MIRACLES OF POWER WEEK! (I told you;))

First off I gotta throw some props out to my Boys down in Italy! Anziano Sloan and Anziano Johnson! They are just puttin down the miracles like Chase and Dane can put down 100 Chicken Nuggets!...Yes...Those boys are impressive!

CHASE GOOD LUCK! I LOVE YOU BUDDY! GO TEAR IT UP!!!

Alright, now on to the things of Taiwan! This week each day had a goal and some cool events that went down! Let me tell you about our challenges and what we did on that day! Strap on the seatbelt!

MONDAY: Tract into 2 families and have them let you in! Well this was super hard since we were told all these challenges on Monday and had already planned lessons for today! But we went forward in faith! Now it is hard enough to tract into ONE house with an hour of tracting time....but TWO! That was going to need a miracle. Well...a miracle we got! We didn't get home until close to 10 O'clock that night, but miracles happened and we were able to hit the goal that the Lord set for us and met some amazing people!#YOUBANFA (There is a way)

TUESDAY: Hand out 13 Copies of the Book of Mormon on the Street. Again...with DTM and lessons already set up this was going to need a MIRACLE! And with Prayer, hard work and a LOT of faith, we got it done! You would be very suprised how willing people are to take a HUGE book that talks about God on the street. #SwordofTestimony!

WEDNESDAY: Talk to and set up specific appointments with 20 people on the street! Now Wednesday is our English day which means that from 6:00 till the end of the night we are super busy! So that means we only had until about 6:00 to get this done! So we went out and just talked to every person we could see or smell or hear or anything! #PreachUntoEveryCreature!

THURSDAY: Talk to and have 5 people set up dates to be baptized on March 22nd....well...we got 6!!!!!! It was so amazing to see who the Lord had prepared earlier that week to be ready to receive our message when we shared it and to just meet so many amazing people! Some had desire, some were curious and some just were willing! It really was amazing! #BECOMINGaMissionary

FRIDAY: Confirm 15 People for Church. This was a big one that involved us running ALL over the place and making a lot a lot of calls! It all payed off in the end, but it was a bit stressy while it was going on! But all that stressed got out in a night of basketball! We set up for some investigators and Less actives to come ball with us (best idea ever), what was even cooler was that they brought their friends!!!!! IT was AWESOME! #BallingBringsMiracles

SATURDAY: Talk to 20 Families~~Well Saturday....first things first....BAPTISM!!!!!! The amazing young man John 黃郁豪 made that step! HE IS SO AWESOME! He was so extremely prepared and it was a GREAT WAY to start closing the power week! We also got to talk with 20 amazing young families...that is the big reason I am here...to bring people to a knowledge of the ETERNAL family and how happy the Gospel really will make each of us! #任何成功都不能彌補家庭的失敗

SUNDAY: Get 4 Investigators to Church....can you say...DOUBLES!? We were blessed to have 7 of our amazing friends and brothers come to Sacrament meeting this last week! And then on TOP OF THAT we got to go up to the Mission Home to hear the Presiding Bishop speak to us! What a GREAT way to end Power Week! It was such an amazing Blessing! I also got to see The Phoenix Elder Roberts again! It looks like he is doing really good! (Phew! I guess I did alright!) haha. So really...we were just blessed HUGE this week! I know that it wasn't anything that we did specifically...it was all HUGE blessings!

We were taught by the Bishops Wife (Sister Stevenson) to go PRO for God,

Pray

Read

Obey

And she taught us this cool thing that Sister Dalton taught the girls about giving thumbs up. And we you got a thumbs up, it was your friends checking to make sure that day you had read scriptures and prayed. If you did you could thumbs up back. I thought it was a pretty cool Idea :)

So Everyone, INVITE! I know...your favorite. My invite is going to be have your own personal power week! Make goals like the ones above for each day (obviously not the same goals, but just make big goals that will make you stretch in bringing people to the gospel). Are you willing? YEAH! I know that when you do this that you will really FEEL the spirit and know that the Lord is pleased with what you are doing and who you are becoming!

