Referrals Galore, Grease, and Agency . . .

Another exciting week! I question my ability to convey why missionary life is so great within the confines of an email, but here are a few highlights from this past few days:

-Last Wednesday, I had my last opportunity to participate in the musical missionary group. That took me back to my last area, Zuoying, where we performed outside of the Hanshin mall. Attendance snowballed throughout the performance, and by the end there were quite a few people. The mission office has made it known that over the course of all these performances, we've received over 500 referrals (which means that many people indicated on the referral cards we handed out that they would be willing to have missionaries contact them)! I almost feel sorry for the poor office elders who will process it all...but not quite, because that's so amazing, and they get to truly feel the amazing-ness, right?

-Sister Frasier went home. One of my companions has already "died" on me. I can't believe it. I got to see her at that last performance, which was a great blessing. Each of my companions has made such a difference for good in my life, and it pains the heart a little to not know when I'll see them again. But of course it's worth the mini-heart pain to have gotten to be with them in the first place.

-I verified that my dear brother David has not completely lost his sense of aesthetics. He probably never knew that I was in danger of thinking so. Let me explain. I got a most excellent Christmas package from my thoughtful parents (well, I know Dad put in moral support, but Mom was probably the mastermind and grunt work behind it all). It included pictures of family, one of which was my brother with his wife. Little did I know that they were dressed up as characters from "Grease" for a church activity, complete with appropriate hairstyle. I was really hoping that was the case, but the lack of explanatory note left me a little concerned... Fortunately, on the 26th I got to call home (one of my two annual phone calls home) and was quickly reassured that it was all part of a costume. *whew*

-This week we're on an English fast (or a Chinese feast, depending on how you look at it). Normally, my companion and I speak English at home and Chinese outside the apartment, but this week it's 100% Chinese (except for English class, of course). It's a pretty cool experience, actually, and a lot less exhausting than doing it back in the MTC.

Aside from those goings on, I've been thinking about agency a lot recently. I was thinking about what it means to have freedom of choice, and I think it's more connected with knowledge and understanding than anything else. I suppose really wealthy people have more options of stuff they can buy, places they can go, activities they can engage in, etc., but the scriptures seem to talk about agency in connection with a more eternally fundamental decision: "free to choose liberty and eternal life, through the great Mediator of all men, or to choose captivity and death, according to the captivity and power of the devil" (2 Nephi 2:27). I don't think there's any external circumstance that can affect our ability to make that choice; they only thing that we need is to know the choice exists: "God hath given unto you a knowledge and he hath made you free. He hath give unto you that ye might know good from evil, and he hath given unto you that ye might choose life or death" (Helaman 14:30-31). Something that occurs to me frequently is how circumstances are strangely uncorrelated with things like happiness, at least as far as I can tell, which supports the idea that we really do have the option to choose our core attitude, feelings, and beliefs no matter our circumstance. I fear this may be robbing me of all my excuses when I find myself complaining about anything...

Apology from the Blog Mama

I'm so sorry for failing to get information from Emily's Tuesday email up on our blog sooner! It slipped my mind.

A Cellist in Taiwan

It's been another eventful week. Due to performances by our little missionary choir/orchestra, our usual schedule was thrown into disarray (all for the best, though). While that group is off performing, my companion is on exchanges with another sister whose companion is in the group as well. On Friday, I was gone all day, because we had three performances: two at a high school, one at a stake center. I didn't get home until almost 11:00pm, which is pretty much as edgy as my life has gotten within recent memory (and yet, not that edgy because it was with permission). The stake center we performed at serves my first area, Chaozhou. Two sisters that I started teaching while I was there came to see, and brought me a Christmas card with gift. It was so good to see them again, and see that they still remember me. (SIDENOTE: Being remembered by people isn't my primary goal, because I hope their own spiritual experiences and connections with the local church members are more significant to them than I am, but it's a nice side-perk when it happens). The program is a mix of large-group numbers and smaller ensembles. One of the highlights of our performance is a jazzed-up rendition of "God Rest Ye Merry Gentleman", including tenor sax, alto sax, drums, trumpet, and jazz piano. They just sort of made it up on their own, and it's a big hit every time. I'm accompanying "Beautiful Savior" with a violinist for two sisters singing a duet. As a result of my failing to practice diligently in my more youthful youth, I'm a classically mediocre cellist, but whatever talent I have is there for the Lord to use or not use as He likes. I guess something that I've thought about as a missionary is consecration, putting everything I have at God's disposal. I suppose that can be difficult when we have a lot (e.g. a very rich person being willing to use all her money for whatever the Lord asks), but it can also be difficult when we have a little (e.g. a new missionary whose language skills aren't great being asked to speak in lessons, even though his companion can speak more fluently than he can). I think I personally have an easier time neglecting the latter case, but if embarrassment over the meagerness of our resources keeps us from using them as God asks, that's probably just as bad as keeping them to ourselves for any other reason.

