Wednesday, October 28, 2009 2:38 AM


Okay I'm writing you like a 2 paragraph email this week, I spent my time online reading emails this week, and it was very nice to get to spend some time looking at Gigi's pictures she sent me, i was very happy and laughed a lot, especially since the longer you are on a mission, they less people write you. But who can blame them, you've been gone a long time, and you take awhile to write back because you eventually go senior companion (well, i haven't yet, but i know I will in the next few transfers, 3 at the most) and as your Chinese gets enough to communicate in complete stories and sentences and ideas, you start to get to help your senior companion out a lot more..and thus, less letter writing time on P-days, because i.e. today we went to costco (with a NICE member who has a card, because i sure don't!) to buy watermelons to carve tonight in English class for Halloween, yes, this is why missionaries look forward to their parents packages so much, because the closest thing I have to Halloween here in Taiwan is Watermelons to carve, there are no pumpkins in season right now, not even Costco had them. We were lucky to get watermelons that stand up! Yeah! So blessed. I also spent 12 dollars of the money you guys gave me to buy brownie mix, sorry, it is the only brownie mix in all of Taiwan and I REALLY wanted it. Really bad. Taiwan doesn't have a lot of sweet things, and they are expensive for us missionaries, but you only get to go to Costco once (twice if you are a lucky missionary) on your mission, so I had to buy the brownies! haha. Bitter things I wouldn't have imagined eating when I first got here, I eat and like these days..like squid. Because there isn't a lot of sweet, you get used to not eating sweet, although you miss it! I'm quite accustomed to squid, soy bean milk, tofu, taro, weird gummy things with little taste in all kinds of things, sesame seeds...(although not stinky tofu, that stuff is gross and permeates the streets and I will never try it, no matter who wants me to, i'd rather drop dead). So yeah! Funny how you can change your body to adapt to your culture, but that doesn't mean you don't miss the old one.

I found really cute Chinese style shoes, next time you guys give me money I'll buy some for myself, for now I bought some for the baby coming any day now, they were like 3 dollars for a baby, more expensive for adults. They are red and really cute. Gen and Stuart can take a picture when they fit the baby in 5 months...after i get their address and send them that is. So I was really excited to get to buy something for my first neice of nephew.

This week has been going pretty good. Last week our numbers were like a miracle, we got more lessons than I've ever gotten my whole mission. Sister Kunzler is really a fun companion. I like her a lot, I just doubt we will be together for long since she's been in this area 6 transfers, it's the longest I've heard of! 6/7 transfers of her mission here in Jilong! She's crazy strong, because this area has killer mountains, but she gets up them crazy fast. I've noticed that with every companion I have, certain things have a lot of sucess depending on their focuses. I'm lucky to have such good senior companions. They were all very patient women, they have to be to be companions with me! ehheheheh.

I think my first companion is engaged, that's the rumor from a Brother Guo, but some people don't trust him, so it's up in the air, but that's fun everyone is getting engaged and married. My girl friends already started when I was 19, now all my old guy friends are...haha. Congrats to them :). I love life, always changing. Yay! This week will be fun. Halloween! English class tonight we are carving watermelons, like i mentioned before, and now time is out! byebye!

Week 5 Transfer 4--My halfway mark--Hump Day: Missionary Letter

Tuesday, October 20, 2009 11:26 PM

Today is something I've heard missionaries refer to as a hump day?  No idea why, and nobody here says that, but yeah, I've been on my mission exactly 9 months today.  I go home July 20th with the way transfers fall here...so a day short of 9 months left.  I only noticed that since President told us when we were going home in interviews..then I was like...hmm cool, my halfway point is soon...and on a preparation day...so tadum. 

