May 23, 2017 - Goodbye Taiwan, I love you! See you soon America!

I had just a minute on the computer so I thought I'd send 2 more photos home. 

Goodbye Taiwan I love you! 

See you soon America!

We thought it would be fun to take a picture of everyone in our district. We stacked one chair for every transfer we have been through in our missions up to this point. Tomorrow is my final transfer...

May 14, 2017 - The Final Countdown

The week I left for my mission I put a quote of one of my favorite choir songs into a letter home. 
It is called The Road Home

I think it is appropriate for this week’s email as well.

Tell me, where is the road

I can call my own,

That I left, that I lost

So long ago?

All these years I have wandered,

Oh, when will I know

There's a way, there's a road

That will lead me home?

After wind, after rain,

When the dark is done,

As I wake from a dream

In the gold of day,

Through the air there's a calling

From far away,

There's a voice I can hear

That will lead me home.

Rise up, follow me,

Come away, is the call,

With the love in your heart

As the only song;

There is no such beauty

As where you belong;

Rise up, follow me,

I will lead you home.

Now it almost seems comical. Haha! Very cheesy....

When I pass away this can also be on the card at my service. haha!

I am excited to go home, to be honest, but I am also super excited for one last week to work here in Taiwan!

I love you all! Happy Mother’s Day!!

I sent a pic of us writing this email in the office.

Also, one of my favorite pics from Taiwan. It's a picture of me watching the sun set over the horizon.

Sorry for the cheesy email. I don't know what else to say besides I love you and I will see you soon!

May 7, 2017 - Disappointed But It Turned Out Alright

Today we were going to take the high speed train to GaoXiong (My first area) to see some of the sights there.  We were going to go next week but since next p-day is Mother's Day and everyone wanted to Skype their families at that time we figured we'd go to GaoXiong a week earlier than originally planned. However President informed us it was simply too far for us to go. We were all pretty sad. We had slept over at the other Elders house so we could get out faster, but in vain. Even though our plans changed, we decided to still stay at the other elder's apartment. But then we ended up not sleeping at all... I am in a little bit of pain because yesterday was fast Sunday but even after our fast had ended I didn't eat or drink much and then I didn't sleep. I think it did a number on me. I'm paying the price with stomach pain and nausea. But it was worth it. There just isn't much time to talk with each other. On a mission you just don't get the chance to talk with your friends, so I was willing to sacrifice. 

This week we went on exchanges. I went with Elder Sagastegui, he's from Kentucky but his family is Basque and Mexican. We had a good time. When we returned back to our apartment, Elder Safastegui broke Elder Potts' chair. He tried to fix it but it was too far gone. 

We took some district pics on the roof of the church. This time the sisters were invited. 

 My hair is so long I had to hold it down as it blew in the wind. 
I refuse to suffer another hair cut in Asia.

Two and a half weeks and I'll be home, Ill get it cut then.

I got the chance to play the violin for a member's friend. They fed us, which rarely happens. Then their children played the violin for me. They asked me to teach them the violin but they understood when I told them I couldn't. 

We had a really good week. 

Love you all! 

April 30, 2017 - Week of Adventures

Sorry I didn't write a group letter last week, I was so sick all week that we didn't really do anything except stay in our apartment, so I didn't have anything to share. I'm feeling much better now. 

This week I had the chance to take my district back to ZhangHua (my first area) because there really isn't much to do here in our district. It is a 10 minute train ride for $1 so we figure it is a fast, cheap way to go somewhere and have an adventure. We had a pretty good time. I will have to send the rest of the pictures next week once I get them from the other elders. They took most of the pics because my camera ran out of battery.

On Tuesday we met with a less active member who was convinced that keeping the commandments is only for the most devout members. I guess in a way he is right. Only the most committed will continuously live the higher standard.

Wednesday we met with an investigator named Leo who plays the piano. Makes me regret not learning to play. haha! Oh well. But I did get to play the violin with him. He doesn't actually live in our ward boundaries, he is in the sister missionary's ward but they have asked us to be his friend and fellowship him. It's been a lot of fun getting to know him.

Julie's note: (Elder Erwin's mom) Leo emailed me these pictures of him with Elder Erwin when they were playing basketball this week. 

I also got this surprise picture from someone who was visiting TaiZhong. It's always fun to get an unexpected picture of your missionary.

