June 30, 2013

 Well, it's that time! I know I say this a lot, but the time just flies!! It feels like I was just here yesterday! It sounds like you guys had another incredible week with some awesome stories! So great! This week I'm actually at a different internet cafe and I'm actually really impressed! It's pretty nice, no smoke and only a little bit of B.O.! Wow! It's super great! 

     What a week! The first couple weeks in a new area are always super crazy! I've been meeting so many new families, and learning new names and faces, I feel like my brain is going to explode! And my diet is totally thrown out the window! These people are just too dang nice! They won't stop feeding me!!! And the worst part (best part, really) the food is all so incredibly delicious!!! The people here are true Christlike examples of Charity and the Law of Consecration. I'm so humbled when I see some of the members houses, and almost brought to tears when I see the work they've put into the meal that they lay out before us missionaries. Yesterday, we went to one of these houses and had an AWESOME meal of shrimp, "rou zao fan" (a delicious sauce poured onto white rice... I don't know what they put into the sauce. Some kind of meet... I hope!) and a big, ol' fish covered in delicious veggies! The members were so happy to have us over and they were working so hard, I'm so grateful for these people, and I love being in this position where I can serve them! A little side note about the dinner... you like shrimp? I liked it in America, but it's not my favorite. When I got to Taiwan, I saw the way they ate shrimp and I liked it even less... When they give you a plate of shrimp, you get the whole shrimp! The legs, the head, the black, bulging eye balls, EVERYTHING! It's also impolite to use your hands to tear the stuff off, so you have to use your mouth! Yeah, you tear the head off, suck the brains out, then use your teeth to tear all the little legs off and the outer shell, and THEN you can eat the little sucker... pretty delicious!

     One of the highlights of my week? ENGLISH CLASS! I'm the new 小朋友 little kid teacher! I thought controlling 4 little kids in a pool was tough, but trying to teach 4 little kids to teach English when they have NO desire whatsoever was a nightmare!!!... well, it was at first! We tried to have them sing the ABC's with us, but they just grabbed the little place mats with the alphabet and started tearing them apart and screaming and running around the room!! So I did the only thing I could! I pulled out my guitar and started playing the first song that came to my head... "red is my favorite color, it's the color of apples!!" THANK YOU FEFF!! They all calmed down and sat about 2 inches away from me as I taught them "the color song." Another highlight of the week, the new Chapel here in DaYa did a big Open House activity! The missionaries were in charge of advertising the English class, so we decided to get together something fun! They picked some costumes for us, all pretty simple and could be done while still looking like a missionary... all except for one. Guess who got picked for that one? Yep, they dressed me up like Woody and told me I was in charge of the Disney section! Haha, I was actually pretty happy until I found out that the new mission president was coming and his first impression of me would be that!! It all turned out okay though, we had permission to dress up like that and they all loved it! It was a blast to play with all the little kids and talk to them about English class.

     That's it for this week! Elder L is super awesome! He's a super prepared missionary, I guess it helps when you speak the language fluently, but he's really super mature! A super awesome teacher and he's great with connecting with people! We get along really well, we both love to mess with our Zone Leaders and playing pranks on each other! He's also teaching me a little bit of Taiwanese! Super fun! 

     My Spiritual thought for the week has to do with Rubics cubes... Brian and Jessi, you guys probably remember the hours in the car as we tried to solve that stupid cube?? I still remember the present Jessi gave me for my birthday that year... we had somehow gotten the cube to have two sides almost completed, we only had 2 squares that were different colors... Jessi took it upon himself to "complete" it for me by switching the stickers!! hahaha, I loved it! Elder Liu and I bought some Rubics Cubes this week and we've been competing to see who could do it the fastest... I"ll admit, he's a lot faster than I am! But that's not the point! By reading the instructions and applying the principles, I was able to learn how to solve the cube in less than an hour. When we learn the right principles and apply them in our lives, our lives can improve drastically and trials will go smoother! This obviously is not the best comparison, because our lives will have some pretty big trials no matter what we do, but with the Gospel (our little instruction manual) we'll always be able to overcome our trials and have success in the long run. Don't give up! If you're going through a trial right now, rely on the Gospel of our Savior, Jesus Christ. I promise you'll make it through to the other side.

    I love you guys! Jiayou! 

     Elder Noll

 

June 23, 2013

Hello!  It's Move-day for the Mission, so I've been down at the Mission Home all day, helping people find their companions and doing things down there. 

     Well, this week I've got a lot to write about! My last week in Lingya was pretty nuts! We had a lot of lessons and quite a few crazy experiences with the man we take care of... there was one night when we were supposed to get him ready and take him to his sons graduation... but the son wouldn't wake up to go to the graduation!!! We about threw him out the window. We spent 2 hours over at this guys house, doing absolutely everything he asked us to do, and finally left... the son never woke up and the man we ended up going to the school himself to talk to the teachers... suffice it to say, our patience was a little thin after that experience! 

