ELDER HYRUM RICHARDSON #67
SEPTEMBER 1, 2014
This week was better than last week! It's also nice to feel improvement! We tried to go to some new places to find this week, in order to go out a little further from the places that we usually go to. But it didn't turn out super well; we didn't see very many foreigners. So we'll try something new next week.
However, we were blessed to receive a lot of referrals this week. We figured out if every other companionship in Taibei contacts one foreigner every day, then they contact more than we are usually able to contact in one day, so it really is a "Team Jesus" effort. We are really grateful for the
service that those other missionaries have done for us.
On Tuesday, we met with a guy from Holland named Daniel. He looks JUST LIKE a grown up version of Benjamin, and also has some of the same facial expressions. He was really cool, so hopefully he'll answer his phone again so we can keep teaching him!
On Thursday, our mission had a memorial service for Elder Xiong and Elder Thredgold. I also think that it's strange how positive funeral services in our church are. It's just proof of how firmly we believe in the plan of Salvation. There were a lot of funny stories about Elder Xiong and Elder Thredgold told. They were great missionaries and they will be missed! We were also privileged to have Elder Huang (Wong) of the Seventy come. He shared a great quote from President Utchdorf's last conference talk:
"In light of what we know about our eternal destiny, is it any wonder that whenever we face the bitter endings of life, they seem unacceptable to us? There seems to be something inside of us that resists endings.
Why is this? Because we are made of the stuff of eternity. We are eternal beings, children of the Almighty God, whose name is Endless and who promises eternal blessings without number. Endings are not our destiny.
The more we learn about the gospel of Jesus Christ, the more we realize that endings here in mortality are not endings at all. They are merely interruptions—temporary pauses that one day will seem small compared to the eternal joy awaiting the faithful.
How grateful I am to my Heavenly Father that in His plan there are no true endings, only everlasting beginnings." -President Utchdorf
I think that is a profound statement, and it's why knowing the gospel of Jesus Christ can help us weather ANY trial.
After the memorial service in the afternoon, we traveled up the mountain to visit the Chiles family. As we were getting on the bus, a lady tripped over my foot and said "Sorry!" to which I said "Mei2 guan1xi!" Then she started asking me about how I learned Chinese and in the 15 min bus ride up the mountain, I taught her most of the first lesson. She is a from Mainland China, and I could tell she was one of those "seekers of truth." Unfortunately, she left Taiwan the next day and didn't have a phone number or facebook that I could contact. But she is in God's hands now, and she'll find the light she's looking for!
At the Chiles, we had enchiladas, which were delicious. It was just funny because on Monday at the Batteens we had also eaten enchiladas! But I haven't had Mexican food in over a year, so it was much appreciated.
On Saturday we had an adventure with an investigator named Randy. We traveled on the subway down to the very south of Taibei, and then took the bus with him up to his house on a mountain. We had a nice lesson with him, and then as we were about to head home, we realized that neither of us had brought change for the bus ride home. But Randy had told us about a path on the mountain that would take us back to the subway, so we decided to take that. We ended up hiking back over another hill, and back down to the subway. It actually wasn't too long of a hike, and it had a great view of Taibei. It was probably just funny for the other people to see two missionaries in white shirts and ties hiking down a mountain.
At church on Sunday, we helped teach the 12-13 year-old Sunday school class, which was a new experience for both of us. Afterwards, in the combined 5th Sunday, the lesson was based on Elder Wirthlin's "Come What May, and Love it" which is a great talk. Bishop shared a cool poem which I really liked:
Good timber does not grow with ease
The stronger wind, the stronger trees
The further sky, the greater length
The more the storm, the more the strength
By sun and cold, by rain and snow
In trees (and people) good timbers grow.
-Douglas Malloch
So add some oil! Love you guys :)
Elder Richardson
任淳楷長老
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