Elder Potts and Elder Erwin

Thursday, in District Training Meeting we talked about the importance of teaching to peoples needs. I think being a missionary is the most interesting calling in the church. As missionaries we have the responsibility to understand others needs and help them accordingly. Save it be a Bishop or the Relief Society President, I don't think there is any other calling like that in the church. It is almost like being a spiritual psychologist. I would like to be a psychologist but I think me giving advice to other people about how to go about their lives seems pretty comical, so probably not :) 

Saturday we took some funny pics with our district during our companionship study on the roof of our church building. I will include a couple... please don't laugh... too much. Idea for the photo has to go to Elder Sims but credit for the photography goes to Elder Erwin. They are corny but we had a lot of fun doing super hero missionary pictures.

Elder Sims and Elder Potts as a Super Hero Missionary

Sunday we went to stake conference, we had a good time. We ran into a sister from the Philippines who didn't know that it was stake conference that week so she was on her way to the wrong church building when we bumped into her. We told her she could take the bus with us but she didn't have a bus card. What followed was probably pretty funny to watch but mostly just painful for me. We sprinted home (in my new leather dress shoes that I haven't broken in yet) to get my other bus pass so she could go with us. My feet hurt pretty bad. Luckily we all made it to the conference. 

This is a picture of me and Elder Potts with one of Elder Nipper's recent converts. I was companions with Elder Nipper in April and May 2016.

Today we are not really going on an adventure but we are going to buy some church pants for me and some white shirts for Elder Potts. We are also going to the Chinese instrument music store... I need to get the bow for my erhu fixed, or maybe I'll have to buy a new one if they can't fix mine. Every time I go there they tell me I just need a whole new instrument, but mine really does work fine. They are just trying to sell their product, but it makes it hard to get any work done on mine!

This was a good week for sure. 

I love you all and hope you had a marvelous week as well. 

April 16, 2017 - My New Area is a Special Area

This week was pretty okay...We definitely were not bored. But I'm afraid I don't have time to explain. 

Sunday was Easter but I didn't even remember that it was Easter because it is not celebrated in Taiwan. Even the members don't celebrate it beyond having talks about the resurrection in sacrament meeting. 

The best part of my week was finding out that I moved into my grandma Sherry's friend's ward for my last transfer. Her name is Sister Merina Lin. She is so kind and it was nice to find a familiar face in a place where my companion and I don't know anyone. Early on in my mission, I bumped into Sister Lin in the Taipei temple and now I'm in her ward. She also used to send me small treats like M&M's in the mail. She really is a sweet friend.  

View from our ward's building which is on the 19th floor of a high rise.

My new area is like the Beverly Hills of Taiwan. Unfortunately, we don't live in the nicest part of our area. We actually live in the Ghetto of the city, and not in one of the beautiful buildings in the pictures but on the 2nd level of a humble apartment building.

I love you all!

Elder Erwin

April 10, 2017 - Finishing The Way I Started

This week was good. Elder Shakespeare and I went to the Buddha Gardens in ZhangHua (my first area) and took lots of pictures but because of a lack of time today, we can wait a few weeks to look at them all together. But here is one picture.

My companion got bitten by a dog. I have a picture but I promised I wouldn't send it because of it being in a precarious location haha! (his upper thigh) nothing too serious. I hope he doesn't have rabies! Since I can't send you that picture, I send this one of him walking across a park.

Spring In Taiwan - The Trees Are in Bloom

We talked about planning and setting goals this week in District Training Meeting. Elder Ballard said  "I am so thoroughly convinced that if we don’t set goals in our life and learn how to master the techniques of living to reach our goals, we can reach a ripe old age and look back on our life only to see that we reached but a small part of our full potential. When one learns to master the principles of setting a goal, he will then be able to make a great difference in the results he attains in this life." I hope none of us reach that ripe old age and realize we have not reached our potential. 

