Peterson's In Taiwan: November 2018

Dear Family and Friends,
Happy Holidays--meaning Halloween, Thanksgiving and Christmas! 😍--where have the weeks gone? We are so grateful for you! We have been writing a lot--just not writing home! Writing talks for stake conferences (7), ward sacrament meeting speaking assignments (5), zone conferences (2)and trainings! (4) and have thus neglected to write home til now so thank you for your patience as well as your love and greatly appreciated prayers and support. I feel I need to write to thank my Heavenly Father for all He has given me. Hen Faichang ganxie!

I am so grateful for the kindness of people! We had a family (The Becks) in our ward here in Taipei on Nov 18 who invited all the Senior missionary couples over for a Thanksgiving dinner where the youth had fixed all the food and come up with games and activities for us. The food was incredible. I literally was moved to tears--not just that the food was so good but because of the thought and the love put into everything just to help us all feel appreciated. The spirit was there in abundance because of the love extended and felt. We were each given the opportunity after dinner to express gratitude about--either an item, a person, an experience or a food. Mike's Dad had food and he expressed gratitude for the miracle that they had strawberry pretzel jello! This was a Peterson tradition they had every year at home and yet here it was part of the spread here to help him feel at home. So sweet. And Win expressed gratitude for her mother as a person she looked up to and shared so many great memories with. She shared that a few weeks before she died, she had some soup and called her mom to see if she'd come over and make Danish dumplings with her. She did and they had such a wonderful time. She was so grateful she had spent that time with her because her passing was not expected just a few weeks later. My thoughts of gratitude shared were to be about an item. I thought of two: My missionary tag and the Book of Mormon. As Mike shared about the Book of Mormon for his feelings of gratitude, I shared about my gratitude for my missionary tag and the privilege of being a representative of Jesus Christ each day. I was also grateful for it because without it I wouldn't have met each of these amazing youth and ward members and other senior couples whom we have grown to love serving shoulder to shoulder with--the Yens and the Chous and the temple couples--Goodwins, Funks, Juangs, Pengs, Wilhelms and Browns and of course our 160 angelic young missionaries! I literally could hardly stop crying as I shared and even as we left the Beck's beautiful apartment that night. (Found out it was the same apartment the King's good friends the Gordons lived in! Gorgeous! and they are good friends too with the Gordons.) But God Bless the Beck family and their children and ward youth who will never know how they touched my heart. They were the representatives of Christ that night, though without "tags", comforting us and helping us feel part of a family in making room at their table for us. I'll never forget that tender mercy of being blessed to feel part of a family and a cozy beautiful home that night while being far from ours. They even offered to help us with our Thanksgiving feast we had that week with all our missionaries! But fortunately we had everything covered!

We received an outpouring of help from the Senior couples to make that all happen and so God bless the Senior couples and my sweet Mike who cooked and cut 10 turkeys and Mike's Dad --Elder Peterson--who helped carve them all and put them in the freezer over these last few weeks. We had the best potatoes and gravy and stuffing (thank you Win and Sis Chao who helped do that and Wilhelms and Brunettes who stuffed suitcases with stuffing for us from the States) and we had homemade cranberry sauce, yummy salad and corn and then pumpkin pie for dessert! Bless Costco for that! The Wilhelms grandchildren were there and they helped cut up and serve all 13 pies with whipped cream and a smile--the best topping of all! It truly felt like home as we enjoyed a feast of gratitude with so many of our missionaries like a big family. Being with them truly helped fill the ache in our hearts to be with our family. Ping Baba said to one missionary there--this kinda feels like home to which they replied-- "even better!" Perhaps they have a difficult family situation at home but more likely they are feeling the joy of being with their fellow servants in fultime service on this Thanksgiving Day. It truly was one of the most joyous Thanksgivings I've ever known and I think that is because I've never felt so grateful for my blessings nor felt the love of God more in my life! It was so joyous being with all these amazing missionaries and feeling their love.

