Temple Day, Emergency, Spider

     HEYYYY EVERYONE!

     Sorry I wasn't able to email last monday, because today is TEMPLE DAY!

     I am so happy to live closer to Taipei again, it's so great. It's so weird, I swear I am the only missionary (other than Sister Bernhardt, my previous companion) who has never served in Taipei. I've served everywhere BUT Taipei (west and south coast), which is really weird since half the mission is like up in Taipei. The mission seems like it's split up in three areas -West Coast, South Coast, and Taipei. I think I will finish my mission where I started, in Taoyuan, since my comp will leave and I will only have six more weeks after that. Crazy, crazy stuff, time is flying far too fast. It's great thought, Heavenly Father knows exactly where I need to be.

     My comp, Sister Huang, is doing great, her English is so good. It's so funny, the other missionaries have been teaching her the weirdest things in English, like threats. For example, she will say to the sister training leaders, " I will be very mean to you, I will kill you, I will be very angry (which they don't take seriously because it's cute)," and Elder Olsen in our ward taught her the word strangle. Sigh.

     For example, she asked me, "What is the difference between sassy and sexy?" (Me inwardly slapping my hand on my forehead in exasperation at the sisters teaching her these things). She was wondering how to know which is which, since the pronunciation sounds the same. There's no word in Chinese for sassy, so it's been hard to kind of explain it. So many times she has been called cute as well as sassy. She lived in Russia for a year, and it somehow changed her accent, so I am not kidding, everyone she meets asks where she is from. Some even asked if she's from Hong Kong. She acts Taiwanese, but her accent says otherwise, it's pretty funny. It's gonna get worse when she acquires a British accent in England. 

     Exciting news! I got the call last Monday from my companion, Sister Bernhardt, in Yuli that our investigator Sister Pong got baptized! She is such a cute mom, I'm so excited! 

     So this is what happened this week:

Emergency Room

     It was 11 and I was in the middle of my prayers, and my comp was like, "Sister Bei, I don't feel good." She was having sharp pains in her side to the point where she wasn't able to move, crying and breathing heavily. I gave her advil (they don't have it in Taiwan), then we called the mission nurse, and she suggested we go to the emergency room because it could be appendicitis. So the other sisters we room with called an ambulance and  I got stuff ready, the ambulance came and got me and her. It was a dream come true! I got to ride in an ambulance (with someone not seriously injured), it was fun! :) Then we get to the emergency room, and she's like, "I don't have the pain anymore." Turns out, the pain went away while on the ambulance because the advil kicked in after taking it for 30 min. The ER's in taiwan are the worst at night, it's pretty much one open room with beds and just curtains to pull around, no privacy other than the curtains around the bed. The lights were on and doctors were just right there, it would be hard to sleep. Not to mention the loved ones with the patients in the er only have a chair to sit on, it' s not very comfortable and harder to sleep. It was funny, brought back memories of going to the ER with my companion sister Scharman in Yuli.

     The doctors took a blood test. My comp, Huang JM, like me doesn't like needles or getting blood drawn. I told her to count to 10 in Russian for me to help her not think about it. The nurse didn't do a good job, so it took longer, so I had to tell my comp to count to 10 in Russian over and over again. She misses Russia, and really wants to ice skate cause she did it there. she doesn't understand why Americans don't really like Russians.

     After a few tests, she was declared fine and we went home. Thankfully, with God's grace, we were there for only two hours. We took the taxi home, and at 1:20 am, I found myself at home saying prayers again. My comp is fine. It was God's blessing, my comp said she was praying that she would be okay so we could go to the temple, since I haven't gone since last July. 

A Huge Spider

     We were about to teach our investigator, Guan Cheng, Feng (meaning Successful Phoenix, which is why I gave her the English name Phoenix) at the church, when we got a call from her. She said she couldn't come to the lesson because of a spider at the door entrance. So my comp, the member helping with the lesson (called a peike) Hong Jie Mei, and I went to her house. Long story short Guan JM threw the keys over her balcony, we opened up the door and went in (she lives on the second floor). We couldn't see the spider anywhere. In my mind I thought it was a small spider. We were looking for it, and finally my companion hit some curtains and a huge spider came running out! I am seriously not kidding, it was probably as big as my hand. My companion grabbed a broom and just hit it a few times.  Our investigator then came with us to the church for the lesson.

