China in Saipan

Hey everyone!!

This week was really busy..... But I'm about out of time, so this email is gonna be short. Sorry about that, eh?

Hayden, our next door neighbor, got a job on a ship so he's gonna be gone for 4 months. So I had to say bye to him. I was so sad.... I told him we have a present for him, and ran inside to get a Book of Mormon. I gave it to him and he held it up to his chest and said, "Thank you" almost reverently. So sweet ^^ He might look like a tough sailor on the outside, but he has a really soft heart. 

We went to Freddie's funeral on Saturday. It was hard to see the family so sad, and many tears were shed. I'm so grateful for the plan of salvation that we have. 

Sister Lawrence went back to Pohnpei this week. I hope she continues working with the missionaries there! Going to miss her. She helped me remember lots of my Pohnpeian though!!

I love the Chinese people!! And all the Islanders! This is the greatest mission in the whole world!! I know so many random words in like 10 languages... haha. 

Love you all! Have a great week! Keep reading the Book of Mormon!!

PS Emma and Felicina are both back on date!! Emma is especially excited to get baptized =)

Sister Springer

Hey Fam

Hey guys. I just wanted to shoot you a quick letter. I don't want everyone knowing about this one.

Tuesday we found out one of our investigators, Freddie, committed suicide. He's from a part member Pohnpeian family. He'd come to church a couple times. We kept meaning to go and teach him, but it seemed like things just kept getting in the way. No one knows why he did it; there were no warning signs. I just wanted to let you all know though. Sister Jenkins and I have struggled. We've been praying a lot. There's no words that can describe the power of prayer. Thank you for your prayers. We are doing ok now. Pushing forward. I've found the thing that is helping me the most is continuing to work. We took some time to mourn, for sure, and that time was needed. I'm going to keep pushing forward, so that others will not have to face the same darkness that Freddie was secretly facing alone. I know that the everlasting light of Jesus Christ can reach where no one else can. I am so grateful for this Gospel. We truly are blessed to have the knowledge we have. 

If you could make it to the temple this week, put in Freddie's family please. Simerina Simrom, Steven Simrom, Edalyn, Mayleen Lipai, Charles, JR Christopher,. There's more, but I don't know all their names. Yet. Pohpeian families are really big :) I'm so glad I got to serve in Pohnpei for those 12 weeks. It's sure been coming in handy. 

I love you all so much. Praying for you. Never, ever stop reading your Book of Mormon. 

Love,

Whitney

Sister Springer

The Plan of Salvation

Chuan Jie Kuaile! I hope you all had an excellent Chinese New Year! All the Chinese hung up new banners, so now we know where to find them all! Haha. 

This week was pretty good! Some sad stuff happened, but we're pushing through and doing great =)

Ran into Sherri at Great Harvest. She said she heard from Tianbao awhile back!!! I guess he was in the Philippines and asked if there was a church there he could go to!! She's going to try to contact him again so we can get contact info for him. I'm so excited!! I miss that kid. 

XingJing and Jojo have also started coming to church again! Walter can't because he has so much work. I love their family though! Xingjing (her English name is Cheer, isn't that so cute??) told us first she wants to learn English, but she also likes learning about Jesus Christ and wants to do both. 

On Tuesday we saw Emma. She moved out of her boyfriends house!!! So excited. She's doing so great =) We taught her the Plan of Salvation. The Spirit was so strong. She had lots of questions and we were able to help her understand by reading and "expounding" the scriptures. She's been reading the Book of Mormon almost every day. She's doing so good. We saw her again and she said she read the chapter we gave her that talks more about the Plan of Salvation, and she understands it and loves it. Mei you wenti!! (no problems)

I just want to take a second to testify of the Plan of Salvation. I feel like Moroni... The Lord makes me mighty in speaking, but in writing what I want to say I am weak. (see Ether 12:23-25) But I will do my best, and pray that the Spirit will carry the message I want to share to your hearts. 

Heavenly Father loves us, His children. He loves you. He knows you. He created this plan for you. Before we were born, we agreed to this plan. We chose to follow Jesus Christ. We believed and had faith that He could bear our burdens, carry our sorrows, and atone for our sins. And He did. I know He did, because I have felt that power in my life, the power that only comes through His Grace and Mercy. Because of this plan, we know where we came from, where we are going, and why we are here. This plan is the Plan of Happiness. "Men are that they might have joy" Heavenly Father doesn't want us to go through life sorrowing, but to find the joy that comes through living the Gospel and following our Savior Jesus Christ. I know death does not part us from the people we love. I am so grateful for Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ's love for me, and for you. If you have been feeling a lack of that love, that light, in your life, I invite you to pray. If you don't feel like praying, read the Book of Mormon. If you don't feel like doing that, then just meditate, and think about God. Let Him know you have a desire to know truth, to know He is at the very least aware of you. 

I know He is very aware. And I know He cares.

I love you all so much. I am so grateful for this Gospel, and the chance I have to bring the light it gives into other's lives. 

Have a wonderful week!

Sister Springer

~"Saipan is back in Guam, Saipan is back in Guam"~

Whoever said the title with the tune "the boys are back in town" gets me. Someday, I will listen to that song again... but not now!!

