Taiwan Second Month

Well hello everyone!!!!!!!!!!! :D 

     Hey sorry that I didn't have a creative way of addressing all of you today... awkward.... oh well, Today I'm writing the email back home first, to make sure I get everything in there that I want to!!! :D So this week has been absolutely amazing!!!!!! I love Christmas miracles, and they are everywhere!!!!! and Christmas is almost here!!!! This Christmas has been so amazing, because I have almost been completely on the serving side!!!! I hear there's a lot of snow in bountiful!!! I hope you're all safe!!! All I have to worry about here is some crazy Taiwanese driver trying to hit me.... but that's all ;D So Basically I am just so happy to be on my mission!! It isn't a lot like what I thought it would be, but I absolutely love every minute of it!! Even the sad parts, because they let me see the happiness when it comes :D Hey mom, wish your Friends daughter Karen good luck!!! Tell her I made a friend in the MTC whose going there :D And if you want to comfort her, let her know that Karen will learn better Chinese in New York then she will in Taiwan. Everybody in the MTC told us that, and so that might help :D And I'll be praying for them!! :D Wish Jason good luck!!!! I'm praying for him, and I just got to see Whitney this week!!!! :D yay!! I'll attach a photo to let you all see :D 

     So yes... my Chinese..... I see how it has come miles and is so much better now!! but I just feel like it's not good enough yet... I mean, I think I could consider myself "fluent" now, because I can explain everything that I need to without using English, and when people say something I don't understand, they can explain in Chinese and I'll get it :D But I mean... I can say everything how I want to... just.... not exactly with the same emotion haha! Our District leader is Taiwanese, so whenever I have to do a language pass off, or talk to him about how I'm feeling, it's all in Chinese, so I guess that's going good!!! But mom, watch out, I still have a super strong american Accent when I talk, so you may not understand me when I speak... hahahaha, but don't worry, it's getting better!! :D And sorry Mom, I know, I need to repent, and so I'm going to write longer Emails now :D I have cast off the old ways, and moved onto the new :D 

     So for Christmas here we had an awesome activity!!!!! I'll get more on that later :D No worries!!! And thank you so much for your testimony mom!!! I love hearing it :D And I'm so happy I have this time in Taiwan to teach people :D 

 

     So To answer some of my fathers Questions..... I am super excited for Christmas!!!!!!! The Work in DouLiu is going awesome!!!! I'm studying hard, and working hard, and trying to do even more!! :D There's so much to learn!!!!!! Discussions.... well.... we do teach a lot of them, but we don't have a ton of far along investigators, because we've been in the area only so long starting from scratch haha, but its coming along!!!! Me and my companion are going fine haha, and new foods... well yes, and they're all delicious, but I can't remember any of them right now haha!! But all the food here is absolutely delicious!!! :D :D And today we're going out to go find a new coat :D 

     So I'm super excited to skype home!!!! it will be at 9:00 in the morning here :D December 25th:D Super excited to see you all!!! Really though, words can't really describe how excited I am to see you all!!!! Ah!!! Oh, and tell President Taylor I think that's so awesome!! I'm sending him a card soon :D 

Oh... so now back to the old old ways... weekly day by day update!!!! yay!!!!! ok, here we go :D (Oh by the way, I have written everysingle day in my journal while on my misison and going strong!! :) 

Monday: It was fun... and I made a giant spike ball thing out of origami paper!! Like literally... it was huge!!! and it was the star signaling that Jesus has been born! I'll send a picture haha :D But ya, it was so big that Elder Long looked at it and said "Elder Dawson, I think the point of the scene is supposed to be baby Jesus, not the giant star above his head!" bahahaha!!! Super awesome!! Then Family home evening with a family playing ping pong, and then spiritual share! ya!!!! 

Tuesday: We went on exchanges with assistants to the president!!! ah!!! Super fun, and super crazy!!!! Plus it was pouring rain, so that was fun... being soaked while talking to people on the street :D awww yeah!!! 

Wednesday: Elder long's birthday!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! So for his birthday we had an amazing day with presents, but what was even more amazing was the English class turnout!!! We just worked hard, and a ton of people came to English class, and a lot of them had interest in hearing about the gospel!! yay!!!! :D 

Thursday: Mission wide Christmas party!!! yay!!!!! So we had to wake up super early to get there, but we all went to sun moon lake!!!!! It was crazy!!! We walked down a little shopping place that we went to last time with the Mangelsons, and this time me and Whitney were walking down it again, but as missionaries!!!!!! ah! It was crazy, and a lot of De ja vu, but it was good :D 

Friday: I lost my planner, then found it haha! Then went out and gave Christmas presents to a bunch of people :D 

Saturday: Great personal study about faith!! :D Plus it was a members birthday, so we wished him happy birthday :D Then there was this amazing thing that happened!!! So we were out in the middle of nowhere looking for some Less Actives, when we came across a person we all call "Huang Ba ba" Who's this 80 year old man whose super hunched over with back problems, but is the nicest happiest person we've ever seen!!! We came across his house, and he was like "What missionaries are here!? Here hang on, I'll go with you to find all the people!" He then put on his jacket, grabbed his cane, and walked with us to find people. The thing is, we didn't lead him to them, he already knew where they all lived, and he took us to everyone's house, and gave them all fruit!! Even though it's painful for him to stand up and walk, he did it with us. He was such an inspiration, and so awesome!!! :D 

Sunday: Fun day!! Elder Turner got sick, so that was sad :( however, a super awesome Christmas activity!!! Where we had a investigating family come, who loved it so much!!! Plus our English speaking investigator who took part in the performance! it was super fun, and It brought us all together, and made me Happy :D yay for warm fuzzies inside!!! 