It was intoxicating and yes innoculating too :) As it is flu season, We gave them a shot in the arm after! Literally! And that whole process only took an hour and a half to do all 160. Bless Dr. Liu and his wife and staff! Several missionaries were really nervous and told me they always pass out when they get a shot. I had a couch ready for them but nobody needed it. I told them they would be fine and gave them a Hi Chew to eat so they wouldn't think about the shot and I think it worked! Nobody fainted and I was so grateful for that and that it all worked as planned!!! Bless the Lius (and the HiChews!)

The next day we had a feast with our Hualien Zone down in Taitung where Mike ordered Beping duck for them! We bought the last four pumpkin pies at Costco and carried them on the plane and brought our two amazing Assistants (Raley and Petersen) to do training. For the feast we
e had everyone share what they were grateful for in order to receive a slice of pie. One sister said, "being here in Taiwan on a mission!" That is exactly what I was feeling and what we were all feeling together around that long table.

At Zone Conference I testified of the enabling power of Gratitude... I will share with you a part of what I shared with our missionaries.

I have such a testimony that as we drink from the HAPPY CUP as President Peterson is trying to teach our missionaries, we are sustained, moment to moment. Gratitude is a foundation of our faith and is a recurring theme of the Book of Mormon. I realize why the Book of Mormon prophets plead with us to Remember, Remember--over and again. As we are grateful and remember what our Father in Heaven and Savior have done to rescue and save us over and again, our faith and trust and love for them grows. When we forget to REMEMBER, our faith diminishes and the pride cycle begins. I know that having Gratitude will always lift us through any trial and helps us see God's hand in our lives. I shared an example when I felt the enabling power of Gratitude lift and strengthen me to do something I didn't know I could do.

As we faced the ending of a 28 year era in California and as we got ready to move here for our mission, it was a long string of endings and I have to admit it felt a bit like we were dying –we sold much of our dongxi (stuff of life) and said goodbye to all we knew—our beloved neighbors, friends, family, ward family , our home where we raised our children and where our grandchildren loved to come and play, our Midway vacation home, our jobs, our callings, our beloved Danville Stake of Zion, and even our sweet Cavalier King Charles Spaniel –(named Charlie of course). How could we bear all the loss? I didn't want to feel sad, I wanted to feel excited to serve the Lord!

I could only bear it by giving thanks to God and playing the “Glad” game-- flipping my sadness over to gladness. For example—to say goodbye to our home, we had a family celebration gathering where I took pics of each room or parts of our yard and put the printed pics in a bag. As a family we each drew a picture and told a favorite memory that we had in that room or that part of the house. We laughed and we cried remembering the goodness of God for giving us such happy memories in that wonderful home. We celebrated as we cried tears of gratitude and realized that the blessing we prayed for as had dedicated the home as a young family had come to fruition. When the children were small and as we moved into 17 Canary Court Mike offered a prayer of dedication using his priesthood upon our home. He asked each of the children to offer a prayer for our home and ask what they hoped our home would be/provide. At the end of their prayers he dedicated our home in prayer to the Lord, including all the things that our children had prayed for including that our home would be a place where people would feel welcome and where the spirit would reside. Now fast forward to our celebration of our home with all our children and grandchildren there to share memories and feelings of gratitude. At the end of our gathering and testimonial , we felt so much comfort because in REMEMBERING all the good that had happened there, we could see how God’s hand had been in our lives through all our days and had bound us in love as a family. He had blessed us in what we had prayed for in that dedicatory prayer. . We wrote our home a Thank you note which was also a Thank you note and prayer of thanks to our Heavenly Father for sheltering us and nurturing us under the roof of this sacred place to our family known as 17 Canary Court, Danville CA. 94526

Thank you…To our dear 17 Canary Court…

…For your welcoming door to all and for providing a haven of peace and joy for the Peterson family for the past 22 years! We dedicated your hallowed halls and walls to the Lord which allowed us to dedicate ourselves likewise to Him and His work. We say as did Joshua of old: “As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord!” Five missionaries have departed and returned and now two more will leave from your doors carrying the gospel light that burned brightly here out into the world. Thank you for providing us a place to feel the spirit and be taught the gospel, to welcome and host friends, to work and to rest, to play music and sing, to cook and enjoy meals and conversations together, to dream and to dance, to laugh and to celebrate one another with love –making memories together that are part of us and will connect us forever.

