One Christmas past, and a New Year comes.
This week trundled by really slowly it seemed. Not due to time itself acting up, as it sometimes does, but because we had nothing scheduled all week really, but for tracting. Tracting itself isn't so bad generally, unless you have no lessons or other activities to break it up and it is a 3-4 hour long experience that you repeat over and over...A slow week indeed.
We did find one new investigator, a woman who had been a previous investigator (years ago) and sometimes comes to English class. She has two little boys and teaches an art class out of her home. We went to her house to meet her and sat at her table...which came up to my knee...the chairs were set to match and they looked like something out of snow white and the seven dwarfs! They were minuscule! Fortunately they were sturdy wood so when I folded my ginormous bulk onto one of them it didn't crumple to the floor. When we started teaching her and we got to the subject of families we discovered a fairly serious concern in Huang Xiao Jie's (this woman's) life. She didn't know if she loved her family enough to want to spend an eternity with them. She whispered to Sister Li while shooting glances at her children studying across the room that she didn't think she wanted to see them after she died, they took so much from her and she couldn't even think about giving that much for an eternity. It would cause her too much concern and stress. And her marriage is very poor, she and her husband do not get along well. She said after she dies she thinks she just wants to disappear into nothingness, like smoke into the air.
This saddened me. The family is such an important unit in this life, given to us to provide us with happiness and a loving atmosphere in which to learn and grow. To think that someone is so unhappy with their situation, its not even a case of extremes. They lead an average life style, there is no abuse, no drugs, no alcohol, no apparent reason for discord except for the general attitude of the mother and father. How sad is that, that two people allow themselves to live in such disdain without trying to improve or change it. They just accept the fact that they are unhappy, and it stifles any love that could be felt even towards the children. We talked with her for a while and set up another time. I really hope we can reach this woman, the gospel could improve her life and her families life so much. She is just not happy, and I really hope we can help her realize that she can be happy. That she can have a good relationship with her husband and children.
Beyond that, Christmas eve we had President Interviews. I rather enjoyed it, we got to see many missionaries that we never see, including one of the elders I went to the MTC with, Elder Herrin. It was fun to catch up a little with him. That night we were pidgeoned (stood up) by an investigator so we went Christmas Caroling with the ward. It was fun indeed.
One of the regulars from our English class, Joyce, surprised us by coming. Joyce is a cancer patient and I really like her. She is a kind spirited woman. She brought me a Christmas present even (I am the teacher for her English class) and we talked for several minutes. Her English if very good so we can actually have a conversation. She had to leave before we started (mormon standard time, we started almost an hour late) but we invited her to come to the Christmas program in church on Sunday. And she did! She called Sister Li and I on Christmas and told us she wanted to be baptized. Sunday we talked to her about it and asked her why. She said her cancer made her realize something. She was blessed in the fact that they found the cancer early, early enough that it hadn't spread yet, like this type of cancer does very quickly. She'd just finished Chemo. She said people expected her to be depressed, to dwell on the cancer and let it bring her down. She tried to stay busy and not think about it but she couldn't work all the time because her health still wasn't good enough. She said she felt like God was trying to tell her something, like he was trying to tell her that she is still here because she has some bigger purpose. She has an addiction to coffee, but she is willing to give it up. She wants this. I really like Joyce.
Sadly, she lives outside our area boundaries, so we aren't sure if we can continue teaching her, or if we have to turn her over too the other sisters. In either case, I hope she continues along this path. She is a good woman.
Christmas day dawned cold and dumping rain. We had absolutely nothing scheduled (except Sister Li's call home) so it was a day full of tracting. I called the mission president and obtained permission to extend our dinner time by half an hour, surprisingly he agreed that because it was Christmas we should have a good dinner. We went to a steak house, and it was delicious. They had a big buffet, very nicely prepared. All the waiters hurried around in Christmas hats and there was a Santa that kept showering people with candy. It was a dandy time.
Today I had my Christmas celebration. Around my little tree with Christmas music blaring I opened the presents provided me by my loving parents and both grandparents. It made my week a little brighter. After we email today we are going back to the apartment for a Christmas brunch, a treat of french toast and strawberries!
Speaking of strawberries, funny story of the week. The fruit stand down the street which we frequent sells the very best guavas in this special salty sweet glaze...but that's besides the point. We were there briefly one night on our way back to the apartment and as we were leaving the man working there stopped Sister Li to have a brief conversation with her. There were many glances in my direction as I mounted my faithful steed. After we left Sister Li told me he'd asked if he could be my "friend" and sister Li had informed him that we were not allowed to have those friends right now because we were missionaries for the Lord. He'd wanted to know if we were going to be nuns, and she'd told him no, after our missions we would go back to normal lives and be able to date and get married, but right now we were serving the Lord. He'd wanted to know about after and Sister Li had told him much to his disappointment that I was going back to America...and that I was only 22...haha. We rode away and left him with a frown on his face.
Well my time is at an end, but I tank you all for getting to the bottom of this looong update and I love you all!
Sister Melissa Thiessen
Tuesday, December 28, 2010
Monday, December 20, 2010
The week of Christmas has arrived, and what do I see...Sun? Eh. Life in Paradise.
Its still interesting to see the take that this culture has on Christmas. Its influence is definitely here, but as I said before only superficially. I am curious to see how the actual day goes. As it stands we still have no plans for Christmas. Maybe I will drag Sister Li out to some nice restaurant (a change from quick food grabbed at vendars on the side of the street or at open corner shops that are found every 30 feet.) in our dinner hour between procelyting. I will probably hold my own solitary christmas celibration on the monday morning following. I'm lucky my P-day lies so close to christmas. I am composing christmas cards, but they will be sooo late. Forgive me my lack of time, I'm on the Lord's Errand!
This week was largely taken up by my continued illness. I was sick from Wednesdays aforementioned food poisoning up until Friday morning. Wednesday night when we got back from Taipei I had serious chest pains and couldn't teach the english class that we teach every wednesday. Sister Li had to shuffle around all the teachers and I called Elder Calvert, the elderly mission nurse from England. Luckily the next day we had previously planned events that were or could be taken care of from my apartment where I was within easy reach of the bathroom and my bed. Sister Li was very patient with my sickness, and with the diet of toast that I've made her suffer through. I'm still a little off on my foods but it is improving.
When I started to feel better we did a lot of tracting, we met the most interesting man. He is probably in his early 70s, he came down the stairwell from the 3rd floor apartment he occupies to talk to us in person instead of through a the call box. He started speaking to me in English when he saw me, fair english too. He thought Sister Li was Taiwanese so it was funny for a few minutes as he spoke to me in English then to her in Chinese, until she let it slip that she was actually from America too. He was a bit relieved I think. He made us come up to his apartment and talk with him for a bit. We technically are not allowed to be alone with a male without another male in the room but we left his door open and stayed within sight. The entire living space of his apartment was stacked with books, boxes of books and paper, learning materials, and cassette tapes. He didn't even have a bed because it too was covered. He said he sleeps on the wooden couch bench in the corner sitting upright (most Taiwanese homes in my so-far-experience don't have a lot of couches. Most people have wooden benches and chairs that have thin cushions on them. Some of the more well off people do have couches, but like the lack of carpets, they do not have cloth couches. Mostly vinyl, as cloth doesn't do well in the humidity.)
There was one small preserved foot-by-foot wide area on his tiny two person table that was his work space. He lives alone except for on the weekends. His wife, her mother, and her sister all died of cancer. he has one daughter, but she has schizophrenia severe enough to confine to to the hospital all but the weekends when she gets to come home to live with him. He has nothing to do but study to pass the time. As a result he speaks Chinese, English, Spanish, Japanese, and Russian. We gave him a Book of Mormon to read and he wants us to visit him again when his daughter is there too.
We also met another woman (passed to us by the elders) who is every interested in the gosple. Her name is Li Si Ying. She came to church on Sunday and afterwords we had a lesson on the plan of salvation with her. She had many good questions. We set a baptismal date! Hopefully she will continue to progress. Our other Baptismal candidate is at somewhat of a stand still (her name is Luo Yu Ting) because her grandfather opposes and overrules her grandmother's ok. We are praying for a miracle.
Well, tomorrow we have another day of Temple tours. Yay! I love temple tours, they seem to be fun days. I love using the paintings and the visual media available in the building to tell people about the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Art can hold such power when used correctly. Maybe someday I'll be able to speak the language well enough to relate that power. As for now, I smile and bear testimony. I do that real well.
Well, I wish upon all of you a very merry Christmas! I love you all, and miss you dearly.
Sister Melissa Thiessen
Its still interesting to see the take that this culture has on Christmas. Its influence is definitely here, but as I said before only superficially. I am curious to see how the actual day goes. As it stands we still have no plans for Christmas. Maybe I will drag Sister Li out to some nice restaurant (a change from quick food grabbed at vendars on the side of the street or at open corner shops that are found every 30 feet.) in our dinner hour between procelyting. I will probably hold my own solitary christmas celibration on the monday morning following. I'm lucky my P-day lies so close to christmas. I am composing christmas cards, but they will be sooo late. Forgive me my lack of time, I'm on the Lord's Errand!
This week was largely taken up by my continued illness. I was sick from Wednesdays aforementioned food poisoning up until Friday morning. Wednesday night when we got back from Taipei I had serious chest pains and couldn't teach the english class that we teach every wednesday. Sister Li had to shuffle around all the teachers and I called Elder Calvert, the elderly mission nurse from England. Luckily the next day we had previously planned events that were or could be taken care of from my apartment where I was within easy reach of the bathroom and my bed. Sister Li was very patient with my sickness, and with the diet of toast that I've made her suffer through. I'm still a little off on my foods but it is improving.
When I started to feel better we did a lot of tracting, we met the most interesting man. He is probably in his early 70s, he came down the stairwell from the 3rd floor apartment he occupies to talk to us in person instead of through a the call box. He started speaking to me in English when he saw me, fair english too. He thought Sister Li was Taiwanese so it was funny for a few minutes as he spoke to me in English then to her in Chinese, until she let it slip that she was actually from America too. He was a bit relieved I think. He made us come up to his apartment and talk with him for a bit. We technically are not allowed to be alone with a male without another male in the room but we left his door open and stayed within sight. The entire living space of his apartment was stacked with books, boxes of books and paper, learning materials, and cassette tapes. He didn't even have a bed because it too was covered. He said he sleeps on the wooden couch bench in the corner sitting upright (most Taiwanese homes in my so-far-experience don't have a lot of couches. Most people have wooden benches and chairs that have thin cushions on them. Some of the more well off people do have couches, but like the lack of carpets, they do not have cloth couches. Mostly vinyl, as cloth doesn't do well in the humidity.)
There was one small preserved foot-by-foot wide area on his tiny two person table that was his work space. He lives alone except for on the weekends. His wife, her mother, and her sister all died of cancer. he has one daughter, but she has schizophrenia severe enough to confine to to the hospital all but the weekends when she gets to come home to live with him. He has nothing to do but study to pass the time. As a result he speaks Chinese, English, Spanish, Japanese, and Russian. We gave him a Book of Mormon to read and he wants us to visit him again when his daughter is there too.
We also met another woman (passed to us by the elders) who is every interested in the gosple. Her name is Li Si Ying. She came to church on Sunday and afterwords we had a lesson on the plan of salvation with her. She had many good questions. We set a baptismal date! Hopefully she will continue to progress. Our other Baptismal candidate is at somewhat of a stand still (her name is Luo Yu Ting) because her grandfather opposes and overrules her grandmother's ok. We are praying for a miracle.
Well, tomorrow we have another day of Temple tours. Yay! I love temple tours, they seem to be fun days. I love using the paintings and the visual media available in the building to tell people about the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Art can hold such power when used correctly. Maybe someday I'll be able to speak the language well enough to relate that power. As for now, I smile and bear testimony. I do that real well.
Well, I wish upon all of you a very merry Christmas! I love you all, and miss you dearly.
Sister Melissa Thiessen
Wednesday, December 15, 2010
Greetings From The East!
Greetings from the far east everyone.
This week has been not so eventful as far as these weeks go. But it has gone by swiftly. Monday we pushed back p-day because today (Wednesday) is our temple day. All the missionaries congregate together (except those in the far south, and when I say all missionaries I mean the ones in the Taipei mission because Taichung is just not that special ;) ) and we attend the temple. So today is our p-day this week. We hope to wander the streets of Taipei after our temple experience and find many joyous things.
This week we did a lot of tracting, a lot of contacting, a lot of finding. Since our three boys last week got baptized our investigator pool has somewhat shrunk. So there was a lot of door knocking, talking to people at stop lights, and phone calls. Fortunately the stop lights here had a timer which counts down the time left until green (for the most part) so you know how much time you have to spit our your message with a huge smile. Mostly we just give out the tracting pamphlets that we have, but sometimes we get a number. Knocking doors can go a little bit better (its my personal preference) and we have covered a fair amount of area this week. On Monday we taught a lesson in a stairwell and got a new investigator. I don't know how interested she is but we have another meeting scheduled which is harder for her to avoid because it is at her house. We get a lot of avoidance maneuvers, people not answering their phones and standing us up as we wait for them at the church. We call that a pigeon pie for some reason relating to some Chinese saying that I'm not really clear on...
We also taught a girl the same day who I have a lot of hope for. She really needs the gospel. She is 21, and a student. When she was born her parents divorced so she never knew her mother. She lived with her father until she was 9, then he died in an accident, and she was an only child so she was alone in the world. Her uncle was charitable enough to take her in and now she lives with one of her cousins families but feels very much an imposition and not part of the family. She seemed very willing to talk to someone, and very friendly. When we introduced the Book Of Mormon to her and Joseph Smiths first vision she immediately became absorbed into the introduction and the testimony of the witnesses. She read in silence with us watching her for a good 3 or 4 minutes. I have hopes for this one.
Yesterday I made the mistake of eating a salad from the 7-11 down stairs next to our apartment building (7-11s are on every street corner here, they make a lot of money let me tell ya. Much more popular than in the US.) About 2 hours later I started to get sick, and by the end of the day I was dieing. We had to go home an hour early and I collapsed on my bed while Sister Li made phone calls. Today I still am feeling it. But I did manage to teach my Zone leaders for the first time. Every transfer we have to teach them once from the language learning system (called phase one, 2 and 3) to pass the lessons and the phases off. I passed off half of the first lesson. I am slowly learning and improving. Very slowly.
