Taiwan

Dear Everyone,   This past week was pretty good! It's been much warmer than it was last week, but still cold enough to need a jacket. Like usual, this last week we've had some ups and some downs. Mainly ups though because it's almost Chinese New Year and many of the members here already told us that they are inviting us over to eat with them! New Years is not this week, but the next one and they told us that they are going to feed us for every lunch and dinner for the entire week!! That's even better than what I had last year in Tainan for New Years. So I'm excited for that.   So today I'm emailing a little later because we just got back from going with the Wang family (they are in our Ward) to Lugang to sight see. Lugang is a little north west from Xihu and it's right next to the ocean. There are a ton of old historical sights and temples there so I made sure to take lots of pictures. We drove about 40 minutes over there and then rented some bikes ...

Thanks everyone for wishing me happy birthday, and for the packages and letters that you've sent! I'm no longer a teenager and, if you were wondering, I actually do feel a little older now. Maybe I'm just exhausted from the past few days here in Xihu haha.   So these last few days have been the coldest they have been in Taiwan for many years, and we can definitely feel it! It's actually snowing in several places in Taiwan, including a place called Nantou which is right near to us. Fortunately, it hasn't snowed here in Xihu.  We are too close to the ocean for it to snow, but because we're next to the ocean, the wind is a lot stronger! You may be thinking, What? Taiwan can't be that cold, it's a tropical island! But let me tell you, it's very cold. And we have no jackets except for a very thin rain coat, no gloves, and not hats, which is not good enough when there is snow haha.    I would say that Saturday was the coldest and most miserable da...

Hey Everyone!!     This email should be a little better because this time my keyboard is working alright! We've had another action packed week! And by that I mean that we went tracting for most of the time again haha. It's pretty fun though. We've been seeing a little more success now. We have a system where we go find a person's house that used to meet with the missionaries a long time ago, and we visit with them. If they aren't there, we just tract all around that place. And if they are there, after we visit, we still tract all over the place there. It's what we have seen is the most effective strategy here. We still talk to the elderly people on the streets when we pass by, but it's just really hard to communicate with them.     Last week we found a guy that met with missionaries about 5 years ago, but doesn't really remember anything they talked about. He makes peanuts and the reason he said he stopped meeting was because he was too busy mak...

Ｈｅｙ　Eｖｅｒｙｏｎｅ。　   Fｉｒｓｔ　ｏｆｆ，　ｍｙ　ｋｅｙｂｏａｒｄ　ｉｓ　ｓｕｐｅｒ　ｄｕｍｂ　ａｎｄ　Ｉ　ｃａｎ ’ ｔ　ｃｏｎｔｒｏｌ　ｗｈａｔ　ｉｔ ’ ｓ　ｔｙｐｉｎｇ。　Ｉ　ｃａｎ　ｅｉｔｈｅｒ　ｔｙｐｅ　ｌｉｋｅ　ｔｈｉｓ　ｏｒ　ｉｎ　ｃｈｉｎｅｓｅ　ｃｈａｒａｃｔｅｒｓ。　Ｉ ’ ｌｌ　ｊｕｓｔ　ｓｔｉｃｋ　ｔｏ　ｔｈｉｓ，　ｂｕｔ　ｂｅｃａｕｓｅ　ｉｔ ’ ｓ　ａｎｎｏｙｉｎｇ　ｔｏ　ｔｙｐｅ　ａｎｄ　ｒｅａｄ，　ｔｈｉｓ　ｅｍａｉｌ　ｗｉｔｈ　ｐｒｏｂａｂｌｙ　ｂｅ　ｐｒｅｔｔｙ　ｓｈｏｒｔ　ｈａｈａ。　   Ｔｈｉｎｇｓ　ａｒｅ　ｇｏｉｎｇ　ｗｅｌｌ　ｈｅｒｅ　ｓｔｉｌｌ。　Ｉｔ ’ ｓ　ｂｅｅｎ　ａ　ｌｉｔｔｌｅ　ｃｏｏｌｅｒ　ａｎｄ　ｒａｉｎｉｎｇ　ａ　ｌｏｔ　ｍｏｒｅ　ｒｅｃｅｎｔｌｙ　ｓｏ　ｔｈａｔ ’ ｓ　ｂｅｅｎ　ｆｕｎ。　Ｍｏｓｔ　ｏｆ　ｔｈｅ　ｔｉｍｅ　ｔｈｉｓ　ｗｅｅｋ　ｗａｓ　ｓｐｅｎｔ　ｄｏｉｎｇ　ｗｈａｔ？。。。。ｔｒａｃｔｉｎｇ。。。ａｎｄ　ｒｉｄｉｎｇ　ａｌｌ　ｏｖｅｒ　ｔｈｅ　ｐｌａｃｅ　ｌｏｏｋｉｎｇ　ｆｏｒ　ｐｅｏｐｌｅ　ｔｏ　ｔｅａｃｈ。　Ｔｈｅ　ｗｈｏｌｅ　ｗｅｅｋ　ｗｅ　ｇｏｔ　ｐｒｅｔｔｙ　ｍｕｃｈ　ｎｏｔｈｉｎｇ　ｄｏｎｅ，　ａｎｄ　ｅｖｅｎ　ｏｕｒ　ｆｒｉｅｎｄ　Ｉａｎ　ｃｏｕｌｄｎ ’ ｔ　ｍｅｅｔ，　ｂｕｔ　ｔｈｅｎ　ｔｈｅ　ｌａｓｔ　ｔｗｏ　ｄａｙｓ　ｗｅ　ｈａｄ　ｓｏｍｅ　ｂｒｅａｋ　ｔｈｒｏｕｇｈｓ。　Ｗｅ　ｗｅｎｔ　ｔｒａｃｔｉｎｇ　ｉｎ　ｔｈｅ　ｍｏｒｎｉｎｇ　ｒｉｇｈｔ　ａｆｔｅｒ　ｓｔｕｄｉｅｓ，　ｂｕｔ　ｅｉｔｈｅｒ　ｎｏ　ｏｎｅ　ｗａｎｔｅｄ　ｔｏ　ｔａｌｋ　ｏｒ　ｎｏ　ｏｎｅ　ｗａｓ　ａｗａｋｅ　ｓｏ　ｗｅ　ｆｏｕｎｄ　ｎｏｂｏｄｙ。　Ｂｕｔ　ｔｈｅｎ　ａｆｔｅｒ　ｒｉｄｉｎｇ　ａｒｏｕｎｄ　ｔｏ　ａ　ｐｌａｃｅ　ｃａｌｌｅｄ　Ｚｈｕｔａｎｇ　ａｂｏｕｔ　ａｎ　ｈｏｕｒ　ｒｉｄｅ　ａｗａｙ，　ｗｅ　ｃａｍｅ　ｂａｃｋ　ａｎｄ　ｔｒｉｅｄ　ｌｏｏｋｉｎｇ　ｆｏｒ　ａ　ｆｏｒｍｅｒ　ｉｎｖｅｓｔｉｇａｔｏｒ。　Ｗｅ　ｗａｎｄｅｒｅｄ　ａｒｏｕｎｄ　ｔｒｙｉｎｇ　ｔｏ　ｆｉｎｄ　ｈｉｓ　ｈｏｕｓｅ，　ｂｕｔ　ｗｅ　ｅｖｅｎｔｕａｌｌｙ　...

