The first one is Ruby. She kind of self contacted us at a stop light last Monday. She used to go to English class and learned how to pray there, but she tried praying for a week and didn't really feel any difference so she felt that God might not exist. But we met with her and talked more about Heavenly Father and prayer. She is very willing to give it another shot.
Then there is Clarkson. He is from the Philippines, and was referred to us by a member of another ward in our stake. One day he saw some weird YouTube video about how Eve wasn't Adams real first wife or something like that, and because he knew that this one member went to church he asked her about it. She helped him understand and then told him to meet with us. He is just really confused sometimes about all of the different doctrine. When we met with him we shared about the Book of Mormon and he was super excited to read it and learn more. He has already been reading it and asking us questions!
The last one is Phil. Elder Bethers and I contacted him a couple of weeks ago. He owns an art studio in our area. His wife is Christian but he doesn't really have any specific beliefs. As we were meeting with him he stated that he had lots of questions and things that confused him, and a lot of what he said can easily be answered through the Restoration and Plan of Salvation. Phil has a desire to know truth, and has lots of potential. But there are also some things that I'm afraid will hold him back. One is that his wife isn't the biggest fan of us and our church. Another is he hasn't had great experiences with other Christian churches.
We decided to move Mushroom's baptism goal back to the 26th to give her a little more time to prepare. She told us that this week she has really been trying to find different things she can drink to replace tea. She also said that sometimes her desire to be baptized is really high, but other times it is really low. We shared with her about the Atonement of Jesus Christ and promised her that as she begins to feel the power of His Atonement, her desire will truly begin to grow.
We also set a baptism goal with Linda for the 26th! She was a little hesitant because she has just started meeting with us and still does not understand a lot. But she has great faith. We started a scripture study group with her, her brother, and a couple of other youth in the ward. We shared the Restoration with her and she told us that she believes in Joseph Smith's first Vision. I'm really excited to keep teaching her!
One thing that I have really been working on this week is Charity. It is really easy just because I am serving here to say things like "I love Taiwan" or "I love the Taiwanese people", but honestly sometimes it can be really hard to feel that way. Especially when people reject you multiple times a day with the same lame excuses. It can be really easy to have feelings of resentment and anger. But one thing I have been working really hard on is making a conscious effort to not make negative comments towards others no matter what they do or say to me. I have realized that as I have made this effort, not only have my words began to change, but also my thoughts and feelings. I honestly have felt so much more love for the people this week and it makes missionary work so much happier. I know that I am going to miss this place in a couple of months and I am really cherishing the time that I have left here. Love you all!
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| lunch with Phil |
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| The people that own the soup dumpling place |
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| soup dumplings |
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| Tainan Zone |
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| Taichung Mission |
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