When my family and I first moved to Arizona from Taiwan, the weather was wonderful. It was the beginning of March 2023, and small wildflowers were everywhere. For a long time, I had hoped to make a deeper connection with this land and was curious to learn more about the culture here.
Soon after, one of my friends invited me to attend The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints with her. She is a member and thought I would like the beautiful organ music. At church, I met another woman who invited me to join the Church’s EnglishConnect program. I can read and write in English, but for most of my life, I didn’t have many opportunities to speak it. So my family and I began attending EnglishConnect classes that week.
Church members taught the class, and we practiced speaking English by playing games and explaining different topics to each other. The classes were helpful, but the personal connections I made meant the most to me. I made good friends, and my kids did, too. The stake president even opened his home to host parties for the students. The Spanish-speaking students also came, and together, we’d share food and do karaoke. Everyone was so kind and friendly.
I continued going to classes and to church, and eventually, my family and I started meeting with the missionaries. One and a half months after our first EnglishConnect class, my husband and I were baptized. A month later, my two children were baptized as well. Since then, we have all been sealed in the Phoenix Arizona Temple.
When I studied English in Taiwan, my relationship with my teachers was one-sided. But in the EnglishConnect program, the teachers wanted to learn about our culture, not just teach us about theirs. They felt like friends. They cared about what we thought, asked about our lives, and offered to help us. The first time they met me, they treated me like a sister.
And that’s why I love this Church so much. The people love like Jesus does.
More articles for you:
▶ My mother was drowning in depression. Healing came in the most unexpected way
▶ How one couple raised 8 kids to recognize the Spirit for themselves
▶ Elder Caussé explains why he keeps a $10 bill tucked inside his scriptures
