Move Calls!!

Hi Family!!

Today is my first day in my new area with my new companion!

This week has been good! I'm going to really miss my companion, Sister Weng. I really love her. We've had such a good transfer. She has so much charity and love and she's hilarious! She loves Stitch (from Lilo and Stitch), and gets trunky when she sees "Shrek" happy meal toys, makes funny faces that look like the Bull from Bugs Bunny, and always says REALLY funny things in Chinese. Oh!! I'm going to miss her soooooo much!!! I just love her! It's so sad to move!!

This week has been pretty good. We had a really good Zone Conference on Tuesday that really got us motivated. Elder Pratt from the Quorum of the 70 came and taught with his wife. He's a GGgrandson of Parley P Pratt so told some fun stories about PPPratt's mission experiences. He said that it doesn't matter why we came on a mission, it just matters that we start right now making our reason to continue "love". So that we preach because we love God, the gospel, the Taiwanese, the language... Then his wife talked a lot about obedience. I've probably said this before, but since I've been on a mission, my favorite principle I've learned is that of obedience. This is NOT saying "oh I'm the most obedient missionary, blah blah". But I just really love the principle that with every obedient act, there's a blessing beside it. "There is a law, irrevocably decreed in heave before the foundations of this world, upon which all blessings are predicated --And when we obtain any blessing from God, it is by obedience to that law upon which it is predicated." I think sometimes we may get a blessing when we don't necessarily deserve it--either by the grace of God or just being leaning on our own feeble strength, but most of the time, when we receive something good, it's because we knowingly or unknowingly obeyed a commandments of God which qualified us for that blessing. Sister Pratt talked about that alot in Zone Conference and it really brought me to repentance. Not that I have major disobedience issues, but everyone can always be more obedient. Like I need to be a better teacher. But most of all, I needed to change my attitude about obedience. Sometimes I would get bugged at some of the lamer rules I don't understand, like stretching for 10 minutes after running, and stuff. But if I just remember that every little thing I obey, will give a blessing, or at LEAST the Spirit more so that people will believe us more, than it makes me more excited to obey. Anyway, it was really cool. Sister Weng and I were too happy and having too much fun together that sometimes we would have to snap out of it and stop talking so that we could contact people. Zone Conference was a really good motivation.

So we made a couple trips up the big hill to Hukou, (about 1 hour+) and knocked doors. Every time we went this week, it happened to start POURING as soon as we got there. I like rain...but not if I'm going to be biking in it for 6 hours. Being in wet clothes is one of the most miserable things there ever was. I now have all sorts of sick Taiwan dried sludge in my shoes from walking through grime puddles. Ewww. But it was good. Since Zone Conference, I've just felt way more fire to testify and share, which is great, but is sometimes painful when people still reject you. When you feel that burning in your heart and that love of the gospel even more, it's more sad when people don't care. I just wish I could somehow transplant the feeling I have and put it in that person's heart. I wish so much sometimes that I could just be in that person's shoes for a second and feel if they feel anything. So yeah, I figure that's where study and obedience come in. In the Book of Mormon it talks a lot about missionaries (Alma, Ammon, Sons of Mosiah, Nephi, etc.) and they had more authority and power because they were so obedient and diligent so it carried it to the hearts of the people they taught. Anyway, we talked to some cool people in Hukou. No great success, but we had some good conversations and some good moments. We also ran into this really cute dog that looked EXACTLY like Doug from "Up". He kept following us to doors we were tracting, so when people opened the door, they saw 3 sister missionaries and a yellow dog. haha. So cute!! "Hi There. My name is Doug" "I hid under the porch because I love you." Hah.

So we have run into a really interesting religion in Taiwan. We taught an investigator who was a member of it and I'm starting to think it's....creepy...? Anyway, it's a religion that pretty much excepts ALL truth and invites all religions to preach in their churches. So pretty much their way of thinking is "there's a lot of roads to take, and they can all lead to Taibei". (I thought about that, then it didn't make sense because if we all START from the same place... in our case Heavenly Father's presence...then all roads DON'T go to the same place...) Anyway, that's not really the most worst part...although saying that EVERYTHING thing is true is denying God (see 2 Nephi 2:13). What just set us kind of on edge, was when we taught, she would bear her testimony of her religion and we had a really eery feeling. Then we asked her to pray and she refused. We asked why and she said "I'm not positive...but I think that that's something I'm not allowed to do." Apparently this religion makes some interesting oaths and covenants when you get really deep into it that are secret. That also involve secret hand signals and stuff (secret combinations....?). Anyway, interesting.

Recently, I don't know what is happening! All of our investigators are just dropping like flies! They just stop calling us or tell us they can't give up Buddhism. Ugh!! Pray.

Transfer calls were on Friday. I was so excited because I was transferred to Shuanghe. Shuanghe is in Taibei and is one of the most densely populated placed in the world. I actually wasn't necessarily excited about that part, but my new companion was going to be Sister Scott! I love Sister Scott! We were companions for 2 weeks when I first got to Taiwan. But sadly, after I got the move call, I found out that Sister Scott is going home early for medical problems. She has such bad allergies and asthma that she is having major breathing problems from Taibei's air. I've been very fortunate in that area. But yeah, sad! So my move call was changed to Taoyuan/Bade (pronounced Bah Duh) with Sister Messenger. She's really cool so far so it should be a good transfer. It was sooooo sad to leave Zhubei though!!! We were "qing-ed" for dinner a few times and the members were so nice! There are a few teachers who want me to come back to Zhubei after my mission and intern at their school. I'm seriously considering it. I love that place!!

Anyway, all is sooooo good! I love you all! The Church is True! Blessings come from the Gospel! Christ lives! Joseph Smith was a prophet!

LOVE YOU!!!
Coley