09/15/14 ~ It's Mid Autumn Festival time!

1). What are your plans for the day?

Resting. :P And writing letters. :D

3). Any new information about your new departure date?

Nope! Nothing else.

4). Is the companionship still working well?

Yup

5). Are you still learning new vocabulary or phrases every week?  Do you feel like that your Chinese is still improving?

Ugh. I don't know.  I think I've hit a wall.  I can read a lot better though.  People keep asking if I'm from Da Lu.  I think it's because I have an accent and they can't place it... but I look Chinese...

6). Any progressing investigators?

Nope!

7). Is it scary to bike in Dong Hai?  Is the traffic bad?

It's okay.  It's more tiring biking in dong Hai, because everything is on an incline.

9). Any more people feed you this week?  (Your dinner last week sounded very interesting)

Not really... Oh! Wait! Yes, a member randomly invited us over to join her for The Mid-Autumn Festival, since she was by herself.  She brought out all of her left overs and heated them up. Haha! So much food! Though some of it tasted weird.

10) Anything you want me to send you?

Nope! I'm doing good on stuff.  In fact, I have too much stuff.... I really hope I don't have to move again. I have a lot of stuff I need to sort through and get rid of.

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Dearest Mum, Regan, Family, Friends,

How is everyone?  How has another week flown by?!?! What boggles my mind is that I have friends who are going home in these next couple of weeks.  How is possible?  Didn't we all just leave high school or something? I wish I could be at their homecomings to greet them back, and thank them for their examples and service.  Ah well.  I love being here in Taiwan, and I know I don't have much time left.  So I'm going to put forth all my efforts to make every minute of it count.

Of course, one of the biggest things I've learned here on a mission is how to be a missionary for life.  I've realized how much of an important role members play in missionary work.  I've met so many members who are such good examples of doing member missionary work, and it makes me want to become like them.  I am so grateful for their help and their love.  Missionary work is so much harder without the members...  And this work is so important!  If we missionaries had more hands to help, the work would be pushed along a lot faster.  Lives will be touched, people will be blessed, and miracles will be an everyday occurrence.

As to this week, you must forgive me.  My brain has been feeling "stuffy" these last few days.  I can't tell if I just have allergies or I'm fighting off a cold... grr... Actually, it could also be the air quality here.  Since I've moved up here I've been having congestion issues... but it hasn't been too bad.  So don't worry about me.  I have a ton of allergy stuff to use if it becomes too unbearable. :P

So, I'm trying to think of the highlights of this week that I can share with you...

 Monday evening we had dinner at a member's house (a Lin JM).  Since Monday was a holiday, Sister Berrey and I were a bit sad since we didn't have any special plans.  But then, as we got home to fix dinner, we get a call from Lin JM, and she invited us over.  She didn't want to spend the holiday by herself either, so she heated up a bunch of left overs (Eggplant-which was good and I didn't have an allergic reaction!, squid, squash, green beans, mushroom/wood ear dish, curry, rice), and egg with jiu cai.)  After we finished eating, she made us take home all the left overs.... Since she made too much, and we couldn't eat all of it.  So that was a miracle that she called us.  I had secretly prayed that someone would invite us over, since it was Sister Berrey's first and only Mid-Autumn festival celebration and I didn't want her to feel that she missed out.

On Tuesday we had a good lesson with Tian JM (LA) and Cai JM (Member). Cai JM has such a great testimony about everything! Every time she starts to share her experiences the spirit immediately comes into the room.  So cool! And Tian JM really likes her, so hopefully we'll see more improvement in Tian JM (Who is now coming to sacrament!)  We also had DTM and learned more of how to be an effective and successful missionary.  There was a good question asked: "Why are you serving in this area?"  So, he was in a sense asking, why did the Lord send you or lead you to be in the place you are now?  Are there lessons that need to be learned? Are there people who need your help?  I think it all comes back to making sure your life is in line with the Lord's will. Always willing to act as his hands and do what he would have you do.  

In the evening we visit a Liao JM (member) who just had a baby a few months ago, who is sooo cute!  Being with her really taught me the importance of always being a loving mother and wife when you’re married.  I wish we could hold babies.  Because the baby was sooo cute! I can't express how cute it is! :D

Wednesday... Oh! In the morning we biked to the top... well almost the top of the hill to help Zheng JM (RC) help prepare stuff so her and her family can move.  Oh, IDK if I mentioned but they are moving so they can be closer to the church! How cool is that! They want to make sure their kids will go to early morning seminary every morning, so they wanted to be closer.  So cool! Even though they are recent converts, their testimonies are huge and they act like long term members. :D  We then wished Chen JM (LA) a happy birthday, then we visited with Ting Zhu- a 10 yr old RC.  She is so cute!  English class was..... ugh.... those kids are so crazy! Haha! 

On Thursday we got "fang-ed"/stood up twice and had two other lessons.  We met with a Zeng XJ (investigator) for the first time.  She has potential! She has a cute little family.  When we were sharing about prayer, she totally seemed to understand the need for it.  The other person we met with is an LA... who is still really hard to work with, since she doesn't really want to learn about the gospel... soo...

Friday was weekly planning.  But then afterwards we went to the Dong Hai University and just contacted people.  We actually found quite a few people willing to swap info and set up for another time.  So... wish us luck!

Saturday we attended a clean the earth activity with the ward and collected trash at a park.  We also met with an LA, Jiang JM, who was very very tired.  And in the evening we met with Wendy and Hanna, who are sisters, and ate dinner with them at a yummy restaurant.  We aren't sure if they are really interested in the Gospel... but they are really nice. And the food was really good.

Sunday was church. Yup. Not many investigators or LA's came this week... everyone was busy. Sigh.

So that's pretty much our week in a nut shell. Not to exciting, but we are hoping things will pick up.  We are praying for miracles!  This next week looks like it is going to be fun though, since we have Zone conference and also we have to sing for an art exhibition (a member invited us).  So, wish us luck! Haha! We really need to practice that song.

I hope you all have a good week.  Love you!

Love, Sister Nicholle Peng