"One year older and wiser too!"

What a week! 

Last Monday afternoon, I went to Taibei for the trainers' training meeting. On Monday evening, after having dinner with all of the new missionaries, we took them out for a night of contacting on the streets of Taibei. That was a blast- the whole thing was just deja vu of me 6 months ago! The next morning was transfer meeting. I remember as a new missionary the anticipation of finding out who my trainer would be, where my first area would be....let me tell you, that was nothing compared to how all of us trainers felt wondering who our “babies” would be! President LOVES building up the suspense- our transfer meetings are always super exciting and upbeat. My new companion's name is Sis Jenkins, and she is fantastic! I knew the moment we sat down together after being assigned to be companions that we would have a great time together because she has a great laugh! She is super upbeat and eager to learn and work hard- and just loves to have a good time. I had her make phone calls the first night and she did a great job! I have been having such a great time showing her the ropes of missionary work and introducing her to my favorite parts of Taiwan. As part of the transfer meeting, our ward got another set of elders, so now we have 3 companionships serving in the DanShui ward! The Lord's work is rolling forward!

Ready to go!

My companion's first bike riding experience was a fun one! We rode down a super steep hill and she got her first crack at dodging Taiwan's traffic. :D

One of the best parts about this week was GENERAL CONFERENCE!!!!!!!!!!!!! I love General Conference so much. I have been counting down the days. :D I am so grateful to have parents who made watching all 4 sessions of conference a priority as we were growing up. This conference was incredible- I think it just gets better and better every time. Our members watched it with the Chinese voice-over, and our ward mission leader brought his laptop so that us missionaries could watch it in English. I was about to tell you about my favorite parts, but honestly, that would take forever...especially because you all know how good I am at picking favorites. I just started typing it all out and then gave up because it would have taken forever and pretty much you might as well just watch the whole thing, which you've already done. Everything is my favorite. 

I think the biggest thing I got from conference- other than a merciful abundance of revelation about how to help our investigators- was a vision of how the things I am learning on my mission can and will shape my life as a future wife and mother. I feel like I just gained a perspective on how I want my family to be, and how I want to use the principles and lessons God is teaching me here. I also loved the emphasis on receiving our own personal confirmation of spiritual truths- this is something we are always encouraging our investigators to do. And, I also loved in the women's meeting video that the last sister was speaking in Chinese. :D

New missionaries getting their bikes

Speaking of investigators, here's an update on a couple of them!

-L: When we met with him this past week, we read 1 Ne 1 with him and reviewed the first lesson. I was so proud of him- he remembered almost everything about the Restoration. We asked him if he believed that God was his Heavenly Father, and he said yes, because he has been praying every day! The first time we met, we asked him that same question, and he said he didn't think he believed in God- so this is incredible progress. He came to both sessions of conference yesterday, and we are meeting with him tonight to share the plan of salvation. 

-L family: We got in contact with them again! What a miracle! They gave us their new address, and we are visiting them this coming Saturday and hoping to recommit them to baptism and start them on the path to becoming an eternal family. 

Thanks to everyone who wished me a happy birthday! The weather today is absolutely gorgeous, and my district is all going to the beach together. This past year has been incredible- a great semester at BYU, a month at home with my family, and 9 months of being a missionary. Doesn't get much better than that.

Love you!

Sis Murri