Chinese New Year!!!

Chinese New Year fun with this cute Nie nie!

So I don't know if I've mentioned this before, but shortly after Lin Jun Nan was baptized he went back into the hospital. It's pretty far from where we live, but we had the blessing of going to visit him this week after MLC in Taipei.

His body is doing a lot better than the last time we saw him! And his Spirits are up significantly. He even got up and walked around with us for a little bit! Then I jokingly asked him if he could dance for us too, he then proceeded to do a little cha cha cha. :) We're so thankful for all that he has taught us.

Two of my biggest blessings, Sister Meyers & the temple!!!

Dear Family & Friends,
A few things from this last week:

1- The earthquake:

Mom asked if I woke up during the earthquake. NOPE. My companion did though! The only thing I actually woke up from that night was my roommate going to the bathroom. Right after that I quickly fell back asleep. haha #TOOTIRED. It has been really cool though to see the Taiwanese people join together in prayer for these people. There were a lot of testimonies on Sunday that talked about this disaster and God's plan. I think it's been very uniting.

2- CHINESE NEW YEAR (Guonian) has arrived:
Here is a little bit of info about Chinese New Year. The celebrations go on for about 10 days. Pretty much everything closes down as people go to visit family.  7/11, Family Mart and McDonald's are open! haha. But other than that, nothing's really open. We got a lot of dumplings and cakes given to us though so we should last until the end of the week :) We've also got people feeding us every single day. There are some fireworks, but they're not as fun in a place like Yonghe because you can't see anything with so many buildings. I also think other than firecrackers there's not much that's legal here. On specific days during Chinese New Year, there are different kinds of traditions. Yesterday there were actually quite a few people still in Yonghe, but today there won't be as many because of the tradition to go back to your Mother's family's house. As missionaries we visit with members and their friends and share a message with them. The tradition is to hand out red envelopes filled with little toys, candy, or money. We give out red envelopes with a little gospel message and our pictures:) Since this year is the year of the monkey we will share a message using a "Monkey Trap" as an object lesson! I'll let you know how that goes next week:)haha.

Yay! So here's a picture of our very first Guonian qingke. It was FILLED with non-members and we were able to give every one of them a hongbao with our Guonian picture and a referral card where they could write their information and meet missionaries. It was so much fun to be surrounded by that family feeling again. It really was just like Christmas. 

3- Mission Leadership Conference:

I love MLC. I always leave feeling a little bit overwhelmed, but I think it's such a big blessing to see what exactly the Lord wants us to do. There's a lot of revelation happening. I also think it's interesting to see how MLC has evolved since I've been an STL. It's really changed from trainings, to discussions. President is very very open and wants to help us as much as he can. He's also one of those people who always answers your question with a question. He's the best :)

Mission Leadership Conference

4- Most important lesson I learned this week:

The most important lesson I learned this week... Wow. This has been quite a week. I think I've learned a lot about enduring to the end. Trials and challenges will inevitably come, but I know that prayer helps. I really gained a testimony of that just this morning! This past week was one of the hardest of my mission. I had forgotten to rely on the Lord. I had forgotten that this is HIS work. I felt that all of my weaknesses went on a rampage and I couldn't escape. Then my companion asked me a very inspired question,"Are you allowing your weaknesses to make you humble or proud?" She nailed me. I had been so proud and not turning to the Lord during my hour of need. I needed to trust and really rely on him. So I repented! And I prayed. I REALLY prayed. And guess what? Nothing's changed. I'm still me, I still have all my weaknesses, our investigators are still struggling, our area's the same, but all of a sudden I  feel filled with hope. It's all about prayer. I love this work and I love my Savior. I testify that the Spirit truly is the comforter. He is there for us when we need him. 

I love you all and I am so thankful for your support and prayers!!

Gu Jiemei

Our hats that turn into scarves:)

Our MM Leader and his wife keep giving us gifts! This week it was the fancy hats! they also double as scarves! Have I worn it every day? ... Maybe.

Fancy hat from the side. Something interesting about Sister Giles, when planning in the winter, I always feel like I have to have something on my head. You can ask any of my winter-time companions haha. Whether it's a scarf, a hood, or a hat, I just have to have something there.

Oh how I love exchanges. This week I got to go out with Sister Tiffany Good. It was so much fun and I was really inspired by her energy during finding. She's also really good at connecting with people by just being who she is. I loved it and I learned so much :)