Happy Chinese New Year!!! So Thankful That The Elders Are Great Eaters!

1). How is Chinese New Years going?  Is there a lot of excitement in the air?

New years is okay.... just a lot of busy people.... not really excitement....  just everything is closed- like a lot of food places and bike repair shops- which makes us sad, because we need to get our bikes fixed.... (i need a kickstand and Sister park needs brakes.... her's is more important!)

2). How many meals have you been invited to?

8.... and they've all been really good! 

3) do they celebrate Valentines Day in Taiwan?

Yup, they celebrate it three times.  They celebrate America's, there's and Japans.

4). What's the best plans you have for the Chinese New Year season.

Uhh.,... I don't think there is any.... all we do is wander around until someone is willing to talk to us

5). Are you still loving Tainan and sister Parks?

Yup!

6). What is your favorite fruit lately?  Favorite drink?  Favorite mom Hee,Hee,Hee.

Favorite Fruit: Guava.  Favorite Drink: Hot coco..... Favorite mom???? I'll have to think...... HAHAHAHAHA!

7). What is your impression about your ward?

I don't really quite know them.... they are pretty good.... I still really miss Ping Dong!

8). At you finding your way around the city now? Has sister Parks learned how to read the as yet?

We're doing better.  Still get lost.  I'd be willing to take the map and give navigating a try, but I don't want to make Sister Park feel bad.

9). Do you walk or ride your bike to church.

Bike

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Hello Mum and World,

HAPPY CHINESE NEW YEAR!!!!

Yup, welcome to the new lunar year of the Horse!  I know it's not really celebrated in the states, but here it's somewhat of a big deal.  And it's celebrated in the Taiwan fashion of celebrating everything: EATING.  Yup, also cleaning, but eating is much more emphasized.  Oh, and also bai bai-ing (worshiping) ancestors.... which we don't partake in, but there's a lot of people burning things outside and setting off fireworks and chanting.... so.... yup....

Anyways, as to missionary work.... it's been hard.... and only somewhat successful.  All of our investigators, which I haven't met yet, are GONE or BUSY due to the New Year.....  So, we've been spending a lot of time finding....  And then the people we meet are also busy.  Sister Park is taking it harder than I am.  She feels bad, because she is leading the area, but we haven't had much success.  I keep telling her after Guo Nian we'll have more success, and that we just have to keep pressing forward and keep doing the best we can.

We have had some successes with this last week though!  We were Less Active finding and met a Sister Liu who was willing to have us come in and share with her and her daughter.  Sister Liu has been inactive for 10 years, because she moved to China for a long time, and then came back and when she went back to church, she said she felt like a stranger.  So we are hoping the ward will start "guanxin"-ing her (take care of/welcome/make her feel loved).  Her daughter isn't a member, but she is willing to hear the gospel, which is fantastic!  So we are going to start reviewing things with Sister Liu as well as start teaching her daughter.  Hopefully we'll be able to get them to keep coming to church and keep building their faith in Christ!

Also, we've been visiting a Ms. Liu who is an investigator, who has a very sad life story in which resulted in her discontinuing any family contact since the beginning of last year.  Anyways, since she hasn't had any plans for Guo Nian, we've been able to go over and visit her and "guanxin" her.  Our last lesson with her was really good!  We went over, and she started off again about how she feels very lonely and sad because of not seeing her family and not feeling loved by them.  But also, she kept saying it was very interesting, how in the last year she has had several missionaries (us and some other churches) come to her door and guanxin her and share with her.  She thinks it's God's way of taking care of her and letting her know he's there for her.  Then, we taught her to pray to Heavenly Father.  It was so amazing!  As soon as she started to pray, she started crying and she kept looking into my eyes and saying "I don't know what is happening! What is this feeling?  Why am I crying?"  She kept praying for a few minutes, and then when she finished she kept marveling at her feelings.  I explained to her, she had those feelings because the Holy Ghost was communicating with her to tell her that Heavenly Father does really care for her, and she only had to invite him to show her his love.  Well, after that, she said that she WANTED to pray every day, and she WANTED to come to church.  And she said, if she continues to feel such feelings as she did at the moment she was praying, she would get baptized!  I really hope she does learn of the Gospel's truth! I really pray she feels God's love for her.   

