大家好!
It was transfer week! I am officially done with “training” Haha but I’m pretty sure the goal is to always be learning new things, so I guess you are technically never done with training. But, in missionary lingo here, that means I’ve moved into “breaking”. My “breaker” is Sister Valencia…first name Sanrio if anyone is wondering. But she is from the Philippines and is an awesome missionary! She started her mission in April 2018, (was) sent to the Ogden, Utah mission while she was waiting for her Visa, and has been on island for about 6 months. We will be serving together in XinZhu. I am so excited to stay in my area and continue doing the Lord’s work!
Being that she is from the Philippines, she can also speak Tagalog, and wow we have already seen miracles from that fact. All the sudden she will just start spouting out Tagalog when someone we are talking to in Chinese looks really confused and then they start speaking Tagalog really fast and I just stand there smiling. When I ask Sister Valencia what happened after she says, “oh we just got a lesson scheduled for this day and they are gonna bring their friend with them.” COOL! So while I will have no idea what is happening during those lessons, I will just be sitting their beaming with the Spirit and being so impressed by my companion.
This week was just a lot of experiences. Some good. Some scary. Some sad. Some funny. And some I don’t even know the adjective for Haha so I’m gonna just turn this letter into experience sharing/story time.
Experience 1:
Last P-day when we were playing games with other missionaries at the (meetinghouse) a Taiwanese man walks in from New York and says that he has been meeting with missionaries in New York. He asked us to reteach him the first and second lesson in Chinese so he could make sure he truly understood what the missionaries had been saying in English back in New York. So we did and at the end he goes, “yep it’s true, when I get back to New York I’m telling the missionaries I want to get baptized!” WOAH!
Experience 2:
We went to track down a person that we were teaching when I first got here who completely dropped off the face of the Earth. We first tried going to the convenience store she always goes to before work. When she wasn’t there we tried going to her work. There was a sign on the shop door that said, “closed because not enough people to work”. So then we tried going to her house. There was a sign on that door that said, “single bedroom for rent”. So we knocked on the neighbor’s door who told us to go talk to someone who worked at an antique shop on the corner. So we go talk to this lady at the antique shop who tells us our friend has moved to Taibei and she has no contact information for her. So that was an odd rabbit chase.
Experience 3:
I got hit by a car. Don’t worry I’m okay. As they were driving past me, their side mirror hit my handle bars and then when I swerved to try and correct myself so I didn’t fall, my leg got squished between my bike pedal and their car. They then sped off as I fought to not fall off [my bike.] But I didn’t crash, I only have a really good bruise on my leg, and that’s about it. So for as scary as it was, I’m all good!
Experience 4:
One of the people the Elders in our area are teaching took 4 Sisters out to a 6 course meal. It was really intense, and a lot of food. Hahaha it just kept coming one course at a time.
Experience 5:
We had s’mores in our English class and watching the Taiwanese people eat them was so funny! They were so concerned, delighted, disgusted, and amazed all at once hahaha…granted we made them with nutrition biscuits which taste like animal crackers and melted down and resolidified chocolate hahah…it was a strange, funny adventure!
Experience 6:
We hiked lots of stairs to try and visit less active members houses. One in particular was on the 8th floor. The first time we tried the lady’s nephew was like, “oh, she’s at work, but tomorrow she should be free.” So we go back the next night, hike the stairs, and the lady’s nephew came out and told us she wasn’t home, but then out ran his little sister who said, “she’s sitting watching TV in her pajamas”. Haha let’s just say, we got let inside, we had an amazing lesson with her, and she came to church!
Experience 7:
One member invited us over for dinner this week. The last time we visited them, she asked us what my favorite Taiwanese food was. I said that it was dumplings. When she invited us over for dinner she had spent all day hand-making dumplings for us. It was so sweet and they tasted so good!
Experience 8:
We have spent a lot of time trying to call potential friends and set up times to meet with them. One in particular we called last night and she didn’t answer. Two minutes later she called us back and asked who we were. When we explained who we were she said, “Oh, I’m busy right now, I have to go, I’ll be in touch” and hung up. Hahahah she literally called us back to tell us she was busy? I don’t think she’s too interested…
Experience 9:
We went karaoke singing with out Relief Society presidency and a few less active members. Haha Taiwanese singing is something else hahahaha
Sorry I just realized how long this email was. Haha I hope you have a great week!
I love you all so so so much!!!
安姐妹
Sister Kara Andersen 