I love you all and hope you have an AMAZING week!

SHINE BRIGHT!! LOVE YOU ALL SO MUCH!

I know this work is true. The Church is true and I do not doubt it. I know it with all that I am and I Love it!

-

Ge Sheng Long ZhangLao

葛勝龍長老

POWER WEEK!!!!!!

 

So next week will probably be titled, miracles of Power Week or something haha but for as of now, TODAY STARTS THE POWER WEEK! For those of you who have not served in the Taizhong Mission; Power Week is the week most looked forward to by ALL MISSIONARIES!!! We are givin' these assignments or small missions to do, some MUCH bigger than others, but all focused 100% on bringing people unto Christ in a BIG WAY! the coolest part though is when at the end of each day, if you have accomplished your mission, you call President and say "President, Mission Accomplished!" How sweet is that! I can't wait to call every night!#Elder007

Oh....I totally forgot 100% that there was this holiday known as Valentines...haha. I forgot all the way until the very end of the night when some member came to help us teach and the whole time would just not stop talking about the "cutest marriage proposal ever" and how perfect it was that it was on Valentines. haha. You know...it is funnny. Sometimes I see cars, or some small things that make me a little trunky (always quickly over it though). But for some reason the thought of marriage and dating has no effect. (HALLELUJAH!Sweet blessin's!) I thought is was just a funny thought :) 

Well as for what happened in the week past.....No knife fights but still some BIG THINGS!  And by big things I mean BIG HUGE BLESSINGS!! This last week is the best that this district has done for much over a year! It was so incredible to see what faith and obedience will do! We all made some pretty big commitments last week, we carried them out in faith and BOOM we were blessed huge! Some of the miracles happened in ways that are so hard to notice, but some of them are just SO CLEAR! For example. We had lessons set up for about every hour slot last Friday....now that on its own was unheard of for our Area...but Elder Smith is a missionary Monster so, props to him! :) Anyways, we were working super hard and finally got all the lessons set up. Most of them set up on Thursday for FRIDAY meetings. Well....Friday roles around and one person after another don't show up...Needless to say I was pretty dang frustrated! But we decided to go out and keep working. So Elder Smith decided he wanted to go check out mans house that we had talked to recently. We biked forever to get there only to realize that it was a huge apartment that we couldn't get into and that he wouldn't answer his phone.

Well...I had just been ditched by people I was so excited to meet with and then biked forever for nothing....now getting Volcano-like frustration juice running through my veins.  But I decide to let it out with a small bathroom break at the nearest FamilyMart. So we went there and sat for maybe 5 min. or so calling people and letting the other companion take a small bathroom break. While we were calling, our SUPER PROMISING 7 o'clock called to cancel...HOLY MOLY. The volcano erupted! I just decided that I was gonna go talk to every person and get SOMEONE to talk to us. I saw a guy sitting outside smoking....the perfect victim! haha. So I went down and sat next to him. Started chatting and very quickly found out that he had ZERO interest. Especially when he said that he wouldn't believe God even if he appeared right in front of him! First off....what the heck? That makes no sense...that is like me saying "I can pick up this hundred pound weight" Then you saying "no you can't" Then me picking it up and saying "Hah! Told you" Then you saying "....no you can't" haha. I was baffled but decided to just bear testimony and encourage him then leave. Well the next guy I saw was standing outside a laundry mat smoking...another smoker. So I LEANED into the discomfort I had after just getting totally rejected (Thank you awesome Trainer). I asked him how he was doing and he said "Not good." Well....if that is not the best thing for a missionary who is carrying the GLAD AND HAPPY MESSAGE of Christ then I don't know what is. Well as it turns out he had rejected LOTS of missionaries but had recently had come across trouble in his life and was looking to learn more about Christ. We sat with him and taught him, encouraged him and set up. He is AMAZING and we are so excited to keep meeting! The thing that is EXTRA cool, is that if we didn't get dropped by everyone, then have Elder Smith have the idea to bike forever away to visit someone, then for me to want to go to the bathroom, we would have missed him. He had just come out for a brief moment to smoke and was almost done when we found him....SUPER MIRACLE! I love this work so much!

