April 24, 2016 - Fast and Crazy Week

Dear Family and Friends 大家好

This has by far been the fastest week of my mission. I could have sworn that I was just here writing last week's email. This week was interesting and I will do my best to share some of it with you.

Monday: We had a normal p-day where we didn't really do anything except relax a little bit. We were invited by our zone leaders to go out and contact everyday from 6-7 because that is when the most people are outside. We took up the invitation and did it almost perfectly. After street contacting at 7:00 we went to visit our youngest RC (recent convert) WeiTing His mother has a little fried chicken stand on the side of the road. It is absolutely ridiculous the amount of stuff she feeds us when we go there. We had a nice lesson about how Nephi built a boat and how it would be impossible for any of us to just build a boat unless the Lord was teaching us how. I love going there but I always feel a little sick after because she keeps feeding us.

Tuesday: Elder June and I made a plan of salvation set for both of the sister missionaries in our district as a little thank you for them and all they do. We then had district training meeting, I bought drinks as is tradition here in XinYing. We found this place that sells 6 large cups of pure watermelon juice for 3 dollars! So that was great. Later in the day we went contacting at 6:00 as we were asked to do and we had a little miracle. We ran into this guy at the park and he asked us to sit with him and he told us of how God saved him when he was starving. He was a refugee from mainland China during the Cultural Revolution. When he was on a boat to Taiwan a Christian minister could tell that he was hungry even though he told him that he had eaten. The Christian minister gave him food, saving his life. Because of that experience he said he reads the scriptures every day since and asked if he could come to church with us!!!

Wednesday: We had English class and I didn't have any students again so I just ran around trying to help but no really needed me... How sad. We decided that our district is kind of like a little family. Elder June is the brother who doesn't say much, Sister Ventura is the strange sister, I am the weird brother and Sister Bone is the cat.

Sister Ventura is on the far left, then Sister Bone (the one with the curly hair), then me :-), and Elder June.

The Best District - Our Serious Side

Thursday: This was a special Thursday in Taiwan because there was a nation-wide bomb raid drill. No one could be on the streets for half an hour. If you were outside you would be arrested and fined. That night we were eating dumplings and we ran into a crazy lady. She was sitting at the table behind us and she was talking as if there was a bunch of people around her and she had bought food for some of them and just sat it out for the imaginary people. She made jokes and laughed with them and held their hands, it was definitely one of the stranger things I have seen. In the end, I felt really sad for her.

Friday: Friday was crazy and full of little miracles. We were riding our bike and Elder June found 30 dollars on the ground, so we used the money to buy thank you and birthday gifts for those here in XinYing. We then met with our mission leader and our investigator just showed up and got to hear part of the lesson. We went to the park and there was a violin concert going on which warmed my heart. Things just get weirder from here, we got a call saying that a sister in our branch needed help so we rushed over there to see a table full of food and then she is like "Here, I need your help to eat all this food!" They had a friend over who was not a member and they wanted us to teach him. I tried to shake his hand and he refused it. I tried to speak with him and then he proceeded to tell the others how much he hated us... So that was no fun and he was just very difficult to be around. In the middle of this awkward dinner we got a call from our Mission President saying we needed to go to the church and unlock the doors for him. Surprise!  Impromptu meeting with president. Actually, he was just doing some interviews and no one had keys to the building so they called us. I really like my Mission President, he is a very kind man. Friday sure was a fun day full of craziness.

Saturday: Missionary work had to fight against the powers of Hell on Saturday because Taiwan was celebrating the god's birthday so there was ridiculous amounts of festivity. They have people drive jeeps here that have a pole attached to the top for female dancers. NOT FUN! However when people ask me what kind of car I drive I just tell them it is the same as the ones in the parades but mine doesn't have a girl on top... Haha they get a kick out of that. 

Sunday: Sister Ventura and I play prelude music before sacrament meeting every week so I have been playing my violin a bit more. That is really is the highlight of my Sunday. We have had a great week!

我真的愛你們

I love you all! Have a great week!