We also had success contacting in a park.  Sister Park and I ended contacting two families at the same time, and they were both willing to have us meet with them some other time.  I really hope they are willing to hear us share.... we need new investigators... also, I contacted 2 Americans and then they were contacted the very same day by the elders.  Haha! Our area is sooo small! Ting Shuo (I've heard) that our area is one of the smallest in the mission.... I wouldn't be surprised.... Since, we keep accidentally finding ourselves in places that are not our area.....

Anyways, other than missionary work, all we've been doing is eating.  We've eaten a lot of yummy food, and we still have today and tomorrow to keep feasting.... O.o sometimes I see the members bring out the food and I'm like: "I really hope we don't have to eat it all, because they made enough for an army.... and THEY AREN'T EATING!"  I don't understand Taiwan customs.... they just don't eat that much when they have guests over....  and it's annoying, because they keep telling you to eat all of it and you were full like an hour ago.... Haha!  And then they say that you have to eat it all, or you can't leave.  Sister Park and I are grateful for the Elders though.  They want to gain weight, so they've been stuffing themselves.  The food is soo good, and actually healthier (for the most part) than what we get to eat on a normal basis, but the massive quantities of it makes you feel like you’re going to explode. Haha!

So, with it being a bit more difficult doing missionary work these last few weeks due to New Years, me and my companion have had to focus on the fact that it's impossible to be perfect.  We can try our best, but we are always going to fall short, because we are only human.  But, we know that there is someone who is perfect, who is always waiting to give us help when we need it: Our Heavenly Father.  If we rely on him, he'll help us in our imperfection.  He'll make sure things work out in the end.  I keep telling my companion, and myself, that this work is the Lord's work.  We must rely that on His timing, and we must have faith that He will guide us in our day to day efforts.  Sometimes, we as mortals get impatient.  We hate waiting.  But the Lord sees everything in an eternal perspective.  He knows when the "right time" for things to occur is.  So we just have to work hard, do our best, pray, and follow his guidance through the Holy Ghost, and we will see his hand in our lives.

I'm so grateful every time I get to email home.  I do miss you, but I know that right now is the Lord's time.  I'll never regret making the decision to serve the Lord for these short 18 months, because I've already gained so many blessings from them.   I really pray that all of you are doing well.  I hope that every day, you desire to come unto the Lord.  And in doing so, you will find that your faith will grow.  He is always knocking.  You've just got to open the door to let him in.

Love, Sister Nicholle Peng

Happy Chinese New Year!!! I Love Tainan & My New Companion!

1). What time do you have church now?

9am, just like it was in Ping Dong

2). How far are you from church?

I live within 5 minutes of walking from the church.... Which is funny, because both the church and our apartment are NOT in our area. Haha!

3). Tell me about your apartment.  Is it in good condition?

It's bigger than my last apartment.  Theirs air conditioning in every room.... not like we need it right now.  And I actually have a bathtub!
4). How large is your service area?  How far do you have to ride your bikes to get to where you need to go?  

My area is sooo much smaller than my last one. But we are in the city, so that's understandable. I'm not sure how far distances are, because Sister Park keeps getting lost.  Poor Sister, I'm trying to give her a chance to learn how to read maps, because she has never done it before.
5). How are you doing riding your bike in busier traffic?  Are you able to stay safe?

The traffic isn't too bad actually.  They just have interesting intersections that separate cars from the motorcycles and bikes- which is actually probably safer. :)
6). What are some things you like about your companion?  What are her best attributes?  In what ways are you the same or different?  Does she speak English?  How did she get the last name of "Parks?"
I love her because she is so humble.  And she is so cute!  She has a lot of Korean Quirks.... but I love them.  Also, I love her because she is always loving me!  We speak in Chinese.  Her last name is Park because.... idk....  Apparently in Korea they also have English last names. We both love food, but we both want to lose weight... we love to go to book stores.... She is really quite, I'm loud... yup...
7). How many investigators do you have in this area?  How many people attend church?  Is it more  or less than that of Ping Dong?

Can't really tell. It's chinese new years so... our investigators is close to.... ZERO  And as to church attendance, ping dong was bigger.

8). How's the Chinese progressing along?  Still gaining more vocabulary?  Able to read more Chinese? Yeah, for language study I read the BOM and I write letters to people in Ping Dong.  I'm still learning.

