Hi Family!!
Taiwan is good! I was actually transfered to a new area today. I'm now in a suburb of Taibei County called BanQiao [ban-chow]. It seems I'm moving closer and closer to Taibei. Yikes, scary! It's really clean and nice from what I've seen of it. My new companion is Sister Stenquist from Kaysville. She was actually homeschooled too! Haha! This is her 4th transfer on island so I am the senior companion. She took Chinese for a couple years at BYU so her Chinese is pretty much better than mine, so we're a good pair. This will be a good transfer, but a little rough. I'm terrified, honestly. I was in PEC (priesthood executive committee) yesterday and discussed the needs of one of our investigators --I thought I said it completely clearly but the bishop just blinked and said "I don't understand you." Haha. This will be a humbling transfer. Our apartment is a studio apartment so we study, eat and sleep in one room, but it's super new and nice. Things will be good.
I'm really sad to leave the people of Taoyuan. My companion Sister Messenger is training a new missionary so we were in a 3some for a few days. She was my 3rd Sister Peterson I've served with. I'll miss the investigators we had there. We had a golden investigator Li Jia Lin who is wonderful and has the cutest little boys ever. The little boys were so sad that I was leaving. I LOVE those little boys so much!! My heart hurts for leaving. We were also teaching a boy named Jian, who was a really endearing kid. He has a twitch. He is a former investigator and HE called US out of no where because "he had a feeling." He's humble and wants to be baptized but his parents oppose. He's so great. Then we were teaching a cute 19 year old girl named Kiki who is a lot of fun. Our leadership was good too. It's so sad to leave!! We were getting really close to these people...which is probably why it's good to leave. It's good for people not to get attached to missionaries.
On Saturday we went hiking with our ward and investigators. It was really nice. We all fed goats and drank goat milk at the very end. It was a funny finale to the ward activity. I can't see the highlight of a ward outting in the US being drinking goat milk. But it was good. Church was good on Sunday. We had 10 investigators come to church, which NEVER happens. Plus 5 people just walked in off the street because they felt like it was a good place to be. FIVE! That's so crazy.
Spiritual Thought of the Day:
2 Nephi 29:7 "
Know ye not that there are more anations than one? Know ye not that I, the Lord your God, have created all men, and that I remember those who are upon the bisles of the sea; and that I rule in the heavens above and in the cearth beneath; and I bring forth my dword unto the children of men, yea, even upon all the nations of the earth?"
Heavenly Father loves ALL of His children on the earth. Interesting, I've heard ALOT of non members say when they visit Taibei temple square or church "I like this place. I feel like I've come home." It's neat that our spirit remembers living with God and when we go to the house of the Lord, we remember how it feels to live with Him.
Anyway, I love you all! If Dad, Danny, Robert and Michael have any tips about how to be a Sr Comp, let me know. I feel like I forgot how to be a missionary overnight. After moving to a new place, I feel like I'm on ILP again.
Love you!!
Coley
Sunday, August 29, 2010
Sunday, August 22, 2010
Youth Conference and cockroaches
Hey Family!!
My email will be a little short today. We're going to that theme park again. Liu Fu Cun! This is the last week of the transfer, so we're not sure where we'll be in a week so we're using our season passes to the best fullest. :D
This Thursday was pretty cool. There was a mission-wide youth conference/efy thing near Taizhong that we got to sing at. The mission president of the Taizhong mission (who is apparently very well off...) donated a TON of handcarts to the event and the kids had a little pioneer trek through the jungley hills. Their leaders put chunks of ice in a pond they had to pull through so it would be like the Willy Martin handcart company. Then they threw flour on them as if it were "snow". Haha. So cute. They pulled ALL day in 90 degree CRAZY humid mosquito infested hills. They were beat. That night they had a presentation conducted by President Grimley (our mission president) that showed the "pioneers" of Taiwan. The first Taiwanese missionary, the first couple white missionaries to serve in Taiwan, and some of the first members of Taiwan were there. Then us missionaries sang a couple songs and the kids were all encouraged to serve missions. Pres Grimley kept saying "boys are COMMANDED to go, and girls, you're great and if you WANT you can come along too." But the funny thing is, that in sacrament meeting the next day all the girls bore their testimonies and said "I definitely will serve a mission!" Then flooded us after church and asked when they can knock doors with us. They all wore their "future missionary" tags and stuff. But the boys got up and their testimonies were pretty much "the trek was pretty cool...I'm not sure if I'll serve a mission yet, but it made me think a little bit..." haha.