Well I have less time to talk to you all today because I have to get back to the temple. But I hope you are all doing well. I hope Christmas isn't sneaking up on you! Enjoy it for me.
Sister Thiessen
This week has been not so eventful as far as these weeks go. But it has gone by swiftly. Monday we pushed back p-day because today (Wednesday) is our temple day. All the missionaries congregate together (except those in the far south, and when I say all missionaries I mean the ones in the Taipei mission because Taichung is just not that special ;) ) and we attend the temple. So today is our p-day this week. We hope to wander the streets of Taipei after our temple experience and find many joyous things.
This week we did a lot of tracting, a lot of contacting, a lot of finding. Since our three boys last week got baptized our investigator pool has somewhat shrunk. So there was a lot of door knocking, talking to people at stop lights, and phone calls. Fortunately the stop lights here had a timer which counts down the time left until green (for the most part) so you know how much time you have to spit our your message with a huge smile. Mostly we just give out the tracting pamphlets that we have, but sometimes we get a number. Knocking doors can go a little bit better (its my personal preference) and we have covered a fair amount of area this week. On Monday we taught a lesson in a stairwell and got a new investigator. I don't know how interested she is but we have another meeting scheduled which is harder for her to avoid because it is at her house. We get a lot of avoidance maneuvers, people not answering their phones and standing us up as we wait for them at the church. We call that a pigeon pie for some reason relating to some Chinese saying that I'm not really clear on...
We also taught a girl the same day who I have a lot of hope for. She really needs the gospel. She is 21, and a student. When she was born her parents divorced so she never knew her mother. She lived with her father until she was 9, then he died in an accident, and she was an only child so she was alone in the world. Her uncle was charitable enough to take her in and now she lives with one of her cousins families but feels very much an imposition and not part of the family. She seemed very willing to talk to someone, and very friendly. When we introduced the Book Of Mormon to her and Joseph Smiths first vision she immediately became absorbed into the introduction and the testimony of the witnesses. She read in silence with us watching her for a good 3 or 4 minutes. I have hopes for this one.
Yesterday I made the mistake of eating a salad from the 7-11 down stairs next to our apartment building (7-11s are on every street corner here, they make a lot of money let me tell ya. Much more popular than in the US.) About 2 hours later I started to get sick, and by the end of the day I was dieing. We had to go home an hour early and I collapsed on my bed while Sister Li made phone calls. Today I still am feeling it. But I did manage to teach my Zone leaders for the first time. Every transfer we have to teach them once from the language learning system (called phase one, 2 and 3) to pass the lessons and the phases off. I passed off half of the first lesson. I am slowly learning and improving. Very slowly.
Well I have less time to talk to you all today because I have to get back to the temple. But I hope you are all doing well. I hope Christmas isn't sneaking up on you! Enjoy it for me.
Sister Thiessen
Monday, December 6, 2010
The "harolding" of December
The "harolding" of December.
My first Christmas away from home, and I"m dealing :) Much thanks to my mother and her wonderful fully stocked Christmas kit, complete with tree and decorations.
Its funny with Christmas here. I can ride my bike down a street packed side to side with shops and look in the windows and see Christmas items for sale. Some places have trees set up in the lobbies (like our apartment complex and many others) and giant blow up Santa's that wave, but its kind of empty. Its not in their culture, its something they have adapted from the westernization that is taking the world by storm. But they don't have the spirit that accompanies the season. Its just missing. In America, even with the mass marketing of Christmas, the very air is different, cheerful. People are kinder, they care, they are happier (for the most part), they are with family, and there is a glow in faces and smiles. Its because even with the mass material focus we still more or less remember why we have Christmas. Here people lack that, lack anything of an understanding for the most part, and so the holiday's presence almost seems like a mockery. I just want to tell them all. I wish they could really experience what IS Christmas.
Last night we had a dinner party with all the singles in the ward here. It was like a Christmas/thanksgiving party that they have been throwing for 5 years in a row now. It was pretty nice, there was a lot of food, including American dishes like a turkey (legit, with a wonderful herb rosemary seasoning) and mashed potatoes with bacon, then there were dishes with a Asian twist, like a casserole with sweet potatoes and curry. It was all delicious. Home made cinnamon roles and about 5 different cakes and Costco (yay!) ice cream for dessert. It was fun, but isolating. The more Chinese I learn (which is not a lot, it seems to be going slower now :( ) the more I become aware that the less I understand and the less I can communicate. The first couple of weeks here I was completely in a foreign atmosphere so it was easy to be ignorant and clueless. But I have adjusted enough and have enough understanding now that I am just frustrated because people try to speak to me, or I try to speak to them and there is no communication, no understanding. So I sit in the corner and watch a room full of people mingle and laugh, ostracized by that stupid language barrier. But there is nothing I can do, but do my best to slowly and painfully wade my way into this language... and hope that I can deal with the frustration.
This week we had temple tour training, and then temple tours. Next to the temple in Taipei there is a beautiful stake center, and the last mission presidents wife had the inspiration to set up the halls as something of a museum. They are lined with paintings of Christ, and of our churches history, and of gospel stories and topics. With the wonderful view of the temple to aid us, sisters give tours of the building and use the paintings and the temple to acquaint people with the gospel. Missionaries can bring in investigators, members can bring in friends, and the sisters tackle people off the street and drag them inside for a free tour. There are sisters assigned to the 'Temple Square' but also a couple of times a week other sisters in areas close enough take turns to give tours for a day, allowing the square sisters to go procilite. We had a workshop type training Wednesday, and then Thursday we spent all day in Taipei giving tours. Its really fun, I love the temple and I love dealing with such powerful visual media. I really wish my Chinese was up to par to really explain the paintings to these people. Someday I hope that I can be a temple square sister. The two that are there right now are amazing! A sister Hintzy and a sister Hsu. I have a special place in my heart for Sister Hintzy because the first day I was here in Taiwan she was the first missionary I did the work with.
And interesting story I would like to share. On Saturday we had an appointment with a woman we came in contact with (well Sister Li came in contact with, I was on exchanges) through a recent convert, that was very very excited to meet with us. We arrived at her house and she was pleasant enough, but after entering the doorway and the entry hall I almost ran into a GIANT Buddhist shrine, it had three different levels and literally took up most of her living room.
We sat and she gave us oranges and water, then she excused herself to go pray and change the incense, it took about 10 minutes, and I became pretty sure it was for our benefit. Shortly there after, before we really even got to talk to her, a man came over as if just to stop by briefly. Then he saw us and decided to sit down and engage us in conversation. Well engage sister Li in conversation, the atmosphere was thick with intense smoke and I was utterly confused. The lady kept praying and doing things around the alter, then looking to see if we were watching, then asking us to write out our names and buddhist prayers for her. Sister Li solidly told her we could not. She kept trying to get us to participate in 'activities', I had no idea what they would be but the longer we were there the more I felt the spirit ebb away. Especially when that man pulled out a picture of Christ healing the blind and told us (I later learned through sister Li) that Christ was actually doing this buddhist ritual and got very passionate then started quoting the Bible. Sister Li told him she didn't know the bible in Chinese because she was actually American and he whipped out a blown up picture of the American dollar bill and smacked it on the table before us and demanded if we knew the mysteries of God then, then told us that they were right there. In the dollar bill (translation later provided by sister Li). Then the lady we'd come to see came over very close to me and tried for the 6th or 7th time to get us to participate in this ritual. Sister Li refused but the woman was insistent and apparently wanted to show us because suddenly she was on top of me, stroking her finger down my nose and then covering my eyes and whispering in my ear. It took all my control not to break that woman over the coffee table in front of me. My skin crawled and I felt unclean. The spirit was gone. Then another woman entered the room and she more or less told the other two to back off. She'd come in contact with missionaries before (she named two sisters by name) and she told the other two that they must respect our religion and that we could not do the things they were trying their hardest to persuade us to do because we were missionaries. She had us pray for her, she had some kind of illness, then Sister Li was able to excuse us. As we were leaving the woman we came to see followed us to the door proclaiming on me blessings and prophesying (sister Li told me later that she'd told me to become a vegetarian and to spread my message with everyone I came in contact with among other things).
It was an interesting experience, but I don't think we are ever going back there.
We baptized three little boys on Saturday night, and another miracle occurred the next day. Their father came to sacrament meeting and all three boys got up and tried trembling and almost speechless to bear their testimonies for the first time in front of a congregation. Then we were informed later that day that a friend of the Bishop's daughter that we have been teaching had good news. She has been attending church secretly for months, she lives with her grandparents and her mother sometimes though not all the time (I'm not sure on the details...sometimes people don't translate these things for me), and all strongly oppose of any kind of religion change. In her mothers words "As long as I am alive, you will never be christian." We have all been praying and last week she accepted a baptismal date with trepidation for the first of the year. She was afraid to even bring up the fact that she had been attending a christian church much less that she wanted to be baptized. But slowly this week she had been approaching the subject "Oh, my friend taught me about prayer today" and the like. Then Friday night her Grandmother told her suddenly "You know, if you would like to go to church, you should go."
See. The Lord does care. :)
Well, I think this is long enough now. So I'll be off. Until next week my friends, I love you all.
My first Christmas away from home, and I"m dealing :) Much thanks to my mother and her wonderful fully stocked Christmas kit, complete with tree and decorations.
Its funny with Christmas here. I can ride my bike down a street packed side to side with shops and look in the windows and see Christmas items for sale. Some places have trees set up in the lobbies (like our apartment complex and many others) and giant blow up Santa's that wave, but its kind of empty. Its not in their culture, its something they have adapted from the westernization that is taking the world by storm. But they don't have the spirit that accompanies the season. Its just missing. In America, even with the mass marketing of Christmas, the very air is different, cheerful. People are kinder, they care, they are happier (for the most part), they are with family, and there is a glow in faces and smiles. Its because even with the mass material focus we still more or less remember why we have Christmas. Here people lack that, lack anything of an understanding for the most part, and so the holiday's presence almost seems like a mockery. I just want to tell them all. I wish they could really experience what IS Christmas.
Last night we had a dinner party with all the singles in the ward here. It was like a Christmas/thanksgiving party that they have been throwing for 5 years in a row now. It was pretty nice, there was a lot of food, including American dishes like a turkey (legit, with a wonderful herb rosemary seasoning) and mashed potatoes with bacon, then there were dishes with a Asian twist, like a casserole with sweet potatoes and curry. It was all delicious. Home made cinnamon roles and about 5 different cakes and Costco (yay!) ice cream for dessert. It was fun, but isolating. The more Chinese I learn (which is not a lot, it seems to be going slower now :( ) the more I become aware that the less I understand and the less I can communicate. The first couple of weeks here I was completely in a foreign atmosphere so it was easy to be ignorant and clueless. But I have adjusted enough and have enough understanding now that I am just frustrated because people try to speak to me, or I try to speak to them and there is no communication, no understanding. So I sit in the corner and watch a room full of people mingle and laugh, ostracized by that stupid language barrier. But there is nothing I can do, but do my best to slowly and painfully wade my way into this language... and hope that I can deal with the frustration.
This week we had temple tour training, and then temple tours. Next to the temple in Taipei there is a beautiful stake center, and the last mission presidents wife had the inspiration to set up the halls as something of a museum. They are lined with paintings of Christ, and of our churches history, and of gospel stories and topics. With the wonderful view of the temple to aid us, sisters give tours of the building and use the paintings and the temple to acquaint people with the gospel. Missionaries can bring in investigators, members can bring in friends, and the sisters tackle people off the street and drag them inside for a free tour. There are sisters assigned to the 'Temple Square' but also a couple of times a week other sisters in areas close enough take turns to give tours for a day, allowing the square sisters to go procilite. We had a workshop type training Wednesday, and then Thursday we spent all day in Taipei giving tours. Its really fun, I love the temple and I love dealing with such powerful visual media. I really wish my Chinese was up to par to really explain the paintings to these people. Someday I hope that I can be a temple square sister. The two that are there right now are amazing! A sister Hintzy and a sister Hsu. I have a special place in my heart for Sister Hintzy because the first day I was here in Taiwan she was the first missionary I did the work with.
And interesting story I would like to share. On Saturday we had an appointment with a woman we came in contact with (well Sister Li came in contact with, I was on exchanges) through a recent convert, that was very very excited to meet with us. We arrived at her house and she was pleasant enough, but after entering the doorway and the entry hall I almost ran into a GIANT Buddhist shrine, it had three different levels and literally took up most of her living room.
We sat and she gave us oranges and water, then she excused herself to go pray and change the incense, it took about 10 minutes, and I became pretty sure it was for our benefit. Shortly there after, before we really even got to talk to her, a man came over as if just to stop by briefly. Then he saw us and decided to sit down and engage us in conversation. Well engage sister Li in conversation, the atmosphere was thick with intense smoke and I was utterly confused. The lady kept praying and doing things around the alter, then looking to see if we were watching, then asking us to write out our names and buddhist prayers for her. Sister Li solidly told her we could not. She kept trying to get us to participate in 'activities', I had no idea what they would be but the longer we were there the more I felt the spirit ebb away. Especially when that man pulled out a picture of Christ healing the blind and told us (I later learned through sister Li) that Christ was actually doing this buddhist ritual and got very passionate then started quoting the Bible. Sister Li told him she didn't know the bible in Chinese because she was actually American and he whipped out a blown up picture of the American dollar bill and smacked it on the table before us and demanded if we knew the mysteries of God then, then told us that they were right there. In the dollar bill (translation later provided by sister Li). Then the lady we'd come to see came over very close to me and tried for the 6th or 7th time to get us to participate in this ritual. Sister Li refused but the woman was insistent and apparently wanted to show us because suddenly she was on top of me, stroking her finger down my nose and then covering my eyes and whispering in my ear. It took all my control not to break that woman over the coffee table in front of me. My skin crawled and I felt unclean. The spirit was gone. Then another woman entered the room and she more or less told the other two to back off. She'd come in contact with missionaries before (she named two sisters by name) and she told the other two that they must respect our religion and that we could not do the things they were trying their hardest to persuade us to do because we were missionaries. She had us pray for her, she had some kind of illness, then Sister Li was able to excuse us. As we were leaving the woman we came to see followed us to the door proclaiming on me blessings and prophesying (sister Li told me later that she'd told me to become a vegetarian and to spread my message with everyone I came in contact with among other things).
It was an interesting experience, but I don't think we are ever going back there.