     Yesterday, not even before getting off my bike at the park, some 40ish year old guy rides up to me and says in English, "Do you have a boyfriend?" I said no, he was like, "Can I buy you coffee?" I said no thank you, but invited him to English class. He didn't say a word and just drove away on his motorscooter. Don't know if he's doing that to a lot of people. The funny thing was that it didn't faze me, guess I'm so used to it on my mission. We then joked how women always talk to elders as we see the 40-year-old women talk to two sets of elders nearby. We even made a deal with our Tao1 elders that whoever gives the other the most investigators has to buy the other companionship steak dinner (it's only about 5 bucks, really great price), because guys on the street always talk to us, and women on the street always talk to elders. I even overheard a funny story from Sister Cullen the other night about one of the elders in our district. He was talking to three amahs (grandmas) and trying to get them interested in the gospel. Afterwards he said that he has never flirted so much in his life, it was so funny! He was jokingly calling them his girlfriends and just being a charming young man. The other day I showed my companion a flashcard for the word charming. The example given was that the Taiwanese find white people charming. My companion laughed and took a picture. 

     We finally moved apartments yesterday. We now live closer to our area, it doesn't take us 25 min to bike to our area anymore, now its just 5-7 min, so much nicer. I will miss living with Sisters Cullen and Armstrong, they are so funny. But like Preach My Gospel says, be will to make any sacrifices for your investigators, and we really need to be closer to our area. 

     Miracle!  The moving company called two days ago and said they might come at 8 or 9 am. I wanted more time to get stuff ready to move so I prayed that they could come at 9, but if it's God's will, I'm fine with 8. Sure enough, right after exercises, they came at 8. Everything turned out fine, and it was a blessing they came earlier honestly. They got our stuff, we met at our new apartment, and put stuff in. By the time they left, it was about 10. We needed to leave our apartment by 10:30 to start proselyting or studies. If they had come at nine instead, we wouldn't have been able to get out the door on time. God really helped us when we moved out and helped us be obedient. 

Spiritual Share

     We are preparing for a really spiritual sacrament meeting on Mother's day! I have been inspired to do it based off of Elder Jeffrey R. Holland's October 2015 General Conference Talk called "Behold, Thy Mother." The goal of this is to have a spiritual sacrament meeting where members can invite family members and friends to learn about Christ. 

     We watched the video with the bishop. The Spirit definitely filled the room. It was a really different talk, because it's more of a sacred topic. Elder Holland's eyes were teary throughout the entire talk. The bishop's wife said afterwards that Elder Holland knows more about motherhood than most mothers do. She (as well as all of us) almost cried a few times. Even Elder Jensen who is one the Tao1 Elders (We are the Taoyuan 1st ward missionaries, or Tao1) said that he thought of his mom in the talk. I did too and was reminded of my mom's selfless sacrifice for me and our family. She is the most selfless person I know, and I am so grateful for her and her example. 

Gotta go to the temple love you all!

Sister Brinkerhoff

Happy Easter!

     Happy Easter!

 

     It has been a good week here, saw some miracles and awesome stuff.  It's been a good Easter like last year, even though nobody celebrates or has even heard of Easter here, it was good to take some time to remember Christ.

     

     Last pday, we ate with a member from Xinzhu (in 40s) that Elder Jensen helped baptize, and her high school teacher who is retired. We then went to a place and took pics by walls of paintings. we are trying to get the teacher interested in

the gospel. Today we will go hiking for a bit with the district then go get some shopping done. I gotta say, i am so glad to have fun pdays again, i really missed them.

 

     Next week is temple day, I am so excited, I haven't been since last July!  We go once every three months. Because I lived too far away in Yuli, I couldn't go last October and January.  I am so grateful to be in a mission with a temple. I feel sorry for people who only get to go to the temple once in their lives or not at all, it is such an amazing place.