I hope the pictures I attached to this email work...the first is of my companion playing pool with a broom handle and a cockroach. We keep finding HUGE cockroaches in our kitchen. It's soooo gross!! I found one the other day on the floor about an inch and a half long that looked like it was on it's back and dead. So I picked it up with a tissue and put it in the trash then it jumped up and started running around!! I'm sure the whole apartment complex heard me scream. Yuck. The second picture is of Shandi and Katie and Ryan's baptism last week! They are soooo great!!
The ward is really neat here in Taoyuan. They translated all the ingredients I can't eat into Chinese and the women in the ward all tell me that before they feed us they pray for a long time to figure out something to make that doesn't have soy sauce. Then the bishopric personally took it upon themselves to buy me rice crackers for sacrament meeting. It's sooo nice!
Our investigator Li Jia Lin is still doing well. She has her baptismal interview on Wednesday. She's inviting 4 friends to a church activity this Saturday and is giving away Book of Mormons and pamphlets and teaching her friends to pray and turns on Church DVDs in her drink shop and everything. She is SO incredible. I LOVE her little boys!! I'll have to take a picture of them. They all went to church this week and will keep coming with their mom, which is exciting. I've decided that if there is one thing that I will do better when I get back, is that if there is EVER any Less Active or Investigator that comes to church, I will welcome them and sit with them and be their friend. Nothing makes a missionary swear more than when an investigator goes to church and the members don't really understand that they have to take special care of the new-comer and the investigator feels awkard. Fortunately, recently returned missionaries have often saved the day. I want to be like that when I get back.
Anyways, life is good! I'm trying to remember if anything else interesting happened this week...I can't remember. Anyway, love you all!!!
Coley
My email will be a little short today. We're going to that theme park again. Liu Fu Cun! This is the last week of the transfer, so we're not sure where we'll be in a week so we're using our season passes to the best fullest. :D
This Thursday was pretty cool. There was a mission-wide youth conference/efy thing near Taizhong that we got to sing at. The mission president of the Taizhong mission (who is apparently very well off...) donated a TON of handcarts to the event and the kids had a little pioneer trek through the jungley hills. Their leaders put chunks of ice in a pond they had to pull through so it would be like the Willy Martin handcart company. Then they threw flour on them as if it were "snow". Haha. So cute. They pulled ALL day in 90 degree CRAZY humid mosquito infested hills. They were beat. That night they had a presentation conducted by President Grimley (our mission president) that showed the "pioneers" of Taiwan. The first Taiwanese missionary, the first couple white missionaries to serve in Taiwan, and some of the first members of Taiwan were there. Then us missionaries sang a couple songs and the kids were all encouraged to serve missions. Pres Grimley kept saying "boys are COMMANDED to go, and girls, you're great and if you WANT you can come along too." But the funny thing is, that in sacrament meeting the next day all the girls bore their testimonies and said "I definitely will serve a mission!" Then flooded us after church and asked when they can knock doors with us. They all wore their "future missionary" tags and stuff. But the boys got up and their testimonies were pretty much "the trek was pretty cool...I'm not sure if I'll serve a mission yet, but it made me think a little bit..." haha.
I hope the pictures I attached to this email work...the first is of my companion playing pool with a broom handle and a cockroach. We keep finding HUGE cockroaches in our kitchen. It's soooo gross!! I found one the other day on the floor about an inch and a half long that looked like it was on it's back and dead. So I picked it up with a tissue and put it in the trash then it jumped up and started running around!! I'm sure the whole apartment complex heard me scream. Yuck. The second picture is of Shandi and Katie and Ryan's baptism last week! They are soooo great!!
The ward is really neat here in Taoyuan. They translated all the ingredients I can't eat into Chinese and the women in the ward all tell me that before they feed us they pray for a long time to figure out something to make that doesn't have soy sauce. Then the bishopric personally took it upon themselves to buy me rice crackers for sacrament meeting. It's sooo nice!
