Week 7 in Beitou: My new companion is from Taiwan!

Weekly Update:

 The district before transfers

The famous boxed lunch (without the box)

 

We went to the police station on Monday. Wow, they're good...they had pictures of the man who attacked the young woman last week, him riding his motorcycle away after the incident (including his plate), and they had his name and all other personal information put together in a case file. I hope everything works out as best as possible for all involved parties.

We met with a fairly new investigator that evening. After sharing the Plan of Salvation with him, he really opened up. He told is that his reason for being atheist hinged on the death of his older brother when they were both much younger. He didn't understand how God could let such a thing happen, but he was overjoyed at the prospect of perhaps seeing his brother again one day. He didn't allow himself to believe it completely, but he will come to know the beautiful truth if he's willing to work for it.

We met with Peter this past week as well. He's a stock broker and has been trying to hire us for a little while now. He came to the lesson with all his books on stocks and proceeded to teach us. We listened to show our love and care for him, but Elder Alexander knew we weren't there to learn how to work the stock market. I expressed appreciation for those things which he had shared with us and then asked if I could share a scripture with him. 3 Nephi 5:13 "Behold, I am a disciple of Jesus Christ, the Son of God. I have been called of him to declare his word among his people, that they might have everlasting life." We testified to him of our missionary purpose and of the Savior and His Atonement. The Spirit was present, and he concluded on his own that he needed to pray more, come to church, and take a shower...we agreed that these were all things he ought to be doing, but we remained a little perplexed about the shower until about 10 minutes later when we realized he must be referring to baptism. We checked with him, and yes, he was. I've come to love the man. He's a great guy. We found out that he may live outside our area, but we aren't sure yet. We'll find out this week whether or not we'll be able to continue teaching him.

Exotic foods/things:

 

 Shrimp chips

 A sandwich in a donut!

 

Funny/fancy glasses?

We met with another new investigator named Berlin who is as prepared as anyone I've ever met, but he is leaving on a working holiday to Australia this week for a period of 1 year. Hopefully we can find a way to refer him to Australia.

We ran into a guy on the street from Missouri! His name is Ross. He's an English teacher here and will soon be father to a 2nd child. He's busy with the soon to come baby, but he is interested in hearing our message in the near future.

 

 

The MRT

 

Before the rain

 

Lots of rain every day!

 

Last supper together.

 

Fly vs. Ant

 

 

Saying Good-bye for now.

Transfers came and brought with it some big changes. Elder Alexander moved down to Hualian as a District Leader. They split the districts in the north zone. I am now serving as the District Leader, and for the first time, English Unit Leader, in the newly formed Beitou district. My new companion is Taiwanese, but everyone on the street thinks he is a foreigner and doesn't believe him until he rattles off some Taiwanese. His name is Elder Chang (his chosen "English" name is Carlos Dedios...yup). I'll miss Elder Alexander and the old district. We had some great times. However, I know the Lord is directing His work, and we are excited for a good transfer. 

 

My new companion, who was just companions with my MTC companion, Elder Lawrence!

 

 

Dinner with the Xu family (a feast)

It's been raining a lot...but we still see miracles as we press forward. I think my favorite miracle this past week had to have been Eric Lu. We were on our way to a lesson on Saturday when a younger man responded warmly to our greeting as we biked by. We wheeled ourselves around and talked with the man. It turns out he is serving in the Taiwanese military, and his English is pretty good. We told him about our free English class, but he told us he couldn't get out on a Wednesday night. He then surprised us by asking if we had a church or something where he could go to pray and stuff. Do we?! We invited him to church the next day and he came! He came to all 3 hours and loved every moment of it. We're excited to see him again later this week.

Elder Hawkes, my trainer (soon to be Brother Hawkes), and family also came through Beitou this past week! It was both good and crazy to see an old friend.

 

Seeing my trainer as he ends his mission:

 

 

This week I will hit my 1/2-way mark. It's hard for me to believe. The time has passed so quickly, and yet so much has happened in such a short time. I'm grateful for every moment. All is well!

Thank you for your love, support, and prayers!

