Hualien - Week 31 - I Don't Know What To Title This Because There Are Soooo Many Things
I Don't Know What To Title This Because There Are Soooo Many Things
Hualian is getting super hot. Every night we come home slick with sweat. We also come home to several cockroaches and Sister Jensen kills them all, thank goodness I don't have to!
This week was eventful, holy crow. I almost karate-chopped someone when we were riding our bikes down a hill--I put my left arm out to indicate that I would be turning left without noticing the motorcyclist that was right behind me. According to my companion who was riding behind me, I missed him by an inch as he swerved to avoid my arm. Needless to say I'm going to start cautiously putting my arm out lower. I also rode into a dangling tree branch of leaves and whacked my face. Bikes are fun.
We also had a SICK 3v3 basketball tournament in our church chapel. A whole bunch of random people from the street showed up! I was so happy because for the past few weeks we'd been handing out flyers for it like crazy and met some cool people who were interested! The only downside was that the door into the AC room was locked and no on had the correct keys, so the gym was dangerously hot. But everyone seemed to have a great time regardless. Another day, we found a lady on the side of the road whose bike tire was wrecked, so we helped her carry her bike down the road to a bike shop to get it fixed. It was one of the first service experiences like that I've had on my mission!
One of my favorite parts of this week was teaching our English storybook class. We have a member in our ward who started inviting her non-member friends--moms of young children--to participate in a mini English class, taught by the sister missionaries. Every Friday morning at 10am we go to the Relief Society room in the church and read English books with the kids, sing simple English songs, dance around, and then do a spiritual share at the end. Last Friday we sang "Twinkle Twinkle Little Star," "Head, Shoulders, Knees, and Toes," and "The Hokey Pokey." We read an Eric Carle book about being able to move your body in the way that different animals do. It reminded me of how my mom teaches how to teach children through movement!
The best part, though, was the end of the class when we had a whole ten minutes left and hadn't planned anything else (oops). The kids were tired, so we thought, "let's just tell them a story! It's an English storybook class after all," And it turned into an impromptu re-telling of the Cinderella story in which my companion played Cinderella and I played all the other characters and the narrator. I would narrate in English and then run behind the piano and come back as the step mother, then I'd leave again and come back as the stepsisters, then the Prince. I even played the voice of Cinderella while Sister Jensen danced around and pretended to sing. It was probably the most ridiculous thing ever, but the kids and moms surprisingly LOVED it. It was their favorite part! Probably because they didn't have to do anything, they could just sit and watch this award-winning, critically acclaimed performance of Cinderella hahaha. The whole thing made me realize again how much I love the theatre. I love it. It's magic. There is something special in live performances, no matter how terrible they are, every time. And it was fun to be able to use what I love to do in missionary work!
So far none of these moms have expressed interest in wanting to learn more about the restored gospel. As time goes on, though, and as they continue to come and feel the spirit from the chapel and hopefully from our spiritual thoughts, they will develop a desire to learn more about Christ and His church.
I was asked to give a fifteen-minute talk in church this last Sunday, based on President M. Russell Ballard's most recent conference address, "Precious Gifts from God." The fact that my talk had to be fifteen minutes was definitely the cause of a bit of stress, but it all went pretty smoothly after some preparation and practice! President Ballard mentions in his talk a few specific gifts from God, four in particular: the Sabbath day, the sacrament, service to others, and the most precious gift, our Savior, Jesus Christ. As I was studying for and writing my talk, I decided to share about how each of those gifts has impacted me personally.
At some point in my preparation I remembered a couple experiences where my family was served and ministered to by ward members. A few years ago when my brother was in the midst of dealing with cancer and my grandpa had recently suffered a stroke, there was one night that was particularly stressful for my parents. There was no time or way to make dinner, and Mom was worried about her kids being hungry. That night, we heard a knock at our door. A sister from our ward was standing there with an angel halo above her head and a pan of food in her hands that she'd prepared for us. I was young at the time and didn't quite understand the massive impact her Christlike service and sensitivity to the Spirit had on our family, but thinking back on it now fills me with love and gratitude. I also remembered how a few ward member families took care of my siblings and me when my parents would visit my grandpa at the hospital. These families provided us with food, activities to do in their homes (or, in the case of one family, out on the lake on a ski boat), and their love. There was another set of sisters who came and cleaned our home on a couple of occasions. This is what ministering is all about. True Christ-like ministering blesses families and individuals and saves lives.
We are currently trying to work with our church members here in Hualian, starting with the Relief Society president, to minister to ward members. Members will think of less active members that need a friend. We want to have members set up times to visit their friends and have us come along with them. Instead of blindly trying to find people on a ward list that aren't there, we are going to work alongside members to truly reach out those who feel like they have slipped out of the boundaries of God's love (which is impossible to do, by the way). And through these efforts we hope to find friends and family members who have not yet accepted the gospel and invite them to come unto Christ!
Missions are hard, and for more reasons than people would think. I have experienced a wider range of all different emotions than I ever have before. I have learned so much. I have seen so many miracles and so many disappointments but if there is one thing I know, it's that Jesus Christ is always with me and His grace is sufficient. When you know that, when you trust it, you can find peace in this life and hope for a better world (Ether 12:4).
I love Heavenly Father and His Son, Jesus Christ. I love the people in Taiwan and there is no where else I'd rather be right now than in Hualian, sharing about our Father in Heaven and our Savior.
I love you all so much!!
------------------------------
My first day with my new companion Sister Jensen...
