Week 8 in Taiwan: I'm grateful for Trials!

I'm not sure how much time I have, so I'll try to prioritize. Tuesday was pretty challenging. I tweaked my ankle pretty good at Frisbee that morning (doing much much better now), but we had planned to make the trek down to ZhiXue. I wasn't about to let a minor injury keep us from going forth with the Lord's work. I said a prayer...or two or three...okay, I prayed the whole way down and back again. It wasn't much fun, but it was doable (and done fast). God strengthened me once again in my travels to bring the message of His gospel to His children. I also had a number of other ailments that day including but not limited to an echo in my ear, pains in my mouth, and a very unhappy stomach; yet, through it all I couldn't help but feel grateful and blessed to be able to still go forth and share a message of such hope and joy with those in such great need. Now, that day all our appointments fell through including back-up plans, but I know the Lord will bless us with success as we continue to put forth our very best efforts. Some blessings come now, some late, and some in the next life, but for those who love God, they come, see video Good things to Come,

I got to see my MTC companion Elder Lawrence while in Taipei

 All the stuff for the elders in FengLin which made us late

Some fun P-days

local water park

That evening we taught Wu Rong Chang, a less active recent convert (actually Elder Karlinsey's who just got engaged. Congratulations to him and his fiance!); he's in his 60s or 70s, lives alone and works for just enough to fill his stomach the next day. Yet, this man is more a saint than most any man I've ever known or heard of. He cares so much for us. He INSISTS on feeding us with what little food he has despite all objections and is always concerned for our safety as we leave into the night to make our trek back up to Hualian. He's always smiling and...well he loves us and we love him. He's a true man. This is where it pays off. All the difficulties fade away when I get the chance to make a difference in the lives of people like him. 

Another is Su Ming Zhong. He's the truest of the true. I love the members here in Taiwan. They've truly sacrificed so much for the gospel. They've had mighty changes of heart and been changed through the Atonement of Jesus Christ. I feel such a sense of brotherhood with them just as I do with my dear friends back home. Su Ming Zhong was once in the Mafia, and now...and now his HOBBY is to go out with the missionaries and share the gospel! He has a hard, tiring job, but he would rather go out with us and share about Jesus Christ than return home and rest, not to mention even eat dinner as if it wasn't enough. He's an example to us all of a devoted disciple and of the Atonement in action. He'll go with us to a lesson. Afterwards we'll thank him and wish him good night, but no, he won't go home until we're done for the night. He loves us and we love him.

With both of these brethren and all people, because of our love for Lord, we cannot help but love each other, see Matthew 22: 36-40 "Master, which is the great commandment in the law? Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment.And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets."

our own invention for Sunday dinner

 Another day we had zhuabing: it's like a super fancy asian fair food quesadilla...ish...yeah, but super cheap and common

Adding to my photo collection of interesting Taiwanese insects: murderous giant bees!

Anyway, trials. Tuesday was a trial, and I'm grateful for it. Huh? Is this Elder Dickson guy crazy? Must be something in the water or something... ;P No, really. I'm grateful for the trials I face each day because of what they represent and because of what they result in. God wants to give us all He has. We are His children and He loves us. He wants and knows what is BEST for us. When we endure hardships, it is evidence of His loving correction. He is allowing us to change and become better; he is allowing us to access the Atonement of His Son Jesus Christ--the One who suffered all for you and I, the One who rose again with healing in His wings, the One who stands ready, wanting to help us as soon as we allow Him into our lives. Because He has overcome all our weaknesses, sufferings, and shortcomings, He is in a position to help us along the way. We don't have to walk such a long, lonely path because someone already has: the Savior of the world. Call on Him. Trust Him. Thank Him for your trials. Thank him for your blessings. Thank Him for your knowledge and testimony of Him...and then go out and share it with those still looking, thirsting for what we so often take for granted. Share the JOY :D Please see: The Will of God video and As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten .  I thought it was super cool when I learned my name is part of the word for gardener in Chinese this week yuanding...In Proverbs 3:11-12 it says "My son, despise not the chastening of the Lord; neither be weary of his correction: For whom the Lord loveth he correcteth; even as a father the son in whom he delighteth."  God doesn't wish to afflict us or make our lives more difficult He is more like a teacher or parent who wants what is best for us.  He is much more aware of what we need to become better than we are. 

We had a delicious meal that the Beutlers provided followed by homemade Ice Cream (with peanut butter, cactus, etc.!)

This week on October 10th is Taiwanese Independence Day.  I had the opportunity on P-day to play soccer by the beach, I also absentmindedly bleached my color load...yeah, all on that one Tuesday, who was it that said Monday mornings were the hard ones?? ;).

We heart attacked a few member homes

Thai Food

One day we taught English class on the weather and played an awesome "become the weather man game" that was awfully reminiscent of a Studio C we know an love, see fun weather forecast comedy sketch.

Since I'm running out of time, here's my week in blur:

We attended a Trainer/Trainee follow-up meeting in Taipei.

Temple in Taipei

There was a  the tour guide on the train from Japan that testified of all things denoting there is a God, see Alma 30:44 "The scriptures are laid before thee, yea, and all things denote there is a God; yea, even the earth, and all things that are upon the face of it, yea, and its motion, yea, and also all the planets which move in their regular form do witness that there is a Supreme Creator."

I got to eat some all-you-can-eat Costco pizza :D, some things that are in America are also over here!

My bike was vandalized in minor ways but it still goes :)

They don't have ovens over here so we are not quite sure how to make cookies. One of the elders got a cake mix in a package so we made it using a  rice cooker--it actually worked! 

We've had some seriously beautiful weather.  This is the view from our apartment, you can just barely see the ocean in the background.

At church we taught the Ertong last second ( the Ertong are little little kid like 5 and underish) English class since the sisters were sick so we sang Old MacDonald, we played hangman but drew a turtle instead instead of a person and we talked about Jonah and the whale.

Interesting note: salt forms on the outside of our pants from sweat.  We found an the ankle-loving cat and sometimes we even bike through buildings. After a tough schedule we finally found Peter Pan again!, Fenglin seeing miracles and there are now missionaries who have that as their area.

Some of my "heart attack" notes

I've been thinking about  MWBF (miracles wrought by faith). I now record at least one a day and we have seen MANY.  Just the other day we were double qinged dinner (we ran into a member who insisted on paying for our dinner, but when he went to pay learned it had already been paid for by someone who had walked by on the street unbeknownst to us...wow!  Last, but certainly not least, one of the greatest men on earth (my dad) has a birthday coming up this week on Sunday the 23rd! Please tell him happy birthday for me and make him feel loved!

I love you all! Thank you for your prayers and support!!!

All is Well!  Elder Reed Dickson