Love,

Elder Dickson

Week 6 in Beitou: Being a Good Samaritan

Weekly Update:

It was a crazy week with many a miracle. Unfortunately, I didn't bring my journal entries with me today, so I will be relying on my memory and whatever I have written in my daily planner. I think I will focus my thoughts on just this past weekend. 

 

At the ward picnic:

 

 

 

Saturday was the day of our ward picnic that has apparently been in the works for as long as any of the current missionaries in Beitou have been around. It went well. We ended up having 10 or so investigators in attendance. It did happen to be on a mountain and over 100 degrees out. It was pretty pleasant once we reached the top, but the ascent was another story. That evening I ended up feeling pretty sick. Right around dinner time I felt like I might pass out. We had been out all day in the heat, but I had been drinking water in ridiculous amounts and knew I couldn't be dehydrated. As I considered the possibility of calling it a day and getting some rest, I suddenly had a thought/feeling that if we could tough it out we would be blessed for whatever effort we could muster even if that meant moving a little slower than normal. 

 

With this thought in mind, off we went...we ran into Brother Fang on the street and learned that his surgery had went well. In addition, most everyone we talked to on the street was interested and set up. We like to try to set people up for tomorrow or the next day if at all possible, but we got to the point where we didn't have any time to meet with people during those times (we ended up getting 13 new investigators on the week--a huge blessing from God). 

 

We were biking home when we passed an MRT station where I noticed two people in some sort of a physical struggle on the ground. The one was a young women in about her 20s, and the other was a younger man roughly 30. He had the girl in a grip, and she was desperately working to get away. The people on the street saw them in alarm, but not knowing what to do...they just kept walking with a bit more purpose than before. It reminded me a little too much of a story we all know from the Bible: The Good Samaritan, and the good Samaritan was no where to be found. He was late. I then realized the irony of the situation and took action.

 

 I waved my companion back and approached the two. I didn't know what to do, so I just got myself involved by simply parking right next to them. The girl managed to get away, but she was in shock and couldn't speak. Her muscles were also locked up in gnarled positions, her eyes maintaining a dead, glazed stare into space. Her breathing was rapid and uneven. I quickly picked up on the smell of alcohol. The man was drunk. I started trying to spark up a conversation with him in hopes of distracting him from his victim. I repeatedly asked him what his name was until he answered me. "Wayne," he muttered. At this point he started appealing to me as if he was the victim in the situation. He kept jumping back between expressing "love" for the girl and threatening her. I attempted communication with the girl in hopes of learning something, anything about her situation and how we might help her. She could only barely nod or shake her head. 

 

Eventually, Wayne convinced her to allow him to take her home. It was the one thing she nodded her head to, so we watched torn as he escorted her into the MRT station. We were trying to figure out what else we might do to help when Elder Alexander concluded that, of course! We needed to say a prayer. He offered it, and spoke with great power as the Spirit attended us. He called on God to direct us to know what else we might do to aid this, His daughter in danger. After the prayer, I felt we should follow the two. We entered the MRT station to find her backed up into the corner with Wayne trying to coerce her to go with him. She was trying to resist, but she was having difficulty doing so. We once again put ourselves into play. We walked up and offered our help. We were able to slowly work our way between her and Wayne as we tried to figure out a solution. Wayne, not all the way there, eventually got frustrated. He put aside all pretended sanity and good will. He ran off emitting the most terrifying screams I've ever heard (ya know, the blood chilling ones) after smacking the cement wall with all his force. 

 

We stayed with the girl and attempted to help her calm down enough so that she might be able to communicate to us how we might help her. Not long after he left, he returned. Only this time his boiling anger was directed at my companion and I. He ran up to us hurling his threats and telling us to get lost, that we had no part in this. My companion and I said nothing. We simply positioned ourselves in front of the girl and refused to move. The threats and screaming continued, but we said nothing. We stood our ground. The Spirit was powerful at this point. Despite this man being built, amazingly angry, and entirely irrational...I did not fear him. I felt at peace. I felt protected and that I was on the Lord's errand. 

