Letter # 66

Longshan Temple. The oldest Taoist Temple in Taiwan.

Things are great in Taipei. We had a rough week as far as numbers go, but like every week we were still able to see some great things and some miracles certainly occurred.

My companion and I are doing great. Elder Moreno is a really good missionary. I have already learned so much from him. He is one of those just "good old Mormon boys". He gives me a good example pretty much all the time. I have seen growth in myself because of his example in just a week. I truly believe it was an inspired call for me to get moved up here with him. It's awesome, we are working hard. But like I said ...a bit rough. It was kind of a trial some week for us. We got stood up on a lot of lessons. I think I have told everyone before, that getting stood up is the one thing that really stresses me out. I really don't like the feeling of putting so much effort into people to get them to set up and them just not show up for a lesson. Obviously there is a good side about it, like the fact of seeds being planted for later missionaries. I think that is the only thing that is comforting when that happens.
In the meantime this week we were still able to run into a family that was willing to meet with us. A mother and her two kids. Amazingly this family is related to one of the other investigators we have right now. Ya that was a big miracle. Oh and the little girl of the family is the 1 ranked ice skater for her age in Taiwan.  Sweet huh? The family's name is Lin. So please pray for their success.

Oh and on topics of miracles. An investigator that we have just passed his baptismal interview and is getting baptized next Sunday. His name is Xing Ming Hu. He is a 20 year old kid and he is so great, and incredibly humble. I have only been here for a week so I haven't really had the chance to really get to know him. But he is awesome.

Well I will tell everyone about the area I am in. My companion and I cover two main area right in the center of Taipei. These two areas are called Tatung and Wanhua. It is one of the oldest places in Taiwan. It is right where the first explorers settled when they came to Taiwan. I will go ahead and formally invite my Father to look up the information and I am sure he can inform everyone at the next family dinner all about it. (That joke was intended for family members). But the area is really cool and like I said has lots of history. We see all the really old buildings all the time and the oldest Taoist temple in Taiwan is actually in our area too.

Well the story of this week goes to one of the new members in our ward. She is a 75 year old widow in our ward and wow does this lady have a story. She is one of the refuges from China when Mao ZeDong was taking the country over in the communist movement and the so called (cultural revolution). After seeing some of the men killed in her family her mother and some of her other siblings starting running south to make it to Hong Kong. She eventually made it there after days of running, and at 9 years old was completely separated from her family and was on her way to Taiwan by herself. Imagine being a 9 year old in a new country after seeing all that and then on top of it having no one to take care of you.

She then was taken into a military orphanage and raised there. After a life time of working incredibly hard work she was able to make a living and eventually was married. The next time she saw her mother was over 50 years later when she went back to China to visit her. She then was informed that all the men in her family had been killed years earlier (along with approximately 70 million others).  This Lady told us this story last night as she fed us dinner and I just remember thinking in my head " How dare that I, ever complained about anything." Ya and me at 9 years old  complaining about the school shoes I got and how I wanted a different color.

This women in our ward is the sweetest lady in the world .She invites the missionaries over every single week and feeds them. Mostly because she is lonely and has no one to really talk to, and she is always asking and making sure on the next time we come. She is so sweet. She loves feeding us. She stuffs us full of so much food and she won’t ever let us stop eating. I have eaten there twice now and I thought I was going to die both times. Every time I try to sit back in my chair she quickly reminds me on how I have to finish the whole bowl and how she has more coming. My companion and I are always just laughing about it.

The scripture I want to share this week Mosiah 23:22. It’s all about putting trust in the Lord.

Nevertheless—whosoever putteth his trust in him the same shall be lifted up at the last day. Yea, and thus it was with this people.

I am a little out of time but I love everyone so much thank you for your prayers.

Elder Wei