Hello everyone well this week has been amazing it was power week here and man it was so much fun. So this week our ward had a party and man people are crazy they were playing a guessing game and they were jumping up and down it was fun. It is fun to get to know the ward better. 

 As for miracles this week... we were just about to eat dinner and calling the apr when we got a hold of a guy and he said “meet me right now at this place.” Well alright we will be there soon. So we got there as fast as we could and ended up going through this huge field, a few abandoned buildings and finally finding his little shack. We found out that this guy was a member and his job is to watch the buildings around here every day so he can’t go to church but he wanted to hear the gospel and such. So talk about the miracle! A lot of people, if their jobs take up their Sunday time here they forget about the church but he really wants to continue to learn! I also found out this week how important it is to love everyone and know that the lord will help you. Everyone I talk to with boldness pulls over to the side of the road and gives us their number. I love my companion he is so amazing everyday he does something new and just keeps improving and learning and he is totally willing to help me learn and trying to help me become a great missionary. He is a great man. I know without a doubt in my mind that the Lord has placed me where I am for a reason and that no matter what happens he loves me and I am a child of God. Remember that you can talk to the Lord about anything. He is our Father in Heaven and he will respond. Maybe not when you want it but he will respond. And he will help. I know that Heavenly Father watches over each individual person, and if you put your trust in him not only will you begin to understand your purpose in life but you will begin to see the never ending happiness that is promised to us. Trust the lord love the lord. Trust yourself love everyone. Read your scriptures say your prayers. Remember who you are.

 

The pictures that I added are some temple trip pictures and also a night market picture at Fangjia university night market. And a statue at a bike shop that totally reminded me of Sundance.

Hey mom sorry I didn’t write on Monday we had zone conference and brother Evans came it was pretty cool. We learned a lot. Hey so I actually had kind of the same impression that I kind of need to be prepared for any type of emergency.  So if you could make sure there is money in my account and also could you tell me next Sunday how much is in the account that would be great. Oh and pigs blood is actually pretty good. The stuff I’m talking about is taoff pudding. I now know what most of what I’m eating is. Also dad there is a whole chapter in Preach My Gospel about stake and ward leaders and how the ward is to help. I never realized how important the ward is in missionary work until now.

 

 Alright well it sounds like everyone is doing well. Sorry I didn’t get this to you till now P day got moved to Wednesday this week. And I would just like you all to know that I am still doing my work out and I still have a backpack that has pretty much everything I need as a missionary still kind of in the making. But my leg muscles are getting huge. Riding the bike is so much fun here in Taiwan because of all the parks and such. And I have now passed the fourth test of the language teaching skills book. Only three more to go, thank you for all of your prayers! Chinese New Year is still officially going on, but all of the party and vacations are pretty much over. However, lantern festival is supposed to be this Saturday, so I’m excited for that. We had mission tour this week to kick off our power week, it was so cool!  Brother Evans came and the Area Seventy. It was very cool. I also had my first exchanges this week. It was weird not being with Elder Bee but at the same time I learned a lot from Elder Hu who is the zone leader I went on splits with. SO power week is a week where we have a specific assignment each day and we try to hit that goal. But first my culture experience of the week. So it is custom here to make and prepare hongbao's which is the little red envelope thing, and give them out. so we did that for some of the familys. And then we also got to know a lot of members because it was pretty much none stop eating during Chinese New Year. So good. The fruit is amazing they have something here that we would call a wax apple. It is a miniaturized watermelon in my opinion greatest invention ever created. Also the fruit is usually after the dessert here.

 Well I said this week was power week and I have to tell you about one of the coolest things that has ever happened to me. So Tuesday’s goal was to place 15 Books of Mormon and get their info. to call them up. Now this is quite hard because imagine being a small Taiwanese person and having two big white guys randomly at a stop light ask you to pull over to the side of the road for a bit to talk. But it happens all the time. That in its self is a miracle but the miracle is this. I was still on exchanges with the zone leader that morning and we placed 4 or 5 Books of Mormon and then we had a bike ride back to our area and immediately had a less active lesson, then another lesson and we grabbed dinner somewhere in there. Then on our last appointment for the night he couldn't make it.  This is at 7:20ish so we still had Books of Mormon on us, not a lot but we decided we would try to place them. No joke we placed 10 Books of Mormon in the hour and half we had, which is even more amazing! I did not think we had ten Books of Mormon on us but we kept reaching into our bags and pulling them out. Plus we got a bunch of referrals. In all honesty  it was all the Lords work.  That morning I simply asked him in my prayer, “Heavenly Father let us meet the goal and find those who need these Books of Mormon”, and that is what happened. We placed 15 Books of Mormon all in all. I know that you can do anything if one is God and two is you. This is my testimony in the name of Jesus Christ amen.                            Love, Elder Green

Dear Mom,

  Ok so first. I am a servant of our Heavenly Father our God. I am okay. I was put into a very good apartment. We just deep cleaned today and the apartment is very clean and ready. Second thanks for all the prayers this week I had some interesting turns that will definitely be for the better. As for the miracles there are so many I cannot count. Elder B. is so amazing.

