Guonian Kuaidaole! Chinese New Year is here soon! One transfer more!

 

Guonian Kuaile! Happy Chinese New Year!    

     Hellooo, everyone! Chinese New Year begins this Friday! Super excited - the lanterns are lit up around town. Surprisingly, members and an investigator invited us over for lunch and dinner! Most of them will be out of town, so they are trying to feed us before they leave. Guess I can't escape Guonian and the dinners that every missionary must experience.

     In the movie Les Mis, there's one song that is the theme for me lately: While prepping for battle, the people are singing how in one day they will see "what our God in Heaven has in store. One more dawn. One more day. One day more!" For me, it's "One transfer more!" We are so excited to see where next transfer will take us. Transfers are on February 9th. I feel like I will stay here in Yuli for one more transfer to get the ball rolling on baptisms. This past transfer has been more about finding investigators, starting the lessons, and establishing relationships with members. I just need one more transfer to see the baptisms.

     Our branch is doing so awesome, they are on fire and ready to help.  Love them to death!  Fun adventures coming ahead this week! 

     People from all over the world come and bike here, it is so beautiful with so many bike trails. I can't tell you the number of times I have seen foreigners here. So President Uchtdorf's Mexican Doppleganger, Jorge Alonso, came to bike around Taiwan in 10 days (literally, he's been all over the world).  He's from Mexico but lives in Seattle, has been traveling around

the world for three years (is a landscaper), is single (lonely), and interested in the gospel. He will go to Thailand next week.  I really hope he see's my brother, Charlie!

     Meng Xin (served in Indiana) came to town again this weekend. Seriously, whenever he comes, it's like Santa comes to town or something. He has only come down from Taipei three times since October. He's here for two weeks for Guonian since classes in Taipei are over. 

     We had God's Recent Convert (as well as my recent convert) Ding JM help us peike (teach a lesson with a member present) for the first time since baptism! I was SO proud of her, I felt like a parent who's child was the superstar of a football game. Seeing her teach the gospel really makes me happy! Her life has changed completely! She used to be unhappy, not interested in others, and sad about life, but now she is so funny, full of life, strong and unselfish. Plus, she has a light in her countenance. I really hope I can go with her to the temple to do baptisms next transfer. I want to be with her for one more transfer.

     

     My comp and I live a floor right above the chapel, super awesome and convenient! Our landlord owns a big house. I guess he trusts us missionaries because he keeps the door to his house open, and you can look in and see all his expensive stuff. We live in one of the four apartments in his house, and the chapel is on the second floor. There's a ruined internet cafe downstairs.  How did it get ruined?  Two years ago, the missionaries were filling up a blue tub for a baptism in the chapel, but the elders didn't set it up right, so it collapsed and the water seeped through and ruined the computers in the internet cafe right below. It's been closed ever since. 

     

     For one of the days for Chinese New Year, people clean out their houses, getting rid of the bad of the old year. So this Saturday our whole mission will spend the time deep cleaning our apartments. Gratefully, Sister Scharman and I moved downstairs recently, it will be a lot quicker this time.

     At church, everyone at sacrament meeting is talking about how it's a new year and how they want to start fresh. Some people even started becoming active again because of it.  I am so glad that through Christ and His Atonement, every day can be a new day. It reminded me of what my boss at Wendy's said to me at work one day when I was upset that someone tricked me and took my money the day before, "Today is a new sunrise, it is a new day." He said don't let the past take over, enjoy the moment. 

     Love you all! CPR - Church, Read Pray! Have an awesome week! 

-Sister Brinkerhoff

Selfless Service

     

This week has been awesome!

Monday

     Went to our area Fuli (15-min train ride down south). Very beautiful. First took pics in a fun area. It was a cloudy day, so we went up a steep mountain in the most gorgeous view I have ever seen...covered in fog. That's ok, we had the place to ourselves. I definitely want to go back sometime when it's beautiful weather and take breathtaking pics of the view of the valley. We then went to a dried river bed and hunted for jade or some sort of expensive blue stone. We have a ward member who knows where precious, expensive blue stones are and sells them for a living. He always give some to missionaries when they leave. He gave my companion Sister Scharman some expensive, beautiful blue earrings and a small stone to make a ring when she went home. 

