Taichung Time

Monday, April 29, 2013

April 28, 2013

     Well, I don't know where to start!! It's been a real busy week! Last Monday, we went to the beach with one of our investigators. Super awesome! I got to take my shoes off and walk on the sand for a little while as I longed to jump right in and body surf for a while! ha it reminded me of our trip to Monterey when Jessi, Brian, Cody, Uncle Dan and I all went swimming that night... super fun! After that we all went to a delicious shaved ice shop and had some mango shaved ice... let me tell you a little bit about their shaved ice here... they don't use artificial flavoring!! When you get mango shaved ice, they literally put chunks of fresh mango on some smooth ice with sweetened condensed milk on it!! Even better than Matsumoto! It was incredible! I'll send you all some pictures.
     The week was spent in the chapel! Seriously, everyday we had lessons almost every hour! It was super busy, and I loved every minute of it! It was also really nice to be in an air conditioned building... VERY HOT OUTSIDE.
 
   I think the highlight of my week, was definitely Saturday night. It had been kind of sprinkling all day, and we had a couple hours to contact people outside, so we were a little bit damp but not too bad really. We then went to the chapel so that Elder D could do a baptismal interview for the sisters investigator. The interview was going a little longer than normal, and we were going to be late to a baptismal service... I was super worried we would miss his baptism!
                                                                             ......
  I can't believe I haven't told you this story yet!! So, my first week here, we met this 20 year old kid who was interested in learning about Christ and Christian churches so we started meeting with him... He was SO cool! Very willing to keep commitments and before we knew it, he had a baptismal goal for April 27th. The problem happened when I went on an exchange with my Zone Leaders... I was calling through their list of investigators to see when they could meet and I saw our investigator listed on there!!! I asked Elder M who he was, and he says: "Oh yeah, you guys referred him to us a few weeks ago... he's getting baptized on April 27th!" ???? I was so confused! In the end, we found out that this guy was embarrassed to tell us that he lived over in the zone leaders area and he was going to get baptized there! hahaha!
     Well, his baptism was on Saturday night and we were going to be late! We booked it to the subway and went to the zone leaders area... when we found out that it wasn't just sprinkling anymore... it was raining. We had to walk about a mile to the chapel and we were already 20 minutes late! It took us a while to get there, and I was sad because I thought I missed the baptism, and also we were absolutely soaked to the skin. We get to the chapel and I can hear people singing, so I thought we missed it for sure! But apparently they had forgotten to fill the font with water!!!! God works in mysterious ways, and He postponed the service so that we could see our friend be baptized! It was so great to see! We had worked with him for so long, and he still comes to our family night activities! I definitely count him as one of my baptisms, no doubt! That was by far, the best part of the week.
 
     The Spiritual highlight of the week is about Families. What does it mean to have an Eternal Family? I remember going to the Manti Temple when I was about 8 years old and being sealed for time and eternity to my family... the most I remember of that experience is waiting in the little kid room for 2 hours with my little brother crying the whole time, but I can also remember little blips of the ceremony. The beautiful walls of the temple, the nice workers, the incredibly beautiful room with the most Sacred atmosphere, and my whole family dressed in white. I don't remember what was said, I don't even remember exiting the Temple, but I know, because of that Sealing Ordinance, my farmhilly is furheavier. :) Whenever my family goes to the beach (which is actually pretty often considering we live in Utah...) we HAVE to pick up as many shells as possible. It's been a tradition we've done ever since I was little, and it doesn't matter that I'm almost 20 years old now, I still can't go to the beach without being fixated with the pearly white shells lying on the sand... So this week when I went to the beach, I picked up some shells! I was later looking at them, thinking about my Eternal family, and thought about how families can be compared to these sea-shells! There are a few different categories of shells. Beautiful and whole, funky looking and whole, beautiful and broken and funky looking and broken. Those broken shells are the families with broken relationships. They may have been beautiful or funky looking, but now they are broken and (unless put back together) will remain imperfect. I don't think this represents divorce, or a family death, but I'm talking about the ACTUAL relationship. If we don't have a WHOLE relationship with all members of our family, there is a defect in our family shell. Those whole shells, are much nicer. Even if they are funky looking, they're still worth it to pick them up and put in our pocket. But what's the difference? I was looking at two shells and decided the difference lies in Eternity. The funky looking shells need some work still! They need to be polished and kept after, and only then can they become beautiful! Those shells with have been "beautified" of course, still need some work, but the process is well on it's way. I know that my family is working towards becoming a perfect shell, we're far from it, but we are a beautiful shell and I'm so grateful for that! I hope that all of us can aim for a Beautiful, whole shelled family! It's worth the effort!
 
