First off, I would like to apologize if there are proofreading errors in my typing. It's not only because my English has gone bad, It's because the keyboard at the internet place here has probably had too much tea spilled on it at one time or another, and various buttons, including the shift and space, are real real sticky. urrrrrrrgh.
Well, things are doing good here. Today was an awesome day, because Elder Chen's family came and visited him. He got President Bishop's permission to have them come and visit, and teach them the gospel. It was his Dad's side of the family. They mostly live in Taipei. but he has one uncle that lives in Gaoxiong. His mom's side of the family all lives in America, but his dad's is all here in Taiwan. So today we had his Grandpa and Grandma, His Dad, Two aunts and two uncles all come over and we taught them the plan of salvation. It was a real good lesson, and I felt the spirit there real strong when we all read from the Book of Mormon together, and asked Elder Chen's dad to share parts of the lesson too. It was kind of fun, because Elder Chen was super nervous, but to me they were just like any other Taiwanese family, so I spoke a little tiny Taiwanese with them and would make them laugh and stuff. After the lesson his uncle took us all out to eat at a fancy restaurant. It was really good. they had... fish, pork, and eel, and sea cucumbers, and onion cake, and thin tofu, stinky tofu, soft tofu, meat wrapped in tofu, and watermelon. Yum.
Anyways, so that's why we're a little late in e-mailing. Last night I rode over a piece of glass, and it popped a hole in my tire. We were at least a mile away from our house, so I ran with my bike back home, and then we walked the rest of the night. Or so we thought. we went to eat dinner at the bishop's house, and he told us there was a member from ping dong, who was in our area's hospital who really needed a priesthood blessing, The hospital was a little to far to walk to, so.....I grabbed a bike from the row of ones next to our apartment complex that seem to never get used. The only one that wasn't locked and had at least a little air in the tires was about the right size for a ten year old. When I rode it my knees went higher than the handlebars. But it was still faster than walking. I was a little grumpy about it because it made my thighs burn like a tortilla in the oven, but we had to give this guy a blessing. Well, I was taught a lesson in gratitude that night. This poor member. We got to the hospital and found him in a room next to the ER, where there was just a bunch of sick people with problems laying on their beds. I loved just looking at them till I got there attention, (which isn't hard being American) and then give them a huge smile. They would get really happy and smile back. Who knows the last time they had a big smile? Anyways, we found the guy, and asked him what his problem was. He said, "oh, thank you for coming, I really need a blessing. He was blinking a lot, and then as I helped him to his bed, I realized he was blind. He wasn't an old guy, he seemed like a really cool guy, but that just his whole body started having problems. He said he had heart disease, diabetes, high blood pressure, and then bad circulation so that his whole foot turned bluish purple. Then his skin developed a lot of rashes and sores, and then his head started having sharp pains right behind his ears, and then he couldn't see anymore. Only him and his mom lived at home, and he took care of his mom because she had had a stroke. When we gave a blessing the spirit was so strong. Even inside a loud hospital, inside a little curtain around his bed. I blessed him that all these things would be for his experience and good, and that he might take this as a turning point in his life. Afterward we went outside, and looked up into the sky, and was so glad that I could see the stars. Well, I couldn't see any stars, big city, lights and pollution. But I was so glad that I could see, and move, and have a big healthy family that doesn't hate me for not going with them and offering fruit and prayers to the ancestors. (that's called bai bai, pronounced like "bye bye" but with two 4th tones). anyways, Investigators are all doing okay. Well, actually, not totally, they all have problems, but hopefully we'll get them through it.
bu-bye,
Elder Vernon
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