This week was pretty great. Went to MLC again. It was another awesome Spiritual experience. And we finally got interpretation tech!!! SOOOO EXCITED!!! We used it for the first time on Sunday, so we could translate for our Chinese friends. And there was more Chinese people there than there has been in awhile: Members:Anbby (nd Miaomiao of course), and Isaac. Investigators: Angel, her sister-in-law, and Xingjing and her daughter Jojo. We visited Xingjing and Walter Saturday night. I love their family so much!! Jojo (7 years old) said, "Sorry we haven't been to church. Are you mad?" I said, "We're sad because we miss you guys a lot, but we aren't mad!" "Is Lisa (the Primary President) mad?" "No, of course not! She would never be mad at you!" Jojo is so freaking cute I love her. She told us we are her best friends and even when we leave Saipan she'll still be her friends. I just love their family ^^ Xingjing is taking english classes at the college. She so smart!! Her English is getting way better too. One day, we'll speak each other's languages well enough to have really solid conversations and we'll be even better friends. 

Last night we saw Judy. She is so good! She fed us super yummy Chinese food. I'm not sure I'll be able to recreate these dumplings (jiaozi) when I get home, but I will try. Before dinner, she asked us what chapter we had texted her last week because she couldn't find her Book of Mormon to read it. We said it was Alma 38 and we read it together. She said, "wow. Every verse is exactly what I needed to hear. How did you know?" "God told us." "So you felt this is what I needed  and gave it to me? That is so cool! Can you do that every day?" We told her we could, but if she wanted she could just start from the beginning too, because the entire Book is full of scriptures written just for us, that will speak to our hearts and our souls. I know that that is true for all of us. I've seen the power--the literal power-- of the Book of Mormon in my own life. It is the truest Book on the earth, and I promise, just as Joseph Smith said, you "will get nearer to God by abiding by its precepts, than by any other book." I love the Book of Mormon! 

I love the zone we are apart of. I took a video so ya'll could know the people I talk about. I'll try to send that out. I've been picking back up on my Pohnpeian since Elder Ili (who came into Pohnpei 1 transfer after me), Elder Peles and Sister Lawrence (both from Pohnpei) got here. Yay! Sometimes I say stuff to them in Chinese on accident though, haha!

That's about it for this week. I love you all so much. Keep reading the Book of Mormon every day. I promise your days will get brighter, your loads will get lighter, and your love of God and all men will grow stronger. Have an excellent week!! 

I poakpoakekumwail! Wo ai ni men! I love you all!

Sister Springer

A bad case of hiccups-- man I missed those!

Hey all!! 

Last Monday I had the worst hiccups. They stayed for like an hour. It was awesome!! I was laughing forever haha.

This week has been pretty good. Life always has it's ups and downs, but you just gotta keep looking at the positive and all the blessings you do have. Like the blessing it is to be surrounded by the beautiful ocean (or in your case mountains) every day, or the family and friends you've got, or.... well I could just go on, but I'm running out of time... So I just invite you all to keep looking for the blessings. I promise they are there. 

Lotsa stuff happened this week. Tuesday we found out Sister Laulusa was going to train! So that was cool. She's going to do awesome-- she's a very good missionary. It was Elder Jensen's birthday on Friday, and Sister Jenkins yesterday. Friday morning we went to the Conners and helped them scrub their back deck and tear out a huge bush/weed in their yard. It was awesome! I love that family so much. Most of the week Sister Jenkins and I were in a trio with Sister Kaleopa-- Tres friends are back at it!! Haha. It was fun. She's such a great missionary. I'm going to really miss her when she goes home. 

Saturday Sister Lawrence and Sister Laulusa flew in. Sister Lawrence is from Pohnpei! She knows some people I know, so that's cool =) She's gonna help me remember my Pohnpeian too!

This week we started teaching Tracy! She's the one who has been helping us learn Chinese for free for the past year. She is so awesome. She's aethiest, but she feels like the church and it's teachings will really help her find peace and happiness. Before, when she was in college, she wanted to learn about Jesus Christ, but felt like she could only choose that or success. Since her family was relying on her, she chose to just pursue her education. But after she graduated, she realized the work environment in China made it so to be successful, you sometimes had to be cruel and hurt others. She didn't want to, so she came to Saipan, where she now works and a massage therapist. The Lord truly prepares people for the Gospel. I love Tracy so much. The Spirit was so strong as we were talking to her, and she shared some of her past experiences... like her mother suffering and eventually passing away from cancer. She has the kindest heart, and has seen a lot of pain. I cannot wait to help her find the peace and happiness she has been searching for her whole life. 

This Sunday was sooo good! In Relief Society we had a council on how to be a leader in your home. To sum up: To all you married people, or soon to be married: No matter what is going on in your life, no matter what work, friend, school, or church responsibilites you have, teh most important meeting you have in a week is date night. The commandment is to cleave unto your spouse. President Sablan, the 2nd counselor in the Stake Presidency (and a man I really look up to) talked about how important it is to take time every week with your spouse. You cannot be a leader in your home until you are one with your spouse. Sister Conner said, "If Momma ain't happy, ain't nobody happy." And that it's so true. But if Mom is happy, then the home becomes a refuge from the storms of life. So I invite you all, no matter your situation is, to make your home a refuge of safety by making Jesus Christ the center, and your spouse the priority. 

This week is MLC again. Can't wait to see all the missionaries and President and Sister Poston. I just wish I could put all of Saipan on pause while I'm gone.... Always miss it when I leave. 

"Press forward and do just what God wants you to do!"-Sister Conner

I love you all! Have a great week!

Sister Springer