After the typhoon and the earthquake...

Happy Monday morning! 

Today is a beautiful day to move! Yes, we've been living out of half packed boxes and suitcases for a week, but today is the day! Since we have 4 sisters living in our house for exchanges, we needed something bigger, and they probably decided we needed a cute red kitchen with a STOVE! We're living the dream here, folks.  And not just because of the new house. We had a lot of moments this week where you take a step back and think, "Remember that one time we were missionaries in Taiwan?" I love this beautiful land! 

HONGBAO! we each got 168 kuai, which we're guessing has

some special meaning...I'm sure I'll figure it out this week.

One moment was on exchanges this week with Sister Lindsay (from the MTC-- She's one transfer behind me) eating douhua (translates to bean curd.. it tastes so much better than it sounds) in this old creepy alley.  

 Exchanges with Sister Lindsay!  Eating douhua in a Taiwanese alley

Another was getting the first taste of guonian.. CHINESE NEW YEARS!! I love this! It's literally like their Christmas.  We have dinners and lunch with members for every meal this week, so we'll see how much weight I gain haha, I'll try to keep it under 10.  It was really interesting yesterday, after our one hour of church, we had lunch with an all member family, and it was very normal and just like a Mormon family dinner in Taiwan with the Liao family.  

First juonian dinner with Liao family

Then for dinner, we ate with Zhou family, and Sister Zhou and her brother +his wife and kid were the only members there.  So we got to see the rest of their family bai bai! That was interesting.  Bai bai literally means worship, but they basically mumble some stuff while they hold the incense stick over the food and I think that blesses it so their ancestors' ghosts can eat first.  Then after 10 mins or so, someone randomly says, Okay let's eat! I'm learning, but I've gained a respect for their culture and why they do things.  Family is so important to these people, just like us, and that's just the only way they know to respect them.

 I love everything about this picture:  Temple, MLC, and Sister Juarez. And me (:

 The Jedi Council!!! All the Zone leaders, STLs, and President/Sister Jergensen

We had MLC this week, and it was awesome! We're doing a lot more to work with members and actually getting legit referrals, especially for guonian where we'll be visiting a lot of members.  I'm excited for zone meetings this week! 

Good news, and bad news! So the good news, Chantelle passed her baptismal interview!!! Literally no  problems. She's great! But the not so good news, she accidently slept in for church yesterday, so we have to push her date back a week to the 20th, when it was originally planned for.  That's okay, it's probably better that way.  She's so excited though! Definitely keep her in your prayers! 

Just your average lesson with Zheng Yi Ting (: or as I like to

call her, peng peng

Hmm, what have I learned this week? It's important to have confidence, because a lack of confidence isn't right.  (That sounded better in my head, and also in Chinese) But especially to have confidence in Heavenly Father.  He's the reason why we have everything and He's the reason why we can do everything. I sometimes get discouraged because my Chinese isn't where I'd like it to be at or something, but then I realized how MUCH I've been blessed!! I've been in Taiwan for what, 7 months? There is no way that I could be who I am today without the help of my Heavenly Father.  Of course, you still have to nuli and prayer, but it's mostly Him.  I'm thankful that He has taken my weaknesses and what I lack and made them strengths.  It's blessed me, and it's blessed those who I've served and taught.  

Love you, hope y'all have a wonderful Chinese New year's week (: 

Love, Feng Jiemei

Converted

This has been the craziest week of my life, my dear family!! But I loved every minute of it.  

We got to see the worldwide missionary broadcast, and I learned so much!! It was interesting that it was basically everything that's in PMG and stuff we already know, but just reinforced, and specific ways of how to do it.  I loved what was said about helping investigators recognize the spirit when they feel it from little comments that they make about reading or praying.  I'm going to get better at that! We also repented and have been asking our RC/LA's for referrals, and we'll be going to meet a referral tonight with our LA, Brother Song, because of that. Miracles come from obeying invites from leaders, let me tell you.

 BeiTou + Danshui = The DanTou district!

                                  Yup, we had to go to a Maidanglao her last week in Taiwan

This last week with Sister Wright was so awesome! It was probably the busiest we've ever been, with lessons literally every hour, qing ke's (members taking us out to eat food and paying.. I'm not sure a better way to say that haha) for two meals a day and Sister Wright being song'd a ton of stuff! I'm preparing now haha.  

 This is literally my favorite woman.  We see her every morning at exercise

 Zone pic-Elder Sessions, Hawkes, Dong, Taulepa, Matua, Anderton, Dixon, Peterson,

Francis, Elder qiu, me Sister Qiu (not related), Wright, and Chan

She definitely did not want to go home, but it's all got to happen sometime.  She's from Henderson, NV, by the way.  Someone asked. As we got to the MRT station and watched her zoom away, well honestly, tears streamed down my face.  I know I'm next, but I'm not ready to go home.  I love these people too much, and I feel like I just got here.  Haha I did just get here, just 7 short months ago. With that in mind, I recommitted to make this last transfer my VERY best.  And it has been so far (: 

Y'all are probably wondering about my next companion. Sister Juarez is the best!! We kind of met through the Christmas choir thing, and I love her so much!! She's from Seattle, and like a quarter Mexican. She'll hit her year mark pretty soon, and she is seriously so great! I'm so excited to see what will happen this transfer (: 

 Taking Sister Wright to Jin Hua

See you in America, tongban!  I'll miss this girlie 

We did get over the few days of freezing! It's still been a little rainy, but definitely bearable.   

We've been house hunting this week. We were supposed to go get the keys to move today, but I guess there was a miscommunication and we told the wrong people we want to rent from them.  So that's being taken care of right this second, and hopefully we'll be moving soon. We've already got our house all packed up. On the upside, it's very clean and we threw away a lot of dongxi. The new apartment will be bigger and easier for exchanges when two more sisters come.  If we get the apartment we actually wanted, we'll have a decently big (and red!) kitchen, a working fridge (eeepp!!!) and a big living space.  Hurray!