We watched general conference. I loved it! I think because I stopped running full speed and sat for 10 hours to watch conference that I succumbed to a nasty cold that I have been fighting for a bit. The climax of my cold was yesterday (Monday) and seems to be on its way out. So that is good news. I really enjoyed Elder Choi's (from Korea) talk. Elder Choi's nephew is serving in TaiZhong. I went with him on his first day in Taiwan to contact some people through the streets of the city, that was fun. I liked how when Elder Choi was serving as a mission president in Seattle he told his missionaries to “Go out in the rain, look up to heaven, open your mouth, and drink it! When you look up, you will be strengthened to open your mouth to everyone without any fear.” It was a symbolic lesson for them to look up when they faced challenges even after their mission. Please don’t try this in polluted areas." We all loved that analogy because like Seattle, Taiwan is super rainy so we all identified with his words. So I say to you, don't just look around but look up to Jesus Christ and "DRINK IT IN" unless you are in a polluted place... Taiwan gets a lot of pollution that comes in from China, so that was particularly funny to me.

The title from my email is inspired by the curve ball God is throwing at me in the last 6 weeks of my mission. I am moving to my 8th area. Elder Shakespeare is moving as well. In just a minute I will be picking up my new companion, Elder Pots, and we are going to whitewash an area deep in the shopping district of the city TaiZhong. I said "Finishing the Way I Started", because my first companion, Elder Brady and I whitewashed my first area in Zhanghua. Elder Brady, is a red head, so is my new companion, haha! I didn't think I would move for my last 6 weeks. It was a pleasant surprise to me! I am happy to move for one last adventure. Whitewashing means that the area is new to both the missionaries called there. Neither Elder Pots or I have been in this area before so by the time I get my directions figured out, it will be time for me to go home.  I didn't see that one coming.

 Last picture with my district 

Another funny thing is that all three of my last companions are from Logan, Utah. Elder Cox, Elder Shakespeare and Elder Pots all went to high school together and were in the same Mandarin language class and now I've been companions with all three of them in a row! 

Taiwan has the most beautiful suspension bridges. I love them at dusk when the lights just come on.

I love you all! I have to go, we are super busy since we have to move two people today.

Sincerely Elder Erwin 文長老

ps.  This week I saw a car I've never seen in Taiwan before...a Tesla. There are no charging stations in Taiwan because there really aren't any electric cars here so I don't know how they are charging it, I guess at home. I understand they have become kind of popular in the States so I will be seeing more of them.

 

April 2, 2017 - The Time is Far Spent

My family loves to remind me in emails of the time I have left on my mission. I am okay though because this week was a good one so they cannot get me with their trunkiness. haha! Just kidding, I love them all, they really aren't saying too much about it. They are just starting to have questions about the specifics of returning home. May 25th is quickly coming. I think I am actually enjoying my mission right now more than ever. The reality has started to set in that it won't last forever which makes these last few weeks all the sweeter. It really is ending soon.

Last Monday was another boring P-day but today we are going to Buddha Mountain, so it is okay.  My trainer, Elder Brady, took me there so I thought it would be fun to take Elder Shakespeare there. Maybe the tradition will continue and he can take his "Greenie" there someday.

Tuesday was pretty crazy. We are trying to find new people to teach so we went into the mountain to go tracting... Every single place was a gated community!! We didn't go to a single door... learned our lesson... No tracting in the mountains. But we did see some pretty mountain scenes.

This is the mountain where we tried to go tracting 

Wednesday, we had a lesson with Brother Xie. We are afraid we are going to have to let him rest for the next little bit. He is really great, but isn't ready to accept the fact that what we are sharing is more than a philosophy or a way of thought, but rather truth from a loving God. 

Thursday, we had District Training Meeting. It was my choice for the topic that was shared, so I proposed a hypothesis that made me feel like a science teacher. haha! Nerd. The hypothesis is, "It is prerequisite that a good (desired) answer must be preceded by a (the desired) good question."   We talked about the power of good questions and how they are at the very center of our teaching and finding. 

Friday was the most painful day. All night it rained and was bitter cold. I didn't bring my rain gear because it was sunny when we left our apartment. We were literally freezing with the cold wind and rain. The rest of the week however has been sunny and high 80's, so I should just count my blessings. 

Saturday we met with a new person who was really cool. She has no previous experience with religion so she is an empty book waiting to be filled. That night we ate at Sister Wu's home. She is really cool! She met the missionaries back in the day and was baptized after 3 days... Back when there were no restrictions on how long or how many times they have attended church. 

