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.
No comments:
Post a Comment