Spiritual Feast

Mom Note: Still waiting for pictures that she promised. Hopefully this week we will get some. This is one of my favorites from before she left:)

Gu Jiemei (Sister Giles)

This week was such a spiritual feast it was unreal. Tan Jiemei and I wish we could just have a few days to go over our notes from yesterday :) haha It was mission conference and the Lindahl's spoke. They are studs. Oh my heck. I'm so impressed by all of the married couples that serve/work here at the MTC. Tan JM and I will often talk about how we just want a love like that :) haha

My district is ridiculous :) haha We are sooo unified and I'm seriously going to be so sad when we leave the MTC and we don't see them every day anymore.We all get along really well. We're like a big family. Funny story: So the Shu Zhonglao brought a bunch of chopsticks for his mission and decided he would issue a challenge to all the Elders to try and eat with chopsticks every day. It has spiraled out of control and they have made their own constitution. The Kuaize articles I think it's called. So now they have to eat with chopsticks every meal and have rice once a day. If anyone loses, they have to wear the most hideous tie I have ever seen. Then after they wear it, they get to make it worse by adding stains and such. So it's kind of escaladed into a horrendous monster :) but it's awesome. 

So another super cool thing that happened is when we were in class this week. We've been watching little clips of people from NY times website or something and people just kind of share their life stories. Then we talk with our companion about how we would teach that person. The clip we watched was about a woman with cancer. It was so real. Don't get me wrong... I love the MTC, but I hate teaching fake investigators. The opportunity for teaching is crucial, but I just have a harder time really feeling close to/developing a relationship with fake investigators (who are our teachers). Anyways, we watched this clip and then we did a grammar exercise with our companions about how we would testify to her. I couldn't even put together two words coherently. I got very emotional. I realized that nothing I can say and nothing I can do could help this woman. I could not even put together a sentence to assuage her pains and fears. At this moment I realized the beauty of a mission. Nothing I will be doing is on my own. I'm not here to fix her. I couldn't if I tried. Jesus Christ is what can fix her. My job is to bring her to him, and then let him do the rest. It was very powerful and a big moment for me.

It was the first fast and testimony meeting we've had here. OH MY GOODNESS! I got to realize just how far my Chinese has come in the past 2 and a half weeks. I could understand almost EVERYTHING! The spirit was incredibly strong as my fellow missionaries got up and bore simple testimonies of their savior and his love for them. Then the departing (Well not really departing. #VISAPROBLEMS they should leave in 2 weeks and then they'll be stateside for a while until they get their visas. Apparently Taiwan has changed their visa laws) districts sang the closing hymn. It was beautiful. I cried and the Spirit was so strong as I realized that one day I really am going to be out there serving a mission :) haha I forget that sometimes here in the MTC. I feel like I'll always be here. 

One other awesome thing is that there is a Mandarin sister's soccer game every Saturday :) It's basically a bunch of squealing and magnet-ball. But I've never had so much fun. I loved it so much! I really got to know a bunch of new girls and we actually had almost 20 people there!! Tan JM even got into it! She says she's not very good at sports... but that's a lie :)

Alright well I'm out of time, but I love you all so much. Thank you for the support and prayers. I have literally felt them lifting me up when the days get hard. The Church is true.

Wo zhidao Yesu Jidu shi juezhe. Ta ai women. Ta ai ni! Ni keyi biande geng hao de ren ruguo ni kan moermen jing he qidao.

I love you all. Thank you again.

Gu Jiemei