We baptized three little boys on Saturday night, and another miracle occurred the next day. Their father came to sacrament meeting and all three boys got up and tried trembling and almost speechless to bear their testimonies for the first time in front of a congregation. Then we were informed later that day that a friend of the Bishop's daughter that we have been teaching had good news. She has been attending church secretly for months, she lives with her grandparents and her mother sometimes though not all the time (I'm not sure on the details...sometimes people don't translate these things for me), and all strongly oppose of any kind of religion change. In her mothers words "As long as I am alive, you will never be christian." We have all been praying and last week she accepted a baptismal date with trepidation for the first of the year. She was afraid to even bring up the fact that she had been attending a christian church much less that she wanted to be baptized. But slowly this week she had been approaching the subject "Oh, my friend taught me about prayer today" and the like. Then Friday night her Grandmother told her suddenly "You know, if you would like to go to church, you should go."
See. The Lord does care. :)
Well, I think this is long enough now. So I'll be off. Until next week my friends, I love you all.
Sunday, November 28, 2010
Teaching English
I experienced my first set of holidays in the mission field this week. Thanks giving and my birthday (yes, I am going to count that one, hey, it only comes once a year!) came and went with a complete lack of fan fare. It was a little sad, but sacrifices must be made.
I will highlight some of the events of this week for you.
Wednesday I taught my first English class. Every week the church puts on a free English class for a service to the community, and the missionaries teach it. We in our chapel building have 3 classes, beginning (taught by our District leader Elder Huang, who is a native and tries admirably hard to learn English but doesn't speak a whole lot), Intermediate (taught by Sister Li) and Advanced, now taught by me. (Elder Huang's companion, Elder Lin, doesn't really speak any English so he managed the front desk.) I had No earthy idea on Wednesday what to teach these people. I stressed about it all day because I did not have any time to prepare anything and I wanted this to be a legit class and not a waste of these good people's time. The class is an hour and a half, the first hour being instruction and the last 30 min a spiritual thought.
The time arrived and I put my name up on the white board in front of an empty room full of chairs with trepidation. I really didn't have any idea what I was doing, but decided that I would get to know them this class and prepare an actual English lesson the next week. Slowly I acquired students. First only one woman, then two more filtered in. During the opening prayer one more. By the end of the class we had to set up more rows of chairs in the back and the small room was absolutely full. The students (this being advanced class, so obviously) spoke pretty good English for the most part. I gave a brief introduction about myself then opened the class up to questions, which took just about the rest of the hour actually. They were very curious. I actually was asked a lot about the gospel, which surprised me because none of the students were members and few were actual investigators. Some of the questions were really really off the wall, one chap asked me about the 4 horsemen of the Apocalypse...how do you explain that?! I ended the spiritual thought with how to pray and told them all about the Holy Ghost. I shared some personal experiences and really tried to relate to them. One woman before class ended told me "You are very convincing. I want to go home and pray right now." And I told her that it was a good idea ;).
That night the district leaders called and told us they forgot to tell us all the senior companions were having training in Taipei Thursday and so I was going to be on brief exchanges just for a day with two other sisters. Then that the day following (Friday to Saturday) I would be on my first actual exchanges with one of the sisters I would be with on Thursday. So Thursday morning we got up early and peddled ourselves to the train station where sister Li left me in the care of a Sister Wu. She is a native and didn't speak a whole lot of English so it was quiet for the first few minutes until our third member arrived, which was Sister Petersen! MY MTC companion. It was a fun little reunion day.
Friday at 3:30 we met with Sister Wu and her companion (also a native and the coordinating sister) Sister Lin. I went with sister Wu and we continued the work. We had a great time it turned out. I would try to communicate in brittle Chinese and she would respond in broken English. We both helped each other and I feel like we both learned a lot. I really appreciated her style of contacting. We went door knocking that night and had a lot of success, mini miracles. We taught three lessons, and adding that to what I taught with her the day before I think that is more success I've had (and lessons taught) than I have had since I've been on this island! We taught one lesson right there on the door step! Every time sister Wu set up a follow up appointment to come back. The last door we knocked on I picked, We were going down one side of the street and I saw a door on the other side of the street and said "Sister Wu. Lets go over there, I like that door." And so we did. They let us in and we taught a woman, she was a little awkward and hesitant but we got a prayer commitment and a date for another visit out of her. Then after we left sister Wu told me it was amazing that I picked that door because she had contacted that woman on the street last week and had obtained her information but when she'd called the woman said she didn't have any time (the most frequently used excuse). The next day we taught two more lessons before we exchanged back.
Sister Wu found out my birthday was the next day and she bought me a mango mousse cake which was very tasty. She is a wonderful sister.
Thursday was the first exchange and it didn't feel like thanksgiving at all. Well probably the result of being in a foreign country that lacks the history of the Pilgrims and such...But Sister Petersen and I thanked each other, and discussed the holiday at the lunch we had at a member's house.
We get many a meal with a member here. They loooove to feed us, a lot of food. They are so generous.
Yesterday I spoke in Sacrament meeting to introduce myself. It was maybe 2 minutes long and didn't go terribly. I said a silent Happy Birthday to myself and tried not to miss family. It was a little difficult. No one else knew but for my companion, but she might have forgotten. So I ate some of my mango cake and wished that I could open the cards from Ally and my dad. I can't open mail but for Mondays. So I opened them this morning. Thank you both for your cards!
Well that's all for now! I hope everyone is doing well and I miss you all. Write me and I will write you back because I will then have your addresses! Also, if you email me I can write you (letters) in response.
Sister Thiessen.
I will highlight some of the events of this week for you.
Wednesday I taught my first English class. Every week the church puts on a free English class for a service to the community, and the missionaries teach it. We in our chapel building have 3 classes, beginning (taught by our District leader Elder Huang, who is a native and tries admirably hard to learn English but doesn't speak a whole lot), Intermediate (taught by Sister Li) and Advanced, now taught by me. (Elder Huang's companion, Elder Lin, doesn't really speak any English so he managed the front desk.) I had No earthy idea on Wednesday what to teach these people. I stressed about it all day because I did not have any time to prepare anything and I wanted this to be a legit class and not a waste of these good people's time. The class is an hour and a half, the first hour being instruction and the last 30 min a spiritual thought.
The time arrived and I put my name up on the white board in front of an empty room full of chairs with trepidation. I really didn't have any idea what I was doing, but decided that I would get to know them this class and prepare an actual English lesson the next week. Slowly I acquired students. First only one woman, then two more filtered in. During the opening prayer one more. By the end of the class we had to set up more rows of chairs in the back and the small room was absolutely full. The students (this being advanced class, so obviously) spoke pretty good English for the most part. I gave a brief introduction about myself then opened the class up to questions, which took just about the rest of the hour actually. They were very curious. I actually was asked a lot about the gospel, which surprised me because none of the students were members and few were actual investigators. Some of the questions were really really off the wall, one chap asked me about the 4 horsemen of the Apocalypse...how do you explain that?! I ended the spiritual thought with how to pray and told them all about the Holy Ghost. I shared some personal experiences and really tried to relate to them. One woman before class ended told me "You are very convincing. I want to go home and pray right now." And I told her that it was a good idea ;).
That night the district leaders called and told us they forgot to tell us all the senior companions were having training in Taipei Thursday and so I was going to be on brief exchanges just for a day with two other sisters. Then that the day following (Friday to Saturday) I would be on my first actual exchanges with one of the sisters I would be with on Thursday. So Thursday morning we got up early and peddled ourselves to the train station where sister Li left me in the care of a Sister Wu. She is a native and didn't speak a whole lot of English so it was quiet for the first few minutes until our third member arrived, which was Sister Petersen! MY MTC companion. It was a fun little reunion day.
Friday at 3:30 we met with Sister Wu and her companion (also a native and the coordinating sister) Sister Lin. I went with sister Wu and we continued the work. We had a great time it turned out. I would try to communicate in brittle Chinese and she would respond in broken English. We both helped each other and I feel like we both learned a lot. I really appreciated her style of contacting. We went door knocking that night and had a lot of success, mini miracles. We taught three lessons, and adding that to what I taught with her the day before I think that is more success I've had (and lessons taught) than I have had since I've been on this island! We taught one lesson right there on the door step! Every time sister Wu set up a follow up appointment to come back. The last door we knocked on I picked, We were going down one side of the street and I saw a door on the other side of the street and said "Sister Wu. Lets go over there, I like that door." And so we did. They let us in and we taught a woman, she was a little awkward and hesitant but we got a prayer commitment and a date for another visit out of her. Then after we left sister Wu told me it was amazing that I picked that door because she had contacted that woman on the street last week and had obtained her information but when she'd called the woman said she didn't have any time (the most frequently used excuse). The next day we taught two more lessons before we exchanged back.
Sister Wu found out my birthday was the next day and she bought me a mango mousse cake which was very tasty. She is a wonderful sister.
Thursday was the first exchange and it didn't feel like thanksgiving at all. Well probably the result of being in a foreign country that lacks the history of the Pilgrims and such...But Sister Petersen and I thanked each other, and discussed the holiday at the lunch we had at a member's house.
We get many a meal with a member here. They loooove to feed us, a lot of food. They are so generous.
Yesterday I spoke in Sacrament meeting to introduce myself. It was maybe 2 minutes long and didn't go terribly. I said a silent Happy Birthday to myself and tried not to miss family. It was a little difficult. No one else knew but for my companion, but she might have forgotten. So I ate some of my mango cake and wished that I could open the cards from Ally and my dad. I can't open mail but for Mondays. So I opened them this morning. Thank you both for your cards!
Well that's all for now! I hope everyone is doing well and I miss you all. Write me and I will write you back because I will then have your addresses! Also, if you email me I can write you (letters) in response.
Sister Thiessen.
Sunday, November 21, 2010
Taiwan~ At Last!!
Here I am in the far east, in a little (not so little) city by the name of Taoyuan occupying a well endowed computer station in an internet cafe on my very first p-day in the field.
Go ahead. Ask me, I know you want to. What's Taiwan like?
Let me tell you.
Pretty much amazing. I am loving life here. But let me back up and tell you briefly of my arrival shall I?
The plane ride from LAX was 14 hours. We slept mostly, but managed to fit in a few hours of studying, and the food wasn't even terrible! Imagine that. When we stepped off the plane the air was already balmy. It was not so very different from any other air port as far as appearances in the terminal went. We passed through the customs and such into the main areas and the halls were lined with many brightly lit stores, still open at 10:30 pm. Except all the writing was in Chinese...Which I can't read.
On to baggage. Here was a little different from the many baggage areas that I have seen, there was more of a grunge feel to it, but it was not really noticeable until my companion sister Petersen and I decided to visit the bathroom and freshen up for first impressions to the president. The smell hits you first, because the Taiwanese have this custom of not flushing the used toilet paper. Beside each bathroom area there are little garbage cans where you use the paper then place it inside. Because the paper doesn't get flushed right away the smell radiates and its not so pleasant. I also say bathroom area because there are places that do not have western toilets. They have squatters, which kind of look like a long urinal placed in the ground. Those are fun. I had my first run in with one yesterday ... but I digress.
We obtained all of our luggage and headed out to the main area to meet our mission president. The Taichung missionaries who we'd spent all of our MTC time with bit us a final and sad farewell. President Grimly, his wife, and the assistants to the president were there waiting for us. And also my dear friend sister Esther Wynder from BYUI. She was overjoyed to see us, and she became our 3rd companion until we would meet our trainers. She had been there for two weeks already temporarily with the Temple sisters because her visa finally came through and they sent her from her temporary station in SLC. We drove to the mission home which was directly across from the temple and were settled in the temple annex, the rooms they keep for those traveling long distances to the temple (and conveniently for missionaries too). They were actually pretty nice, much different from those in Germany.
The next two days were orientation. We had meetings with everyone who works in the temple office and they explained rules and financial things and such to us. We also got to try some delicious Taiwanese food. Oh the food, I really could go on about it. This country is dangerous for someone with my passion I believe, because the Taiwanese believe in food. They believe in it so much so that there is some kind of food shop or food cart on every street corner and about every 30 yards between. And they try all kinds of things, sandwiches are actually popular, especially breakfast sandwiches. We had the most amazing fruit sandwiches! Who thinks about putting fruit on sandwiches? Well the Taiwanese do!! and it was soo amazing! Also people told me before that it was hard to find milk here, well not in Taipei or in my current area. They do all kinds of interesting things to it too, besides just the plain variety...I just want to try everything!! My companions think it is quite hilarious, my new favorite saying is "What is this!!?"
Once again I digress. The first night we were really there in Taiwan (Not counting our arrival night in which we were completely zonked.) we were split up with some of the sisters around Taipei and had our first real missionary experiences. I was paired with a Sister Hintze, one of the temple sisters. We had to stay around the temple area because there is a small museum of paintings that is a tour area in the large temple annex beside the actual temple. People can come in or be referred to this tour area and are giving a tour of paintings depicting everything from Christ's birth to church history. Its actually pretty cool. But since we were bound to the spot we didn't do much contacting. Only when people passed by and we nabbed them and pulled them in. We trained a pair of sisters (the temple sisters also do workshops) and then talked a lot. I peppered her with a million questions while we waited for unsuspecting people to pass by. We contacted 3 or 4 and then finally pulled in a man and gave him a quick tour. I even participated a little by baring testimony (about the only thing I could do).
The next day we went out to the site where Taiwan was originally dedicated to the preaching of the gospel and dedicated our selves as well (and fed some hungry mosquito). Then we went back to the mission office and had a few more meetings before meeting our trainers and getting to know where we were going to be placed for our first areas(finally). When we were literally marched into the room singing called to serve (the assistants have a sense of humor) we were lined up across the room from the pool of trainers. For the sisters there were two Taiwanese and an American. I had been praying to get a native speaker to help me with my Chinese so these were good odds. Well upon peering closely into each face of each sister I had a pretty good guess at who I would receive. I was correct. My trainer is a Sister Li, and she is in fact a native speaker, BUT she was born in Taiwan and raised in Provo since age one! So she is an American Taiwanese haha.
We had lunch with our trainers and then were sent into the world! We had to walk through a sudden downpour to the bank to exchange some money and then pay for my bike. We shortly there after headed to the train station to ship ourselves and my 3 suitcases (plus carry-ons...) to our area of Taoyuan. Fortunately when new missionaries come in, until the official beginning of each transfer there are 3 companions in a companionship so we also had another sister Pederson with us. At the train station we were blessed to meet one of the members from our area, a young woman (and also a twin) who helped us with my dongshi (stuff). It really was a blessing because it was kind of a zoo experience to get all my stuff in order and on a train.
