September 22, 2013

I only have one word for you guys this week... well, two in Chinese... Kaorou!!! or as we like to say in the U.S. : BBQ. That's right! It's Moon Festival time on the great island of Taiwan, and that means that it's time to bbq! We must have gone to 10 different bbq's this week! It was nuts!! I've had so much meet and funky Taiwanese food in the last week, I think it's gonna last me a life time! We also roasted some marshmallows and taught the people what s'mores were! That was pretty fun!!

For this weeks questions:

 Emotional / Physical well-being?

     So dead man... I just spend each day hugging my knees until its time to go home... nah, just kidding! I'm great! Can't wait to get out the door each day and go preaching!! I'm thinking of extending another 6 months... what do ya think? ;) 

 

 Training is going super well! Elder C is such an awesome guy! He's a little quiet, so sometimes I feel like I talk too much, but that's not much of a surprise, is it? I've always talked a lot! We're just workin' on Chinese and doing our best! He's such a great guy! 

Well, we had a pretty great week! We did a lot of finding and meeting members of the ward this week so that I could help Elder C out with getting used to Daya and all of the her miraculous beauties! We're having a blast! It's been fun to be around Elder M again, a little De ja vu ish (SO not a word, but whatever) but it's been a lot of fun! We had some Zone Leader exchanges, baptismal interviews, new investigators and all that jazz! It's been so nice to work with a certain family here in daya... they have NINE kids!! We've been visiting them for a long time now, they're a less active family, and we just baptized their nine year old daughter and now they are all coming back to church! I'm not kidding when I say the reward for our work with them is overwhelming... not only spiritually, but physically as well! They fed us 4 out of the 6 nights this last week!!! And they fed us A LOT. 

We're working with a couple new investigators that we found this week, trying to get them to make it to church and pray and all those basic first steps! It's amazing the miracles we see when we apply ourselves and trust in the Lord! I love it! 

sorry, the letter is a little short this week! My Spiritual thought this week has to do with overcoming trials. Think of the story of Job. He is described as "a perfect man" not only by the narrator of The Book of Job, but he's given this title by the Lord Himself! He's then, quite literally, put through the refiners fire. His whole life is turned upside down, inside out and then hung out to dry... as these events start, he begins by complaining that he was ever born, never cursing God, but feeling sorry for himself. Throughout these trials, he changes. He gains testimony after testimony of the mercy of God, the Resurrection, the Plan of Salvation, the law of Repentance etc. Could he have gained such steadfast testimony of these principles had he been allowed to keep living the blissful life which he had before he was tried? Perhaps he could have, but to me, I feel that trials help us build our testimony like nothing else ever could! Be grateful for those trials and know that God has picked it especially for you. He will not allow any trial to have power over us, but He has given us a promise that we will not be overtaken if we will do what is right and rely on His arm. 

Love ya guys! Bye bye! 

Elder Noll