I've been waiting for this for so long...It's the year of
the Sheep (Chinese New Year starts this week).
That means increased diligence, raised vision, extra focused
effort, and...lots of woolen clothing! In fact I might exhort the Zone to
wear wool socks every day this year to remind them of this wonderful time to be
a missionary, to be alive, and to be in Taiwan!
Anyways, ahem, we're doing great here in Caotun. The
work progresses well here. I love Elders Turner and Gathright
still. We manage two areas, two church units, and we love it. We
have lots of great investigators with goals, but we realize the need for more
new prepared investigators, and that's our goal this week, to find in both Mingjian
and Nantou!!!
We spent three days in Mingjian this week. Absolutely
crazy to spend time over there again, but so cool and worth it!!! Best
part is we helped a man that we've been teaching for three weeks or so be
baptized on Friday night: Brother Zhang!!!
The Elder Lin (see picture) who started teaching Bro. Zhang at the College...also spent a
year in our neck of the WA woods before his mission!!! :)
SWEET!!!
Go Cougars!!!
Wow, it has been a great week -- they're going fast!!! Haha, and then yes; on the workfront:
D is doing great: He plays computer games all day since he's
on winter vacation, haha. But we got him out to exercise with our ward
and played frisbee on Saturday. In fact that morning we had ridden 10 or
so miles back from Mingjian to Caotun, changed, taught a lesson, changed again
(actually...come to think of it I think we just ended up having to teach that
lesson in our sports clothes...;0), and got to the frisbee activity -- which is
doing great by the way for fellowshipping and fun!!!
D will be gone this week to Taipei for Chinese new year, but
we are meeting him tonight and we will give him the Gospel of Jesus Christ
pamphlet to read while he's gone. He's so willing and I think we're
really bringing a light into his life. D has grown up being a cool kid,
but not very outgoing nor excelling. It was so cool when he brought a
friend to our lesson this week after frisbee. His name is MT, he's from
our English class. In that lesson, we shared about the importance of the
Book of Mormon. You could tell that MT was the "cool" one, and
he was used to telling D what was what. But D just brightened up and very
sincerely but confidently shared with his friend what he was learning, and
why. I think MT will have to be humble enough to listen, but they're both
great, and I love seeing D build his confidence because he's found the truth,
the Gospel, that can make life happy!!!
Next, besides D, we actually have lots of lessons set up for
tonight. I'm not sure why so many people are open on Monday night this
week, but we're packed. Perhaps and probably because this week is the
start of 过年， or Chinese New Year (Wednesday) so everyone
will be busy later.
Us missionaries are spoiled by the members at this time of
year -- no more eating outside! We get a full week of going to members
houses for lunch and dinner...lots of missionaries get sick...but I'm excited
:) Hope we can all exercise well through it!!! Elder Gathright
wants to get skinnier and Elder Turner stronger. They tickle tackled me
again last night...humph. I pinned them both though, haha, when we start
wrestling or whatever at night our beds get destroyed... Unfortunately,
Taiwan is really dusty, and the dust just collects and collects everyday, even
when we sweep. So, if they ever tackle me and our room flies up and all
over, I start getting really stuffy and teary eyed, like allergies, so I always
take a benedryl when that happens and it works great!!!
We will meet with the L family tonight, they are our first
counselor's family! But his wife is not too fond of the Church.
However, last Monday night in fact we went on over there for a nice dinner they
invited us too, and testified of the blessings of the Temple!!! She said
we could meet again last night, then changed to tonight! I'm most excited
for teaching this family!!! Speaking of...
H's family is back from Japan, and we stopped by there
yesterday because I insisted on it!!! Others were nervous, but I firmly
said we'll never know unless we invite him to listen. And if we invite
with love, nothing bad will happen!!! They ended up not being home, but
Jean, the member mom was -- so we visited with her, and she showed me a picture
of Emma Harrison, a great friend that I home taught at BYU. Emma is at
the Tokyo Temple on her mission right now!!! This family met her when
they went to Japan. So cool!!!
We will also meet J, who is doing so good, but nervous for
committing to be baptized. We have an E who is new tonight, we found him
yesterday just chatted with him outside his house!!! Then we have S1 and S2,
an investigator and our recent convert who both have been busy this last
week. Haha, S1 had work. But S2 went to the beach to play...best
part is, he went with the Chen family, they are members and S2 is dating their
oldest daughter!!! They're both around 30...I think they'll be in white
sooner than we know it...who knows!!! Then S1 is cool, he's a big biker
and runner we haven't seen for three weeks or so!!! (It's a bit hard to fit 3 bikes and 3 elders in the elevator).
That's that, we have biked back and forth. I went to
church in Mingjian this week -- that was crazy. That branch is so young,
and kids run amock, and speakers talk with the congregation (of 14 others) as
they give their talk...but I love it, they are so strong. The Lin family,
whose dad I taught all the lessons but then Elder Buhler baptized him, have
since been sealed in the Temple and he's in the Branch Presidency!!! So
cool!!!
We are having fun, I fried potatoes for all of us this
morning, and most mornings, we try to go big!!!
Go Kyle GO!!!
Hurrah For Israel!!!
Love,
Drew
Funny story --
We were sleeping in MingJian over three nights this last
week, and one morning, I woke up about half an hour early just to go the
bathroom. The phone rang... I looked and saw it was a home phone,
so I silenced it (we're not supposed to answer or call after 10:30...and we
unspokenly assume that lasts until 10;30.) But, as I paced around, I
realized <<1>> is not every home number, it's the international
area code for America, then I thought about what I had seen after: 6265355884
or something like that -- I remembered that number!!!
Peter was calling us, I rushed back to the phone, but
unfortunately it had already been missed. Blast, huh?! But luckily, as I
was laying in bed at like 6:15, he called back -- better believe that woke me
up!!! So I woke Elder Turner up and we got to talk international for like
five minutes with Peter!!! HE TOLD ME that you had contacted the Mandarin
Branch and gotten the President to call him...He was so so so excited, because
he's nervous for English! But he told us he would for sure go, and we are
so so so excited now!!! Nice job Mom, and thank you so much --you're a
life saver!!! I love you!!!
Love Drew
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