Today I don't feel like thinking of what to write, so I brought my mildy funny journal stories with me, and i'm going to copy what I wrote yesterday in my journal.  10/20/09.  9:41 pm Today was pretty good. Peike's (that's a member with us in the lesson to help our investigator progress) Yay! 2 of the lessons were really good.  With Lin Weitong we watched Together Forever.  She cried during the movie.  It was really spiritual.  We talked about the Holy Ghost and Eternal Families, and she really felt the power of the Holy Ghost.  She was like, "I don't know why I'm crying."  Our peike told her it was the Holy Ghost.  After the lesson, she prayed that she could have an eternal family.  She really wants it.  She's good.  She set a baptism date in lesson one with Sister Kunzler and Chen when I was in Neihu on exchanges. 

Also met with Lin Jingxian.  She's cute.  Has WOW problems, but also told us she felt like crying reading a WOW story, concluded (ON HER OWN! YEAH!) it was what we called "The Holy Ghost" felt like for her individually, since we told her everyone felt it differently.  She's awesome.  She said she'd stop smoking, it just might take time, but she has total faith she can do it.  She's awesome.  Today was good.  2 investigators who self admit to feeling the Spirit...not bad at all.

Besides that, didn't eat much today.  A granola bar for breakfast, Skittles, a couple cheetos, a bread with some kind of parsley on top.  No dinner.  Maybe I'll go eat raisin's right now.  Was moody.  Period heavy, but cramps not as bad as yesterday.

In one of our lessons the girls were totally unfocused, so it was 20 minutes or less.  We told them to come more focused next week.  I wasn't that upset.  They are just 16 year old girls.

Had 2 interesting contacts.  First I talked to a boy in the army (every boy in Taiwan has to do it for about a year).  I offered him a Skittle.  He said no.  I asked where he was going.  He said Raifang.  I said, us too!  I asked if he was in the army.  He said yes.  I said it looked like it, as he had a huge duffle bag at his feet.  I asked how long he'd been in the army for and he didn't understand my Chinese.  So I said he was xinku to be in the army, and that my country didn't have it as a requirement.  He asked me a question.  I didn't understand his Chinese.  I asked him something, he didn't understand my Chinese.  I tried to tell him where our church was at.  He didn't know what I was saying.  We were confused.  I gave him our church pamphlet with the addresses and told him it had the address.  The end.

The second I gave our pamphlet to a lady on a scooter who said the Elders just gave her one.  I didn't see it, so I gave her another one just in case.  Invited her to English class.

In a week from Friday's news, the other day, I got Burger King.  Well, I always make fun of Elder Cai for getting it so often, so I didn't want him to see me.  We'd all just taught English so I knew he'd be at the church soon, so I was downing it.  They arrive and I hide behind the door, holding it (the door) back and finish my food.  I see the Elders look in the room, I wait, they leave , I let the door shut, hide the wrapper in my bag, go look out the window for a couple seconds, they go back and open the door.  Elder Hammer and Cai are SO confused.  They are like, we just looked in here.  Nobody was here!  I said, I was in here the whole time, you didn't see me? They were like, no, we swear we looked good too.  Strange, it's like you were a ghost.  I cracked up inside , and later telling my companion who was in the bathroom at the time.  I kept my cool through it though, they had no idea.  The funniest thing is, nobody would have cared I was eating a Burger, I wasn't hungry earlier...I just had made fun of Elder Cai they day before though, so I didn't want him to see me.  Just because.  haha, then it was hilarious and worth it for the story.

Yesterday told my companion about the Time Traveler's Wife plot on a long bike ride.  It was fun.  I forgot how the story ends though, so she was kind of AHHH because I couldn't tell her.  haha. 

Skittles in Taiwan don't taste the same as in America.  They aren't as good.

End journal entry.

Yeah, so there's a day in the life.  Or an entry in the mind of Sister Bruno.  It was a pretty good one.

Hey can someone find out Nena's address for me, I wrote her weeks ago, but don't have her address.  I also kind of need mascara and eyeliner.  Taiwan has mascara, but not that good, and no eyeliner like I need.  So if you can send me some, I'd be really happy.  The stuff you don't need to sharpen.  I'm not good at using that kind.  I bought extra eyeliner right before I came, but it was gone when I got here, so yeah!  Now I need more...and that's all I can think of for right now.  Oh and if you really love me, and light brown base, mine broke all up and fell out on exchanges.  I could probably find it here, but since you are sending me those anyways!  And makeup here is really not good.  Not to mention like 10 dollars or more for anything, and probably imported..and old.  :) you can send it in those little packages with the bubbly wrap and it shouldn't be too expensive.