Other than that we have started meeting with a lot of different amazing people and been doing really hard work to bring them to a knowledge of the greatness and love of God!!

So needless to say we are having fun and loving it out here and so excited to light it up during Power Week!

Invite is to make THIS WEEK YOUR POWER WEEK! Go do something that might be a little out of your comfort zone that will help bring someone unto Christ! I won't tell you WHAT to do, but I hope that you will do something :)

Lastly SHOUT OUT TO CHASE GISH!!!!!! ELDER CHASE GISH Will be leaving for his mission soon! If you think that some of the things I send home are miraculous wait till you start getting his emails! He is the most righteous, obedient, faithful, goodlooking missionary on this side of the Milky Way! haha. Please pray for my amazing Brother as I also will be!

Shine Bright! I love you all!

-

Ge Sheng Long ZhangLao

葛勝龍長老

CRAZIEST DAY OF MY MISSION

Okay. I know everyone wants to know now what the heck could possibly be so crazy...well...LET ME TELL YOU. And then we will get on to the other stuff.

Now before I start into this story I want to prep it by saying  and bearing testimony that I know that the Lord and his spirit is with us and protecting us and I love him and and grateful for him. I am just so glad that I have worked hard and been obedient as I have done this work so that I can have the promise of the protection of God. SO here it is.

Yesterday Elder Smith and I had been rushing around everywhere, finding, teaching, BAPTIZING! Okay well we didn't baptize....but it will happen!

But anyways, we were at the church and taught a late lesson. The lesson ended at around 9:00 and so we started rushing home. We usually try to be in by 9:00 since the Mission President invited us to do so. But on the way home I saw this man and he had the girl by the collar of the shirt and was looking pretty rough...

My first thought was...oh I am in Taiwan and parents (especially drunk ones) can be pretty rough with their kids when they don't do stuff. But as I passed them he started to hit her and she was screaming and there was a mini crowd off to the side just screaming and this man was pushing her into and over bikes and scooters. Of course I was NOT gonna let that fly. So I immediately stopped my bike and got off, dropped my backpack and stuff and ran over yelling at this guy to chill out and stop.

Then I saw it, the guy raised his hand and there was a HUGE knife in it! I don't mean like a steak knife...I mean like a slaughter big fish and stuff type knife! I don't really know what I was thinking but I ran over and grabbed the guy grabbed the knife in his hand and pulled him away and as soon as I grabbed the knife and his arm his hand opened just enough for me to get the knife without much struggle. He looked and me and I pushed him away and told him to get out. The mini group had two of his friends and they started fighting so I walked over and pulled these guys away from the girls and then this guy punched this girl and she was lights out, just fell straight to the road! Elder Smith and I got the aggressors away and they finally left. The girl who was being pushed around and threatened was totally uncontrollable and screaming and hectic. The cops finally got there and got our information and all that and after about 45min sent us away. It was scary and stuff after but really it was good. A couple people saw Elder Smith and I, a LOT of cops and a small crowd gathered and the "mormon missionaries" were the people that saved the women and stopped everything. I just hope that they were influenced for good that night. We did get to talk to a few people about the gospel while waiting and while the cops were interviewing people. So that was nice too #standasawitnessatalltimes

And Mom don't worry we are TOTALLY fine.

I really do believe that the Lord protected us as we stepped in. Elder Smith said that he looked at the guy as he was walking away and he seemed 100% calm...no emotions...super cold-blooded. When Things like that happen it is hard to deny that fact that the Lord is there protecting you and that in the midst of that chaos neither of us got hurt....well actually my hand got a little sting from a flying shoe...