May we remember our family is eternally bound—not by walls or earthly addresses but by heavenly covenants-- which will help us return to our heavenly home which has no end. May we each strive eternally for that same address until we sit down in heaven together without any empty chairs.

May we continue to live by our family motto which adorned our wall and now lives in our hearts: “We’re the Petersons and we’re going to fight with our might to choose the right!”

As we leave our beloved Canary Court we will be warmed with gratitude, joy and faith in the Lord’s promise: “Verily I say unto you, there is no man as hath left house, or brethren, or sisters, or father, or mother, or wife, or children, or lands, for my sake, and the gospel’s but he shall receive an hundredfold now….and in the world to come, eternal life.” --Mark 10:27-31

With love and gratitude, The Peterson Family August 1997--June 2018

We already feel we have received an hundredfold— even more--we have 168 plus in our fold of missionaries !This experience taught me the true faith building power of gratitude. Of the Happy Cup principle Pres. Peterson lives each day and preaches to our missionaries. It truly was and is the power that enables us to not feel the sadness but to rejoice and see the good in all things.

Pres Uchdorf said it well “It might sound contrary to the wisdom of the world to suggest that one who is burdened with sorrow should give thanks to God. But those who set aside the bottle of bitterness and lift instead the goblet of gratitude can find a purifying drink of healing, peace, and understanding. Pres. Uchdorf understands the Happy Cup principle as well.

Gratitude helped me not be sad to have to miss a very special event in our family.
This past weekend as our eldest grandson Elias was baptized, I had to give thanks for his sweet faith and goodness and for his parents teaching him the gospel and preparing him to make this first covenant on the Covenant path back to our Heavenly Father. I had to give thanks that Clark and Ellee live close enough to travel there with sweet Charlotte to lend their support and give love to Eli on his special day for him and our whole family. I gave thanks for his other grandparents, the Jensens, for how much they love him and have helped influence him to love what is good and to make righteous choices. At the end of the day, though I couldn't be there, I had so much to be grateful for. All I could do was weep for joy over this special boy! Gratitude gives us so much peace and joy that there is no room for sadness!

We have had some really special experiences this last month for which I'll always be grateful for as well. We were invited by two of our Elders in Jhudong ward --Griswold and Wang to come on Saturday October 27 and attend their first annual Halloween ward party which they held for a missionary activity. The Bishop and his wife Margaret (friends of Kara Porter in Danville) greeted us so warmly and introduced us to the entire ward literally and had us take pictures with everyone there. They treated us like special guests! It was so humbling and so fun to see the members enjoying the activity --so proud of the Elders who had planned the whole thing! They showed them how to "carve pumpkins" with gourds because that's all they had. I looked over and saw a little girl with a huge butcher knife trying to carve a tiny little green gourd. She was having the time of her life! I was holding my breath for her safety! haha. It was so sweet to see all their jack-o-lanterns lined up outside after they were finished carving them. A member had gone to great lengths (hours and hours) making a spook alley upstairs all about the plan of salvation. Ha ha they had a spooky room with skeletons and a woman dressed up like a witch who said, "This is what happens to your ancestors if you don't do their temple work! They end up in Spirit prison! So DO YOUR FAMILY HISTORY haha! Very effective visual I must say! The members also brought a beautiful spread of food which the children and adults alike worked all afternoon making. When it came time to eat they had a blessing on the food and had Mike and I go first through the line. Again, they treated us like the special guests of honor. Then the really fun part was after dinner Mike (Ping Huijang) taught them all how to say "Trick or Treat" so they could practice before coming out to our car for Trunk or Treat. It was us and one other member who had her car decorated. We got to sit in the back of the car and give out candy. They loved saying "Trick or Treat" and squealed with glee that we had brought American Chocolate to hand out. It was the cutest! Several nonmembers were there and we couldn't get over how wonderful Margaret (the Bishop's wife) was to introduce us to every one--member or nonmember alike and she knew their story and their situation. Talk about an amazing fellowshipper. She is the epitome of that nurturing loving ward member who helps everyone feel part of things and I could see how she loves and helps unite her whole ward family. We loved watching her in action. She and her husband knew and love their ward flock. We loved being with them and while she thanked us over and again for coming, we were the ones truly blessed to be with them. When we got home we had the sweetest most humbling text from her.. Her words brought me to tears as I read them: Ping JieMei--thank you for you and Ping Huijang coming our ward and staying with us! This is a wonderful day! All church members are inspired since you're here! Your coming also let us can image how the happiest we will have when the Christ Second coming! Thank you for all your great love to us! Love you and hope to see you soon! Margaret :)