That's all!

Transfer 5 Week 3: A Call to Repentance--Conforming to the Gospel Principles

Wednesday, October 14, 2009 12:28 AM

Hello there, face here.  Okay, maybe I'm not face, but I liked that cartoon way back in the days.  It's just been another week in Jilong.  And a very interesting one at that.  We watched conference...had zone conference...we also need to head out to Taipei tomorrow for President's interviews, so we've gotten quite a lot of trips to Taipei. 

General Conference wasn't actually supposed to be a trip to Taipei for us, but on Saturday morning, they couldn't get the English working in Jilong, just Chinese, so we missed the morning session of conference and caught the next bus to Taipei, just to see the last 10 minutes of that session.  It ended up being alright though, because President's Assistant, Elder Gassin, burned us a copy of that session during the break, then for District meeting Monday we watched Saturday Mornings conference.  So now, we have watched all of conference.  I thought it was unique that such a great emphasis was love and service.  I realized in my own life, the problems that happen especially with family and friendship relationships, are mostly due to selfishness.  I think the average person forgets the importance of repenting daily.  I mean, I feel like a lot of people go on a mission, invite investigators to keep commitments, such as repenting daily, and at that time come to the realization that we also need to do such...but then, I think time passes and it's easy to forget what you taught them.  The habits developed become less of habits, we digress spiritually, become more like the natural man....then as conference is watched and speaker after speaker talk about putting off the natural man, it's easy to have a desire to change...while they speak, the spirit is strong, a fire is kindled within our hearts, but do we ultimately change?  Do we put it into action?  Do our family relationships become stronger?  Do we start to feel the power of the Holy Ghost's influence in our lives daily as we do the things that invite his presense into our lives? Do we become more active in considering how others feel and what we can do for others instead of feeling like we ourselves are wronged?  What do we do because of conference?  How do we take what President Monson said about taking these things and changing, and actually change?  Seriously.  I personally cannot remember a big step I took to change after conference in my life...I remember after conference this time, feeling a big desire to change and become better.  As a missionary this is what my life is about...but then I wondered, how will my family and friends do this.  I, myself, have to take great effort to change, and that is what my life is focused on. And it's hard! Seriously.  My whole life is becoming more converted so that my investigators can be more converted, since their level of conversion can only be as far is mine is...and yet it's a daily struggle.  I focus on it constantly.  So for you guys, how is conference going to change you?  I heard maybe 3 of you guys write me about conference and tell me about what you liked, but I'd much rather know, how are you going to take conference and CONFORM?  Change and become more like Christ?  Being on a mission had made me realize our family is not very good at conforming, but conforming is a gospel principle. I hope you don't take offense at this statement, but I honestly believe it to be true. My growing up experience was unique, and I cherish that in a lot of ways...but as I testify about how the gospel blesses families, I wish to see a change in my own family that really shows how this mission is helping you guys.  Heavenly Father is an unchanging God.  His laws and his principles will never change.  And so, in order to obtain His salvation, we need to put ourselves in line with His laws.  We need to develop His love (charity) and not worry about being unique or different.  Believe me, you are unique.  You don't even have to try to be.  So what I'm wondering, is what are you guys going to change because of conference?  How are you going to be more obedient to God's will?  A big reason I ask is because I personally am struggling with obedience.  I want to be a conformed and obedient missionary, but sometimes some of the stuff I do or say shock people.  I'm working on this through goal setting...and I hope you guys can too. 

