Dear Family!!! Hello!!! :) I am SO glad that it is Monday! :) It feels
like it has been a super long week, but at the same time it has flown
by! I really don't know how that always works out. . . I guess that's
just how the mission life is! I don't think that I will ever get used
to it! :)

Okay, so this week we've discovered our calling to Michigan was not
really to convert Michiganders! ;) I really feel like Heavenly Father
has called Sister Bishop and Sister Decker to Michigan and to the
University of Michigan to convert CHINA!!! :) Ha ha! Here is the
story! Last week we got a referral from Temple square for a Chinese
man named Gong Wang. The referral said to call him ASAP cause he was
super excited, so of course we did! :) We called a few times, over the
next few days, with no answer. We left him a message and decided to
stop by the address that he gave us. That all sounded great, until
there was NO SUCH ADDRESS!!! Ha ha! We were super bummed, but decided
to call one more time. We did, still no answer so we left one more
message. Then we let it go for a few days. Then, last Monday he
text-ed us!!! He said he was on campus and wanted to meet with us that
night! He was super excited and we were pretty much in heaven, but the
best is still to come! We met with him that evening and had such an
amazing lesson!!! We taught the restoration, helped him to understand
baptism and invited him to be baptized! He told us, "Yes!! When I know
that this is true of course I will join your church! !" He was super
excited! We set up our expectations and invited him to read the BOM,
pray and come to church- all of it was exactly what he had been
waiting to hear! We gave him a BOM and set up a return appt for later
in the week. When we met later in the week he asked us, "If I want to
be a Mormon, what do I need to do?" (That's the question that EVERY
missionary loves to hear!!) We explained baptism and the things that
we would help him to do to prepare and then came the clincher: he told
us, "This is all really great and I want to do it, but I am going back
to China in 5 days!!!!" AHHHHH!!! Ha ha! We gave him all the info we
could and told him we would do our best to get him contact info for
the Church in China, this will be our THIRD Chinese man that we really
wanted to baptize but is going back to China before we get the
chance! So, the Lord sent us to Michigan so that we can convert China!
I'm super excited that school is about to start so that Chinese
students will be coming instead of leaving!!! The thing is though, I'm
positive that the 3 guys we sent back to China will continue to read,
study and learn! So that when China is open for missionaries they will
be there waiting to be baptized and then also to support and help the
work progress!!!! The Chinese people are so sincere and filled with
this huge desire to find out the truth, it will be such a blessing for
that people when the gospel and be shared openly in their nation!!!
Sigh, just pray for them!! <3

This week has been so crazy! We have been trying to ask for more
referrals and invite people when they set up an appointment to bring
friends. So far that hadn't worked at all, but this week it sure paid
off!! We had one investigator bring his roommate who wanted to learn
more, and another guy bring his 2 friends to a lesson!! We about died
of shock to open the institute door to not just one, but THREE Chinese
men who wanted to learn more about the gospel!! (See once again, we
teach SO many Chinese people! I really, really love them!)

Okay, so one more amazing miracle this week! We saw Mackenzie this
Friday for the first time in several weeks. She came and we were just
about to start our lesson when her phone started ringing. She looked
and saw that it was her Mom and said she needed to take the call. We
decided it was a good time to take a potty break, so we left her in
the classroom. A few minutes later as we were waiting in the other
room we heard her start yelling and crying. From the sounds of it, the
conversation was NOT pretty. It was really hard to listen to. We gave
her the time that she needed, but in the mean time I felt prompted to
ask Bro Elms if he would be willing to give her a blessing if she
would like one. He said he would stick around for a little while just
in case. When she came out of the room her eyes were all red and we
could tell that she was still pretty upset. That morning as we were
planning for her lesson we felt like we needed to sing to her. (Ha ha,
once again, we are DEFINITELY NOT the Mo Tab, but we rely on the
spirit and it seems to work out okay.) ;) So we sang "Lead Kindly
Light" then talked about the priesthood and priesthood blessings. She
said she would like one so we went and got Bro Elms. WOW!!! It was so
amazing!!! She had been struggling with the concept of the priesthood
before, but after feeling the spirit so strongly during that blessing
her testimony grew SO MUCH!!! We talked for a little while with Bro
Elms and just enjoyed the spirit in the room. I loved how simple the
entire thing was! We planned, prepared and prayed for the spirit to
guide and it was truly miraculous!! She is still really struggling
with her family, so please keep Mackenzie in your prayers and her Mom!
They all really need it! <3

Okay, so I have to just say one more thing: I LOVE THESE PEOPLE SO
STINKIN' MUCH!!!! We are working on getting a new missionary
committee, new WML and LOTS and lots of new people to teach!! This
area is going to just take off, we have to many good plans and ideas!
We have the love and support of the ward behind us and the faith and
courage to go to work! We met with Hunaid last night and I can't even
tell you how much I love that guy!!!! Him and Nick (a less-active that
we have been working with) both got the priesthood yesterday! I think
it was potentially one of the VERY BEST feelings I've ever had!!! I
felt like I was their Mom. <3 ha ha, I was almost in tears yesterday
and the smiles on their faces were HUGE!!! The gospel really does
work! It changes people!!! I am SO thankful for this time I have to
find MY brothers and sisters and remind them Who Loves Them and see
how that little reminder can change their lives! :) I love where I am
at, I love what I am doing and I really, really love the people that
we are working with!

Well, family! I got your package this week!! Thanks so much!! I'm
listening to the tapes today and loving every minute of them! Happy
Birthday to Jake and Matthew last week, hope you both had a great
day!!! Please tell Grandma Johnson how much I love her! I will keep
you all in my prayers! :) Mom and Dad, how was your trip?? :) If you
were at the temple on Thursday, we were probably there at the same
time!!! :)

I love you all SO super much!!! Choose the right and all the important
things, and remember, WHO LOVES YOU!!!

Love,

Sister Bishop