Love you all! Jiayou!
Elder Noll



 

Sunday, April 21, 2013

April 21, 2013

     Well, it's sooo good to hear from everyone this week! I'm glad to know that you're all doing so well! I'm loving life right now here in Lingya! We recently baptized a very steadfast guy about 23 years old, and he's doing great! We're now preparing him to receive the Priesthood! So incredible!! We also have a few other people scheduled to be baptized... soon. We've had to push some dates back because of scheduling conflicts and such... you wouldn't believe some of the things that come up on the week of a baptism!! Let's just say that the adversary works really hard to turn people away from the path of righteousness! We've also met some really incredible new investigators this week! Just yesterday, we met this great, little family! We talked about the Restoration and how it pertains to Eternal Families and they're pretty excited to keep learning! So Great!!
     I've got to say, some of the highlights of my week were English class, and a Single Adult activity that we took our Recent Converts to. In English, we had a chance to watch part of the Joseph Smith movie, the one that they play in the Joseph Smith Memorial building at Temple Square!! Elder P (my old companion) has the movie, and he let us borrow it so I could show my English class!! If you guys want to get that version, it's probably online... you have to make sure it's called "Joseph Smith: The Prophet of the Restoration" and that it's the version they show at Temple Square... wow. I've forgotten how incredible it is!! BUT, on top of that, the single adult activity was watching the Emma Smith movie! Just as good, if not better!! These two movies have set me on a Joseph Smith kick for the whole week! I'm literally in awe at the acts of those early saints and the sacrifices they made to allow us to be what we are today! Very awesome!
     Before I go into my Spiritual thought of the week, I want to introduce you to Taiwanese summers! Very crazy! It's probably about 80-85 degrees, not too hot, right? Wrong. It's about 100% humidity outside!! Elder S told me that he once heard a quote by President Hinkley (apparently President Hinkley once visited Gaoxiong) and it goes like this: "Gaoxiong reminds me a little of H..." I don't know if I'd trust Elder S or not though... ha, Gaoxiong is incredible, but it's also hot. The major plus of that, is the fruit!! SO GOOD!! Also, people are a little more willing to talk to us... I don't know if it's because they see the sweat and feel bad for us, but it sure is nice to talk to more people!
     So I'm doing great this week! Everything is flying by, so I feel like I don't have a whole lot to write down! It feels like I was sitting at this same computer just yesterday! I want to talk about a scripture in Revelations 1:16 today. "For I am not ashamed of the Gospel of Christ..." A simple statement, no? It's a very easy thing to say, but how do we act when we are "not ashamed of the Gospel of Christ?" I once had a Seminary teacher talk to us about standing up to opposition and showing the whole world that we are not ashamed of Christ! One of the greatest examples that I've ever seen is in the Joseph Smith movie. Joseph is chained on the floor with various other Church leaders and they are listening as the vile guards describe the disgusting actions they performed as they drove the saints out of Illinois. Joseph stands up and rebukes them with a voice later described as a lion roaring with royal dignity. I invite you all to go back and watch this particular section of the movie, it leaves me chilled and with goosebumps each time I see it. There are times in our everyday lives when we have a chance to stand up and tell people what we believe. What holds us back? Fear. I'm not saying that I'm above it, I'm far from being above fear!! But all of us can overcome it for a small moment to stand up for what we believe in! That's my invitation this week. Stand up, and "Be thou an example of the Believers!" I promise that you will be "lifted up on Eagles Wings" as you do this and you'll see the love of the Savior even more clearly as you stand up to defend His Gospel.
 