So yeah! That's what they talked about at zone conference...they talked about obedience and goal setting.  It was a very fitting zone conference for me, because both are things that I'm not good at, but I'd like to be.  I seriously in the past have hated setting goals, because I'm scared of not measuring up to them, but goals are a way to see progress, so I'll have to get over my fears and be more specific in my goals...it's not very feasible to think you can just change over night...i've heard stories, but never actually just POOF changed...So, little by little.  You can't just go from not understanding how you listen to the Holy Ghost to feeling it constantly in your life.  This isn't how I teach my investigators, and it's not what I expect for myself either.  First you teach them what the Holy Ghost is.  Then you encourage them to do things that will invite the Holy Ghost into their lives, such as baptism, and laying on of hands for the gift of the Holy Ghost, prayer to recognize how he feels for you individually, being obedient so he can dwell with you, following his promptings so he stays...etc.  As I more understand righteous principles, I think I'll keep them more.  President shared Alma 32 with us about arousing your faculties..you can't just have faith in something right away.  Not true and everlasting faith.  There are steps to do.  The start is getting the desire, arousing your faculties...hoping...so yeah.  This is what my hope for you guys is....that as I do my best as a missionary to serve God and bless my family, you guys will also put faith into action...have weekly Family Home Evening, pray together, read together, strengthen your relationship, avoid things that draw you apart...change yourself for those around you...learn to love each other, more fully and more completely.  That is my hope...but I can't change anybody's agency...Only you can change, no matter how much others want you to.

In another experience, this week my companion and I had the..unique experience to have lunch with a member of a church that broke off of the LDS church, they read the Book of Mormon, but beliefs are much different than our own.  I know which church it is, but would prefer not to specify, as there are quite a few break off's of the LDS church.  Sufficeth it to say she had us come back with her to their church, one floor in a large building with many floors. 

4 minutes this story needs to be brief...anyways, we went back there, and it's really small since not many believers live in Taiwan, but they had copies of the Book of Mormon.  I picked one up and began to read the introduction.  As I was reading, the Holy Ghost came very strong to my heart that the intention of this book was completely wrong.  I felt sad for this lady, she has SO much truth, she has the Book of Mormon in her life, she has Moroni's promise, and yet, she doesn't have true authority.  The Holy Ghost just testified to me that this wasn't true and what I had in my bag was.  I'm glad for the Holy Ghost and our ability as members of this church to know truth for ourselves.  Her reason for not being with our church was the LDS churches past of polygamy.  It had nothing to do with her own feelings.  So how great that we have personal revelation.  Nobody can be forced to believe truth.  We feel it.  I know this church is true.  I felt it.  And I felt it that day, strongly.  I love that lady a lot, but I'm glad I was born into a church with correct authority.  To her, I would not say her church was wrong, I don't persecute others beliefs, but I stand strong to mine.  I know the Book of Mormon is true.  I loved Sunday Afternoon's talk.  25 seconds to send this! Bye!

Transfer 5 Week 2: Struggles in New Area

Wednesday, October 7, 2009 9:11 AM

This week doesn't have a lot in the way of things to talk about. I've found that I don't exactly like moving. I miss Zhongli a lot. Mostly because I worked so hard there in Zhongli for almost 6 months and our numbers were like, almost too good to be true, then I came here and we only have one ward instead of two, it's a lot smaller of an area and only one ward, and it's really ridiculously hard to get places, and I'm exasted to death after ever 20 minute bike ride, whereas, 20 minute bike rides in my old area were nothing...and our numbers were the worst they have been on my entire mission. I'm not really sure what to do to start to like this place. Our church is the 5th and 6th floor on a 12 floor building, and it's kind of ghetto fabulous. It has green tiled floors, and looks like it was built in the 60s. But, at least I have found some more positives besides my huge apartment and my own bathroom. Haha. One is my companion. She's actually really good. She's been here a long time, so you would think that if I thought we should stop meeting with an investigator, she'd be upset at me and want to hold on, because she's been here 6 transfers (longer than I've been on a mission) and been working with them forever, but she's very open to my opinions. We've spent a lot of time contacting, which I've never spent a lot of time doing at all...and I'm getting used to it. I have to admit, I feel like contacting is not exactly super effective because you talk to people for 2 hours, and you are lucky if you find 1 that wants to meet, but I'm talking to more people, so that's good. In the past I have not talked to nearly as many people. My legs are also pretty buff. It hurts to go up hills, but my legs are getting huge with muscles, so I'm sure I'm going to like that eventually..once it stops hurting. Rather huge with muscles than with fat right?!

