August 19, 2010

Well, here we go! The work is going well! today is move call, but it doesn't really affect me, because my companions already switched. I'm getting used to a new companion, and the last couple of days, we've had a third companion for the last couple days, a local missionary from Taibei, named Elder Xiao. It's been really fun speaking Chinese with him, and I can't wait until I'm actually with a local missionary. I'll for sure have that opportunity on my mission. The missionaries from taiwan are so much better than us foreigners. They are just amazing! Elder Xiao told me that one of the apostles had prophesied when the day came that there were more native missionaries than foreign in taiwan then mainland China would open. That's so exciting. I look for families, and for older people to teach, but I also really love teaching young men, because they are ready to hear it, and they can prepare to go and serve missions! My newest member Chen Hao Feng is so great. He doesn't ever talk that much, but last time I met with him, i asked if there was anything I could do for him, and he quietly asked if he could have some more of the pamphlets we give out on the street, because he wanted to give them to all his friends and have them come get baptized. So exciting!
Well, I have to tell you about Chen2 Zhi4 Tai4. I was riding my bike contacting people at my favorite intersection, probably 4 or 5 weeks ago, and I got him to pull over to the side of the road to talk with me. (The way we do that is while they are waiting at a red light, we put our contact cards in their hands before they can say no, and say "write your name!" and then the light changes and we go to the side of the road and say, "Oh, no! you're in the middle of the road! That's sooo dangerous! Come over here!" And because they have our pen and cards, they come over to the side of the road, and then we get 'em!) Anyways, this guy pulled over, and I invited him to come to church, and asked a little bit about his background. he said he had recently been looking for spiritual strength, and didn't know where to find it. I said, "congrats, you found it!" And then I bore my testimony to him, set up a time and a baptismal date with him. He met with us, we had some members come too, some of them were helpful, others weren't, oh well. We gave him the book of Mormon, and he read through first nephi before the next time we met with him. I asked him how he felt when he read, and he said he had felt a "gong4 ming2" de feeling. I had no idea what that meant, but I said, oh that's great! and then that night looked it up in the dictionary, and gong ming meant that it resonated. He had a feeling of something about the Book of mormon resonated with him. But.... he smoked. And it was really really hard for him to quit. he'd been smoking for 15 years since he was 14. But the gospel meant a lot to him. And finally last week, during the lesson i had the thought to just ask him for his cigarettes right then in the lesson. He was just quiet for a long time, and then pulled them out of his pocket and handed them over. So now I have some cigarettes! And Chen dixiong stopped smoking! He passed his baptismal interview and his baptism is this Saturday! It's such a blessing to be a tool in the hand of the Lord, to see someone who needed the gospel, and was so ready for it, progress from knowing nothing about it to reading the Book of Mormon and getting baptized! The timing of the lord is so exact. I learned later that Chen dixiong had injured his hand and been unable to work for a month or so, and I think because of this trial he had been prepared to meet the gospel. That's why he was willing to pull over, and why my testimony touched him. He said himself that he believes it was Shen de Anpai "the organization of god" that he ran into me then. So cool!
Well, I pretty much have to go now. Sorry I no send picture today.
Bubye!
p.s. This morning for excercise we went and did tai chi with a group of old ladies that only spoke taiwanese. That was really fun.
love, Elder Vernon!