Taiwan June 22, 2014

Well hello everyone! 

     Well hello mom and dad, how are you?? I'm sorry for everything that's going on at home. I'll be praying for you all, and especially be praying for your family mom. I love you all so much, and if there's anything I can do to help, PLEASE let me know! I know there's probably not a whole ton because I'm in Taiwan, but if there is anything, just let me know :D I love you! 家庭是永恆的! 

     Well this week was pretty green. I mean pretty good! Haha, my new companion is Elder Green, and his Chinese name really is 綠長老 :D It's been a very good time being with him this week haha :D 

     Last week I didn't have a lot of time to right because I had to go pick up Elder Green, and then we also went to a big Buddhist monument thing called Fo Guang Shan 佛光山 and it was really pretty!!! I'll send photos :D 

     Other than that, this last Thursday we went up to GaoXiong for our Zone Conference with president!! It was really good, and we learned a lot about mission standards, working with members, and miracles in everyday life. We left at 6 in the morning, and got home at 9:35 at night haha :D Yay living super far away from everyone ;) 

Monday: So it was a pretty long day.... traveled all day, and then when we got back, we found out that our investigator Sister Guo failed her baptismal interview. That along with other things was pretty sad, but from monday, everything started getting better :D 

Tuesday: Had a good DTM, and I basically just got to know Elder Green really well :D He's from Orem Utah, he loves musicals like me! He's tall, loves working out and....... is from a family of 9 people, 7 siblings! :D Yep, he's been on his mission over a year and a half, so this might be his last area..... ;) 

Wednesday: Made the weekly trek up to Man Zhou 滿州 and met with some people, then came back and had a really good English class! This week our investigator family came who we'd lost contact with for about 2 weeks, and so we were overjoyed to see them and talk to them!! Ghee :D 

Thursday: Zone conference, so traveling all day, and having a great meeting :D One thing we talked about was the Redeeming and Enabling power of Christ's atonement. Something to think about. 

Friday: Weekly planning, then met with some investigators, and met a super cool guy from the Czech Republic! Pretty fun :D ya....

Saturday: So today we made a really big loop visiting people, and had lunch by the beach! (Is this mission, or paradise? oh, it's just both :D) It was probably around 25 miles round trip, but it was good and worthing it :D 

Sunday: A good church time!!! and finished visiting all the active members with Elder Green, so he know's who they all are!! yay! other than that we had studies.... ya.... not a whole ton happened this week haha. 

So yes, that was the week!!!!! Super fun ;D I will send a lot of photos!!!! Remember I love you all!!!!! Have a good week, no matter what life throws at you! 

CTR, 義

Elder Dawson 陶長老

Taiwan June 16, 2014

Well what a crazy week!!!!!! wa..... I guess every week is crazy haha ;) 

     Well I will have to talk to you all even more next week!!!!! I only have 30 minutes to email today because of some... things. 

So last week was good! I'll talk to you about it next week. however, Saturday night, we got the call from President, that Elder Lindsey is suddenly going to be moving. It wasn't a move call, and basically only he will move. It was super sudden, and I was very sad! So because of sending him to his next place, and picking up my new companion, I have spent the last 8 hours on a bus traveling picking him up. 

My new companion is Elder Green, and he's awesome! He's from Orem Utah, and he's been on him mission a year and a half. He loves musicals too!! Ghee :D So ya, that was this week. 

Well besides these things..... a lot of other stuff has happened. I feel as if everything has collapsed at once, and has turned into things that could become a faith tester. I have continued repeating the words of President Uctdorf who says "Doubt your doubts, before you doubt your faith." These words have comforted me and pushed me on through these times. I know that they can help us, and I promise that as we follow the scriptures, we can have the promise found in Alma which says "the words of Christ, if we follow their course, carry us beyond this vale of sorrow into a far better land of promise." Alma 37:45. I know these words are true. I love you all so much, and pray for you all every night. Let us all press on together!!!!!  

CTR, 義

Elder Dawson 陶長老

Taiwan June 6, 2014

Well hello all!! 