 

     In his last email, my brother said that it was hard to be rejected by people. I agree, it can be hard being rejected only because we represent Christ. I remember some sisters telling me that if people reject us just because we represent Christ, how hard it must be for Christ when they reject Him.  When they reject us, they not only reject Him, but His Atonement.  I wonder why people reject Christ who offers every good thing. I was reading in the scriptures in the Bible dictionary about prayers or faith and I liked how it said that the ones that have iniquity are the ones that reject Christ. So people reject Christ because they feel guilty for what they have done and don't want to deal with those bad feelings and do whatever it takes to stay away from anything that reminds them that they did wrong, even if it means relief. Repentance is such a hard process because we have to deal with those bad feelings, but in the end we will feel better. I like a quote that asked which is better, that we fix the problems now or at the judgment bar of God.

 

     I like the new church Easter video #princeofpeace. i invite you all to share it on facebook, instagram or wherever, i don't know what social media people use these days, I was never into it. Here in Taiwan, they have this app called Line, which is pretty gives you free texting and phone calls. I want to get it after my mission to stay in touch. It's even more popular than facebook here.

     My companion, Sister Huang, (Sister Yellow) has a cool life and I learn new things about her all the time. She used to be an actress and a model. I'm not kidding, we have walked down the street and at a big and another small poster, she's like, "I know that girl, she worked at the same modeling company as me." I was like, "What?" and then she has told me that she lived in Russia for a year, has been to Japan when she was little, and went to Utah last Christmas to visit the elders who helped baptize her (she's been a member for two years). She is "visa waiting" right now and will go to the England MTC on May 31. Usually, trainers train their trainees for 12 weeks (two transfers), but I will be with her for only 10. I will probably a member will be my companion for two weeks. 

     For Easter, I attended another sacrament meeting with some investigators. It was super awesome and super spiritual.  People in Taiwan don't celebrate Easter, all they know about it is maybe chicks, rabbits and eggs. 

     We are copying the sisters' example and making an awesome sacrament meeting for Mother's Day filled with songs and we are going to make it super spiritual. 

The members are awesome here, lots of single women. 

     It's been a great week. Love you all!  Please pray for the members and our investigators as well as our recent converts. 

     I know this gospel is true and I am so grateful to see the Lord's hand in my life so many times. 

-Sister Brinkerhoff

General Conference Galore

Hey Everyone!

     It has been a good week, with conference and Zone Meeting! Super awesome, can't wait to tell you all about it!

     Last pday: We ate lunch with some elders and members in xindian, where one of the elders previously was serving with his trainee. It's his trainee's birthday, and his trainee is training, so we just got together, ate then went to a park. 

A Sunday on La Grande Jatte by George Seurat

     You know that famous painting of people in the 1900's at a park, the painting is all made up of dots, called Sunday at the park I think? (I remember seeing it in the Chicago Museum, and seeing the other painting that goes with it at the London museum about a week later). That's exactly what it felt like, and ironically, a few days later, I saw a mosaiac of that painting at an elementary school in my area. 

     At the park, there was this lady dressed up like a cheetah and acting like a cat, just sitting there pretending to lick her hand. It was so crazy, a whole group was just staring at her. People were paying money to get pics with her. One member who was with us gave her money so we could get a pic. My camera battery was almost dead, so I got it on my comp's camera, I will send the picture shortly. 

     We have a Sister Guan getting baptized hopefully on April 29th. Please pray extra hard for her. She is 23, works, has some free time to meet with us. I think she needs friends and still needs to be converted a bit more. Please pray for her to have an amazing spiritual experience with repentance and Christ's Atonement. I hope that when she gets baptized, she is really ready to follow Christ her whole life. I have heard so many stories of people who are baptized but become LA as soon as the missionaries move away. Please pray that she won't follow that trend. The Sister Training Leaders found her while studying at a McDonald's weeks ago. They were teaching her until we came, since they didn't have sisters in our Taoyuan first ward for three years until we came. She is super awesome! Can't wait to see her get baptized! 

     Also, it was my Yuli RC Ding JM's birthday April 6th, same as Christ's. I called her and wished her a Happy Birthday. Please pray for her as well, she is super busy with her new work in Hualian and hasn't had much time to go to church and other stuff. Please pray that she will be less busy and can have more time to focus on her spiritual health. 

