Me with Brother Chi
Brother Chen
Me in Aborigine headwear
This week was truly fantastic. Lots of miracles and blessings. I'm truly grateful. Our area did fantastic, but even better, the entire zone did amazing. I was super excited. On the numbers sheet it was by far the best week the TaoYuan zone has ever had over the course of the last year and a half (as far back as our records go). Not that what we're doing is about numbers, but when every single one of those numbers represent a person, a person coming unto Christ, they are extremely important. It was great.
This week we had zone leader council as well. Our zone is doing so well. I'm so pleased and I love the opportunity to serve with the missionaries I serve with. Great news, the mission's focus for the month of February is finding!!! I couldn't be more excited! My favorite part of the work! Getting out there and talking to everyone, sharing our testimony and the gospel. There is nothing better, so we're going to get the entire TaoYuan zone to amp up our faith, fire, and find more!
This week the finding miracles continued for me and my companion. We were really too blessed finding people on public transportation as we traveled to and from meetings, baptismal interviews, and exchanges. My favorite miracle I will share. We were on our way to the church. We were going to be there at 11:30 to meet up with a member for lunch. It was 11:24, and we were 1 block away. All of a sudden I see a short foreigner sitting at the bus stop listening to his Ipod. I really didn't want to contact him because I figured he was one of the teachers that teach English at the English cram school that's right by our church. These teachers have all been contacted dozens of times and usually avoid missionaries like the plague. My companion went and started talking to the other person at the stop, because he was avoiding him too. I said a prayer in my heart, half expecting to get rejected, and began to speak to this foreigner. What happened next was not rejection. I met Josea, from Honduras, who has some different needs in his life. He is doing a PHD here in Taiwan, and was really happy to speak with us. I testified to him of the restoration and he said he had met missionaries in Honduras several years before. He said he wanted to learn more, and then his bus came. I was rushing to try to get out my planner and write down a number and he said it was no big deal and he could wait the 20 minutes for the next bus because he really wanted to learn more!!! It was great. We set up a time with him. I'm so excited. We should be meeting with Josea this week!
That is just one of the miracles this week. So many! They were so great. We were blessed to find 2 families, a few foreigners, and some people who for lack of better terms, are absolutely golden. So great.
Our latest deal was with Sister Chen and her boyfriend Brother Zhong. We met with them lots last week. Brother Zhong wants to be baptized but he was going to go back to a tiny island off of Africa last Wednesday. So we were going to see if his desire was strong enough, and if he could live all the commandments, if he could get baptized before he leaves. But then he just hadn't received an answer. However he postponed going to Africa until this Wednesday. Yesterday I met with him and asked him to kneel down right then and there and ask if this is what God wants him to do before he goes to Africa. We knelt down right in the middle of the lesson and he said he wants to join the church in his prayer, but he's not 100 percent. I hope that he continues to postpone going back to Africa. The real miracle in this however is Sister Chen. She has received an answer and has a huge desire to be baptized. She passed her interview and will be baptized this coming Saturday. I'm thrilled. She's so dedicated to the gospel, has made some great friends in the ward, and loves the gospel. I'm so happy.
Also great news is our recent convert Chen Hao Yun shares his testimony in Sunday school and in elders quorum and just impresses everyone with how strong his testimony is and how the gospel has helped him. It's great. He was ordained to the Aaronic priesthood yesterday. I hope he'll get to baptize Sister Chen. I think that'd be a great experience.
We have many other great investigators progressing. We have a brother Tsai who's new work is now keeping him from coming to church on the Sabbath. It's extremely sad. He's completely prepared except for church attendance. His desire is strong. Please pray for him.
The week was an all around great week in the mission. I was on exchanges Wednesday night and had to teach English in a completely different chapel which was weird, but set up 2 out of the 5 people in the class to meet with missionaries and learn more about the gospel. It was great. A couple really good exchanges this week.
Today we are going on a big bike ride through the mountains to the ocean. The man taking us is the guy that works at that local bike shop that I've become pretty good friends with. He's probably about 60 years old and just a jokester. I can't wait. He's taking us to a place where he guarantees missionaries have never seen before. He said it's beautiful. I'll take my camera. I'll be sure to take pictures, and then wait 4 transfers later to send them home, that's the pace I'm at right now. I'm sorry, just no time.
Also the Zhang family in ZhuDong spoke in the big fireside on families this week in Taibei. AMAZING. I wasn't there unfortunately but that's awesome.
I'm love this work. I love this gospel. I love my mission.
I love you all.
Elder White
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