 

After what felt like forever, the man left in a rage. We got in contact with the police, and they took her into their custody. I'm grateful. I'm grateful that my companion and I are obedient and worthy of having the Spirit as our companion, because I certainly didn't know what to do. I'm grateful that we work out every day as were are told to so that we actually present something of a force to be reckoned with. I'm grateful for all the prayers that are said on our behalf. They were certainly answered that evening. We were kept safe. I'm grateful that God trusted us to aid His daughter in need and helped us do so. Church was also something of a miracle. A family that Elder Alexander has been trying to get to church for 3 months finally came, and we believe they had a really good experience. I was also talking to Elder Raley the other night. The work continues to move forward in Miaoli, and he informed me that one of the investigators we had found and taught together was recently baptized and is doing great. 

 

Baptism in MiaoLi

 

 

In short, it was a blessed week. It's hard to believe, but it's time for transfers again. We'll know in a couple of days what will happen. I watched a video the other day that I really enjoyed about the scriptures and their importance in our lives.  Here is a link to it:  Studying the scriptures. I would invite you to watch it. It gave me a renewed and increased desire to improve my study of the scriptures. 

 

Food in Taiwan

 

Did I mention my companion really likes food!

 

Lunch on the Go!

 

Unidentified food?

 

 

The Primary provided lunch:

 

 

There is a great chiropractor here:

 

 

P-day (We do have Settlers of Catan here)

 

 

Happy birthday to my beloved sister Mallory and my good friend Uncle Jimster!!!

I love you all! 

All is well,

Elder Dickson

 

Week 5 in Beitou: rain apocalypse and roaches

Weekly Update:

Northern Taiwan had the most rain it's had in 21 years this past weekend. There was water everywhere, almost 2 feet of it.

The quote of the week has to be "it's either the rain or the roaches man! There's no escape!" My mom has a video of the intense rain and crazy roaches she will try to post to facebook so you can see it.

The rain brought out so many roaches it was like one of the plagues of ancient Egypt.

On P-day we went to the inner part of the city with some members and missionaries. 

A store that sold Chinese silks.

Beautiful selection of silks:

I got some material to have ties made from:

We even saw shark fins for sale

The MRT station:

Some beautiful parts of the city:

Tuesday was exciting between some mind-blowing miracle and some petty theft by the innocent. We like to study and plan in public so as to have more opportunities to find those prepared to hear our message of the Restored Gospel of Jesus Christ and all it entails. We were studying Chinese in a McDonald's when some children came up and started using my language study materials as toys. At first I was going to tell them to stop, but I saw their mom at a nearby table looking exasperated, exhausted, and hopeless. I decided it would be okay as long as they didn't do any real damage to anything. Unfortunately, the kids liked their newfound toys a little too much and took some of them with them when they left. They weren't interested in their message, and they had taken the very materials I was using to try to help them and others. It bothered me, but what bothered me more was the fact that I was bothered. I allowed myself to be affected by their innocent act. I prayed for help and that I might find additional opportunities to look outward and lose myself in the service of others and was blessed to be able to overcome these feelings quickly. It did, however, lead to some reflection on lessons I've learned in the past about life and fairness. If I was concerned in any degree over so trivial a matter, how was I to help those facing issues of disease, disability, or deaths in the family...?

Good food!

Life is not fair. "If you expect the world to be fair with you because you are fair, you are fooling yourself. That's like expecting the lion not to eat you because you didn't eat him." The Count of Monte Cristo also has a lesson for us to learn: "Life is a storm, my young friend. You will bask in the sunlight one moment, be shattered on the rocks the next. What makes you a man is what you do when that storm comes." The prophets are the best source on the matter. Pres. Hinckley, quoting Jenkin Lloyd Jones, said: "Anyone who imagines that bliss is normal is going to waste a lot of time running around shouting that he has been robbed. Most putts don't drop. Most beef is tough. Most children grow up to be just people. Most successful marriages require a high degree of mutual toleration. Most jobs are more often dull than otherwise...Life is like an old-time rail journey--delays, sidetracks, smoke, dust, cinders, and jolts, interspersed only occasionally by beautiful vistas and thrilling bursts of speed. The trick is to thank the Lord for letting you have the ride." Finally, my personal favorite is an address delivered by Elder Dale G. Renlund of the Quorum of the 12 Apostles. It is entitled "That I Might Draw All Men Unto Me" . In short, we all ought to be grateful life is not fair. For, were life fair, none of us would be resurrected or be saved in the Kingdom of God. The Savior lived the perfect life, but was it fair? No, so why should we who follow Him expect any different. It is because of the unfairness and "injustice" of the life He lived that we all have the "unfair" and undeserved blessing of living again with the opportunity to secure eternal life for ourselves and those we love. It is through the Atonement of Jesus Christ that our hurts can be healed. This applies to all. If you feel you have been wronged/hurt, that life isn't fair, or that you simply have no reason to be happy. Please read this address and choose to allow the Savior to take your burden from you. Choose happiness. Choose peace (John 14:27).

" Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid."

I also realized that I've been preventing myself from growing as much or as quickly as I might otherwise as of late. A quote from C.S. Lewis will help me get my point across:

"Imagine yourself as a living house. God comes in to rebuild that house. At first, perhaps, you can understand what He is doing. He is getting the drains right and stopping the leaks in the roof and so on; you knew those jobs needed doing and so you are not surprised. But presently He starts knocking the house about in a way that hurts abominably and does not seem to make any sense. What on earth is He up to? The explanation is that He is building quite a different house from the one you thought of--throwing out a new wing here, putting on an extra floor there, running up towers, making courtyards.You thought you were being made into a decent little cottage, but He is building a palace. He intends to come and live in it Himself."

This is the true meaning of repentance. This is the miracle that is the power of the Atonement of Jesus Christ at work in the life of an individual. I've been looking at myself all wrong and seeing myself as something of a finished product, nothing too big or flashy with its flaws, but functional--a decent little cottage if you will. Once again, prophets of God have said it best. See Ether 12:27 "And if men come unto me I will show unto them their weakness. I give unto men weakness that they may be humble; and my grace is sufficient for all men that humble themselves before me; for if they humble themselves before me, and have faith in me, then will I make weak things become strong unto them."

Remember the story of the current bush?

Now for a miracle or two...We were walking with Brother Fang to his lesson that would take place in the home of the Ward Mission Leader when we asked him what the happiest thing in his life was as of late. He shocked us by saying that studying the Book of Mormon was the best part of his week. We inquired further, and he pulled out a verse that he said he absolutely loved. He just went on and on about how much it meant to him and how much power it held. The verse was 1 Nephi 10:10: "And after he had baptized the Messiah with water, he should behold and bear record that he had baptized the Lamb of God, who should take away the sins of the world." The verse is speaking of the Savior's baptism performed by John the Baptist. Elder Alexander and I could not believe what we were hearing. We then asked how he was doing with the commitments he had made the previous week. He had kept all of his commitments even when pressured to do otherwise. It is a great blessing and privilege to know and teach this man.

English class was fun. We made a story as a class. We ended up building spacecraft to travel to Mars, but we got into a big fight with the X-Men. However, due to our superior powers, we were able to overcome them and come to a peaceful consensus. My students sure do have imaginations. I then told them a story: "How the Book of Mormon came to be."

We were also amazed by the progress of Jimmy. We haven't been able to get in contact with him for a couple of weeks, but he has been reading and praying almost daily and feels he has started a new life, that he has found new life in Christ. We were only able to meet for about 5 minutes, but he set a baptismal date and is excited to continue learning.

I'm learning another lesson about finishing things I start rather than redoing the first few steps a million times until I think they're perfect.

There were several tender mercies this week that allowed me to know that God is aware of and loves me: "You Raise Me Up" playing in a convenience store, a cool experience involving Chinese and Japanese, and Peter coming to church for the first time among others.

One of our investigators was teaching us some simple Japanese and using Chinese to explain what he was saying. After a little while, I realized his explanations were in Chinese and that I was following without trouble. It wasn't long ago that Chinese was the language I didn't understand at all, and those explanations were all in English. It's a great blessing and a miracle. I have experienced the gift of tongues and interpretation of tongues.

Brother Guo was baptized this week. He's the most amazing guy. He has a powerful testimony and is already excited for his 5-year-old daughter, Barbie, to one day serve a mission.

We attended the recent convert fireside and I got to see some former companions:

I love you all, and I love the Lord!

All is well,
Elder Dickson