Our investigator Li Jia Lin is still doing well. She has her baptismal interview on Wednesday. She's inviting 4 friends to a church activity this Saturday and is giving away Book of Mormons and pamphlets and teaching her friends to pray and turns on Church DVDs in her drink shop and everything. She is SO incredible. I LOVE her little boys!! I'll have to take a picture of them. They all went to church this week and will keep coming with their mom, which is exciting. I've decided that if there is one thing that I will do better when I get back, is that if there is EVER any Less Active or Investigator that comes to church, I will welcome them and sit with them and be their friend. Nothing makes a missionary swear more than when an investigator goes to church and the members don't really understand that they have to take special care of the new-comer and the investigator feels awkard. Fortunately, recently returned missionaries have often saved the day. I want to be like that when I get back.
Anyways, life is good! I'm trying to remember if anything else interesting happened this week...I can't remember. Anyway, love you all!!!
Coley
Tuesday, August 17, 2010
A temple trip and a strange religion
Hi my Wonderful Family!
Our P-Day is Wednesday this week because we get to make a Temple Trip to Taibei today. I'm excited! I'm not that excited to take the train to Taibei though...we've gone to Taibei 4+ times in the past week and it's 2 hours each way. Anyway, this week has been good!
*Last Thursday we went to Taibei and attended the Endowment and Sealing session for 2 families Sister Messenger helped baptize at the beginning of her mission. It was really neat! The session was in Chinese and I was surprised at how much I understood. The sealing was so neat! When the little kids were brought in the room it gave me goosebumps. These little families are so cute. Sister Messenger was sealed to her parents as a kid, so it was special for her. I really love the temple. It's so beautiful and going is the best feeling in the world.
*Sunday was really awesome too. Do you remember Shandi, Katie and Ryan in Bade? They were baptized!! It was sooo awesome! I have prayed for them so many times and it was so happy to see them be baptized and confirmed. The baptism was so good! I'm so excited for those little kids to serve missions and stuff. Haha, Katie was so funny. She's 10 years old, so after she was baptized, she wouldn't get out of the font and was swimming in it. We were trying not to laugh so she would get out, but it was so funny.
*We're still teaching Li Jia Lin, who is AMAZING! We taught her last night and she told us all sorts of spiritual experiences she's had recently that we didn't know about. She said she prayed about Tithing because she didn't know if she could afford it or something (?...I don't understand what she says sometimes...she talks really fast) and felt the Spirit tell her to call her friend and something something, now she's willing to pay tithing! Then prayed to know if God exists and felt like she "was being hugged". Then she was having a sad day and decided to pray and she only got as far as saying "Dear Heavenly..." and she was already "peaceful and happy". She really has some sort of gift of the Spirit because she very easily recognizes the Spirit. It's really cool. She knows everything is true because she knows exactly when she's feeling the Spirit. Other people of a ton of different religions keep coming to her and telling her not to get baptized but she's very bold and says "don't worry about it, I know what's true and I'm getting baptized." And the other day Sister Messenger and I went tracting and were rejected at every door (not unusual) and she felt so sad for us that when we saw her last night, she said, "Okay Sisters, don't go tracting anymore. I will find you people to teach. I've already taught a couple friends how to pray and they are coming to church with me on Sunday. And there are a couple that will also come to English class on Wednesday." She's so awesome. She also has 3 of the cutest little boys ever born. They are 10, 11, and 12. They want to learn the gospel really bad and to "become Christian" like mom. They are adorable and hilarious. Jia Lin asked what she should do with her little Buddhist idols in her home and the member at our lesson said, "give it to someone" and the little boy yelled "SELL it to someone!" Hahahahaha, it was so funny!
*We had a kind of strange experience this week involving that strange religion I've mentioned before. Li Jia Lin's friend invited us to a vegetarian food activity with all her friends so we could "teach them how to pray." We thought it sounded cool, but a little fishy. Haha, no one says that! Then later Jia Lin called us and basically said "I'm worried my friends will do some weird voodoo on you to try to covert you to their religion." So she came with us to try to "protect us". The people at this little activity were really nice and good people...but it was a little strange. We got there and they set up chair around us and said, "come upstairs and teach us how to pray!" We didn't know why they wanted us to go upstairs, so we declined. This is how it went:
"But upstairs, there is a light. You can pray to the light."
Us: "Oh, no...that's okay...we can pray down here."
