Week 57

New Apostle

This week was a great week! 

Last Tuesday was a miraculous day. The first miracle was a new investigator. There is a lady in our branch that owns a famous seafood restaurant and has many employees. She also is an awesome member missionary, so we often have her come to our lessons or fellowship less-actives. Anyway, she has one employee that is a less active, so on Tuesday we were planning on going and visiting both of them. However, she texted us and told us that the less active wasn't going to work that day, so we would have to cancel. However, when she cancelled, we remembered a employee at her restaurant who was always really nice to us, so we decided to ask her if he had any interest in meeting with us. She told us we could come visit her restaurant that day, and she would ask if he wanted to sit with us. As it turns out, he was interested in meeting us! We spent that afternoon sitting and talking with him about the church, and he said he would be willing to learn more. He is 18 and he is a really nice kid. The best part is the member, Sister Huang 黃姐妹, keeps fellowshipping him and encouraging him. 

Then that night we had a great lesson with the two new investigators from last week. They are the son of the less active, about 12 and 13 years old. They were supposed to get baptized a long time ago, but things came up. Now they haven't been to church in years. We had a lesson with them and they are such cool kids. The dad even was encouraging them to get baptized. The only problem is they have a dog they don't keep on a chain, and it just barks the whole time. It also acts like it wants to eat you, but never actually touches you.

Late that same night, we were going to visit our investigator, sister Lin. I don't know how much I have told you about her, she has been coming to church for quite some time. She has always resisted baptism because she is afraid of conflicts in her family. However, we have been meeting with her lately, and encouraging her and her daughter to get baptized. So we went to visit her on Tuesday night, and on the way there we saw Sister Huang (she is the Relief Society president) leaving the house of a less active and she offered to go with us to be in our lesson. So we went and had a powerful lesson about baptism. Sister Lin is now praying about when she should get baptized. 

Friday we went up to Gaoxiong to have a specialized training for missionaries who are recently senior companions, or who are about to become senior companions. There we learned that Elder Stevenson (the new apostle) is coming to visit our mission this week! On Friday we have a huge meeting at the mission home where he is going to meet with us!

Then on Saturday we had Family Home Evening. We have really strived to encourage the young people of this branch, as a lot of them are less active. So we have started doing a family home evening each week and we invite all our investigators and less actives. We had 5 people come (all of which were less active, recent converts, or investigators) and it seemed like a really slow start. However, the next day all of the people who attended family home evening came to church, including 2 less actives who have not been to church since I've been here. It was a blessing from the Lord!

I love this church and I love these people! Happy Thanksgiving! We are having a party for Thanksgiving this week with two turkeys!

Love, 

Elder Quist

Week 56

This week was awesome! It started off a little lame, because I went to the aquarium and I forgot my SD card for my camera, so I couldn't take any pictures... But it's okay, Elder Dalmer took some good pictures and will share them with me.

On Monday night we had a new investigator. His name is Larry.  He grew up in Malaysia, so his English is super good.  He has no religion but he is super willing to meet with us and try it out. However, he said he is pretty busy, so we had to schedule for the next Monday for the next meeting. But last night while we were riding, we happened to see him on the side of the road. He told us he couldn't meet with us tomorrow, because he had to work, so we had to wait till next Monday. Then I was just like, can we meet with you in the mornings or afternoons (because he works from 3-12) and he was like... Oh yeah, I can do that. So now we can start meeting with him more!

Then a few other people we met last week... We were eating at this restaurant and sometimes when we go to restaurants I will stare at people who are sitting alone until they look at me and then I will wave at them and tell them they can eat with us. It usually doesn't do anything, but last week there was a guy who came and sat next to us! His name is Josh and he has a cousin who went on a mission. We talked with him for a while, and he told us he was taoist, and he doesn't know if he wants to change religion, but he would be willing to meet and see what it's like.

Another person we met this week was a tract person. Tracting here is not super effective, but on Friday we met this cool guy while tracting. He let us in and told us we could chat with him. He was on the computer for a lot of the time, but the longer we were there the more he paid attention to what we were saying. And the best part was that his mom came in when we were talking to him and sometimes parents will really be anti, because everyone has to worship their ancestors and parents here, but she was super nice and told him he has to go to our free english class. She also told him that she needs to buy a bike for him so he would leave the house and go out and proselyte with us. She was pretty funny.

