Mason and Swayzie I missed you all but I know I was in your hearts or something warm like that! Bryan I am glad to see that you no longer are masked with such a beautiful beard haha and wow I cant believe how big everyone is! Linlie Reef and Sawyer are not the same as when I left Reef is walking like he was born walking! Linlie is HUGE and Sawyers precious voice almost made me cry when she stood infront of the computer and said, "Kimmy is in Taiwan!" thank you to my brothers sisters brother in law and sisters in law for keeping me a part of their childrens lives that they havent forgetten who I am or where I am!!! IT is really sweet to know that I am really far away but I am not forgotten!

Okay so the week, well the baptism that we thought would happen did not happen. It was very sad but I am sure the Lord has something in mind for my companion and I to learn from it. She is still a daughter of God and no matter how she chooses to use her agency Heavenly Father loves her so I do TOO!!! We found a great family last week and were able to go teach them yesterday and they seem great I hope they will progress their last name is Tian2.. so yep!!! haha ah man I do not have much to write about today I am so sorry its dull. But well I love you all and I am grateful for your love and support!

Oh also the subject line above about Ramen well its very dear to my heart. Because we eat ramen all the time here and from calling home I was privledged to hear my companion sing a very inspired song about it first in english than in chinese. Turns out its her familys theme song when they eat ramen. And I even learned it! So now everyday when I eat my ramen I sing along to the Gruwell Family song of the special food Ramen!

Alright love you all!!! Have a wonderful week and a HAPPY new year!!!

-Sister Thornley

We want to wish you a merry Christmas!! Feliz navedas or whatever...

So its Christmas. For reals? This week marks my half year mark! So crazy to think what that means and to reflect on all the things I have learned sense being out here. This week I am sure is going to be very special for me and I hope for you all. We get to go to Taipei and have a Christmas activity for part of the day and then my companion and I will be returning to fill up the font and get our beautiful Yang Wen Pei ready for her baptism. Please everyone say a special prayer for her. She is such a beautiful woman who has had a challenging life. This gospel brings her hope and love. What a special opportunity for me to participate on the day of Christmas in seeing her make such a sacred covenant with the Lord to follow him.

This past week was very excellent and I am grateful for all the things we were able to do. We were able to go to a members house. I will admit I have gotten a little addicted to long bike rides in the rain racing to get to appointments on time. (:) But I am learning to plan better so its okay) My poor companion racing behind me not sure where we are going and I in my silly selfish self forgot to check behind me after a light to see if she was still there. And... luckily she kept coming straight. So anyways when we got to the house I was a little down hearted with myself for forgetting to check behind me so she didnt feel so lost and I'm sure a little scared then we were also late. I wasnt feeling very Christlike. Plus because the ride took a lot longer than we thought we would only be able to visit them for 15 minutes to make it back in time for our train. Then the member was late as well. Dropping our time to about 5 minutes. Yes a little stressful. But the Lord is so good to me in my trials. We went in and such a warm feeling of love entered into my heart. Her four young children were all so precious and it was such a comfortable feeling being in the home of two faithful parents who teach their children in the ways of the Lord. I had no idea how much I had missed being in the setting of a family working towards eternity. I was so grateful for the Lord helping us get there and being able to have the love and comfort of being amoung them. We then missed the train but it was okay as my spirits were high as we biked from YiLan back to Loudong.

This week was a week to remind me why the half hour of excersize in the morning should be taken more seriously. In addition to the long bike ride back from Yilan to loudong we made 2 additional 30 minute bike rides (one way) to visits. So I guess I should either get more serious in the morning or.. continue to set up far bike rides and force myself to get in shape that way! Haha!!!

The miracle of the week-

My companion and I had set up a nice day full of appointments we were stoked that night was also the Christmas party so that means we got to bring our precious Rei Jia to come celebrate Christs birth with us. Well.. as soon as our studies ended and we were walking out of the door we recieved calls from all of our scheduled appointments informing us the could no longer meet. So. A full day of contacting opened up. which I was not overly happy about and sad it was raining making contacting even harder. We set off and in the first hour had no success. We were drained and spiritually low. So we stopped and took a spiritual breather of reading some passages of the Book of Mormon and praying. We then began again. As we were walking down a street handing out English flyers a small road branched off. We decided we might as well go knock those few houses. WOuldn't you know it. The first house we rang 3 teenagers came out the were all family and seemed excited to be talking to us foreigners. Then the Lord blessed us. We asked if we could come back and visit with their whole family to share a message about Christ. They said yes. THey even thought their parents would be interested!!!!

But wait there is more. THen at the Christmas party one of our Phillipeno members brought two of her new co-workers and introduced us to them. (this member also served a mission before in the Phillipeans) We were able to meet with them right after the party. It was so wonderful speaking with them in English and sharing the message of Christ in my own tongue. I also was so grateful for the member (Jennifer) able to bear such strong testimony and teach them of prayer in thier tongue. I know language is no barrier for this world anymore to hear the gospel! The Prophecy that all men will hear in their own language is coming about!!!! TWO NEW INVESTIGATORS!

I love you all. Have a wonderful Christmas!!!

-Sister Thornley