Hey
Dad!
Oh man that is so
weird that Statler is now home too! But way cool that he recognized you
guys and love his analogy about having a super car and how you treat your
covenants. It's way funny actually as I have progressed more and more as a
missionary and teacher how much analogies I use. I mean I mentioned this to
Elder Mudrow the other day, but that I feel I can pull anything ordinary from
my life and make it into an analogy to teach the Gospel. It is beautiful how
much the Gospel is simple and around us each day in our lives. We simply must
humble ourselves and open our eyes to see just how much everything can testify
that Jesus is the Christ.
As for Statler having
an African accent still that is way funny and I count that as a blessing.
Whereas for me I will come home and will not be able to speak English at all as
I will naturally and instinctively speak Chinese (it already happens, I just go
along and naturally parts just come out in Chinese). Actually often times
contacting or teaching in English is really weird and sometimes hard.
Definitely the Lord
knew exactly when he needed you when Brother Johnson called and was seeking
help for his home. There are many small miracles and blessings like this each
day in our lives, sometimes we are just blind to actually seeing it. Definitely
there are many times where this has happened to me whether it be being in a
place contacting or tracting and there is a person there, or maybe in a lesson
or something else and the timing was just right.
Man I am so happy for
Kevin and can't wait until he gets out. He will have such a good time. And I
think it is perfect that he will only be in the MTC for 2 weeks (definitely the
field will be great for him).
I think that is
awesome that they call the soon to leave missionaries to teach the 11 year old
boys. It teaches you so much to have patience, love, teaching to a child's
understanding, and having fun. It was a good trend to set :)
So sad can't watch the
Olympics with you :( Oh well, you will need to enjoy them for me! Also I have
heard of NetApp before. Sounds like a big responsibility. But I know you can do
it! You are President Uchtdorf right now and I am his 12 year old grandson. You
can do it now! I know you can. You have always faced your challenges head on and
you always push yourself to overcome and achieve. So I know you can handle this
one too. :)
I am assuming this
letter I got this past week from Florida is the one from Disney. It's all
handwritten from all of you. So I guess that is the one. Way nice to read.
Elder Chan leaves next Sunday for Taizhong and for London on
Monday. You will have to see Allisa's email for my feelings on what will happen
to the 4-man after next week. As for the Kailiponis I am not sure when they
will leave.
Wayne had gotten the
letters and everything. I think he tried reading them, but his reading skills
are slower than speaking. But he really appreciated them and expressed that
they were very thoughtful. I thought it was very nice and really great to see
such effort on a teachers quorum to write to a new member half way around the
world.
Now to try and write
as much as I can about this past week with the time I have left. Because there
is a lot that has happened this past week! Here goes!
So last Monday night
was probably one of the best dinners I have had in Taiwan. We had a family take
us out for Chinese New Year (our 4 man plus the Kailiponis). We went to a way
nice restaurant that can count as equal to the Melting Pot. This however had a
hot pot in the middle and then two grilling spots (one on each side). You cook
and grill your own food and meat. Basically you have little slips of paper that
you can fill out and ring for someone to pick it up and then they bring the
food to you to cook. I ate so much. Basically it is a 吃到飽 as well as 吃到飽 ice cream. The
restaurant is called 石頭.
This past week we also
had dinner at a way rich family. Their table could seat like 16 people. But
because Tuesday night President Blickenstaff interviewed the
Kailiponis, they showed up to the dinner as well. So we had all of the Jiayi
missionaries (our 4 man, ZLs, Sisters, and the Kailiponis) as well as the
Blickenstaffs join our dinner. That was a lot of fun. The next day we had
interviews and it was really good to talk with President Blickenstaff. I really
learned a lot from him, much more appreciation for him, and he has helped me a
lot as well.
So Thursday was
a day full of miracles and good food as well. We ended up having 6 lessons that
day. One of our investigators 楊凱程 had a baptismal interview that day and he
passed. He is such a humble man, he really has faith, believes, and he even
fasted this last Sunday with us (and will continue to in the future).
The only problem is that he is a 空軍, or in the Airforce so he gets very little time
off, and especially Sunday. He still needs to come to church one more time, but
we also want him to try and get established so he can attend church. But for
February he has no Sundays off, so we are praying and hoping that March will
work out.
But later that night
we went up on the hill by 大雅路. I got way spoiled for dinner. There is a
restaurant on the hill there called The Freen Burger. There burgers and fries
are just like American. It's a bit more expensive, but we felt to celebrate
having such a good day and having so many lessons planned and taught. I got a
burger called the Snoopy. Yes our little black and white favorite dog. It was a
way good burger. And guess what it had on it. Peanut Butter. Yes Peanut Butter.
It was way good.
After dinner we went
to an LA's house and had a lesson with him. He shared about how his family has
been members for 20+ years and how he wishes to be a better example for his
son. With Elder Mudrow's prompting and prompting from the Spirit I shared about
the story of Kevin, Cody, Pat, and I and being an example. I shared it in
pretty great detail even sharing about that I went home from the MTC and went
back out. All concluding with that we are all now going to or have been serving
missions. It really touched this man's heart and we definitely felt the spirit
there. After the lesson I was actually shocked a bit at just how I had shared
that experience completely in Chinese. Truly the Lord blesses me so much to
speak the language.
Saturday we went
up to 大林
because we didn't have anything set up. But immediately after getting off the
train we had 2 miracles of a self-contact and exchanging information as well as
another contact that turned into a sit down lesson. And then about 30 minutes
after this miracle:
“This
past week we had many miracles, but one of the biggest happened on
Saturday. Saturday we had no lessons set up. So we decided to go up
to one of our secondary areas, Dalin. After arriving we biked into town a
little bit, contacting along the way. We had passed a 7 and then decided we
should make some calls to formers and members in the area as well as do some
language study since we hadn't had it yet. Instead of going back to the 7
(probably only a 100 feet behind us) we kept going forward to a OK Mart (a
little bit further ahead than the 7). We sat down and about 10 minutes later we
hear behind us "Hey missionaries!" It was this lady whose English was
not too bad. As it turns out she had been baptized in Utah (she was studying as
well as having some work there). She had come back to Taiwan but was a bit
hesitant feeling that the atmospheres between church in Taiwan and in Utah were
not the same. She normally works in Taibei and lives there, but for Guonian she
was in Jiayi. She had never told her bishop her address and her bishop several
times has talked with her and asked so her records could be transferred. But
definitely it was a miracle that we came to that OK Mart (because her family's
house is right next to it and her Mom saw us and told her to say hi to us). We
got Satine (her name) to come to church the next day and even sat down with her
to review the 1st lesson (she hasn't been taught any lessons after being
baptized). It was a really good lesson, and Lin Dixiong who helped peike has a
friend where Satine lives in Taibei and is helping out to get Satine more
friends and become more active. Truly we were answers to a bishop's prayer as
well as others. It is amazing when you can see the Lord's hand in your life and
can stand back and watch it unfold.”
But so last week we
went out to some type of zoo thing. It was interesting but lots of fun with the
4 man. Got lots of good memories and we even shot a bow and arrow while we were
there. So much fun!!!!
It is amazing how much
more spiritually in tune and sensitive I have become since being on my mission.
I have noticed so much more how things really touch me and I feel the Spirit.
It makes me to not want to leave at all and even thoughts of going home make it
seem so sad and disheartening to leave all this. I love this life!
I love you lots and
lots!
Elder Roo
