Week 14 in Taoyuan

With my adopted brother :)

I'm so grateful. We were meeting with a father of two young children this past week. Near the close of the lesson, I bore testimony of what a blessing it is to have the gospel of Jesus Christ in the home: what that meant to me growing up, what that had to do with who I am today, and just how central it will be to the happiness and success of my future family in this world of shifting values. I didn't realize just how good I had it until I expressed my thoughts and feelings to him, but it's true. A home founded on the teachings of the Savior of the world need not fear the world. John 16:33 says it well: "These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world." Please, for your families and futures, Hold to the One who is sure, steadfast, and oh so forgiving. If necessary come back. It's necessary for all of us. None of us are perfect and all are learning, but do come back. He's there and He's here to stay.

On exchange with Elder Moss

With my new companion: Elder Paden Jorgensen

While on exchanges with Elder Moss, we ran into a younger man on the street. He was very happy to talk and had remarkable English. We soon found that he was a member of the church. He was baptized 10 years ago and for a time went to all his church meetings, had many friends in the church, and he even attended early morning seminary all through high school. However, when his friends all left on missions and his family uprooted and moved down here to Taipei, he was lost. Despite being overjoyed to see us, he expressed that he just didn't know how to come back. He really wanted it, but HOW? 

We soon met with him, and oh what a joyful meeting it was. He knows what he had and he knows what he wants again. He's starting the Book of Mormon anew, and on a dark city night my new friend and brother spoke with God again for the first time in 5 years. It was a blessing and a miracle to be present. The moment he started speaking, I felt a wave of peace, love, and pure joy as though the Savior was embracing me Himself. I felt of God's love for His son who was lost and was now found, and He was so indescribably ecstatic to have Him back again. Repentance is the road back to our Father in Heaven. We are all prodigal sons in our own right, please choose to come home. He will take you in, and He will embrace you in the arms of His love. He loves you now as He did then, and that, will never change.

With old friends from the Beitou days!

There was a serene moment this past week I hope to have captured deep in the storage of my mind. Sunday morning, we went to pick up our investigator I have adopted as my brother for all intents and purposes. He's 16, and he's had a lot of trials in his life, but he's recently found a place in the flock of the Good Shepherd. We biked a little ways out to Nankang and met him on a bridge overlooking the river running through the area. (see the first photo of this post). Off we went. We wove our way through the overhanging tree branches along the banks of the singing stream, the sun piercing the tree cover with grand brilliance, a faint breeze carrying a soft "naturey" scent on the air. I just remember looking back and seeing his smile; he just couldn't hold back that smile had he tried. He was happy, truly happy, and I was happy just to be there to see it, to share in that moment, that little patch of heaven. Who knows? Maybe one day it'll be him wearing the badge. I wouldn't put it past the Lord. For now though, I'm just glad he's happy. 

English meeting over dinner

Frisbee in Zhubei for P-day this past Monday

Things work out in the end. They really do. I've spent too much of my life stressing over things of little or no great importance. I've come to realize that the worst possible outcome is never all that bad. It can never be so bad that the infinite and everlasting Atonement of the Savior can't make it right. Now, is it possible it won't be comfortable or that it may take time to heal or see the blessing you've been waiting for appear? Yes, it is. In fact, you can likely bet on it. Romans 8:28 "And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose." 

I've been amazed lately as others have come to me in great excitement over a seemingly pressing issue with no hope and no back door and just, just...my response has been, "It's okay. Everything is going to be okay." with a smile on my face. And without fail, everything has and will be okay. Trust God. Granted, if we follow His plan and do things His way, things will be much more than okay. They will be ordained of Him and they will be glorious. Whatever the case, it will be okay. I spoke in church this past week. The focus of my talk was on a scripture recently shared with me by a friend. Philippians 4:13 "I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me." (Even deliver a talk in Chinese) ;)

I'll attach a video (a favorite of mine) for your viewing pleasure. See Good Things to Come. 