     Love you all! I'm grateful for all of the support and I continue to pray for each of you every day! Talk to you Next week!!
Love, Elder Noll
 
 

Monday, April 15, 2013

April 14, 2013

Answers to your questions:
     1. The grave sweeping:

     Nothing too crazy!! It's just like we do in America, garden work around the graves... the only difference is that there isn't a cemetery gardener taking care of them all year, so there's a little more work to do!

     2. My companion! Which one? just kidding!

     Actually, Elder D and I are very sad about that right now, we just dropped Elder P off at the Train Station! After just 2 weeks!! So sad! He's going to my old district in Tainan, kinda funny, right? We had a LOT of crazy experiences in these 2 weeks, and I'll fill you in on those in just a bit! He's a Taiwanese missionary from Taipei, he's already graduated from college and fulfilled his mandatory military service, and he's only 25 years old! Ultra stud!

     Well, like the subject, this has been one heck of a week!! Crazy people, General Conference, a Baptism, Lessons, Lessons, and more Lessons!!! We've been SOOO busy!! The week has literally flown by! Each and every day has been packed full of things to do!! I'll start from the beginning...

     Last Sunday, we got a phone call while we were planning. It was the office, telling us they had a "Golden" referral for us! This guy (apparently) had been beaten by his father and was now living in the hospital, but he saw us missionaries before and decided he wanted to learn about our church and go on a mission himself! Sounds pretty great, right?? I thought so! We get to the hospital on Monday night and tell the receptionist who we want to visit, she tells us he lives in the Jinshengbing ward... Neither Elder D or I had any idea what that meant, but our native companion got this really weird look on his face and asked her to double check the list... she confirms, and then we go on our way. Elder P explains that it's in the Psychiatric Ward... yes, the Crazy House! What do we do? Well, we're missionaries!! We go in to teach the crazies! haha, the three of us were a little nervous until we got to the building... then we got A LOT nervous! This place was absolutely empty. Not a soul in sight. There was a little boxed off room with a staircase inside and an intercom on the outside. We hit the intercom and a lady lets us in... the door just opened automatically, scaring the crap out of the three of us! We enter the creepy little room and there's a creepy, soft voiced recording welcoming us into the crazy house. We cautiously go up the staircase and see two people, a security guard and a nurse. They start asking us why we're there, and then decide to let us in... until she looks at me and then freaks out!! She starts screaming at me and telling me I need to take my cigarettes and lighter and give them to her... ???? What??!! I don't smoke lady!! Ha, she was on that rant for a while until I showed her my backpack and Church flyers, and then she calmed down and let us in. It was the creepiest place I've ever been in, I'm telling you! This place was creepier than the haunted forest in American Fork, creepier than that big balloon, the Beast, at Thanksgiving Point, creepier than any place I've ever been to before!! There was a small group of people that started heading towards us, murmuring and trying to talk to us. Quick side note, every crazy person here (there are a LOT) can speak English!! I don't know what it is, but their English is really pretty good! This guy starts hugging Elder P and trying to steal his pen... Elder P gives him a Church flyer and we start to go into our investigator's room. We were all seriously freaked out now, so we slammed the room door shut, and our little friend watched us from the window for about 5 minutes... haha looking back on it now, it's hilarious!! But at the time it was SO NOT FUNNY! Our "investigator" was totally nuts... some "golden" referral. He wanted to move in with us and be a missionary, but he refused to read out of the Book of Mormon or even consider baptism... we prayed with him and got up. We were so ready to leave this nut house!! We open the door and start looking for the exit... We couldn't find it!! Our first friend rounds the corner and starts running towards us saying, "Wait! I'm Christian!" That was the last straw. We found the exit but it was locked, so we pound on the door until it opens and sprint down the stairs and out the building! hahaha I make it sound a little worse than it really was, but that's how it felt at the time! We've had a good laugh about that for the past couple weeks and my journal has a nice detailed version of the whole story.