Sunday, after church, we had a cool experience with a lady in the park. She came to walk around the park because she had just been fighting with her son and was too upset to stay at home. I asked her how she was and she just shook her head in disdain and anger. We ask her why she would respond like that and she explained what had happened just a few minutes before. She explained how her son is very troubled and difficult. She actually tried to get him to go to other churches to try and help but it didn't seem to change anything. She said she wanted to meet my Mom and ask her how she managed to raise me to be a person at such a young age who could sympathize with someone so different than myself. Earlier in Church that day, I heard a testimony that really helped me in that moment. The member talked about an experience where they wanted to say something unkind about their classmate and had a strong impression or voice, if you will, say to her "In My eyes you are all the same." "In what way are you better than her." I have never thought about that before. The sinner, the missionary, the distressed mother or the troubled son. God causes his light to come upon all who have come to the Earth, not just the saint or the righteous. It was a wonderful Sunday and week for sure. 

This week I saw my good friends from my district in the MTC. Elder Trotter and Elder Rollap 

The flowers here are always so much more beautiful than they seem to be at home. The variety always amazes me. I guess that is because I grew up in a desert.    

I love you all!

Elder Erwin

March 26, 2017 - Kind of an Empty Week

That title sounds bad but this week I don't have much to say. I have a good reason though. 

On Wednesday we had zone conference which took up most of the day. 

On Friday and Saturday we had exchanges so we also weren't here. I feel like this week just slipped through my fingers. I didn't really take any pictures either. 

I saw Elder Gasser (one of my companions from last summer) in the mission office on p-day and happened to get a pic. 

None of our investigators came to church this week, but it was actually a blessing because the teachers didn't show up  for the first hour of class, so note much happened and then the second hour they taught a really complicated lesson about tithing so I was glad no one was there. 

I took this pic which I thought was pretty cool but besides that this week, sadly, was one that you kind of just let slip by. I hope I don't have anymore of those but sometimes it is out of our control. 

Sorry for the boring email. I still love you all.

March 20, 2017 - Laman and Lemual Are My Teachers

On Wednesday, we met with our investigator, Brother Xie. We brought a member of the ward with us. We have asked Brother Xie to attend church but he has always had some reason not to go. The member ended up asking him to go to church... He said he would come so that was a cool, and he actually did go to church on Sunday. Missionary work is so much more effective with the help of the members.

Brother Xie reads the Book of Mormon like no investigator I have had before. He doesn't read fast but he really understands and applies what he reads. His favorite characters are Laman and Lemuel. I asked why? Those are the worst people to be fascinated with. He responded saying "But they are us." He gave me a whole new perspective. He said "Without the the two older brothers and their example of what people will always do, we wouldn't know what to avoid. We also wouldn't know the good that was in Nephi." My new perspective is perhaps that all the brothers are a representation of all people. We are a little Laman and a little Nephi. We have their good and bad things in us. It is hard to explain, I know that doesn't sound like a super new thought but it really struck me and it has been interesting to ponder. 

Thursday, we had District Training Meeting. We talked about faith to find. We talked about how finding people to teach is a way that we can meet God. The line from the musical Les Miserables, rang in my ears as I taught the missionaries in my district. "To love another person is to see the face of God." We are constantly looking for those who are ready to have the gospel and loving these people. But in actuality, that love is allowing you to know God on a new level that you could have never imagined. 

Saturday, we went with our ward hiking. It was a good experience we talked about the Mountain of the Lord and enjoyed the tropical climate of Taiwan. 

We contacted this Grandpa that we see in the park all the time. His background is extremely interesting. It turns out that his wife was one of the first people in Taiwan to be baptized but when she married him, she became less active. He always tells us "next time, if fate allows us to run into each other again, I will come to church". This time he really came! 

Sunday we had three people at Church, which is the most I have ever had in DaKeng! It is so stressful, but rewarding. The grandpa, Mr. Chan, Brother Xie and Sister Lin. We enjoyed them being there, but it really takes a lot out of you because it is three hours of worrying on their behalf. 

This is what my Book of Mormon looked like when it was new and what it looks like now after nearly two years... I don't use it anymore because it is the study version that has English and Mandarin side by side. I can read pretty fluently the Chinese only version. This poor Book of Mormon has been through 3-4 typhoons and a lot of reading, transfers and more. It even has has mold on it I think... I feel bad because they are still scripture and I didn't intentionally destroy them, they just kind of ran into a lot of bad luck. 