Have the best week! Thank you for your love and support and prayers. I feel them, and I thank you for them.

 At the ward Halloween Party:

Mummified!

A donut eating contest like no other

A tiger I released into the jungle at the Halloween party

All is well!

Love,

Elder Dickson.

Week 13 in Taoyuan: I have a new companion!

Monday: We went to the driving range with some other missionaries in the zone. I'd never hit a golf ball before; I'd only played putt-putt if that counts. I was surprised by how relaxing it was. The weather was clear and beautiful, and I had a great talk with Elder Raley. It helped me get my mind off of present concerns and struggles to just talk with an old friend and enjoy the beauty of the day. 

He moved out to Yilan this past transfer on the other side of the island, so I don't know when I'll see him again, but I trust we'll be friends for a long time.

Flashback to Elder Raley's first P-day in Taiwan

We had great plans lined up for the evening, but all fell through. Our back-up was to visit some part-member families. We brought some caramel M&Ms and with a prayer in our heart, went to work. We ended up visiting three part-member families and were received fairly warmly in all cases. What's more, we ran into an investigator we haven't been able to get in contact with for some time outside of his workplace and were able to have a good chat with him. In addition, I called out to a guy on the side of the street just saying hi. He called back, so I pulled over and started talking with him only to find that he was a man we had met at a bus stop a couple of P-days ago when we went to Costco. We had set up to share with him before, but he ended up having something and had to cancel. We were able to set back up with him, and we gave him a tour of the chapel this past week while sharing the message of the Restoration. He's a great guy, and it was a miracle to find him again. 

Nutella on pancakes with Cranberries

Goodbye to Elder Smith who has been a great companion for 12 weeks

Yummy marshmellow

Tuesday: Another day of miracles. We met with a cool new investigator named William. He loves to travel and has super good English. He recently had a friend of the family pass away and has had other encounters with death throughout his life. I'm excited to share with him about the Plan of Salvation and the joy it brings to know that our families can be eternal through the power of the Savior's Atonement if we follow Him. We had a crazy cool lesson with Albert, our Filipino friend. We talked about the temple and the blessing of and goal of an eternal family. The Spirit guided the lesson and we all felt uplifted and empowered after the lesson to press forward.

We had prepared a lesson for our investigator Ken who has come to be a close friend of mine in which we were going to talk about why he hasn't been praying or reading the scriptures. His birthday is today (same as my dad); he's turning 16 (not the same as my dad, but oh how I love the man). His situation at home isn't everything I wish it was. Anyway, we finished praying and he told us right off the bat that he had been praying and of how he felt peace when he prayed. Upon further inquiry, we found he was also reading the scriptures. I couldn't stop smiling as I heard him describe his feelings after reading and praying. Then Elder Smith and I had to figure out what on earth it was we were going to teach him as our plan based on his not reading was not what he needed. Elder Smith pulled up a Mormon message on forgiveness.  Watch:  Forgiveness: My Burden was Made Light It turned out to be exactly what he needed. The Spirit was present, and Elder Smith and I were able to testify powerfully of the blessings and joys of repenting and forgiving as we weren't perfectly united from the get go, but through prayer, repentance, and discussion we became true friends. 

We got to teach about repentance and forgiveness two more times that night and learned that another of our investigators who hasn't been reading the Book of Mormon has started as well. The huge miracle of the night was when I felt we should go to the trouble of going upstairs to watch the video on forgiveness again when the lesson with our investigator was just wrapping up and it honestly didn't make a whole lot of sense. Elder Smith lovingly went along with it and off we went. We didn't plan on it, but a man who has held onto a burden for at least 8 years saw the video with us and I know it touched his heart and was no coincidence. Another tender mercy was that all of our investigators prayed for the health of the missionaries in their prayers without me telling them of any health issue or concern; they've never done that before, and it helped me realize just how aware the Lord is of me and all of His children.

Elder Smith and I got new planners

My desk on a typical day, it's pretty crazy!

