Dear Mom and everyone
else,
Well, this week has
been crazy! I feel like I've stuffed a whole year into the matter of a few
days.... So, sorry if this email ends up being short (haha) or
completely scrambled, because I am EXHAUSTED!
So, I guess the most
important thing that's on the list to report is that I'm no longer in Ping
Dong. I am now in Tainan! So, I just got here about a couple of
hours ago, after a long train ride, so I'm ready for bed. I can't really
tell you much about Tainan, since I haven't really experienced it yet. It
seems a lot busier that Ping Dong.... A lot more people, cars and
motorbikes.... But it seems very pretty.
It's definitely a lot more city than Ping Dong. And the
roads aren't as flat, they have a few hills. Though that's fine,
considering all I know about Tainan from other missionaries and Taiwan people
is that the food is very good.... And I'm trying to see if I can lose weight...
though, that might have to wait until after New Years, my goal then is to not
gain ANY weight.... we'll see....
My new companion is
Sister Park, and she is Korean. Isn't that cool, or what? Her
Chinese is pretty good, considering the fact that she was studying China
Business or something like that. So, it looks like I'll be using Chinese
a lot more this move call. I don't really know much about her yet.
Since, I just met her. She is super cute. I actually did see
her in the MTC, since she was in the generation above me, but I never really
had the chance to talk with her. Also, I was a bit more shy back then.
I'm still shy, but now I hide it by pretending that I just know
everyone..... yeah.... it doesn't help that we all have name tags so
people just know your name right off the bat, so they just greet you by saying:
Sister Peng, how have you been? And it's like the first time you've ever
met them..... Yup... it confuses my poor little head.... So I just go
with the flow.
Anyways, you may have
noticed from the week before, I said that I would be moving on Friday.... and
then the fact that I got to my new area today.... Well, Since Sister Schultz
was training; I got kicked out of Ping Dong before move call, much to my
sadness.... But it was okay; they sent me up to Taizhong (Zhong Ming) to be
with Sister Paey and Sister Bell. I had so much fun with them!
While I was with them, I attended two baptisms, a YSA (Young Single
Adults) activity, and we went to visit a lot of really cool people.
Sister Paey and Sister Bell are AWESOME missionaries! They really
made me feel comfortable and they are great examples of stellar
missionaries.
I didn't know where
my actual area was until Sunday morning, so it was just a waiting game when I
was with them.... But I really thought that I would get sent somewhere in
Taizhong.... Well... I was very wrong on that matter. I traveled three
hours by train to get to Taizhong from Ping Dong and then I traveled 2 hours to
get from Taizhong to Tainan (which backtracked my original journey). In fact, I
passed by Tainan to get to Taizhong.... Ah well.... It was super fun being in
Taizhong, and while I was there I actually ran into a less active member who I
was trying to find in Ping Dong. Her mother was actually one of the
people getting baptized! It totally blew my mind! But perhaps I was in
Taizhong for a reason. :)
Other breaking news
this week.... I might have broken my right big toe.... I don't know if it is
actually broken, since I've just treated it myself and haven't gone to the
doctor (Like everyone keeps telling me that I should do). But I don't
think it's really broken, since it doesn't really hurt anymore. It's just
swollen and I can't bend it yet (probably due to the swelling). It also
bleeds from under the nail, now and then, so I have it bandaged... though it
looks a lot more severe than it really is, since I don't have any normal Band-Aids....
But anyways, how did I hurt my toe, you might ask? Well... it's because a
ping pong table collapsed on it... We were setting up for an English party....
and the we were moving the table, and it randomly decided that it wanted to
follow the rules of gravity, more than it wanted to stand up by itself...
sooo... yeah... my toe cushioned it's fall... kind of.... But anyways, I
can still walk, for the most part, and biking hasn't changed. I like
biking more than walking now.... :P
Oh! And another cool
thing! Amber, my American investigator in Ping Dong, gave birth to her son,
Kayan, on Tuesday. Yay! We've been waiting so long! He was like 13
days overdue, but he was still small. He's so cute! So, congratulations
to her and her family!!!! :)
Funny thing that
happened. When we met with Peiwen (a Recent Convert), for my last time,
we asked her to choose an opening hymn.... so, she flipped open the book
randomly (which she always does, since she doesn't really know the songs) to
"God Be With You Till We Meet Again." How fitting!
Looking back at this
email, everything was written in pretty much anti-chronological order...
wow.... I'm tired.... But, it was a great week!
So, this week, well
technically since January 1, 2014, I've been doing a thankful journal. I
bought a little planner, which is soooo cute, on Monday and started filling it
out with things that I was grateful for the day. It has made me sooo
happy! I can focus on the happy things in life, and I know that I've been given
a ton of miracles! This gratitude journal is just a precursor to
an actual journal, because the last two move calls I've gotten out of the habit
of writing, which is bad! So, I'm starting off again by only writing a
little bit each day. The highlights all condensed into a
few sentences. But it makes me feel so happy! My invite to you
all is for you to start a gratitude journal! And then do a
thankful prayer after writing. You'll notice God's hand in your life, and
you'll be a lot happier. I guarantee!
Anyways, Sorry, I'm
tired. I'll write more next week, once I get things figured out. I
love you all! I miss you! I miss Ping Dong! But I know, it's
only until "We meet again."
Love, Sister Peng
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