Is it really the end!?!?

 

So I forgot my planner at home...shoooooooot....but I can try to pull some stuff from memory. Then I will try to get it all in next week okay!?

Well....This week I finish my training! Oh gosh....that is scary! But really it isn't so bad since it is so obvious that Elder Roberts is just going to keep going on to bigger and better things!!! :) I am excited to see how much he will truly bless this mission! This week we will find out if either of us will be moving...I am actually just about 100% sure that I will be moving haha...but we will see! So let's just HOPE that Elder Roberts and I BOTH move and BOTH move into the same area again :) Or maybe Elder Roberts can just become my Zone Leader right away!! ;)

This morning we all went to the bat caves again! IT WAS SO FUN! It was full of adventure...I think the pictures will speak for themselves! I just wish you could hear Elder Roberts screaming like a little girl...oh gosh...those are the moments you will never forget ;) hahaha

I want to start this week off with somethings that have happened to me this week....so without further ado:

YOU KNOW YOU ARE A MISSIONARY WHEN:

You can't think of Dumbledore and Voldemort's name (I just had to think awhile again...) And so instead you input the names "Abinadi and Satan."

You Listen to your phone ring tones at night for fun..."Oh man that Nokia tone is dope Elder!"....yup

You quote Preach My Gospel DVDs to tell jokes with your friends

You point out how "Freakin Sweet" another Elders Fanny Pack is

You compliment other friends by pointing out how white their shirts are, "Elder...that shirt is so white! Is it new? It looks SWEET!"

You struggle coming up with complete sentences in English but you somehow still communicate...."Yeah Elder, I know, but you have to....umm....what is that word again?....shoot....you know what I mean right?" "Yes"

You go out to eat at a place that might cost 5 American dollars and tell your companion "whoa buddy...I don't know if I can afford to eat like this this month" So instead you go to the place down the street that costs 1 American Dollar...haha...#lovintaiwanfood

When you wake up you sit and wonder if you even fell asleep..."Elder...please don't tell me it is 6:30 already...."

You see a pretty girl on the street and your first thought is "I wonder if she would be willing to meet with the sisters!?"

You DREAM about tracting and finding family after family!

I will try to also get some others later....I think they are probably pretty typical of this amazing mission!! haha

Well this week was so filled with miracles but let me just start with the one I am most grateful for and that I want to thank everyone else for as well! So do you remember that Man that was in a Part Member Family and had a lot of problems and we tried to help him get baptized on Christmas? Well we hadn't met with him for a long time and we were about to just kinda throw in the towel and say...maybe he just needs more time (week sauce...haha). But we went over to see him anyways and try to talk to him one last time. So we went over there and BAM INSTANT PRAYERS ANSWERED MIRACLE BOOMSHALOCKLOCK BOOM! :) Yeah...I was pretty excited too...So we went and taught a pretty normal lesson and things seemed normal. And before we left he said...wait...so to get baptized right now the only thing holding me back is smoking and drinking and stuff right? And I said yup. Then he said "well actually last week I had a dream...It is kinda hard to tell you all about it but basically I just feel like my drinking and smoking time is over and I haven't done it for about a week now and want to keep going!"

MIRACLE!!!!!!!!!!

Yup it was amazing! So we are preparing him and helping him now...hopefully he will be totally ready for the 18th! So please keep him Brother 江 (Gee-ah-ng) In your prayer! :) 

We also baptized this AMAZING kid this last week! He is so fun and super cool! He was totally prepared. All he needed was a little missionary magic and BAM he joins the fold of God and receives all those amazing blessings!

I may not know a lot, but I DO KNOW that this gospel is TRUE and that nothing will bring us closer to God than studying this gospel! So we need to just tell everyone about it!!

We have another really good friend named Brother 曾(dZ-uh-ng). He is Super amazing and we are also hoping he will be ready for the 18th. He just feels he needs a little more time even though he is 100 percent ready! I think he is just nervous about that step....but at least he realizes that it is a big important step :), I just hope that he also realizes that it really isn't a step that you can just push off.

So I have been emailing with the Old AP Elder Erickson (my trainer) and he has been helping me stay fired and helping me realize the importance and impact that just one missionary or person can make. It is good however as an imperfect person I also get a little burned when I get that kinda fire just because I am so sorry for everything that I have ever done before that has been disobedient or even "not-missionary like." I am FAR from perfect and have messed up a lot...but one thing I have learned is..well..Hakuna Matta! It is in the past and is done and I can not change it now...however I can do all I can to make up for it or to repent and let that mistake become a blessing. I am so grateful for the knowledge I have of the Atonement and how I know that the Lord can help me take those times of weakness and mistake and turn them into ways of my being able to help and bless others!!