9). Did you find some good places to eat?  Tried any more different foods?  Have you tried stinky tofu yet?
Not yet... I did see some good mexican places! I'm trying to convince Sister Park that Mexican food is really yummy and we should try some. :) 

 Now on to the actual email!

Hello Mom and other wonderful people of the world!

How are you doing on the other side of the globe?  I hope you are all doing fantastic and that you are still doing well on your new year's goals.  If not, you have another chance to start over on your goals.... because.... HAPPY CHINESE NEW YEAR!!!  We will be entering into the year of 104!  As a missionary, Guo Nian is a very feared and dreaded holiday.... because it means that you will be served a ton of food, your waist lines will expand and all of your investigators and less actives are too busy to meet because they are also taking part in the yearly feasting.  I don't understand how a country with such skinny people can eat soo much food! Okay, well, not everyone is skinny, but most of the skinny people I know here can just eat forever and all the food doesn't affect their weight at all.... 

Sister Park and I really want to try running every morning this week and perhaps the week after in order to avoid gaining too much weight. Wish us luck!

So! Tainan!  It's different than Ping Dong.  Our area is smaller, since we are in the city and the people are more compact.  We are only over the east part of the city?  And not even all of it?  I'm not quite clear.... But all I know is that it's smaller than my last area.  Also, it's a bit more "international."  What I mean is I've never seen so many foreigners in Taiwan before! (Well... aside from the missionaries.)  In Ping Dong, seeing more than one or two non-Taiwanese people was abnormal!  But here I see up to 10 or 15 a day! It's just weird, because I'm not used to seeing people whose hair isn't black and their eyes aren't brown...  Haha!  Yesterday I passed by a TACO car!  How cool is that!  I keep seeing Mexican food!  I really want to try some!

Anyways, it's also a bit more chilly here than in Ping Dong.  And by chilly I mean that I was actually COLD here! That blew my mind!  But I didn't have anything thicker than one white sweater, because when it was cold, I was still waiting for my luggage to get transferred over.  Once I got my clothes, it wasn't necessary to pull out my coat anymore... because the weather got warm.... sigh.... I'll be prepared for next time it gets cold though!

So, as to investigators, recent converts and less actives in Tainan, it's been hard to get a hold with anyone due to Guo Nian, so I really hope that after Guo Nian our schedules will be packed!

One thing that I love about my new area is the service project that we have every Sunday!  Every Sunday we go over to a hospital that takes care of a lot of physically and mentally handicap people and sing to them and teach them how to sing.  I love going over there because you can see how happy some of them are, even though their circumstances must be frustrating to them sometimes.   Their spirits are beautiful and they really can bring a smile to your face.  I look forward to building friendships with them.  They are really special and beloved children of God.

I also love my new area because of my companion Sister Park!  She is so cute and funny.  As I said before she is from Korea and so we both use Chinese to communicate.  She is always looking out for me, and every morning, she insists on starting to prepare my breakfast for me and also on putting together our lunches so we don't have to eat too much unhealthy things throughout the day.  I always have to try and be really fast on getting ready so I can get to the dishes before she does so I can try and serve her as well! Haha! Also, she always makes sure I have a small snack before language study time.  So cute!  She is very humble, and you can tell she loves serving people.  Also, it's super cool to hear her speak in Korean. :D

Anyways, this week has been good, though I've been tired- not sure why... I'm adjusting well to my new area, and I'm learning to love it as much as I love Ping Dong.

One of the things that I'm so grateful for during my missionary service is being able to find friends wherever I go.  I believe God always puts friends in our lives wherever we are so we can always remember that he loves us.  Through our friends and through the people all around us, we can feel their support and their love and we can also learn from their examples.  I know that I am only who I am today because of the people around me.  My Mom has been a great role model for me and she's always been there for me.  My friends have supported me during my hard times in life and have also been great examples to me.  My companions have always pushed me to try my hardest and to always have trust in the Lord.  I am so grateful for the people the Lord has put into my life, and I know that he will continue to bless me through their love and examples.

I love you and miss you all.  Sorry if this email is a bit jumpy... My head is tired... hopefully I'll have the chance to take a small nap one day.... Haha!  

Happy Chinese New Year!  

Love, Sister Peng

It's Official! Sister Peng has actually transferred to a new area!

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