13 April

Dear everyone,

You will never guess what is happening to me this transfer. I AM TRAINING! I know, this is a shock to everyone. It is only my fourth transfer on island and I am now senior companion and training a new missionary straight from the MTC. I am terrified (that is the main emotion I feel right now!) but glad it could happen in Tucheng, where I am already familiar with the investigators and the area. My new companion's name is Sister Mac Isaac and she is a convert from California. Her family was mad that she got baptized and does not communicate with her on her mission--she actually has not lived with them in several years--and so if any of you want to write her a letter you can send it with mine (that way I get one too :). She does have a family (an "adopted" family) that writes to her and her older "brother" lives in Taipei for the next little while so she is not utterly abandoned, but still, I think she is pretty amazing.

And now for the funny story as to how I reacted when I found out that I was training. In this mission, President Nielson will call the "trainers" late Thursday night and tell them that they are training and need to come up to Taipei the next morning for a meeting and to meet their trainee. We have no other warnings than that.

So I had a feeling that President might call (because I killed 3 companions in a row...) but I didn't really believe it might happen. So Thursday night at 10:19 I was about to get into bed when my companion walked up to me holding the phone and said, "Sister White, President is on the phone." All of the lights were off and I hadn't heard the phone ring and so I said to my companion, "Yeah right, stop joking with me. No one is on the phone." And then my companion said, "Sister White, it is really President! Say hello!" I sighed a big sigh (I was not going to be fooled by this one!), picked up the phone, and said "Hello?" not really expecting to hear anyone's voice. I almost dropped the phone when President Nielson said, "Sister White! It's late, isn't it?!"

Then he told me that the Lord wanted me to train and I started laughing and said, "You're kidding, right?" He said no he was definitely not kidding, and about that time I realized that I was talking to my mission president and he really did want me to train. A lot of people are intimidated by the mission president but obviously I am not!

So the next morning when I went to pick up my new companion everyone started freaking out because I am "still so young!" Tell me about it. But if the Lord wants me to train, He will give me what is needed--which, according to President Nielson, is a lot of love and a lot of patience. I am pretty sure my last companion exhausted my supply of both--but I sent her home this morning so I guess I will have to break into my "year's supply" of love and patience for this new transfer!

So that was about the most exciting thing that happened this week! If I keep this cycle up I will have 12-14 companions by the time I come home, which is great because I am learning how to get along with a lot of different kinds of people! Not that it is easy, by any means, but I am determined and dedicated to have good relationships with all of them.

In terms of other things that happened this week--we got to watch General Conference. It was incredible! We got 8 of our investigators to come to the Sunday morning session and they got to hear President Uchtdorf's powerful talk about faith and conversion. I pray so hard for all of our investigators and work so hard to help them develop faith in Jesus Christ and prepare for baptism--but there is nothing like hearing the prophets of God speak! Next week Elder Bednar is coming and we are having a special fireside and will take our investigators. It is a really unique opportunity to actually SEE an apostle of God in person for the Taiwanese and I think it will help so many of our investigators and new members.

I have a lot of other stories to tell but I am still overwhelmed by everything that happened this weekend so it will have to wait until next Wednesday, which is my next Preparation day. To my friends and family members who are married and pregnant (I seem to have a lot of those!) good luck with the pregnancy. To those who are getting married, congratulations. And to those who aren't married, have you ever thought about going on a mission? :)

Sister White