     Got a new branch president yesterday! He is super awesome and all fired up about missionary work. The members of the branch are so awesome right now, they are itching to help us with missionary work. We just need to have the right prepared investigators, and see how we can work their schedules with the members schedules and ours, which is hard, since we are all have busy schedules and they work hard and are diligent. So excited to see what happens and what miracles unfold!

     Chinese New Year (Guonian) is coming up very quickly! I have a love/hate relationship with this holiday. I like it because a lot of people from out of town and college students will come here to visit their grandparents, there are decorations, and it's exciting, but I also hate it because people use it as an excuse to not meet with us, and it's true they are busy being with family that time. Guonian is big like Christmas, but it's filled with just eating and being with extended family like Thanksgiving for a week or two.  Members always feed missionaries for Guonian, but our members are out of town, so guess we will have to fend for ourselves. It's probably a good thing, I've heard horror stories of missionaries being fed like crazy by members during Guonian, to the point of throwing up and one sister saying she almost went bulimic. It's like being invited to Thanksgiving dinners multiple times a day for a few weeks, and you have to eat all the food otherwise the person will get offended. I think I would enjoy it more if I weren't on a mission. But it's my only one, so I'm going to enjoy every second of it!

     Already getting the excuse Guonian kuaidaole, tai mang, meiyou kong. "Chinese New is coming up, very busy, no time." Yep, it's that time of the year, my favorite... I remember my trainer being like, "As soon as Christmas is over, the excuse to not meet because Guonian is coming soon (even if it's weeks away) will be used." And we are like,"Nooooo!" Oh well, the work must go on! Hopefully, we can meet some really cool people. I'm grateful I'm down here in the south instead of Taipei or anywhere up north, where it's cold. Plus, everyone will leave Taipei and Kaoshiung to visit family, and those people are coming to us :) Hee hee hee.

Chinese New Year Facts 

- People give each other pineapples as peace offerings, so at grocery stores we see tiny pineapples with bows on them 

- It's the Year of the Rooster, seeing tons of rooster stuff everywhere 

- Lanterns are decorated in the towns like Christmas lights 

- They have a day where they clean their houses-(another excuse why they can't meet with us) 

- Red envelopes are given to children filled with money, so they go broke giving money to a lot of kids (like Christmas).  People think money is better than gifts, cause they can use money for many things. 

Other random facts :

     Most of the time, you take shoes off when you go into homes. even at the temple you take off your shoes before entering. Talk about white carpet!

eating with chopsticks and spoons, gotta love it!

They have little temples here with their tiny idols/gods. sometimes there are parades filled with firecrackers, drums, and little gods in their small shrines being bounced up and down by the people carrying them. They are going around to see their people. We figure the gods are going for a walk. They also have birthdays, so on those days it's pretty busy at their temples, or as they are called, miao. 

     Yesterday after church, I originally wanted to go to Lehe the aboriginal village to visit a girl, but we followed the Spirit and instead tried to visit RC Ding JM. I didn't know where she lived, so I went right off the baptismal record address. I think she didn't know her new address yet since she recently moved, so we went to her old house written on her baptismal record and someone else was there. We then went to the Veterans hospital nearby. (It's for everyone not just for veterans. Did you know Veteran in chinese is rongmin, which means "glory person"?).We went there and met a cool guy with a broken foot. He was Christian, and he was telling us how his minister just reads out of the Bible at church, so he doesn't really understand much about God. We taught him the restoration, gave him a tract and the Book of Mormon, and we hope to see him again. Just a cool miracle of following the Spirit to prepared people. 

     When I was in Reisui, there was one older guy we knocked on the door and visited (we just said hi to his son five minutes before, who was waiting outside for a friend to pick him up). He didn't seem too interested. We were leaving, but then we saw his older brother coming in. Turns out he was a less active from Taipei, he's probably been less active for a long time. I invited him to church, and he said right now he can't (his brother isn't a member) since he's down here visiting family for guonian, but he will probably try when he goes back to Taipei. I then told him that Christ remembers and misses him, then I left. His eyes were watering as I told him this. As I was leaving, I saw him grab a tissue out of his pocket and dab his eyes before he went back in. I got his number, I will try to contact the missionaries and ask to help try to get him reactivated.

