Week 65 六十五週 - December 29, 2025 - 新竹 XinZhu

 大家好！！

Highlights:

     -Double Zone Christmas breakfast!

     -District Council--I am no longer in a Sistrict (scared)

     -Had Christmas happen!! We got Qinged for Christmas Eve and double qinged for Christmas :) It was a magical day!

     -Parent child park (we felt like we needed to go to a specifc park to find but when we arrive there was approximately 2 people in sight but we trusted God and made friends with 80% of the people we talked to!)

     -新竹 (XinZhu) is so fun!!!

     -Trio life is so fun!! We had to find a way to fit all three of our bikes in the elevator at the same time because there is no where else to park by our house. Reference photo below: 

 -Experienced an earthquake that rattled the cupboards

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A tribute to Elder Holland:

"People do not join the Church because of what they know. They join because of what they feel" (Elder Holland, “Witnesses unto Me”)

I look up to Elder Holland so much. He was an apostle that knew how to help people feel the gospel.

I often get stuck in the rut that if people really understood and studied the gospel, then of course they would get baptized. But this is just not the case!

They must feel it in their heart. 

Here is something that helped me feel the gospel in my heart this week: 

"I am called of God.

My authority is above that of the kings of the earth. By revelation I have been selected as a personal representative of the Lord Jesus Christ. He is my master and he has chosen me to represent Him. To stand in his place, to say and do what he himself would say and do if he personally were ministering to the very people to whom he has sent me. My voice is his voice, and my acts are his acts; my words are his words and my doctrine is his doctrine. My commission is to do what he wants done. To say what he wants said. To be a living modern witness in word and deed of the divinity of his great and marvelous latter-day work" (Elder Bruce R. McConkie)

(Thanks Grandma Harrison)

As we live as the Savior, people will feel the gospel, be converted and be healed. 

Let us live as we must.

再見！

Sister 吳ardle

Christmas breakfast 

Cool miao

Merry Christmas (this is the best humor)

3 bikes in the elevator

Christmas 請客 (Member Meal)

Costco!!

Week 64 六十四週 - December 22, 2025 - 龜山 Guishan

 大家好！

Highlights: 

     -Rachel's other daughter came to church!!

     -The Relief Society performed a K-pop piece at the Christmas party

     -Our ward gifted us the kindest and most thoughtful Christmas present ever

     -I am transferring to 新竹!!! (XinZhu) I'll be in a trio and follow up training! The West hasn't seen enough of me yet!

     -Had to say goodbye to 龜山 (Guishan) --one of the hardest goodbyes on my mission. I put everything I had into the people there.

     -請客 (Member meal) with 田姐妹 (Sister Tian)

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Alma 34:26

26 But this is not all; ye must pour out your souls in your closets, and your secret places, and in your wilderness.

I love the phrase "pour our your soul". I always thought of it as telling Heavenly Father everything; worries, happiness, gratitude, questions等等 (etc)~~~

But today I had a new insight! I thought what it would mean to literally pour your soul into the hands of God.

Our will/soul is the only thing we have to give that He doesn't already have. I love the idea that prayer is a way we can give Him our will! 

"Prayer is the act by which the will of the Father and the will of the child are brought into correspondence with each other" (Bible Dictionary: prayer)

As I get on my knees and pray with this in mind, there is a lot more 'what lack I yet' and 'thy will be done'. It has really changed the way that I pray.

So I invite all who are reading to do the same !

“Willing to Submit”

https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/general-conference/1985/04/willing-to-submit?lang=eng

Also read this talk ^^^

Merry Christmas 

再見~~

Sister 吳ardle

田姐妹 (Sister Tian)

Our Ward Christmas Present

Bye bye roommates + Christmas Outfits 

Week 63 六十三週 - December 15, 2025 - 龜山 Guishan

 大家好！！

Highlights:

     - Got to go hiking for p-day 

     - Exchange with Sister Patterson!!!

     - Went to 聖萍s (Sheng Ping) house and taught her son!

     - Went to Angela's house to help her move!

     - Both my trainers are dead! My very first companions to leave 

     - One of our ZLs died and his companion is now ZL, DL, double training and double covering 辛苦 (XingKu)

     - Rachel bought us chicken waffles I almost cried

     - Went to an insane all you can eat buffet 請客?? (Member Meal)

     - Our relief society is practicing a K-pop dance to perform at their Christmas party next week

     - Attended my first primary program here in Taiwan (I have a recording of the whole thing--our 10 year old new member performed. It was perfect)

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John 3:16

16 ¶ For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.

Christmas is amazing because it helps is focus on the love that is described in John 3:16. Gods love is culminated fully in the sacrifice of His only Begotten son!

This is the condescension of God! Nephi's vision gives us even more insight into this love:

1 Nephi 11

16 And he said unto me: Knowest thou the condescension of God?

20 And I looked and beheld the virgin again, bearing a child in her arms.

21 And the angel said unto me: Behold the Lamb of God, yea, even the Son of the Eternal Father! Knowest thou the meaning of the tree which thy father saw?