I love this gospel and I love you all!

Have an amazing week!!!
SHINE BRIGHT!!!!!!!

OH INVITE! Yeah! Go up to missionaries you know and just tell them how good they are doing. It is WAY too easy to get down on yourself...especially on a mission. So let them and the people around you know that they are doing good. :)

P.S...If you see that picture and are wondering where the front tire to that bike is....the answer is...somewhere that I knew and that Elder Palmer had to find out :) haha [Shannon here: Elder Gish’s last post explained a district wide hide and seek joke that Elders play on each other after meetings.]

LOVE YOU ALL!!!

-

Ge Sheng Long ZhangLao

葛勝龍長老

[Shannon here: I think Elder Gish forgot to attach the pictures of the bat cave. I know we were all looking forward to seeing them…]

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!!!!!!!!!!!

So with the new year comes miracles, goals, and best of all, clean slates to start getting things going!...kinda like baptism ;)

Well since there aren't many emails in the inbox this week.. (hmmhmhmh *clearing throat ;)*) haha. Atleast I will have a good amount of time to write this email to everyone!

(image from the official Taiwan Taichung Mission Blog)

So funny story...I might have gotten some of my Dad's blood in my veins...why do you say?...I am a prankster at heart hehehe...and when you have a district full of really good friends...every once and awhile...it might come out. Well we have started to every so often hide each others bikes when we have long days at the chapel...Well, it has always been small things like behind a tree or bush...in a large trash can...an elevator...but then...one day; Elder Roberts and I walked out to find only our helmets on the ground. We looked in the normal spots and nothing...then it happened. We looked up. Yup...the bikes were on the roof of the churches storage building!! We were like, "WHAT THE...." haha, it was so good and so funny! I love this district so much!...Stories will come soon of how we upped that one...haha

Also Elder Roberts and I have developed this habit of every so often talking like children...it is a weird habit....but it is SOOO FUNNY holy cow. SUCH a good stress relief! Anyways, HILARIOUS story. Elder Roberts had this bag of skittles and it was late at night and he read the bag in this kid voice and on the bag it says "guess what is inside?" and he said in his kid’s voice "...skittles I hope...otherwise I am going to be very upset!" hahahahahaha

It might not be as funny over email...but I was DYING laughing for like 15min!! It was SO good, I love Elder Roberts so much! Such a fun and hard working companion! Good Job Mama and Papa Roberts!! ;)

INFACT. AMAZING STORY!!! I feel like the BEST DAY of my WHOLE MISSION was just yesterday, SO I have been trying to talk to everyone I see so that I can help AS MAN PEOPLE as are willing to listen to this AMAZING gospel! And I found this one man names Wu Dixiong. He is so cool and fun. But he said he couldn't meet for a week and would just come to church...so not the BEST set up since it would include about a week of not seeing him and then expecting that he just shows up at church. BUT..miracle...HE CAME! And he was awesome. After Church we sat with him and we had the SMOOTHEST lesson I have ever had my whole training period! Elder Roberts would pick up RIGHT where I left off and continue to teach perfectly and ask AMAZING questions and then I would pick up and then he would and everything was just PERFECT!!! I was so happy! And even better at the beginning of the lesson he said he doesn't believe God exists, and because of Elder Roberts amazing teaching, at the end of the lesson He said his first prayer ever and he said  "Heavenly Father, I am sorry for doubting you...thank you for letting me meet these missionaries, because of their teaching I am starting to believe in you now...." It was SO AMAZING! :) I loved it and was so glad to have Elder Roberts by my side in this lesson!

I had the worst dream last night though and I thought I would share it with everyone for the reason of pointing out what the mission means to me and how much I would plead that ANY and EVERY youth go on their mission..I PROMISE YOU nothing could be more important than this and you will NEVER regret going on a mission, but you will eventually or at some point regret not going or quitting. So in my dream I was home and I was so happy to be with my family and to see everyone. At night I started to unpack my stuff back at home and I pulled things out and was remembering the amazing people I have met here and the experiences that I have had and all of the sudden a huge fear struck me so hard and I called for Mom. When she came in I said " Mom I don't think I should be home yet....my mission is not finished...why am I here? I need to be back in Taiwan...I am not finished yet!" At first she questioned me and then after talking for a little I realized that I was home early and I just started crying and crying and saying that I was not finished and shouldn't be home yet. That was pretty much it. Now don't get me wrong I am SO EXCITED to be able to see my family and friends and all that...however I LOVE my mission so much. It has meant so much to me and I don't want to waste a single second out here because one day it will all be over...and I will start crying and miss it. I know without a doubt that this gospel is true and that Jesus IS the Christ and that he has called modern day prophets and has restored his church! I would ask ALL, even long time members to get down on their knees and ask their Heavenly Father the truth of all of this...I love it so much and I love you all so much!