Hello Everyone!!  It's been another fun week in Xihu! This week was pretty fun and we did a lot of biking around! Our area has 8 different townships and we usually just spend time in the Xihu township because the others are pretty far away. But we've discovered that the people in the farther areas are more willing to talk with us so this whole week we went to several of them. We had to ride at least an hour or two through fields in order to get to them so that was fun! We got some good pictures. So pretty much the whole week was us just riding out to the other villages and just tracting over there and then coming back to tract in Xihu before making some calls and then coming home for the day. That's pretty much what we've done everyday haha. It's a little tiring, but we are hoping that eventually we'll be able to find somebody to teach. We actually found somebody through English Class named I... so we are meeting with him again.  Hopefully he will be pretty ...

Hello everyone!   I'm so happy that I had the chance to skype with my family last week. That was a lot of fun. Everyone seems to be looking good and to be having a good time in all that they are doing! What was better, I got to skype you all twice! (it was because we had a problem with getting a hold of my companion's parents haha) So that was pretty special! But now the problem is that I don't really know what to write in this week's email haha. I guess I'll kind of just sum up the week.   We're still doing our thing out here in Xihu and working hard and trying out best to find people that we can meet with. So far we have seen some more glimpses of success. A fter church, we met with a lady that had met with missionaries about 4 or 5 years ago, and since then has still read the Book of Mormon periodically and loves to pray. I asked her what her favorite thing that the last missionaries taught her was and she said "The Plan of Salvation!" (she eve...

Dear Everyone,  Merry Christmas!!! I hope that all of you back home are having a good time celebrating this wonderful time of the year! I really love Christmas time. Even though the weather isn't the best, it's still my favorite time of the year. It's even better to celebrate Christmas in Taiwan because the weather isn't even a problem! I'm really grateful for the Spirit that Christmas brings to missionary work. I'm thankful for the sacrifice that Jesus Christ made for each and every one of us. I'm thankful that because of His sacrifice for us, we are able to overcome the challenges and obstacles that we all face. I love watching the videos: Because of Him, and also, Because He Lives. They are really powerful and really simple and powerfully illustrate the importance of what Christ did for us. "Because Of Him"  https://www.lds.org/media-library/video/2014-00-1420-because-of-him?lang=eng  "Because He Lives" https://www.lds.or...