Where to begin? I don't remember lots about this week, but I guess I'll take it day by day.
Last Monday was P-day. We took this little mountain train up into a little mountain town called Neiwan. It's absolutely beautiful up there. It's actually a decent tourist attraction and they have a little street with a bunch of neat shops. They also have a couple really cool suspension bridges. We're talking the kind with wood planks that sway when you cross. They were really cool. Because we were up in the mountains I wanted to hike, so we found a cool trail and just started hiking. As we started hiking, I felt myself walk through a spider web. Then I felt a little bit later like I had been bit, but it didn't itch like the spider bites I've had before. Wake up Tuesday morning and my arm is HUGE!! Very swollen. We had to go into XinChu for district meeting and I called the mission Nurse. He told me to get the XinChu hospital immediately. They put me on some really expensive antibiotics and they've worked. My arm isn't swollen anymore and doesn't hurt anymore. I didn't see the spider I was bit by, but I still haven't been able to climb walls or shoot web, so I don't think It's the same one that bit Peter Parker.
Tuesday and Wednesday I was on exchanges. I was with an Elder Chung in Xiangshan. He's Taiwanese but he looks Filipino. It was fun because he is a really fun elder with a great sense of humor.
This week was also Mission Conference!!! We had Elder Jay E. Jensen of the Seventy come and speak to us. It was awesome. It was fun to see all the missionaries in the mission, and to learn by the spirit. Elder Vandenberghe, my MTC companion is in the Zone neighboring ours. I've seen him once at zone conference, once at temple day, and then at mission conference. He's doing really well and it's funny because we're like best friends now. I can't wait to get an exchange or something later on and do real missionary work with that kid. It will be a lot of fun! looking forward to it.
This week the work has been great. We had the craziest day at church yesterday. My companion was sitting next to a less active who was back to church for the first time in a long time. He got up during the hymn between speakers and left. I had a strong feeling to go after him, and then I disregarded it, but then I got slapped with the spirit to go after him, so I turned to my companion who was a row back and across the aisle, and said I feel like we need to go after him. He was the one who had been sitting by him, and looked out the door of the chapel and said "He's just getting water." I turned back around and resumed my singing. Then my comp tapped my shoulder 30 seconds later and we went. He was trying to make a getaway and we convinced him to come back in, but I later realized that getting him back to the meeting wasn't why I was prompted to go after him. After we talked to him and got him back inside, we ran into another family who was leaving. My companion thought they were just some less actives but I suggested we talk to them. We found out they were not members, and that they came to check it out. We set up a time to visit them and teach them about the gospel.
So after that we're still outside while people are inside speaking, and I see a mom that I had contacted the night before on the street, show up with her husband and her son. We were able to be outside and show them where to go and how to get in, because of the original prompting to go after the less active that bolted. This family was able to make a lot of friends in the meetings that followed and we set up a time to go meet with them. It turned out to all work out amazingly.
At the conclusion of the meeting a less active named Karen bolted out quick. I felt prompted to chase her down, so there we were outside again. Karen is in my English class. She's awesome, I invited my English class to church and she came. That's when we learned that she was a less active member. The missionaries before had never asked. So outside in the parking lot we talked to her a bit and found out her concern and why she doesn't like going to the last 2 hours of church. We began talking to her and explained how the atonement and God's plan allows us to be happy in this life, as well as the life to come, She said that she feels like she just has to wait until the next life to be happy. Then I asked if we could sing Be Still my Soul to her. The spirit was really, really strong, and it was amazing. I then asked if we could give her a Liahona article to read and so we met up with her later in the day and gave her that. I hope she'll be able to find the happiness this gospel brings.
Saturday the Zone Leaders gave us a ridiculous quota of New Investigators to find on Saturday and Sunday. It was higher than the mission's golden standard for a whole week, and they said they wanted it because our zone's numbers were down. Our numbers in Zhudong were fine but we knew that if they had prayerfully set this goal, that we would be able to achieve it. The only concern was that our Sunday was booked. So many appointments, and no time to find new investigators. We prayed hard that we'd still get our daily goal to what it needed to be to meet their invitation. We just didn't know how or where we'd find them, but we knew the Lord would provide a way. We went to visit one of our investigators we were scheduled to meet with, and what do you know? He's a Yuanzhumin (aboriginee), and they all have huge families. He wasn't able to meet with us, but we were able to teach a bunch of the other members of his family and set them up to meet with us all together today! I'm excited and the Lord provided a way to meet our goal. He literally just placed them in our path. It was amazing!!!
That's basically what I remember on the week. It was a good week, Mission conference was definitely the highlight. I'm glad my arm doesn't have to be amputated. I wouldn't mind a week where I'm not getting hit by cars or bit by spiders, but other than that all is well. My companion is starting to get a personality. Which is good, a big step in the right direction.
love you all
Elder White
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