April 3, 2016

So basically this week was ridiculously long. And I love my companion Sister Xiao because she worked so hard this week under such high pressure.

Long story short, that I'll tell you more about when I get home, my recent convert, from January, Xiao Su Qin JM, got in a car accident on Thursday night. We had just met with her and her daughter Wen Jing, and gone off to our next lesson. They had just finished eating dinner and were walking home, when they were crossing the road and Xiao JM, who was behind Wen Jing, got hit by a truck that was bringing furniture from Taipei down to Zhudong. Somehow she made it out with just a gash on the back of her head, a concussion, and then has some blood clotting in her brain. No broken bones or anything else. MIRACLES. She got rushed off to the ER and the first person Wen Jing called for help after the ambulance was us. So we rushed out to XinZhu to help them, because 1. they are my RC's and I love them, 2. they have no family living within like 2 hours of here, and they're not willing to help at all. AND 3. this weekend is a huge holiday weekend in Taiwan, so all the members were all over the island, not in Zhudong.

So then life was crazy. She was immediately given 3 stitches in the back of her head and then rushed to the ICU where she'll be until probably Tuesday morning. (Pray that she is able to get out by then!) My Chinese is good... when I have to teach the gospel. But when you have to deal with car accidents and insurance and medical terms. NO. But luckily God has a plan and I have a Taiwanese companion. So from Thursday night to now she's had to answer ENDLESS phone calls from, the hospital, the bishop, their extended family members, the people who hit them, their social workers, random ward members who want to know what's going on, and others. She's had to figure out where they money's gonna come from to pay for all the medical bills, where Wen Jing will stay while her mom's in the ICU, and then go tell the family members, people who hit them, and the social workers everything that's going on. She's had an continual headache from Thursday til now. She is such a rock star though. She's been so helpful, patient, and loving to everyone through this high stress situation.

My head is hurting now. I don't know what else to say. It's been a crazy last 3-4 days. We have complained a lot about this dumb holiday, their dumb family, and other dumb things that have been completely out of our control. But this morning in comp study we talked about the assurances we've received from the Lord that we've been doing what He wants us to do. Sister Xiao told me about when we visited Xiao JM last night, she looked at Xiao JM and felt that all the stress and time and annoyance was worth it and that the Lord recognized our sacrifice and was proud of us. I had the same assurance as we visited her and I sang "There is a Green Hill Far Away" to help her still feel the spirit of the sacrament, even though she couldn't take it. Her eyes just glowed with the spirit yesterday, and we knew that Heavenly Father was taking care of her and watching over her. There were truly angels in the ICU this weekend.

Doctrine and Covenants 84:88 says, "I will go before your face. I will be on your right hand and on your left, and my Spirit shall be in your hearts, and mine angels round about you, to bear you up." I know that this promise is TRUE. It's true not only for Xiao JM, not just for me and my companion as we take care of all this stuff, but it's also true for YOU. I know He is always with us. He is always watching over us, working with us, and strengthening us. I hope we are all willing to recognize and accept His divine help.

Have a good week! :) (sorry this email may not have made a lot of sense. my head's still not quite right after this weekend.)

-Sister Oviatt