Sunday, July 1, 2012

July 1, 2012


I am in my new area. TuCheng!!! I can't explain how amazing this last week was. This ward is so much fun to serve in. There were so many miracles that happened this week. Let's start with some miracles.


In our blessed TuCheng area we have 2 districts of the New Taipei City, TuCheng, and ShuLin, which is across a river and takes a little while to get out there. This week we found that we had a 3 hour block of time with no lessons and I mentioned I'd like to go to ShuLin. My companion said they never go out there but that we could check it out. We brought some former investigators' teaching records that we could go visit while we were out there to see if they have interest. When we got into ShuLin we began contacting to these formers' houses. 3 Strikes=OUT. All three of these formers weren't at home or addresses had changed. We didn't let it get us down though, and we still were talking to everyone on the street. I began talking to this 20 year old high school drop out about life and the gospel, and it was apparent he had absolutely no interest whatsoever. But the spirit told me to keep talking to him. I had no idea why I was being told to keep talking to this kid without any interest, and I wanted to go find the next person to talk to, but the spirit wouldn't let me stop. I didn't really know what to say, but I stayed and talked to him about 5 minutes longer than I would've otherwise. Right as I was wrapping it up, someone pulls up on their scooter and parks right next to us. He says, "Missionary!" I figured he might be a member because those are the only people we get that kind of reaction from. I asked him his name, and he told me. After which he told me he'd been looking for missionaries for months, but he never sees them in ShuLin. I proceeded by teaching him a lesson, and he's coming back this week. Because we went to ShuLin that day and I continued talking to that uninterested kid, we found someone truly prepared by the Lord. Someone who had been looking for missionaries for a long time. Such a great miracle!


Next miracle, this one is great. I was contacting in the morning and met someone who said they had interest, this person set up for later in that day at 4:30. We had a plan to go somewhere away from our chapel to contact in the afternoon, and now, because of the set up we would come back at 4:30. We came back and waited for our lesson, 4:35 and he still hadn't shown. He didn't answer his phone. I like to wait for lessons outside the chapel so we can still talk to people going by. I saw an older man, maybe in his 50's on his bike probably 100 feet from the chapel. He was looking at the chapel. I went and talked to him. He said he rode his bike from 30 minutes away just to see this chapel. His friend in another area had told him about our church and told him the address, and he wanted to ride by. I, jumping with joy on the inside, asked him if he'd like to see the inside. In the humblest, yet excited way possible he responded saying "Can I?" eyes lighting up. We showed him and then sat down with him and set a baptismal date. He committed to come to church on Sunday and did. He wants to be baptized so bad. He loved church, and he is as humble and golden as they come! 


These are just a couple of the miracles. There were so many more. Like fathers on scooters seeing us riding our bikes in the opposite direction and calling us to stop because they want to learn about the church. Me yelling at a bike across the street to stop and him stopping, coming into the church, and becoming a new investigator. The work here is amazing. It's probably the funnest ward in the whole mission as well, with lots of cool younger people, and great families, lots of activities... and they are all so good to the missionaries. I've already been given tons of gifts and they're always giving us food. Haha, it's great.


My new companion is the man!!! Elder Su is an awesome missionary. Great teaching skills. Lots of fire. He stands at about 5'2" inches tall. Showers really fast in the morning so he can practice his Chinese bamboo flute. Has toothpaste that says "Guardian of the Tooth on it" and is on his very last transfer. He's a hard worker, and we get along great. I can tell it's going to be a great transfer.


There are some great investigators here as well. We had a 17 year old kid get baptized Friday, really solid kid, who loves the gospel. I look forward to having him accompany us in lessons in the future. There is a man named Andy Huang. An investigator of over 1 year. the last missionary here before me was here for 8 months and only met with Andy twice because he was just an eternal investigator. Goes to church, Family home evening, English class, but refused to hear discussions. When I moved in, I don't know how to explain it, but I immediately felt a bond with Andy. So we sat down and had a lesson with him after English class, then we met with him again on Saturday, and then he did a temple tour (a little bit about the temple) with us yesterday. He's actually progressing and told me he had picked up his Book of Mormon and started reading it again. This was before I even invited him to. He accepted a baptismal date. Everyone in the ward is shocked he's actually meeting with missionaries again. But I have a huge determination to baptize Andy.



Another great investigator is brother Jian. Really smart guy. Just graduated from Taiwan's top college, in one of their top programs. He is good but had some tithing concerns. That's what's keeping him from baptism. We shared with him more about tithing this week, then fasted with him that he could get an answer tithing is what God wants him to do, and really is God's commandment. Then yesterday we did a temple tour with him about faith. I know he'll make it!



There are so many other great investigators. This week was absolutely amazing and I can't wait to make TuCheng my new home.

I love you all.

Tell my sisters not to go to too many more Avett Brothers concerts without me. It makes me jealous.
Love Elder White

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