The members in our area are apparently quite awesome (everyone told me so and I am still discovering). They love the missionaries and are very supportive, and almost every night they have us over for dinner somewhere (I am in a small state of panic for my waist line...). I have already had three meals with members since coming on Friday. The relief society president and her husband met us at the train station in Taoyuan and they hauled me and all my stuff to our apartment. My companions had to ride their bikes back so it was just me ion the car with them, but it wasn't as awkward as you might think. The relief society president talked to me for about 5 minutes and we both introduced each other in a mix of broken English to broken Chinese, then it was just a quiet drive while I absorbed the city scenery.
Our apartment building is actually nicer than I thought it would be, the courtyard where we ran Saturday morning is large and groomed very nicely (maybe if you all are good I will send pictures) and our apartment is a three room apartment with 2 bathrooms. Though it is a little trashed because Elders lived there before sisters. We sleep in the living room because we have to be in the same room but we each have a bathroom and a room for all of our stuff and then there is a spare room for all of the left overs.
We have taught a few lessons, tracted a bit and contacted some since I have been here. We had stake conference yesterday and then several appointments for meals and such and with some inactive members. I am loving this, and this area already. The members are so very nice to me and they are all HIGHLY amused by my height. I think I've already heard "Oh ah!!! Hen gao!" (oh!! SO tall!) more in the past three days than in the past 3 years of my life. People stop and look at me. Its really amusing to sister li who is completely Taiwanese in appearance. Saturday night at the train station contacting I had people come up to me and want pictures or to shake my hand (several of them mentally ill creepy types...) and people commonly call our to me on street corners as we ride past. Here closer to Taipei its not so strange that I'm a foreigner because it is a hugely urban city location. But my height is very abnormal (as expected) and pair that with my foreigner appearance and it gets attention. I'll use it to my advantage though.
I am quickly falling in love with riding my bike down crowded city streets with mopeds, buses, and trucks flying by extremely close. Its somewhat exciting every time. The street sides are crowded with tall buildings covered in signs and advertisements sticking out the side into the street and like hands waving out car windows for attention. The people here are very friendly, and very polite. Even when they reject us. Apostles have said about the Asian missions that we don't really experience a real rejection because the people are so sweet about it. They politely decline and accept our pamphlets without slamming any doors in our faces. Even those who dislike missionaries for some reason will some how pair bold dislike with a kind refusal. its interesting.
My first baptisms will be this Saturday, there will be 4 hopefully. A girl at the age of ten who's mother is a member but not the rest of her family, and 3 boys between ages 9 and 12. There mother is also a member but their grandparents are staunch something else. I'm not sure what the name is, but its a very secretive religion that has earned the name of 'The secret combination" from the missionaries. The father is atheist but doesn't disapprove of the mother attending church...though he doesn't know yet she is baptized...The children plan on asking him before Saturday. If they all pass the interview tonight then its a go. I met them for the first time last night, we rode over so they could say goodbye to sister Pedersen because she had taught them all they way through. They were so amazing! And friendly. Those boys need the priesthood in their lives.
I can only understand maybe 20 percent of anything I hear, but hopefully time will help that. I'm crossing my fingers and adding a prayer of a couple hundred.
Hmm, on another note, I can only read my letters on Mondays here! How silly is that? But I guess that does make us focus more on the work, which is probably a good thing. However! Write me and I will do my best to write you back, even if its short. My p-days here are very full too because we are doing all kinds of amazing things. I hope to travel more and see more of the island on my p-days.
Today we are shopping for foods and some other essentials and cleaning up the apartment. Tonight we have another dinner with a member and some other scheduled events. Should be a blast.
I love you all! Zai Jian!
Go ahead. Ask me, I know you want to. What's Taiwan like?
Let me tell you.
Pretty much amazing. I am loving life here. But let me back up and tell you briefly of my arrival shall I?
The plane ride from LAX was 14 hours. We slept mostly, but managed to fit in a few hours of studying, and the food wasn't even terrible! Imagine that. When we stepped off the plane the air was already balmy. It was not so very different from any other air port as far as appearances in the terminal went. We passed through the customs and such into the main areas and the halls were lined with many brightly lit stores, still open at 10:30 pm. Except all the writing was in Chinese...Which I can't read.
On to baggage. Here was a little different from the many baggage areas that I have seen, there was more of a grunge feel to it, but it was not really noticeable until my companion sister Petersen and I decided to visit the bathroom and freshen up for first impressions to the president. The smell hits you first, because the Taiwanese have this custom of not flushing the used toilet paper. Beside each bathroom area there are little garbage cans where you use the paper then place it inside. Because the paper doesn't get flushed right away the smell radiates and its not so pleasant. I also say bathroom area because there are places that do not have western toilets. They have squatters, which kind of look like a long urinal placed in the ground. Those are fun. I had my first run in with one yesterday ... but I digress.
We obtained all of our luggage and headed out to the main area to meet our mission president. The Taichung missionaries who we'd spent all of our MTC time with bit us a final and sad farewell. President Grimly, his wife, and the assistants to the president were there waiting for us. And also my dear friend sister Esther Wynder from BYUI. She was overjoyed to see us, and she became our 3rd companion until we would meet our trainers. She had been there for two weeks already temporarily with the Temple sisters because her visa finally came through and they sent her from her temporary station in SLC. We drove to the mission home which was directly across from the temple and were settled in the temple annex, the rooms they keep for those traveling long distances to the temple (and conveniently for missionaries too). They were actually pretty nice, much different from those in Germany.
The next two days were orientation. We had meetings with everyone who works in the temple office and they explained rules and financial things and such to us. We also got to try some delicious Taiwanese food. Oh the food, I really could go on about it. This country is dangerous for someone with my passion I believe, because the Taiwanese believe in food. They believe in it so much so that there is some kind of food shop or food cart on every street corner and about every 30 yards between. And they try all kinds of things, sandwiches are actually popular, especially breakfast sandwiches. We had the most amazing fruit sandwiches! Who thinks about putting fruit on sandwiches? Well the Taiwanese do!! and it was soo amazing! Also people told me before that it was hard to find milk here, well not in Taipei or in my current area. They do all kinds of interesting things to it too, besides just the plain variety...I just want to try everything!! My companions think it is quite hilarious, my new favorite saying is "What is this!!?"
Once again I digress. The first night we were really there in Taiwan (Not counting our arrival night in which we were completely zonked.) we were split up with some of the sisters around Taipei and had our first real missionary experiences. I was paired with a Sister Hintze, one of the temple sisters. We had to stay around the temple area because there is a small museum of paintings that is a tour area in the large temple annex beside the actual temple. People can come in or be referred to this tour area and are giving a tour of paintings depicting everything from Christ's birth to church history. Its actually pretty cool. But since we were bound to the spot we didn't do much contacting. Only when people passed by and we nabbed them and pulled them in. We trained a pair of sisters (the temple sisters also do workshops) and then talked a lot. I peppered her with a million questions while we waited for unsuspecting people to pass by. We contacted 3 or 4 and then finally pulled in a man and gave him a quick tour. I even participated a little by baring testimony (about the only thing I could do).
The next day we went out to the site where Taiwan was originally dedicated to the preaching of the gospel and dedicated our selves as well (and fed some hungry mosquito). Then we went back to the mission office and had a few more meetings before meeting our trainers and getting to know where we were going to be placed for our first areas(finally). When we were literally marched into the room singing called to serve (the assistants have a sense of humor) we were lined up across the room from the pool of trainers. For the sisters there were two Taiwanese and an American. I had been praying to get a native speaker to help me with my Chinese so these were good odds. Well upon peering closely into each face of each sister I had a pretty good guess at who I would receive. I was correct. My trainer is a Sister Li, and she is in fact a native speaker, BUT she was born in Taiwan and raised in Provo since age one! So she is an American Taiwanese haha.
We had lunch with our trainers and then were sent into the world! We had to walk through a sudden downpour to the bank to exchange some money and then pay for my bike. We shortly there after headed to the train station to ship ourselves and my 3 suitcases (plus carry-ons...) to our area of Taoyuan. Fortunately when new missionaries come in, until the official beginning of each transfer there are 3 companions in a companionship so we also had another sister Pederson with us. At the train station we were blessed to meet one of the members from our area, a young woman (and also a twin) who helped us with my dongshi (stuff). It really was a blessing because it was kind of a zoo experience to get all my stuff in order and on a train.
The members in our area are apparently quite awesome (everyone told me so and I am still discovering). They love the missionaries and are very supportive, and almost every night they have us over for dinner somewhere (I am in a small state of panic for my waist line...). I have already had three meals with members since coming on Friday. The relief society president and her husband met us at the train station in Taoyuan and they hauled me and all my stuff to our apartment. My companions had to ride their bikes back so it was just me ion the car with them, but it wasn't as awkward as you might think. The relief society president talked to me for about 5 minutes and we both introduced each other in a mix of broken English to broken Chinese, then it was just a quiet drive while I absorbed the city scenery.
Our apartment building is actually nicer than I thought it would be, the courtyard where we ran Saturday morning is large and groomed very nicely (maybe if you all are good I will send pictures) and our apartment is a three room apartment with 2 bathrooms. Though it is a little trashed because Elders lived there before sisters. We sleep in the living room because we have to be in the same room but we each have a bathroom and a room for all of our stuff and then there is a spare room for all of the left overs.
We have taught a few lessons, tracted a bit and contacted some since I have been here. We had stake conference yesterday and then several appointments for meals and such and with some inactive members. I am loving this, and this area already. The members are so very nice to me and they are all HIGHLY amused by my height. I think I've already heard "Oh ah!!! Hen gao!" (oh!! SO tall!) more in the past three days than in the past 3 years of my life. People stop and look at me. Its really amusing to sister li who is completely Taiwanese in appearance. Saturday night at the train station contacting I had people come up to me and want pictures or to shake my hand (several of them mentally ill creepy types...) and people commonly call our to me on street corners as we ride past. Here closer to Taipei its not so strange that I'm a foreigner because it is a hugely urban city location. But my height is very abnormal (as expected) and pair that with my foreigner appearance and it gets attention. I'll use it to my advantage though.
I am quickly falling in love with riding my bike down crowded city streets with mopeds, buses, and trucks flying by extremely close. Its somewhat exciting every time. The street sides are crowded with tall buildings covered in signs and advertisements sticking out the side into the street and like hands waving out car windows for attention. The people here are very friendly, and very polite. Even when they reject us. Apostles have said about the Asian missions that we don't really experience a real rejection because the people are so sweet about it. They politely decline and accept our pamphlets without slamming any doors in our faces. Even those who dislike missionaries for some reason will some how pair bold dislike with a kind refusal. its interesting.
My first baptisms will be this Saturday, there will be 4 hopefully. A girl at the age of ten who's mother is a member but not the rest of her family, and 3 boys between ages 9 and 12. There mother is also a member but their grandparents are staunch something else. I'm not sure what the name is, but its a very secretive religion that has earned the name of 'The secret combination" from the missionaries. The father is atheist but doesn't disapprove of the mother attending church...though he doesn't know yet she is baptized...The children plan on asking him before Saturday. If they all pass the interview tonight then its a go. I met them for the first time last night, we rode over so they could say goodbye to sister Pedersen because she had taught them all they way through. They were so amazing! And friendly. Those boys need the priesthood in their lives.
I can only understand maybe 20 percent of anything I hear, but hopefully time will help that. I'm crossing my fingers and adding a prayer of a couple hundred.
Hmm, on another note, I can only read my letters on Mondays here! How silly is that? But I guess that does make us focus more on the work, which is probably a good thing. However! Write me and I will do my best to write you back, even if its short. My p-days here are very full too because we are doing all kinds of amazing things. I hope to travel more and see more of the island on my p-days.
Today we are shopping for foods and some other essentials and cleaning up the apartment. Tonight we have another dinner with a member and some other scheduled events. Should be a blast.
I love you all! Zai Jian!
Monday, November 15, 2010
Prepare for Takeoff!
So! On Tuesday, guess what...Another Apostle! Its unheard of, and everyone is astounded. That's 4 in a row (and there is talk of one tomorrow night too, though we wont be here to see it). So Elder Bednar gave a most excellent talk about Doctrine, Principles, and Applications. It was amazing. I have had questions about these subjects for the last couple of weeks and was unable to find a satisfactory answer. Bednar settled everything simply and clearly in that clever way that he has. Oh, and his wife? An amazing woman. So spunky. She gave a great talk then as he started speaking with a joke she stood up, stole the microphone from her husband an Apostle, and corrected him. The whole room erupted. I learned a lot.
Lio Jiemei (Sister Fleming) our 3rd companion (whom we love) had to get reassigned briefly for a lack of visa. Sometimes when you are accelerated into higher transfers you don't make the Visa cut. But! She got reassigned to the Houston TX mission, English speaking. I'm thinking she may be in some areas of some people we know just maybe! Its pretty cool. I'm almost kind of jealous, she gets to share the gospel in her own tongue and then gets the experience of Chinese and Taiwan too! So blessed I think.
We experienced so many lasts this week. Our last lessons with our teachers, our last zone meetings, our last time seeing our branch president...our last night suffering through pizza night in the cafeteria...One of our lasts was our last TRC. I must say, we did go out with a bang. We taught an amazing lesson, our best here. We taught a single investigator, a man. He was a quiet spoken type person but very willing to learn and engage in the conversation. I taught a lot, afterwords both of my companions commented that I had taught an great deal and seemed more confident in my Chinese. Its true, I did, for the first time I almost felt comfortable with the language! Which was a good thing to experience before I jump off to the far east.
I'm so excited it seems unreal. I can't believe that I'm finally leaving the MTC! I am also nervous as I grasp the concept that I will probably not be understanding much of anything that is going on around me for the next 6 months or so. But know I have learned so much here. I have grown so much. Its hard for me to tell sometimes from where I am sitting, I have to live with me every day. However the past week I have taken a step back and looked at my life and the progression I've made, mentally, and spiritually (physically it is a digression haha) and it is a long road. I've taken a few very large steps. The road still stretches before me farther than I can see, but I have a greater desire to tackle it with the best of attitudes. Hopefully I can super glue that desire in my soul long enough to last me :p
The plane leaves tomorrow. I start phase two. I don't know what awaits me, but I know that I can take it. (At least I know that now. I'll get back to you on that next week.)
So from now on, all mail gets fired off to Taiwan. I love you all! My time is up. I swear at some point you will get better blogs, as soon as I don't have a glaring red devil in the corner of my screen blinking death...