The apartment we live in is super small. It's just one little room and a very small bathroom but our garage is massive! We literally live in an apartment above a storage unit where the extra supplies for the entire TaiXhong mission are stored.

Last Monday was Sister Zoller's 24th birthday! We went to TaiZhong's city center to eat lunch and buy stuff at the street markets. Even though it was her birthday, I bought presents for myself! haha! I will include some pics it was all very shuai... I am thinking about going back today but I need to be careful because I could end up spending all my money! Quality clothes are so much more less expensive in Taiwan than in the United States. Since I leave for home in 2 months, I think I will stock up on shoes and pants.

 New Leather Shoes 

  

 New Pants

That is it. I love you all! Have a great week! 

March 12, 2017 - Good Luck - Bad Luck!

This last week went by fast... After today I will have only 9 more emails... single digits. This week I really felt that we are incapable of stopping time, It just rolls on no matter what you do. Since this week went by really fast, I think about doing it ten more times and can feel the end of my mission breathing down my neck. I have mixed feelings about it coming to an end.

We spent last p-day in the hospital because for the past couple weeks my body has been having some strange muscle problems... The left side of my face was kind of numb and every time I touched it, my ears would make a pounding sound. The doctors didn't know what to do so they gave me some medication and sent me off. It seems to have improved since then so hopefully it was nothing. 

On Tuesday we had nothing going on so we got pushed up into the mountain part of our area. We are desperate for some new places to go. Unfortunately, the mountains are still the mountains and don't have really anyone out there. 

Interesting road on the way up the mountain.

On Wednesday we taught brother Xie, he refuses to come to church and says he has a reason but he is not willing to talk about it. If he doesn't change we are left at a stand still and won't be able to do anything with him. He is a good man so it makes me sad that he is so opposed to going. We are praying for him.

Thursday was District training meeting. My share was on how when we fill our lives with the things that make us happy and fill us with light, there is no room in our own tabernacle for darkness to come in. If you are literally full 100%, can anything else fit in? The answer is no. The only problem is people are constantly feeling empty because their lives are out of balance. Consequently there is plenty of space for other things to seep in. We talked about how we can use our time here on a mission to remove some of that space. It was really a good discussion. We have a new sister in our District, Sister Zoller, she is from Hawaii and she is so cool! It feels like we are old friends. Today is her birthday so our district is getting together to buy her lunch to help celebrate. Birthdays on missions don't really get celebrated so we all try to make them as special as possible.

On Friday we met with Ben, he has been an investigator for a long time, about 6 months, but he has a baptismal goal for April 1st. His biggest problem is he is just lazy. He said it himself. I also struggle with laziness sometimes. I think that laziness is one of the hardest things to get over. When you don't want to do anything, it is really hard to change and improve. I guess that is why it is one of the 7 deadly sins. 

On Saturday, I fulfilled a mission dream which was to teach a lesson to a Buddhist monk! I taught her about the Book of Mormon and she taught about "Fo Fa" (Buddhist Method). We both had things to learn from each other. She was really cool and very kind! 

Sunday we visited the Chen Family. Brother Chen is literally a genius! His knowledge about the church and about China blows my mind. I could talk to him forever. He also told me I was one of the most talented Elders he has met. I don't think that is necessarily true but it was nice to hear.

Elder Thomas finally sent the picture of us playing darts his last night in our tri-companionship.

I saw this picture on an ad for some potato chips. I thought it looked like a picture of me and my sisters that I carry with me! haha! But the guy in this picture is more shuai! (Shuai means super cool)

Love you all! Elder Erwin

Elder Erwin received this letter from his last companion, Elder Cox, who is still serving in my last area, TaiBao. He shared it with us and we would like to share it with you.

Hey Elder Erwin!  Chen Hongtai wants all the missionaries who taught him to know that he was baptized. I want to thank you for helping him on this path. I attached a picture so you can enjoy seeing it. When he was bearing his testimony after being baptized, the only missionary he mentioned by name was you. He told us how after the funeral (of a member in the TaiBao branch who died suddenly while Elder Erwin was still serving in TaiBao), he felt like he really needed to talk to you. Thank you for taking the time to talk to him. You were listening to the spirit and let him share his feelings. Thank you for that! We would not have been able to baptize him if it wasn't for you. I hope you can keep things going in your new area up north. Jiayou! Ai ni!  Elder Cox