April 29, 2012

Last p-day in DanShui

What a week here in TaoYuan. I don't know where to begin. I guess I'll start with yesterday, what was probably the most dramatic day of my mission. The drama was all about the Huang family's oldest daughter. This week with meeting we met with them and they were all doing well. The mother and son weren't quite ready for baptism, but the daughter was. She's been praying and reading and growing in her testimony. She always reminds her mom to keep the Word of Wisdom if Sister Huang wants to drink coffee. She prepared and wanted to be baptized so we set up an interview for her before church. She was a little nervous about being first before her mom and brother but she wanted it. Then Yesterday morning before church she did the interview with the district leader. She failed the interview. I was astonished. I've done about 20 baptismal interviews as a missionary, and I was positive she was prepared. The other frustrating part was that the district leader didn't say why she failed. He just said that she was nervous. I had the worst feeling the rest of the day. I knew she was prepared, and I was really sick to my stomach all day. Then at 9 o'clock the district leader called and said he was sorry, he'd prayed about it, and she should have passed. He said that if she still want's to get baptized she can. So we immediately called her, explained the situation, and she said she wants to and is really excited!!! A complete 180. I'm really thankful because I knew she was worthy to be baptized and wanted it. She's going to get baptized this week!!! Set the example for her mother and younger brother. It's wonderful. I've been praying lately to better understand the fall and the idea of needing to know sorrow to know joy. I think I learned my lesson yesterday. I felt even more happy for LiAn than if she had just passed the interview in the morning. Really dramatic day, going all day feeling like she should've passed, and then hearing the good news that the District Leader prayed about it and admitted he'd made a mistake. BAPTISM!!!

A great highlight of this week has been teaching Elder Sheng English. Every night at 10:30 when we're in our beds falling asleep I give him a little English lesson. He's learned some great stuff. I gave him a new English name this week, "Half Man Half Amazing." So when people ask him what his English name is, he says "Half Man Half Amazing." He also likes to say things are "funky fresh." I taught him that one, and then like 2 days after I taught it to him, we contacted a man in a shirt that said funky fresh. I spent one night teaching him all the cheesiest pick up lines I could think of. Including this one. Guy: "Did it hurt?" Girl "Did what hurt?" Guy "When you fell from heaven." Really cheesy. He was excited to show the Elders in the district what he learned the next day. He said "Are you hurt" response "No, Why?" Elder Sheng: "When you fell in heaven." It was a great attempt. Then last night as we were leaving our apartment after dinner to go out and work, I put on a sweater, then I said "I hope it's not too hot." Elder Sheng then said "I hope either." Long story short, I love working with Elder "Half man half amazing" Sheng.

Last week my recent convert here in TaoYuan Brother Chen HaoYun, was really sad because he was looking for new work and almost everywhere required him to work on Sundays. He was really sad and was worried about finding a job. I told him he knows the commandments and he knows that keeping the commandments will make him happy, then I told him it's up to him. He called me later this week, excited as can be, and informed me he got new work, and that he can rest on Sundays!! He's going to work at TGI Fridays. Funny story, TGI Friday's is like everyone is Taiwan's favorite restaurant. It's super expensive here and they think its basically America. It's really funny.

A huge highlight this week was Elder Gong from the seventy and Asia Area Presidency came and did a mission tour and met with every zone. It was wonderful. I learned so much. He's such an amazing man. He and his wife both served missions here in Taiwan. It was a great meeting and great experience. Afterward he had enough time to interview a couple missionaries and I had the opportunity to have an interview with him. It was wonderful. It was about 20 minutes, just sitting with a General Authority sharing our testimonies, him asking me questions, me asking him questions. It was a very cool experience. Elder Gong is a very quiet soft spoken man, but yet speaks with so much spiritual power. It was really great to be trained by him and then have that really cool experience of talking with him. I'm very thankful I was given that opportunity.

Overall this week was really good. There were definitely some downs, it got off to a slower start, but there were so many miracles this week, I'm super thankful. I love being a missionary and I love serving in TaoYuan. I love it when people get baptized!!! Nothing makes me happier.

I'm SOOO TIRED. Last night I was so excited to get in my bed and go to sleep. It was a great week, and we worked really really hard, saw miracles, and then collapsed last night. That's just how it should be. I'm probably going to try for a more relaxed p-day this week so I can get back out there and continue to help all my wonderful investigators, as well as go and find some more new people the Lord has prepared.

Oh, By The Way, Last weeks P-Day I went to DanShui :) I love that place so much!

Love you all!!

Elder White