WEEK 21: Waterfalls & David Archuleta

Welp this week was weird. Weird in the way that you are a missionary and then your mission president tells you that the artist of one of your middle school top hits is doing a special concert for you and all the missionaries in New Taibei area? Flashback to middle school, jamming out to Crush by David Archuleta!! Hahaha seriously the weirdest thing to be going to a concert on your mission..Taibei Taiwan mission is the best in the world!! OLD NEWS.

This week we also got to visit PingXi waterfall and again my words do not do justice! We rode up a windy road through the insanely green mountains of Taiwan and ended up in this beautiful rain forest and somewhat man-made waterfall haha. It was mind-blowingly beautiful and soo nice to go adventuring! I wish that my emails could ever do justice. 

Miracle of the Week: Kay surprised us with ELEPHANT stuffed animals!!! Okay first of all Kay had no idea that the elephant is my favorite animal. Second! She just randomly decided to buy us stuffed animals to comfort us at night because we are away from our families. I feel like I have kiiiind offf become a spaz on my mission but it is kind of impossible not to when your amazing friend surprises you with an elephant stuffed animal! So yes. Hence the photo shoot below.

Next awesome thing that happened was that a man named Xie XianSheng called us a couple nights ago. He told us some other missionaries had given him a chuandan (flier) a while back and he had kept it ever since. He told us he really needed God in his life and ended up meeting with us the next day! Then get this: we say bye to him after our lesson ends and he calls 5 minutes later saying he brought a friend and wanted us to share a little message with her!! WHAT! We were so stoked. We shared about hope and read some scriptures with them. He also came to church with us yesterday! And he and his friend are going out to dinner with us and 10 other friends tonight!! SO EXCITING. It seriously was the biggest qiji that he kept that flier and called us wanting to meet. He is one of the kindest persons I've met. I will take pictures tonight for next week's email!! Ahh he is so great!

I am learning so much more about Jesus Christ and the sacrifice he made for all of us. I have been overwhelmingly grateful for the opportunity that we all have to be forgiven of our mistakes and keep going and trying to do better. That is the most hopeful and beautiful thing in the world. President Monson said, "One of the greatest joys in life is the joy of being able to try again, for no failure ever need be final." I love this!! And I love 耶穌基督 (Yesu Jidu)

I hope you are all happy and have a wonderful week!

from taiwan to youuuu

sista mo

PICTURES

1. This is Ai Lun!!!! (whom I talked about in my last post)

2. David Archuleta!  Sister Bradley and I were at least a foot taller than him but it's ok

3. PINGXI WATERFALL. (plus my bud sister austad!)

4. My best friend here: Ting Zhun!

5. Hug$$ with my lovely trainer <3

6. Waterfall from above

7. Zhou Mama took us out to hou guo!! (hot pot) It is basically a pot of random dongxi and they had a vegetarian one with every mushroom in the world. I am pretty sure at least. It was delectable. Also can we please take a moment for her ADORABLE granddaughter! I DIE.  *note: you refer to other people as mama or baba

8. Kay's ELEPHANT STUFFED ANIMALS!! :'D 

WEEK 20: Always Speechless 週年快樂!!!!

 週年快樂!!!! First - Mom and Dad HAPPY 25th WEDDING ANNIVERSARY!!!! I think of you every single day and of how grateful and blessed I am so have such amazing parents. You are my best friends, my greatest teachers in life, and have been the greatest examples to me of a relationship founded on friendship and love. YOU ARE AMAZING. I have more love and appreciation for you than I will ever be able to express. 25 years!!! Wow. I am a lucky bean. I love you more than words!!!

Ahh well my family and friends, I never know how to write these things to do justice to how much I love Taiwan. do I say that enough?! haha SORRY. This week started off in literally the greatest way a week could start off. Yo took us and the Elders to a gourmet vegetarian buffet and the food absolutely blew my mind. it was a gigantic room and along all four walls was like the fanciest, most delicious vegetarian food I have ever tasted in my life. IN MY LIFE. Heavenly Father seriously knows me so well to have called me to serve here in the promised land of fancy veg food. 