22 And I answered him, saying: Yea, it is the love of God (John3:16) which sheddeth itself abroad in the hearts of the children of men; 

26 And the angel said unto me again: Look and behold the condescension of God!

27 And I looked and beheld the Redeemer of the world...And the Lamb of God went forth and was baptized of him; and after he was baptized, I beheld the heavens open, and the Holy Ghost come down out of heaven and abide upon him in the form of a dove.

Interesting how the birth and the Savior and His baptism are both part of His condescension right?

I love that Christmas is a time to share this love. Sometimes we think of love as saying nice things, inviting someone to an activity, doing service or sharing messages about Christ 等等. (etc)

But what I learned from the angel in verse 27 just now was that to help people truly understand/experience this love, they must follow the example of our Savior, humble themselves before God, be baptized and receive the gift of the holy ghost. 

To truly love people is to do all we can to help them gain access to the ordinances of exaltation. Never let the adversary distract us :) We have the key! We are the stewards! We must do all we can! 

Merry Christmas 

(This is probably my last week in 龜山 (GuiShan) pray I stay another)

再見！

Sister 吳ardle 

Hiking p day

聖萍請客 (Sheng Ping Member Meal)

Sister Patterson exchange

Angelas house

詠潔 (Yong Jie) IS BACKKKK

鍾媽媽 (Zhong Mama)

Insane 請客 (Member Meal)

Week 62 六十二週 - December 8, 2025 - 龜山 Guishan

 大家好！

Highlights:

     - Exchange with 莊姐妹 (Sister Zhuang)!! Learned how to teach more simply 

     - Exchange with Sister Bird!! We saw SO many miracles--also found another Hadestown fanatic 

     - Exchanges with Sister Covey!!! They Biked from 中壢 (ZhongLi) so that was super awesome to have bikes YES

     - They put up a Christmas Tree in the chapel 

     - Rachel went to the temple!! And she bought us CTR rings from the Distribution center AHA

 

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3 Nephi 12

48 Therefore I would that ye should be perfect even as I, or your Father who is in heaven is perfect.

We had an interaction last week where a an unorthodox Christian man came up to us and told us we were wrong because we believe we can become as God is. I've been thinking about how grateful I am to have this truth in my life!

We were literally created for the purpose of being perfected. It is obedience to the commands of God to seek to be as He js.

And last but not least a C.S. Lewis quote about this:

"The command Be ye perfect is not idealistic gas. Nor is it a command to do the impossible. He is going to make us into creatures that can obey that command. He said (in the Bible) that we were 'gods' and He is going to make good His words. If we let him--for we can prevent Him, if we choose--He will make the feeble and filthiest of us into a god or goddess, a dazzling, radiant, immortal creature, pulsating all through with such energy and joy and wisdom and love as we cannot now imagine, a bright stainless mirror which reflects back to God perfectly (though, of course, on a smaller scale) His own boundless power and delight and goodness. The process will be long and in parts very painful, but that is what we are in for. Nothing less. He meant what He said."

C.S Lewis "Mere Christianity"

"God be thanked for the matchless gift of His divine son." (The Living Christ)

I wish everyone good luck in their quest to give up their will to God 

再見

Sister 吳ardle

Sister Bird!!

Sister Covey!!

RC (Recent Convert) temple trip!!

West Zone

長輩圖 (Pass along card)

莊姐妹 (Sister Zhuang)

Week 61 六十一週 - December 2, 2025 - 龜山 Guishan

 大家好！

Highlights:

     -Exchange with Sister Gibby on Thanksgiving! We got curry

     -Zone conference!!!

     -Exchange with Sister Hendrickson!!! 

     -詠潔 (Young Jie) got baptized!!! It was definitely one of the happiest days of my mission:) She is one of the few people I have taught from beginning to 'beginning' :) Its such a special and sacred privilege to know her!

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When I was studying how to pray better last transfer I got really into Psalms. Here is one that stood out to me: 

Pslams 22

26 The meek shall eat and be satisfied: 

I love this because it shows how being meek is actually a smarter way to live--"the only intelligent thing to do" as my friend Lawrence E Corbridge puts it. If we are meek, our life has meaning and satisfaction!

This also reminds me of one of my favorite Isaiah verses in the Book of Mormon: 

Mosiah 14

11 He shall see the travail of his soul, and shall be satisfied; 

The Saviors suffering was satisfying because of His characteristics of meekness and humbleness.

As we enter the Christmas season, I have been repeatedly struck with the humbleness of the birth of Jesus. I want to be like Him. I want to be stripped of pride. I'm so grateful for my Savior who makes it all possible :)

再見！

Sister 吳ardle

Exchange with Sister Gibby

Exchange with Sister Hendrickson

詠潔's (Yong Jie's) baptism:)

田姐妹 (Sister Tian)

Temple P-day