On Sunday night we had dinner at the Gao family home. Using my companion's knowledge of Mexican cooking (part of her extended family is Mexican), we made fajitas. Sister Gao couldn't restrain herself from contributing to the meal, so she prepared curry. I love curry. And fajitas. Also, this family is wonderful. As we were getting the food ready, Brother Gao asked if I would especially miss home around Christmas. I said it was alright; I'll get to call home in a couple weeks. He said their home could be my home for the evening, and it came surprisingly close. It's such a blessing to associate with the members of the Church here. For all my efforts to think of ways to serve them, I always feel like I get a lot more from them than they get from me.

New Things Learned and Blessings Received

Hello from the beautiful land of Yongkang! Well, according to our apartment security guard there's no pretty places to see here, but I like it. It's not super-rural, but it's definitely not the big city either. Here are things that I've learned since I got here:

1. How to tim tam slam. Tim tams are a type of cookie, and slamming them involves using them as a sort of straw substitute to drink milk. Then the cookie gets nice and saturated, so of course you eat that as well. I've heard of tim tam slamming since I got to Taiwan, and now Sister Angulo (an-GOO-low) has finally shown me how it's done. I'm pretty sure it's just a missionary tradition, but I really have no idea where it came from.

2. Danbaofan is really good. "Dan" means egg, "bao" means wrap, and "fan" means rice. It's basically fried rice wrapped in an egg, with ketchup on top, and it's delicious. I can tell Sister Angulo will do wonders for my familiarity with local food.

3. I can write notes in Chinese! Granted, I need to use a dictionary a lot, but I can do it. Every time we stop by someone's house and she's not there, we leave a little card. My companion said we should just take turns writing them, so we do. Every card I write is a little tender mercy, considering that six months ago I didn't know a thing about writing characters.

Other miscellaneous blessings I've gotten since moving to Yongkang:

1. Seeing Sister Du's baptism. Sister Du met with the sisters for about two months before being baptized, and I was only here for the last week of that. I'm sorry that the sister who just moved out didn't get to see an investigator that she taught baptized, but I'm always grateful for that opportunity myself. She has the happy gospel glow, which is apparently a big change for her :) This is how my econometrician-to-be mind looks at it: It's a natural experiment. She's living her life, and there are certain factors which can cause or alleviate stress. Over a period of time, we observe that she has become noticeably more happy and confident. Fortunately for our natural experiment, most of the factors have stayed relatively constant except one: learning the gospel and getting baptized. Not bad evidence that there is a causal relationship between the gospel and happiness (though my sample size is abysmal...I still have a year to collect data). I guess I have that personal conviction anyway, mostly from my own personal experience and faith in the teachings that come through prophets, but it's good to see it play out in the lives of others as well.

2. We've had some really good street contacts this week--just being in exactly the right place to meet someone who is totally willing to set up with us. With just the two of us wandering around a fairly large geographical area, it's a testimony to me that God helps us find those people who want what we're sharing.

3. Playing play-doh pictionary! Missionaries are encouraged to spend some time doing service every week. In Kaohsiung, we all teach English every week, but it's good to have an additional service. We have the sweetest service activity here, which is going to a home for disabled adults and doing activities with them. Last week we brought play doh, divided them into teams, and then had them draw words out of a bag. They had to shape whatever they drew (although we let people draw until they found one they felt good about). It was so fun! They are so sweet and amazingly loving, with each other and us. I'm really looking forward to going back every week.

Moment of Truth

Hello everyone!

Now the moment of truth, when you will discover my fate for the next six weeks. Did I stay in the big city? Who is my companion? These questions were answered on Friday night, when we got the much-anticipated move call. Every transfer (or move-same thing) lasts six weeks. The mission president, his wife, and their two assistants (a companionship of elders) spend most of the sixth week each move doing the move board, in which they figure out who needs to go where with whom. On Friday night after 9:00pm, the assistants start making phone calls to notify people of their assignments (President will call if you are assuming a leadership position, which for me would mean becoming senior companion or training). We got our call around 9:45, at which time we learned that Sister Frasier would be staying in Zuoying, while I move to Yongkang with Sister Angulo. Yongkang is north of Kaohsiung, in Tainan province, and Sister Angulo is now on her second move there, but she's been in Taiwan about nine months. I packed up my things on Saturday and sent them by a moving company (which cost the equivalent of about 15USD). This morning I got up bright and early to gather up my remaining stuff, clean my bathroom, and take the train up to meet Sister Angulo. This area is definitely not as big city as Zuoying (most areas are not), but it's not as rural as Chaozhou. As I write this, I've only been here for about three hours, but I'm getting a very good vibe. I like Sister Angulo a lot (although I'm sad not to be with Sister Frasier for her last four weeks until going home...). Something that really amazes me about the missionary program is that missionaries get shuffled around among companions and places so often, frequently spending six solid weeks with someone they never had a relationship with before, and it works. I know there are problems, and every companionship has to learn how to work together, but it really astounds me how few problems there are relative to what I would predict. I guess there is a lot that can come from a common desire to do the same work, and also from a willingness to seek God's help to smooth over things that 20-something young men and women probably wouldn't know how to work out themselves.

