Hey Everyone,
Are you kidding me? 27 inch Mac? Trip to Ruins? Are you guys even buying food since I've been gone? or playing too hard to eat? I understand, the funnest member of the Family leaves, so you need to compensate by doing amazingly fun things. I understand, it must be hard.
I loved the story about Pepper. I'm glad Veronica had an amazing time on trek. I realize that Veronica is going to be a ridiculously good mom. I'll probably have my wife take lessons from her. I'm listening to Avril Lavigne through the email place's sound system right now. Jealous? They love her here. I have a native Taiwanese companion! Goodbye English!!! My Chinese is coming so fast. I realize it's all the gift of tongues, and what an amazing opportunity this is. I'm absolutely blessed. I know without a doubt I've been called to the right mission for me and where the Lord needs me. I know without a doubt the Lord has placed me in the places he needs me.
I thought I'd end my mission before I served right next door to the mission home. But here I am. Should be good. Really cool thing is that my MTC teacher, Brother Hodges, said that he thought I'd serve around some colleges. The area I just moved to has the largest college in Taiwan. That man called it. My other MTC teacher, Sister Fan said she thinks I'll help lots of families, I'm off to a good start on that. I hope that trend continues. I love this work. I love you all. Pics next week, I promise.
My 3rd Transfer began today. I moved. My 3rd transfer, 3 places, 3 companions. Really, really rare. I have moved to Xin An which is right by the mission home. Really really close. My area also includes 101. Since I moved right next to the mission home I'm probably going to have to shave my mustache. Just kidding.
This place is completely different from what ZhuDong was like. There are tons of people. I'm right in the heart of the city. It's time to find some prepared people here and do work!! My new companion is an Elder Yu. You're probably thinking that's not an English name. You're right! He is a native Taiwanese missionary! I never thought I would get a Native Taiwanese companion this early. I'm stoked because it will help my Chinese progress. I'm really pretty far ahead of the average on our mission's language study program, and this will help my Chinese a ton. I'm excited about that a lot.
Thursday night my companion got a call to train. Petty cool. We were both pretty excited. This transfer has been so amazing! We found the perfect recipe of hard work and fun and absolutely tore ZhuDong apart! It's on fire right now, and it was asleep only 6 weeks ago. I got to see one of our investigators we got together baptized, that being the Zhang daughter. They are all getting baptized on July 2 and I won't be there. I arranged it so my last lesson in ZhuDong was with them at their house. It was really emotional for me and them. They are more than 1 missionary could ever ask for in an entire mission, It was so sad to have to leave ZhuDong just because of them. They said they'd plan on me coming to their sealing in the temple in 1 year. I'm so excited for them. I had the most amazing feeling on the bike ride home from their house last night. I had thought earlier in the transfer that I would be in ZhuDong for a long time, because my comp had been there for 4, and I was just starting, but on the bike ride home I had this feeling like the Lord needed me there for that one. In all honesty just to meet that family, and that my work there was done. I had an amazing feeling that the Lord was really pleased with the effort and work I had done there. It was so sad to leave that area, but I know that the Lord now needs me somewhere new, and that he has a plan for me.
I just look at the crazy circumstances that put me in ZhuDong, and there is no doubt that my mission President is receiving guidance from the Lord.
So here I am, 3 transfers, 3 areas, 3 companions, 3 bikes. I'm ready to go to work right here in the heart of Taibei. My new companion is an amazing missionary I've heard. He was in Hong Kong for the first 6 months of his mission, but because of Taiwanese military rules he had to come back and finish his mission here.
The last couple days were really fun too since my comp was training. We got to go up to Taibei and pick up a brand new missionary, and then have the 3 of us together for a couple days. It was crazy to see how green he was! I know every missionary is green, but I know I wasn't THAT green. It's hilarious. So adorable. Any greenness I had was quickly worn off just because of the nest I was born into, my trainer being Elder Erickson, and always being with Elder Jhou and Elder Duff, the zone leaders. Elder Bogle would always tell me he thinks I act like a 5 or 6 transfer missionary. So right now all my greenness is long gone.
The last transfer was really fun, amazing miracles, so much help from the Lord. Coming home at nights and just passing out from working our guts out. It was so cool. I'm leaving behind a lot of amazing people and I'm really sad to be leaving that beautiful area, but I know the Lord has good things in store for me. I feel like I still could transfer again after this transfer because I think my current companion could train next transfer. We'll see. This mission has been an adventure so far, really amazing. I'm having a blast.
This week I bought a waffle maker. It makes waffles in the shape of little penguins. It's pretty amazing. I bought it for the equivalent of 6 US dollars from a thrift store after doing some fine bartering. Not too shabby.
I'm right by the temple now so I get to look at that beautiful house of the Lord often. I'm really excited about that. I'm starting to think in Chinese a lot, and it's going to be more and more this transfer especially, so if my English in the letters home sucks, I'm sorry. It's just that the Lord needed me to preach the gospel in a language 100 percent different than I learned growing up. Apologize for the bad English, especially coming from the son of an author.
Everything is good. The rewards of missionary work far outweigh the sacrifices. I love this work, I love the Zhang family. They are getting baptized. They are my family in Taiwan. If it weren't for the language barrier I know that our families would be such good friends. Every time I teach them I think of how much they are like our family. I love it. I'm so happy for them.
All is good. Didn't get hit this week. Love you.
Elder White
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