So let me start of by saying sorry to everyone for last weeks lame email!! I said this one would be awesome with good pics..but when we left we were too late and missed the boat so we didn't even get to go and we wasted soooo much time...the P-Day was ALMOST a waste haha! I will fill you in from last week and this week okay?! :)
First let me clear something up...I was called to White Wash train which means that I go to an area where missionaries have never been or atleast they have not been there for a while, so it means doing missionary work from scratch in an area, no investigators or friends or anything haha. But something happened this week that really actually killed...I got a call from President two days ago...he started off by apologizing and stuff and so of course I was like...uh oh...this is how it went:
"Elder Gish, I have some bad news about next move call and I am sorry..."
"Don't worry, I'll do whatever I can to help"
"So I and my councilors last week went through and we FIRST pick who we want to be out trainers and you were one of our first, then we pray and fast and look over the list of incoming missionaries and match you up. Well...it just so happens that the young man we had matched you up with is being sent home and will not be coming out to Taiwan"
I of course responded well and everything, but it was so hard to hear! This young man that I had been praying for and fasting and preparing for doesn't even get to come to Taiwan...atleast not now...
So I WILL be whitewashing an area but I will not be training this move call. He told me that I will be training next move call and probably just staying in the area that I am going to be moving too. I was just so sad to hear about this young man being sent home...it really was tough! So yeah...that was the start of my week, it was a little rough. But I am still excited to just go help out in anyway that I can! I don't know why he got sent home but it just makes me think about the experiences that a mission brings!! They are really once in a lifetime experiences! I love it here! I hope that every young man can have these experiences and enter into the army of God ;) IT IS SO AWESOME!! :)
Okay so now on to other updates and such. As far as updates with investigators...we are getting a TON of new investigators and helping a lot of people! :) For right now...i'll just leave it at that and leave the BIG updates for next week haha.
But one thing I HAVE to say is I LOVE FAMILIES!! I will share this small miracle.
So I was on the road on the way back home and I was exhausted...like always. haha. And I stopped at this light...now I talk to someone at EVERY LIGHT and this was going to be my first time not doing it...so the guilt set in...I was like...shoooot....I guess I should. So in a not so good attitude I leaned over my bike and gave this guy a church track and said 'have you ever been to church? do you want to come?' Then he said..."I guess I can." Then the light turned green and he left (that usually means that they just want to get you off their back and then go haha). But guess what...HE CAME TO CHURCH!!! :) SO CRAZY!!! And then the NEXT WEEK he brought his whole family! I was so excited! We are going to be visiting them this week! I am stoked!
Okay so here we go....the part that MOST people look at this for...haha THE STORIES!
Here is one that might sound lame but was just SOOOO FUNNY.
So me and Elder Guest went on exchanges and we did this thing called ice-cream contacting where we go to McDees, get an ice cream and just chat with someone and at the end invite them to learn more (people are way more willing to talk to you when you are holding an ice cream cone haha). But anyways we bought our cones and Elder Guest tried to balance the two cones on a platter (doesn't seem too hard right?) Well it was for him haha! After about three seconds it went PLOP and one splattered all over the ground. Well because we are both young innocent foreingers they felt bad and gave us new ones. We were super embarrassed but very grateful. So we walked up stairs way more carefully and then we set our stuff down...well about 15sec later...BOOM another one PLOP...and it was his again...we laughed so hard! Like....What the heck haha it was soooo funny!
Another story...here it comes...CAR CRASH!..what?! yup...haha. Me and my awesome friend Ryan Chen were driving together and I said Right turn! But we hard already passed the spot so OFCOURSE I turned left so that I could U-turn...but he didnt realize it so his motor-scooter and my bike...BOOM! Crashed sooo bad haha. We flew and skidded for awhile. Of course my pants and shirt were destroyed. The Bike and scooter and my friend were all fine though haha...just the Elder got demolished haha. It was pretty crazy but also funny haha. (Shannon here: are you feeling psychic? Trying for see the “funny haha” part of this.)
Oh here is another neat little story. So on the way back from an activity I stopped at a light and ill tell you what...I REALLY like to chat with younger people, around my age, just cause it is fun and easy and such. And so at this light was two scooters, one had a young man and his girlfriend (that is like my PRIME target haha) and this other guy maybe in his 30s or 40s. For some weird reason I skipped the kid and went to the older guy and guess what!? HE WAS AN OLD LESS ACTIVE MEMBER! It was crazy cause he was like "hey its almost nine...you should be home right?" I was like...what? haha how does he know that...so we chatted and he was so awesome! He invited us over to play Majiang (Taiwanese Poker haha) with him and a bunch over his friends! We probably won't go to THAT but we WILL go talk to him :) I am excited! :)
So I will tell you what...lately I have talked to a lot of people and have been a little disappointed with friends decisions and things that I have heard about members doing...I will tell you something I heard a long time ago that is FOR SURE TRUE...the CHURCH is perfect and wonderful...however people are people and make mistakes! We gotta forgive and move on haha. One thing I have also come to realize something here...which actually stinks haha...but we have to just move on from things that have happened. All we can do is control how we react and what we do to better the situation! (I know mom and dad....you have said that a million times...haha) I just needed to experience cause I am not as Wise as some hahaha.
Well I love you all! Shine Bright!
Invite? mwahahaha don't think I forgot! Just make someone feel super good this week, make cookies....do anything but make them feel special. One thing I was so sad about was when I talked to a young man this week and he felt like we was worthless and that no one thought he was special at all! No one should feel like that!
Love you!
P.S. Yes Dad...I am working out haha, I would like it though if I could get some other little things (like ideas) because I really don't have any tools to work out with...any suggestions?
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Ge Sheng Long ZhangLao
葛勝龍長老
