Dear friends and family,
We survived the typhoon! Some missionaries actually did get hurt on their bikes but I am ok. The wind was like nothing I had ever experienced before I was on my bike and I literally got pushed into the oncoming traffic lane! Long story short we hid out for the rest of the typhoon day because it is way too dangerous to even be walking outside!
I went on exchanges this week with another Elder that is also in training. So we had to white guys who speak really not great Chinese wondering around Taiwan without any support. We managed better than I thought we would and survived a good solid two days without our trainers. We taught 3 investigators and found some people all by ourselves
I got the chance to play my violin at a baptism this week for the Zhanghua 3rd ward. It was so nice to perform music again!
I had a really great experience this week with the power of fasting. Last Sunday we decided to fast for our investigator Kelly. We prayed that the lord would help her be brave and overcome her fear of talking to her husband. We met with her on the next Thursday and she had done it. She told her husband that she was meeting with us, attending church, and was going to be baptized into The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. He wasn't to happy but he said ok! Kelly means the world to me she is just someone that we met on at a traffic light and now she is going to get baptized hopefully next week! I have a much stronger testimony of fasting and how influential it can be in our lives.
Each week my mom sends me a list of questions to answer. Here is this week's list.
• How is the language coming? Do you understand people?
Chinese is one of the hardest languages and it causes a lot of stress but I love learning it and speaking. I went on exchanges for 2 days this week with another Elder in training and so his Chinese is not any better than mine. I had to order all my own food, and had to talk to people by myself and I was able to do it!! One of the places where we got food the lady knows me but has never heard me speak because elder Brady would just order for me... and then she told me my Chinese was super bioajun (standard) which is actually one of the highest compliments it means that you speak without mistakes. I still struggle so much but I manage:)
• How is your companion? Some missionaries have real trouble with their trainers.
Elder Brady is great! This mission is probably one of the most obedient in the world. We have the highest percent of return missionaries that attend BYU. I haven't really met a disobedient missionary yet.
• Have you decided what you are going to be for the Halloween party you're throwing at your English class?
I have no idea... I will probably figure that out today;)
• Do you do any service projects?
NO! The people of Taiwan would kill over before they let a white missionary help them! They are very proud that way but we always ask no matter what.
• Could you please take pictures of you in your apartment and send them to us? We want to see how you live.
I am so bad about pics but my apartment is pretty nice except today our water filter went out so we have no drinkable water... and our toilet is leaking like crazy so we don't know what we are going to do about that.
• It is hard for us to not know what you're doing, seeing and experiencing each day. Could you give a brief breakdown of a typical day?
6:20 we get up and get ready
8:00 is personal study
9:00-11:00 is companion study
11:00-12:00 is language study. we have an extra 1 1/2 hours inside because I am in training and we study so much
12:00 we go eat on "food road" by our house, it is a road just full of things to eat. We never cook food because it costs about $1.50-2.00 for a meal which is so much cheaper than making our own food.
• Transfers are coming up. Do you want to be transferred or do you want to stay put?
I will not be transferred because I am in training which takes two transfers to complete. At the end of next transfer Elder Brady will go home so I most likely will stay so that someone still knows the area. The point is I will most likely be in ZhangHua until January:) I like it here so I honestly would be ok if I stay or go:)
I love you all sorry I don't have any pictures!!
Sincerely,
Elder Erwin
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