Elder Erwin

April 17, 2016 - One of the Hardest Weeks I've Ever Had

It was very hard. You never think that you might not come home at some point. also this week will mark 10 months... Almost a full year!! Wow is all I have to say and the days just go by faster and faster. 

This week was one full of heart ache but it also contained some fun. 

The weather here has matched our mood. It has been raining all week. To hear of the death of one of our missionaries was one of the hardest things I have experienced. Elder Hampton was in training in the same ward and area in ZhangHua that I was trained in. He had only been in Taiwan for 6 weeks.  Since his tragic accident hit so close to home we all had to rely on our faith more than normal. I'm so glad we are a people of great faith, and that we know and understand that this life is not the end, that we still live even after our earthly death. The man who hit the missionary here in my mission, has probably had the worst week of his life. He wept and apologized and continued to weep. He was a man of no faith. In contrast, our mission president and wife, whose testimony is firm and unchanging, know that Elder Hampton lives on, and they know that he was valiantly serving the Lord and all is well with him. I wrote a short poem to describe the way we have all felt here in Taiwan, TaiZhong Mission.

Life, like lighting, strikes bright and clear,
Causing all around to mourn him here.
The heavens open, and cry for him,
But the thing about these tears, they let life in.
This prince of heaven, a royal friend,
Gone on, to worlds without end.
We are soldiers for God above,
We tell the world of His love.
Peace, be still, He said to the sea,
Now He speaks to us, "Find peace in me".

Even with all the sadness we have experienced this week, we still had some good moments as well. The never ending rainfall made things very interesting. It is hard to do missionary work in the rain because people don't really feel like talking while they are standing in the rain getting soaking wet.

There is a statistic that a member here told me. They say that 1 out of 23 people in Taiwan have a mental disorder of some form. This makes sense, because I feel like we run into some crazy people. At the park this week, a guy asked me if I knew Beethoven, and of course I said yes. He then proceeded to say, "I will sing Beethoven for you". He sang through a whole song and then said "I have sung the song" and left. This apparently isn't the first time he has sung to the missionaries.

The funniest thing of the week happened Sunday night at FHE. A woman showed up and asked if there was English class... I told her no... we have English class on Wednesday nights. She then asked me what class I teach and told me she could go to the advanced class, but she wants to come to my class, (remember, I teach the little kids), because of how handsome I am. She then asked if she could stay for FHE.  I couldn't say no, so she came and played games with us. When she decided to leave she tried to hug me... I deflected the hug and she proceeded to tell me again how handsome I was. She left and I ran! The members started telling me that she told them how she wanted to go on a date with me and how she was willing to wait two years. She then returned into the room, came right up to me and said" Nihao, my real name is Sister Xu and I am a member here in Xinying!" I flipped out I was dying of laughter and tears. The members in Xinying were all in on this joke, apparently they tease all the new missionaries who move into this ward with this same joke! I now know how it feels to be on one of those reality TV shows where people pull practical jokes. 

This the FHE group that pulled the prank on me.The girl who played the part is the one on the front row with the white T-shirt on, with another girl sitting on her lap.

Here are the answers to my mom's questions.

Do you have rural areas in your new district or are you only serving in the city?

We 13 secondary areas and most of them are fields so,,,,yes:)

What are you studying right now in your daily scripture study? The plan of salvation and the Book of Mormon's explanation of the plan

What food do you miss the most?

Mashed potatoes... They don't exist in Taiwan

Have you given any blessings since being in Taiwan? Yes but only to in English to the sister missionaries and one time I did the anointing for a member in Chinese but not the actual blessing.

I love it here in XinYing the members are great and life is good. I love you all the Church is true! 

  

April 10, 2016 - What a Wacky Week

Dear Family and Friends,

This week I have had just a never ending stop of crazy things. 

Monday:  Came to Xinying and right off the train a member took us to a buffet.... He then asked for our help to move a bed. We ended up moving stuff for a very long time. I know why he took us out, so that we would feel bad about saying we have to go. I would be willing to help with or without a bribe, but I did feel a little manipulated. haha. 