     The rest of the week was taken up with lessons, lessons and more lessons! We had multiple investigators we're trying to prepare for baptism, one of them was just baptized this last Saturday! The other has extended until May, but he's still willing to meet and still wants to be baptized! We're working with a 3rd to be baptized on the 27th, but he's just been so busy this week that we might have to extend his date too. We met a new guy this week who is working to be baptized on the 4th of May! So as you can see, it's been a busy (successful) week!... and that was only the first 5 days!! This weekend was like the Superbowl for us! GENERAL CONFERENCE!!! It was so incredible this year! We (the 5 missionaries in my area) got the high council room all to ourselves and watched it in English, and I got so much out of it! I'll share more about that in my Weekly Spiritual Thought. Saturday ended with the most wonderful, happy event you could imagine. That's right, WE BAPTIZED! One of our investigators that we've been meeting with got in the water on Saturday night, and made a covenant with the Father of all the Heavens and Earth. It's the most miraculous thing - to witness something like that.


     The Conference this time seemed to be focused on uplifting the members and showing us how to make the Lord, our Redeemer, "the rock of our salvation" and warning us to let Christ, the Lord, be in every aspect of our lives! I loved it! Some of my favorites:

     President Boyd K. Packer: "We need to protect our Nests." We need to live our lives in such a way that the Adversary cannot steal into our homes.

     Elder Dean M. Davies: "Build upon a SURE foundation!" "Anchor our lives to the Atonement of Christ."

     Elder Richard G. Scott: "make the center of your home the Savior."

     Elder Quentin L. Cook: "Let the peace of Christ fill our lives and blot out our hates."

     Elder Robert D. Hales: The Armour of God! "Stand with the Savior!"

     President Dieter F. Uchtdorf: "Take courage, find our faith, and keep trying." (later talk) "God's light is real!... Do not dwell in darkness."

And, of course, one of my favorites: Elder Jeffrey R. Holland: "Hold the ground you have already won, even if it is limited... Be true to the faith that you DO have...FAN THE FLAME OF YOUR FAITH." And towards the end: "Be not afraid, only believe." - Jesus Christ


     My dear family, friends and anyone else who may come across this, these words are precious treasures. Let them effect your lives, hearken unto them and make them become a part of your very beings! My key point in sharing all these quotes? Christ is our center and foundation. He is the Redeemer and Savior of the world, and if we build our relationships, homes and very lives upon His rock, we CANNOT fall! How many people are trying to tear us down? How many tried to tear down the Savior, as he marched to His death with a cross on His back? Let me answer for you, a lot. Every day there are people trying to tear us down from the mount we have worked so hard to climb. Those evil people who rose their own Savior up on the cross didn't understand that NOTHING CAN TEAR US DOWN, SO LONG AS WE ARE CENTERED ON THE LORD AND HIS TEACHINGS. Christ's entire life was given in submissiveness to the Father, of course nothing could keep him down! Don't you know?? After just THREE days, He rose once more, and took up ALL of His Glory!! Brothers and Sisters, I testify to you, because He rose, we will too. Because He has atoned for us, nothing can tear us down. Nothing. I give you this promise, with the authority of one being called by the Lord Jesus Christ, In His Holy name I promise you this, even Jesus Christ, Amen.


Family!

 I'm making the most out of my time here, every time I feel nervous to talk to someone, I just think about how I'll regret it later if I don't do it, so then I just get up and go do it. Speaking of which, I had some delicious food this week! You ready for this? Pig intestine, with rice stuffed inside, and a smaller pig intestine stuffed inside of all that, with some sausage ground up and stuffed inside the smaller intestine... sound healthy? It was really delicious!! I love you all to the moon and back! Have a great week!


P.S. I got a guitar!! for Free!!! Not really mine, I'm just borrowing it until I leave this ward... but it made me SOO excited!! Love you guys! Jiayou!
Elder Noll


Saying goodbye to Elder P at the train station
Elder Noll copying the Buddah

Elder Noll at "Monkey Mountain"
 


AHHHH....Oh my!!


The boys killed this in their apartment -YUCK!


