Week Forty-Seven: 7/14/2014 to 7/20/2014--A Great Week on the Island of Pescadores!

Hello family, friends, etc.

Well, this week was more successful in terms of how many people we taught and their reactions to the message, but it was also a week where I learned a lot about myself and had lots of good introspective experiences. Also, it's super hot which provides us with great views from the top of our apartment like this: 

but it also means staying outside for too long is pretty rough. It's not as terrible as some people made it sound, but then again, I'm not really to the hottest part of the summer yet. That comes next month. Yaaayy...A Typhoon is coming this week supposedly so that will hopefully cool things down a bit. For those of you wondering why I'm excited about a Typhoon coming, let me tell you that it's really hard for the Typhoons in Penghu to be that rough because they have to go over the mountains in Taiwan and all the land on the other side before they get to us. So by the time they get here, they're more like a rainstorm with slightly higher speed winds. So they are really something to welcome.:)

We met a few new people this week. One of them in particular seems like he has a lot of potential. He's a really good-hearted humble college student who works at the airport moving around luggage. I like him a lot. 

I also had some good realizations about life as I said above. As I was having these thoughts, I came across a talk by President Uchtdorf that he gave in the October 2012 General Conference. It's called "Of Regrets and Resolutions". If you'd like to read it, go here: https://www.lds.org/general-conference/2012/10/of-regrets-and-resolutions?lang=eng 

It really hit me how important every minute really is. If we're always anxiously waiting for our future, giving no thought for our present, then when our future finally comes, we'll realize how much we wished we would have enjoyed and done better things with our past. It's unfortunate, but that's how most people are, including me. Sometimes it's important to just settle down for a few minutes and appreciate what you have, and make some resolutions so that when you do finally reach the future you can be pleased with what you've accomplished, rather than regret what you haven't accomplished. President Uchtdorf conclude with some wise words of counsel.

"It is my testimony that many of the deepest regrets of tomorrow can be prevented by following the Savior today. If we have sinned or made mistakes--if we have made choices that we now regret--there is the precious gift of Christ’s Atonement, through which we can be forgiven. We cannot go  back in time and change the past, but we can repent."

I love that concept and I know that it's true!

Love you all.

Farewell until next week:)

-Elder Smith

P.S. Elder Washburn looks EXACTLY like a celebrity, but I can't think of who it is. Whoever can figure it out gets a hand-written letter from me on Taiwanese parchment using my nicest penmanship. Let the games begin!

I already said Bernie from Sesame Street, so that one's off the table.