I had to tell her Margaret, being with you made me know what the Second Coming will be like because with you ZION abounds.....Oh how I love you Margaret and what you have taught me tonight about Christ-like love and service!" We are praying for their ward to continue to grow and flourish in strength and number. What a privilege to meet these inspiring members in Zhudong where Mike served as a young missionary as well.

The next day we picked up Elder David Evans from the airport. He came into town to attend the open house/fireside for Liu Huijang and his wife as they were being released as Taipei temple president and matron. We were to speak in a ward in Sanxia so we called and told them Elder Evans would be with us and they were thrilled to have him speak in their ward too. I just gave my testimony in Chinese to help save more time for him and for President Peterson too:). I really learned a lot from Elder Evans' talk and counsel to us. He said that he talked with his family about the four things President Nelson had asked us to do in October Conference and I had to admit that right away I wasn't sure what those four things were: Then I remembered: Read the B of M by year end and speak more deliberately of Christ--use His name in reference to the full name of the Church, media fast, attend the temple regularly--commit to a day and time and keep that appointment with the Lord, Attend RS and engage fully in that. As he spoke, I wanted to be sure to check in with my family on those important things and ask how they are doing. I went home and wrote my family a letter. One of my children thanked me for sharing my testimony as it was what they needed. I was grateful I listened to that prompting to share my testimony and in the process of writing to them, my testimony was strengthened of our living prophet and the example of this inspired Asia Area President and member of the Seventy. I especially appreciated one thing he said his daughter shared with them when asked how the media fast was going. She replied that she realized it was a lot more enjoyable to spend time with her children than to spend time posting about them!

It was a treat to hear Liu Huijang and his sweet wife (our 5th floor neighbors) share their testimonies as they left their beloved Taiwan temple. They are so full of joy and love of the Lord and love for the temple ordinances. They were so gracious in thanking all the workers. President Liu said, he had been looking forward to travelling the world after their 3 years but his wife's mother needs their care and so they will be taking care of her which is what they know is a priority and what they want to do. I'll never forget these sweet love birds who always made our gatherings for FHE with the senior missionaries so joyful--full of laughter and of the spirit. I love their smiles! You can't find any more beautiful smiles on this earth than those of the Lius! We will miss them. We have met the new president and wife, Chen Huijang and Chen JieMei and they are saltof the earth too! Every time we see them they cheer us on and say hen shinku which is a way of saying "you work so hard!"

What amazing and dear Saints we are meeting here in Taiwan. We love them so much.

The following week we had the amazing opportunity to participate in Xinchu Stake Conference and meet President Owen (YM General President) and his wife. They were so cute! She is small in stature and so he called her up to stand beside him for a moment. He stooped down to her height and said: I have to tell you that when we first met each other we were the same height and weight! Ke ai!

