Week Sixty-Nine: 12/16/2014 to 12/22/2014--Merry Christmas! 耶誕節快樂！

Hello, Everyone!

First of all, Merry Christmas. This year, especially, as I've thought about the birth of Jesus Christ and all that it entails, I've been thinking especially hard about what it means to me specifically. It's really easy to spit out those Sunday school answers: "Because He atoned for us!", "Because it showed God's love for us!", etc. However, it's a lot harder to say those things, and then think of specific experiences in your own life that illustrate those points to you. I think what really helped start my thinking off on the right foot was watching this video: http://www.mormon.org/christmas?cid=HPFR112814529 

Especially when the typewriter types "For God so loved the world..." and then it says "and so loved you." That brought such a personal aspect to Christmas, knowing that while Jesus Christ's atonement was made for all of us collectively, it was also made for all of us individually. I know that God loves each one of us as individuals. He knows us perfectly and he knows what we need. He'll be able to help us if we'll just ask Him and obey Him. 

This week was pretty good. We said good-bye to Sister Funk. She's home. Woah. New to the district is Elder Rock and Sister Fernley. Elder Rock is actually Native American, which is really hard to explain to Taiwanese people because they're so used to seeing Americans as white people. He's really cool. Sister Fernley was with me in the MTC and I haven't really talked to her since I got to Taiwan, so it's been fun to see the difference that a year and a few months can make, the most obvious one being Chinese speaking ability. 

Brother Su is looking great to be baptized this Saturday. He passed his interview with flying colors and he looks really strong. We just need to make sure he has church clothes, because I'm not sure if he does. It's been such a blessing to teach him and help him come to this point. We're also hoping to introduce him to a few more families in the ward in the upcoming week or 2. Keep praying for him! 

Sister Fernandez is also doing well, though yesterday's lesson wasn't super organized. There were way too many people there(4 missionaries, a member and his son, Brother and Sister Ramos, and another one of our Filipino investigators named Fourth), and some doctrines were brought up that were a little too deep for her. Hopefully it didn't throw her off too much. Our other investigators are progressing a little more slowly, but we're still working with them. 

I love you all!  I really hope you all have a relaxing, not financially-destructive Christmas filled with thoughts of our Savior and all He's done for us. 

-Elder Smith

P.S. This week's song: Silent Night, because it gets me in the right Christmas mindset every time.

Week Sixty-Eight: 12/09/2014 to 12/15/2014--Miracles Happen

Hello Everyone,

This week was another week full of amazing goings-on. Brother Su is still going strong. He brought his daughter to church yesterday and he's being interviewed for baptism this Friday. We're so excited! Keep praying for him.

We also got the news that Elder Brady(the other missionary assigned to our ward who was put with the companionship in the other ward for the past 3 weeks) is being transferred and there's no one coming to take his place so there are a few investigators that will be transferred over to us. They're all great! One is Sister Lan. I remember when she first got a Book of Mormon, she put a protective cover on it and made her own tabs. Everyone thinks she's a member already, but she's super scared to tell her parents that she wants to join the church. She's hoping to be baptized in March. Another is Brother Dai. He's a working man who supports his wife, father, and two adorable little girls. He's such a good dad and from what I understand, he has a lot of interest in the gospel. The last one is named Dhylyn. She's from the Philippines. We met with her yesterday and she and her boyfriend Baolo are super prepared. I'm so grateful that I have the privilege to teach them. We taught them at a Filipino member's house so we also got to try some Filipino food. Two glorious words. Chicken. Adobo. They said it was just garlic, ginger, and soy sauce, on chicken but it was oh, so much more. It definitely has a lot more flavor than most Taiwanese food. 

That's about all. I love you. Every one of you. I know that God watches over us and miracles happen according do our faith and our expressions of that faith. 

-Elder Smith

Today's song is one of my favorite Christmas songs! If you want a better version, look up the one by Sufjan Stevens. Iss Good. 

Here's a picture of my district, so you all know who I'm able to interact with on a regular basis. Get a good long look, because this Friday 3 of them with be gone:

left to right: me, Sister Funk, Elder Stevens, Sister Chang, Elder Brady, Elder Galura, and Elder Page 

Also, on the way up to that lesson yesterday, Elder Page's pedal came off so we had to push him. That's what I call District unity right there. 

 Me at the bow, Elder Brady at the stern.

​Elder Brady at the bow, me at the stern.

Week Sixty-Seven: 12//2/2014 to 12/8/2014--Save the Date!

