Sept 24, 2012

Hey family! 

I love you all so much. Sounds like we will be doing 2 hours of email these next 2 transfers. So you can write me as much as you want and I will still have time to respond. So no more excuses for not writing a long letter (Josh, Dad (a few weeks ago), any one else who might be looking for an excuse not to write much to me.) 

So training is going well. My companions name is Richmond Thornley (facebook- Richmond Stirling Thornley), he was his high schools prom king so yeah. He is great and trusts me completely which is a good feeling and a huge responsibility. Kind of like a real baby. I have to help him learn how to talk, I have to help him get food and make it a transition from soft American food to hard Taiwanese food, teach him how to be a good missionary. My letter to president says a lot.

Here is my letter to president

Hey president,

 I am excited to be training and I love my companion. He is so humble and willing to do anything I tell him which makes things so easy. His Chinese is great, and he can be a fun person to talk to. But he is having a hard time adjusting to Taiwan, and becoming an agent and just going and working without me telling him what to do. I would love any advice. Every companionship study till now he has cried and I think a part of it is the spirit but I think a lot of it is he misses home and is having a hard time. I never really had that experience, so it is hard for me to relate, but I am praying/pleading for guidance and have received some revelation which has helped, I am just giving him tons of time to talk and ask questions, and try to always get his advice, and sharing an inspiring scripture daily. I feel like he completely trusts me which is so great. Our relationship is good, I love him and truly want to help him. But he is also fairly introverted so I don't know exactly how he feels about me. I believe he feels I am pushing him hard, which is true, but I am trying my best to slowly give him more and more responsibility like D&C suggests. 

  Miracles: Yesterday we saw a huge miracle! We were tracking and ran into a family with a 10 year old son and 6 year old daughter. They were so nice, and set up a time for us to come back next Sunday at 7:30. I enjoy tracking and have found around 4 new investigators from it on my mission, however I have only found a family once and they didn't let us come back. I am so excited for next Sunday.  There were many other miracles, like we got to attend a baptism this week which helped us focus our goals and was a great experience. Also the wards are so excited to have another companionship in their area, and already are supporting us. 

  The new area has two investigators that other missionaries were teaching and they are both set up for next week. I have contacted both bishops and am going to meet with them this next week. I wanted to do it the first night but didn't have their numbers. When I got here I felt like there was nothing missionary-wise going on in our area. I felt a large burden of responsibility, but I at church I talked with a few families and set them up, and have been calling many people and getting set ups.  I feel like the ball is starting to move but I feel by the end of this transfer our area will be thriving. It is hard work but exciting. I am so excited to see the miracles of meeting with members and the bishops. I have been trying hard to get the wards trust and am trying hard to catch your vision of missionary work. I believe it was inspired and am excited to tell you miracles next week. 

 I feel like am learning a lot as a missionary because I have never been senior companion or trainer before. I have never opened an area, I have never focused on relationships with the ward, and never contacted with a companion before. I,in many ways, feel as much of a greeney as my companion. But believe we are doing what the lord would have us do, and I am still so happy when working.

My language development is going ok, I can pretty much read the Book of Mormon now, which is exciting.

This is my report. Anything else you would want me to report on? Any other suggestions? 

  Love you and pray for you,

Elder Sabey  

So I am in a huge transition phase with a huge responsibility. It is kind of crazy, but I am happy, mostly because I have a new companion. It makes such a huge difference  having a good companion. I am glad for Brian and Dia and believe they will be a great companionship. I read in Mathew 19 I believe about how marriage is becoming one flesh one with the other, that is sealed by god and divorcee is bad because it is ripping apart that which god sealed together. Kind of cool. 

  Spiritual thought this week- 2 Nephi 25:26 and 26:24-25 are so great. Christ will not do anything that is not for our benefit and wants us to be happy, and we do that by rejoicing in him. Preaching of him, testifying of him. I believe that is the other reason I am so happy, even though have a lot of stress and responsibility.

  Love you all

Elder Sabey