As Elder Homer and his wife were there too, only Mike had to speak.I really enjoyed Elder Owen's talk. He said he sensed there were some there who were feeling on the outside and lonely even in a huge room filled with people. I imagined he was going to chastise the members and tell them to reach out more but he didn't. He said if you are feeling this way, you need to STRENGTHEN YOUR FAITH in Jesus CHRIST! He said "if there's anyone feeling lonely or without hope there IS a way to become happy. The way is to follow Jesus Christ and increase your faith in HIM. Do the basics every day in your life. Pray. Search the Scriptures. When you gather Sunday it will be a joyful experience. You will feel all safely gathered in. If we study daily on the word our faith in Jesus Christ will increase. We will desire to repent and change. We will be prepared to follow the covenant path and stay on it. The Holy Ghost will show us all things what we must DO. We need to do and not just feel good. That voice will tell us we need to get to the temple and to be safely gathered in. He then related Elder Dale Renlund's experience of realizing how important these daily holy habits are. Elder Renlund was a doctor in residency I believe at the time and had crazy busy hours. On Sundays he could barely make it home in time to attend Sacrament meeting with his wife and family. He was so exhausted. If he didn't hurry he wouldn't make it. One day he walked a little slower and as he was late he rationalized that since his wife and family were already gone he could lay down and enjoy a nap instead of going to church late. But when he tried to close his eyes he couldn't sleep. He realized that he'd become casual in his reading in the scriptures and praying morning and evening. So he got up and prayed and re-committed himself to reading and praying every day no matter how late it was after his shift. Over the course of a few weeks the fire of his testimony burned brightly again as he read and prayed. Elder Renlund testified of the spiritual death trap of forgetting these important daily holy habits. I felt the power of his words and felt to share them with my family as well. I'm so grateful for these testimonies that strengthened mine.

One of the sweetest moments I've had with going out with the sister missionaries was in Taitung this last month. Sister Larson and Sister Smith invited me to come with them to visit an RC (Recent Convert) who lives way up in the jungle! We took a taxi there and paid him to come back because we wouldn't be able to get one swinging by in the near future it is so far out in the boonies! This sweet Meijin was a delight! She sadly lost the use of her left hand in a terrible scalding accident years ago and she was on a train back from trying to go get surgery for it (but was sadly denied because they told her she was too old and it wasn't worth all the surgery she would need) when she met the missionaries! The sisters have had to ride their bikes 20 miles up into the jungle to teach her and fellowship her. They love her so much. She lives in a humble shack with her husband who isn't interested presently in the gospel. The sisters wanted me to go with them and teach her and sing to her. It was such a sweet and humbling experience to go to Meijin's home. The sisters said to watch for monkeys as we walked up the dirt to her home. Meijin is always chasing them away from eating the fruit on the fruit trees! I really was hoping to see one but we didn't! Anyhow, we entered her home and the sisters and I visited with her. Before we left we sang "Where Love is" to her in Chinese and Sister Larson played the ukelele. It was so touching to me to feel the spirit there and also to bring back memories of singing this song on our mission to Virginia as a young girl at Zone Conferences with my sisters. Here I was now singing this in a jungle shack in Taiwan and I still remembered all the harmonies and the words. I was experiencing the very thing we were singing--Where Love is, there God is also! Oh how we felt Him there with Meijin! Her husband couldn't keep from coming in and listening too. I feel it won't be long before he is singing the same tune. Meijin told us that she doesn't have much she can do each day so what does she do? She walks down her path and prays all day! She is so happy she knows how to do that now that she is a member and so that gives her something to do as well as read the scriptures. She loves them so much. What a blessing the gospel is in her life! That was such a special and humbling experience to meet this sister who has everything now because she now has the gospel!

An enriching/spiritual experience I enjoyed with Brenda Christensen was going to the Botanical Gardens in Taipei. They have a museum with folk art being made which is fascinating and a traveling art display. The one on display was a collection of various renditions from various cultures of the Tree of Life!!! It was amazing! How can it be that so many cultures know about and celebrate the Tree of Life? We know the origin from the Book of Mormon in Lehi's dream where he held onto a rod of iron and walked down the path holding fast to it and eventually came to a beautiful tree with fruit that was white above all that was white and sweet above all that is sweet. He wanted them to partake of the fruit and beckoned them to come. His wife, Nephi and Sam came but his other sons wouldn't. There were people mocking those who were making their way to the tree from a large and
spacious building, who were dressed in the fine clothing and who looked down on those pressing forwardso many were too ashamed to continue on the path. This symbolizes those who are partaking of the love of God. Many in the world will make fun, but those who partake of the fruit know of its sweetness and know of the Love of God--of Christ's Atonement that purifies us and helps us know the joy of repentance. I couldn't help but wonder as I viewed these renditions of the Tree of Life from so many cultures, if there wasn't a time when they knew the origin and meaning of it as taught in the Book of Mormon. I know some day they will and that is our quest as missionaries is to help others know how to Come unto Christ and partake of the goodness and sweetness of His love that will change their lives and allow them to live as families with God eternally. I'd love to share this message of hope with anyone reading this who would like to know about Heavenly Father's plan of Happiness for all of His children!

