The Plan is True

I want to bear testimony to all that I know that the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints is true. That the Plan of Salvation is true. And one day we will all be restored to life again. Because of Christ we will live. 

This week was as I am sure you can all understand a bit different than the average. But I hope also that you may all know that our mission is doing well we are all a family and all understand the plan so we are not devastated. 

Now, who wants to hear some miracles?!

This last week sister Nelson and I were serving at the chapel next to the temple and we had the unfortunate opportunity of it raining very very large rain drops. And no one set up time to do a tour with. So out we were going to go but a very small voice whispered to me, You silly Sister Thornley look at her. She needs you to talk to her. on my left was a woman sitting there. As we began talking with her. We found out she was a member but for many years had not gone to church. And today was accompanying her brother who insisted that she waited for him while he went to the temple. 

We invited her to do a tour with us around the chapel. Where we show them paintings and talk and testify of Christ. 

I was so nervous for the first time in my mission to recite the first vision to this woman. But as I did the spirit touched her. The rest of the tour was full of the spirit guiding us to the paintings she needed to see and to say the words she needed to hear. 

By the end a form of love had grown between my companion and I and this Sister. For the first time sense her joining the church she felt a hope that she could have a Savior who could help her change. 

Because of time today that is the only story I can share with you. But know that the spirit is with us and guiding us to those who need the gospel. 

Also being a missionary rocks we are given so much fun free stuff! I was given a very nice guitar this week. I'll send a picture to ya and you can all start praying that I can learn to play it!

I love you all very much. Treasure the moments we are given. 

-Sister Thornley

The Trial

This week was a lot of fun! We got to do exchanges with four of our sisters here. They are all so amazing I am always inspired by them and their faith! 

My companion and I have found ourselves in a bit of a rough spot. This last planning session that missionaries have once a week to set goals and stuff we realized that we had no investigators with baptismal dates that were still valid. It was a bit heart braking. And as we wipped off their names from the whiteboard we felt the physical weight drop on us to go out and find more people. It was a huge trial to me to have a zero there. to have no one and it really humbled me to my knees and pleading with the father to allow us to find those who would desire to come unto him. It was not an automatic answered prayer. But we are so blessed. Every week we see the Father make us go to the edge of all we can do then step a little farther and then he blesses us. This sundaywe were able to set dates with a couple Brother Lin and Siter Chen. They are really sweet and have a desire to improve their lives. 

I am trying to think of something funny to share with you all... All I am coming up with are the interesting ways people rejected us this week haha which...are only funny if you know the chinese culture.. 

I am doing really well and very happy! I found that this months trials have really helped me improve as a disciple of Christ and really rely on him. It was also a bit of a refining process for me to correct my motives from getting high numbers at the end of the week and having others be able to see that we are doing our very best and be able to trust us as leaders to really realizing that deep down it was a very prideful and unrighteous motive behind my actions. And Heavenly Father helped me realize it and change. I encourage you all to take a look in the mirror and find where you are not giving yourself to the Lord and then give it up. To be sanctified is to give your whole self to him. Not to just do what he wants you to do but to BE the person he wants you to be. 

It was interviews week this week with our mission president i am really constantly impressed with the knowledge of President Day. He is so Christlike! I am so grateful for him and all he does for me! 

OH! AND I PASSED THE TEST! here in our mission we have a language study plan so that we can have a clear direction of how to learn this language cause there is so many area's you can learn in. and you have to pass a vocab test before we start learning how to read and write characters, and I FINALLY passed it! NOw just to memorizing 3000 characters so taht I can come home fluent in chinese :) its going to happen! 

Well i love you all lots!! Have a great week!

-Sister Thornley

 waffles! yummy it was full of oreo crumbs and whipped cream!

 the home of a less active that we went searching for

 and the MRT 

 hehe my cute companion.. she knelt in prayer and I wanted a picture that we had matching shirts and then she heard the camera noise as i tried a second time to get a better picture...ha   ha   ha... :)

 oh and then after when It was sleep time i was curious how good the flash worked... :) worked pretty good. 

 This funky thing that a member gave us yesterday its for a holiday here and they wrap em up in leaves. Usually inside is rice and meat this morning was... a bit of a surprise... yuck. 

then instead I decided to eat american for lunch instead.

Hello family! Love you guys a lot!

This week was really great. I learned so much about what it means to have faith. In a very real sense of having it -not a lot. But enough. Small enough yet the pure kind so miracles can happen. It was a very incredible week. I thank you all for your prayers I felt them this week strengthening me. Thank you. Truly angles are walking beside us. 

My favorite story from this week was last night. There is a member here that wanted sister Gagons bike sense she went home. We bargained with her. We would bring it to her if she would help us that night go finding with us. She agreed. We got to the place of meeting and she wasnt there gave her a call she was about 15 minutes away problem- we had a lesson and another member waiting for us cause we were going to split work. I start getting impatient and a little frustrated with her not good i know. Anyway she gets there and i tell her i am so sorry but we are going to need to bike a little fast. she says alright. Welll.... i took off and look behind they arent there... turn back around she had fallen off the bike. She tells us the brakes are too good and she stopped too soon so fell off... :) hehe  Get her up start going again we come up on a bit of a curb and...she falls off again. I am doing all I can not to laugh as we help her up as she is on the ground in the splits in her skirt. help her up again trade her put her on my bike and i take the more beaten up one start going (the bike actually had no problems) got there safely and then as I start letting her know I care and stuff turns out she very rarely rides a bike. I about died! :) what i learned, first ask the taiwanese member if they can ride a bike before planning to bike a long ways. second thing i learned I lvoe the taiwanese so very much they are the best people ever. Such an example to me. 

well guys... thats about it. I love you very much!