Sister Melissa Thiessen
Lio Jiemei (Sister Fleming) our 3rd companion (whom we love) had to get reassigned briefly for a lack of visa. Sometimes when you are accelerated into higher transfers you don't make the Visa cut. But! She got reassigned to the Houston TX mission, English speaking. I'm thinking she may be in some areas of some people we know just maybe! Its pretty cool. I'm almost kind of jealous, she gets to share the gospel in her own tongue and then gets the experience of Chinese and Taiwan too! So blessed I think.
We experienced so many lasts this week. Our last lessons with our teachers, our last zone meetings, our last time seeing our branch president...our last night suffering through pizza night in the cafeteria...One of our lasts was our last TRC. I must say, we did go out with a bang. We taught an amazing lesson, our best here. We taught a single investigator, a man. He was a quiet spoken type person but very willing to learn and engage in the conversation. I taught a lot, afterwords both of my companions commented that I had taught an great deal and seemed more confident in my Chinese. Its true, I did, for the first time I almost felt comfortable with the language! Which was a good thing to experience before I jump off to the far east.
I'm so excited it seems unreal. I can't believe that I'm finally leaving the MTC! I am also nervous as I grasp the concept that I will probably not be understanding much of anything that is going on around me for the next 6 months or so. But know I have learned so much here. I have grown so much. Its hard for me to tell sometimes from where I am sitting, I have to live with me every day. However the past week I have taken a step back and looked at my life and the progression I've made, mentally, and spiritually (physically it is a digression haha) and it is a long road. I've taken a few very large steps. The road still stretches before me farther than I can see, but I have a greater desire to tackle it with the best of attitudes. Hopefully I can super glue that desire in my soul long enough to last me :p
The plane leaves tomorrow. I start phase two. I don't know what awaits me, but I know that I can take it. (At least I know that now. I'll get back to you on that next week.)
So from now on, all mail gets fired off to Taiwan. I love you all! My time is up. I swear at some point you will get better blogs, as soon as I don't have a glaring red devil in the corner of my screen blinking death...
Sister Melissa Thiessen
Tuesday, November 9, 2010
Blog:
The final count down for the ship off date is upon me. Its 8 days now!! I can taste the near freedom...Or the Taiwanese pollution...haha.
We all received our travel plans this last Friday. All of us muchly appreciated this, as we had been waiting on the very edge of anticipation all week long. We leave next Tuesday and arrive in Taiwan at 10:35 pm the 17th. (so if you write me you will need to use the new address, provided by my dear mother. I believe dear elders will still allow foreign mail, but they cost as much as regular foreign mail and they take just as long to get to me.) We have two days of orientation in the Mission Home then we head out to our first area. I'm excited and filled with trepidation all at the same time! Who will my trainer be? Will she be entirely frustrated with my inability to comprehend a word spoken to me in the strange language I'm being thrust into? Will I have a bike? Will I ever see my beloved companions again? HOW WILL I RECEIVE MAIL!?!?! I'm sure all of these questions will find answers in due time....patience...patience...
This weekend was rather amazing. Yesterday in Devotional we were treated to The Sister Sheri Dew, who gave us a quite wonderful talk. I took about 4 pages of very small notes. She is an amazing woman and should be an inspiration and example to us all. Then we had a wonderful temple walk where I took about a bazillion pictures of the beautiful fall foliage and beautiful servants of Christ. I would love to send them too my mother to add them to this fabulous inter web, but the bookstore here is backed up and I would not get them printed in time. So Alas, you all will have to wait until I can snail mail them from the orient. I took some great pictures of my entire Zone, my District, My roommates, My companions, and some really great ones with an Elder Thiessen who just happened to be lingering near by.
Our first departure was today, to Canada. Our districts very own Frenchman, Elder Jaquier. Oh we miss him already, and the fun spirit he brought to our class. He was the most gentle and reasonable of Frenchmen, we sisters never knew he had a prankster side deep underneath the spirituality...until we heard the stories. So many stories...Oh If there were time to share...maybe in 16 months. His departure was sudden, but we are all trying to adjust. The rest of us leave together.
So This ends my time unfortunately. I love you all. I miss you all. I hope you all are well! Until next week!!
Sister Melissa Thiessen.
The final count down for the ship off date is upon me. Its 8 days now!! I can taste the near freedom...Or the Taiwanese pollution...haha.
We all received our travel plans this last Friday. All of us muchly appreciated this, as we had been waiting on the very edge of anticipation all week long. We leave next Tuesday and arrive in Taiwan at 10:35 pm the 17th. (so if you write me you will need to use the new address, provided by my dear mother. I believe dear elders will still allow foreign mail, but they cost as much as regular foreign mail and they take just as long to get to me.) We have two days of orientation in the Mission Home then we head out to our first area. I'm excited and filled with trepidation all at the same time! Who will my trainer be? Will she be entirely frustrated with my inability to comprehend a word spoken to me in the strange language I'm being thrust into? Will I have a bike? Will I ever see my beloved companions again? HOW WILL I RECEIVE MAIL!?!?! I'm sure all of these questions will find answers in due time....patience...patience...
This weekend was rather amazing. Yesterday in Devotional we were treated to The Sister Sheri Dew, who gave us a quite wonderful talk. I took about 4 pages of very small notes. She is an amazing woman and should be an inspiration and example to us all. Then we had a wonderful temple walk where I took about a bazillion pictures of the beautiful fall foliage and beautiful servants of Christ. I would love to send them too my mother to add them to this fabulous inter web, but the bookstore here is backed up and I would not get them printed in time. So Alas, you all will have to wait until I can snail mail them from the orient. I took some great pictures of my entire Zone, my District, My roommates, My companions, and some really great ones with an Elder Thiessen who just happened to be lingering near by.
Our first departure was today, to Canada. Our districts very own Frenchman, Elder Jaquier. Oh we miss him already, and the fun spirit he brought to our class. He was the most gentle and reasonable of Frenchmen, we sisters never knew he had a prankster side deep underneath the spirituality...until we heard the stories. So many stories...Oh If there were time to share...maybe in 16 months. His departure was sudden, but we are all trying to adjust. The rest of us leave together.
So This ends my time unfortunately. I love you all. I miss you all. I hope you all are well! Until next week!!
Sister Melissa Thiessen.
Monday, November 1, 2010
Where has the MTC time gone?!
Happy Halloween everyone!! My love and absolute devotion goes out to everyone who sent me paraphernalia to celebrate. I used it, and I wore certain items all weekend. Namely certain Halloween springy headbands....They brought much joy and amusement to everyone who saw me walking around with antennae all weekend.
I only have 16 days left at the MTC!! Woot! I get my travel plans this week so I know when and when I fly out. Whether I leave on Monday or Tuesday and what time. I hope they put us al on the same plane, because some times they don't. I will spend two days in the mission home in Taipei so get orientated then shoved out into the real world. I am way excited to get out of the box. So since I only have two weeks left here...those who really love me would send me letters this week to Taiwan so that they will be there when I arrive and I can feel that love physically...:)
So this week, we had our second visit from an apostle. On Tuesday, that makes twice in a row for devotional. All the branch presidents were very surprised. No one could remember two apostles coming in a row before (and there is talk of another coming tomorrow for devo, I guess we shall see) I guess we need it here at the MTC.
This week it was Richard G Scott. He gave a truly amazing talk on the Spirit, and how we can be receptive to it, and the importance of revelation. It was so powerful. He actually took the time to write up a handout telling us about personal revelations and experiences with the spirit, from his whole life, and everyone got a copy. It was Amazing!! Knowledge direct from the life of an Apostle of God! How often does that happen? When has an apostle actually brought a handout to a talk? I can't think of a time, though I haven't seen too many apostles talk. We were strictly directed not to reprint, or translate this paper. He said it was directly for us here at the MTC. Very cool.
Also, he gave us 4 Apostolic Blessings. I've never seen one of those given, much less 4. I don't think they were planned, they had the feel of being directed by the spirit. Apparently the Lord thinks we at the MTC really needed them, I think it was inspired because those blessings were exactly what I needed. He focused a segment directly on the sisters, he seemed very concerned with our safety and health. He gave the sisters specifically a blessing of protection. He said he invoked a shield of protection on the sisters as long as we are obedient to the Lord, he will guide us and warn us of danger ahead of time that we may have safety. He also gave us a requirement to keep ourselves healthy and active, and not to over work ourselves. I thought that was interesting. The concern he had for us was honestly very endearing.
The other blessings were to all the missionaries in general. He gave us a blessing that we may be confident in our impressions of the spirit, and that it will guide us and give us revelation. He blessed us that the lessons we learn on our missions we will retain and be able to apply throughout our lives. And he blessed us, and this is my favorite, each of us with the gift of tongues. An apostle of God instilled within each of us the capacity to learn our language, his words there. How amazing is that?! Now if only I can gain the faith to access that blessing haha.
So we had a devo last Sunday and the speaker was very into crowd participation. He had us all stand up for various things. He said a few that I stood up for, like, "have you ever felt depressed or discouraged so far on your mission." "Have you struggled" "have you thought about going home". Jacob was sitting in front of me several rows and every time he would turn around and look to see if I was standing. The other day in the cafeteria at lunch he came to the head of my table and stood there with his arms wide open like he wanted a hug. "What, here?" I asked him, he just stood there waiting, so I got up and gave him a hug, much to the gasps of our audience. He told me, "That is from Dad. And also from me, because you shouldn't be standing."
I thought it was really sweet.
Anyway, it was an amazing talk and I quite enjoyed it. My time is up though, I wish I could share more with you all but alas, I cannot.
Have a great week.
Sister Thiessen
I only have 16 days left at the MTC!! Woot! I get my travel plans this week so I know when and when I fly out. Whether I leave on Monday or Tuesday and what time. I hope they put us al on the same plane, because some times they don't. I will spend two days in the mission home in Taipei so get orientated then shoved out into the real world. I am way excited to get out of the box. So since I only have two weeks left here...those who really love me would send me letters this week to Taiwan so that they will be there when I arrive and I can feel that love physically...:)
So this week, we had our second visit from an apostle. On Tuesday, that makes twice in a row for devotional. All the branch presidents were very surprised. No one could remember two apostles coming in a row before (and there is talk of another coming tomorrow for devo, I guess we shall see) I guess we need it here at the MTC.
This week it was Richard G Scott. He gave a truly amazing talk on the Spirit, and how we can be receptive to it, and the importance of revelation. It was so powerful. He actually took the time to write up a handout telling us about personal revelations and experiences with the spirit, from his whole life, and everyone got a copy. It was Amazing!! Knowledge direct from the life of an Apostle of God! How often does that happen? When has an apostle actually brought a handout to a talk? I can't think of a time, though I haven't seen too many apostles talk. We were strictly directed not to reprint, or translate this paper. He said it was directly for us here at the MTC. Very cool.
Also, he gave us 4 Apostolic Blessings. I've never seen one of those given, much less 4. I don't think they were planned, they had the feel of being directed by the spirit. Apparently the Lord thinks we at the MTC really needed them, I think it was inspired because those blessings were exactly what I needed. He focused a segment directly on the sisters, he seemed very concerned with our safety and health. He gave the sisters specifically a blessing of protection. He said he invoked a shield of protection on the sisters as long as we are obedient to the Lord, he will guide us and warn us of danger ahead of time that we may have safety. He also gave us a requirement to keep ourselves healthy and active, and not to over work ourselves. I thought that was interesting. The concern he had for us was honestly very endearing.
The other blessings were to all the missionaries in general. He gave us a blessing that we may be confident in our impressions of the spirit, and that it will guide us and give us revelation. He blessed us that the lessons we learn on our missions we will retain and be able to apply throughout our lives. And he blessed us, and this is my favorite, each of us with the gift of tongues. An apostle of God instilled within each of us the capacity to learn our language, his words there. How amazing is that?! Now if only I can gain the faith to access that blessing haha.
So we had a devo last Sunday and the speaker was very into crowd participation. He had us all stand up for various things. He said a few that I stood up for, like, "have you ever felt depressed or discouraged so far on your mission." "Have you struggled" "have you thought about going home". Jacob was sitting in front of me several rows and every time he would turn around and look to see if I was standing. The other day in the cafeteria at lunch he came to the head of my table and stood there with his arms wide open like he wanted a hug. "What, here?" I asked him, he just stood there waiting, so I got up and gave him a hug, much to the gasps of our audience. He told me, "That is from Dad. And also from me, because you shouldn't be standing."
I thought it was really sweet.
Anyway, it was an amazing talk and I quite enjoyed it. My time is up though, I wish I could share more with you all but alas, I cannot.
Have a great week.
Sister Thiessen
Wednesday, October 27, 2010
Week...uh, never mind, I've lost count...
Well, this week has definitely been an interesting one. For our TRC this Saturday we taught the plan of salvation for the first time in Chinese. Which could have been great right? Except that we had no time all week to study, which meant that Saturday rolled around and we were without vocabulary type knowledge. But there is a fun story for the TRC this week. So let me back up...actually, let me jump back a whole week...
So last Friday, well ok, it was two Fridays ago now, I received an dear elder from my roommate of the past, Lexi. She has a new cohort member, he was American born Chinese. Not a member of the church but attending BYU. She was doing member missionary work with him. Well my companions and I taught Lexi and a Taiwanese chap the following day. However it didn't come to my realization that it could have been the fellow she'd mentioned until some time later. I'm a little slow. So on Monday night I receive another Dear Elder from Lexi talking about the TRC experience.
Low and behold it was the same guy! He was an actual investigator. Our second time in the MTC really teaching a lesson, and the second time that we didn't know until after the fact. Fun stuff. Well my companions and I were very excited about the letter from Lexi, probably largely due to the fact that Lexi was pretty ecstatic herself in this letter. I'd not thought much of the lesson with them. Our Chinese was so so, but we'd done a few things ok. Well apparently this chap really liked it, and he'd felt the spirit. Enough to tell Lexi that he wanted to come back this last Saturday. We reacted in true missionary fashion, hoping against hope that it would work out and we could teach him again. We organized it with the TRC so that we could be assigned to him again, turns out he was already signed up again! We bought a Book of Mormon and marked up Moroni's promise and also wrote out a big and inspiring testimony in the cover. Oh we were so excited, so prepared. We worked out a wonderful lesson plan. It was going to be awesome! He was going to be taught by three amazing sister missionaries and be blown away by the power and authority of God. He was going to be converted right there on the spot! Committed to Baptism! It was all set!