My new companion is Elder Paden Jorgensen from Provo, Utah. He is a man I have already come to love and respect. He does everything with great care and dedication and has an overarching love for God and all the people of Taiwan. He's crazy diligent. We had nearly 70 commitment contacts in the first couple of days of his being here, meaning we talked with that many "strangers" about the gospel and extended invitations to them to come unto Christ in one way or another, this on top of all our lessons, meals, studies, etc. We met a huge security guard from Hualian on the street out in Nankang and shared with him over dinner only minutes later. He also enjoyed the message and we're sharing more tonight over dinner.

We invited one guy off the street to come into the church building for a tour. He's from the states and teaches English across the street. We shared the Restoration over the course of the tour, and he LOVED it! He told us he would be back for sure! We've been so busy, we oftentimes don't get around to eating, but almost without exception food has been provided from one source or another from Heaven above. Yesterday, a member gave us pineapple cakes that became our dinner. As we sat down to look at our plan for the night and make a couple of calls on the side of the street, two Indonesians came out of nowhere, gave us some fruit, and then were gone as quickly as they came. God is looking out for us. This transfer is going to be a transfer of miracles. Our members are the best of the best and very supportive of us and our efforts. I know that as we follow the direction of our leaders and are captained by Christ, God will use us to do a great work in building Zion here in Taoyuan. I love my mission! I love the people of Taiwan, and I love the Lord! 

Thank you for your love and prayers and support! Take care and have the best week ever! 

All is Well,

Elder Reed Dickson

Week 12 in Taoyuan

It's been raining a lot lately, but these days have been some of the greatest of my mission. I've been really happy. As I've thought about why, I've come to two conclusions.

One, "instapentance." I love the scripture in Moroni that reads "But as oft as they repented and sought forgiveness, with real intent, they were forgiven." I've recently found great joy from repenting immediately of doubts, bad thoughts, and anything in discord with the Spirit. By repenting there on the spot, I've been able to be happy despite everyday trials and disappointments.

Two, we've been busy doing the Lord's work. We've got so many wonderful investigators who I consider my friends. I'm grateful to Elder Smith. I don't feel that I've always appreciated him for the great missionary and man he is, but I'm grateful for the times we've had. He's a true friend. Transfers are this week; we aren't sure what will happen yet, but it's pretty rare for companionships to stay together for 3 transfers in our mission. In short, it was a week of many a miracle and times to be remembered.

One Miracle:

We were going to meet with this guy named Danny, but when we went to the college at night, we literally didn't see one person, so we were a little skeptical. and we had brought a member to go with us as well. We went to the library and it was closed because it was a holiday, and there was still not a soul in sight. We waited for 15 minutes and then my companion said sorry to the member for wasting his time.

Then, out of no where, this random guy popped out from behind a pole and was walking past us to go to his home. We said hi to him and started talking and even shared a little bit about the Book of Mormon. He was very curious, but didn't really want to meet to learn more, until the member started talking to him, then he realized our church wasn't just a bunch of white people but also Taiwanese people!

The next day he came to the church and we shared more about the Book of Mormon with him, and then the day after that he wanted to meet again, and he is super excited to learn about the gospel. He even came to 3 hours of church this week and loved it. He also made a bunch of friends in the ward. The topic in church that day was the law of chastity; we told him the topic was different every week, and he was ok with that. Sometimes when we are out doing the Lord's work, he puts people in our path and turns it into a miracle, all we have to do is go to work and have faith.

Lesson with our investigator, Mr. Yan

Grass boy and butterfly man visited the children's English class this past week ;)

Happy Halloween!

Have the best week! 

All is well, 

Elder Dickson

Week 11 in Taoyuan: How my church blesses my life

At the River's Edge

(This will be Reed when he tries to bring all his luggage home)

 Time is short, but I wish to talk about the great blessing the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints is to the lives of all:

You have an instant family of somewhere between 100-200 individuals wherever life may take you. I have felt this blessing coming to Taiwan. Despite being far from family, I am able to feel very much at home.

