Saturday, March 14, 2015

Move-call!

Started as a District photo and then some other Elders jumped in
I technically real move-call is in two weeks, but because our missions Visa waiters suddenly got their Visas so they flew in last Wednesday!  Yay!  So my new companion is Sister Olsen.  She served in Tempe, Arizona for four months and has now finally come to the good island of Taiwan.  She is super awesome.  already an incredible missionary.  She worked hard to keep up with her Chinese while she was in the states and you can tell.  I'm loving the opportunity to learn from her and help her adjust to the ways of Taiwan, but she is super willing and able, so it's not hard at all!

Well, that's really the biggest news for the week...

Oh and I got a second degree burn from a motor scooters exhaust pipe.  It didn't have one of those plastic covers that usually protect people from running into them.  It hurt really bad right after, but after a day it just got really dark and didn't hurt anymore...  Hopefully it doesn't scar...
The nasty burn on my leg. (The circle part is about 5cm in diameter)
Sister Hsu

P.S.  
Elder Teerlink and Elder Robinson are move.  They will be sorely missed.
Group selfie!

Sunday, February 22, 2015

Happy Chinese New Year!

Yep, that's what this past week was.  Chinese New Year officially started on Wednesday, but the invitations to eat started on Tuesday.  Our members are really just too good to us.  So good that I've gained about 6lbs.  But it has been an amazing time.  I haven't thrown up once!  (I think I've gained experience from last year.  :) hahah.  I really just love it here!  I LOVE SHIZHONG!!!  Hahahaha!  Really a huge thanks and I love you to all those who had us over for dinner or 關心'd us this past week.

-I learned how to play MahJiang and it was amazing.  Love that game.  (Of course we don't gamble when we play)

-We left our bikes parked by the train station when we had to take the subway to a dinner appointment and when we got back all the stuff on my handle bars had been stolen. (2 lights and my bell)  Now we just have to yell a lot while we ride to have people not run into us.  Hahaha.
-Those no neck photos were inspired by Camille (the girl in the middle)  she was pro at it.  :)
-Gonna miss our ShiZhong duo .  Elder Teerlink and Elder Gordon because move-call is coming and Elder Gordon is done training, so someone is definitely gonna go.
Okay well, the work has been slow mainly in part to New Years, but we will be going full throttle this week!  Wish us luck! 

Love ya'll!

Sister Hsu

I just keep falling off my bike...

I don't know if I mentioned it last time, but the first time I ever had any sort or "bicycle incident" was after coming to ShiZhong.  I'm not blaming the area, I am just stating a fact.  The first time was when I was with Sister Olson, and miraculously I stepped off my bike before it could take me to the ground.  (May have mentioned that in a previous letter)  The second time was my own fault.  I was stepping off my bike "Ama" style to get off and start English Proselyting,  amd the ground which was way more slick than it looked, combined with my really of shoes that have no traction left on them resulted in me on the ground and my bike on top of me.  I came out with a skinned knee and scrapped foot.  (really not a big deal)  But yesterday!  I was actually in what would be considered a bicycle accident! I was riding fairly quickly on the bike lane on the way to church (we were running a little late)  and a man had apparently come up on the ramp to get onto the bike lane, but when I saw him, he had just appeared in front of me and was in the middle on the lane, I hit my brakes, and tried getting closer to the wall in the hopes that he would also move off to the other side, but he hadn't and we hit handlebars.  We both lost balance and he fell over in my direction, knocking me into the wall.  I put my hand out to keep myself from hitting the wall, and my other hand went ended up on the side of the mans arm, trying to hold him up and keep him from falling on top of me.  In the end it wasn't a serious accident, but all the while I was apologizing and asking if he was okay, and he didn't say anything, got his bike upright and rode off.  Other than a cut on my hand and knee, and fixing my bike chain, I was A-okay.  It was just a very strange experience.
My bike accident
Other than that, we also had Sister exchanges!  I went to SanMin with Sister Ko,  we came on island together.  She is great.  Had a really good time doing a lot of finding activities with her.
We also had a fun time with members and investigators writing spring couplets with calligraphy brushes.  I mainly was just practicing and trying to learn how to do it.  It was super hard.  But YOYO made me one.  It said...  羊年得意仕滿庭  basically, she wrote something that included my chinese name in it.  Looks super pretty.

yea, that's about it.  So good.

Sister Hsu

Sorry ya'll

No time for a report!  But know that I am still doing well and that today we will be going to costco for P-Day.  The end.  Hahaha.

Sister Hsu

P.S. 
Really though.  Doing great and I'm excited to gain a million pounds over Chinese New Year...

Monday, February 2, 2015

Move-Call!

Dinner with Members at LaBella
...came and went.  No one in our District moved.  More appropriate to say that the majority of our missionaries didn't move anywhere because once again, no new missionaries have come in.  It's looking pretty dismal, but all of us are still praying that they will be able to come soon.  But, good thing is, Chinese New Year is almost here!  Well, good and bad?  Good because it's a time full of love, friends, family and food.  Bad, because no one will want to be setting up with us to meet.  Hahah...hah. 
English Party and Friends!
Miracle!  We were tracting and tracted into a woman we had prayed for!  She not only let us in, she had great questions that only the restored Gospel has answers to.  That, and she set up to meet with us again at the church.  She didn't "fang" us!  The lesson went a bit long, and she may be a little bit too set in her own ideas, but I know that if she is willing to read and pray about the Book of Mormon with an open heart she will be able to feel the Holy Ghost testify to her that the message is true and of the importance of priesthood power.
More BOM Shots
We had lots of fun this past week.  with investigators and with members.  

P.S.  Jin Fang came to visit us!  It was so good to see her.  She's doing awesome, sharing the gospel wherever she goes.

-Sister Hsu

Sunday, February 1, 2015

大家好!

Sister Porter hiding in the weird cupboard built into my study rooms bed frame...
Hey all,  It's been another interesting week of being a missionary.  Still just finding, finding and more finding.  We had an oddly successful week in terms of adding people on Facebook who were willing to learn a little more through facebook.  But so far everyone has been pretty 還好 (just okay, not super interested)  But we are gonna keep going for it.  Other than that It's just been the same old, same old and loving every minute of it.  
Me studying Chinese under my covers because our house is cold.
I know this time around I didn't share anything particularly interesting but that's mainly because I forgot to bring my planner with me, and I can't look at my notes for the week.  So I'm sure something cool happened, I just can't remember it right now.  Hahaha.

Love ya'll 

Sister Hsu

P.S.  I'm sick.  Again. WHYYYYYYYYYYY!?
I got my camera back! (It broke o I mailed it in and they sent me a new one) So I take corny pictures and send them to you. hahaha.

I'm running out of titles. Another week in the amazing Shizhong!

A crazy banana that a member gave us. Siamese Twin Banana!
This week was a lot like last week in the way that we are really spending a lot of time finding.We seem to be seeing a trend of finding, meeting and finding out they don't live in our area.  We are all on the same team I know, but it's been a bit hard not really having any investigators.  But it will be okay.  The Lord will lead us to those who are prepared to hear the Gospel and are ready to change.
Sister exchanges. Yep, that's ghosting a bike.
Yea, that's really it I guess.  Oh!  We did go on Sister exchanges.  Sister Lin came over here to Shizhong with me.  It was a good time.  Love being able to learn from more Sisters.  
We went to Monkey Mountain on Monday.
Love you all!

Sister Hsu