Hey everybody! It was a great week in Taiwan!
Last
Wednesday we went to the temple again. It's crazy; the last time I went was
near the end of my first transfer in Taiwan. Now my companion and I are in
breaking (the transfer after training), and we are breaking each other. It was
super amazing! I love the temple. My comp and I did Initiatories again for
Chinese people who lived 200 years ago or so. It was cool! I really appreciated
the Taiwanese temple workers who did it in English for us. Made me grateful
that they were willing to learn how to say hard words in English for us. We
then did an endowment with the Mission President and his wife (they came this
time). The temple was amazing overall as usual. Going once every 3 months made
me really appreciate the temple. I am super grateful to be in a mission with a
temple. It really is a blessing.
After
the temple, my comp and I went to King Mango, which the zone leaders suggested.
It was good but kinda pricey, about $5US, which is expensive for local food. I
also got my birthday package. It was funny, as I was walking in the
mission office, one elder in my zone was like, "Sister Brinkerhoff, you
have a package the size of Israel!" it was fun! After I got it, the zone
leaders told me that a week before when they had to go to Taipei with the
sister training leaders in my apartment for a leadership meeting, they were
going to bring it home along with a ton of other stuff, but mission president
stopped them and said, "No, she can pick it up next week when she goes to
the temple." They brought back the
green package with the cards though.
After,
my comp and I went to the Chang-Kai Shek Memorial, which is
suuuuuuuppppppppeeeerrr toruisty and popular. It's a big area with two big
Chinese looking buildings (like the forbidden city in Beijing but newer, 50
years \-ish instead of hundreds of years old) and a Chinese rotunda. The
memorial is a cross between the Jefferson and Lincoln Memorials. It's like the
Jefferson memorial but more enclosed and more steps like the Lincoln memorial.
The large bronze statue of Chang-kai Shek is exactly like Lincoln sitting on a
chair. A few differences include him being in normal Chinese clothes, has a
mustache and smiling. There was a military display going on as well at the same
time. After, we went downstairs to the museum for Chang kai-Shek’s life.
He
is a modern day George Washington/Abraham Lincoln. He was a general in China
for a while, but eventually left because of the communist party and started a
democratic government in Taiwan. This happened in like the 1950's or something,
so Taiwan’s government is somewhat new. He seems to be a super cool guy. His
picture is on all the Taiwanese money. i don' t know the full story, so
if anyone happens to Google him or be on Wikipedia, let me know his full story.
My comp and I didn't have time to read the exhibits (just had to breeze
through) which are in Chinese and English. (benefit of Taiwan- they have a lot
of stuff in English too, like how in the us there is stuff in Spanish too. There's
a lot more English in Taiwan than in Spanish though). His wife seems legit too.
She was called Madame Chiang. She was pretty and a talented artist and a good
supporter of her husband, so she seems really cool, too.
After,
we ran back to the train station. It takes almost 2 hours by train and MRT
(like a subway) to get home. We had to cancel English meeting because we barely
missed the train. it's okay, president texted every one later and said to stock
up on food and water for 2 days because of the typhoon that is coming.
The
typhoon was no big deal! Just a little rainy and windy! Went on exchanges even
in it. Down south on the other side of the coast is waaayyy worse. I heard one
elder who is scared of typhoons because one time last year he and his comp rode
their bikes in it and they were picked up while on their bikes and lifted off
the ground in the wind! They made it home though.
Exciting
news! Guess who's coming to Taiwan?! DAVID ARCHULETA! He is going to have a
concert here in Xinzhu next month! I
really hope I can wave to him or something on his way to his concert when he
performs here in Xinzhu. I really hope I can stay at least one more transfer
here in Xinzhu!!! I'm worried I will be transferred out. I don't know, we will
see what the Lord has in plan for me. I really hope David Archuleta will sing
for our mission too, that would be sooo cooooll More to be continued next
month!
The
other day I was eating zhuabings
(green onion pancakes/tortillas) and another I was eating dumplings and
dragonfruit (its pretty good and it's purple too). I don't know if I can handle
American food when I get back.
I'm
super sad. This week about 30 missionaries will go home, and I know 7 of them.
They have been amazing missionaries and had a great impact on me as well as the
whole mission. We don't know what we will do without them. I am so grateful
that I was able to learn from them. I really wish I could learn from them more.
Oh well, they gave a lot of service to the Lord, it's time for them to go
home.
Love
you all!
Sister
Brinkerhoff
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| Me in front of The Grand Hotel in Taipei |
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