Miracles

     Last week we went to a park one night. My companion started talking to some kids, gave them cookies a member gave us earlier, and invited them to English class. We then played duck, duck, goose and blue shoes which they loved.The five kids from three different families came that Wednesday to our kids' English class and had a great time! It was so great! A few days later, the elders miraculously knocked on the door of the dad of one of those five cute kids. it was so cool, we hope we can teach them soon. 

     Funny story (This is for you cousin Benjamin, you are going to be sooo jealous)

     My companion and I were talking to three 11-year-old boys about basketball and invited them to play at our church gym on the fourth floor. We talked about our favorite NBA players, and my companion then proceeded to tell this story of running into Lebron James:

     In Kaoshiung, where my comp is from (in the other mission, more south of Taiwan), there was a huge Nike store being opened and the people invited Lebron James to come (unbeknownst to my companion). One day as she was going to her classes, she had to get off one bus and walk across the street for another. She saw that the streets were empty of people, which she thought was weird. She then walked one direction and saw a ton of people, and she didn't know why. In her hurry to take a bus to her classes, she ran into Lebron James. African Americans are very rare in Taiwan, I've only seen a handful on my mission. She didn't know who he was, she just remembered running into a really tall African American. She looked up at him and was like "Sorry," than ran off. She found out later that it was Lebron James. I know that if it was my cousin Benjamin in her shoes, he would have hugged him :) 

     I canNOT believe this will be my last general conference on my mission, it was kind of a punch in the gut to think about that actually. Last year's April General Conference, I was just starting my mission. I remember from that conference when the choir sang, "Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing," and the camera zoomed in on three men in the choir who were singing with tears streaming down their faces especially the "Prone to Wander, Lord I feel it, Prone to leave the God Iove" because they were so moved at the song (they sang it at Elder Scott's funeral months earlier, and they sang it right after someone gave a talk about drawing closer to God). 

     Singing with the members in Chinese- so moving, as the Mormon Tabernacle choir sang with the congregation, we sang the same song in Chinese. It was soo cool and so moving.  I will really miss singing in Chinese after my mission.  I heard one thing missionaries really miss most after their missions is going to church in their language. I heard BYU has a Chinese ward, so maybe I could attend that :) 

     We watched it with members in English with Chinese subtitles in the chapel. It was so nice, in the nice big chapel with comfy benches.

Spiritual Share 

     Our marching orders from the First Presidency and Quorum of the Twelve Apostles from last year's missionary training broadcast in January 2016 is Teaching Repentance, Baptizing Converts #TRBC (when I first entered the MTC). Interestingly, I heard a story about how the saying was originally just going to be Baptizing Converts, but Elder Oaks was inspired last minute to add Teach Repentance. 

     I really love in 3 Ne 11, when Christ came to the Americas. The very first thing after meeting the Nephites was calling up Nephi and charging him to TRBC (especially verse 23). I added my name and it was powerful, and I encourage you to do the same.

     I invite you all to do some missionary work by sharing your favorite conference quote, scripture, or mormon message video on any social media site including Facebook. I heard one missionary say that the youth in the ward did that, then a week later they saw which of their Facebook friends liked it, and counted the number of people who liked it who weren't members and were surprised at the high number. It is sooooo simple and easy and helps introduce others to the gospel. 

     I also invite you to read The Living Christ which two or three people invited us to do.

     Love God, love my mission!

     Love you all, have a super awesome Easter Week!

Another Great Week!

     

     Sorry about last week's short email, and this week will be short as well so sorry. We are going to Xindian up in Taipei to play some board games with the elders and some of their friends. Today is a holiday, so the other missionaries will go to Leofoo world amusement park with members. Good luck to them, it's gonna be packed! I wanted to go again, but I remembered how we waited 1-2 hours in line for a seven-minute zoo train ride (like in Hogle Zoo) since a whole bunch of older people came and that was the only thing they could do at the park.