So that was a good way to top of an AMAZING week!! :) Let me tell you about the rest of the week!

This week something happened to me that I have always wondered could or would actually happen to me. That is that I MYSELF finally feel that the mission has and will change me...and I don't just mean what I do...I mean who I am, my core-being and my core-desires. I have learned one very important thing....I am not all that, BUT I have a big desire to be all I can be in the Lord's hands. I think that the Lord has finally seen that I have finally changed and am doing things for pure and righteous reasons and he is willing to give the blessings that he has wanted to give me for so long! The desire is there and that is what is I am working with now!

I had interviews with President (Shannon here: A mission president presides over a geographical mission area and all the missionaries serving within that area.)  and they were so eye-opening! I learned things that I have heard so many times! I am not gonna lie...I thought I was pretty hot stuff before..I had done so much on my mission and people kept telling me about how great I was and all this..I guess I was not humble as I thought I was...then President called me on priestcrafts...can you believe that PREISTCRAFT! I thought that was something that voodoo people did....but my eyes were opened to all the things that I did that was preistcraft-like. I was "trying to exercise control or dominion or compulsion upon the souls of the children of men in [quite a large] degree of unrighteousness." I was doing it to look good to leaders, family, friends. So I apologize to all those that received this kind of impression! So anyways, now I am repenting for that ;) haha.

I am just excited to say the kinds of blessings that really purifying myself, sanctifying my efforts and doing things with the Sole purpose of serving my God will bring! Everything I do I want to be for the Glory of God!

This last week I also went on exchanges with an Elder Named Elder Hanset....that kid is SO FUNNY! We did some good work but we also made something called "THE FACE" It is something my trainer did super well! What it is is this smile that you put on to show that you are happy but also let the person know that you know they are lying straight to your face. It is hard to master but...when done right this is what happens.

"Hi, I am a missionary....."

“so do you think we could set aside time to sit with you for like 20 min. another day and tell you more about this message?"

"oh no I am way to busy, I have no time"

**INITIATE THE FACE**

"Really...you don't have TWENTY min?"

"...........okay I guess I have twenty"

haha I know it sounds pretty funny but I am so serious....this works so well!! It is like your eyes just pierce their soul! Lets get these miracles going!

As a last little thought...I ate Pig Retina yesterday...it was actually super good! (Is this the Elder Gish that wouldn't even TOUCH broccoli a year ago?.....yes) haha.

Sorry this email has been a little all over the place..but really I feel like I have been all over the place recently. However I feel like now I can finally settle down and be established with who I want to be! I want to do BECOME this person so that all of this goes beyond my mission. If I just DO it...then it will all go away in about a year...I don't want to let that happen.

I hope everyone can go do the same thing...this week just think about who the Savior is to you and think about what he means to you. He is everything to me and that is why i am out here sharing his Gospel to everyone within my reach! And sometimes out of my reach #climbinguphugetrucks

I love you all! Remember who you are, why you are here on the Earth, what is important and that you are Loved!

Elder Gish

-

Ge Sheng Long ZhangLao

葛勝龍長老

PROJECT SPEED!

 

I really gotta say...I feel more and more cool each time I say that I am starting PROJECT SPEED haha. So what is Project speed Elder Gish? Well let me tell you...It is a finely tuned, well planned, heavenly vision! It is something that Elders and Prophets of the Ancients have tried to bring to pass for ages without days...and finally after centuries of struggle...the Gryphon and Dragon the the Land of Eternal Health have done it! We have finally begun....PROJECT SPEED! It is a project that includes five different points for taking an ordinary run of the mill missionary and turning him into a sanctified servant of God!

S--SYL--speak the language and master the language so that you can 100% understand and teach with the spirit, only then can you do ALL things the Lord would have you do.

P--PART--...yup you heard right...part the hair baby. This is something that my amazing trainer instilled in me! It is humbling with a pinch of professional! It really brings out the Servant in you haha...it also gives you this weird power to be 有辦法! (Having a way!)