     Met a former investigator family the missionaries taught two years ago. So prepared, they just had a family friend pass away, and they want to learn more about the gospel because of it. I hope we can get a family baptism, that is the ultimate missionary dream!

     At church, we had some people come! It was such a miracle. As a missionary, your heart just aches and worries, hoping people would come to church. I realized that church is a hard commitment, and I wished I would have been more selfless and tried harder to get others to come to church before my mission instead of just worrying about me getting to church. I really appreciate church now. It is not an easy thing to get people to come to church. 

     Challenge: Bring a friend or less active to church. You will really appreciate church a lot more, how much of a blessing and sacrifice it is. I promise you, you will have more empathy and love. 

Also, visit someone in a nursing home. 60% of Americans in nursing homes are never visited by anyone. Super sad. I remember feeling so happy when I visited the veterans in the nursing home in my senior year of high school. I loved going with my grandpa to visit them, it made me happy to make them happy, especially the lonely ones that nobody ever visited. I can't ever imagine growing up and being placed in a nursing home and nobody ever visiting me, that would be super sad. I guess it's the golden rule. I would like people to visit me when I'm older, so I will do the same for people right now. 

     I guess it's one reason why President Monson's

daughter said that he went to church a lot in nursing homes. He just loved going there and visiting the people since they are so close to the veil. It seems like there are a bunch of stories about him visiting someone in a nursing home. Shout out to him who took care of 88 widows in his ward and attended every single one of their funerals as a general authority. 

     Love you all! have a great week!

-Sister Brinkerhoff

Year Mark! Fishers of Men and Liberty Jail

Hey everybody!

     Awesome, busy week. Had a lot of fun stuff happen so excited to tell you about it. We will go on a hike to some waterfalls today, so sorry my email is kinda short.

Monday

     Since it's New Year's, a lot of  the branch members had work off, so we all went to the ocean seaside. The water drops off randomly so nobody swims in the ocean, and there's no sandy beaches, just rocky ones. We first went to a member's little tourist shop store by the ocean, and went on a hike

nearby. It was so beautiful! The area used to be under the ocean. Meng xin, it was fun. We then went to a fisherman's wharf for lunch, had shrimp and other Taiwanese food, then headed to the rocky beach and skipped stones into the ocean. Really fun pday. That's why I titled this the "Fishers of Men" (as well as having awesome new investigators). Saw some fishermen with really long poles- like me, still trying to find ways to attract new investigators through the Spirit. 

Wednesday

     Went to zone conference in Taidong, super fun! Watched the Jan 2016 worldwide mission broadcast: TEACH REPENTANCE AND BAPTIZE CONVERTS  #TRBC. Soooo good!  The last time I saw it I was at the MTC. I invite you all to watch it. I liked how they talked about the Spirit being the teacher, and we are the vessels, not the other way around. Elder Oaks' talk was so powerful, about why we do missionary work- SALVATION AND EXALTATION!  All returning to live in God's presence. 

Friday

     YEAR MARK!!!!!!!!!! I have survived for a year on my mission! Yay! I spent it going on exchanges in Paradise Hualian with the Sister Training Leaders, Sister Toronto and Sister Guan. Saw a lot of miracles! Met one cool, lonely lady who will start meeting with the sisters! 

Saturday

     Continued exchanges. Went to a road that felt more like California than Taiwan because of all the palm trees. Visited some cool people. Since there isn't a McDonald's in my area, we went there to evaluate exchanges. Learned some great stuff from Sister Guan.

     The tropic of cancer runs right through my area, so its California weather here. Yay! My body is freaking out; it thinks it should be cold.

Spiritual share

     I finally feel like things are getting better here. We have some awesome new investigators, got an awesome new companion (she's been here in Taiwan for three months) who I am breaking for the third time (I've never had a companion other than my trainer who's been in Taiwan on a mission longer than me), and will get things started. We only have about 20 active members in the branch, but we will make things better with God's help. Will be a miracle transfer.

     We met with the branch president, and he pretty much said just work to have a good relationship with  members and you will get referrals. so other than new investigators, that will be a goal for us this transfer: gain their trust.