     District meeting was awesome! We were singing our mission song, "Truth Reflects Upon Our Senses" (a hymn about not judging people, I don't know why it's our mission song, I just it's just super fun to sing it in Chinese. I think it's better in Chinese than English), and whenever we sing the chorus, the elders belt it out like no other. At this district meeting, as we sang the chorus, members of another district in a nearby room came in and sang during the chorus.

      Last pday went bowling. super funny did some funny rolls I stink in bowling but that's okay.  We ate steak so good, we have an investigator who might get baptized in a few weeks - so many miracles.

     The members of the other wards and ours really love us. There are two wards that don't have sisters, and the members tell us constantly they wish they had sisters in their wards.  We are the first sisters in Tao First Ward in three years. 

     There's one elder who is being trained named Elder Robinson. I really admire how much he is trying to learn Chinese. He always makes us laugh, being a new missionary. Here's some of his quotes:  When he see's me and my comp: Jie Mei Men?! (Sisters)  Wei shenme ni make fun of wo? (Why do you make fun of me?)

Funny April Fool's Day joke:  My zone leader sent a text that president told us that we would be getting ipads in September so we needed to prepare since we are all on the edge of getting ipads which would be the greatest thing. But it was a joke.  Sister Cullen was like, so many missionaries are gonna email their families about getting an ipad. 

     Loving life, missions are the best, SO PUMPED TO SEE CONFERENCE THIS SATURDAY AND SUNDAY! 

Love you all!

-Sister Brinkerhoff

History Repeated - Back in Taoyuan

     

     Dream come true! went to Talaluca in Hualian, the Yellowstone of Taiwan! We saw a cool Buddhist temple in the mountains, such a beautiful location!

     Tuesday, we had district meeting. A really sweet English student wasn't able to make it, but paid money for me and my comp to eat at an expensive restaurant in Reisui, so sweet of her.  I will really miss her! Some English class students came.  A member plans on opening up a Taiwanese aboriginal area (like a Native American village tourist place) in July.

     Wednesday, we got packages sent home, busy packing and stuff, no sleep that night.  Thursday morning, we left on the 5 a.m. train.

     

     I picked up my "daughter" - Sister Huang. She is from Kaoshiung (other mission in Taiwan). She is visa waiting, so I am training her until she leaves in May. She will serve in Leeds, England. When we were about to leave, President Jergensen came to both of us and, pointing his finger at us then motioning to the other compaion said, "teach each other the language." Chinese for me, English for her. it was such an answer to my prayers to help my Chinese improve. She

speaks great conversational English, she just needs to learn gospel words and more English to help her be more fluent. She really wants to get rid of her Taiwanese accent  I'm afraid she's going to have an American accent when she goes to England.

     We are back in Taoyuan close to where I first started my mission.  We are the first sisters in Taoyuan for more than three years.  They needed us sisters - the members were like "Sister power!"

     Sorry gotta go bowling with members thank you for your love and prayers love you all!

-Sister Brinkerhoff

Farewell Radiator Springs

Hello Everyone, 

     Sorry for the shorter email this week, my companion and I are spending my last pday in Yuli going to Talaluca in Hualian, a buddhist temple in the mountains with a waterfall. I heard it's super pretty.

     I got a call from President Jergensen last night telling me that I will be white wash training, meaning I will go to a completely new area and train my new companion. President told me that he was going to ask me to train last transfer, but because I requested one more transfer, he let me stay in Yuli instead. I'm hoping to train in Taipei since I haven't served there yet, but I am willing to go wherever the Lord wants me to go. 

     I have really loved Yuli and will miss it completely. I will just say my stay here in Yuli has been like like Lightning McQueen in Cars (except I have always loved the people, I just loved them more as time went on). At the beginning it was kind of harder to adjust to a small town, but as I spent more time with the members, investigators and the people here, I have come to love it a lot. The members here are really my family; I have never been so close to members on my mission. It's gonna be hard to say goodbye to them all, I definitely will miss them.

     It reminds me of a story my mom told me, how when she was on her mission, she was in a branch for about six months, and when she got on the bus and the bus left the station, the members came to say goodbye to her. She then said goodbye and cried as she did so. I don't think the members would do that for me which is ok (probably leave for the train at 5am to go to Taipei to pick up my new companion and go to our area), instead a lot of them have been feeding us dinner since the elder in our district is going home back to America.