     We had a chance to go and visit some members and have some good experiences with them, and on Saturday, we found out that a sister in our district was having serious stomach pains and was getting her appendix taken out!!! So we went to visit her on Sunday with the Sacrament and a couple other members... It was a good little meeting and we all had a good time trying to cheer her up! As Elder M and I rode through the streets of Gaoxiong, headed home, I had the oddest feeling of reminiscence looking at all the buildings and stores. I got super sentimental and just thanked the Lord for the incredible experiences I had in that amazing city. I gotta say, it's been so hard leaving Gaoxiong. That city became home, and the members became my beloved brothers and sisters. That night, I got the phone call... "Elder Noll, I've got a special assignment for you. You're going up to Daya to help a new Elder finish up his training and be the District Leader there... Oh, and I'm gonna need you to leave tomorrow morning." Talk about being shocked! 

     So, here I am! Sitting in yet another internet cafe, writing a letter to the same people, and doing the same missionary work, and yet, everything has changed completely! I have to take care of not only 1 new missionary, but I've got 4 other missionaries to look over now and I've absolutely loved it! It's incredible up here! So beautiful. There are a lot more trees, a lot less buildings, and yes, a WHOLE lot of rice patties! They just built an INCREDIBLE new chapel here for 3 different wards, and the ward is super strong. I've already met quite a few of the families, and I'm getting more and more familiar with the roads... It's a lot harder than it was in Gaoxiong! Gaoxiong was a huge city with a nice road layout, but Daya is much more countryside and the roads are completely random!!! It honestly reminds me of home a lot... if we lived inside of an oven. No not really, it's a lot colder up here. Everyone makes fun of me because I'm cold a lot, but I'm still sweating like crazy... a little weird, huh? haha, I'm super excited to be with my new companion! He's teaching me a lot of Taiwanese, so hopefully I'll catch on to that soon... it's pretty diffficult! 

     I just want to testify of the blessings we have on this Earth... one of the greatest, in my opinion, is the ability to love. I've learned what it's like to love a stranger as a brother, to love a strange place as if you've grown up there all your life. I love you all. That love isn't something I can even begin to describe, but it's precious to me. I love the Savior. He is everything in my Life, and I hope to always do those things which He would have me do. I love my Father in Heaven. He has given me everything, and He continues to bless me day by day! I'm so blessed to have you all in my life! I love ya guys!! 

Elder Noll

June 16, 2013

Hey guys! I'm sorry it's late today, and it's gonna be pretty short too... these last 24 hours have been crazy!!! All this week, we (Elder M and I) have been nervous about getting the phone call... the one that says he's gonna train. Last night the phone rang... but it was for me!!! President Bishop told me I needed to start packing and that I would be going up to the northernmost part of the mission the next morning to be a Senior Companion!!!... and then he told me to hand the phone back to Elder M and proceeded to tell him that he is indeed training this next move call. So I packed like a madman (in under 2 hours, I'm pretty proud of myself) and then looked up at my ceiling for the rest of the night, not able to sleep. I called all my friends here in the ward and had a pretty good gathering at the train station this morning to greet me as I left. It's been super hard leaving. I loved Lingya just as much as Tainan, if not even more! If I could pick one thing that I learned the best out of these past couple months, it would be this: The Lord knows what is in store for us. It's not always what we think it might be, well, it's almost NEVER what we think it might be, but it's always for the best. I'm excited to be here in Taichung City, a place called Daya, with my new companion: Elder L (yes, he's from Taipei). I'm not gonna have a whole lot of time to explain about the rest of the week today, because I've only got about 30 minutes, but know that I'm safe and happy!

 

     I want to leave you guys with a really quick Spiritual Thought. This will really strike a chord with some of you, namely my brother, father and football buddies. I want you to picture the PERFECT offensive line... no, even better than the Patriots line! With the PERFECT offensive line, there should be no need to step out of the pocket. Replace those linemen with the commandments God has given us today through modern revelation. You've got the Word of Wisdom and the Law of Chastity, some pretty killer Offensive guards!! Add the Law of Tithing and Keeping the Sabbath Day Holy, those could be your Tackles on the outside... and then we'll call the Center our own personal Gospel Study. These are commandments. Obviously, life is not a game of football... in the game, there are times when it's appropriate to step outside of that pocket, sometimes it's even necessary! But in life, there are no exceptions. No leniency. We are to stay in that pocket and ENDURE TO THE END!! It's for our own safety and salvation!! I promise you, no matter how nice it might look outside of the pocket, you stick your nose out there and it's gonna get taken off by a blitzing outside linebacker... you take a step to close to the outside and you might just get grabbed by a Defensive End. Don't take any chances with your salvation, it's not worth it. Strict obedience is the first Law of Heaven, and it's the most effective way to protect ourselves!

