Time flies. My district and I are super excited because since August 1st we have officially been able to say "We will be in Taiwan this month." AHHHHHHH hen bang! (awesome). I leave on August 27, so I've got about 2.5ish more weeks left at the MTC. SHENME? (What?)
THANKS HOMIES
Thank you to anyone who reads my emails. It's awesome that you like to hear what I say and also support me. :) Also a few shout outs. Shout out to Mallory because she's an awesome pen pal. Shout out to Elder Kohldog because he is safe in Peru. Shout out to Sarah for sending me Saxon and Matix's pictures. I will be sure to draw them an awesome pic today. And thank you for your sweet letter and keeping me up to date on the Bachelorette news. ;) Thank you Nina and Joey for sending me homemade cookies and the MI Reporter so I can stay up to date. Thank you MI Sunday School for sending me every flavor of M&Ms that ever existed and the sweet notes! And Dad for sending goodies. You all rock. My roommates also love you because I share the food you send with them.
FOOD GLORIOUS FOOD
So in addition to the food I get sent in the mail, the older generation left last week and left us all this food. We are so spoiled. We have an entire closet shelf stocked with food. yummm. Speaking of food. I learned a few fun facts from my teacher this week about Taiwanese culture--which involves food etiquette.
So in addition to the food I get sent in the mail, the older generation left last week and left us all this food. We are so spoiled. We have an entire closet shelf stocked with food. yummm. Speaking of food. I learned a few fun facts from my teacher this week about Taiwanese culture--which involves food etiquette.
--When entering a Taiwanese home you must take off your shoes.
--You must always acknowledge the elder of the household by BOWING (awesome so doing this everyday) or just saying "Hi how are you?" etc.
--You cannot stab your food with chopsticks.
--You must reach across the table...they don't ask anyone to pass anything ever.
--You must must must finish ALL of the rice in your bowl! It's insulting to the farmers who picked the rice. Also if you don't, it's a superstition that your future spouse will be ugly (yikes).
--Whistling at night--don't do it or else the ghosts will come out!!!!!!!
--Taiwan missionaries get hit by a car an average of 4 times. Shoot. Don't freak out, Mom.
So remember last week when I said that I was teaching via Skype? Uhh yeah..that lesson was bad haha. It took us 20 minutes to get the connection working. And after that the lesson just was --bad. No spirit felt whatsoever. Most of it was my fault because I was allowing myself to get frustrated with my companion. Oh well..you live and you learn right?
BUT yesterday was awesome. During temple walk we ran into a bunch of teenagers you were visiting from Taiwan!!!! We talked to them for an hour! In Chinese! It was kind of hard to understand them because they spoke fast, but it was great practice. They were so kind to us. I was talking to one girl named Momo and I told her her name was cool cuz that's the name of the monkey on Avatar, the last Airbender. She had no idea what I was talking about lol. I tried to explain in Chinese but I just made her even more confused lol oh well. They said they wanted to practice their English with us. We had to go but I invited them all to volunteer at TRC and they said they wanted to come! Maybe we'll see them this Saturday! :) That sure made up for the bad TRC experience I had earlier this week.
HAVE FUN WITH THE LITTLE THINGS
I've learned a lot this week about enjoying the little things in life. If you don't have fun...this MTC experience would be miserable! If you find yourself getting down ever, just take life a moment at a time! Seriously! (I put this sign on Elder Leo while he was sleeping lol)
TEMPLE CLEANING
I just got back from cleaning the temple an hour ago. Such an amazing experience. The sisters got to clean the crystal chandeliers. It was amazing,. I don't really have words to describe it. I miss the temple. The moment I walked into the Sealing room I just got super overwhelmed. I cannot wait to help others get to the temple and feel that same peace.
ZUO ZHANZHENG
I learned this week that if you feel like you need to bear your testimony--even if it's in another language that you've only learned for 6ish weeks--just do it. Otherwise the MTC President will call you out in front of the entire congregation because you look nervous and you're sitting in the front row. (Rookie mistake)
LOOK A LIKES
I taught about tithing for the first time this week. We teach my teacher who is pretending to be a progressing investigator. I handed her a Chinese pamphlet on tithing and bore my testimony. She randomly starting laughing in the middle of our lesson and I thought "Shoot--I said something wrong." After the lesson she came up to me and showed me a pic in the pamphlet and said, "THIS is why I was laughing." The Asian dude in the Chinese tithing pamphlet looks JUST like an Asian version of Jerry Seinfield!!!!! HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA i took a pic for you all.
ALSO, super random...Ryan Reynolds (the actor) has a little brother. And he is in my branch. I found out the other day when talking to him. SOOOO WEIRD. He looks exactly like Ryan Reynolds, only shorter and younger. I'll take a creeper picture of him and send it home to you guys before I leave.
DO NOT TAKE COUNSEL FROM YOUR FEARS
I have learned so many amazing lessons here. I would like to share a quick thought.
Throughout this week I have been starting to feel overwhelmed. Taiwan is approaching soon and as excited as I am for adventure I am also very afraid of what's to come. I am fearful for the future.
Earlier this week I was reading Joshua 1:9 during personal study: "Have not I commanded thee? Be strong and of good courage. Be not afraid. Neither be thou dismayed. For the Lord thy God is with thee withersoever thou goest."
Later that day I heard a quote by Elder Holland: "I submit to you, choosing not to counsel with your fears is almost the most universally disobeyed commandment." I thought "Commandment? How could being not afraid be a commandment? Being afraid is so natural..it should be okay..."
Later that week my teacher said to our class something truly inspired. I believe it was an answer to my prayers, meant for me and my personal revelation. She said, "We are safe. We are not insecure, we only think we are. Fear begins in our heads. We are the author and it is a clear tool of Satan. You really do have to let go and let God do His work."
I realized something important. Fear makes us hide. Fear makes us put our light under a bushel. "Be not afraid" is a commandment because fear teaches us to be too concerned with the opinions of others. We become afraid to be bold, to explore, to find out who we really are. We make choices based on "safety" rather than making choices by the Spirit. We have to make a spiritual leap that says "I can let go of worry. I do not have to see things right now nor have all the answers delivered to me this day." I can trust because the One I trust is completely, undeniably trustworthy.
I think my problem is that I want to see the end from the beginning. I would like to see at least a step or two ahead sometimes. Prophet Harold B Lee once said, "You must learn to walk to the edge of the light, and then a few steps in the darkness; only then the light will appear and show the way before you."
Do not take counsel from your fears. It is a diminished source. Let us take counsel from the light, from the One who knows the end from the beginning and whose hand is over all things. "All things" means me and you too.
Have a great week everyone :)
Sister Tracy
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