Tuesday:  We went to JiaYi for a zone meeting. That was fun! I saw my old friend Elder Spach and Elder Lin. Elder Spach is the Elder that President always mistakes me for....Every time he sees me he says, "Hi Elder Spach".  I don't see it. I think he is much more shuai than me. But the longer I stare at this picture (below) the more I think Elder Lin and Elder Spach are my triplets. 

​Wednesday:  We picked up trash in the park and some Indonesian women took a picture with us... They were pretty nutty. At English class I was made the kid class teacher. I was terrified but luckily no little kids come to the class here in Xinying... So I got to take a little nap. In my last area I taught the intermediate class.

Thursday:  I have been sick all week and Thursday was right in the middle of it. I completely lost my voice and that was no fun because as a missionary you kind of need that. We had a lesson with a cool guy named Samuel. He is a 60 year old man and is a master of linguistics. So his English is pretty good. We then went out to a secondary area, we have about 8 secondary areas, and met with a dad who sells Winter Mellon tea and he gave us some for free it was so good. 

Friday:  We went on a district road trip to Madou where our branch president lives.  It is about 2 hours away by bike. So Elder June and I, along with a set of Sisters spent 2 hours out and 2 more hours back. We had a good time. There is a picture of it below.

Saturday:  We watched conference... It was amazing! Being a missionary just makes conference seem so much more sweet. You only get four of them on your mission and I have already done two. So If I ever feel discouraged or like two years is a long time I just think in terms of conferences and I only have two. It actually makes me sad to think about leaving my beloved Island. The pic attached is of our district watching conference together. 

On the left is Elder June, then me, Sister Ventura (sister in training), then on the right is Sister Bone (Trainer) 

Sunday:  We watched conference and Samuel came to all 10 hours, that was a little miracle. We then had FHE that night and we played a game where if you lost three times, you had to perform something. I would normally play the violin but I don't carry that everywhere I go, so I just stood on my head for a long time and they got a kick out of that. We had a great week here in XinYing...besides the plague that I contracted... and my luggage not being here all week. All I had was the clothes on my back and one other pair... I did a lot of laundry. But my luggage came on Saturday.

I love being on a mission! It is an exciting time to be in the JiaYi zone. Jiayi is the last place in Taiwan that is made up of branches. My Mission President wants it to be a stake in the next three weeks, that would be so exciting to be a part of. We are praying for a miracle and I believe it is possible. 

I love you all.

Sincerely Elder Erwin

Answers to Questions

Do you speak English or mandarin when you're alone with your comp?

We speak English

How is you Mandarin coming along?

I think it is good. I don't like to be proud but for some they really struggle and for me... not as much. 

Diego (a member in Taiwan) said in a Facebook post that he missed your accent. Is your accent different from everyone else's?

My voice sometimes in Chinese is different than my English voice it is higher but not a crazy difference. They just like to tease me because they say I sound like a Taiwanese person and it is strange to see a white person talk the way they do. 

Diego also called you Elder Naughty...What does that mean? I hope it doesn't mean the name to him as it does to us!

Haha, no, it's not the same. In Mandarin, naughty is translated to the word wanpi which means you just like to have fun in a mischievous way. I don't know why he would say that. ;)

How do you and your new companion, Elder June, get along?

We get along great. He is quiet and I am loud... but he is super funny if you can get him talking.

Here is the Mandarin word of the week.

Dōngxī

東西

Dongxi- It means thing or stuff. It is said in a flat tone with no emphasis on either syllable. Mandarin is tonal, so words have different meaning depending on where you put the emphasis. In American English we usually have the emphasis on the first syllable of the word or if it is a one syllable word we put the emphasis on the first letter of the word. (I know, not always). So when you say dongxi, it is flat sounding.

Dong - is said just as it is spelled without emphasis

xi - is said like the word she but with more of a z sound so almost between she and zhe

April 3, 2016 - Transferred

Hello Dear Family and Friends,

This week was great! 

For p-day we want to Gao Xiong on an adventure.

Tuesday - We got a call saying that our dear friend Elder Taylor is the new assistant to the president so he had to leave the next morning.