Have an amazing week!!

JUMP IN AND SHINE BRIGHT!!

-

Ge Sheng Long ZhangLao

葛勝龍長老

(Teaching and Role playing during district meeting. Image from the official Taiwan Taichung Mission blog.)

CHRISTMAS MIRACLES!!!!

First I want to throw out some shoutouts!!

VASHA BURROWS AND FAM!! THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR YOUR AMAZING PACKAGE!! This girl is awesome at taking care of missionaries!!! YOU ROCK GIRL!!

PEJA!! (林炫良) You are a stinker...but I love ya :) This is my trainers trainers trainers trainers trainer....haha He is a stud :)

Okay story time....strap in:

BAPTISM! BOOM Yup it happened it was a WHITE CHRISTMAS IN TAIPING!!! But you can give all that credit to the Lord since I am a pretty 'eh' missionary haha, but with the Lord all our efforts are sanctified and we (including people around us) are blessed for our faith, obedience, and desires! I love it so much!! :) So 張 got baptized!  His English name is Dobby... yup like from Harry Potter :). He is SO FUNNY! I love him and it was so amazing to see his baptism especially seeing Elder Roberts preform it!! :)

On exchanges this week I was SEVERELY humbled as I was biking around and decided to say a prayer since our efforts weren't working...then the first guy I saw. I went up to talk to him...HE WAS PERFECT! He said " I have been looking to get into a church and find out more about Christ but I didn't know how to start!" I said...well....lucky for you...I am a missionary haha. He then asked "so if I get to the church and just start asking for you can I find you and you can teach me?"...Lets see how I responded to that..."um............YES!" Haha it was amazing to see the Lord lift us up as soon as we put our faith in him! I love it so much!!!

I have gotten to use that boogie board in lessons mom! Thank you so much! The Kid's love it too! :) [Shannon here: The Boogie Board we sent is a small writing tablet, not the mini surf board.)

President came to DTM this week......scary..........But I didn't choke don't worry :) [Shannon: DTM=District Training Meeting.]

I love you all...quick invite...SHINE BRIGHT! Just smile at people this week, maybe give them a wave...make them feel good :) I LOVE YOU SO MUCH!!!!!!!

-

Ge Sheng Long ZhangLao

葛勝龍長老

Two best holidays!!!

Wait what?...Two?....yes...TWO! What are they Elder Gish?

Well....Let me tell you. ONE you can guess...CHRISTMAS!!! Which I will save for AFTER I talk about the other...which comes up in the 27th....what is that...SHANNON GISH'S BIRTHDAY!!! I think my wonderful mom is turning 28 or something like that! :) She is so amazing and so wonderful! I wanted to just take a second to send some praise her way and to let 大家(everyone) know about how FLIPPIN INCREDIBLE THAT WOMAN IS!!! She has raised me, supported me and loved me my whole life! I can hardly even think of a mean word that has come out of that guardian angels lips! She is pretty much perfect...just ask anyone in my family. The only reason that she hasn't ben translated (sent straight to heaven) is because God needs her here to watch over and take care of us boys (yes including my pops haha). So Mom, I love you so much and I am so grateful for you in my life. I miss you so much! I hope that I can treat everyone in my life the way you have treated me and love them like you have loved all of us boys. I don't think you will ever know how much you mean to us! But I thank God so much for sending me to someone so wonderful! He must have just thought...Oh Sam Gish eh...hm....well he needs a patient loving mom...a perfect mom...well we only have one...I guess he is going to Shannon McGurrin! :) You are the best and I love you more! RWYAHOTE, WIP, ATILY, SB!!!! :)

I also am so grateful for this amazing Christmas season where miracles are noticed (I won't say seen since we see them everyday...it is just about noticing them ;) And where hearts are opened to think about Christ our Savior I hope everyone can take this opportunity to share the light of Christ with someone! Go out and just make a new friend, that is good enough, make someone feel good :) The Savior and Lord came into this world for OUR happiness.