"But the light is like God! Come upstairs and teach us!"
"Let's just pray downstairs..."
"We worship all gods. We will go worship your God too."
"I see."
"But there is only one true cross. And as you go upstairs, you will see there are 3 treasures. And 5 code words."
"Interesting...oh look at the time, we gotta run!"
Li Jia Lin later said she thought we were very wise for not going upstairs. There was an eery feeling and she felt it too. Strange.
So many great things are happening. I'm seeing how MANY people there are who are ready for the gospel. Or people who are ALMOST ready...who are hungering for righteousness but don't yet see clearly but with a little time will accept. It's really faith building.
I love you all so much!! I hope everything is wonderful!!
Coley
Our P-Day is Wednesday this week because we get to make a Temple Trip to Taibei today. I'm excited! I'm not that excited to take the train to Taibei though...we've gone to Taibei 4+ times in the past week and it's 2 hours each way. Anyway, this week has been good!
*Last Thursday we went to Taibei and attended the Endowment and Sealing session for 2 families Sister Messenger helped baptize at the beginning of her mission. It was really neat! The session was in Chinese and I was surprised at how much I understood. The sealing was so neat! When the little kids were brought in the room it gave me goosebumps. These little families are so cute. Sister Messenger was sealed to her parents as a kid, so it was special for her. I really love the temple. It's so beautiful and going is the best feeling in the world.
*Sunday was really awesome too. Do you remember Shandi, Katie and Ryan in Bade? They were baptized!! It was sooo awesome! I have prayed for them so many times and it was so happy to see them be baptized and confirmed. The baptism was so good! I'm so excited for those little kids to serve missions and stuff. Haha, Katie was so funny. She's 10 years old, so after she was baptized, she wouldn't get out of the font and was swimming in it. We were trying not to laugh so she would get out, but it was so funny.
*We're still teaching Li Jia Lin, who is AMAZING! We taught her last night and she told us all sorts of spiritual experiences she's had recently that we didn't know about. She said she prayed about Tithing because she didn't know if she could afford it or something (?...I don't understand what she says sometimes...she talks really fast) and felt the Spirit tell her to call her friend and something something, now she's willing to pay tithing! Then prayed to know if God exists and felt like she "was being hugged". Then she was having a sad day and decided to pray and she only got as far as saying "Dear Heavenly..." and she was already "peaceful and happy". She really has some sort of gift of the Spirit because she very easily recognizes the Spirit. It's really cool. She knows everything is true because she knows exactly when she's feeling the Spirit. Other people of a ton of different religions keep coming to her and telling her not to get baptized but she's very bold and says "don't worry about it, I know what's true and I'm getting baptized." And the other day Sister Messenger and I went tracting and were rejected at every door (not unusual) and she felt so sad for us that when we saw her last night, she said, "Okay Sisters, don't go tracting anymore. I will find you people to teach. I've already taught a couple friends how to pray and they are coming to church with me on Sunday. And there are a couple that will also come to English class on Wednesday." She's so awesome. She also has 3 of the cutest little boys ever born. They are 10, 11, and 12. They want to learn the gospel really bad and to "become Christian" like mom. They are adorable and hilarious. Jia Lin asked what she should do with her little Buddhist idols in her home and the member at our lesson said, "give it to someone" and the little boy yelled "SELL it to someone!" Hahahahaha, it was so funny!
*We had a kind of strange experience this week involving that strange religion I've mentioned before. Li Jia Lin's friend invited us to a vegetarian food activity with all her friends so we could "teach them how to pray." We thought it sounded cool, but a little fishy. Haha, no one says that! Then later Jia Lin called us and basically said "I'm worried my friends will do some weird voodoo on you to try to covert you to their religion." So she came with us to try to "protect us". The people at this little activity were really nice and good people...but it was a little strange. We got there and they set up chair around us and said, "come upstairs and teach us how to pray!" We didn't know why they wanted us to go upstairs, so we declined. This is how it went:
"But upstairs, there is a light. You can pray to the light."
Us: "Oh, no...that's okay...we can pray down here."
"But the light is like God! Come upstairs and teach us!"
"Let's just pray downstairs..."
"We worship all gods. We will go worship your God too."
"I see."
"But there is only one true cross. And as you go upstairs, you will see there are 3 treasures. And 5 code words."