NEXT. Sister Bradley and I have been so absolutely speechless at the incredible friends we have here in Taiwan.(Side note/backstory:Sister Bradley's back has been hurting her pretty badly lately so we were planning to get these backpacks but never had the time) It was a long day on Tuesday and we ended up getting fanged 3 times (aka three people didn't show up to our lessons) but we were still making the most of it. We ended up getting a call from our friends Kay, Yo, and Jack and they told us they wanted to go finding with us! Well it was almost time to head home and they still hadn't shown up so we were a little sad but mei guan xi! We got back home and as we were walking in the door, Kay, Jack, and Yo run up behind us and surprise us WITH THE BACKPACKS WE HAD CASUALLY MENTIONED GETTING. WHAT!? The people here are another type of people. They go to the ends of the earth to help others and do it all out of love and kindness. It amazes me. I love them sooo much.

I also wanted to share a super cool story from this week about our investigator/best friend Ai Lun! I mentioned her a while back and since then, we have finished teaching her all the lessons and she is so ready to be baptized. The only thing is that in Taiwan, the age for a legal adult is 20 and Ai Lun is 18 so she needs parental permission. She asked her dad and he said was that she didn't need to. We met with her on Friday and at the end of the lesson she asked the age for being able to serve a full-time mission!! I was so shocked that I thought I heard her wrong so I made her ask again hahah. Ai Lun wants to serve a mission! Her faith is incredible and it seems that every lesson with her she ends up teaching me something instead of vice versa. She tells us every time we see her how much she wants to be baptized. Please pray for her and her dad! I think Sister Bradley and I will start doing mission prep with her this week because she really, really wants to know more. SO EXCITING! 

Lastly! Yesterday in church our teacher was talking about service and asked us a question that I love and wanted to share with da jia. It doesn't translate directly but it is along the lines of: How have others given and shown service for you and how do you serve others? I love to reflect about these types of questions and I think it is important to often think about and be grateful for all the ways, big and small, that others have helped me in my life.  As I thought about this question, I was soo overwhelmed with how thankful I am for every person in my life and how incredible each of you are. I LOVE YOU ALL! If you have the chance this week, take a moment to think about this question too. It will change your life- wo yingxu ni (I promise you)! Okay maybe not your whole life but it will make you really really REALLY happy. 

I love you da jia, 

be safe and eat ur veggies

xoxox

mo jie mei ^_^

1. Our ward had a little get together (as they do pretty much every week) and Lu Baba made his FAMOUS GALI! I made him pose with his gali. 

2. This is doufu (tofu) plus pidan (thousand year egg). basically they ferment the egg for a month or so...the longer fermented = more expensive.  it gets this really uh special flavor. who says vegetarians can't get a lil wild?  HAHA

3. No words to describe how much I love these people!

4.  MOM AND DAD'S HAPPY ANNI PHOTO! I posed with a camel to celebrate your 25 yrs of love.

WEEK 19: DA JIA HAO!

大家好!

DA JIA HAO!

Literal translation: big family good!

Meaning: Hello everyone!

Ahhh I love Chinese because in Chinese instead of saying "everyone" you say "big family."...they know what's up. 

SO big family, this week flew by. I cannot believe I am already doing another weekly email? WEIRD. Another very weird thing is that I have been on my mission for 4 months already and my brain cannot comprehend that. wut¿

This week was one of those weeks where I could not believe that this is actually my life. This is probably going to sound corny and I am sorry if it makes you cringe but I am just going to go full hippy. 

This week we met so many incredible people. I'll tell ya a little story about one in particular named Xing Yi. We met him on the street and he was in a hurry to get to work but he set up to meet with us for a gospel lesson this past Saturday. Little did we know that he has the CUTEST child ever created named Yu Ling and brought her to our lesson, too. I was so happy when I met her and her dad Xing Yi on Saturday (one of the kindest people I have ever met in my life) that I literally started tearing up and had to hide my face so I wouldn't freak them out. 