So yes, that was this week!!! It was awesome, and the best part is always learning!!! It's hard, but everything we learn prepares us for the future :D I hope this gives a pretty good update, and I love you all, and talk to you next week!!! :D 

CTR, 

Elder Dawson 

P.S. I have Christmas cards coming! promise!! 

P.P.S. Enjoy the photos!!! 

Taiwan Second Month

Hey mom and dad :D 

     So.... this week was awesome!!!! Sounds like you all had a fun time at home! Skiing?? say what!? That's fun haha!! Glad to know it's cold there :D So I'm looking forward to a Christmas package! yay!! And more excited to Skyping! yay!!! And thanks for the money, I'll go find a coat that will keep me warm haha :D Ya, so it basically blew my mind that me and sister Mangelson are in the same area haha! We'll send a picture next Zone training meeting :D Thanks for writing, and have a fun time at home!! It's awesome to hear from you all!!!! :D oh and President taylor sent me a letter!! it was really nice, and when you see him tell him I say thanks :D plus I'm sending him a card haha, so ya! Love you too!! 

Dear Sugarcane... I mean... ya... 

     Well... I actually don't even have a funny story with sugarcane this week haha. Just someone who gave us some to drink because it was healthy... ya... that's about it haha! So... I've decided to rethink my process of writing the letter home. I will now write home first, and other things after. I'm super excited!! But as for now, I don't have a lot of time, So I must go. Wow I'm getting awful at writing home haha! But as for now, enjoy these photos!! 

CTR, 

Elder Dawson 

Taiwan Second Month

Dear mom and Dad, 

     Hey thanks so much for sending The Savior Redeemer of my soul music!! That'll be great and I'm super excited to perform it :D So most important thing first is the Skype time!!!! I will be skyping Christmas day, December 25, 2013, at 9:00 AM in the morning here. I'm not sure what time that is over there, but yes, that is the time we're shooting for :D So yay!!! I'm super excited to see all of you!!! So thanks for emailing me!!! I'll be sure to look out for that Lard-fried-rice haha :D thanks!! And the fruit is amazing here!!1 i've eaten so much, and still loving it! It was just Pamelo season, so I've been eating a lot of those :D Sorry, I'll try to take more pictures haha!!! I do take a lot, I just don't send all of them... sorry!!!! I'll be better about that :D And I'm super excited for the package!!! No worries, i'll get a coat here :D It suddenly got warmer again... so I don't need it for a while more haha, oh yay :D I'm even more excited for the package to come!!! So sending things to america is super cheap... I sent a letter there, and it was only about 50 cents haha! so I'm sending Christmas cards to you :D Its set in stone, can't change it, hope you enjoy it bwahaha!! :D My companion is from oklahoma, so he's super jealous you're flying the Thunders haha :D  So crazy thing, Whitney is being trained in my zone!!!! So I'll get to see her a lot!!! It's super crazy!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Christmas miracles are true, and I'm super excited to have Christmas here :D Sorry I'm like out of time, so I'll have to go now, but remember I love you so much!!!!, oh, and Whitney wants my weekly letters, but I'm not allowed to email her because she's in my area, so if you could forward her my weekly letters (just the other stuff, not this first paragraph for you two) then that would be great :D thanks!!! 

Dear World, 

     We are about to set the world record for smallest email sent home. Yep. Doing great, pray for me, and move call happened, so we have a new Elder in Dou Liu!!! Super fun!!! Yep!.... gotta go!! I promise promise promise I'll write more next week!!!! 

CTR, 

Elder Dawson 

Taiwan Second Month

Dear Everyone that is Gods Child, 

     Bahaha, that happens to include everyone. Tee hee hee I'm so tricky!!! *Irish Heel Click* Well.... No time... .seems to be the montra of my mission haha, so much to do, but so little time! yay for multi tasking!! haha, So once again, i have like no time to write here! yay! No!! So I'll just share a quick miracle story! This week we were teaching a father for the first time, and it was awesome!! He opened up and started telling us about his quest for happiness the past three years. He told us "I tried alcohol to make me happy, but that didn't work, so then I tried fishing, and that didn't work! Then after that I tried Gambling and traveling, but none of it worked to make me and my family happy!" He then Looked at photos of mine and Elder Long's families, and said tearfully "This is exactly what I want my family to look like. Happy." It was amazing, and we told him that through the gospel, we can have happiness and peace in this life. He was willing to meet with us again, and told us that he felt peaceful for once while he was meeting with us. This gospel is true. I know its true, because I am starting to see how it is changing people's lives to be happier. It has changed my life, and will forever change my life, and there are no words that I could possibly say to express the gratitude I have for the Savior and his atonement. A lot of things mattered to me before, but as for now, all that matters is bringing this joy to others so that they can feel as happy as I feel. There are still down times, there are still hard times, but through it all, the Lord will help us through. I know that, and I now have the chance to testify of it everyday. If anyone is sad, turn to the Lord in prayer, because he will help no matter what. i guarantee. 

Thank you for being amazing, love you tons, and talk to you next week!!! 

CTR, 

Elder Dawson