Our district is also really good. Our district leader, Elder Daniels, used to be the zone leader in Hualien. Elder Lords went and took his place. He's training an Elder Leavitt this transfer, so he went district leader to train ba. His companion is very dedicated. It will be fun to see his Chinese improve, I've always been the youngest in my district until now. We also have the zone leaders in my district. Elder Cai is really funny. He was in Zhongli 2nd ward with me and Sister Hill back in my first 2 transfers. So, it's nice to be in a district with someone I already knew before. And E. Hammer seems fun too.

The only thing that I can even remember about this week, besides that we contacted a lot since we don't have a whole lot of investigators right now, so we are in a transition and finding a lot...we had the Moon Festival here in Taiwan this last weekend. There are about 3 big festivals here, and the Moon Festival is one of them. We cooked meat...steaks and squid and porkchops on a grill and BBQed them. That's a big thing to do. And FYI squid isn't bad. It's just chewy! It was a lot of fun. I just played with the kids and ate a lot. My stomach was so happy. Us missionaries are kind of poor, so we don't eat a ton of meat...at least I don't...because it's a lot more expensive. Unless I just eat like a piece of Chicken for dinner, for 50 kuai..and that's all. And I haven't had steak since America! So yum yum yum. So yeah! I enjoyed Moon Festival, too bad I only get to be here for one. But not THAT too bad, because everyone going home is always like "I'm so tired!" So I probably will be tired by next year too and not want to stay another 3 months to have Moon Festival. haha. Soooo that's pretty much it. Contacting and moon festival. Those were pretty much the events of this week! Next week we have Zone Conference and we watch General Conference Saturday and Sunday, so I'll write about that next week perhaps!

Oh! And by the way, I invited someone to baptism on the street yesterday, just to practice, um I think I confused her a little, so I need more practice at explaining it, she said "next time there's an chance.." whatever that means! But at least I did it, and I got her number, so I'll call next week and see if she'll set up. she was cute. Haha.

Bye bye!

Transfer to Keelung in the Mountains of Taiwan: Missionary Email

Monday, September 28, 2009 3:12 AM

I have come to the conclusion that this transfer, is going to be incredibly xingku and tongku.  I don't even know if that's the right pinyin and i'm too lazy to try to think of what tones those really are, so I think even people who speak Chinese might not know what the heck I'm trying to say.  So I'll try to explain.  In Chinese, when they say this xingku word, they mean to say that what someone is doing is incredibly hard and admirable because of it's hardness, so it's xingku.  Tongku is something incredibly painful. Now, in all reality if you want you can say this is an extremely bad view on it, but it just happens to be my first impression of the surroundings I am put in. 

Oh, by the way, I've moved to a new area, it's called Keelung.  Well, correct pinyin is Ji1long. I've had to say it so many times over the last couple days telling everyone I was leaving, I don't even have to think twice to just know tones.  Most words I just say them and have to say them like 10 times to remember the tones.   It's a port town, and supposedly very beautiful.  I haven't seen much besides our super huge apartment with 3 bedrooms and 2 bathrooms...yeah I get my own bathroom.  I liked my little apartment though, this one is going to be killer to clean..but on the plus side, since we have to sleep in the same room, my clothes get their own room!  They are very happy and get a lot of air.  My suitcoats even got their own closet.  They look very dark and missionary like.  I have more suitcoats than any other sister in this whole mission...Not kidding.  And it's too hot to wear them until December I hear.  But they do get used at mission conference and when we do temple tours.  They called in on Friday and told me I'd be moving to Jilong.  My initial response was not exactly excitment.  I believe I told my companion that God wanted me to be incredibly sore and learn something from it.  You see, something I was told I'd learn from my mission is humility.  In transfer one I was told to pray for it every day.  I can't say I'm exactly a very humble person.  I've probably changed a little...but I'm still very me...like...

