March 16, 2014

I can't believe how fast time has been flying by!! Botch is already getting ready to head home, Jessi is getting ready to head out, a bunch of my best friends are engaged or already married!!! I feel like all I've done is blinked and now everything is so different! A mission kind of makes you feel like you're in a sort of "time vortex" where nothing really changes for you (at least, you don't notice the changes), but you have to watch while everything you ever knew changes on the outside! Not a bad thing, not really a good thing either, it's just a thing! ha, it's kinda hard to explain, ok?? 

We were pretty darn busy this week! Lot's of stuff going on in the good ol' Zhongxing Zone! Grandma Sue, you'll be happy to know that I've used the money that you put into my account for Christmas finally! I bought myself a helmet that will actually protect my head! haha I've been using a helmet that a friend from Taichung gave me for the last year... let's just say it's a good thing that I haven't crashed on my bike yet, because that helmet wouldn't have done anything for me! This one fits almost perfectly and it looks pretty snazzy too!! Thanks so much! 

We hung out with Elder W and his trainee from Yuanlin last week for P-day... they're pretty awesome! Elder W, Elder Wa Trainee, wrestled in High School, so we get along pretty well! 

We spent the week doing what we always do... douggy'ing, exchanging throughout the zone, doing Baptismal Interviews, and douggy'ing some more! That's just what we do in the Zhongxing zone! We Douggy! I don't know what's goin' on in our apartment lately, but we have TONS of mosquitoes! I don't notice them at all when I"m sleeping, but I woke up on Thursday with 45 mosquito bites on my hands!!! ONLY on my hands, because I sleep with a sweater on! crazy stuff. 

We've been working out pretty hard lately, and I've been pretty sore throughout this week! That's a good sign! It's been a long time since I've been sore from a workout! Maybe I'll start to lose some of this gut I've got goin' on!  haha, I better start running harder! 

We had some pretty cool miracles happen this week! We've had a Recent Convert that we haven't been able to get ahold of for the past 2 months or so. He never answers our texts, he rejects our phone calls, and he doesn't come to church or any other activity. We went up to his house on Thursday and dropped off a little note saying that we still love him and that we want to find a time to eat some dinner with him again... he called us back within 5 hours!! We met with him and had a good time, and we all left smiling! 

One of our strongest members in the Nantou ward got engaged and moved to Gaoxiong. We, the missionaries, were especially disappointed because he's a total bro and we used to go to his house every single week for Sunday dinner! He's got one of the most incredible testimonies that I've ever heard, and he loves to share it, so he's an awesome missionary!! He actually came back to Nantou for a few days this week, and we got a chance to see him for a little while!! He took us to meet some of his friends and then he did some proselyting with us. He's such an awesome dude. He's the same guy that let us use his computer to skype with you guys at Christmas time! Love him to death!

We're doin' pretty well over here in Nantou! We've found some new investigators this last week, and they are all pretty solid! We're just so grateful to be out here workin' hard!! 

I just wanted to do a quick share on the nature of God. Here in Taiwan, there are so many different ideas and notions of God. Not many people really understand, let alone accept, the concept of there being one Almighty Being, whom we are all required to worship and serve. Their idea is that their are many different Gods, and we don't have to worship them all, just one that is specific to us. The Gods that they mainly worship are great leaders, kings, or rulers in their history. 

God is real, and existing. He is All Knowing, and He has power over all that He has created. I know that the earth and everything thereon was created under His perfect direction, and everything continues to operate under that same power, including you and me, and all and any that ever breathed! Know that this powerful, unimaginable being knows and LOVES you for who you are, and that His only desire and goal is to help you become the best that you can be. He only gave you a "mock 1" body. You're not done being created yet. Don't give up on God, for He surely hasn't given up on you.

Love you guys!! Keep on keepin' on!

Love, Elder Noll