Tuesday:

     We had a mission conference up in Taipei, where Elder Funk of the 70 came and spoke. I don't have time to tell a crazy story he told, so i will copy what one old companion Sister Cullen wrote about him :

     He served his mission in Indonesia and was a mission president in India. While in India he was called to be a General Authority and so had to go to SLC  to be sustained in conference but wasn't able to tell anyone! Not his missionaries, his family or the General Authorities over his area. He just had to sneak away. Super funny story because when he got off the plane in SLC he came face to face with the church leader over his mission. I"m sure it was a really awkward moment when the leader asked, "President Funk, you are quite a long ways from your mission...." and all Elder Funk could say was, "Yeah..."

Thursday

     We went to interviews with President Jergensen in Hualian. Miracle getting on the train on the way up there, and a huge one on the way back (left church, got refunded previous ticket, bought new tickets and got new ones all in 20 minutes). it was all far away and it  was a huge miracle.

Miracle: At church, none of our investigators came, and I prayed that at least one would come. As I got up to conduct the last song in sacrament meeting, I saw our most progressing investigator, Pong JM and her baby. She is one of the RC's co-workers, it was so amazing and such a miracle from God. She has such a great desire to learn about the gospel. She loved church. I can't tell you how much it was music to my ears of a baby crying in Relief Society instead of silence like it always is. It was so great to finally have a fussy and crying baby in Relief Society, and to see another sister volunteer to take the fussy baby out of the room for our investigator. After church, everyone was asking if she was a member because she fit in so well, they thought she was a visitor or an LA, not an investigator. 

     So sorry, I've got to go catch the train. I will miss Yuli, but i am excited for the new adventure before me on this next chapter of my life.  I know that God lives and loves each and everyone of us, and He has definitely made me a better person. I am so grateful for Christ and His Atonement and that through Him I can improve and become more like Him every day- a huge lesson I have learned on my mission. 

Love you all!

Sister Brinkerhoff

It's a Beautiful Day in Jade Neighborhood (Mr. Rogers Anyone?)

     

      Hey everyone, just a beautiful, sunny/cloudy day down here in the South in Yuli, Jade Neighborhood. The colder the winter, the warmer the spring.  So it's been pretty warm down here, I love it! It hasn't been a super cold winter like I thought it would be, probably because I'm down here in the sunny south, yay! 

     Transfers are next week. I have been in Yuli since last October, so I will most likely move. So for today, my companion and I will try to send off packages and get ready so that next pday we can go to the famous Talaluca National Park, which is a Buddhist temple in the mountains with waterfalls coming down from the temple (you can see pics when you google Hualian or search Hualian under Wikipedia). I am so excited! 

     This week has been full of miracles, visited some people, awesome English class in Reisui and Yuli and contacted some awesome potential investigators. We just need to set up with them and see how it goes! Please pray that it will work out!

     I was talking with my companion the other day, and we figured out that being a missionary is pretty much like being a:

Detective - figuring out why people are or aren't meeting with you, why they have the problems they have, and asking others what they know about them

Doctor - helping people with problems in life which pretty much all comes down to obeying the commandments.solution for Every. Single. Problem. Works every single time.

Psychologist - figuring out people; their thoughts and their different backgrounds and why they act the way they do (the Spirit being in charge of course)

Spy - seeing people you know walking down the street or seeing them at a store, and knowing where some people live, go to school or work, just pretty much knowing their lives.

**********************

     In our Chinese tract, there are questions there that give references in the Book of Mormon to solve problems. One of our investigator picked was, "How to balance work and family," in the English one, it refers to 3 Nephi 13. There was a misprint in the Chinese tract, so it said 3 Nephi 12. Our investigator read it, and then texted us and asked for our help. 

     It read, "But I say unto you, that whosoever is angry with his brother shall be in danger of his judgment. And whosoever shall say to his brother, Raca, shall be in danger of the council; and whosoever shall say, Thou fool, shall be in danger of hell fire." We figured out the word she was trying to understand was "Raca."  We eventually got her to read 3 Nephi 13 which answers her question, which pretty much is: put God first in life and He will take care of everything else. 