Monday, April 8, 2013

April 7, 2013

 Contacting people in the rain is an absolute blast! But I'll talk about that a little more later...

     How is everyone?? I'm pretty jealous that you've all watched conference already! I have to wait until this weekend to see it! From the e-mails I've gotten, it sounds like it was another incredible conference! 

     Well, this week has been great! So awesome... We're working as a threesome companionship right now, and it's so much fun. The success has gone up too! We talk to SO many people, (300+ this week!) and we've solidified some great baptismal goals. We've got an incredible guy scheduled to be baptized this Saturday, right after we watch the Priesthood session of Conference!! I'm so excited for him! He's been working towards this goal since long before I got here, and I've had the opportunity of helping him reach it - So great! I'm now the new advanced English class teacher... such a relief to be back teaching! I was the English Leader for the last few weeks and I've decided I like teaching the class a lot more! We had a great lesson this last week, it ended with a nice Spiritual thought on the Plan of Salvation. I hope I was able to help them understand a little more why we're all here, I know I felt like the Spirit was there.

     We also had an awesome opportunity to do some service this week! Thursday, we went to do "grave sweeping." Sounds a little creepy, right? It was. We saw skulls (yes, human skulls) all over the ground and stuff! Basically, here in Taiwan, respecting your Ancestors is one of the most important things you should do, so they have a special holiday (kind of like their own Easter) where the WHOLE family goes to their ancestor's grave sites and they completely clean them. Us missionaries, since our ancestors didn't exactly die over here, take care of the no name graves. It's considered very rude if you clean off a grave with someone else's name on it, because you're taking away the blessing of cleaning that grave... a little odd, but really interesting! We spent a few hours clearing out a jungle... I mean pulling weeds. But really, we were chopping down trees and raking around graves and stuff! So cool. Elder P even found one of his ancestor's graves!

     The rain! So, this week, I found out that Gaoxiong rains... often... and hard. There were 2 or 3 days this week where I was soaked throughout the whole day. (whether it was rain, or sweat because of my rain gear, it doesn't make a difference) As hard as it might be to believe, I enjoyed it! Mostly because of the reaction of the people as we contacted them! People here are very afraid of the rain, so when we contact them, it's humorous to watch their reactions! Not a lot of success during the rain storms, but quite a few laughs.

     As busy as the week was, it went by so fast. I can't believe it's already P-day! I have to apologize, I forgot to send a Spiritual thought last week!! This weeks thought is all about "taking upon us the name of Christ." What does that mean? I think it'd be a little weird to legally change your last name to "Christ," but that's just me! I think back to when I was about 12 or so. Jessi, my little brother, was about 8 or 9 and he decided to help his primary chair "take upon itself the name of "Jessi Noll." He carved his name into the seat of his Church chair! I remember coming home from church and seeing one of the chapel's chairs sitting in our living room, and then laughing when I saw the engraving. Our plan was to paint over it, or something... I might be mistaken, but I'm pretty sure we still have that chair! But that's besides the point. My dad has used this story many a time to explain what it means to take upon us a name. He's told us since we were very young that we are "Nolls" and we should act mature and uphold that name. He's explained that bad actions don't just reflect on ourselves, but they reflect on the name that we bare. I think back to those lectures quite a bit now, and I think about what it means to bear Christ's name on my chest. Whether we know it or not, as members of the Church, we bear Christ's name. When people learn of our religion, they will make a judgement. It could be a good one or a bad one, that's up to you. If we bear Christ's name with the honor It deserves, we will become the best missionaries. We have a duty to "be an example of the believers." We have a calling to present ourselves in a way that will bring others unto Christ. I promise you, as you do this, you will see a difference in your own personal life. You will find that as you attempt to bring others unto Christ, you yourself will make leaps and bounds towards our beloved Savior. I testify that these things are true, and I exhort all who bear His Holy name to do as He would.


Love you all tons! You're all great!


Love, Elder Ryan Noll


P.S. I'm going to hike "Monkey Mountain" today, pretty stoked! I'll send pictures home next week! Thanks so much for all the love and support I get from you each week, it means so much! Jiayou!