     Love ya guys! Sorry it's so short today, I promise a big one next week with all the details of my last week in Lingya! Love ya! Bye bye!

 

Love, Elder Noll

 

      Happy Fathers day dad!! I hope you know that you're the most incredible guy I know, and I brag about you all the time here... You never know, with the traditions they've got here, when I bring you back you might see your own face in one of their temples with the way I talk about you! Ha, I hope you have a good one! Love ya man!

June 9, 2013

Hey guys!! Questions first!

1. What has been your favorite part of the experience so far?

     Wow, that's a tough one! I honestly could not tell you! From the food, to the crazy experiences, to the heartache and joy, and the absolute love of serving my Lord, I couldn't pick a favorite out of any of those! Who is your favorite kid?... well, that's an easier question! ;)

 

2. What is the hardest part?

     Again, almost an impossible question!! Honestly? The rejection. Not because I'm afraid of being rejected, trust me, I'm used to that by now! But when people reject the message that will absolutely turn their lives around and save their souls, it's a really hard thing to accept. Sometimes I just want to ma them out!! Personal agency is seriously annoying sometimes. I wonder how God must feel with me!! 

 

3. How often do you do the English class?

     We have it once a week on Wednesday nights... probably one of my favorite activities in all honesty!! I love teaching in the advanced class!!

     What a week! It's SO SO SO nice to be outside proselyting full time again! Last week was pretty rough to just stare at the same four walls of our apartment for a couple days! Poor Elder M, his hands and feet are a lot better now (the spots are gone and they don't hurt anymore), but now they are peeling hard core! ha, he really looks like a zombie! No one in our district will shake hands with him anymore! But he's a good sport, he's doing alright! We've had a lot of contacting to do this week! It's been a lot of fun actually! Even though it's been CRAZY hot outside, it's still so fun to spend all day everyday making friends!... even if most people look at you like you're nuts, but you know, it is what it is! 

     On Tuesday, we had a pretty awesome ZTM (Zone Training Meeting) and I got a nice surprise when my Recent Convert showed up starting waving at me from outside the door! He was there with our Zone Leaders to do a little Recent Convert panel thing where we ask a bunch of RC's and Investigators questions... super awesome! He's doing so good! He just went to the temple for the first time and did Baptisms, he had a chance to get the Priesthood and Baptize somebody a couple weeks ago, and now he's going on a short term mission in a few weeks! SO STRONG!! He makes me so proud! He's like one of my little Baptism Babies! Well, after ZTM, we had an exchange with the zone leaders. I went into their area with Elder W, a super awesome elder from Signapore. Had a great time with him and I definitely learned a lot! Wednesday morning was super fun... Elder W is a seriously buff dude, and he and I decided we'd do some Insanity work outs. Yeah, I was pretty sore the rest of the week! 

     Thursday was awesome!! We had a Bonus Zone Conference because a lot of people are "dying" (that's what we say when a missionary finishes their mission) this move-call... including President and Sister B!! It was a blast to see all of the missionaries again and I got to talk with Elder B for a little bit too. I love Zone Conference! So much fun and it's always so spiritual! I'm super sad that President B is heading out, but I'm excited for the new President and his wife (I'm not even gonna try spelling out their last name) to get here, and I'm interested to see the similarities and differences in the Mission! We ended the day by taking one of our investigators out to the American Burger joint for dinner. I'm telling you guys, this place is awesome. Enough said. 

     Guys, I know this church is true. I know it with all that I am. I testify that this work is real, and it is overseen by God the Almighty and Eternal Father, and it is brought to pass by His Beloved Son, our Savior and Redeemer. I'm sorry if I'm bursting anyone's bubble right now, but we are nothing. We truly are nothing in comparison with the glory and majesty of our God... but I can tell you with a firm belief, we are EVERYTHING to Him who created us. That's a comforting thought, isn't it? 

     I love you guys! Have a great week!

 

I have included a couple of the personal messages from Ryan to the family this week because he really talks a lot about how he feels about being on his mission... 

 

Family,

Hey y'all! 

Mom, I'm still doing super good out here, same as ever! I love it! I was thinking to myself the other day, as hard as it is, as much as I miss you (which is a WHOLE LOT!) I wouldn't choose to be anywhere else. I think I'm crazy! It's freakin' hard! I sweat out entire buckets in just a few hours! I can't watch movies, listen to music, I can't even see my own family! Does that sound like fun?? It is. It's an absolute blast! Elder Holland said something when he came to the MTC about missionary work that really hit me hard. It goes something like this: "Many missionaries say things like: 'When I get back to a real life...' Elders and Sisters, let me tell you something," and then he got all scary and intense like he does... "A mission is as real as life gets!!!" It's so true. This is life, and it will never get any realer than it is right now. I love it, mom. I don't deserve this great of an experience! It's enough to make me fall on my knees each and every night and cry out in love and appreciation to God for this opportunity! I love ya mom! You're the best!