E--Evaluate--we evaluate all we do to see how we can do better, what to change and to see if what we are doing or have planned will be worth our while/ what the Lord wants!

E--Eliminate--This is getting rid of all things that take away from who we want to be as sanctified servants. We want to "avoid all appearance of evil" (1 Corinthians?)

D--Dominate--Just be the VERY BEST WE CAN BE, doing ALL WE CAN DO. And then dominating on and off the field ;)

THAT Boys and Girls, is Project Speed! :) haha

So as most of you probably DON'T know...unless you know someone in Asia...This week is 過年 (guonian) which is the New Year for people out here and it is HUGE just like our Christmas! Gosh it is crazy! Lots of fireworks...loud....all the time...and LOTS AND LOTS of food...I think I have been fed enough to last me a few weeks. Except actually for some reason I have been SUPER hungry recently and don't seem to stop eating..I am ALWAYS hungry! That can get kinda frustrating as you are out talking to people and your stomach keeps yelling at you...but anyways, back to the new year!

So we have been being VERY well takin care of and after dinners sharing powerful scripture and testimony which is always the coolest thing ever!! But do you want to know what is NOT the coolest thing ever...Eating black fish egg, squid beak, mini shrimp thingy salad, giant squid filled with brown stuff in the intestines, (yes the brown stuff is what you think it is...) and a variety of other nice things..haha. No it really is awesome! The people here rock! They pull out all the stops for the missionaries here and feed us the very best! I am so grateful for all of there amazing effort! But I will have to say...I think my favorite meal this month was the pizza from Dominos....SO AMAZING haha.

So now a little advice for the General public!

My companion and I have been talking about this a lot recently...People...if you are going to lie to us....please lie better. I want to run you through a crash course on how to NOT lie to a missionary :)

1. Listen first. Make sure that you understand what they are asking.  That way you can lie better.

Heres an example of what not to do:

"Hey we talked to your daughter and sh-"

"She´s not home"

"And she said that y-"

"Shes not home"

"She said that YOU might be interested in our message"

We later found out that she was home.

2. If you want a lie told right, do it yourself. A lot of people here send their small children to the door to lie for them.

Example:

"Hey is your mom home?"

"No, she left"

"Can you ask her when shell be home"

"Yeah one second let me go ask....MOM...."

3. Make sure that your lie is strong enough to deter the person.

Example:

"Can we share our message with you?"

"Im really busy washing my clothes"

"Can we help you wash your clothes?"

"Im almost done"

"Then can we share our message with you?"

"But...Im washing...my clothes."

4. If you ARE going to lie make sure that you can keep up with yourself, dont go to crazy with it.

Example:
"Hey do you think another day we could show you around our church?"

"I would love to but I am going to China"

"Oh that is far, when do you go?"

"Tomorrow."

"wow that is quick, when do you get back."

"I don't know yet."

...About 30 sec later...

"Well sorry to bother you, do you think we could switch numbers so we can just call you when you get back?"

"That is not very convenient cause while I am in Gaoxiong (in Taiwan...) I can't answer the phone."

"I though you were going to China?"

"Oh yeah...China"

"When does your plane leave?"

"That is where I am going now...I leave soon"

"mhh.....okay have a good day sir..."

Haha...yup....the fun life of a missionary :) That was put together with the help of an Elder Gonzales and Elder Smith...witty guys :)

Also, if you get revelation...please act on it...so frustrating when someone gets the answer and chooses to ignore it! (Yes mom and Dad...I know and I apologize for ALL THE MILLION times I did that as a kid haha :) LOVE YOU SO MUCH!)

Love you all! SHINE BRIGHT!! 

Don't think I forgot an invite ;) I hope that everyone this week can go out and pray for a chance to help someone this week! Just make them feel good! :) That is the best ever when you help someone else to feel super good!

You all rock!!!

(The Part is...It is hard to get in the part with curly hair but it is usually pretty good!...and yes...those are bike strap tan lines....)