Dec 28, 2009‏

Dear Jiating (Family),

Ni Hao again! How are you all doing? The MTC is still great! Also, as many of you can email me as you want, but I can only spend 30 mins on email a day, so I may not get to email you all back! Literally, there is a clock ticking down in the top corner, and if it reaches "0:00" I get kicked off. Brutal!

Anyways, before I forget there are a couple things that I need that I don't have. I should have a brown fancy-ish blazer in my closet. If someone took it find it and steal it back. Apparently we need to wear blazers to large group meetings and I only have a winter coat, which gets really hot in a room of 2,000 missionaries! In my room there is also a scripture case and a journal. I need those too. Things that are not in my room that I need is Hypoi-allergenic laundry detergent for about 24 loads. My skin is so dry and the detergent is not helping! I have plenty of lotion, though, which is a blessing. I would also appreciate a semi-nice looking watch. Not expensive at all, just nice looking. I lost mine and there are practically no clocks here at all! So to Sum it Up: Blazer, Scripture case, journal, detergent, watch. Thanks! Sorry for the inconvenience!

Now to get on with the week. Christmas was amazing! Christmas week we had some awesome speakers. Last Tuesday Niel L Andersen came and talked about the condescention of God. It was amazing! It was particularly special for me because his talk, "You know Enough" in October 2008 is one of the reasons I am here. What a great Christmas Gift!

On Christmas Day L Tom Perry came and spoke about Jesus. From where I was sitting, He looked a lot like Grandpa Timms! I felt so special. It was such an amazing talk! The Christmas evening Devotional was Greg Olsen. He is the one who painted most of the pictures of Christ we recognize. He was amazing. One funny story he told is that He had models dressed as Jesus and His Disciples that he was taking pictures of in the middle of a field and for a split second one of the neighbors thought it was the second coming! I loved it! I still laugh!

The coolest part of the week is that we had our first TA (Teaching Appointment). Even though it was just a girl pretending to be an investigator it felt so real! We taught her that God loves her, and the spirit was so strong. My companions were amazing. I am so blessed to be with them to learn and grow. I couldn't have asked for better companions! We talked to the girl who played the investigator at lunch and she said that she was pretending to be one of her friends and she did not know what to say to her about the church but we answered the question for her. I was really humbled by the experience. I know that the spirit worked through me and my companions to bring her answer to her because we could never have known on our own. The spirit is real! I love it!

One of the scriptures we shared in teaching really hit home with me too. It is one of my classic favorites: Proverbs 3:5-6. Learning Chinese is hard. Truthfully, I know by myself it would really be impossible. But god wants me to do it. I know I can do it because of that. I need to stop trusting my own abilities and start trusting his. He parted the red sea for crying out loud! Of course he can teach me Chinese! :)

The funniest thing that happened this week actually happened this morning. There is optional morning gym time for the sisters and they bring in an instructor and she does a class. today the class was Step Aerobics. I have never done that before. Now I know why! I am so not coordinated! I tripped over my step a couple times and I even feel down! I could not stop laughing! I guess I got more of an ab work out than I expected from a step aerobics class by laughing so hard!

Well, Wo ai Nimen! I love you all!

Love,
Sister Collyer

PS - I am trying to figure out pictures. Maybe next week!

December 21, 2009

Dear Family,
Wow! I only have a little bit of time so I am really gonna try to get all the info in!

This week has been amazing!I have two companions - Sister Ko (Gao Jiemei) and Sister Malmrose (Ma Jiemei)! Sister Malmrose is not sure yet if she is related to Holly. Do they have any family in Salt Lake or distant cousins in Hawaii?

Anyways, my companions are amazing! They are so much fun to be around and they invite the spirit so strongly when we teach. And yes, we are already teaching! Not in Chinese yet, but that will come.

Our District has three other Elders in it - Elder Brough (Bao Zhung Lao), Li (Li Zhung Lao), and Edwards (Wu Zhung Lao). They are really neat. Elder Li is from Honk Kong, but he speaks Cantonese. He is catching on fast, but we all still have a lot to learn. Out teachers are Mi Laoshi and He Laoshi. They are amazing. I can't believe how well they teach both the Chinese language and the language of the spirit at the same time!

Chinese is a really tough language! There are four different tones, but I can't describe them by just typing. You really have to hear it. My Chinese name is Ke Jiemei. You kind of sing it, where Ke is a high note, Jie is a low note, and Mei is an angry note. Yup.

Our third day we learned to pray. It was amazing. I can pray in Chinese! It is a really humbling experience. I can only thank and ask for a few things, but I learned the words that I really wanted to know, so even though my prayers sound like sing-song gibberish, they really mean a lot to me.