Dad,  Well, I love it out here man! I've never felt more sad, more happy, I've never been more exhausted and I've never been so full of energy! It's so incredible! I love ya man! I love reading your e-mails every week, the stories are always enough to make me laugh out loud because I can just imagine them in my mind. I gotta say, I miss sitting next to you in Elders Quorum!

 

June 2, 2013

Elder Noll's email subject this week was: Burgers and Boils...

Well this week was a little weird... as the title suggests! When we woke up Monday morning, Elder M found these really weird bumps all over his hands... he said they itched a little and when he touched things they kinda hurt... we went throughout the day doing our stuff. Emails, groceries, etc. and then he said he needed to go see a doctor because it was getting almost unbearable! We got some meds from this doctor but it only made it worse! By the time we got home at 9:00, he couldn't even walk anymore (he found a lot of the bumps on his feet as well)!! The next morning was even worse, and we had to be driven to the different meetings we had because he couldn't ride his bike. We had been talking with Sister Bishop and a doctor in Hong Kong, but no one knew what it was!!! Suffice it to say, we were inside for 3 days this week calling through all the phone numbers we could find! Friday and Saturday were much more interesting! We met with a couple of our investigators and had some great lessons... one of those was a lesson with our 50 year old investigator (the guy who had the dream, but his family won't let him get baptized). We talked to him about how he might be able to talk to his family about his desire to join the church, and he was pretty opposed to doing it anytime soon. We read all of 2 Nephi 31 with him and his entire demeanor changed! He told us he would pray that very night about when God wanted him to be baptized! His faith is so incredible!! I've never seen someone with such huge faith in prayer and the answers God gives to us! An incredible example of his faith happened just yesterday at church. Earlier in the week, I gave him a copy of Jesus the Christ in English (his English is absolutely incredible), but I wanted to get him a Chinese copy so that he would understand the book completely. He came to church yesterday with a question about how the Nephites got to the land of America... I told him how they got there and then handed him the Chinese copy of Jesus the Christ. About half way through the Testimony meeting, he comes up to me with a note. It said: "I found the answer to my question in this book. I didn't know you would be giving me the Chinese copy today, but I cross-referenced it with the English version and found this NOTE (it was a note about the family of Lehi coming to America) which explains it. God answers my prayers through YOU!!.. and it's a fast answer!" I'll admit that the simple note brought tears to my eyes. Tears of joy, humility, and gratitude, knowing that I had been the means by which God answered his curious child. 

     On to the more worldly part of the week! Our ward mission leader (an American working here in Taiwan) has been telling us about this American burger place he wants to take us to for a while now, and we finally scheduled a time to go with him... W O W. Guys, this burger joint outclasses even In N' Out!!! (For those of you who know me, you'll understand the gravity of that statement...) It's owned by a big, bald, scary looking American dude, but he's the nicest guy in the world. The menu is 5 pages long (at least!!) with about 10 different options on each page... ALL burgers! For an example of how AWESOME this place is, our investigator ordered "The Sith Burger" (yes, that is a Star Wars reference!!), I got a "Dark Knight Burger" (Batman!) and my companion braved "The MAN Burger!" oh man, best burger I've ever eaten in my entire life!! To top the evening off, this big, scary-looking boss guy came out with 4 bowls of ice cream and gave them to us for free saying: "I just finished making this tonight and this is the extra..." Yeah, he makes his own ice cream!!! Super awesome!! Needless to say, it was super expensive... but so worth it! I'm sorry I don't have many other stories to tell you this week! We spent the majority of it sitting at a desk call through phones!

     My spiritual share for the week is simple. Jesus is the Christ. I just finished reading the book by James E. Talmage this week, and it's changed my life. I've learned an enormous amount of facts by reading and analyzing every story of the Saviors life (pre-earth, earth, and post-earth ministries) and I've been shocked at the load of precious gems we can find if we look closely enough at the details of every action Christ ever performed! My testimony is this: Christ was chosen and ordained as the Savior of the world since before the world was. He truly came down from His throne above and walked in the most humble surroundings, serving, teaching and loving His people. He was betrayed (which betrayal He had full knowledge of and foretold it many times) and suffered into the hands of hypocrites, whom later on crucified their Lord and Redeemer. He never uttered a harmful word against those His accusers, but He blessed and begged for their forgiveness. I know He died for us, He died for me. But as surely as I know He died on that dark Friday night, I know with an absolute surety that He rose on the third day. He lived again, and He lives today. I know, and you can know too! This knowledge is most precious to me, and I promise it will be to all of you as well! I love my Savior, I'm grateful for Him and words cannot describe my feelings for Him. 

Elder Noll