My favorite statue next to the exercise park (:

small headed banjo player

We met another Feng Jiemei.  She randomly bought

us lunch one day!  Taiwanren are the best

We met with Chantelle this week, and she's doing so great! We actually brought up that she could get baptized a week early, and she was totally down for it! So she's getting baptized on the 13th!! Yay!! I'm so excited (: definitely keep her in your prayers! 

This is the new we (:

I love my new tongban, Sister Juarez!

One cool experience I've already had with Sis Juarez: after our first day together, she said I'm really good at finding in Taipei.  WHAT?? Haha I remember when I first came here, and even still, I sometimes feel like I have no idea what I'm doing!! But I can see now that the Lord has qualified me to do missionary work in the way that He needs me to where I am now in Beitou. I thought back to when Sister Call said I'm a good teacher and I must really like it because I was talking a lot.  It's interesting how that's worked out.  I've really been able to see my weaknesses  turn into strengths, and I'm grateful for companions who have been able to recognize that, as well.  

 We actually got to give some service!  We put up chairs

and tables for thousands of homeless people.  They'll

be feasting on guonian

 Excuse number 7:  GUONIAN KUAI DAOLE!  

Chinese New Years is almost here

My ponderizing scripture for this week is Moroni 8: 25-26, and it basically lays out the gospel of Jesus Christ in two verses! It's awesome! And because we have repented, we will develop all these awesome Christlike attributes and eventually return back to Heavenly Father's presence. I really hope I can memorize it this week, it's a good one!

I've been thinking a lot about my mission.  How I've changed, and how I've grown and stuff.  When I first started out, and even in the middle of my mission, I always thought I'd be so trunky and just ready to go home because every day is so long! Of course I enjoyed the work, but it's always nice to come home at the end of the day and be done.  But now, I want to move apartments on p day so we don't lose any finding time.  I try to talk with everyone because I can't stand to see that cute little family not sealed in the temple.  I teach repentance to help these people actually become converted to the gospel.  I don't want to come in at the end of the day, and I'm pumped to go out in the morning! I love this work so much.  Being a missionary is the most wonderful thing, and I am so glad I made this decision! 

Love, Feng Jiemei

A Taste of Winter

Sorry I'm writing a little later today, we had a zone party today up the mountain in Danshui at Sister Jin's house! She's the best! We got zone t shirts, and she made all kinds of food.  It was so fun! Man, I just love Taiwan. It's so beautiful, especially from the 12th floor of a mountain apartment. Speaking of mountains, it snowed up there on Sunday! Apparently it's the first time in maybe 20 years since they've had snow! Hahah Last night we were contacting up the mountain a bit and there were hundreds of cars coming down, and about every third one had a snowman built on the windshield (: I just love Taiwanren! That was great.  It's been SOO cold though! We heard it was -5 Celsius (you do the math).  Hopefully it should be warming up. We're lucky that winter started late this year, and it should be ending pretty soon too!

                      We found this sweet litte ama who said we reminded her of her grandkids.
                                                                How precious (:

Oh ps, we had some technical difficulties so we'll be watching the missionary broadcast tomorrow.

Our people that we're working with are doing so good! So there's Chantelle, and she's great.  She came to church again, and she's working on buying a new wardrobe  so she can be modest. Ah, I love her.  Then there's Chen Lei, who also came to church.  Her mom is reallyyy Buddhist, and doesn't want her to get baptized.  She's like 50, by the way.  But Taiwanren really respect their parents. 

 English class

Anyway, she's doing her best to keep the word of wisdom, and she actually set a baptismal date!! March 8.  So we'll just keep jiayou with her! There's also a Brother Deng, an LA.  He's like 28 and he knows everything about the church in and out, but just lost his testimony a few years ago and never came to church for 5 or 6 years.  We had dinner with him one night, and he's come to church for two weeks in a row and even helped us peike! Umm.. he was the member present? yes. Wow huge miracle! 

We went on a ton of exchanges this week! I got to go with Sister Guo again, who is now the tour sister. She used to be my STL, so that was fun to be with her again! I learned a lot from her.  Always find something you can complement someone on! Then I got to be with Sister Qiu again.  She finally got her visa! So she'll go to the MTC around Feb 23, and then to temple square! I'm so excited for her (: I also got to be companions with Sister Nau, from Florida.  Ah, she's great! I've had so much fun getting to go on so many exchanges and getting to know everyone.  We've definitely seen the blessings in our area, and we've seen so many miracles from it! I always tell the sisters to expect miracles when we go on exchanges.  They just happen! But why not expect them every day, you know? It's been happening!

 Zheng Yi Ting

 Exchanges with Guo Jiemei.  She also goes home this week.

 Last exchange with Sister Qiu before she goes to Temple Square

Haha so something funny I found out.  To abbreviate 'thank you' when texting, they say '3Q'.  you say 3 as 'san' so it's san-q. say it with a Taiwanese accent and it sounds like thank you! Haha too funny. 

Man, Sister Wright goes home this week.  I've really come to love her so much, and just love being a missionary with her. I had my first breakdown of not wanting to go home as we were having language study.  Okay I have to admit, I've definitely been learning Chinese really fast, probably faster than I deserve.  But since my time in Taiwan is almost done, it seems like not fast enough! I just want to take this last transfer and work my very hardest and do everything in my power to please the Lord and find whoever He needs me to find. I know that He is guiding us every day. There is no other way back to Heavenly Father than through Christ.  But what an awesome way! I love this gospel! Have a great week! Love you!!

Love, Feng Jiemei

 Eating lunch with the sisters on exchanges