This explains how I feel here literally EVERY DAY. I won't be able to express this in words but the Taiwanese have taught me so much about patience, love, kindness, and what is means to truly listen to people. Every time I talk to someone, the way they listen makes you feel like the most important person in the world. They are such genuinely kind people. They would never make you feel even the slightest bit bad about making them late or saying the wrong word, etc.

So yes. I tear up from happiness and from awe at life and the Taiwanese people.  There is so much I have to learn and there are so many mistakes I make every single day, but the best part about this life is that we have the opportunity to repent and keep going. We have the gift of never having to feel like we are stuck and can't improve. We really were meant to have joy and I believe that we can find joy in anything we decide to find joy in. So go be happy! Make the most of every single experience today!

Cultural difference of the week: in Taiwan, you put your fruit/ food waste in the freezer and then when the singing garbage truck comes around, you run out and dump all your food waste in the back of it and it is the most...tebie (special) smell ever.  Also, you separate all of your garbage...TAIWAN BACK AT IT AGAIN. #gogreen #ecofriendly

Okay I am kidding. I will not go that hippy on you. I love you da jia!

xoxo

莫姐妹

WE WENT TO CHIANG KAI SHEK THIS WEEK! It absolutely blew my mind. It is beautiful and gigantic and I felt like Po. ENJOY!

1. the sky from our apt this morning

2. our ward had a talent show and this is the MASTER of the chinese piano (don't know the actual name in english) 

3. life.

4. stoked

5. the view from the top of the stairs

6. super shimao woman who asked to get a pic with us

7. the man himself + the changing of the guards

8. being Po  

9. SISTA BRADLAAAAYYY

10. try to find me hehe

11. the entrance

12. my feelings about everything

WEEK 18: I Was Runnin' Through the 6 With My Woes

Happy last week of July!?! WHAT. This week has been incredible and we are just gonna get down to the knitty gritty (I can't spell sowwy).

So on Friday we went finding at a park called JinHe. It was about 7:45 and we had a lesson at 8 at the church, which is about a mile and a half away from JinHe park. So we hurry to get our helmets and super-fashionable fanguangdai (reflector vests) on and head off. I immediately hear this weird noise and my bike was SO HARD to pedal. So at a stoplight I asked Sister Bradley what was up and she was like "uhh your tire is completely flat"

NO!

But I decided it was okay, I'd just get an extra leg day in. So we kept going. Until I was making a turn and my tire slipped out. (breathe mom and dad, deep breaths, huxi!!) Haha so I pull over and sort of lost Sister Bradley up ahead and I was like "welp we gotta get there" so I started running my bike. Literally running like a maniac with a bike that did not want to be pushed for over a mile in the streets of downtown Taipei....so epic. I felt that I finally understood the meaning of "running through the 6 with my woes" on a very personal level. 

What was the outcome? We made it to the church in time to teach our new investigator, Leo! And I smelled horrible! And was dripping sweat the entire time!(see pics below) But he was so patient and he worked really hard to not laugh at me every time I talked so that was nice of him. The Taiwanese are the greatest...

What was really cool is that at the end of the lesson we talked to him about baptism and he said, "I could really use a new start." YAY!!

All I have been thinking about since this experience is the Lord making weak things become strong. Yesterday Sister Bradley and I drove back along the same roads I ran my bike along and we were both so confused how far it was and that we made it in time for the lesson. It was seriously the weirdest thing. But God does a lot of things we can't comprehend and always helps us through difficult things. 

I LOVE TAIWAN. The mission is definitely the best decision ever. I would not be able to be here without my incredible parents and brothers and Laura and everyone else who continues to support me. I will never be able to thank you all enough- I LOVE YOU so so much! 