Could I get the chocolate chip cookie recipe and a couple of other good recipes for regular food that would be appreciated? (* Mom tried to tell him he would want these, but he insisted he knew how to cook) This week is Chinese New Year so I wouldn’t have gotten mail this week anyway and I might not get it next week either. But that’s ok I will be happy to get a package.  Pray this week that I will remember the tasks I should be doing at the time it is needed. I have passed the past two tests by the way. So it is going good.

Alright so this week and next are Chinese New Year, So happy New Year Everyone, and also I heard about some new mission calls this week congrats to you all!  It’s crazy it’s pretty much a two week party here.  Most of the stores shut down, everyone just eats sleeps and lights of fireworks. It is crazy! It’s so cool though. It makes it little hard to talk to people about the gospel but people are more than willing to say happy New Year.

All of our investigators are out of town so we are really trying to figure out how to help the ward and get the members active. It’s a good time for that because for this whole week lunch and dinner is being taken care of by members.  It has been so cool doing this.  New Year’s technically started last Saturday so we have been going to members houses since then. The spiritual thought we decided to share with the members when we go to their homes was about the plan of salvation the eternal families part.  The other night while we were at dinner I had the strongest impression to say something and usually I would just say it but I’m in training so I was kind of waiting for my trainer to say something, but I had the impression again so I went for it and I said something that blew me away it was so simple and yet it was exactly what the family needed to hear. And on Sunday the whole family was at church on New Year’s which is a miracle in itself!  And it happened again the other night but I was more willing to just say it this time. And once again it was exactly what I needed to say!

I don’t know what I have eaten this week but I downed it.  Most of it is good and I’m so glad that I don’t ask what it is till after I have eaten it.  I have had interesting parts of a cow and some interesting fish and vegetables. And a lot of tofu still I don’t know why the hardest think for me to down is like a toffee pudding thing that they use as a dessert but man it is so crazy.

So one lesson I have learned so far is you can always learn!  Never are you done learning.   You can always learn more about something.

This week, even though it’s Chinese New Year, I know it will be a better week!  And since we are focusing on families I will say this to end my letter. Heavenly Father, our God, promised us that our families can be together forever. Not just in this life but through the eternities. And that is true. There are no ifs, ands, or buts about it, we can attain eternal families, and forever be with the ones we love. I love this church I will do the Lords work.  I know that we are all children of our heavenly father and have a specific purpose on this earth. Trust the lord love the lord trust yourself loves everyone. Read your scriptures say your prayers. I invite you all the night that you read this to ask Heavenly Father if this promise is true if you can have an eternal family.

 

 

 

Dear Mom,
I am so happy that the family is doing well. Tell each of the girls I love them and that they are doing great!  It sounds like they are all doing really well.  Remind them to keep reading the Book of Mormon and to write me about what they have read recently even if I won’t get it for a while.
Elder B. is awesome. He is 6'5, loves basketball was a swimmer in high school is one of four boys in his family lived in Los Angeles, California, and has the ability to immediately have a smile and the spirit with him whenever he needs it. I look up to him a lot. He is teaching me a great deal about many things.
Well, where to begin for this week?  So I’m continuing to street contact, that’s super fun! The people over here really admire English and American culture so things are a lot more Americanish than I expected. The mission just changed their outline of the English class we have once a week and it is awesome! Hopefully it will increase the work by tenfold. Oh also, like I was told, the girls over here like blonde white guys but man It's getting almost a little ridicules. It’s actually really funny I can understand a lot more than people think I can, but I just can’t say it back so people tell me things and then they’ll laugh and I'll just laugh inside because I know what they said.
Our apartment is really good actually we are up high so we don’t have any cockroaches or mosquitos yet. Plus we have Chinese New Year coming up and one of the traditions is super clean, and President said that we need super clean, so we will be doing that next week. I tried seaweed wraps this week and it was supper good I had the duck one and oh yeah they are good.  Also, I found a pot sticker place that did pot stickers for 4 kuai which the ratio is 30kuai to one U.S dollar. And I finally met my match I couldn’t down something the other day, it was a cold soup of some sort and it tasted good but my stomach was a about to explode. And I had something called a candy wax apple and a wax apple is a fruit over here that tastes like a watered down watermelon in apple form. And then they lace it with sugar, super good.  I will send pictures as soon as I can.
  So I was super happy we got a former this week that is super interested he is catholic currently and he came to church. It was so cool!  He likes it and wants to come back and everything. I’m a little worried that some of our investigators will get lost over New Year’s. But the Lord will pull them through I know. We also were trackting the other night and we knocked on a door and nothing, so we moved on.  Just as we were about to head home someone came out and said hey “Americans what you selling?” in Chinese of course.   So we gave them a pamphlet and set up an appointment for after New Year’s. I also got to review the plan of salvation with one of our investigators that have a baptismal date. We are really working on the less actives in this area because there are over 500, so we are trying to make progress on that.
  Well Thank you for your prayers family I don’t know if you remember this but I was promised in the setting apart prayer that I would feel your love and know that you are kneeling down and praying with me and for me.  I know this to be true I have felt it. And I have used ever last bit of strength from each prayer to the next to do the Lord’s work, so keep up the good work. I never get tired of teaching people because every time I do I fell the spirit and feel it working in my life and theirs. This work is for the Lord. It’s hard it’s tiring its long it tries your patience. But the Lord called me to do it, and in all honesty I have learned more already than I thought I ever could.  And I know without a doubt in my mind that Heavenly father loves me and is helping me , giving me a hug when I need one  Giving me comfort when I need comfort.  I am grateful that I have the knowledge that if I endure to the end and keep doing the Lords work I can have eternal life.  A promised blessing for prayer is comfort, so I invite everyone who reads this no matter where you are or who you are to pray right now and ask Heavenly Father for comfort.  Read your scriptures say your prayers, trust the Lord, love the Lord, trust yourself love everyone. Love Elder Green

