Taiwan!‏ Wed 8/26/09

Hello!

Sorry about the not-really-an-email last week. We had a lot of computer problems but still only had limited time to use the internet.

I hope everything gets sorted out with my bank card soon; I've been having problems with the mission card too so... I may have to change some of my emergency cash. Ugh xinku wo.

Taiwan is great. I've done so much I can't even begin to catch you up in the next 23 minutes. I've been in an earthquake, rode through rice patties, been to a Confucian temple, stood on a box in the middle of Taichung's night market and Dan Jones style called the people to repent. I've had one baptism, two more in the works and have big goals for 7 by the end of the move call (6 weeks). I've become an expert at chopsticks, at ignoring the fact I sweat like crazy all the time and learning to talk to everyone. It's been a big couple weeks.

I am assigned to work in a city called Douliu and my companion's name is Sister Killpack from Utah/Michigan. We get along really well and she is a good trainer. I thought that Douliu was very big until I went on companion exchanges yesterday and went to Zhonghua which is much bigger. I guess to an Elko girl everything looks big! Granted, we live on the 13th floor of our apartment building, so to me that smakes it seem very urban. Our apartment is on the top floor and so I jokingly dubbed it The Penthouse. It's not a bad apartment but it had Elders living in it for too long. It switched to a Sister's apartment just a couple days before I moved in and it is still a work in progress. Sister Killpack and I are bound and determined to scrub the place clean and fit for living though; we just don't have much time to do it.

My biggest problem in Taiwan is the fact that I didn't realize how bad I am at bicycling! I have not hit any cars but every day I am afraid I will. Getting on and off I just...frequently hit my legs on the peddles / completely fall over (lol.) Yeah, I don't know what the problem is. Over the last two weeks I have accumulated over 40 bruises on my legs; I counted the other night! So anyway, pray my ability to ride my bike will improve hehe. I look like a battered woman married to a dwarf.

Oh, and about the earthquake, it wasn't a big deal, I guess they have them all the time and normally no one notcies. However when you are on the 13th floor the shaking is a lot more pronounced. It was kind of cool.

Yes, I already had a baptism! Her name is Song shao yi and we were so excited to see her get baptised. I guess the first time she was contacted was in January. In Taiwan, most people get baptised more quickly I am told. They feel like it was a long time if it takes over 2 months instead of a few weeks. This is happy for a missionary.

We eat on the street for lunch and dinner everyday because it is cheaper than buying groceries and saves time. The food is great; my body had more problems adjusting to the food at the MTC than here! I still don't know why that is. This means I won't learn how to make Taiwanese food, which is unfortunate.

My mission president is really really cool. He reminds me a lot of Daddy actually. Their family has been literally everywhere and he doesn't do easy vacations. They went to India once to look for tigers. The stories about him are legendary. He is really into getting us to believe that we can and will do anything that we set our minds to. He also has an exercise regimine we have to follow which I appreciate. We have to run 3 days a week, weights 2 days and one day of our choice (Sunday is rest). It will be very useful for when I have companions that otherwise wouldn't want to go exercise.

Anyway, P-day is almost over so I've got to go.

FML

Cami