I’ve been a RM for 1 year now. August 5, 2008 was the official date I left behind my life as a sister missionary. Luckily two of my favorite sister missionaries also recently returned home and so I’ve been able to relive some of my mission experiences, at least in memory.
Sister Hannah McKinley returned home a few weeks ago. She was my 2nd to last mission companion. She was an amazing support to me in the last few months of my mission. She gave her “I’m home” talk in Annapolis, Maryland. One of the stories she shared in her talk really helped me to see the larger picture about missionary work. A stake president in Taiwan had called her and told her that his sister, who had been investigating the church for years, was ready to meet with the missionaries again. When Sister McKinley and her companion arrived at her doorstep the next day, she was surprised to meet a familiar face. The woman with whom they were supposed to meet was the same woman that Sister McKinley had met a few weeks before. She had been late for an appointment but felt a strong prompting that she should stop because someone right there on the street was ready to be baptized. She talked with the woman there on the road for a few minutes, but this woman was not willing to give her any information. She only said she would call Sister McKinley when she was ready. Of course, Sister McKinley left feeling sad that this prompting had not lead to a new investigator. Now, she realized that this was the same woman, and that she was ready to be baptized.
As they continued their meeting, the woman pulled out an old notebook, with a long list of names and dates. The first names were two elders who in 1991 had meet with this woman. The list continued for pages, with notes from each discussion. The woman carefully recorded the names of Sister McKinley and her companion, missionaries #131 & #132 on her list which now extended 18 years. She now announced to the sisters that she was ready to be baptized. In stead of teaching her the lessons over again, the sister missionaries simply asked her to share her testimony about each of the gospel principles, which was deep and supplemented by the notes she had made over the years. Truly the work of each of the 132 missionaries on her list was important and necessary for this woman’s path to the baptism and redemption.
Last Sunday I also had the opportunity to hear Sister Rowberry report home from her mission. She was my trainee, a missionary who from day #1 to the last day and continuing to her life after the mission, is on fire with the work of the Lord. She shared the story of a lady from Vietnam, who with her husband began coming to church after her brother in law, who is a stake president, encouraged them to seek peace in the church. She was very reserved and unwilling to speak when she first began coming to church. But she kept coming. She and her husband prepared for baptism, after feeling the desire to repent and to be clean from deep and sorrowful sin and mistakes in their past. Even up to the moments before she was baptized, this woman was reserved and sullen, but as soon as she was baptized, she felt the cleansing power of the atonement. Her face shown, she smiled for the first time at church, and said “ I can feel the God feeling again, I can feel God again.” Sister Rowberry was an instrument in bringing the redeeming power of the Atonement to many in Taiwan.
It was also a very special experience for me as Sister Rowberry mentioned me in her talk. She said that she was glad to see me there, as I could share with her in the joy of a family that was baptized soon after she arrived in Taiwan. The Li family was an incredible family who were baptized in the Nantou ward. They were eager and willing investigators. The mother and father were baptized in April 2008 and their daughter was baptized in Dec 2008 when she turned 8. Their son is 6 years old. Sister Rowberry shared that this wonderful family will be sealed in the temple on October 24, 2009. They love the gospel and live it with their whole hearts. This was family that simply needed the missionaries to show them where to find the fullness of the gospel of Jesus Christ, and who willing accepted the Savior into their lives.
Those words you can't really read on that building are actually the first amendment on a mueseum that our "tour guide"/ friend in the ward told us was the news museum. This picture begins my entry today because the first amendment is a constitutional right a whole lot of people in Washington were exercising today...
a rally of Republicans/ conservatives/ Americans who happened to pick the same day to have a rally that we picked to have enrichment at the Library of Congress. 
this is the afterthought... oh I need a picture to prove I was there. This really just a few of the protesters heading to the metro/ home/ to eat lunch.
Well the protesting scene isn't really my thing. I enjoyed the art street show we went to next a lot more. This is a cute baby in the crowd there.
These two are some SWEET Washington meets Van Gogh pictures that fall into the "if I had more money, I would definitely buy these" category that grows larger by the day. 
Since I first knew what Classical art was, I've loved Monet. He, however, does not fall into "when I can afford that" list because we all know that will never happen. oh well. I'm fine with the goal of one day owning a $200 work of art. 
