February 26, 2017

Hello everyone from the super wet Taiwan!

This week was awesome! Last week we spend the P-Day by eating and playing board games with our district! It was really relaxing and a good way to get ready for the week.

And our week was busy! Elder Cooper and I are really getting to be really good friends now. And also the work is really starting to move along now! We have some pretty good investigators moving along now but we are also still on the streets everyday trying to find new people! Especially if we can find a family here! That's our goal.

This Sunday was a crazy disaster and miracle for sacrament meeting. We planned on meeting our investigator, Jim, at the train station to go to Church with him at 8:50. But because he really likes to talk English with us, he thought we said 8:15. He didn't tell us he got there early or call us or anything. Instead, when we got there at 8:50 he texted us and said that he had waited for a half an hour then gone back to bed. So that was a bummer. But then during sacrament meeting, two of our other investigators that we invited but didn't expect to come actually showed up! It was both of their first times! Our ward did a whole sacrament meeting on missionary work though. Every talk was just about how the members need to work with the missionaries and always give referrals. So that was a little weird for all the investigators...

After we ended sacrament meeting and went to Gospel Principles Class, our third investigator called us and said he was on the third floor looking for us. So we actually went with him to the other ward's sacrament meeting with him. We hoped that one would be a little more investigator friendly.... BUT, it's Taiwan. They ended up having a crazy member talk really long and REALLY loud. He was just ranting about how everyone need to repent and follow the commandments. It was a little awkward. Hahaha (I still feel bad for the other ward's missionaries though. They had brought a new investigating family for their first time! Hahaha)

So things are going well here! Elder Cooper and I are really starting to get our area moving and I am starting to really figure out the whole missionary thing! (I probably never will! Hahaha) However, last Tuesday Elder Rauckhorst and I were on exchanges and it was super fun! A storm rolled in on Tuesday but we had planned on doing studies outside and we didn't feel like changing our plan! It was awesome to study under an umbrella! Hahaha! The storm finally stopped this morning but it was raining none stop for the last four or five days! Hahaha I love Taiwan!

That's about all I have for you this week!  Love you all so much!

Elder Holderness

February 19, 2017

Well, that's another week in Taiwan!

This week was a great week! Because our area had slowed down A LOT because of Chinese New Year, Elder Cooper and I have been working really hard to get it back up and going. We did a lot of finding this week! But it was so worth it!

We spent pretty much every night out and on the streets talking to everyone. At first it didn't seem that we were going to really get anywhere this week but we really did! We got 4 new investigators and 3 new baptismal dates! It has been really cool to see how much the Lord blesses people for their hard work even in ways that they don't expect!

Elder Cooper and I have really gotten to be a lot better friends this week! I think we are really going to make this transfer awesome! He really likes to work hard which makes it a lot less stressful for me!

Yesterday at Church we were supposed to have about 9 investigators come! We were super excited because that is a lot! But then, as usual, no one actually came. So that was a bummer! Hahaha we keep on working though!

Also, Valentines day is officially the easiest holiday for missionaries to forget about completely. Especially in Taiwan! Hahaha I didn't even realize that it was anywhere near this time of year yet! Thank you so much for the package though! It was awesome and I totally didn't expect it!

I don't have too much to write about this week actually. We are kind of just getting started with all new investigators so there isn't much to really talk about with them. And last P-Day I had to go back to my old area to sign papers at the police station there because of my bike accident. (It wasn't the best P-Day! Hahaha but I did get to spend time with my old bishop! He's the best!)

I don't really have any pictures this week so enjoy this selfie of me wearing Sister Zhu's awesome bike helmet!

I am doing well, the area is doing well and I am really loving it here in Taiwan! My Chinese isn't a problem anymore so that's really cool and a little weird.

我知道神和耶穌基督活著。我知道祂們愛每個人。我知道耶穌基督後期聖徒教會是耶穌真實的教會。透過約瑟斯密神復興了祂的福音。我知道耶穌基督是我們的救主。

I know that God and Jesus Christ live. I know that they love everyone. I know that the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day saints is Christ's true church. Through Joseph Smith, God restored his gospel. I know that Jesus Christ is our savior.

Love you all so much.

Elder Holderness

February 12, 2017

Transfer Week!

This week was pretty fun! Elder Taylor and I finished up in our area the best we could but he was a little anxious for the move call. He had been in BanQiao for about six months and he only has one more transfer left so he was ready to move! I will really miss him, at first I was a little unsure with how our companionship would go but I couldn't be happier with our I time went! Our whole district last transfer was the best! It will be hard to beat. We did a final P-Day with everyone last week and went to barbecue then played a bunch of games together.

This week I took over the area, my new companion is Elder Cooper from Logan Utah. He is only one transfer ahead of me on the mission so I was in the MTC with him. It has been kind of stressful leading the area but not too bad. 

We don't' have a lot of investigators in the area right now so we are doing a lot of finding almost everyday. I have come to really just love speaking Chinese with the people of Taiwan so I really don't mind finding too much anymore. We just need to find new people who really want to learn.

I really love being a missionary. Sometimes it's boring. Sometimes it's hard. But it really is the best thing I could've ever done.

Elder Holderness

Additional note from Brian:  I read about Brett's transfer!  He is actually companions with my best friend from the MTC!!! I can't believe that they are companions!  (Brett is Brian's best buddy from home.  He is serving in the Scotland/Ireland mission and has ended up learning Chinese due to so many students from China living there)

February 5, 2017

Hello Again!

Well the Chinese New Year has come and gone and I won't lie, it was pretty disappointing... It really wasn't anything. They just sit inside and eat food for a week. There weren't even fireworks or anything really. But that's ok! Taiwan is still awesome!

This week was pretty hard for us in our area. We had a couple of families that were set up for this week but then their Christian friends gave them some Anti-Mormon stuff and they don't want to meet with us anymore. So that's a bummer. We really are just hitting the streets a lot and finding more people to teach.

Last night we went to the new member fireside though with Chen Ba (The RC from a couple weeks ago) and his wife. They loved it and they had the opportunity to meet President Jergensen. It was fantastic! We are still working with Chen Ma to get baptized but she is really preparing well and hopefully will be able to receive baptism this month or in March!

This week we did have some fun though! We had our last few meals with the members for the New Year and they're the best! I was so thankful for the opportunity to meet with all of them and get to know them better! We met with 14 families total and had 14 meals provided. It was truly so nice of them!

Another awesome thing this week happened last Saturday night! I got to go back to TaoYuan for baptisms! It was so awesome! I love that area so much and all the ward went crazy when they saw me again! Hahaha! I miss them a lot! We went for one baptism, his name was Li Yan Xi, I taught him with Elder Liao. But what I didn't know was that there were actually three baptisms all at the same time! One from the other set of Elders and one from the Sisters! The Sisters was a girl named Liu Jiemei, I actually found her too! And there was another girl they were teaching that I found as well! So I was super excited to hear all about the success down there! I loved it!

That's about it for this week! Thanks everyone for the support! Love you all!

Elder Holderness