I am so amazed how much I have learned about the gospel in just these few days. Having so much personal and companion study time is really amazing. like for example, today Gao Jiemei and Ma Jiemei and I were reading in Nephi, and we read the part where Nephi has a vision of Columbus and such. It is so, so detailed! I was shocked! We just kept reading and discussing, and every major part of religious and secular history was accounted for! And yesterday we were reading earlier in Nephi and we noticed that the two things that Nephi and his family went back for was the scriptures and family. and what was restored in the restoration? Scripture and temple ordinances that bring together families! Wow! Yeah, it has been a great couple days.

Also, I just have to say that Rebecca's Luggage tags literally saved me from having to buy a new wardrobe. At the airport they put the wrong luggage tag thing on my bag, so it was sent to Texas to someone with the last name of Marx. Not me at all. But my name was on the luggage, nice and clear on a polka-dot tag. I filed a claim and they found it right away, and it was delivered to the MTC the next day! Thank you so much Rebecca! You are a lifesaver!

I am so excited to be in the MTC durring Christmas! This is the greatest place to be! I am so happy and excited and filled with the spirit all the time! Also, there are amazing guest speakers in relief society and at firesides. Sister Uchtdorf taught Relief society this past Sunday, and it was amazing! And we are going to have special speakers on Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday! Wow! I am so blessed to be here right now. I am so excited because I really feel that the Savior gave his whole life for me, and now I get to give a little bit of my life to him during the best season ever! I am so blessed!

Wo ai Nimen! I love you all. Tianfu zhufu nimen! God bless you!

Love,
Sister Collyer, Ke Jiemei

Leaving

Well, Amy made it to the Missionary Training Center relatively incident free. Her luggage did get sent to Texas instead of Utah, but it should be with her now. Thanks Ruth for running her around to get the stuff she would need until her luggage got there.

We already miss Amy, but we're so proud of her decision to serve the Lord, and excited for the adventure upon which she has now embarked.

If you would like to write her, send letters to the MTC address in the side bar of this blog.

Dear Sister Collyer

You are hereby called to serve as a missionary of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. You are assigned to labor in the Taiwan Taipei Mission. It is anticipated that you will serve for a period of 18 months.

You should report to the Provo Missionary Training Center on Wednesday, December 16, 2009. You will prepare to preach the gospel in the Mandarin Chinese language. Your assignment may be modified according to the needs of the mission president.

You have been recommended as one worthy to represent the Lord as a minister of the restored gospel. You will be an official representative of the Church. As such, you will be expected to maintain the highest standards of conduct and appearance by keeping the commandments, living mission rules, and following the counsel of your mission president. As you devote your time and attention to serving the Lord, leaving behind all other personal affairs, the Lord will bless you with increased knowledge and testimony of the Restoration and of the truths of the gospel of Jesus Christ.

Your purpose will be to invite others to come unto Christ by helping them receive the restored gospel through faith in Jesus Christ and His Atonement, repentance, baptism, receiving the gift of the Holy Ghost, and enduring to the end. As you serve with all your heart, might, and strength, the Lord will lead you to those who are prepared to be baptized.

The Lord will reward you for the goodness of your life. Greater blessing and more happiness than you have yet experienced await you as you humbly and prayerfully serve the Lord in this labor of love among His children. We place in you our confidence and pray that the Lord will help you become an effective missionary.

You will be set apart as a missionary by your stake president. Please send your written acceptance promptly, endorsed by your bishop.

Sincerely,

Thomas S. Monson

President

I am humbled to join the thousands of missionaries around the world that are bringing people closer to Christ. This is truly a once in a lifetime opportunity, and I am grateful that i get to start my service this wonderful Christmas season.

There are so many people that have helped me reach this point in my life. My family is always so supportive. Each of you are a special blessing in my life. I am so grateful for all of the love you show me, and I know that i am here today because of you. Thank you so much!

I have also always had great friends in my life. From pre-school to college, you have always been such great examples. Thank you all for showing me how to withstand peer pressure and stand up for what is right in every situation. You are all so wonderful. I love you!

The wards that I grew up in were full of wonderful members and teachers. Thank you so much for putting up with me through the teenage years, and teaching and loving me in the times it mattered most. I know your guidance and love has helped me along the way.

The most important person I must thank in my life is Jesus Christ. He is my Lord, Savior, and Friend. I know He loves me, and I know that He died to provide a way for me to live with God again. I know that through the power of the Holy Ghost we can know the truth of all things. I pray that as I serve the Lord I can have the Spirit with me, that I may be an instrument in His hands to bring people the happiness that comes from the truth of the Gospel.

God bless you all! See you in a year and a half!