First email from Taiwan

I honestly don’t know where to begin, so here it goes. I love the people! I love the food! I love the mission!  I am so grateful I am finally here. Mom I realized I gave you the wrong password to my account stuff. Add a 1 on to the password if it isn’t working and it should work. Also I found out that it takes anywhere from 10 days to three weeks to have a letter get here. They pride themselves on their mail system and it is extremely safe and efficient. Oh, also ask Brother Leavitt if he knows what the thing that is like a fruit drink that has tapioca balls in it is called.

  SAyyyyyyy what? Tokyo! That is going to be so cool!!!  And tell Grandy happy birthday for me. It sounds like it’s going to be a blast, same with all of the family that is down there right now. Love you all!

  The plane ride wasn’t bad at all.  I was so excited it literally zoomed by and I just couldn’t wait to get there. When we got there President Bishop picked us up in what is the common rent bus here, but it pretty much was a party slash hippie bus with neon lights and curtains. So cool! Then we had orientation for a few days so I got to say my goodbyes to my old district.  They tested us on our physical strength and our spiritual strength. They also let us try some new foods.   They have some really good fruit called a passion fruit which looks totally gross but it is soooooooo good.  Also everywhere sells rice dumplings and noodles, so I’m set.   The food is awesome. Oh, this is more for uncle Rex, but here are some really weird foods I have tried so far:  Duck brain, fried do to foo, rice omelet, dong wa cha, which is winter Mellon tea, (Don’t worry its healthy tea) some really good pastries, and a lot of other stuff that I don’t know the name of, but it tastes good! 

   So everything here is in really tall apartment buildings and packed really close. And everyone has a scooter and there is a huge American influence here.

   My first companion is Elder Bee from Los Angeles he is 6 five, plays basketball and pretty much just has the spirit and knows his stuff.  He is so cool.

    My first area is called the Fangjia ward in Taichung city itself. It has a huge night market and a college and a lot of parks it is so cool.  We have a total of 3 progressing investigators and 3 investigators at the moment, and they are all so cool.

   So my first Saturday here I got to go to a baptism in our area and it was so cool. To see the smile on the persons face when she came out of the font...  Then that next Sunday I got to bare testimony in sacrament meeting that was good.  I couldn't say much but I was able to say what I wanted to.  I totally lucked out again my first P-day I got to go to the temple which is why it took so long to respond back. It is so cool they did stuff half in Chinese half in English.  Oh so cool!  But normally P-days will be on Monday for me, so I will write then next week. 

   So I’m not going to lie its pretty much biking all day to appointments and stuff since Elder Bee is district leader.  We do most of our contacting while on the street on our bikes whenever we stop at a light and talk to whoever is there. It is so cool.  I love it!   Well my time is almost up.   I will write more next week and hopefully be able to send pictures. 

  So just know that no matter who you are where you’ve come from you are still a child of god and are entitled to the blessings of our Heavenly Father, and that He wants to help you and loves you, and through prayer we can talk with our Father in Heaven, and by reading the scriptures we can learn his words. I know this to be true, and pray for the safety of my family and friends. Love you 

Oh mom real quick that I forgot to mention, the first night we were here they did kind of an initiatory thing where they take us to the night market, give us a box and we give a small powerful testimony. And then they pare us up with an older missionary and off we go and preach at the night market. It was one of the most spiritual experiences of my life cause when I was on that box I could see the people stop, and I could see the glitter and hope in their eyes for the truth of what they can really obtain and have in this life. I have two goals: one, I don’t want a day to go by where the smile drops from my face. Two, I cannot waste my time learning the language. So they have language learning material out here called phase one and phase two and phase three. My goal is to be done with phase one in six weeks. And faze two by the end of my training. And also to be able to understand the people when they talk. So please pray for these if you are going to pray for me. Love you and I will write more next week.