Hey
Dad!
Sounds like so much
time and money have been going into renovating the carpet and painting the
walls. I feel like it will be so different and not like walking back into the
home I was accustomed to. I can't imagine it taking up too much of your time
though. Unless you are the one who is painting and getting all messy! :D
In all honesty I don't
really feel like I was spilling my guts over an email a couple weeks ago. I
just kind of type what comes and what flows. That's why maybe sometimes I don't
really write much about areas or people or such because I just write what comes
from the heart and from the mind. Sometimes I don't write a lot about people
and things as well because in all honesty Dad the people I have been privileged
to meet and be associated with actually have their own unique stories and I
never seem to be the missionary that is actually involved with baptism. Like
for instance back in Zhanghua I ended up making one of my best friends in
Taiwan, Ian, but he was not in my ward. He was Elder Kou and Chiang's RC that
they taught and baptized. But we saw each other many times and would hang out
on P-day's and he helped to sit in on lessons with us several times. Was I ever
the missionary to teach him or baptize him? Nope! About the other investigator
he kind of slipped out of my emails because within a matter of days giving him
a baptismal goal, him finally coming to church that Sunday for
sacrament meeting, and then emailing you about him that Monday, that Monday night
I called him to see about when we could meet during the week (he didn't set up
after church the day before) and he talked about how that he was just going to
read the Book of Mormon at home over the next month. I really tried hard to
listen, understand him, discern his needs and such. I talked with him for about
20 minutes on the phone from reviewing over some things of the Message of the
Restoration, him saying about how in 3rd Nephi (we gave him this assignment to
read) the Savior instituting the sacrament used wine but we were using water,
and so on. I several times talked with him about mine and Elder Oldham's
purpose and that we would be there to help him, inviting him at least 4 or 5
times to keep meeting with us, but he was pretty set upon reading the Book of
Mormon himself at home over the next month (his wife didn't even oppose against
meeting with us or anything). So he said we could talk again with him in
August.
So Dad, a mission is
exactly what the Lord knows you need to have. I am not a flying stars and
colors boy who comes home with 50 baptisms on my shoulders. I am still not
quite sure what kind of missionary Heavenly Father exactly sees in me and wants
me to become. I do strive to always humble myself and come before him, desiring
that I may know His will and submit myself to his will. I will share something
with you. I feel that never before in all my life have I felt more the
difference of having a spirit and a body. The spirit child of a Heavenly Father
and a body of earthly parents that is corrupt and contains within it the
natural man. I have felt more than just one occasion how much the spirit yearns
within to be obedient and do what is right when the body is yearning, lusting,
desiring after things of the flesh. It's actually interesting that coming to
Taiping there have been a couple times now where I have slept through the alarm
because of just how exhausted I have been (in part from how hard we are working
and in part because I still work through my weaknesses and having doubts and
worries that tire you out, that yes I working to drop and let be).
Dad, I understand the
lessons and things you share with me and tell me with about the 3 points. The
thing I want to bounce back and say is about point 3. I know, I know to go out work
and have fun. That I don't need to stress. May I make a point though as well. I
am not an Elder Rodeback or an Elder Ellison. They have their very specific
missions for them and their needs. They have served in very different parts of
the world compared between all of us. But missions are not about comparing,
even trans-mission comparing, or even same generation comparing. So yes Elder
Rodeback came to love his mission and didn't even want to be back. Elder
Ellison has the unique personality and gift to love just about everything and
everyone he is involved with. I wish I could talk with you face to face. I love
my mission with all my heart. I echo what Dave Collings said that it is one of
the hardest, trying, and pushing to your limits experiences that I would not
trade away for anything else. I love my mission for what it has taught me and
given to me and will still yet give to me. To take from Bianca Collings email
is a funny saying that also I heard once or twice my MTC teachers tell us that
I believe to be true. My
MTC teacher often said: "state side missionaries come home gospel
scholars, South American missionaries come home wet, European missionaries come
home fluent and Asian missionaries just come home humble".
I believe it very much
that Pat gained his conversion and very much is a gospel scholar now who knows
the gospel principles and doctrines in his heart. I know that Cody is always
wet it seems, but he always has a smile and laughing even when he is wet. For
me I don't think I have ever had a more humbling experience than my mission and
wish sometimes that I was just that much more humble to acknowledge the Lord
and all he has blessed me with. So with kindness, please do not continue to
think or compare that I am like Pat or like Cody or that I turn out exactly as
you see them. The Lord has been refining me and continues to keep me in the
furnace right now of my mission until next year when I come home and have
become the man the Lord has destined for me to be. So maybe instead come down
on knees not seeking that I become like a Cody or Pat but that I may be more
and more humble enough to always be coming to the Lord to seek His will and
become what He wants me to be. And if this happens, it will all work out. I
will come home not quite the same but refined to be who Heavenly Father wants
me to be for the next stage of my life.