Well Saturday rolls around, with much nervousness, and we arrived at the MTC. Unfortunately he did not. But we taught three girls from Hong Kong instead, and they were lovely and quite forgiving of our lack of preparation for a completely separate scenario and a lack of vocabulary...well at least on my part. My companions did very well. It was a growing experience. But a good one. We are determined to get this book of Mormon to this man some how. And where there is a will there is a way right??
In other news, Tuesday I got to see my very first Apostle ever!
We arrived in the gym for devotional and sat around per the usual waiting for the program to begin. Then a man stepped up to the microphone, it was early, the devotional was not due to start for another 20 minutes or so. He told all the elders in a rather firm mannerism to please don their suit jackets. Then he said in a criptic kind of way with one of those particular "I know something you don't know" kind of smiles, "Also, we don't stand to sing the hymns of Zion unless one of the Brethren is in the room."
Well that did it, the room was instantaneously abuzz. Then a few minutes later the doors to the foyer opened and everyone leapt to their feet, being a smart crowd of missionaries, we'd figured something was afoot. In walks Elder Russell M. Nelson.
Great experience eh? I enjoyed it.
Once again, thank you to everyone who is sending me mail! Dear elders, letters, and cards. And packages! I try to write everyone back because I appreciate it so much, but my P-days (they are not really called preparation days you know, P really stands for PANIC) are really packed. And my poor hand only writes so fast. So I promise I will get back to you all eventually, because I REALLY do want to write you. But forgive me in advance for the brevity please!
I love you all.
Ta, until next Monday!
Sister Melissa Thiessen
Well, this week has definitely been an interesting one. For our TRC this Saturday we taught the plan of salvation for the first time in Chinese. Which could have been great right? Except that we had no time all week to study, which meant that Saturday rolled around and we were without vocabulary type knowledge. But there is a fun story for the TRC this week. So let me back up...actually, let me jump back a whole week...
So last Friday, well ok, it was two Fridays ago now, I received an dear elder from my roommate of the past, Lexi. She has a new cohort member, he was American born Chinese. Not a member of the church but attending BYU. She was doing member missionary work with him. Well my companions and I taught Lexi and a Taiwanese chap the following day. However it didn't come to my realization that it could have been the fellow she'd mentioned until some time later. I'm a little slow. So on Monday night I receive another Dear Elder from Lexi talking about the TRC experience.
Low and behold it was the same guy! He was an actual investigator. Our second time in the MTC really teaching a lesson, and the second time that we didn't know until after the fact. Fun stuff. Well my companions and I were very excited about the letter from Lexi, probably largely due to the fact that Lexi was pretty ecstatic herself in this letter. I'd not thought much of the lesson with them. Our Chinese was so so, but we'd done a few things ok. Well apparently this chap really liked it, and he'd felt the spirit. Enough to tell Lexi that he wanted to come back this last Saturday. We reacted in true missionary fashion, hoping against hope that it would work out and we could teach him again. We organized it with the TRC so that we could be assigned to him again, turns out he was already signed up again! We bought a Book of Mormon and marked up Moroni's promise and also wrote out a big and inspiring testimony in the cover. Oh we were so excited, so prepared. We worked out a wonderful lesson plan. It was going to be awesome! He was going to be taught by three amazing sister missionaries and be blown away by the power and authority of God. He was going to be converted right there on the spot! Committed to Baptism! It was all set!
Well Saturday rolls around, with much nervousness, and we arrived at the MTC. Unfortunately he did not. But we taught three girls from Hong Kong instead, and they were lovely and quite forgiving of our lack of preparation for a completely separate scenario and a lack of vocabulary...well at least on my part. My companions did very well. It was a growing experience. But a good one. We are determined to get this book of Mormon to this man some how. And where there is a will there is a way right??
In other news, Tuesday I got to see my very first Apostle ever!
We arrived in the gym for devotional and sat around per the usual waiting for the program to begin. Then a man stepped up to the microphone, it was early, the devotional was not due to start for another 20 minutes or so. He told all the elders in a rather firm mannerism to please don their suit jackets. Then he said in a criptic kind of way with one of those particular "I know something you don't know" kind of smiles, "Also, we don't stand to sing the hymns of Zion unless one of the Brethren is in the room."
Well that did it, the room was instantaneously abuzz. Then a few minutes later the doors to the foyer opened and everyone leapt to their feet, being a smart crowd of missionaries, we'd figured something was afoot. In walks Elder Russell M. Nelson.
Great experience eh? I enjoyed it.
Once again, thank you to everyone who is sending me mail! Dear elders, letters, and cards. And packages! I try to write everyone back because I appreciate it so much, but my P-days (they are not really called preparation days you know, P really stands for PANIC) are really packed. And my poor hand only writes so fast. So I promise I will get back to you all eventually, because I REALLY do want to write you. But forgive me in advance for the brevity please!
I love you all.
Ta, until next Monday!
Sister Melissa Thiessen
Tuesday, October 19, 2010
30 days left in the MTC??
One month left in the MTC, thats just 30 days! Wow.
This week...what have I done this week?
We got the new missionaries in, and like a breath fresh from babylon they came. With them they brought the rejuvinating zest of those fresh to the work. They all seem pretty friendly and excited to be here. One odd thing of note, I thought it was kinda strange to have my brother here at the MTC the same time I am, well there is one sister and brother pair here both in the same zone!! They are both mandarin speaking, she is going to taiwan and he is going to singapore! How strange is that? I'm not sure how I would feel though I guess its a pretty cool thing haha.
We got our new tongban (companion) Her name is Sister Fleming. She hails from utah and she is probably the very most excited missionary I have ever met. she is excited about absolutely everything about the MTC and this new calling. Sometimes her great enthusiasm can be a bit much to take, but she has a very sweet spirit. She already knows a good deal of chinese and knows many of the actual characters not just the pinyin so I know that I can learn a lot from her. It is however quite an adjustment to go from constantly keeping track of just one other person to having two to have with you at all times.
We also taught for the first time in a tripanionship on saturday. Our second lession in Chinese. It went so much better than the first in my humble opinion. (Sister fleming also did great) We get in the room to teach and low and behold whom do I find?! My dear old roommate Lexi!! I had been wondering for 7 weeks now if I would get to see her, much less teach her. It was a little nerve wracking to teach someone I knew so well, but I managed all right I think.
My classes are now almost entriely in chinese, which is pretty intense. But on a good day I can understand 50-60% of it. Which is pretty amazing. I'm really trying to SYL (speak your language) more, and set a good examples for the new missionaries. I've been doing better at it, and I am surprised how much of a difference it really makes. My teachers do know something after all I guess eh?
I gave a talk on Sunday! In Chinese. Oh yeah. Well it was actually more like I shared a scripture and then I testified...but hey, It was pretty good if I do say so myself. The branch presidency assigns two missionaries each week to give talks. the catch is that they don't announce who those two will be until that sunday, right before sacrament. So everyone has to prepare talks. these talks are the terror of the Zone, everyone dreads being called every sunday. I kind of had the inside info on it though, Last sunday, my two roommates are the music coordinators and they get to see the magical presidency sheet of answers. they saw my name to give a talk. But an elder in my district, one dear Elder Randal (the elder from newzeland) volunteered and removed my neck from the chopping block. So this week I was entirely prepared and delivered an amazing product. Even if it was under 4 minutes...
Well, thats all I have time for dear friends and family. But I thank you all again so much for your support and your continued mail efforts. they bring the sunshine to my very crowded week. I miss you all and wish you a good week!
Sister Melissa Thiessen
This week...what have I done this week?
We got the new missionaries in, and like a breath fresh from babylon they came. With them they brought the rejuvinating zest of those fresh to the work. They all seem pretty friendly and excited to be here. One odd thing of note, I thought it was kinda strange to have my brother here at the MTC the same time I am, well there is one sister and brother pair here both in the same zone!! They are both mandarin speaking, she is going to taiwan and he is going to singapore! How strange is that? I'm not sure how I would feel though I guess its a pretty cool thing haha.
We got our new tongban (companion) Her name is Sister Fleming. She hails from utah and she is probably the very most excited missionary I have ever met. she is excited about absolutely everything about the MTC and this new calling. Sometimes her great enthusiasm can be a bit much to take, but she has a very sweet spirit. She already knows a good deal of chinese and knows many of the actual characters not just the pinyin so I know that I can learn a lot from her. It is however quite an adjustment to go from constantly keeping track of just one other person to having two to have with you at all times.
We also taught for the first time in a tripanionship on saturday. Our second lession in Chinese. It went so much better than the first in my humble opinion. (Sister fleming also did great) We get in the room to teach and low and behold whom do I find?! My dear old roommate Lexi!! I had been wondering for 7 weeks now if I would get to see her, much less teach her. It was a little nerve wracking to teach someone I knew so well, but I managed all right I think.
My classes are now almost entriely in chinese, which is pretty intense. But on a good day I can understand 50-60% of it. Which is pretty amazing. I'm really trying to SYL (speak your language) more, and set a good examples for the new missionaries. I've been doing better at it, and I am surprised how much of a difference it really makes. My teachers do know something after all I guess eh?
I gave a talk on Sunday! In Chinese. Oh yeah. Well it was actually more like I shared a scripture and then I testified...but hey, It was pretty good if I do say so myself. The branch presidency assigns two missionaries each week to give talks. the catch is that they don't announce who those two will be until that sunday, right before sacrament. So everyone has to prepare talks. these talks are the terror of the Zone, everyone dreads being called every sunday. I kind of had the inside info on it though, Last sunday, my two roommates are the music coordinators and they get to see the magical presidency sheet of answers. they saw my name to give a talk. But an elder in my district, one dear Elder Randal (the elder from newzeland) volunteered and removed my neck from the chopping block. So this week I was entirely prepared and delivered an amazing product. Even if it was under 4 minutes...
Well, thats all I have time for dear friends and family. But I thank you all again so much for your support and your continued mail efforts. they bring the sunshine to my very crowded week. I miss you all and wish you a good week!
Sister Melissa Thiessen
Half Way!
Made it! Half way.
I've now officially been here halfway. Six more weeks to go.
This week was another trying week. Its getting to the point where I'm sort of feeling like my sponge is full and I cant absorb any more. I need to find some way to wringit out. We are stepping up our chinese because now we are teaching in chinese. Can I just say, wow? That is a difficult thing? It feels like a handicap. But it does force us to teach very simply. Which is a good thing.
Our first experiance in the TRC with teaching in chinese was...sub par. At least for me.
We taught the only two volunteers that came in that day that were native taiwaneese. They were lovely people, both of them. So very nice, they smiled so much and were so friendly with us. And encouraging as we stumbled along. Which we did. It was ok, not painful at least...until one of them said something...then it all went down hill. We could understand maybe 1 word out of 20. I felt like "What language are you speaking? Because thats not what I'm speaking here." We would ask them questions and it felt pointless because we could not envolve them nor address their concerns. And when they asked us a question? Well...I just hope we said something along the lines of what they needed to know. The man was very helpful, he really tried to supply us with words when we struggled. His lady friend spoke no english but she gave us encouraging smiles.
I however was very frustrated, and probably as a result, did not feel the spirit. When we left the room I was upset to say the least. I felt completely useless, and entirely unable to help these people. My companion Sister Petersen said she'd felt the spirit, so did our teacher when she observed. Why didn't I? Chinese was making me a spiritual mute! I felt like I couldn't convey anything. My feelings of frustration increased when we found out only then that the man we'd taught was an ACTUAL investigator. Not a member, or a returned missionary or something of the like. I really really hoped that our inability to communicate the importance of the gosple didn't hurt his chance to recieve it.
I later realized (once again, boy am I thick) that this is so much bigger than the chinese. I really can't expect to learn and understand all this after a month! A bare month! and I'm already teaching (or attempting to teach) in chinese! I guess I need to be told more than once...which really isn't anything new... Even in the after months in the field I probably will not be able to understand a great deal of what people in the country tell me. But the amazing thing I realized is why it is important to me to speak this language. I realized why I want to learn it so very very badly and get so frustrated at my own inabilities. Its because I really do very much care for those people, and I care that they recieve this message. Because it is the most important messege they will ever get the chance to hear. I really just want to be able to tell them. I'll get there. Eventually. But until then I need patience...which is something (as any of you who know me will attest to) that I am notoriously not well known for.
This wednesday our new missionaries arrive. 22 of them. Included among them are 7 sisters! so many! 2 of them are going to be accellerated into our transfer. This makes me nervous. They will most likely add one sister to each of the existing companionships, making us tripanionships. I really don't know how we are going to adjust to another person squeezing into our dynamic, and I really fear making her feel more left out than she already will. I can't imagine trying to catch up to 6 weeks worth of MTC style learning while trying to melt into a dynamic of missionaries as closely knit as 6 weeks of learning chinese makes you! That would be so hard! I really hope we can adjust well.
Well, thats all I can spew out for this week in the time I'm allotted here. Ya gotta take what ya can get! Be well everyone!
I've now officially been here halfway. Six more weeks to go.
This week was another trying week. Its getting to the point where I'm sort of feeling like my sponge is full and I cant absorb any more. I need to find some way to wringit out. We are stepping up our chinese because now we are teaching in chinese. Can I just say, wow? That is a difficult thing? It feels like a handicap. But it does force us to teach very simply. Which is a good thing.
Our first experiance in the TRC with teaching in chinese was...sub par. At least for me.
We taught the only two volunteers that came in that day that were native taiwaneese. They were lovely people, both of them. So very nice, they smiled so much and were so friendly with us. And encouraging as we stumbled along. Which we did. It was ok, not painful at least...until one of them said something...then it all went down hill. We could understand maybe 1 word out of 20. I felt like "What language are you speaking? Because thats not what I'm speaking here." We would ask them questions and it felt pointless because we could not envolve them nor address their concerns. And when they asked us a question? Well...I just hope we said something along the lines of what they needed to know. The man was very helpful, he really tried to supply us with words when we struggled. His lady friend spoke no english but she gave us encouraging smiles.
I however was very frustrated, and probably as a result, did not feel the spirit. When we left the room I was upset to say the least. I felt completely useless, and entirely unable to help these people. My companion Sister Petersen said she'd felt the spirit, so did our teacher when she observed. Why didn't I? Chinese was making me a spiritual mute! I felt like I couldn't convey anything. My feelings of frustration increased when we found out only then that the man we'd taught was an ACTUAL investigator. Not a member, or a returned missionary or something of the like. I really really hoped that our inability to communicate the importance of the gosple didn't hurt his chance to recieve it.
