July 25, 2010

Well, Hello Family! Here's the report,

We had an amazing week. Really amazing. Staying here in my area with my companion was a real good thing. Things are just getting lots better. We focused this week on contacting better, and trying to get people to sit down with us that day or the next. We sat down with 7 new investigators this week, and also have some great progressing investigators too. We've seen a lot of miracles. Or maybe it's just summer break so the kids don't have anything to do except wan diannao. Play computer. It's sad but pick almost any teenage boy off the streets at this time in taiwan, and ask him what he does all day. He'll say plays computer. all day, and then take any teenage girl and all she does is go mai dongxi, buy stuff. buy shoes, and then they'll go eat food or buy some more dongxi with friends. Anyways, we saw a lot of success with first time sit downs this week.

Last night was also an amazing baptismal service, for one of our investigators Lin Chen Hui. He's a sixteen year old kid that is extremely shy. Like so shy that he doesn't really say words, ever. The baptism was so special because he is a member referral, from his older sister. His sister is a recent convert, and she has been helping her whole family to progress so much. The father is a inactive melchizedek priesthood holder, and the father's brother, sister, and all their families are active in the fengyuan ward. So, when the kid was baptized there were about twenty people there that were just his family. His aunts uncles and cousins, and then his dad came too, and his sisters that aren't members yet. And it was just really good to be a part of seeing the gospel bring a family together right before our eyes. All because of the efforts of the older sister. There is no possible way we could have baptized this kid without the family support. After the baptism the Dad starting talking about when he was baptized, and how if the missionaries came to his house his mom would hit them with a stick, and how his sister said she wanted to go to college but her parents told her it was impossible, that she should forget and learn how to work. But she joined the church, and through the gospel studied, and opportunities came for her to go to college and start a big happy family in the church. Now her family the zheng family is one of the most solid in fengyuan! Every member here has amazing stories of how the came into the church. It's awesome

So that baptism was good.

And we've got another one lined up for saturday night, which I'm even more excited about. His name is Wang yu li and he's 23 and been investigating the church for I think over a year. He's met with missionaries countless times, goes to institute and church every week, and the whole ward knew him. Whenever I would talk to him at church I just felt like he needed to get baptized, and had faith that no matter what his problem was we could help him get baptized. So, we sat down with him and told him to get baptized. It was the most boldest bluntest lesson ever, shared some good scriptures, but he still wouldn't. But then he had been visiting with an elder that used to serve here who he got close to, and said he'd been going through a tough time with work and stuff, and also that he doesn't really have any reason to not be baptized, and I think it's just all the Lord's timing. So I'm excited to see Wang Yu Li get baptized. The mission president even gave permission for the other Elder, Elder Beus to come back up here and baptize wang yu li before he goes home next move call, because it was Elder Beus that helped him progress to baptism, I didn't even do anything.

And... hopefully can help a lot more people get baptized here in fengyuan.

One Investigator we have is a way cool 18 year old kid named Cliff. People in Taiwan have the funniest English names. cliff isn't too bad. We also have an investigator named Cloud. and I've recently run into people named Denim, Yodi, Mars, Cave, and plenty of other funny ones. Anyways, Cliff is great, he's just really nice and fun, and loves the Book of Mormon. We were teaching him the first time, and he started talking about how he enjoys reading about ancient history of like Jerusalem and stuff, and told us the whole story of the tower of Babel, and is real smart. And now he has read through first nephi and remembers a lot from it. It's not often that somebody understands the book of Mormon like he does in taiwan. Most people just don't understand it. And one of our investigators, this really funny old guy can't read at all, so we just show him pictures and tell him to get baptized but he won't because he still goes to another church.

As for me, I'm doing great. I must have spent way too much money in the first of the month because I'm really broke now, but it'll be a new month soon. I'll be fine just as long as I can feel the spirit. Sometimes everything around me is foreign and I'm tired and grumpy, but if I can feel the spirit then everything is okay. I also find that if I have an opportunity to teach the gospel, then I feel at home. No matter where I am the gospel is the same, the scriptures are the same, the spirit is the same.

Thanks for the family pictures, I love showing them to people, and they always just have a cow over a family with nine kids. They say my Mother and what she did is Bu jiandan, and also weida. Not simple, and very great. It's true, it took lots of years of effort to finally get rid of the last kid. What does mommy even do anymore? I just can't picture mom making food that would only serve two people, that's just not how mommy does it. Well, I'm sure grandkids can keep you busy. Oh yeah, and you're going to burley. Trips to burley are really xinku. hardworking/I pity you.

Well, I'll go now. The church is true, I'll see you in a couple years.

Bubye, Elder Vernon