My last week in Zuoying was a miracle week. It honestly felt like the windows of heaven opened up and dumped on us. We set a baptismal date with one of our investigators, we found several less-active members (one of whom came to church for the first time in years!), we were blessed with some amazing new investigators, not to mention lesson after lesson with a huge powerful Spirit. I'm still not sure if every lesson should feel that way (i.e. would perfect missionaries feel that every time they taught?), or if it is saved for special circumstances and needs, but we sure got a lot of it this week. I think one of the reasons that missionaries are so young is so that, if we are willing to be realistic, we'll know we cannot possibly give ourselves the credit for the blessings and miracles that happen. There's a scripture in the Book of Mormon, 1 Nephi 15:17 that prophesies: ". . . it shall come by way of the Gentiles, that the Lord may show his power unto the Gentiles. . ." I think it's very interesting that the Lord uses the Gentiles as an instrument to do His work so that they themselves can see his power. The instrument learns in the process that it is not responsible for the work. That's what missionary work feels like to me.

Invitations

It has been quite the week. It feels like a lot has happened, even though I suppose it's mostly all within the business-as-usual categories of missionary work. I think we've seen a lot of miracles and blessings in our work this week. For starters, we met three less-active members who said they would come to church on Sunday. One is a mother who apparently just got out of the habit of coming, another is a college student who was baptized when she was 16, and the last is a woman who is vegetarian and feels bad about not eating meat at church activities. Every week we visit some less active members, and most of them do not come to church the following Sunday, so it's especially exciting to see the ones who do come. Another less-active sister that we visited this week felt like she couldn't come because she needs to be making sales. She is an older widow. She used to run a nursery, but the economy recently has made it less likely for parents to pay someone else to take care of their children. Now she sits in front of her house selling cell phone covers. I hope she can make ends meet, because her house is far from a prime location for finding cell-phone-cover seeking people.

We also set a baptismal date with one of our investigators, and we have another who wants to set a date with us this week :) Setting a baptismal date means that we invite an investigator to set a goal--a date by which they will try to prepare themselves for baptism. To be prepared for baptism, they need to have a personal conviction of some basic principles of the gospel (i.e. God is our Heavenly Father, Christ is our Savior, the gospel of Jesus Christ was restored through Joseph Smith and is led by a prophet today), be willing to repent of their sins and live life in accordance with the laws and commandments of the gospel, and have a desire to continue doing that and to take upon themselves the name of Christ. They need to attend several consecutive sacrament meetings, and be living commandments such as the Word of Wisdom and law of chastity. It's not unusual at all to set baptismal dates before all these requirements are met, but then the missionaries help the investigators learn and plan what they need to do in order to meet the requirements by the baptismal goal. So that's what we'll be doing with these two sisters in the next little while, and hopefully they can both be baptized next transfer. I would be extremely excited for both of them, especially because after baptism they would receive the gift of the Holy Ghost, and be able to have His constant companionship. I know from my personal experience that always having the Holy Ghost is the way to get all the peace, guidance, and protection that I need to be happy, so it's wonderful to see others enjoy the same blessing.

Cool Stuff Happens All the Time

I'm doing email a little early today so I can get off to rehearsal for the musical group that the mission is putting together for Christmas. I'm not quite sure what it will be like, to be honest, but I hope I can hold up my end. I actually get to go on exchanges with my trainer, Sister Lin, for practice. Aside from moving to a new area, we are literally always with a companion; since Sister Frasier doesn't need to be at practices, we're exchanging with Sister Lin (who is participating) and her companion (also Sister Lin, who is not participating). They're coming up to Zuoying this morning, and from here we'll split off into our temporary companionships. It already feels strange to me to think of not having a companion with me all the time; I'm sure that will be an interesting transition after my mission. It will be nice to have alone time occasionally, but I know I'll miss having someone around to be excited with, disappointed with, late with, see blessings with, etc.

Speaking of seeing blessings with your companion, this week was no exception to the constant stream of little miracles. One of the tender mercies this week was a street contact we made. We actually contacted her three times in the same day, twice at lights and once outside a 7/11 (coincidence? I think not). The third time we had a little more time to talk, and she gave us her contact information for us to set up with her. On another occasion, we went looking for a church member who hasn't been to church for a very long time (probably years). When we called, the man who answered said she wasn't at that number, so we decided to go knock on the door of the address we had. When we got there, no one answered. We were just about to leave, when a girl pulled up to that very house. She was able to get us the new number for the woman we were looking for, who we got in touch with later that day. I'm always amazed at how the timing on these things works out just right; just a few seconds difference and we wouldn't have talked to the woman at 7/11 or the girl pulling up to the house. So basically cool stuff happens all the time, and I'm not sure if it happens more now than it used to in my life, or if I just notice it more often, but it's really exciting to see every day.

Last Friday Sister Frasier and I celebrated Six Day. No, Six Day is not a lesser-known Taiwanese holiday. It is the day that marked my six months from entering the MTC, and Sister Frasier's six weeks from going home. To commemorate this historical day, we used our dinner hour to eat out, plus Coldstone for dessert (yes, my area has a Coldstone in it. When I got to Zuoying, Sister Frasier welcomed me to little America--which I always thought was just an overly-advertised tourist spot in Wyoming--because we have tons of American restaurants and stores here). Time is flying.