Hello! One year!

Hello!

Well looking back now have a year experience under my belt or under my tie, is quite weird. To think that I have been responsible for the eternal welfare of the people of taiwan for this long. Its a bit strange, but I would say it has been one of the most humbling. I have really learned that not one person has the same situation as the other person, yet despite that fact, the Savior, Jesus Christ descended below all of that to understand that one person as he has the redeeming power to rescue all of us.

 

Well I know the Savior cares for all of them as this week I meet with my first family in Taiwan. It was the most spectacular thing ever. Yet was the hardest thing ever. When we started to teach I could feel the Savior's love for this family as I just bore simple testimony of prayer and family prayer. The lesson went pretty well, wasn't the best, I was so nervous. Fortunately I found out that the mother had a friend that belonged to our church. I asked her to accompany our lesson (peike). She did great and after she talked to the family. The family didn't set up a next time to meet, but as I was talking to the member after she shared how the husband had investigated other churches and was really improving a lot. I guess when I invited him to pray it was his first time to pray and more than that he was willing to kneel down and pray. She also mention how the spirit was present in the lesson so that was really good and hopefully as we keep in contact with them and follow up on commitments that they will come and learn more.

 

Next we met with Roach Ling. Ha what a funny man. He is a bit eccentric, but none the less just great. He wrote down his "prayer" he had the other night so we met with him he showed it to us. His English or at least his writing is actually really good. We were doing our best not to laugh because he is really intense. I can see him being in the ward now and the future missionaries looking at this guy thinking who baptized him? Just because he is so into the gospel. Well anyways our peike (The member) was a bit special as well. In the lesson he told us how the missionaries forced to be baptized in a week. It was a bit of rough patch in our lesson, but we got it smoothed out and he mentioned some of the great things from baptism. So let that be warning be to all missionaries. Don't be stupid. Work in the Lord's way or it will affect the future. This also accounts for our incredibly high number of less actives. For every three active we have 7 less active I think... Also our member after the lesson decided he wanted to teach word of wisdom. That was our second time meeting with him, but once again I just talked to Roach, got it figured out and we will share word of wisdom with him this week. 

 

Finally I had another great experience on the power of prayer, the scriptures and being at the right place at the right time. During dinner I felt like I wanted to read the scriptures so I said a little prayer and asked the lord to help me better apply the scriptures in contacting and to find something that will help someone I will meet tonight. I opened it straight up to Moroni 10.32-33. I love those scriptures as it has brought so much peace to my life. Well our plans got changed up so I decided we can go a busier place to contact since that was rainy and hadn't had much success. I was getting rejected left and right, but kept going knowing the Lord would provide. I met this guy and I started to talk to him. I asked him about sharing with him and he said he had to buy something and he would be right back. He took off running and I thought dang, I got suckered, but then I realized that was the wrong attitude so I kept a little hope in my heart he would come back. He did. I started sharing with him and getting to know him. He said he was feeling like he was having a battle within himself. That was disappointed and that simply put, he was frustrated that he couldn't be perfect. I opened up the scriptures with him and read line upon line and explained the meaning to him. At the end I shared about prayer and my dinner experience with prayer and scriptures, and prayer does work. I asked him what he thought of the scripture he said it startled him because it was exactly what he needed to hear. We set up another time, but I know all that was put into place by going, doing, and asking the Lord for his help and after accounting for how diligent we are in being obedient and working. 

 

Oh by the way the picture is daniel huang. He is on a smoking plan, set a new baptismal date and is going to do it for sure this time!

This also could be my last week in xinzhu after about 6 months tearing up this town. So we will see where I will be next week!

Lots of love,
Elder Townsend