15 July

So the exciting news for this week is that we had an earthquake yesterday! It was 2:09 in the morning and I was sleeping, of course, when all of a sudden I was rudely awakened by someone shaking my bed. Our house has a set of chimes that hangs from the ceiling in the study room, and as I woke up I heard them clanging loudly. At first I thought someone was in our apartment! But then I realized it was an earthquake--and then I really started praying! We live on the 12th floor and I guess I just don't trust Taiwanese construction enough. But luckily the shaking stopped after about 10-15 seconds, I said another prayer and thanked Heavenly Father that I was still alive, and then whispered to my companion, "Sister Allen, are you awake? We just had an earthquake!" It was pretty exciting. The scariest part was the chimes--just clanking and clanging the whole time! Anyway, I guess the earthquake was not that big because there wasn't any damage, but it was still a thrill.

So that is about the most exciting part of this email. I could just stop right there but I have already read all of my other emails (Mom, did you forget to send me one this week?) and I still have a lot of time. :) Just kidding, missionary work in the life of Sister White is always a thrill a minute.

So last week was really really difficult. On Monday and Tuesday ALL of our appointments cancelled on us. Even less actives that we usually visit. And I was feeling so stressed--because I guess Sister Allen rarely had cancelled appointments in Danshui! So I started getting really nervous--but then realized that the Lord had something else for us to do this week (since we had at least one cancelled appointment every day!). We did some work on our area book, found some former investigators, called some dead stacks and potential investigators, tried to find some less actives--and at the end of the week we had 9 new investigators!!! I was shocked and amazed and delighted. I realized (in a deeper way than before) that alot of times when things go "wrong" in our lives it is because the Lord has a higher and better plan for us than we had imagined and we would not have had time to do it if we went with our original plan! (Don't get me wrong--it was still really hard though!)

One of the amazing investigators that we found last week was a referral from Temple Square. She was led to the church in a miraculous way--she was going to a business conference in Utah and sat by an LDS family on the plane. They had 4 kids with them and talked to her during the 2 hour flight (the husband had served a missionary in Taiwan) and told her that she should go to Temple Square while she was in Salt Lake. She was disappointed because she said she wouldn't have time, but she skipped out on one of her meetings and went to Temple Square and had a tour. She was really touched and gave them her information and we called her and she set up with us, met with us, and then we took her to our own temple square to have a tour! She is amazing and the only bad thing is that she is moving to Austrailia next week for a year! But we are meeting with her and helping her keep progressing so she can get baptized in Austrailia. And all this because the Lord placed her next to an LDS family on the plane and they invited her to go to temple square!

Anyway, I have seen lots and lots of other experiences like this that help me to know that the Lord truly is guiding this work! It is His work and it is so glorious to be a part of it. I love you all and please try to stay away from earthquakes. :)

Sister White