     我先跟我媽媽談一下：）鐘姐妹真的對我們很好！他的女兒上個禮拜５開始傳教！他的老大。他有請我們吃兩三次，所以，我們真很幸福！他會請我們吃海鮮的事務，例如：魚，海蛋，河豚皮，之類的東西：D　都很好吃！

     Well this week has been super fun!!!!! To add to the heat, It has now rained for 3 days straight haha ;) sometimes harder than others, but always raining. So now it is hot, humid, and raining ;) but hey, let me just say, people give you a lot of free food when you have to ride 1 hour to a lesson in the pouring rain ;) hahaha. We wear rain jackets, but after riding for about 10 minutes, you're still soaked haha, it's just not from the rain....... (lets all ponder that for a second..... ;) 

So this week was super fun!! Had some moments of tension, and some moments of joy, moments of tears, and moments of laughter :D Just another week in the land of Taiwan on a mission haha! I'll get to the whole week update thing in just a second ;) 

So Sister Guo our investigator is doing amazing!!!!! She learns so quick, and when we teach her, she takes notes on everything that we're saying! She's planning Elder Lindsey's birthday party for him, and she already calls this church "Our Church"! It's so amazing to see how much her faith is growing! This week as we talked to her, she told us more about her past, and things that have happened. She told us the sorrow and regret for past things, and how she wished she would have made more time for this gospel, but now that she's starting to hear the gospel, she's super happy!!! It has been 13 days since we met her, and she says that these 13 days have been the happiest days of her life! She still wants to go on a mission, but we're not sure she can go on a full proselyting mission...  maybe a temple mission, but we will have to see ;) We watched the Emma Smith movie with her, and she said that she felt touched by the faith of Emma, and said that she wishes to have the faith and trust in God as Emma does. Wow. I'm completely blown away with how amazing her faith is already, and I look forward to meeting with her every week!!!!!! 

So that is the good side of this week :D Now to the other stuff, and to the.... well.... "Dueling" part haha ;) 

Monday: SUPER peaceful P-day!!!!! We had a member from Chao Zhou come and take us to the Forest park here in Kenting (the one we went to before, remember mom and dad?? haha) And it was really fun! I'll send photos :D After that we had a Family home evening with Sister Guo, and she asked us what things we're not allowed to eat or drink in the church, so we told her about the word of wisdom, and she personally invited herself to obey it. It was pretty cool haha :D

Tuesday: ZTM day!!!! A good training meeting haha! So for this meeting we have to go up to KaoHsiung, and so we left at 8 in the morning, to a 2 hour bus to PingTung, Then a 1 Train ride to KaoHsiung Feng Shan station, and then a 20 minute Taxi to the Niao Song Chapel. (I should probably just write the Chinese to those haha.....) We had a great meeting!!!!! Learned a lot, and then came home, and when we got home, it was already 8:00 at night! So... a whole day going to ZTM and back ;) Joy :D We still met with a less active, and had a good time :D 

Wednesday: We went to Man Zhou again, and it was quite a wet journey, because it was raining the whole time haha :D Then a bit of drama came in, Because our Investigator was invited by a 80 year old member to attend a party thing. I guess at the party some things happened, and they ended up yelling at each other, and being super mad at each other. So from Wednesday to Friday, we always kept getting calls from both of them about how they're mad and that the other person was wrong.... oh joy haha, but in the end it's all ok, they've said sorry more or less...... ya :) 

Thursday: It was raining still, so you know what that means??? nobody comes to lessons haha! yay...... However, we still contacted people, and did our best to meet with people ;D 

Friday: We met with a bunch of less actives, and also met with Sister Guo, and taught her the Plan of Salvation. She loved it, and said she's excited to be with those in her personal "Celestial Kingdom" as she tries her hardest :D Then she wanted to help us in our next lesson, so she came with us as we visited another less active, and she personally found out that the person we were visiting was less active, and then invited them to church by herself, and bore testimony!! We were completely blown away by how amazing it was haha!! 

Saturday: Today it really rained haha, but we still got to meet with a lot of people :D We had the ward activity and watched The Emma Smith movie, and it was all good :D 

Sunday: a very busy sunday!! After church, we went to find some friends :D Then went to a secondary area Che Cheng and found some people :D Yes, it was a really good week, and sister Guo came to church, and a less active she invited to come to church actually came!!!! 

So yes, that was our week, it was amazing and full of miracles! I'm constantly reminded of the face that if you want to get a lot out of life, you must put a lot of effort into it. I feel like I have been so blessed by the lord as I have tried putting my heart into this work. I'm so grateful to be in Heng Chun at this time serving the Lord, and pray I can keep pushing on and doing my best!!!! 

CTR, (義)

Elder Dawson (陶長老) 

The southern part of Taiwan at the Kenting forest national park 

A funny Lizard we found haha :D