November was filled with more stake conferences--one per week! and last Sunday we had two wards to speak at in addition. This is not easy for me. I am having to rely on the Spirit to guide my words and I have to speak them carefully on the spot so the translator can easily understand what I'm saying. I also have to have already chosen my scripture i want to share so they can look it up in advance in Chinese. It is stretching me for sure but it is a blessing. On November 11 we had the privilege of speaking in Hualien stake. This is the stake where the Wangs live and I hadn't met them yet. This is the family whom Mike found and taught inlast three weeks of his mission. They lived and still live in Taitong. Six months later they were baptized but Mike never knew until we came to Taiwan for our mission. This is the family who remembered his Chinese name Ping de Jun and so when they heard our name was Ping they inquired of the Elders in Taitung if it could possibly be "their missionary" Ping da Jun. When the Elders called and asked Mike if that was his name as a missionary and he said it was, he could hear a group of people cheer with excitement. The next opportunity Mike had to go to Taitung was one of the sweetest experiences of his life--when he met the Wang family who are strong members of the church and who are raising their third generation in the gospel Their family of 17r some of the strongest in the area and they are so good to the members and missionaries there. All the missionaries know them. This last week it was my turn to get to meet the Wonderful Wang family. As I saw Brother Wang walking down the hall in his walker toward me I burst into tears. I felt like he is my brother and his wife is my sister. I know the depth of love MIke has for them and they for him and I was overcome with joy! Their oldest grandson was turning 12 the next day and receiving the priesthood right after Stake Conference. I can't believe what a tender mercy that we could come back to the island and see what has happened to this family as they've embraced the gospel and raised their family in it. As Brother Wang now struggles with Parkinson's I also feel the Lord's timing is so merciful to allow us to see him and to give him our love. When I met him I told him how amazing he and his family are. He said "The easy thing

is to get baptized! The harder thing is to endure to the end! That's the part we must do every

day now." I told him I felt they are living examples of that and living their covenants daily.

I thanked them for all they do to love the missionaries and grow the church there. I was so

grateful for that experience because the next day I was asked to speak to all the new converts

in the stake and I could share his words with them. That stake conference in Hualien we felt such an amazing missionary spirit from their stake president, President Tsai. He just exudes so much love for all the members and especially the new members. He had a special meeting right before the main session of stake conference just for the new converts and he invited all the missionaries in the stake to attend. In this meeting he asked each new convert to stand and introduce themselves which they did and he welcomed them all warmly and thanked all the missionaries and ward mission leaders for their efforts. He then turned the hour over to me and Ping Huijang to share and speak with them! I felt overwhelmed and humbled. I told them (with an interpreter's help) that each of them were pioneers! I told them how grateful I will always be to those of my ancestors who were courageous to accept the gospel so I could have the blessings in my life. I told about MaryAnn Astington who wanted to be baptized but her mother didn't want her to. Her mother was Christian but she told MaryAnn on her deathbed that she wanted her to promise her she wouldn't join the Church. Mary Ann told her mother, I can promise you "I will never leave Christ". I told them how grateful I was for her keeping that promise and how her entering and staying on the covenant path has blessed generations to follow. I then told them how I had met a pioneer yesterday--Brother Wang--and shared what he said about enduring to the end now after baptism. I then shared four things they could do to help them stay on the covenant path:1Rdthe Book of Mormon/pray daily, Prepare to enter the temple and do their family names to take with them, 3) Follow the Prophet: seek to read his messages and know what he has asked us to do for he speaks for the Lord and will guide you on staying on the Covenant path 4) Serve and minister in your EQ and RS. These brothers and sisters in your ward will be like family and I shared how ministering to others and having others minister to me was such a blessing in binding my heart to them and to the Lord. I shared 2 Ne 31:20 "Wherefore ye must press forward with a steadfastness in Christ, having a perfect brightness of hope and a love of God and of all men. Wherefore if ye shall press forward, feasting upon the words of Christ AND ENDURE TO THE END, behold thus sayeth the Father: ye shall have eternal life!" I ended my remarks by saying "