So yeah, my area is known for having ridiculous hills/mountains...this is because it's...mountains.  I'm living in mountains and biking up and down them.  I live uphill and it's just ridiculous!  I have to shift from first geer to third geer all the time, i've only been here one day, and I was switching back and forth the 2 times I've gotten on a bike.  So yeah, when people heard where I was going, they told me it was the most hard area in the North.  This sweet member drew me biking up a 45 degree angle with the sun scortching hot, and rain in the distance...rain here, is often.  But I have to admit, it was an exaggeration, because I haven't biked up any 45 degree angles YET. Mostly just like 25 or 30.  But yeah, needless to say, it is not going to be easy to bike anywhere here in this new area, but Sister Kunzler says I'll get used to it if I make sure to run every morning?  That's how her last companion got used to it, but her last companion is not exactly as fat as me...haha.  Her companion was Taiwanese, so she was actually quite little and skinny. So we'll see if that helps.  Zhongli probably trained me a little since it was a HUGE area...and we had to bike up some pretty nasty hills...but usually only once a week, not every day, and I would walk up some of it if I got too tired!

Hmm..My new companion is a Sister Kunzler.  In meeting, we had a very awkward situation...you see, she's from South Carolina...and she has this best friend...well, this best friend of hers lived at my apartment back that semester I was graduating...well, not literally, but he was engaged to my roommate, so he was always there...and, as some of you might remember, the relationship that ended up occurring between me and those roommates and the fiance was one of I deleted them as my friends on Facebook right before my mission, because he was really mean to me and would mock my statuses.  And I wasn't  sad about it, because to be honest, I didn't know them that well and didn't feel too close.  I just felt sad we were all immature and unable to get along. 

So I'm sure we'll be fine, especially since this companion is an SYLer...so I think my chinese will get better...but it was just an awkward beginning, at least in my mind.  I was excited to hear though, that roommate of mine married that fiance of hers...they had a date and hadn't married, then were like, not boyfriend girlfriend, then like girlfriend boyfriend during that semester.  Quite complicated, so it's good that they figured it out.  Yeah!  She's a lot different from me, at least I get that impression initially, but nothing like my other 2 companions, so this transfer should be a blaaaaast. totally new people and area (minus my zone leader was with me back in Zhongli transfer one and 2...Elder Carter, a native...he's fun so it's good to be back in his district).  woo. That is, if I live through all the death biking. 

This areas investigators and numbers aren't exactly what I was used to in Zhongli, so I believe I will be seeing more what contacting is like in this area...I didn't really do it, hardly ever in Zhongli.  Maybe just talk to the person next to you on the scooter, or a couple really down days we'd go out there to try to find investigators in the ward we had like none in...but I have to be honest, I haven't seen a ton of success with the whole self contacting method of finding, but maybe I'll see more this transfer...if I remember I'll tell you next week...which, next week will be a normal so Preparation Day will be your Tuesday night. 

In last weeks news, Chen Yiting got baptized and it was a HILARIOUS story...well, you see...first of all, someone giving a talk didn't know and freaked out when they called her up...then we went downstairs to baptize her, and the water was only up to the first stair...the chain on the plug got caught underneath and so the water had been draining while we were upstairs!!!  So we went back upstairs while it refilled and had a testimony like meeting, then finally she was able to get baptized...but man!!!  So crazy!  But a lot of fun because I've never seen someone so excited about being baptized.  She was like jumping around and so excited.  I loved it.  It made the night totally fun.  She was sad I was leaving so soon after her baptism, but she has such a strong testimony, she'll be fine.  She wrote a cute note in my bye bye book and I promised I'd write her a letter.

Sunday was hectic packing and saying goodbye, but I survived through it and a nice member took me all the way here to Jilong!  She even took work off just to take me.  Aww Zhongli members are so great!  If you can't tell, I'm a little weary of the change, but excited at the same time.  It was hard to leave my district.  Some of us had been together 6 months.  But Elder Lords and Smith also moved!  So yeah, lots of change.  :) :/ Maybe I'll have a better attitude next week, probably!  Don't forget to write!

Time to go!

