Week 15: A cold and rainy week in MiaoLi

Here are some photos of Elder Joly and I on P-day before he left that Cash emailed me.

Elder Raley, Cash, and I

 

As Elder Raley would say, "another week in paradise!...except now it's cold..." It was a wet one, but at least he didn't go swimming again ;P It's hard for me to believe, but I've been on my mission now for over 8 months (1/3 of my mission). Time is short, and I'm grateful for every second.

My camera cord is still not working but thanks to Elder Johnson letting me use his card reader, I was able to get the photos off of my camera. 

Here are those pix of Elder Raley's trip over the edge

 My comp. with his ever positive approach on life :)

and my magically preserved materials that were in the box on my bike that he was using until his arrived

Big grasshopper

Some pix of that past trip to Manapan Mountain

P-day was Costco again. Their pizza is the best.

 

 Outside Costco

 

Training is going well. Elder Raley winds down each day by belting out hymns and shouting about how much he loves his mission...so I figure that must be a good sign. He also passes out the moment his head hits the pillow...I'm also taking this as a good sign. His Chinese is rapidly improving, and he is always willing to try new things. I love working with him.

 

Elder Raley the day I got him

 

 

For English class this week, we did some arm wrestling and talked about how in arm wrestling there has to be a winner and a loser. We then discussed about how life is not like arm wrestling. We can work together, do great things, and all be winners. We then proceeded to the parking lot to lift a car...while we did get an inch or so of clearance, I was surprised by how difficult it was (I remember Brother Tolleshaug taking us outside one day during Sunday school back in Cape Girardeau. There were only a few of us and we picked up his car and walked it around with ease). Either this car was much heavier, or I was short two powerhouse Perkins boys. Whatever the case, we can do great things as we choose to work together--with others and with the Lord. With Him on our side, we can do all things.

 

 

I've recently been recognizing the hand of the Lord in my life with greater and greater frequency. My ability to speak and openly communicate in Chinese is a huge blessing only possible with His aid. It is not uncommon for me to not even know I've switched over to Chinese from English. The Gift of Tongues is real. I'm also incredibly grateful for the Gift of Discernment in daily life. We've seen so many miracles...

Dallin is the man. He called me a few nights ago and asked if I had a moment to talk. He proceeded to share a scripture with me from the book of Romans in the Bible that was the answer to a question he had a while back. I'm grateful to have been blessed to bring the Gospel of Jesus Christ to one so prepared.

 

Dallin wearing the "Armor of God"

 

 

Several times this week, I was surprised by how outright and bold I was in declaring the truth. In these cases, I later wondered if I might possibly have offended those on the receiving end. But no, they instead came up to me and told me how grateful they were for what I had said...that it was what they needed to hear. I'm grateful for the Spirit that guides us in all we do in say. 

I've recently been increasing in my appreciation for the gift that is repentance. It's glorious! Through the Atonement of Jesus Christ we can change our natures and become our best selves. 2 Nephi 10:20 "And now, my beloved brethren, seeing that our merciful God has given us so great knowledge concerning these things, let us remember him, and lay aside our sins, and not hang down our heads, for we are not cast off; nevertheless, we have been driven out of the land of our inheritance; but we have been led to a better land, for the Lord has made the sea our path, and we are upon an isle of the sea."

I highly recommend this video on the Savior and His power to save. Video: Where Justice, Love, and Mercy Meet

 

Chen JM's yummy homemade pizza

 

 

a beautiful day in Paradise and Liu Family Feast

 

 

 

 

 

I love you all! Have a blessed week!  

All is well,

Elder Dickson

Week 14 in MiaoLi, Taiwan

My camera is causing me great difficulties, and we have a train to catch. I will do my best to capture this week in a short email.

Last P-day we were able to see Manapan Mountain which holds the remnants of how Taiwan defended against the Japanese during WWII. The views were amazing!

There are spiders on this side of Taiwan also!

 

Our district

Swinging out to Strawberry Mountain

Tarzan or Kung Fu Panda

Training is going very well. I've been on my knees a lot asking for heavenly help, and I've had it :) Elder Raley is incredible; he's very sincere, personable, and willing to try new things. Like...falling into a farm. We were biking along a small, back-country road when my companion was ran off the road by a passing motorcycle. He made a decent drop that landed him in a pool of mud and freshly-watered crops. Luckily, he wasn't injured in any serious way. He had a great attitude throughout the whole thing. He kept apologizing to the startled farmer as he tried to stand up amidst the unsuspecting plants he had landed on. The other miracle was that my notes/scriptures that were in the box on the back of my bike he was riding emerged untouched despite being submerged in the muddy pool. Why do we fall? So we can learn to pick ourselves up.

 

Grandma Shana sent us Valentine's Day treats! frosted rice crispy bars

 

 

This was after being washed down with a hose!  He was a really good sport about the fall.

 

 

Where we live

 

 

Dallin is the man. He attends seminary daily. I was able to assist in helping him receive the Aaronic Priesthood on Sunday. He's also an incredible member missionary. He shares the Plan of Salvation with everyone he knows. We went to invite a less active member to church on Saturday only to hear that Dallin had already invited him. He's truly converted.

We saw miracles everyday this past week. Monday evening we were seeing anything but success. We stopped, said a prayer, and counseled among ourselves. We both felt prompted to visit a family we had met the previous week. Upon arriving, we were rejected. Now what? We decided we must have felt impressed to come and see them because there was someone in the neighborhood in a preparation to hear the word. After knocking all the houses, we still felt that we needed to visit the original family. Several members of the family rolled up in a car just as we arrived at their door the second time and they greeted us warmly. A few days later we got a call from Brother Zhang in the bishopric. He told us the family we met are friends of his family and that they started asking them about our beliefs after we visited them. There is power in prayer and counseling together. Sometimes you just have to push through.

We taught the Restoration this week to a man who has had an incredibly challenging life. In his closing prayer, he asked only for his pain to be taken away. It was a great blessing to see his joy as we shared our message of hope. The greatest feeling of all was watching him walk way--a skip in his stride and a Book of Mormon in hand ready to face the world. The Gospel of Jesus Christ can heal any hurt. 

It was also cool to run into everyone in Miaoli who's ever been to or lived in Oklahoma this week; Elder Raley was clearly meant to serve here. 

The message we share is literally for everyone. It's not like we're trampoline salesmen in which case an elderly couple that doesn't have grandkids come to visit on a regular basis would have no need of our project. No one is allergic to what we bring. It is quite truly for all mankind. It's needed. It is the key to joy in this life and eternal happiness in the world to come.

I love you all!  Have the best week!  

 

 

 

All is well,

Elder Dickson