     Last week we were at a family mart and I was texting a scripture. For some reason, I couldn't find the character for Yong in Yong Heng (eternal), and after 10 minutes, I asked a girl who was sitting at a table nearby how to text it. She then showed me how to find it, and then I started asking her some questions about Chinese. It led to me asking her questions, which then resulted to her asking about me. My district leader has told us lots of times that a great way to get to know people is first ask questions about that person (because people like to talk about themselves), and then naturally they will ask questions about you. We then explained our purpose and our message. It was so cool, she didn't have a religion but the more we explained, the more the Spirit touched her. It was like it said in Preach My Gospel, how she was finding something that she didn't know she was looking for. We invited her and her boyfriend to English class, and we hope to start teaching them soon. 

     Also, the Spirit guiding us to a former English class students house. We talked with him and he came back to English class. 

     Last Saturday (my parent's 22nd wedding anniversary), was full of miracles! We kept on finding families (four out of the seven live in our area the rest were tourists)! The more I'm on a mission, the more I realize strong, stable families are harder and harder to find, especially in the gospel. It is most rare and the most valuable thing for a whole family to join the

church, which is why they are the most prized possessions in the church. They are literally the backbone, we have relied heavily on our three strong families in the branch. The branch is desperate for a new family, we are working hard. Please pray we do so. 

     I am blessed with a companion who is really good at finding families. A few days ago I asked how she first contacted a mom who later got baptized in her last area. She said that she and her companions came up to her one day in the park while her little boy was playing. They went up to the little boy to say hi to him, telling the mom how cute he was, and gushing over him. Just pretty much giving him a lot of attention, treating him like their own cute little brother. The mom really liked that, and started to meet with the missionaries. She later told them one of the reasons why she was willing to meet with them was because she saw how happy the missionaries were, and in that time of her life she wasn't happy. She wanted that happiness as well, which resulted in having a desire to meet with the missionaries which ended up with baptism. 

      Last Saturday morning my companion read the scripture about if we ask, we shall receive, seek and we shall find, knock, and it shall be opened up to us. So we prayed to find families, and we saw miracles like crazy.   For example, we met a single mom from Taipei, her smart four-year-old son who speaks really good English, and her older sister at a 7/11. He was so cute, we kept speaking English to him. The mom wasn't interested, so we just invited her to English class and gave her our number in case she changed her mind. Later on that night, we saw them again walking back to their hotel. The boy ran up to us speaking English, and she asked us to take pictures with her and her son, which we did on her phone and my companion's camera. She texted us later that night asking my companion for her email to send her the pictures. 

     My companion and I would take pictures with families we contacted on the street, and we would gush over their small children, and compliment them on the English of the older children. Parents really like that, as well as when we take

pictures with them. Even if they aren't interested in our message, we would still take pictures and exchange emails and phone numbers so that we could send the pictures to them. We think it's a great way if people aren't interested in our message to at least leave them with a good impression of missionaries, and they are

still at least in contact with us. I remember reading somewhere that it takes between on average 6-8 contacts with the missionaries before someone becomes interested in their message. If the people aren't interested in the moment, they may be years later when they had at least great experiences with them. 

     In our mission, there are a lot of American missionaries, mostly from Utah. It is literally a little Utah here in our mission. We have some Taiwanese missionaries as well, and everyone including me wants to be companions with them because they help improve our Chinese, and they are all so nice and they know the culture well. They just make mission life better. 

     I have really learned the most on my mission on how Heavenly Father, Jesus Christ, the Holy Ghost, and their gospel has really impacted our lives for the better, and how imperative it is to always stay faithful and true to them no matter what. And the importance of developing relationships with them, because if you think about it, relationships with them and with people are the only things that we will have that carry throughout eternity. 

     I have really learned the importance of taking the time to getting to know Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ and help others get to know Them too. It has been a privilege and an honor to have been Called to Serve Our King to the Taiwanese people.

     Love you all! Have a great week!

-Sister Brinkerhoff