August 17, 2014

Hi Mom and Dad!

This week has been great! Luckily our air-conditioning got fixed Friday...up until then it was a little miserable to sleep at night, but now that we have it again it's great, haha. 

So yeah, this past week has been good! It's gone by really fast, I can't believe I'm already emailing again. It was a really good week though. We went on exchanges with the Sister Training Leaders and also the Temple Sisters, and we had interviews with President Day on Friday, so it was a busy week.

I went with Sister Hibbert for exchanges and it was super fun! We live together, but we really don't ever have much time to just get to know each other since we're so busy all the time, so it was fun. We saw miracles too! For example, we were knocking this area, and just not having ANY success. We just didn't feel good about it. So we finally made the decision to just go somewhere new. We didn't know where yet, but we decided that we were going to leave, and we were walking over to our bikes, and the phone rings. Apparently our peike (a member who attends a discussion with the missionaries) was early for our next lesson, so we were able to go meet with her. And a miracle, she gave us her friend's phone number! A member referral!!! It was the best thing ever! I was in shock. We haven't been able to contact her yet, but we will keep trying and for sure follow up. 

Another miracle, G-- setting a new baptisimal date for 8/30, and I believe she can make it! She just needs more confidence in herself. But she can for sure do it. She is going to come to church next week, and then hopefully have her interview right after church. V-- is still doing ok. She's been really busy, so hasn't come to church again, and this week she's in Taipei, so we won't be able to meet with her for a while. But we have set up with her on the 26th or something like that, so that should work.

Then when we did exchanges with the Temple Sisters, I was able to go with Sister Bang, so that was way fun, haha, small world! (Sister Bang and Sister George were in Young Women together when we lived in Shanghai!) We had a really good time together, and found an awesome new investigator at the LAST door we knocked, so that was awesome. It was cool to be on exchanges with her!

Friends from Shanghai!

Interviews on Friday with President Day were really good. It's weird...I think I only have 2 interviews with him left, because they are once every 3 months. That's weird. I set some goals about studying / developing faith and charity, and then finishing the Book of Mormon again. I finished Mosiah today, so I can totally do it. I love interviews with him.

Another miracle, a random girl coming to church yesterday ON HER OWN, and then wanting to meet with us! She's from GaoXiong, but will be in Huailen for a little, so we met with her after church, and set up with her again for after church next Sunday. So that was awesome!

Last night was really fun too. A guy from Hawaii, Kuha'o Case, was here and performed in our chapel, and it was really cool! He's a piano player, and is blind, and can play REALLY well, so that was really fun to attend. There were so many members and LA's and everything there, so it was great!

The Sister Missionaries with Kuha'o Case.

You asked me about HuaLien...it might be my favorite area so far. I hesitate to say that, because I've loved them all, but I just love it here! The people are really just great. The people on the street are just willing to talk to you and be friends (for the most part), even if they don't have much interest. And the members are basically just like a big family and make you feel welcome right away. And it's gorgeous here all the time. I think my favorite thing about HuaLien is just the feeling of it, like the atmosphere. Everyone is pretty laid back and not stressed, not too busy, just kind of relaxed. It's really nice.

People speak Taiyu a lot, it's cool, haha. I picked up a little when I was with Sister Wang, so I speak it to them and they get all excited, haha. It's fun. I hear KeJiaHua a little bit, but that was a lot bigger in ZhuNan. I think those are the two main dialects that I hear. 

Well, that's about it from last week, it was a good one! I love you Mom and Dad! Tell everyone else I say hi! Have a great week :)

-Sister George

They eat the cutest food in Taiwan!