"Interesting...oh look at the time, we gotta run!"
Li Jia Lin later said she thought we were very wise for not going upstairs. There was an eery feeling and she felt it too. Strange.
So many great things are happening. I'm seeing how MANY people there are who are ready for the gospel. Or people who are ALMOST ready...who are hungering for righteousness but don't yet see clearly but with a little time will accept. It's really faith building.
I love you all so much!! I hope everything is wonderful!!
Coley
Sunday, August 8, 2010
Taiwanese Father's Day
Happy Father's Day!!
Yesterday was 8.8 which in Chinese is "BaBa" which is also Baba, so it's the chinese father's day! :)
This week was good. We found out some of our investigators, Shandi and Ryan and Katie (the mother with the kids that hate primary) are getting baptized next Sunday!! It's soooo good!! I have a dream that the little boy will serve a mission.
This week has been interesting for other reasons...I decided to study "trials" and "afflictions" for personal study for a couple days. It's really interesting...people have some really rough lives. I used to think Taiwan was full of sweet, cute, innocent people who are so sweet and lovey...but I've found there are a lot of misconceptions when you don't understand. The more I'm understanding the language, the more I'm learning things are just as hard here as anywhere, and people actually have really difficult lives. I've learned (as I bike down the street and have to turn my eyes from certain pictures, places, and people) that pornography and other vices are just as strong here. There is a rash of DVD and dirty stores very near our apartment. Ugh. There is a lot of corruption in other ways as well. Outside of our old apartment building, there was an eye sore of a concrete structure; half-built and abandoned. Apparently people will have people invest in the building of an apartment building, then the contractor or company will split with the money before the project is over with millions of dollars in their pockets. We've had a lot of people share their hard stories with us just this week and it's been sad. People whose spouses have been unfaithful or have had thousands of dollars stolen from them, etc. It's just sad. I'm not bashing Taiwan by ANY means, it's just that I know now that Satan's hand of mischief and destruction is just as strong here than anywhere else. And it hurts a lot of really good people (member and non-member). But it's amazing how Heavenly Father uses the sorrow people experience for their greater good. These people suffer because of the choices of others, but it's ultimately for their benefit because it brings them (hopefully) to their knees and brings them to Christ. We've been trying to help some people with real doozies and it all ultimately comes back to Christ. Anything can be overcome through the Atonement. Through Christ, we find the strength the forgive. We also can find the comfort and healing we need. I love the talk "Come What May and Love It" by Elder Wirthlin, especially the part about the principle of compensation. All the sorrow we experience will be compensated 100fold if we are faithful in following Christ. There's another talk "Broken Things to Mend" by Elder Holland that talks about that.
Anyway. All in all though, this week has been really good. I love you all!! I pray for you all!!
Coley
Yesterday was 8.8 which in Chinese is "BaBa" which is also Baba, so it's the chinese father's day! :)
This week was good. We found out some of our investigators, Shandi and Ryan and Katie (the mother with the kids that hate primary) are getting baptized next Sunday!! It's soooo good!! I have a dream that the little boy will serve a mission.
This week has been interesting for other reasons...I decided to study "trials" and "afflictions" for personal study for a couple days. It's really interesting...people have some really rough lives. I used to think Taiwan was full of sweet, cute, innocent people who are so sweet and lovey...but I've found there are a lot of misconceptions when you don't understand. The more I'm understanding the language, the more I'm learning things are just as hard here as anywhere, and people actually have really difficult lives. I've learned (as I bike down the street and have to turn my eyes from certain pictures, places, and people) that pornography and other vices are just as strong here. There is a rash of DVD and dirty stores very near our apartment. Ugh. There is a lot of corruption in other ways as well. Outside of our old apartment building, there was an eye sore of a concrete structure; half-built and abandoned. Apparently people will have people invest in the building of an apartment building, then the contractor or company will split with the money before the project is over with millions of dollars in their pockets. We've had a lot of people share their hard stories with us just this week and it's been sad. People whose spouses have been unfaithful or have had thousands of dollars stolen from them, etc. It's just sad. I'm not bashing Taiwan by ANY means, it's just that I know now that Satan's hand of mischief and destruction is just as strong here than anywhere else. And it hurts a lot of really good people (member and non-member). But it's amazing how Heavenly Father uses the sorrow people experience for their greater good. These people suffer because of the choices of others, but it's ultimately for their benefit because it brings them (hopefully) to their knees and brings them to Christ. We've been trying to help some people with real doozies and it all ultimately comes back to Christ. Anything can be overcome through the Atonement. Through Christ, we find the strength the forgive. We also can find the comfort and healing we need. I love the talk "Come What May and Love It" by Elder Wirthlin, especially the part about the principle of compensation. All the sorrow we experience will be compensated 100fold if we are faithful in following Christ. There's another talk "Broken Things to Mend" by Elder Holland that talks about that.