JIAYOU my friends

all my love

sista mo

1. a vegetarian buffet. LIFE. we eat here at least 12x/week. I am slowly converting Sister Bradley

2. my sweat after running my bike...literally DRENCHED! you could have rung out my shirt

3. i wrote this for a member in our ward and it took me 2 hours. needed to document it

4. Ask me how I feel about Taiwan....5 THUMBS UP!

5. the hilarious Liao family

6. more vegetarian life

7. i got to see sister reinhard this week! YAY

8. everything is cute in Taiwan... :')

WEEK 17: Jaiyou!

Hello everyone!! 

I am sorry, but I don't have any time to write much of a weekly email! Just a quick experience and some thoughts! Yesterday a woman in our ward came up to me and my companion and asked to talk. She ended up telling us how lonely she felt and how she had no friends. It was heartbreaking! She said that she just wished someone would come up to her and at least ask her how she was doing every once in a while. Just a lil "ni hao ma?"

I learned so much from this woman. I decided that this week I will try to be more aware of the people around me and make sure no one is left out. I challenge everyone reading this to ask someone how they are doing who you maybe haven't talked to in a while!

Include everyone, spread some love, and make someone's day because you really do have the power to do that! 

I love you all so much! Sorry for the short email! Jiayou!

all my love

sister mo <3

1. me and my vegetarian best friend and her daughter. I LOVE THEM

2. my favorite juice guy- mr. chen (fresh tropical fruit smoothie for 60 kuai #yes)

3. An incredible member made us lunch (yes this is what every meal looks like!!!)

4.a picture from the sunset last week! this is all the elders and sisters in our little ZhongHe area- i love these people so much

5. my favorite dessert..yes dessert, unreal.

6. my little buddy and my big buddy. love these people

WEEK 16: Walkin' On A Dream!

Da Jia Haooooo<3 

I feel like every one of my emails starts the same way where I don't actually know what to say or how to explain how much I LOVE TAIWAN! This week was incredible. We celebrated the 4th of July by our friend Yo buying humongous fireworks, lighting them off, and getting kicked out of the park by the police. OOPS! It was all of us missionaries and investigators and friends and it was such a good time. Before we lit off the fireworks, Yo had everyone answer the question, "What brings light to your life?" I love this question! (fitting with the fireworks- you go Yo). At the time I answered "family and friends." But I thought about this question often throughout the past week and realized how many things bring light into my life. I love thinking about things that bring light because light is such a warm, happy thing! So many things this week brought light to my life:

1. Our English class students...they are incredible and teach me more than I will probably ever teach them

2. Whenever I realize I just had a conversation with someone in Chinese.

3. Having an investigator text us, "good morning, i love you!' 

4. Giant avocados.

5. Meeting a girl with a t-shirt that said "miracle" on it who ended up being super interested in hearing about Jesus Christ and set up to meet with us...She definitely gave us a not-so-subtle-hint hahah YAY

6. Having only face-to-face conversations.

7. Being given a pumpkin. hollaaaaaaa

8. Going out in the typhoon (taifeng)-that-never-came and everyone losing their minds wondering why were still sharing the gospel (By the way, we are all safe!! Thank you soo much everyone for your emails and concerns! It was so sweet to see those today).

9. Getting asked if I was from Israel? SICK (the good "sick")

10. Watching the sunrise.

11. Sharing the "Because of Him" video with a man on the street and he was legit holding back tears. I asked him what he was thinkin' when it ended and all he said was "everyone deserves a second chance in life."

That man, Li XianSheng is his name, is so right. I almost started crying tears of joy because of how right that was. No matter what mistakes we make in life, Jesus Christ and Heavenly Father will give us a second chance. I love being a missionary and sometimes I wonder why I was given this opportunity. I am really imperfect and make mistakes every day- more than I can count! But I was so thankful to meet  Li XS who reminded me that no matter who we are, God has the ability to help us become better. HOW GREAT is knowing that we never have to be stuck? We can always move forward if we just try and if we ask. 