     A few weeks ago, before Sister Scharman left, we were listening to a talk by Elder Holland on her ipod speaker called, "Lessons in Liberty Jail." I invite you all to read it; it was powerful. It was about how Joseph Smith's worst time in his life was being stuck in Liberty Jail while his family and the saints were being persecuted and driven away in the cold winter. One historian called the place a "temple," because it was where Joseph drew closer to God and received revelation. Receiving some of the most beautiful scriptures we have came at a high cost (see D&C 121-123).

     It was so good for me, because I kind of felt like the last transfer was Liberty Jail for me in a way. I was stuck inside with my poor, sick companion, not able to do as much missionary work as I wanted. The branch was falling apart, I wasn't able to do anything for my sick companion to make her better, we are in a very spread out large area (middle of nowhere), Ding Jm our baptismal investigator had a lot of trials, we didn't have any other progressing investigators, and I couldn't go out and proselyte like I wanted to. It was so miserable. From that experience, however, I learned more to trust in God and that ONE DAY, the trial would be over. Like Christ when He suffered the Atonement. It must have been super hard for Him to keep going. I often ask myself what kept Him going, why didn't He stop even when it was so hard. I think that just that vision of us all being exalted with Him and Heavenly Father, having so much happiness with our eternal families was the sole thing that kept Him going, having that hope that one day it will all be worth it in the end. If He believed that one day His sufferings will be over, so can we. And that day came, when He was Resurrected. Same with us- one day, we will be delivered us from our trials.

     One day, I would like to write a song called, "One day, someday," about the hope that one day the trial will be over. But for now, I guess we can go for Orphan Annie's "Tomorrow." 

   Also, I love an article from the October 2016 Liahona (either in New Era or Ensign) called "Power to Persevere." It's the story of how a 16-year-old girl learning to trust in God at all times, especially when her family got in a car accident which killed her mother. Her story is amazing, I love the part about how she would every night go in her closet, read scriptures, write in her journal and cry for an hour and tell God how much she missed her mom. It really drew her closer to God rather than push Him back when she needed Him most. God is like a doctor, he can heal us, but we need to go to Him rather than turn away, or else we can't be healed.  I invite you all to read it.

Here's the link:   The Power to Persevere

      Have a great week!  
      
     Sis. Brinkerhoff


         

Happy New Year...Two Years Later (a surprise meeting)

Happy New Year, Everyone!

     This week was awesome and full of miracles! I got my new companion, Sister Bernhardt, who just got done training (we call this breaking, and this is the third time I'm breaking a companion). She's just on fire and we are going to see a lot of miracles this transfer.  Before she came, I was with my member companion Liu Jie Mei. She is super awesome! She's an RM who served in DC. She was such a great example to me and I love her. 

     On Christmas, us missionaries went and sang carols at the train station with a few members. It was fun!  We found a lot of cool new investigators! So many miracles.

    

     On New Year’s Eve, we ate with the Singletary's. Their son, Meng Xin, who served in my YSA ward in Indiana (he told me he is the first Taiwanese missionary to serve in Indiana) came for dinner. It was crazy, I then realized that the very last time I saw him before my mission was at a New Year’s Eve Party in 2014 at the Purdue YSA ward when he was a missionary, exactly two years ago.

     Last week, I had an amazing miracle lesson with Ding JM. She told us that she wouldn't have gotten baptized if it wasn't for my companion, Sister Scharman, being sick. It was such a miracle, I called President about it that night. He then told me to email this to her and email him a copy of the email. Here's what I wrote to her:

 Letter to My Former Companion:

    Sister Scharman! I have to tell you this miracle lesson with Ding JM last Thursday night when we met her.  I have been dying to tell you all week. It was such an amazing lesson, and it made me realize one big reason why Heavenly Father needed you to be sick on your mission. Literally, it was all for Ding JM. We were all crying at that lesson, the Spirit was so strong. So this is how the lesson went (you might want to get the tissues out):

     Last Thursday was the first time we met with Ding JM since her baptism and confirmation. In that lesson, she was telling us about another dream experience that was fulfilled (You know about her awesome dreams that she's had lately). She said she had a dream about a coworker who was sad, because on Thursday (the day we met), she forgot to co-sign divorce papers, which left her in a mess. Ding Jm didn't remember the day on the contract, but she saw it was a Thursday. She then woke up. This dream happened a few days before Thursday. On that day, she asked her coworker about it, and her coworker was like, "I forgot to sign the papers!" and then went to sign them before her ex-husband got everything. If it hadn’t been for Ding JM having that dream to remind her coworker to sign the divorce papers, her coworker would have been in a bad way. It was so cool.