Anyway. All in all though, this week has been really good. I love you all!! I pray for you all!!
Coley
Monday, August 2, 2010
Investigators and Growth
Hey Family!!
This week was a good week. We went to Liu Fu Cun theme park last Monday and had a great time. I got way motion sick. There was a really intense rollercoaster that thrusts you up then pulls you upside down and backwards. I think I damaged my vocal cords from screaming. I couldn't sing most of this week and my laughs came out as little Winnie the Pooh like chuckles. We had a good time. Our ward's awesome counselor in the Bishopric Liu Fuzhujiao took us and bought us a bunch of chocolate peanutes and stuff. He is such a great member.
This week has actually been pretty emotional...mostly hormonal, I'm sure. Haha. But still, we've had a lot of stress trying to get the ward's work going here. We've had a lot of miracles though, actually!! I'll start out with the disappointments, and end with the miracles...so Saturday we met with Li Zhi Zhong, the coffee shop man with the dead wife. We took along the Bishop Jian and Liu Fuzhujiao. I have been praying for this investigator like crazy this whole week and all that day, and I figured miracles were going to happen since we had 2 members of the bishopric with us. It turns out the investigator wouldn't really let us teach but just talked to the bishopric forever about he didn't like missionary's "pattern" of coming in, praying, singing, teaching. He just wants to see what makes missionaries and members "tick" without any specific interest. I was deeply disappointed. But when it was time to go I felt the Spirit really really strong and testified and got choked up. Li Zhi Zhong wouldn't look at us in the face and when we left it was just awkward and he wouldn't look us in the eye. I don't know. I cared alot about this investigator so I pretty much bawled my eyes out all that night. I felt really sorry for myself and was so sad that so many investigators I've loved have disappeared and that I can't speak Chinese and blah blah blah. I read 1 Nephi 16 the next day and felt sufficiently chastened. But it was still a pretty sad night for me. I just want to find people who are ready to be baptized. But as long as they feel a little closer to Christ, that's all that matters.
The miracles! We have an awesome member who felt the Spirit tell him to go into a health food cafe. He went in and said "dish me up something healthy because I'm getting fit for a mission!" He's kind of an interesting kid, but I have a lot of respect for him. The woman asked him alot of questions and she asked if she could meet with us. We taught her the first lesson and she came to church. She's really wonderful. She has a strong testimony of Christ because every encounter she's had with something or someone Christian, she is moved to tears. Then I went on exchanges with Sister Howell in Zhongli. Both of us haven't been out very long, so it's interesting teaching a lesson. But miracle of miracles, we taught 2 women who said "of course I will be baptized!" and one of them started bawling during her closing prayer because she was so touched by the Spirit. We also got 11 referrals this week, which was a miracle too. Things are going so well here, but they are little by little, so they are sometimes hard to see right away. Haha, we have this phone referral system where missionaries send referrals of people they contacted who are in your area...we have over 100 in our phone!! It's crazy...we have alot of calls to make and for once I'm grateful for all my call center experience because it's not so bad calling dozens of people over and over.
In all, this week, I've just grown in love for the gospel. It was no even in particular that brought about this love...maybe prayer. I just decided I wanted to have more of a testimony and appreciation for the Atonement, Restoration and the Book of Mormon. So I started praying for it this week and really I've just felt closer to Jesus Christ. I've also appreciated how amazing it is that we have the Book of Mormon. I can't believe that we have this amazing ancient record that is so perfect in it's guidance and doctrine. The Book of Mormon is so perfect, it could only have been written by inspired men. I love it. I know that if we pray to know, even when we already DO know, Heavenly Father WILL answer. He will let us know and help us appreciate these things. It's like He opened my eyes to see how cool it all is. I love this gospel!