Jia You!" which means literally "add oil" but people use it here to say "keep going". So I said Jia You! Stay on the covenant path. The interpreter said: Now that you've entered on the covenant path, Good Luck! Haha! Some things just don't always translate as I hope!

(a sister came up afterwards and said she felt my love so I felt encouraged.) Haha

I was so grateful to meet all those amazing recent converts and that experience in sharing my testimony with them prepared me for the following week in the Taoyuan stake conference. This was again a very stretching experience and a wonderful opportunity. Elder Whitney Clayton and his wife and Elder and Sister Dai of the Seventy came. We were able to attend a dinner with them on the night before the stake conference here in Taipei along with the Taoyuan stake presidency and their wives. Again, what amazing people and what a blessing to get to know them. The Claytons were so warm and kind to us. Sister Clayton is so refined and yet so personable. She reminded me of Allyson Dahlstrom Wadsworth in many of her mannerisms and speech and was such an inspiration. We were asked to speak in the Sunday morning session and then that evening after the Beck's Thanksgiving feast, there was a fireside. We hadn't planned on attending that, but Elder Clayton asked if we were going to be there so we said Of course! We arrived literally three minutes until 7 and they motioned to have us come be seated on the stand. At that point he walked over to us and to Elder and Sister Dai and said: "Tonight because the numbers are smaller, WE WON"T BE GIVING TALKS but we will do a Q and A instead! " Gulp! We hadn't even thought we'd be saying anything in this meeting! So here we go! Elder Clayton said he would follow Elder Packer's way of taking questions. He said he would take the hard questions, but he would be the one to determine which ones were hard and which ones were easy. Ha ha! So after thinking the stake conference stress of that day was over, here we were on the hotseat again! But as I mentioned, the Hualien stake experience prepared me for this moment. A sister who said she was a recent convert stood and tearfully talked about how difficult it was for her with her family and asked how she could help them understand and not be angry with her. Elder Clayton said: Sister Peterson will you answer this question? I remembered my ancestor MaryAnn and how she never left Christ and what her strength has meant to me several generations later and I knew what I could share with this sister. I first of all felt to commend her for her courage to join the church and told her that generations to come would bless her name. She began to weep and smile all at once. I told her about Mary Ann Astington and how she like Mary Ann could be true to her covenants and to her family by looking for ways to serve and love them them. In so doing they would know that her love for them hadn't changed and in loving them they would one day know that you do love Christ. It was such a special moment because I had to rely on the Spirit to know what to say and how to comfort this sweet sister. Afterwards she came up and gave me a big hug and said she was grateful and I told her I was the one grateful to be able to feel how much God loves her and to get to meet such an amazing pioneer!

This past Sunday, Mike and I spoke in two different wards and one stake conference. It was an amazing day of testifying! The first ward we went to was in Toufen in the Xinchu stake. They meet in a building above a bus station. They long to have their own building one day. This wonderful ward asked us to come and talk about missionary work because they really are working with their youth to serve missions and they really want to have enough people (90) to be able to be considered to have their own church building. Elders Bown and Velasco are working hard to find and working with the members. AFter the meeting they asked if we were going to be able to stay because they had made a Thanksgiving dinner for us! We felt so bad to tell them we had to leave to go to another ward to speak and couldn't stay. They said just a moment--they ran to the kitchen and brought out food they had made just for us!! Homemade pumpkin pie (made from scratch--pumpkin, crust everything!), peanut butter sandwiches (because they know Americans like them), rice dumpling steamed in banana leaves and peeled crisp apples. We were so touched. In fact, once we got into our car I burst into tears i was so humbled they'd do all that for us. It felt like God's arms were wrapped around us and tied up with a bow like these beautiful rice dumplings were!