English class with small children and their mothers...
P-day fun...
We love Church... come to Church!
Story time in English class...
We love reading the scriptures!
Hualian is getting super hot. Every night we come home slick with sweat. We also come home to several cockroaches and Sister Jensen kills them all, thank goodness I don't have to!
This week was eventful, holy crow. I almost karate-chopped someone when we were riding our bikes down a hill--I put my left arm out to indicate that I would be turning left without noticing the motorcyclist that was right behind me. According to my companion who was riding behind me, I missed him by an inch as he swerved to avoid my arm. Needless to say I'm going to start cautiously putting my arm out lower. I also rode into a dangling tree branch of leaves and whacked my face. Bikes are fun.
We also had a SICK 3v3 basketball tournament in our church chapel. A whole bunch of random people from the street showed up! I was so happy because for the past few weeks we'd been handing out flyers for it like crazy and met some cool people who were interested! The only downside was that the door into the AC room was locked and no on had the correct keys, so the gym was dangerously hot. But everyone seemed to have a great time regardless. Another day, we found a lady on the side of the road whose bike tire was wrecked, so we helped her carry her bike down the road to a bike shop to get it fixed. It was one of the first service experiences like that I've had on my mission!
One of my favorite parts of this week was teaching our English storybook class. We have a member in our ward who started inviting her non-member friends--moms of young children--to participate in a mini English class, taught by the sister missionaries. Every Friday morning at 10am we go to the Relief Society room in the church and read English books with the kids, sing simple English songs, dance around, and then do a spiritual share at the end. Last Friday we sang "Twinkle Twinkle Little Star," "Head, Shoulders, Knees, and Toes," and "The Hokey Pokey." We read an Eric Carle book about being able to move your body in the way that different animals do. It reminded me of how my mom teaches how to teach children through movement!
The best part, though, was the end of the class when we had a whole ten minutes left and hadn't planned anything else (oops). The kids were tired, so we thought, "let's just tell them a story! It's an English storybook class after all," And it turned into an impromptu re-telling of the Cinderella story in which my companion played Cinderella and I played all the other characters and the narrator. I would narrate in English and then run behind the piano and come back as the step mother, then I'd leave again and come back as the stepsisters, then the Prince. I even played the voice of Cinderella while Sister Jensen danced around and pretended to sing. It was probably the most ridiculous thing ever, but the kids and moms surprisingly LOVED it. It was their favorite part! Probably because they didn't have to do anything, they could just sit and watch this award-winning, critically acclaimed performance of Cinderella hahaha. The whole thing made me realize again how much I love the theatre. I love it. It's magic. There is something special in live performances, no matter how terrible they are, every time. And it was fun to be able to use what I love to do in missionary work!
So far none of these moms have expressed interest in wanting to learn more about the restored gospel. As time goes on, though, and as they continue to come and feel the spirit from the chapel and hopefully from our spiritual thoughts, they will develop a desire to learn more about Christ and His church.
I was asked to give a fifteen-minute talk in church this last Sunday, based on President M. Russell Ballard's most recent conference address, "Precious Gifts from God." The fact that my talk had to be fifteen minutes was definitely the cause of a bit of stress, but it all went pretty smoothly after some preparation and practice! President Ballard mentions in his talk a few specific gifts from God, four in particular: the Sabbath day, the sacrament, service to others, and the most precious gift, our Savior, Jesus Christ. As I was studying for and writing my talk, I decided to share about how each of those gifts has impacted me personally.
At some point in my preparation I remembered a couple experiences where my family was served and ministered to by ward members. A few years ago when my brother was in the midst of dealing with cancer and my grandpa had recently suffered a stroke, there was one night that was particularly stressful for my parents. There was no time or way to make dinner, and Mom was worried about her kids being hungry. That night, we heard a knock at our door. A sister from our ward was standing there with an angel halo above her head and a pan of food in her hands that she'd prepared for us. I was young at the time and didn't quite understand the massive impact her Christlike service and sensitivity to the Spirit had on our family, but thinking back on it now fills me with love and gratitude. I also remembered how a few ward member families took care of my siblings and me when my parents would visit my grandpa at the hospital. These families provided us with food, activities to do in their homes (or, in the case of one family, out on the lake on a ski boat), and their love. There was another set of sisters who came and cleaned our home on a couple of occasions. This is what ministering is all about. True Christ-like ministering blesses families and individuals and saves lives.
We are currently trying to work with our church members here in Hualian, starting with the Relief Society president, to minister to ward members. Members will think of less active members that need a friend. We want to have members set up times to visit their friends and have us come along with them. Instead of blindly trying to find people on a ward list that aren't there, we are going to work alongside members to truly reach out those who feel like they have slipped out of the boundaries of God's love (which is impossible to do, by the way). And through these efforts we hope to find friends and family members who have not yet accepted the gospel and invite them to come unto Christ!
Missions are hard, and for more reasons than people would think. I have experienced a wider range of all different emotions than I ever have before. I have learned so much. I have seen so many miracles and so many disappointments but if there is one thing I know, it's that Jesus Christ is always with me and His grace is sufficient. When you know that, when you trust it, you can find peace in this life and hope for a better world (Ether 12:4).
I love Heavenly Father and His Son, Jesus Christ. I love the people in Taiwan and there is no where else I'd rather be right now than in Hualian, sharing about our Father in Heaven and our Savior.
I love you all so much!!
------------------------------
My first day with my new companion Sister Jensen...
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