So this week has been a ton of fun and Elder Roberts is just killin it more and more! I love bein with that kid! His Chinese is so good and his teaching is so good and he just has such a love for the work and such a strong spirit! He is going to be a leader in this mission no doubt and I am just lucky to be his trainer! 

Oh...we opened our presents early....:) haha it is P-day! And we get to talk to our families on Christmas which is like the best gift ever so that will be sweet!

Our investigators are doing well and we are really focusing on finding this week and so we could really use everyone's prayers.....and letters since they boost our spirits :):) haha

We are SUPER busy today and this week because of mini-move call and Christmas and such. So I am super sorry this email is so short but I hope you all have a VERY MERRY CHRISTMAS!! :)

P.S. I am a Mormon....ask me why ;) haha

LOVE YOU ALL!!

I will always be a missionary :) Catch the wave y'all...cause it's sweet! :)

-

Ge Sheng Long ZhangLao

葛勝龍長老

[Shannon Here] From the Official Taichung Taiwan Mission Blog

Missionaries, Taichung Stake choir members, and National Taichung University of Education students
join in singing praises to our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ:

I will go...AND DO

This week as I was doing my studies I came across a section in the Preach My Gospel about....can you guess??...Humility!....yup...my favorite :) haha. And one of the things I read was about submitting to the will of the Father..as in our all knowing all loving HEAVENLY Father....first off...who WOULDN'T want to follow Him and do all He asks!

But anyways I had only writtin' above that sentence "I will go!" And for some reason it just looked weird to me...I was thinking about it and I figured out that it was weird to me because it was not accompanied by a AND DO...I was sitting there thinking about all the things I am willing to Go to...but how many things am I will to DO....I can Go to a service activity, I can Go to church, I can GO on a mission...But does that mean that I will be DOING what I should be while I am there? I want to say that GOING is just not enough...we have to DO. Nephi said that we will GO AND DO for a reason.  It got me so pumped to just GO AND DO! It reminded me also of a story/ joke my Pops tells....that guy is just so funny ;) haha. It is where he talks about 3 birds on a dock and 2 decided to leave...how many are left??....................THINK ABOUT IT...........................All 3 are still there..WHAT WHY HOW???? Just because they decided to leave doesn't mean that they actually left! We have to GO AND DO our part :)

Well this week...i'm not going to lie...has probably been the most stressed I have ever been in my life...I feel like I am just a problem fixer...running from person to person, ward to ward, missionary to missionary just fixing problems and trying to help people bear their burdens...at first my prideful self was getting pretty frustrated with people and just angry and...it wasn't very good. But then as I humbled my self and went to the Lord in prayer I realized how much of a blessing that all was and I saw the growth that I could gain from such experiences! That is something that I think is just amazing about this gospel! It may not take our problems away but it gives us the PERFECT way to deal with the problems. It isn't just taking the problems and finding out how to deal with it, but rather taking the problem and making it into a blessing! How amazing is that!? Who would not want to partake of this amazing gospel!?!?

I was told the District meeting topic THE DAY that I was supposed to hold the meeting...so I am SUPER grateful for want my mom and dad taught me about following the spirit and being about to just get up and say what comes into our minds and into our hearts!

I also had an AMAZING experience with Elder Vandiford this week...it was straight out of Ammons life from the Book of Mormon! It was awesome!! :) So we were contacting and while we were talking to this guy he kinda looked at us like...oh gosh...here we go. And he seemed at first to not have any interest and then Elder Vandiford said "so what makes you believe that a god exists" And looking to argue..the man replied, "well what god do you believe in, are you talking about that god?" And then Elder Vandiford said this..."I believe in your and my Heavenly Father, the creator of the world and of you and me." The man had NO RESPONSE and then he agreed to meet with us!! It was SO SWEET! Haha, it was like a spirit arrow...kinda like the ones, Legolas shoots, except it had spirit fire and was carried by the spirit past any armor and right to the heart! GODS TEAM: 1 / SATAN: 0!! :) haha

So needless to say the week was...one of those weeks :) But we are setting REALLY high goals for next month and going to start working HARD to hit them so if you could add Elder Roberts and I to your general prayers that would be nice since prayer is like the number one best source for any power! :)

Keep the Christmas spirit and Go out to make people smile and laugh! This week as you prepare for Christmas go out and try to help all those around you..just be willing to support them in their burdens and feel of the blessings that come from that!

I LOVE YOU ALL!!!

JUMP IN AND SHINE BRIGHT!!!!