Hello Everyone,

Can I just say how excited I am to tell you the news? So we've been meeting with Brother Su for a while now. It was actually really cool how we found him. I went on exchanges with the Zone Leaders a couple months ago and one of the things we did on the exchange was we called former investigators(people the missionaries met with before but stopped meeting with for whatever reason). I called him and he said to call him that night because he was busy at the time. Also, he had moved into the area that my companionship covers since the missionaries had stopped meeting with him, so I brought his record back to our apartment and called him that night. He set up an appointment for the next day and he was super cool. He has really strong faith in Christ and he shared with us at that meeting that he wanted his family to be united in this church. 

Since then, it was hard to meet with him consistently. Either he wouldn't answer his phone or we'd have mix-ups so for a while we would only meet with him every other week or so. These past few weeks, he's come to church twice in a row and he also came to our scripture study class. I've seen his faith growing. It seems like every time I saw him, his face was brighter and brighter. Then, yesterday after church ended, we sat down with him and I asked him how he felt about baptism. He'd expressed concerns before about his wife opposing and commitments at the other church he was attending. He said "Of course, I want to. Actually, I wanted to ask you when the next baptismal service is going to be held." We invited him to be baptized on the 27th of December and he accepted. I barely got the invitation out before he cut me off and said "Yes! Yes! I would love to!" 

That was a miracle. Nothing more. Nothing less. I had been praying fervently for the past two weeks for one of our investigators to accept the invitation to be baptized. Yesterday, I also fasted for it. I feel like all my energy has been focused towards helping the people we're meeting with prepare to be baptized and make that sacred covenant with God. I know that Brother Su's decision to be baptized was a direct result or his own desire to follow Christ as well as the countless prayers by myself and my companion and all of the other people who tell me they pray for me and my investigators. When that many people are working for a worthy goal, God's hand will be there and He will manifest His power. I know that to be true. Please continue to pray for Brother Su as he prepares for baptism on the 27th. And Merry Christmas!

This week's song is "With Wondering Awe".

-Elder Smith

Also, about the pictures: we had a Mission-wide Christmas activity this past week where we went to Fo Guang Shan which means Buddha Light Mountain. I don't know what it's really called in English. To the best of my knowledge, it's the home of the biggest Buddha statue in the world(check me on that stat). That was super fun to see everyone and learn more about Buddhism!

Week Sixty-Six: 11/25/2014 to 12/1/2014--The First Full Week as a Trainer

Hello Everyone,

May I first just say that responsibility is exhausting, but you learn so much it's totally worth it. This week has been pretty happening. I was so tired every day that if I sat down for too long and wasn't doing anything with my brain, I'd start nodding off. It just started to subside a little bit yesterday and I think I'm back to full-function at the present. But maybe I just got used to being exhausted all the time. Either way, I feel normal now which is always a good feeling!

On the investigator front, we've been working hard, but have seen some minor set-backs. Junwei, the 17-year-old who plays rugby, had to drop his baptismal goal because his parents want him to think it over some more, probably a year. I can tell his parents really care about him and they just want him to do what's right which is nice, but I'm hoping we can cut that time down a little as we get to know them better and as they see the change in their son. Brother Lu also backed out on his goal to be baptized the 6th of December. He has been really consumed with work lately and just hasn't thought about this stuff very much. Our meeting with him this week went really well, however and we can tell he really wants to find answers. I don't know what it is, but it seems like all the people we're meeting with right now are interested, but they legitimately don't have time to meet with us more than once a week so we're struggling to help them feel the constant influence of the Spirit and progress.

I have seen significant personal growth this week. Like I said, this new calling has been taking a lot of my effort and has made me feel like I have a really big weight on my shoulders. Almost as though God has given me too much to manage and I'm stretching myself too thin. 

I was actually reading in the scriptures this week about a man who felt similarly. His name is Helaman. He was the captain of a large body of men who had just acquired many lands at the hand of the Lord, but didn't have enough men to defend them from being recaptured. He writes a letter to the chief captain Moroni, wondering why they don't send more men to strengthen them. He says, "But behold, our armies are small to maintain so great a number of cities and so great possessions. But behold, we trust in our God who has given us victory over those lands, insomuch that we have obtained those cities and those lands, which were our own." 

When I read that, it gave me the drive to have the same faith Helaman had. And I've found that as I keep moving forward doing the best that I can and as I kneel down each night and pray fervently for the energy and strength to accomplish the task at hand, my capacity is increased, I receive strength and in the end, I learn and grow much more than I would have if my situation and responsibilities had stayed the same. God has a plan. I know that to be true and I'm excited for the chance to keep learning and keep growing. 

And last of all, just to clarify, this extra weight on my shoulders is not because Elder Stevens is a goon or anything. On the contrary, he is awesome! We get along super well and I'm super glad for the opportunity I have to train him. Speaking of us and our unbeatable unity, we sang a song for you all, "I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day." Merry Christmas:)

-Elder Smith