Fu Jiemei

Baptisms in Zhongli

Wednesday, September 23, 2009 2:27 AM

Hello from Zhongli, although it may be my last week here (or maybe I have a long time left here, speculations and bets have begun to be made).  haha.  I think people always guessing transfers is amusing, and I'm definitely not "too good" to participate in making guesses of who is going where and who is training, etc etc.  It's usually all in good Preparation day fun as districts hang out.  I personally hope I leave, just based on the fact that I have been in Zhongli for 6 months now, my entire mission...but if I don't leave, I won't be too upset because I really love this area and there are a lot of people here to teach.  So we'll find out what happens on Friday night, and I'll be back here online emailing on Monday, so don't forget to write me before then! 

In other news, this last Friday's baptism went pretty well.  Jasmine and Petrea Ge were baptized, but Leilani wasn't.  She had a few hang-ups that were understandable.  We'd like to see her baptized this week, she will call us tonight and tell us after she talks to her classmates when she thinks a good time would be...but even if in the end it's not this week, I know she will get baptized sooner or later.  So I'm not too worried about that. Petrea was really cute at the baptism.  She was like "I'm Ge Boya, and I think getting baptized is really AWESOME."  Then she sat down.  haha.  Kids.  Jasmine is also doing really well, she likes to hang out with our awesome Wu Mujun, who tuesday night just showed up to our lesson, we hadn't even told her about it, because she wasn't at church Sunday, but she must have heard from Jasmine we were coming over, and she came too.  That's dedication.  Jasmine also just really likes the missionaries, so that's good.  She came early to church Sunday because she said her house is boring, so she just sat around well Sister Chen and I ate, and she talked to us and stuff.  She also has started attending the Advanced English class on Wednesday, and thinks the teachers are hilarious.  I think that is due to the fact that her High School English class is too easy, since she lived in Australia growing up and is half Australian, and even though rarely uses her English these days, shes really still quite good at it. 

As for Chen Yiting, she's set-up for Saturday night and she's so super excited.  She's such a funny 19 year old girl, so I'm excited for her.  She's been like, I'M SO EXCITED FOR SATURDAY...whenever we see her.  Haha.  Really cute.

Besides that though, not a lot has been happening, we teach an okay amount of lessons and just try to invite everyone to learn about the church.   This last week we must have had a really good increase in key indicators, because the Assistants called us and told us that they and President were very happy with the work we were doing in Zhongli, and they encouraged us to keep working hard, and that they could see our hard work is really paying off.  That through our work and efforts many people were coming to know their Savior.  That's the 3rd time we've received a call like that from the Assistants on my mission.  I'm not sure how often they do it, but it's nice to hear from them, albeit a little stressing in that it's just a little pressuring that twice that it has happened, our numbers were inevitably going to drop that next week in some ways. But it's not necessarily a bad drop.  So yeah, our mission has very good Assistants that follow-up.  I seriously have never seen people so good at following up as the Assistants.  If we tell them anything, they remember and ask how that is going the next time they see us.  Their memories are almost uncanny.  Gotta respect crazy good memories like that.

So yeah! Time is running out, but don't forget, write by next week on Monday, your Sunday night I think.  I'll tell you then what happened Saturday, and with move calls.  I'm excited to be moving into transfer 5.  It's almost a halfway point for sister's I think.  Time passes fast.  Also with almost being in Taiwan 6 months now, I'm noticing I'm understanding a LOT more than I used to and I'm able to pretty much teach every lesson 1-4 decently and clearly.  Cool!  :)   I can't say "It all sounds Chinese to me" anymore...how sad because I used that phrase a lot before my mission, but now Chinese makes sense...everything not Chinese sounds Korea, or Indonesian, or Vietnamese around here.  Now my ear hears the difference between Asain languages.