I love life so much. There is light everywhere in life, everyday! I have been looking for 3 things every day that have brought light to me and I realized that I can actually just go on and on and on. So yes, try it out if you have a couple minutes- I promise, life is even better that we realize it is!!

I love you all so, so much. Thank you for your concern about the taifeng, for your support and for your love. I love you and am praying for all ya Meiguoren!

wo ai nimen

xoxo

sista mo

PICS

1. We did some heavy duty fireworks and got kicked out of a park by the popo...I am not kidding like they were straight up 4th of July gigantic blow-up-in-the-sky fireworks!

2. CARN

3. We resorted to sparklers after getting asked to leave the park :)

4. The biggest smile because biggest avocado EVER

5. Today we woke up at 3:15 am and went with our district to watch the SUNRISE! The pictures do not do justice- it was heavenly. There are really no other words to describe it.

6. Elder Bellingham and I trying to yoga.

7. Da taiyang

Super Typhoon Nepartak

We are asking for your prayers for the people and the missionaries in Taiwan as they will be in the path of a Super Typhoon today and tomorrow.

http://www.taiwantaipeimission.com/

Noel and Jess

WEEK 15: 奇迹。 MIRACLES!

Ni haooo and 3-months-no-see!? 
I cannot believe it's been 3 months! Time be fly. This week was so amazing and I don't have the words in English or Chinese to explain how great this week was. MEH!

This week started in the IＮCＲEＤIＢＬE JiuFen. JIUFEN SO FUN!!!! (JiuFen is pronounced joe-fun) This is like the Asian equivalent of Hydra, Greece. Except you can't compare them. Wow okay so our friend named Yo (yes his name is literally Yo, coolest name, coolest person) rented a car to take us to JiuFen because it's an hour away. So we drive along the freeway until we get to the ocean! Then you got the ocean in front of you and you look to the right and you see this unreal city built into the lush, green mountainside. And we were all like "uhhh is that JiuFen?!" YEP IT WAS JUIFEN. Literally no one was really saying anything because everyone was speechless. It was unbelievable. The pictures below do NOT do justice!! Then we climbed about a billion stairs to get up to the yeshi (night market) and it was sweet! Packed with people, new foods, amazing smells, unique souvenirs, and 50 kuai giant fresh fruit smoothies! I don't know the conversion but I do know that it was cheap enough for me to get 2... ;) JiuFen was life-changing. Easily one of the most surreal and unique places I have ever been. (miraculous!)

The next miracle happened on Wednesday when Sister Bradley and I were out finding in the pouring rain. We were talking to a college-aged girl on the side of the street when 2 middle-aged women came up to us and asked, "Hey, can we talk to you?" Sister Bradley and I were like, "WELL YEAH YA CAN!" When we were done talking with the college girl, we went with the two women to a bread shop where they bought us an assortment of bread. (the Taiwanese are the best)  One of the woman named Chen told us in Chinese of couurrrssseee "My friend (her name is Mi) has been struggling a lot lately because of her husband. So she called me and we were on our way to visit her but then right when we turned the corner we saw you two and recognized you as "Shen de puren" (God's servants) and knew that you could help my friend."

Ummm WHAT? Sister Bradley and I turned to each other and both of our eyes were wide open with amazement and it was the one of the COOLEST THINGS EVER TO HAPPEN yet on my mission. We chatted with Chen and her friend for a while and then shared a scripture that has really helped me when I'm feeling mehh. 

Alma 26:12

"Yea I know that I am nothing; as to my own strength I am weak; therefore I will not boast of myself, but I will boast of my God, for in His strength I can do all things."

I really love this verse. I have been able to carry conversations in Mandarin now without assistance with native Taiwanese and I can't tell you how true this verse is! Anything I am able to say is because of divine help. It's quite nice that we don't ever have to be alone in anything we do:) 

I love you all and hope this next week is GREAT for you.

love you more than I love biking in the rain.  which is a LOT.

bai bai!

sista mo