May 26, 2013

Thank you for your prayers.

 

First things first,

Mom I love you

Dad I love you 

Colby and Kat I love you

Ashleigh.....her future knight in shining armor, I love you

Emma I love you

Hannah I love you

Madison I love you

Natalie I love you

Well this week was pretty interesting our washer broke, so we had to get a new one, and we just got a new ac system. It is pretty useful having your senior companion be the old operations manager. So right now the apartment is just finishing remodel mode to accommodate four elders. But real quick something cool that we did that I will send pictures of is we went hiking in the mountains. That was fun to go do that again, being in and seeing the outdoors. But I'm going to be quite honest while I’m on a mission, nothing beats the adrenaline rush of teaching people the gospel!  

The members are really starting to trust us and let us in and have started helping us.  We have about three dinner appointments this week. Which to Taiwanese, if they invite you to dinner that is good because food is everything out here to these people.  Well not everything but it’s really important. It's funny though I see a lot more similarities in Taiwanese culture to ours than other people do I think. Anyway…

 

So the plan for Puli:  Elder B is really into throwing activities and getting people welcomed back into the ward that way. Which I am super glad! Because with how much less active work we are doing that is probably really the best thing, especially for investigators as well because it is a nice way for them to get friends in the ward and help out with wards activities. So a cool miracle story really quick, well sort of long one. We were heading up to the old persons home slash hospital here in Puli to visit probably the coolest old Taiwanese person I have ever met. And all of the sudden a lady in the parking lot yells at us and says “Who is Elder Green, and who is Elder Bailey?” We stop and look at each other, raise our hands and go over and say hello. And lo and behold it’s a less active and she is holding in her hand is the little newsletter me and Elder Bailey had just written that we have been giving to all of the less actives.   It was so good to know that people were actually getting these, and we saw at least three other less active families back at church on Sunday. Well after that we went over to Hu bei bei "bei bei" is what they call every male over 70 here and they use it like it is a part of their name. Anyway, this man is a spiritual power house. He has one wish and that is to get back to the temple at least one more time.  After that he doesn’t care what happens, and not only that, but as all four of us missionaries were singing to him and giving him a message he said one of the most profound statements I have ever heard. He said “I have Heavenly Father’s Melchizedek Priesthood, I will not dishonor it and leave the church.” It was one of the most spiritual experiences to see this old man who lives in a retirement home with nothing but his scriptures a box and a bed say ”I will not deny the truth”. And it is it is the truth that Heavenly Father loves you, that you can talk to him, that you can read his words, and that no matter what you do, His son, Jesus Christ, so that you can get back to him, will help you every step of the way. This is why the atonement is so important.  It allowed us to one day live with Heavenly Father and become perfect like him! However, a tool is no good unless you use it so we have to remember to do our part.

READ YOUR SCRIPTURES SAY YOUR PRAYERS!

Love,

Elder Green.