HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Jan. 3, 2016

i cannot believe it is 2016... and that i'm going home in 3.5 months. wow.

the coolest thing that happened this week was that i got to go on an exchange with sister kirkham! she was my mtc companion! since we got on island we've seen each other like 3 times. she was serving in taipei when i was on the east coast, then when i moved up to taipei she moved to the east coast. finally this transfer we're in the same zone! better yet, she's my sister training leader, which means once a transfer i get to switch companions with her! so this time they decided that i'd stay in zhudong with her and my comp and her comp would go serve in their area for the day. i was pretty nervous because i've been here for 2 weeks, and if i failed it would be with someone i know and am friends with! i was also a little bit nervous because we hadn't seen each other in a loong time, so i wasn't sure how our friendship would be impacted. BUT it all turned out great! we had a good time sharing our stories about how we've used christ's atonement to change on the mission and to become better people. and of course laughed about how dumb we were in the mtc. :) and one of the best parts was that our plans didn't completely fail! we taught some good lessons, had a good time finding, and had a decent english class. it was fun to do REAL missionary work with one of my best friends.

this week was a really successful week as far as the work goes. we were just 1-2 lessons away from reaching all of our goals! and i've really been able to see our investigators change and learn through the gospel. it's the best feeling. 2 of my favorite investigators are Amy, Chao Wen Jing, and her mom, Xiao Su Qin. Amy is 19 and it's just her and her mom at home. i remember the first time i met with them they were so loud and didn't really listen to us and just kept talking and arguing. now they sit quiet through the lesson and their answers are so good!.. most of the time(; they are really learning how this gospel can help their family and why it is important. they pray and read the scriptures together almost everyday. i am so proud of the changes they've made and i really hope they'll be able to meet their 1/23 baptismal goal. pray for them! :)

last thing real quick. i just watched this mormon message about the new year called look not behind thee. it's been a problem i've had on my mission a little bit. looking back to bad times and regretting or feeling guilty, or looking back to times that seemed better than what i'm doing right now and wishing i could go back to the old area or comp. but we can't live like that. we have to keep moving forward, just like i said last week. this video was a good reminder that at the new year we should look to the good things to come. look to hope and light. look to Christ. 

love y'all!

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

-Sister Oviatt