-

Ge Sheng Long ZhangLao

葛勝龍長老

The Phoenix

Who is the Phoenix?...Elder Roberts!! As the superstar Elder Erickson leaves for the promised land, Elder Roberts is prepared to rise from his ashes and be the greatest missionary this mission has ever seen! :)

Today we got to go see Elder Erickson, Limponostrong (spelling...), and others for their last time on the Island as a missionary! Whoa....crazy....that is scary. It seems like just yesterday I was being dragged around by Elder Erickson from place to place and I didn't know a single thing I was doing! And  now I am here with the Phoenix in Taiping flying through the streets carried on the wings of angels! :)

This week has been a pretty amazing week! You know...this world really is getting bad and harder and harder to find purpose in. Things are getting...chaotic. And as missionaries I feel that we see some of the darkest of the dark....all we do 24/7 is talk to everyone...but the thing is that as missionaries we also see the lightest of the light! Do you know why? Because all we do....24/7 is talk to people! :) I can say without a doubt that I know that this gospel is true. It changes all who will let it into their lives...it has changed me and it CAN change you. I am continually changing and everyday becoming better! I have changed...I have turned and I am not going back :) I have seen this gospel, the light that Christ shares take the person on the street that is thinking about suicide and has had 20 years of cigarette and drug addiction coupled with heavy alcoholism become a church leader and a man worthy to enter the temple!!

This week we had a sweet party...CHRISTMAS PARTY!!! WHOOHOO!!!! We took people caroling...I was amazed by the number of people that said...NO DO NOT SING TO US...but with the push of some younger kids that desperately wanted to sing...most people would give in and let us sing to them :) So much fun!!

Other than that we have had a pretty average week! Now the average work for hard working worthy missionaries is FILLED with miracles :)...also filled with rejection...but we can brush that off right? :)

The man whose wife was baptized awhile ago came to church and seems to be doing good...he is still having trouble smoking...but hopefully we can see another miracle and he will lose that desire! :) I know it can happen...

A lot of people moved away today! But this next move-call is going to be a lot of fun! We are going to work until we can't work any more and we are going to help out EVERYONE!!!!!! :)

[Shannon here: We asked Elder Gish to send us some pictures of the food he typically eats and then tell us what it is.]

That is chicken heart with other various meats...such as fish that has the eggs still in the belly...yummy....:)

Thank you so much for all of your support...Especially for those letters that I know you are all writing!! :) haha.

Shine Bright! (JUST LIKE WE ARE MEANT TO!)

P.S. if anyone has any other questions or things they want to see...feel free to write and let me know! (No this is not a creative way for me to ask for letters ;)) haha

-

Ge Sheng Long ZhangLao

葛勝龍長老

 

Uhoh...

I litterally have about 10min....I thought that I would have more time but we only have one computer where we are and so the place that I am at is makin it tough....I am so sorry! P-Day ends soon. Sorry....I love you all though. Here we go with a quick update!!

Elder Funk came!....it was sweeeeeet!! Spiritually uplifting! I loved it! I want some more of it.

This week was tough on my companion and I as far as numbers go. I got SUPER sick this week and it made it a little tough. But don't worry mom I am all good! :) I got an AMAZING blessing from my wonderful companion...THANK YOU ROBERTS FAMILY FOR RAISING AN AMAZING YOUNG MAN!!!! And for one full day I was honestly scared and worried and the next I was almost 100% fine.

Could some people just send pics of home and stuff. I miss seeing everyone's faces back home!! Especially Gish Clan!!! :)

I totally forgot Thanksgiving was a thing....how embarrassing is that....but the turkey that we got on that day was AMAZING!! :)

Back up plans-when set with God WORK OUT! :)

The simplest doctrines are often the ones that hit me in the most profound way! :) I love it so much!! :) SO I INVITE EVERYONE. Just to go and study a simple doctrine and it is this. That Heavenly Father is our FATHER and he loves us, he sent his son Jesus Christ to help us get through this rough life. That is the best and happiest message I have ever heard! Who doesn't want to hear that message!?!?!.....Sadly a lot of people....haha but if you listen I promise you will know it is true! If nothing else I would tell people of the truth of God, but even BETTER THAN that is that HE GAVE US HIS TRUE DOCTRINE AND HIS TRUE CHURCH!!!! :)

That is all the time I have...love you sorry!

-

Ge Sheng Long ZhangLao

葛勝龍長老

Photos courtesy of the official Taichung Taiwan Mission