第52週

July 12, 2015

I first turned 20 years old on Tuesday. Then I turned 1 year old on Thursday. Friday was my first Typhoon. A year from today is my release date.

nature

a break in the rain

typhoon action

Elder King and Elder Jensen working in a typhoon

Lots of crazy dates.

Every other missionary always mentions how hot it is here, so I'll join on the bandwagon and complain about how hot it really is here lately. Perhaps the main reason Taiwan feels so much hotter than Vegas is because I'm out on a bike in the heat of the day in dress slacks. I guess it just makes sense right?

As far as missionary work goes, things are getting better. I actually have investigators to teach now, so that is something for sure. And little miracles in between. I'm not sure if I had mentioned this in previous emails, but while in Siyuan with Elder Miner, we only had really one person who we would regularly meet with. He was a 72 yrold member who was suffering from colon cancer. It got really intense for a while and they thought his time had finally come. We visited him every week for months so this was hard on me. However, he got some treatment and 洪 (hong2) DX told me that it was because of the support from us missionaries and the ward members that he was able to pull through it and get back on top of his condition. I am so grateful I had the chance to be there for this man during his time of need.

On Tuesday for my birthday, a bunch of members brought a cake and pizza to celebrate with me. Of course they had to bring shaving cream as well, but it was still lots of fun nonetheless. 

shaving cream attack coming

the results

Thursday we went to Ikea and ate salmon to celebrate the year-mark. That was tasty.

Then fateful Friday hit. Typhoon day. 8am I get a call that missionaries were to stay inside all day and clean the apartment. The rain gets intense. 11am I get another call that they actually changed their minds and we were to still go out in the rain. We had plans to go to a far part of our area called 林口 which is up a mountain. We decided we would maybe get this kind of experience once, so we biked up a 89 degree mountain for an hour in the pouring rain. We didn't have anything happen that day. But life is sometimes just about the experiences isn't it? I won't forget that one, thats for sure.

Yesterday was a special day for me. Remind me to read you my journal entry when I get home next year and I'll tell you about it.

Love you all