Anyway, life is great. Draining, but good! Oh yeah, I can't remember if I already told you guys, but go to youtube and search lds missionary biz taiwan or something like that.
I love you my family!! You all mean so much to me!! I hope life is so wonderful and this summer is going so well! Remember to pray every day and read your scriptures.
Love, Coley
This week was a good week. We went to Liu Fu Cun theme park last Monday and had a great time. I got way motion sick. There was a really intense rollercoaster that thrusts you up then pulls you upside down and backwards. I think I damaged my vocal cords from screaming. I couldn't sing most of this week and my laughs came out as little Winnie the Pooh like chuckles. We had a good time. Our ward's awesome counselor in the Bishopric Liu Fuzhujiao took us and bought us a bunch of chocolate peanutes and stuff. He is such a great member.
This week has actually been pretty emotional...mostly hormonal, I'm sure. Haha. But still, we've had a lot of stress trying to get the ward's work going here. We've had a lot of miracles though, actually!! I'll start out with the disappointments, and end with the miracles...so Saturday we met with Li Zhi Zhong, the coffee shop man with the dead wife. We took along the Bishop Jian and Liu Fuzhujiao. I have been praying for this investigator like crazy this whole week and all that day, and I figured miracles were going to happen since we had 2 members of the bishopric with us. It turns out the investigator wouldn't really let us teach but just talked to the bishopric forever about he didn't like missionary's "pattern" of coming in, praying, singing, teaching. He just wants to see what makes missionaries and members "tick" without any specific interest. I was deeply disappointed. But when it was time to go I felt the Spirit really really strong and testified and got choked up. Li Zhi Zhong wouldn't look at us in the face and when we left it was just awkward and he wouldn't look us in the eye. I don't know. I cared alot about this investigator so I pretty much bawled my eyes out all that night. I felt really sorry for myself and was so sad that so many investigators I've loved have disappeared and that I can't speak Chinese and blah blah blah. I read 1 Nephi 16 the next day and felt sufficiently chastened. But it was still a pretty sad night for me. I just want to find people who are ready to be baptized. But as long as they feel a little closer to Christ, that's all that matters.The miracles! We have an awesome member who felt the Spirit tell him to go into a health food cafe. He went in and said "dish me up something healthy because I'm getting fit for a mission!" He's kind of an interesting kid, but I have a lot of respect for him. The woman asked him alot of questions and she asked if she could meet with us. We taught her the first lesson and she came to church. She's really wonderful. She has a strong testimony of Christ because every encounter she's had with something or someone Christian, she is moved to tears. Then I went on exchanges with Sister Howell in Zhongli. Both of us haven't been out very long, so it's interesting teaching a lesson. But miracle of miracles, we taught 2 women who said "of course I will be baptized!" and one of them started bawling during her closing prayer because she was so touched by the Spirit. We also got 11 referrals this week, which was a miracle too. Things are going so well here, but they are little by little, so they are sometimes hard to see right away. Haha, we have this phone referral system where missionaries send referrals of people they contacted who are in your area...we have over 100 in our phone!! It's crazy...we have alot of calls to make and for once I'm grateful for all my call center experience because it's not so bad calling dozens of people over and over.
In all, this week, I've just grown in love for the gospel. It was no even in particular that brought about this love...maybe prayer. I just decided I wanted to have more of a testimony and appreciation for the Atonement, Restoration and the Book of Mormon. So I started praying for it this week and really I've just felt closer to Jesus Christ. I've also appreciated how amazing it is that we have the Book of Mormon. I can't believe that we have this amazing ancient record that is so perfect in it's guidance and doctrine. The Book of Mormon is so perfect, it could only have been written by inspired men. I love it. I know that if we pray to know, even when we already DO know, Heavenly Father WILL answer. He will let us know and help us appreciate these things. It's like He opened my eyes to see how cool it all is. I love this gospel!
Anyway, life is great. Draining, but good! Oh yeah, I can't remember if I already told you guys, but go to youtube and search lds missionary biz taiwan or something like that.
I love you my family!! You all mean so much to me!! I hope life is so wonderful and this summer is going so well! Remember to pray every day and read your scriptures.
Love, Coley
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