Until next Monday,

Fu jiemei
Sister Flora Bruno

Week 23 in Zhongli or Transfer 4 Week 5

Hmm...let's see, well, this is currently week 23 in Zhongli and not a lot has really happened that week that I have to talk about.  Most interesting though I guess, would be the situation with the Ge Girls, or the Huang girls, depending on your take.  Their mom is Huang but they are all xin'ed Ge.  It took me like 3 transfers of knowing them to figure that out though...I never knew their Chinese names until recently.  They wanted me to just call them by their English names like Mom did.  Well, this Sunday was their baptism interview with Elder Lords, since their baptism is this Friday.  In the morning, mom couldn't take them to church because she had something going on, so we went to their apartment and picked them up, but only 2 of them came and met us downstairs for their interview.  The 2nd child, Leilani, didn't come.  They said she'd come to church later with mom.

I was so sad, she was the most awesome about reading and everything...she was in Jacob in no time, but because of that responsible personality, she stressed herself out about the interview and didn't want to do it...So Jasmine and Petrea did it and passed fine.  I was excited but still really sad about Leilani.  I sat next to her at church, and she wouldn't talk to anyone, she just cried and slept the whole meeting.  I'm not sure what the situation was.  Then, in Sunday school, I saw her in there sitting alone, so I had Su DX go see why.  The kids here are all really shy and our awesome Young Woman's who comes with us to their lesson, Wu Mujun was sitting by her sister.  I really wanted her to have a good experience at church so maybe we could talk to her and she could interview later.  Well, Su DX figured everything out, and I don't know how Sunday School was, but I went in there during the last hour and her sister and Mujun and I all sat together and Young Woman's was really fun.  We ate prezels and cheeto puffs and talked about how to control our thoughts, and everyone was just being really silly, and Leilani was smiling a lot.  Then, mom and Leilani were together with a counselor in the bishopric after church when we were in our meeting we have every sunday after church, and towards the end of the meeting, Huang jiemei and Leilani come downstairs and Leilani says she wants to meet with Elder Lords.  So yeah!  Then after the meeting, he interviewed her.  It took about an hour, but she passed fine and Elder Lords says her testimony is really amazing and he was so happy after that interview, because he was really able to help her, and he said that's the best kind of interviews, the ones where you really see a change with them from the beginning to the end...so I'm glad for Elder Lords...he helped her a lot, and she looked SO happy after her interview, where as the rest of the day earlier she looked so happy and stressed out.  So I'm REALLY excited for Friday.  I've known these girls for almost my whole mission and now they are getting baptized...

Also coming up on Friday is Chen Yiting's baptism interview.  She's so awesome, she's always like, I'm so excited to be baptized!  I'm so excited to come to church on Sunday!  I'm so excited to get to be interviewed for my baptism!  So yeah.  She's excited for Friday.  Her date is that following Saturday.  Move calls are Friday the 25th for a heads up, so if I forget to tell you next week, Preparation day will change to Monday not next week, but the following one.  People have already started talking about them, maybe I'll be more wondering about them by next Wednesday, but for now I have a super busy week until Sunday with Temple day in Taipei today, then we are going to Taipei tomorrow to do the temple tours, and biking out to Shanziding on Saturday...which is about a 55 minute bike ride straight uphill we've been doing once or twice a week these days for some investigators.  But since it's such a long bike ride...it takes quite a bit of time.  Like yesterday, we went all the way out to Yangmei for an appointment.  It was a 3 hour affair.  Shanziding is like that, but luckily we keep meeting people out there, and now have 3 lessons for our hard bike ride, instead of just 1 like it originally was.  So yeah, I thought briefly about it, but not too in-depth.  I feel super busy, but next week is probably not going to be nearly as busy.  Week 6 doesn't have many activities that happen, so we have nothing but time to try to fill in.  We'll do our best!  That's pretty much it though...not too many out of the ordinary things happened this week, we are just preparing for Friday, and our main focus next week will be Saturday.  We are very blessed here in Zhongli.  I've seen a lot of success.  Not to say we don't have trials, we have a lot, sometimes we have days where everyone cancels the night before and we have like 4 hours to fill in, in really hot weather, but it all ends up okay, and time passes by pretty fast.  Time really isn't the same on a mission as it was before the mission.  It's hard to explain, but yeah...time, it's warped.