I later realized (once again, boy am I thick) that this is so much bigger than the chinese. I really can't expect to learn and understand all this after a month! A bare month! and I'm already teaching (or attempting to teach) in chinese! I guess I need to be told more than once...which really isn't anything new... Even in the after months in the field I probably will not be able to understand a great deal of what people in the country tell me. But the amazing thing I realized is why it is important to me to speak this language. I realized why I want to learn it so very very badly and get so frustrated at my own inabilities. Its because I really do very much care for those people, and I care that they recieve this message. Because it is the most important messege they will ever get the chance to hear. I really just want to be able to tell them. I'll get there. Eventually. But until then I need patience...which is something (as any of you who know me will attest to) that I am notoriously not well known for.
This wednesday our new missionaries arrive. 22 of them. Included among them are 7 sisters! so many! 2 of them are going to be accellerated into our transfer. This makes me nervous. They will most likely add one sister to each of the existing companionships, making us tripanionships. I really don't know how we are going to adjust to another person squeezing into our dynamic, and I really fear making her feel more left out than she already will. I can't imagine trying to catch up to 6 weeks worth of MTC style learning while trying to melt into a dynamic of missionaries as closely knit as 6 weeks of learning chinese makes you! That would be so hard! I really hope we can adjust well.
Well, thats all I can spew out for this week in the time I'm allotted here. Ya gotta take what ya can get! Be well everyone!
Monday, October 4, 2010
A week of improvement.
A week of improvement.
This week was a huge improvement on last week. Let me start by giving a ginormous thank you to everyone that wrote me this week with words of encouragement. They accomplished their purpose. I was very much uplifted by the love showered down upon me by my family and friends. Thank you so much!
Earlier this week while still troubled, my companion and I had another of our very long, very deep discussions. It was decided that I should go see the branch president about the lack of desire (not complete lack, but not as full and brimming as I would have liked) to be in the MTC. We talked, pres Baker and I, about a lot of things that very night. We decided that some people just don't do as well in the extreme structure of the MTC as others. We both decided that I will probably be just fine in the actual mission field. His talking with me comforted my unease, and then he gave me a blessing. He told me, in the blessing, not to worry about the language, that I would master it. That was such a comfort to me, among the many other things he said. The rest of the week went by with more and more encouragement.
This week I had a meeting with one of my teachers, a progress meeting like we have every week. This week was my first time with our male teacher Kong Laoshi (laoshi being teacher in chinese) he asked me how the language was coming along and then when I expressed my frustration he gave me a few words of advice. He asked about my language study plan and my prayers before and after language study. I took the points he gave me to heart and applied them, that day I had a great Chinese learning experience. In that one session of MDT I think I may have learned more than on any other one day. I can now teach how to pray in Chinese, as well as hold a modest brief conversation. My SYL (speak your language-meaning at all times) has also greatly improved. There is no way that we can succeed in learning this language without the lord. No way. Next week starts our practice teaching the lessons fully in chinese....oh boy...
General conference was this weekend. What an amazing experience, that I am glad I got to have in the MTC. How many of the thousands of missionaries that pass through these doors get to be here on one of the two weekends a year of general conference? I am so pleased I got to be one of them. What a great thing to be sitting in an auditorium full of dedicated and ordained servants of the lord on one of His bi-annual conferences, His prophets speaking to His people. When Elder Holland talked? Oh my, every missionary in that room was reduced to tears. I am completely serious there. There was not one that I heard talk about it afte,r or I saw around me, that was not sniffling and blinking back watery eyes. He has such a way of oration, he is a powerful speaker. And what a thing to give a talk in conference about nothing but gratitude! Our President Monson also moved me. He is and always was an amazing speaker. He can take you from laughing to tears in a singe sentence. All the talks were amazing, and I found new appreciation in them from this perspective.
A few things of note happened this week. I got pumpkin pie! Which of course is a thing of note! One of the other sisters mother sent it to her same day mail. one of the giant ones from Costco! It was soooooo amazing!
Also, the other night I was in the shower, happily enjoying the hot water and washing my hair, when suddenly a piercing screech shattered my blissful moments. The fire alarm was going off! I considered staying under the water, but then my companion, and our roommate sister Gandolf came to get me. I had to throw on clothes and abandon my things. It turns out one of the new sisters had burned a bag of popcorn! So we all had to evacuate the floor. I never got to finish that shower...
And last but not least, my dear brother showed up here on Thursday evening. Having been previously warned by my mother, all of Friday morning I was craning my neck and carefully examining the face of every elder to see if I could spot him. To sister Petersen I said "I am going to develop a complex here looking so intensely at all these elders." To me she replied, "...don't worry about it, you still have 6 weeks to see him. One day you will just be walking along and then you will say to yourself, "I know the back of that head!" And that is exactly how it happened too! Only fortunately, I only had to wait until lunch on the first day he was here!
I was just setting down my tray at our table when I looked up and low and behold. I said to myself "I recognize the back of that head!" Aloud I shouted (in Chinese mind you) That's my brother! That's my brother!" and I lept up and dove into the sea of suits struggling for food. I reached him standing in the lunch line. "Elder Thiessen," I said. He turned about and a huge grin split his face. Right there he gave me a huge hug! The elders around us were comically mortified. But Jacob pacified them all, with our name tags held out as proof, "Its ok, She is my sister!"
It was great! How sweet that he has my same lunch period? Since that is probably the only time I will get to see him. I've seen him a few more times since then, hopefully in the future we will get to talk more.
Our older districts leave tomorrow. That is sooooo odd!! We will be alone for a week, there will only be 4 sisters in all the MTC learning Mandarin, and I will be rooming with them all!! Then the new ones get here and we will have to care for them. I am not ready for that kind of responsibility!!
Well, that ends another blog. I hope you all are well. I love you all!
Sister Melissa thiessen.
This week was a huge improvement on last week. Let me start by giving a ginormous thank you to everyone that wrote me this week with words of encouragement. They accomplished their purpose. I was very much uplifted by the love showered down upon me by my family and friends. Thank you so much!
Earlier this week while still troubled, my companion and I had another of our very long, very deep discussions. It was decided that I should go see the branch president about the lack of desire (not complete lack, but not as full and brimming as I would have liked) to be in the MTC. We talked, pres Baker and I, about a lot of things that very night. We decided that some people just don't do as well in the extreme structure of the MTC as others. We both decided that I will probably be just fine in the actual mission field. His talking with me comforted my unease, and then he gave me a blessing. He told me, in the blessing, not to worry about the language, that I would master it. That was such a comfort to me, among the many other things he said. The rest of the week went by with more and more encouragement.
This week I had a meeting with one of my teachers, a progress meeting like we have every week. This week was my first time with our male teacher Kong Laoshi (laoshi being teacher in chinese) he asked me how the language was coming along and then when I expressed my frustration he gave me a few words of advice. He asked about my language study plan and my prayers before and after language study. I took the points he gave me to heart and applied them, that day I had a great Chinese learning experience. In that one session of MDT I think I may have learned more than on any other one day. I can now teach how to pray in Chinese, as well as hold a modest brief conversation. My SYL (speak your language-meaning at all times) has also greatly improved. There is no way that we can succeed in learning this language without the lord. No way. Next week starts our practice teaching the lessons fully in chinese....oh boy...
General conference was this weekend. What an amazing experience, that I am glad I got to have in the MTC. How many of the thousands of missionaries that pass through these doors get to be here on one of the two weekends a year of general conference? I am so pleased I got to be one of them. What a great thing to be sitting in an auditorium full of dedicated and ordained servants of the lord on one of His bi-annual conferences, His prophets speaking to His people. When Elder Holland talked? Oh my, every missionary in that room was reduced to tears. I am completely serious there. There was not one that I heard talk about it afte,r or I saw around me, that was not sniffling and blinking back watery eyes. He has such a way of oration, he is a powerful speaker. And what a thing to give a talk in conference about nothing but gratitude! Our President Monson also moved me. He is and always was an amazing speaker. He can take you from laughing to tears in a singe sentence. All the talks were amazing, and I found new appreciation in them from this perspective.
A few things of note happened this week. I got pumpkin pie! Which of course is a thing of note! One of the other sisters mother sent it to her same day mail. one of the giant ones from Costco! It was soooooo amazing!
Also, the other night I was in the shower, happily enjoying the hot water and washing my hair, when suddenly a piercing screech shattered my blissful moments. The fire alarm was going off! I considered staying under the water, but then my companion, and our roommate sister Gandolf came to get me. I had to throw on clothes and abandon my things. It turns out one of the new sisters had burned a bag of popcorn! So we all had to evacuate the floor. I never got to finish that shower...
And last but not least, my dear brother showed up here on Thursday evening. Having been previously warned by my mother, all of Friday morning I was craning my neck and carefully examining the face of every elder to see if I could spot him. To sister Petersen I said "I am going to develop a complex here looking so intensely at all these elders." To me she replied, "...don't worry about it, you still have 6 weeks to see him. One day you will just be walking along and then you will say to yourself, "I know the back of that head!" And that is exactly how it happened too! Only fortunately, I only had to wait until lunch on the first day he was here!
I was just setting down my tray at our table when I looked up and low and behold. I said to myself "I recognize the back of that head!" Aloud I shouted (in Chinese mind you) That's my brother! That's my brother!" and I lept up and dove into the sea of suits struggling for food. I reached him standing in the lunch line. "Elder Thiessen," I said. He turned about and a huge grin split his face. Right there he gave me a huge hug! The elders around us were comically mortified. But Jacob pacified them all, with our name tags held out as proof, "Its ok, She is my sister!"
It was great! How sweet that he has my same lunch period? Since that is probably the only time I will get to see him. I've seen him a few more times since then, hopefully in the future we will get to talk more.
Our older districts leave tomorrow. That is sooooo odd!! We will be alone for a week, there will only be 4 sisters in all the MTC learning Mandarin, and I will be rooming with them all!! Then the new ones get here and we will have to care for them. I am not ready for that kind of responsibility!!
Well, that ends another blog. I hope you all are well. I love you all!
Sister Melissa thiessen.
Tuesday, September 28, 2010
Week 5? Already?
Week 5? Already?
Its an eternity. And I'm still not even to halfway yet (for the MTC I mean)! But I've already been here a few days shy of a month. October is creeping up on us here. I miss the fall changing the colors on the trees. I can see them from the gates of the MTC on the mountainside. But as is life, and its only two falls I will be away...or is it three?
It was a really hard week for me emotionally again. It was a rollercoaster week of ups, downs, and corkscrews. I don't like being so emotionally wrung out, but I guess I had better get used to it though, that is a mission for you. Yesterday was really hard. I have been battling discouragement and doubt and feeling unworthy to be here all week but they pequed yesterday. I ended up having a small break down with my companion about it. Once again she proved to be invaluable as a support. She has such a huge testimony its really inspiring. One of the things she said to me stuck with me particularly. She said that santan is here just as much as the holy ghost is. He knows what we are doing, and he knows who we are going to teach and who we are going to touch. She said that I must have some work cut out for me ahead, and that I must have someone important to teach because he is really hammering on me. He knows exactly where my weaknesses lie and he is really pounding on them trying to get me to give up and go home. Well I don't quit. And he isn't going to make me.
Within the next week and a half, all of the older mandarin districts will be leaving for Taiwan. It is an off feeling. Our branch will go from 70+ down to 20. We will have gone from 10 sisters to 4. We will be so lonely. But only for a week, then the new missionaries will come in. They tell us there will only be around 20 more however, still quite small. We will then be the older, more experianced, verterin MTC districts. That is an intimidating thought, I do not know enough chinese to have that happen to me. All the sisters recieved callings because of the change over.
The one bright spot of this week was the TRC. When we taught the 2nd lesson (the plan of salvation) for the first time, Sister Petersen and I were spot on. We had companionship unity and the spirit on our side. Of course there is still so far to improve on our teaching skills, but we have also made great strides. The 'investigator' was a wonderful man and he was very active in our discussion. We had even prepared little cut out peices of the plan of Salvation which we had him assemble and put in order. He seemed highly amused by that fact. I was glad, it had taken us several hours the day before to cut them out and draw them up! At the end of the lesson we commited him to baptizm. Our first. He was hesitant at the first commital. But we explained to him the importance of baptizm in his life and how the atonement applied directly to him and he readily agreed the second time. After the lesson was over the man came up and thanked us for doing such a good job. He told us that he really loved sister missionaries and he appreciated the great spirit that we brought to teaching. It was a heartening experiance.
Well that little red timer is blinking at me. I hope you all are well.
Sister Melissa Thiessen
Its an eternity. And I'm still not even to halfway yet (for the MTC I mean)! But I've already been here a few days shy of a month. October is creeping up on us here. I miss the fall changing the colors on the trees. I can see them from the gates of the MTC on the mountainside. But as is life, and its only two falls I will be away...or is it three?
It was a really hard week for me emotionally again. It was a rollercoaster week of ups, downs, and corkscrews. I don't like being so emotionally wrung out, but I guess I had better get used to it though, that is a mission for you. Yesterday was really hard. I have been battling discouragement and doubt and feeling unworthy to be here all week but they pequed yesterday. I ended up having a small break down with my companion about it. Once again she proved to be invaluable as a support. She has such a huge testimony its really inspiring. One of the things she said to me stuck with me particularly. She said that santan is here just as much as the holy ghost is. He knows what we are doing, and he knows who we are going to teach and who we are going to touch. She said that I must have some work cut out for me ahead, and that I must have someone important to teach because he is really hammering on me. He knows exactly where my weaknesses lie and he is really pounding on them trying to get me to give up and go home. Well I don't quit. And he isn't going to make me.
Within the next week and a half, all of the older mandarin districts will be leaving for Taiwan. It is an off feeling. Our branch will go from 70+ down to 20. We will have gone from 10 sisters to 4. We will be so lonely. But only for a week, then the new missionaries will come in. They tell us there will only be around 20 more however, still quite small. We will then be the older, more experianced, verterin MTC districts. That is an intimidating thought, I do not know enough chinese to have that happen to me. All the sisters recieved callings because of the change over.