Then a huge miracle on Saturday... We decided to go visit two young men. They have been investigating for a really long time, but still haven't been baptized. Their father is a less-active, and they were almost baptized, but for some reason they stopped right before the interview. We visited them and invited them to church on Sunday. The first miracle was that they actually came the next day to church! They walked from their house all the way to the church! Then the next miracle was while they were at church they saw a picture of our most recent RC. Although she wasn't there that day, one of the boys recognized her and told us that he had met her before! He actually is in the same class as her, and apparently they are good friends. We then went and talked to the RC after church and she told us she would love to start inviting him to church and other activities and also member present for some lessons! It helped me to see the Lord's hand in the work. The time has come for these young boys to get baptized!

It was a good week! Next week are transfers, so we will see what happens...

Love you!

Elder Quist

Week 55

Mission Tour

We had the great experience this week of going up to Gaoxiong and listening to a member of the Seventy, Elder Wong. We had to leave on Thursday night and we drove up to the zone leaders' apartment. We stayed with them for the night and then first thing in the morning we headed off for Mission Tour. I was inspired through the whole thing. Elder Wong shared about how we can become more edified and how we can learn to strengthen and edify others. We then went through and translated edify into many different languages to learn the true meaning behind the word. It was a cool experience and I really learned a lot from it!

We also got to learn how to work better with ward members. Living in a smaller area like I do, it is a hard thing to effectively use the branch. In a branch where there is no ward mission leader, let alone ward missionaries, using the branch sometimes seems unreasonable. However, the counsel I received while at Mission Tour was that no matter the size of your branch, with the Lord's help and with a heart filled with charity, you can effectively use branch members to strengthen the area in which you serve.

Before I came on my mission, I never realized the importance of member missionary work. Sometimes, while living in Utah, it's hard to see the need for member missionary work. However, a lot of time it is the members who need strengthening. I learned from the conference that we can be a member missionary by doing our home teaching or just being a friend. We are all laid on the foundation of Christ and we all have the responsibility to support and lift each other up.

This week we have been able to help the investigators we are working with now continue to progress and improve. Although people in this area have a very slow and easy going mind set, I know the Lord is preparing them to hear and participate in this wonderful gospel!

Today we are going to the aquarium. There is an aquarium in this area that is apparently really famous in Taiwan and in the world. I will make sure to take some pictures and send to you guys! We are also meeting with some new people this week. Last night we met with an awesome new family who are willing to come and to try. Also, we have a new investigator we are meeting with, his name is Ray, and he is an awesome guy who works at the McDonalds behind our house.

I am so grateful for this chance to serve! Thanks for all your support! 

Love,

Elder Quist

Week 54

PARADISE

Another good week in paradise. Down here in the "Hawaii of Taiwan" can be pretty peaceful, but it is even better when it is filled with people who are coming unto Christ. This week we met a lot of cool people and we also saw the Lord's hand in our work. 

We had a lot of service opportunities this week. The first was with Lin Baba, an older man in our branch. He had us go to his place and move some plants around. It was a good time... but he is older and sometimes he is a little.. stern. Apparently, the first time the Elders went over to help they were about 5 minutes late. He then spent the next 10 minutes after that explaining to them why you should NEVER be late to Lin Baba's house. He is hilarious. I love the people here. But don't get me wrong... we weren't late to his house.

We also had a new investigator this week.  His name is Ray. He works at McDonalds and after we met with him we realized how much he needs this gospel. Then, to confirm our beliefs, we met with a member that night who actually had met Ray and was thinking to refer him to us. I love meeting new people and the longer I am on my mission, the more I love  the people of Taiwan. 

We had a lot of other cool experiences this last week, including having to chase chickens around a member's yard and going to a national park on pday full of ancient trees and monkeys! It was the first time in my life I had seen wild monkeys! Basically everyday down here is an adventure. Today we are also going out around Kending to the most beautiful places on the island, including the place where the Life of Pi was filmed. 

This next week is mission tour. It starts next Friday at 9:30 for all the district leaders. That means we have to leave here around 6 to get there in time... Basically, it is an all day trip. But it's worth it, because we are having a general authority come speak to us! I am not sure who it is, but I am excited.

Everything is good over here in Taiwan. We are trying to help these people down here. The city is small and the branch is even smaller, but we are praying everyday that we can make a difference in this beautiful city. I love Taiwan and the people of Taiwan! I love this mission! 

Love,

Elder Quist