-Sister Thornley

A new companion. Operation-"okay Sister thornley do you remember all sister Gagon taught you"

So my companion Sister Gagon is now a returned missionary! So weird. SO so weird. And I now have a new companion Sister Nelson from Idaho! She is awesome. Here family is exactly the same as mine which is a bit weird. Also she went to SUU too.. also went there to do ballroom... mmhmmm... a little freaky. I love her to death she is such a sweet heart and super dedicated to the mission. Now the only trick will be remembering how to get everywhere and who everybody is here! Good thing this isn't my work and I can lean on Heavenly Father to know it all! 

It was a really good week we worked really hard every day. Saturday we had a special day... of no set ups so straight walk outside contacting all day. It was really cool we met some really awesome people! I love being in Taipei its really easy to have tons of people to talk to its hard to find those who will stand still and listen. But still possible.

 I am learning over and over again just how much the Lord is in charge of this all. Yesterday at church we had no investigators there. But one had told us she would come. She wasnt there and wasnt picking up her phone. We had no other way to get in contact with her and I felt so completely helpless. But I love those moments they are so good to me because I find I often forget that if I rely on me we will fail and that I need to trust in Heavenly Father. To have complete faith in him. So I bowed my head and prayed. I know that Heavenly Father is very aware of his children. As sacrament meeting started she walked in and sat down. Very grateful that what we are sharing is true. 

I spooked my mom about the typhoon last week. No worries our mission President takes very good care of us. He had our district leaders all call and let us know the day before it would be coming and that we were to watch carefully the weather and that when it started to really blow we were to return home immediately. 

I am excited for today! We are going to the mission office ( about 10 minutes away) and making cookies with our mission presidents wife Sister Day! She is the greatest woman ever besides mom. She really takes good care of us all. If you could remember her in your prayers she is such a trooper but has been having some health issues lately. We dont know what because they wont tell us but I know she is in a lot of pain. Please pray for her. 

I invite you all to join with our mission this month and improve our Christlike attributes. Because of the restored gospel it is possible for us to become like Christ. That is our goal. As He has invited us to follow him the invitation is for us to become like him. I love you all! 

Shout out to Bryan! what a cool goal to start working on our family history I will pray for your guys success!!!

-Sister Thornley

Hello Family! This week was really awesome! Joy was baptized!!! It was so great! She and another 8 year old girl were baptized. The cute little 8 year old had to be... uhm?? immersed 4 times. Her little elbow kept stickin out :) But Joy was once and good! She rocks! The rest of the week was pretty standard. We are working really hard to fill up our investigator pool again and get more investigators with baptismal dates for August. We met with a boy yesterday Huang er Chen. It was really sad. He is studying in college right now and told us he really hopes that there is really a God and that He will watch out for him. We were so excited to share with him the message of the restoration and the truth of our Heavenly Father. I saw his eyes light up and knew that he knew what we were saying was true. He even expressed a small belief right off of Joseph Smith's experience. We asked him that when he came to know that our message was true if he would follow the example of Christ and be baptized. He said YES! We then worked to set a date with him... this is where it gets sad. The taiwanese in general are so so so wrapped up in studying and testing (its not a stereotype its true.)That as we showed him the lessons we would teach to help him get ready he didnt want to set a date because he couldnt dedicate that much time to coming to God. It broke my heart. So many people want Heavenly Fathers help but arent willing to receive it. But...I have faith one day he will get it and accept the gospel! As far as anything else... yikes. I really am not sure what to tell you all. The stories are all blending together of what I have and have not told you. OH!. yikes. So today I got an email from my President informing me that my mission date has been changed. I will be returning home December 31. So... I will have 4 days to get ready to go back to college. I will need all of your help getting me ready for that. It will probably be a slap in the face of culture shock.. Oh and there was also a typhoon here! That was fun! The wind was crazy and ripped out a few trees! Yep.. thats pretty much it. I love you all be safe!

-Sister Thornley

 Sister Gagon's little guy with the new thing our mission is workin on getting our eye single to the glory of God! 

 We were doing temple square tours while I was on exchanges with Sister Call.. we found this little guy in the chapel and had to get him out... 

 Our stairs :) 

 Buying breakfast after exercise!

 My little sister Sister Wu

 The baptism!!

 :) Sister Gagon and I waiting while Joy walked to the font

Sister Zheng after being baptized! 

The week of no email from the parents....

Hello everyone!

 

Good news is that I am still alive!

 

BEST NEWS IS WE ARE HAVING A BAPTISM THIS SATURDAY!

Alright so everyone this week was really such a great week. there was only one day of the seven that I was with my actual companion due to tons of exchanges with sisters and from trainings. But what I learned from the week was the importance of becoming a Preach My Gospel missionary. I want to invite and encourage you all to look at it. There are principles you all can use in it!!!

Recently

 Taipei 101

 Sister smedly from going to Hualian and sweating so so so bad;)

 Morning breakfast time!

 The temple from our window as doing facebook

  We are now using facebook... yep thats how we feel about it.

 Anyone recognize her?? SISTER WENHIEMER FROM THE MTC!!!

 Sister Gagon and I with MANGO ICE

 uhm.. and what i really look like here in Taiwan...

 and the nice welcome home surprise we were given one night. This thing was the literally the size of an outstretched not baby sized sister thornley hand. It was HUGE AND CRAZY flipping fast. it took us an hour to kill it. not kidding. one hour.

The final effects of it. Like for reals check out the fatness of that guys legs. It grosses me out even now. I thought it was going to eat me. 

his is a baptismal font at one of the chapels here in taipei. and their chapel. I was shocked. The importance of having melchezidic preisthood is big. not enough no way to build a new chapel