Wednesday - Elder Storey moved in with us since his trainer had to leave so suddenly. That night we had the English Easter party and I got to play my violin. 

Thursday....well nothing happens on Thursdays...

Friday - Not much happened, we did meet the new sister missionary who is now being trained in Yong Kang, that's about it. 

Saturday - We were busy all day with the work. 

Sunday - I found out that I would be moving to Xinying which is still in the Tainan metropolitan area ... My whole mission will probably be here in Tainan, or at least that is how it seems. I moved to Tainan in November and have just been moving to different areas within the city and its suburbs.

My new companion's name is Elder June. He is from Logan, Utah and he is half Native American. I don't know much about him because he is super quiet, but I'm sure we will be good friends.

That is a very short version of what happened this week because I don't have a lot of time because of my transfer. I will try sending as many pics as possible. 

Also the construction moved inside the church so I got a chance to ascend to new heights....

Here I am with You Ren. I gave him the name Wyatt and he gave me his sketch book... He has his baptism date set up for May 28th. If I am still in the Tainan area, I can return to attend his service because I am still fairly close. Our mission rule is that if you're within an hour of a former investigator, you can attend their baptism. My new area is a 20 minute train ride from Yong Kang. I love this kid he made Yong Kang worth it all.

This is Hinckley. He is the most sassy piece of work I have ever met, but he is also one of my best friends here in Taiwan. He has been so good to me. He is a gifted amazing young man, I'm glad I have had the opportunity to meet him.

A member named Felicia made me a beautiful scripture bag.

Diego Juan has been a great friend. He and Felicia both live in my first area in Tainan. Diego has sent dozens of pictures home to my family. My mom loves Diego for that.

March 27, 2016 - Miracles and New Words

Dear Family and Friends,

This week, since my companion was sick and it rained a lot, you would all die of boredom from my normal format of email.

So I decided I will share just a little bit about YongKang and some miracles. There is a place here in Yong Kang that we go to eat curry rice. It is super good. It is just a family shop not far from the church. They have a pet Labrador Retriever who spends his days laying in the kitchen... In America this would be illegal... in Taiwan it is just cute!

The second picture also kind of has to do with dogs and the dead.  This is a graveyard and if you zoom in you can see a momma dog sitting on a grave and two babies at the front. There are packs of dogs that live in these graveyards. They are super cute but really sad that this is their life circumstance.

I experienced a miracle on Sunday. We were our way to an Easter dinner at the other elder's apartment. I was turning left, I signaled and looked and was already half way through the intersection when a punk on a motorcycle tried to go around me on the left side. We collided and somehow didn't crash... we both wobbled to a standing position and everyone was safe when I should have been T-boned. Even with all of that, we had a lovely Easter. 

I also remember my mom a couple weeks ago asked about our church building. It is actually rather large... one of the bigger ones in Taiwan, and much bigger than anything in America. It has been under construction for the whole time I have been here, so I have been waiting to take a picture of it but I think this might be my last week in YongKang so I best send a picture now. Transfers are this week and I've been in the Tainan area for 3 months and in the Taichung mission, that's a long time to stay in one area, so a transfer could be coming my way.

I have included a pic of Elder Wills on the brink of death. We have had a difficult week but you have to look at the bright side of things like....puppies in graveyards and cute old dogs in the cafe.

Mom, Thank you so much for the fun spring package! I loved the cereal! You can get certain cereal here but not those brands and it is really expensive, so I have never bought it. They have Jell-o in this French store called Carrefour, but also never bought it or even went shopping there. I literally died with the lucky charms... so good!!!

I want to teach our family a Chinese word every week so that when I get home I can still use some very useful Chinese words. 

The word this week is shuai it is said "sh'" like you want someone to be quiet  and "why" shwhy, it means handsome or cool. Here is an example of shuai used in a sentence. Josh's new haircut is super shuai! It is really a useful word. You will have around 60 very useful words by the end of my mission.... I hope you have fun learning some Mandarin!

I love you all!

I hope you had a Happy Easter!