Feb 5 2012

Hey mom to first answer your question about my companion and mine relationship- it's good, but not great. The hardest thing is the language barrier, If I speak English and he knows all the words he still sometimes misses the meanings, and my Chinese still isn't anything great. Also the cultural differences make our teaching styles different and it hurts the investigators’ impression of our unity I think, but we definitely enjoy each other and love working with each other. We had interviews with the president and he told me that I was privileged to have him as a companion, and that I can learn many things from him that I can't learn from anyone else on the mission; he has an absolutely amazing conversion story and life story. Pretty much his cousin gave him the Book of Mormon because he was searching for a way to help his broken family, and he read it, searched out the missionaries so he could get baptized. He did and his family saw the difference. His mom dad and sister all got baptized later, and their family has healed so much. He then felt he should go on a mission so worked for less than 5 dollars a day to pay for it and got a bit of money but not enough, so his mom started a job to support him. An amazing story. I think he is the first missionary from Malaysia to serve in Taiwan.

About this last week, we are working our tail off and have been finding people, but not many miracles were coming through, like we found a golden 18 year old who family opposes him getting baptized, we found a family whose mother used to be a member and loved missionaries, but stopped coming to church because the grandpa was Presbyterian and didn't want them to go to our church, so they set up but fell through on their appointment. Or all our best finds were out of our area, so a little disappointing week. Then yesterday 5 investigators came to church and liked it! It was a huge miracle. There also was an 11 year old who I had befriended the day before and had raced because he was on a track team a--he won (I was wearing a 15 pound bag and Sunday shoes...) But I invited him and he came all by himself. It was so great, and then we had one investigator who loved it, and had only met once with us. He came that night with us to the bishop’s home for dinner and he felt the family feeling and then we watched The Restoration and bore testimony. He was so excited he was so willing to read daily and pray daily and come to church, so yeah, miracles happen.

Spiritual thought for the week, I love how 4 Nephi has a lot of Provo references. The first one was 1-they rebuilt cities where the old ones had burnt (The tabernacle), they multiplied and given in marriage quickly, and gathered together oft to hear the word of the lord and pray and fast.

I love you all so much.

Elder Matthew Sabey

Jan 28, 2012

Hey everyone, love you all,

Well it was intresting reading mom and dads letters- Moms first sentence was "it was a hard and sad week, and dad's was, "it was a great week". It's interesting how emphatic mom is, and how hard things for other people hurt her too. That is christ like; however living your life and being optimistic and making the best of circumstances like dad is also christlike. You two are so great for each other. I am so glad you are not separated. Thanks.

Well mom I got some news that might cheer you up, I asked the patriarch if he remembered you and showed him a picture and he called over someone else who was so happy to see your picture and said, "Bia jeimei?" she called over another and another one who creid, "Bailisha!" and another said, "She shanged ke with me, my fuyin jeimei.  (She taught me the gospel lessons)  A Xu (I think shufangshang because he said he was a long investigator) dixiong. They all were so happy to see your picture and all remembered you. I hope that in 25 years the people in the places I serve will remember me. I think Su jeimei will email you and send you a picture of us soon. She was so glad to see your picture she took a picture of us annd asked for your email. It really was probably the highlight of the week for me. There are only a few members in our ward that were members when you were there and they all remember you. Thanks, what a legacy.

I am so glad to be serving a mission, now a thought hit me this week, I am not counting time but in 4 days I will have been on my mission for 6 months. I feel like I just got out still but clearly 6 months isn't a greeny any more. It's gone by so fast I almost had a panic attack. I only have so much time, and then it will be over, just like life which I am about 1/4 of the way through also, it was shocking to realize. Missions really are a small life. I was born in Longtan, have no idea where I will die but just need to make the best of my time here in Taoyuan and rely on the lord. I was a little shocked and concerned, but then I read the plan of salvation remembered I still have eternity and it doesn't end in this life, nor does my mission end in Taiwan or this life. If we rely on the lord and his plan we need not fear.

So this week I got to go on exchanges with the AP's annd we saw a few miricles like we got to teach a woman who has cancer and I told her this was gods arrangememnt to have us meet her and she said, "yes it was."   Then we prayed and felt (this was one of the first times I really felt so good about one place that I knew it wasn't just me) we should go off plan and go to a park where I taught a family and he taught a student. It was amazing. Then later that day after a few events that lead to a place that we obviously had no idea where god was leading us, we went tracting and for the first time on my mission I was let in and was able to shang ke (have a lesson) with them. I learned some things from that exchange like the people here really are not that diffrent than in Longtan. If you just befreind them they will trust you. That I applied the next day and saw more miracles, I got a kid(18) from off the street to tour the chapel and taught him prayer. He said in his closing prayer, "Thank god for allowing me to meet these two missionareis and them helping me feel your existence and love towards me. That's a payday right there. I am excited to meet with him again. Then later I was riding away from that lesson and saw a school girl but didn't really want to talk to her, but I knew I was supposed to talk to everyone so I did probably one of the worst contacts and asked if she wanted to come to chuch and she said, "yes," and so I broght her to the sisters and they taught her and she became a new invesigaor.

Spiritual thought for the week, in 3 Nephi 18 Christ talks about how the Nephitess saw greater miracles than all the house of Isreal, and the only miraculous thing in that chapter was a prayrer that words could not "utter." One that was understood by the heart not ears. This was more miraculous then the parting the Red sea and raising the dead or all the healings. The power of prayer is that powerful. I believe hat christ prays for us as he did the nephites. I believe we will some day hear that miraculous prayre. Mom the only advice I can give you which I wouldn't be suprise you are already doing is pray for those that have dispitefully used you. pray for Brook,Dr. Z, or anyone else. I know you are not a hater, and I often think of and feel your love for me and others. Thanks again

I love you all,

Elder Matthew Sabey