So as for my new area,
it actually has a total of 6 missionaries in it. Elder Randall and I, then
Elder Ward (the one from my MTC district) and his trainee Elder Aimes, then
Sister Tsoi and Sister Parkinson (who are the Sister Training Leaders and serve
in the Taiping ward and Dongying ward). Elder Ward and Aimes cover most of the
northern part of Taiping while Elder Randall and I cover most of the southern
part of Taiping. It's been fun and interesting always moving to a new area and
trying quick to get adjusted. There are a fair number of factories like in my
last area, so there is a mixture of different Asian people here. Tracting so
far has actually not been as good as I would like, but the contacting is a lot
stronger and people more kinder and willing to listen. With Elder Randall
sometimes I feel like what Ozzy Osbourne is saying about coming off the rails
on a crazy train. Seriously with Elder Randall he is very energetic, also quite
a loud person, who loves to talk. It seems like from just coming out of
training with Elder Bennett (who was my Zone Leader down in Gaoxiong) he didn't
get as much to talk, but being with me who is a little more naturally quiet he
talks a fair deal more. I actually have had a few people sometimes ask if I am
the senior companion or if he is (which I don't like, but I am just not
naturally as talkative and out there kind of guy as Elder Randall). But Elder
Randall is really good and has already taught me a lot. One thing we do with
the other Elders around here since we have the stake center is set up
basketball on Saturday afternoon and invite investigators, RCs, and
others to come and play. It gets way fun and feel like my basketball is now
going to improve. We also play each Monday morning with the other
Elders and some members.
But so to give you and
idea of where Taiping is, it is just east outside of the city. I can bike to
the Mission home in about 20 minutes and be in downtown Taichung. As with the 9
year old boy right now, Wu, we are trying to get set up with his aunt to meet
with his mom. Wu's older sister has already been baptized. Apparently also his
dad may or may not be in their life at all. So his mom is pretty hard working
going to work at like 9 in the morning until 11 at night (because we went by
with the ward mission leader in the morning at 11 to try and sit down with Wu
and his mom, but she wasn't there). So that is our next step right now with him
(his aunt by the way is a member). Yeah, over the last 3 weeks the
companionship I am in has had 3 baptisms. The weekend before I came there were
2. Then just last week there was 1. I don't really toot my horn about it or
anything because I really was not involved with them at all. The guy, Jerry,
baptized this past week had been in Cambodia for the previous two weeks
teaching English as part of a College program. So I had never met him until the
baptism that night. Like I said I have never really been the missionary to be having
all the baptisms. I really do desire and hope and feel in my heart there has to
be at least a couple more people that I can really help in being the one to
learn of the gospel, come unto Christ, and be baptized. But yeah another big
part of my responsibilities right now is being English Leader. It may not seem
like much but actually has a lot of things to do and sometimes stress. I mean
before when I was in Zhanghua and being English leader it wasn't too bad. I had
10 missionaries to lead, and we were averaging about 65 students a week at the
end when I left. But now moving here, it is so much bigger! I got here and
found out that besides just the Dongying and Taiping missionaries, the Wufeng
missionaries would stop teaching at a school and join together with us at the
church. So now I have 12 missionaries to lead, and with the two English
programs combining together we have for the last two weeks both times hit 98
students coming and attending. I feel like we are going to burst the
classrooms!
We had a really good
investigator (I never really like the term golden and actually I don't think
once I have ever said it on my mission, it is much over used and just about
every single missionary says that about every single investigator; me I just
don't like it) that I added from our English class to meet with us at a
different time. We taught the first lesson about the Restoration with him, and
he really shared a lot and expressed a lot of his own feelings and thoughts
(which was way awesome). We invited him to be baptized and he accepted a
baptismal goal for August 16. The sad part though is that we now know he
doesn't live in our area but lives in the Dongying area. So we are referring
him and will introduce him to Elder Christiansen and Elder Williams on
Wednesday after English class.
Other news...this
Saturday or Sunday Elder Randall and I are going to have a
duanchuan (a short-term missionary) from Nantun in Taichung be with us for 7-10
days (don't know how long yet). So it's going to be way fun! Hopefully not too
hectic or anything and leave a good impression for Brother Wang (the
duanchuan).
So the first picture,
this little sucker came walking out during personal study! I was reading
scriptures and looking down and just see it go walking by my feet and then
towards Elder Randall's desk. We sprayed it with bug spray but it still was
twitching for like 3 or 4 hours afterwards. This has been the biggest one yet
that I have found inside an apartment.
Next is at Shitou Kaorou
(basically a buffet, yes we are probably spoiled here in Taiwan that we can eat
at buffets and still budget it in with monthly expenses). It was Elder Ward's
20th birthday. So all the Elders from our district as well as some members and
some investigators went and ate together. Ended up being 500 kuai per person
since we paid for Elder Ward.
Next is later that day
we went to the Department store next to the Mission office and went to the book
store. I got Ender's Game in Chinese! And no I am being good and not reading it
right now. But my goal is to be able to read it when I come home.
I have a few more
pictures I will send. But this has been about it for me over on the island of
Taiwan. I also don't really think the Typhoon will affect us much here in
Taichung. We are about at the safest part of Taiwan when it comes to
Typhoons.
Love you so much! Miss
you always! Love the family as well!
Elder Dayley