I am humbled to discover that these speaking opportunities will be a huge part of how I try to share the gospel as a full-time missionary in Taiwan. This past weekend was a stake conference for the South Taipei stake and the visiting General Authority was Elder Khanakam from Thailand. He asked if I'd speak at the leadership session and give an accountability talk on the Asia Area goals for missionary work! Then for the evening he asked me to lead a panel discussion on the topic of Ministering. I will be honest! I kind of wanted to run away to Nineva. I was so overwhelmed with these assignments not to mention the language barrier is always tricky and to lead a discussion while waiting to hear the translations of those and then responding quickly was freaking me out a bit. But it ended up being a good experience and I finally just had to trust that God knows my weaknesses and He would help me. It was such a blessing in the end to prepare for those talks to think about what we ARE doing and how we can encourage the members and missionaries to work together --my chopsticks visual of the two working together hopefully went over well--and the ministering topic was actually one that helped me study the Savior's way of ministering and try to ask questions regarding what we can learn from how He ministered and how we can better rely on the Spirit to guide us. In the end I was the one ministered to by the precious comfort of the Holy Ghost to stand up and do this when I didn't think I could. That seems to be a recurring theme every week. The Lord truly is helping me do these things. I was touched to meet Elder Khanakam. he shared his conversion story--one where his family rejected him and his sister even came after him with a knife to chase him away. He said he would hold FHE by himself! He would sing the opening song, say the opening prayer, do the activity by himself, read a spiritual message by himself, sing the closing song by himself, say the closing prayer and then eat the FHE treat by himself. He couldn't wait to have his own family. He said that now he and his family meet at 2-3 pm on MOnday so that in the evening they can have single members come join them for FHE with their family. He told how he recently approached his sister who had been so harsh with him when he joined the church. He extended his love to her and she ended up becoming interested and joined the church!!! What a touching story of forgiveness on his part and of never giving up on family even when they give up on you!

I feel great gratitude for these experiences because I have to put aside my will and my shyness and my hesitancy to put myself out front and do what the Lord has asked little old me to do--to bear witness of Him! It truly is a privilege and I know without His strength I am nothing. He truly is not just working alongside us in the Taiwan vineyard but He is CARRYING us--I know that. I testify of it. This is His work going forward with His mighty arm directing and carrying and lifting us and mercifully extending His love to all. We feel it and bear witness of His power we feel moment to moment.

We have witnessed miracles with many of our medical needs for our missionaries. Getting appointments and finding names for doctors and getting MRI's quickly and having so many amazing blessings for these missionaries constantly before my eyes, makes bare HIS HOLY ARM on a daily basis. There is no way I could do this part of my calling without HIM and He continually opens doors for me in my weakness. I stand all amazed!

This week we pulled out and opened up our one box of Christmas decorations we brought from the States! We bought a pre-lit tree (small) from Costco and put it up while listening to David Archuletta's Christmas album for FHE with Ping Mama and Baba. We had fun putting around our decorations and as we did, the magic of Chrstmas distilled upon us anew! As I put out our sweet Nativity sets my heart swelled with love for my Savior who came as a baby to lead us. As we practiced for our Christmas missionary fireside on Dec 23, my eyes filled with tears as we sang: How could the Father tell the world of sacrifice of death, He sent His son to die for us and rise with living breath! I know He is the promised Messiah and my Wonderful Counselor! He lives and loves us to the end and He is our Kind Wise Heavenly Friend for which I express my deepest gratitude. Wo ai wo de Jiuzhu Yesu Jidu. Wo hen feichang ganxie!

Women ai nimen!

Ping JieMei

Dinner w Taoyuan stake presidency and wives with Elder and Sister Clayton and their son Whitney and grandson Whitney the fourth or Q as they call him for Quattro.

Taoyuan stake conference w some of our Sister Missionaries and future Missionaries. Their stake has sent out 121 Missionaries since its beginnings in 1982