     So my companion, Sister Bernhardt (I'm breaking her right now, she was in the trio with Sister Althoff and Sister Munsee) talked a little about the Tree of Life, how Lehi had this amazing dream that helped his family. It then caused her to remember a dream that she had about you.

     She said that one night, she was reading the Book of Mormon and praying to know whether it was true. That night, she had a dream that you and your great-great grandmother appeared to her in the dream, and you both spoke perfect Chinese. Your great-great grandmother looked middle-aged, was wearing a beautiful blue dress and was holding your hand or shoulder as she introduced herself as your great-great grandmother. She then proceeded to testify to Ding JM that the Book of Mormon was true, and then you also testified that it was true. She then woke up, and had a stronger testimony of the Book of Mormon. 

     She then proceeded to tell us something amazing. She said that if it wasn't for you being sick, she wouldn't have taken the missionary lessons. Because she saw your pain, your sacrifice, your willingness to teach the lessons despite your severe health problems, she was willing to listen. She saw Christ's suffering and example from your willingness to do whatever it took to teach her. She started crying as she was telling us this. 

     She even told us that she saw Christ when she saw you. I asked what she meant. She said that whenever she looked into your eyes, she saw how much sacrifice, suffering and hard work you have done to help her come to the gospel, kind of like Christ and His Atonement. She was so touched by it that she was willing to continue the lessons for that reason. And the fact that she was baptized the day before your birthday, confirmed on your birthday, (and you left for Taipei to go home literally hours later after church) testifies to me that you were here for Heavenly Father and for her to the very end. 

     Afterwards, I testified that your suffering and sacrifice was for her salvation, as well as for Christ. I admit, it was hard to fight back the tears. I then realized that that was the reason why you were sick on your mission - to help Ding JM come to the gospel. It was what she needed before she joined. She is so awesome, she is so excited to start helping us Peike.  She even brought her 17-year-old son to the Christmas lunch after church last week. She is a true miracle, and I believe she will be a doorway for more missionary work and baptisms here in Yuli. Thank you for your example and your sacrifice. 

     I then ended by giving her an English tract with your picture on it. She carefully picked it up, gazed at the picture of you and started crying. I think that is one reason why you were chosen to be on there - to remind her of you. She really misses and loves you. You are her guardian angel. The first day we taught her, she said she was concerned about her Buddhist boyfriend who protested her listening to the gospel; I honestly thought that she wasn't going to progress. I remember, though, that you were so determined to get her baptized, you kept saying that she was going to get baptized before you left, which is exactly what happened. I was amazed at how much you were willing to do for her.

     Thank you for your love and example. It was a privilege working with you. I felt so humbled and grateful to serve with you.

     Another Miracle was on New Year's Day after church, we met with Meng Xin

and  his younger sister, Chen JM. She is 13 and reminds me of my sister, Lydia. In Taiwan, whenever people divorce, the kids live with the dad, so she has to live with her dad a little farther away, and he doesn't like the church so he won't let her get baptized. Her home situation isn't the best. The only way she can get baptized is having her dad's permission or if she can live with her mom and stepdad. Anyway, we talked about Christ and His Atonement, and they could really feel the Spirit. I testified that it's hard right now, but have faith and one day in God's timing she will be able to get baptized. We then knelt down and I prayed. It was so hard, I prayed out loud and started crying, I loved them so much and felt so sad about their trials and hardships. We all felt the Spirit and God's love strongly. 

     Thank you for your love and prayers. I know God and Christ live, He loves us, and this gospel is true. Christ, His atonement and His gospel definitely changes people, especially me. 

     Love you all! Happy New Year!

     -Sister Brinkerhoff