Friends and family... I am leaving the country on Wednesday... Only because I am being transferred to WALES!!!! Woot! I am going to Wrexham to serve with one of the new Chinese speaking Sisters, Sister Lee. President also told me during my transfer call that I will be training in June. Woah. I am grateful to know in advance that I will be training in next month. I'm not sure how other missionaries do it were they only find out less than a week before haha. What can I say? The Lord knows me too well and is helping me to prepare for that moment. I hope I will be ready for the challenges ahead.
Leaving the Manchester YSA after being here for 3 transfers is going to be sad. REALLY sad. There is just so much good happening in the YSA even though this past transfer has been a hard one since our investigators dropped off the face of the map with exams. Not to mention I will miss my recent converts and the members here soo much. It will be sad not to be in the YSA with Sister Merrill for her last transfer. The good news is I will be able to see her a few times here and there before she goes home.
That being said, I am looking forward to going to Wales. Change is always good. It is hard, but it is good. I like to say it is the catalyst to growth. I have high hopes for my time in Wrexham. I hope that in just one transfer I can become Sister Lee's good friend. I hope to build strong relationships with the members of the ward. I hope to find, teach, and baptize kingdom buildings. Those are just a few of my hopes.
The trial we have been facing with our investigators falling into a state of oblivion called exam time and having no consistency to our teaching pool has allowed me to realize just how precious those first few moments with an investigator are and how crucial it is to establish a relationship of support, encouragement, and love from the get go. I think we tried our best with our previous investigators but now I will work at being better. I hope new investigators will feel how much we care and that will help them be more committed to meeting with us even when life gets busy.
Evangeline, a member for a year now, is going to the temple soon to take out her endowment. Amazing! I love her so much. She is such a great example to the rest of the Chinese recent converts. On Sunday she fellowshiped our two investigators Xiao Qi and Melody. Both of them are currently in a fragile stage of their conversion and they were able to openly ask questions they had about knowing there was a God. They have already both witnessed the happiness and love they feel from the members and missionaries. I explained that it was the light of Christ in us from the gospel and not us alone. We read Alma 32:28 together and encouraged them to continue to be diligent in praying, reading, and coming to church so that they could know this is true for themselves.
We have been helping out at a local food parcel volunteer group. It has been so uplifting for us. One of the members of the YSA that goes to get food parcels there has been telling us we have had a great impact on the people that come for food parcels as we have greeted them. He said we have been giving them hope. I definitely feel like our service at the food parcel bank is leaving a good impression about the church on those we serve and serve around.
Lately, we have been teaching about the Sabbath through the Book of Mormon. We run into so many students that are so busy with exams that use the Sabbath to study and do course work. It is so important that they are aware of why Heavenly Father desires for us to keep the Sabbath. One girl we taught from Mosiah 13 about the Sabbath in particular was convinced by the power of the verses and has committed her self to come next Sunday.
I bore a departing testimony in the YSA ward on Sunday and I ended my testimony on the stand by speaking Chinese to the few Chinese investigators in attendance. Those who weren't members yet were surprised, especially the Chinese. One of those Chinese that was at sacrament came with his friend, who is currently dated for batpism, to church for the first time on Sunday. I spoke to him after Sacrament and he was so surprised that I could speak Chinese (I love surprising people like that haha). He also was well fellowshipped and I heard he enjoyed Priesthood class. Because of his great experience and the combined efforts of both the members and missionaries, he now he wants to be baptized. By some miracle he was dated right after church! I love how the Lord can use many of us as an instrument to help just one person come unto their Savior and be baptized.
One of my favorite scriptures from personal study this week would have to be Alma 36:3:
''And now, O my son Helaman, behold, thou art in thy youth, and therefore, I beseech of thee that thou wilt hear my words and learn of me; for I do know that whosoever sh
all put their trust in God shall be supported in their trials, and their troubles, and their afflictions, and shall be lifted up at
the last day.''
I know that as we turn to the Lord in our trials He will carry us safely through.
With love,
Sister Jordan
p.s- Thank you family for the lovely birthday package! I love everything :) The birthday cards are the best
Probably my last time seeing the Man United Football stadium
Breakfast at Bishop's
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