 Ethan and Ken

Albert

You have many opportunities to learn and grow and serve others all along the way rather that be in the context of natural disaster clean-up or caring for young toddlers each week whose only desire is to smush goldfish into the carpet. Regardless, it is a joy to serve.

Learning KungFu

Costco is always a treat

Bowling on P-day

Food is art

We have the keys to the ordinances of salvation and exaltation---the power to save made possible only in and through the great atoning sacrifice of Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior.

We are led by living prophets and apostles under the direction of the Lord Himself. We need not fear, and there is great reason for joy.

This is but a sample of the many blessings the Lord bestows upon us through the means of His church restored on the earth today. I encourage you to learn more at mormon.org

Today is a good day :)

All is well,

Elder Dickson

Week 10 in Taoyuan

I am not enough. I've learned this lesson, and I've learned it well. We've recently kept pretty busy between caring for the zone, the ward, and our area (not to mention our attempts to take care of ourselves along the way). I realized a little bit ago that while understanding that we need to rely on the Lord to accomplish that which He would have us do and have success in life, I haven't always taken this understanding and lived accordingly. I've recently been relying a lot less on my on strengths and abilities, and in many ways I'm still learning how to truly rely on the Lord. It's been a learning experience for sure. I put forth my all and a little more each day, and yet, nothing ever really gets done to the point of completion or to the satisfaction of those parties concerned. We just do a little bit of everything and end up feeling like we haven't really done anything as well as we should like. It's been hard for one who has always been something of a perfectionist. I'm learning a lot about priorities, patience, and sincere prayer. 

Benjamin's Baptism in Beitou

With Benjamin and Kenneth :D

It was a joy to attend Benjamin's baptism up in Beitou this past week and see so many old friends in the process: Kenneth, Joyce, Nikki, Henry, 張家琪姐妹, and so many others. Our getting there was a miracle in and of itself. We were supposed to meet up with some other missionaries to go on a split so that all 4 of us wouldn't need to leave our area, but the other companionship still hadn't shown up at the bus station by 6:20 with the baptism starting at 7:00. What's more? Their phone was off. The next bus we needed wouldn't leave until 7:40, and that wasn't going to work, so out of desperation we jumped on the first bus bound for Taipei.

After some thought and talking with the driver, we realized Taipei is actually a really big place and if we stayed on that bus we wouldn't be in Beitou until 9:00. We got off of that one real quick and I started feeling and thinking that we just wouldn't make it. I had been promising Benjamin since I left Beitou that I would return for his baptismal service, and I got to feeling pretty down. However, Elder Smith decided it was time to take action and waved down a taxi. Off we were. Despite hitting some bad traffic, we got to the chapel in Beitou in roughly 30 minutes time (At that time it was already 7:20).

We walked in just as they were preparing to go to the font. Benjamin was so glad I made it, and I was too. He's much like a brother to me and a very dear friend. It was really cool, because Kenneth, who was baptized not long after I moved to Beitou, was the one who baptized him. All in all, it was a miracle, and I didn't need to stress so much. I'm still working on the whole trust thing...

We are all a work in progress

I appreciated a thought expressed by Elder Smith a while back. He said the mission is like an extended vacation...only you get to talk to people about the gospel along the way. In many ways this is true. We don't have to worry about grades, getting fired, or the drama of dating and what not. At the same time, we get to exercise, study the scriptures, and see the beauty of Taiwan each and every day.

We don't really need to worry too much about what we will eat or wear, and we have the support of many including a companion, friends, family, and most importantly, God. It's quite the life when you really get to thinking about it. Greatest of all, you get to make a difference in the lives of God's children, your brothers and sisters. Though the mission (and life for that matter) can sometimes be stressful...I love my mission! 

I'm super excited to see General Conference this next weekend. We get to watch it a week late here. If you didn't get the chance to see it, it's not too late! Go to this link:  General Conference

All is well,

Elder Dickson