The one bright spot of this week was the TRC. When we taught the 2nd lesson (the plan of salvation) for the first time, Sister Petersen and I were spot on. We had companionship unity and the spirit on our side. Of course there is still so far to improve on our teaching skills, but we have also made great strides. The 'investigator' was a wonderful man and he was very active in our discussion. We had even prepared little cut out peices of the plan of Salvation which we had him assemble and put in order. He seemed highly amused by that fact. I was glad, it had taken us several hours the day before to cut them out and draw them up! At the end of the lesson we commited him to baptizm. Our first. He was hesitant at the first commital. But we explained to him the importance of baptizm in his life and how the atonement applied directly to him and he readily agreed the second time. After the lesson was over the man came up and thanked us for doing such a good job. He told us that he really loved sister missionaries and he appreciated the great spirit that we brought to teaching. It was a heartening experiance.
Well that little red timer is blinking at me. I hope you all are well.
Sister Melissa Thiessen
Tuesday, September 21, 2010
Exercise AFTER a meal?!
This is the beginning of my fourth week here at the MTC. Its weird that I have been in here that long, and still it will be ages before I can leave. But its even more strange to see people that came in the same day as me pack up and leave already. I will see several transfers of new missionaries come and go before I do. We are the old timers here, us twelve weekers. Life is starting to get routine now, and the days are beginning to peel by in a quick-like fashion.
I just realized I haven't outlined what my days are like to all you folks yet. Would you like to hear? I bet you would.
I get up bright and early at 6:00 to get ready for the day, yes a full 30 minutes before anyone else does (all of you that are laughing at me right now. Just stop. Rude.). This week however I will be starting a new routine where I crawl out of bed at 5:30 to squeeze in some extra excersise time. Crazy? I think so. We leave for the building we have class in every day at 6:55 and have personal study from 7 until 8:15. I'm really starting to like personal study in the mornings, and surprisingly enough I don't fall asleep. I do often wake up Sister Petersen (companion) though.
At 8:15 we join the throngs of elders (tastefully sprinkled with sisters) on the walkways to the cafeteria. We wait in very long lines for food, then head back to class. Now our schedule begins to varry a little more. Sometimes we have companionship study for an hour, then some Missionary directed study time (or mdt) or we have class. Usually the classes are pretty long, and they vary day to day because our teachers are students and we must work around their schedule.
1:00 brings lunch, and then sometimes Gym is right after. I really hate that, gym being after a meal. Its very much by the way of annoying. How are you expected to go running after you have just eaten? really? inconsiderate. Or sometimes we have gym right after dinner! There are two days a week where we don't have it right after a meal, once a week its at 6:30 am, and one other time it is before dinner. *sigh* Oh well. I really think those of us here the longest should get the best times...someday when I'm in charge...
After lunch when we do not have gym, or MDT its more class. Then dinner is at 6. Tuesdays and sundays after dinner we have a fireside or a devotional. And every one I have been to so far have been very much amazing. We have had many a speaker from the 70 come. (once in reliefe society we had Sister Elaine S Dalton, the gerneral president for the yong women speak to us. It was great). On every other day we either have more class or some MDT. From 9-9:30 we have planning, 9:30-10:30 we do whatever, mostly it is filled with showering, getting ready for the next day, then lights out.
Now it may seem like we have a lot of MDT time and that since its not class time, it is free-ish time. This is a fallacy. We are so busy all the time that there is simply not _enough_ time! I need more time to study! Honestly! How else am I supposed to learn chinese and all I need about the gosple to bring hundreds of conversions to the church in only 9 more weeks!! (ok, I really am Not expecting hundreds...but why shoot low eh?) MDT is a precious time we take to research and apply what we have been learning.
Sundays our schedule actually does include free time. It is my favorite day of the week now (besides monday when I get to write you all of course. And Wear PANTS!). It is very restful most of the time, and I take a break from chinese and just give all my time to the gosple. Or sleeping, I actually got to take a real nap yesterday! For an hour! it was amazing, let me tell you.
My district is getting very close, and I am enjoying all my elders. they try so hard to be mature around us (the sisters). Its comical really. But they are young men with such amazing depth in the gosple that sometimes I forget they are so young. And they really are so young. But the Lord really knows what he is doing after all. They, every single one of them, will be amazing missionaries. And I learn a lot from them.
Well my time has once again ended. But I love you all! Write me people! Bring me some sunshine!
-Sister Melissa Thiessen
This is the beginning of my fourth week here at the MTC. Its weird that I have been in here that long, and still it will be ages before I can leave. But its even more strange to see people that came in the same day as me pack up and leave already. I will see several transfers of new missionaries come and go before I do. We are the old timers here, us twelve weekers. Life is starting to get routine now, and the days are beginning to peel by in a quick-like fashion.
I just realized I haven't outlined what my days are like to all you folks yet. Would you like to hear? I bet you would.
I get up bright and early at 6:00 to get ready for the day, yes a full 30 minutes before anyone else does (all of you that are laughing at me right now. Just stop. Rude.). This week however I will be starting a new routine where I crawl out of bed at 5:30 to squeeze in some extra excersise time. Crazy? I think so. We leave for the building we have class in every day at 6:55 and have personal study from 7 until 8:15. I'm really starting to like personal study in the mornings, and surprisingly enough I don't fall asleep. I do often wake up Sister Petersen (companion) though.
At 8:15 we join the throngs of elders (tastefully sprinkled with sisters) on the walkways to the cafeteria. We wait in very long lines for food, then head back to class. Now our schedule begins to varry a little more. Sometimes we have companionship study for an hour, then some Missionary directed study time (or mdt) or we have class. Usually the classes are pretty long, and they vary day to day because our teachers are students and we must work around their schedule.
1:00 brings lunch, and then sometimes Gym is right after. I really hate that, gym being after a meal. Its very much by the way of annoying. How are you expected to go running after you have just eaten? really? inconsiderate. Or sometimes we have gym right after dinner! There are two days a week where we don't have it right after a meal, once a week its at 6:30 am, and one other time it is before dinner. *sigh* Oh well. I really think those of us here the longest should get the best times...someday when I'm in charge...
After lunch when we do not have gym, or MDT its more class. Then dinner is at 6. Tuesdays and sundays after dinner we have a fireside or a devotional. And every one I have been to so far have been very much amazing. We have had many a speaker from the 70 come. (once in reliefe society we had Sister Elaine S Dalton, the gerneral president for the yong women speak to us. It was great). On every other day we either have more class or some MDT. From 9-9:30 we have planning, 9:30-10:30 we do whatever, mostly it is filled with showering, getting ready for the next day, then lights out.
Now it may seem like we have a lot of MDT time and that since its not class time, it is free-ish time. This is a fallacy. We are so busy all the time that there is simply not _enough_ time! I need more time to study! Honestly! How else am I supposed to learn chinese and all I need about the gosple to bring hundreds of conversions to the church in only 9 more weeks!! (ok, I really am Not expecting hundreds...but why shoot low eh?) MDT is a precious time we take to research and apply what we have been learning.
Sundays our schedule actually does include free time. It is my favorite day of the week now (besides monday when I get to write you all of course. And Wear PANTS!). It is very restful most of the time, and I take a break from chinese and just give all my time to the gosple. Or sleeping, I actually got to take a real nap yesterday! For an hour! it was amazing, let me tell you.
My district is getting very close, and I am enjoying all my elders. they try so hard to be mature around us (the sisters). Its comical really. But they are young men with such amazing depth in the gosple that sometimes I forget they are so young. And they really are so young. But the Lord really knows what he is doing after all. They, every single one of them, will be amazing missionaries. And I learn a lot from them.
Well my time has once again ended. But I love you all! Write me people! Bring me some sunshine!
-Sister Melissa Thiessen
Monday, September 13, 2010
Week Three Begins
The MTC is treating me much better now, (though unfortunately it restrains my time to update this blog horribly.) I am told that in 12 weeks when we get to the field it will be better and I will have an hour. Until then you all will just have to suffer through unbearably short and vague posts. I apologize. I am learning sooooo very much. I love my teachers. They are simply amazing. I really wish I could just write down every word that falls our of their mouths, it’s all so completely inspiring. I don’t know how they do it consistently, day after day. They juggle the gospel and teaching us all this incredibly hard language.
Oh the language. Chinese is incredibly intense. But I love it. I am VERY excited to learn it some day and I know that someday I will though, right now I am barely keeping my head above water. I’m definitely improving, and it really is an amazing pace. I’ve been here 13 days and I’ve already probably doubled the knowledge that I obtained during a whole semester at school. Though, to me, day in and day out my complete awkwardness and lack of skill in the language is infuriating. They encourage us to SYL, or Speak Your Language, all the time. Trade the words and sentences you know in English for those in your mission language. Let’s just say I’m really, really being humbled here, hahaha. I’m pretty bad at it. I can hear and understand quite a bit though. Just don’t expect me to be able to repeat it! Everyone says not to stress too badly, no matter how good we speak it here, we will fall flat on our faces when we reach the field anyway. Hahaha
I love my district. We have amazing elders and they teach me more and more every day. It’s really something how the Lord calls 19 yr old boys to fulfill this work, which is of paramount importance, but they rise to the occasions completely. It’s astounding. Of course sometimes they do something and you remember, yes, they are still teenagers, but most of the time, I’m entirely impressed with the level of spiritual maturity exhibited here. We also have a lot of fun. They say they like us, (their sisters) because we don’t make them feel like children. (I guess some of the sisters do that….) I appreciate their spirits so much.
We had our first temple trip today and it was amazing. I really think I love the Provo temple. It was closed last Monday, because of Labor Day. I went in for the first time with some questions and the Lord made the answers clear to me. It was such a spiritual experience.
I love you all and I wish I had more time to write out my experiences! But this evil red timer is blinking at me! And I only have 30 minutes to answer all of my email. I can only write on P-days. Such a shame really. I REALLY appreciate mail everyone, so write to me! dearelder.com is amazing and inspired of god, I swear. I love receiving mail.
Thank you all so much for your support and your prayers. I can feel them and they help to pull me along when I can hardly bear the weight of the responsibility of this amazing calling.
Sister M. Thiessen
(Sounds so official right? I know! Hahaha)
The MTC is treating me much better now, (though unfortunately it restrains my time to update this blog horribly.) I am told that in 12 weeks when we get to the field it will be better and I will have an hour. Until then you all will just have to suffer through unbearably short and vague posts. I apologize. I am learning sooooo very much. I love my teachers. They are simply amazing. I really wish I could just write down every word that falls our of their mouths, it’s all so completely inspiring. I don’t know how they do it consistently, day after day. They juggle the gospel and teaching us all this incredibly hard language.
Oh the language. Chinese is incredibly intense. But I love it. I am VERY excited to learn it some day and I know that someday I will though, right now I am barely keeping my head above water. I’m definitely improving, and it really is an amazing pace. I’ve been here 13 days and I’ve already probably doubled the knowledge that I obtained during a whole semester at school. Though, to me, day in and day out my complete awkwardness and lack of skill in the language is infuriating. They encourage us to SYL, or Speak Your Language, all the time. Trade the words and sentences you know in English for those in your mission language. Let’s just say I’m really, really being humbled here, hahaha. I’m pretty bad at it. I can hear and understand quite a bit though. Just don’t expect me to be able to repeat it! Everyone says not to stress too badly, no matter how good we speak it here, we will fall flat on our faces when we reach the field anyway. Hahaha
I love my district. We have amazing elders and they teach me more and more every day. It’s really something how the Lord calls 19 yr old boys to fulfill this work, which is of paramount importance, but they rise to the occasions completely. It’s astounding. Of course sometimes they do something and you remember, yes, they are still teenagers, but most of the time, I’m entirely impressed with the level of spiritual maturity exhibited here. We also have a lot of fun. They say they like us, (their sisters) because we don’t make them feel like children. (I guess some of the sisters do that….) I appreciate their spirits so much.
We had our first temple trip today and it was amazing. I really think I love the Provo temple. It was closed last Monday, because of Labor Day. I went in for the first time with some questions and the Lord made the answers clear to me. It was such a spiritual experience.
I love you all and I wish I had more time to write out my experiences! But this evil red timer is blinking at me! And I only have 30 minutes to answer all of my email. I can only write on P-days. Such a shame really. I REALLY appreciate mail everyone, so write to me! dearelder.com is amazing and inspired of god, I swear. I love receiving mail.
Thank you all so much for your support and your prayers. I can feel them and they help to pull me along when I can hardly bear the weight of the responsibility of this amazing calling.
Sister M. Thiessen
(Sounds so official right? I know! Hahaha)
Tuesday, September 7, 2010
Beginning the Journey- The MTC
Wed Sept 1st 2010,
1:30pm, the Missionary Training Center. What an overwhelming thing. A curbside goodbye to two of my favorite people and then I was thrust into the peculiar routine of the MTC. Those first few days were very difficult and I honestly questioned my choice to come and not pursue a very different path with a certain boy. There was a lot of prayer, a lot of soul searching. The last few days however have been the Lord's way of answering my questionings. I'm beginning to remember my purpose and enjoy the experience.
The day before yesterday in one on my classes we watched a talk given by Jeffery R Holland, a talk given specifically to missionaries that can only be seen while we are here at the MTC. It was Amazing! With tears in his eyes he professed that his mission was the greatest thing that ever happened to him. He said he was inspired to digress from his planned talk and then begged any missionary toying with the idea of going home to stay. When I say begging I mean, really, he begged. He used such powerful language. He said he would rip the curtains off the walls and the cords from the TV s and tie us up if he could. He pleaded with us not to leave because of homesickness of feelings of inadequacy or any other reason, stating with all the power of his soul that this is the most important work we will ever do, and if we leave now we would regret it rot the rest of our lives. It was an AMAZING talk.
Then yesterday during devotional (which was honestly awesome) I began to feel that excited enthusiasm which drove me to come in the first place.
Yes, coming was a hard choice, but I am remembering my purpose. And honestly the MTC is a great place for learning. I have learned so much in so short a time. The fact that so many people volunteer their their time and so much of their lives to come and serve, and the teachers volunteering their time and lives to come and teach us, its astounding. Really it amazes me. Everyone is so cheerful and friendly here. It is quite a unique place in all the world.
My classes are great. I have two teachers, who are both wonderful people. Strangely enough one of them was in my ward here in Provo. It is so very odd to know him from a missionary perspective. I'm finding that time moves very oddly here in the MTC. Too slow but all together too fast. I have 12 weeks here, and that is forever long. 1/6th of my mission actually, and it seems like I've already been here an eternity rather than just six days. Six days!! Each morning I wake up, and each evening I clamber back into bed and wonder what had even been done in all the time between, the day went by so fast. And yet there is not enough time, not nearly enough time to learn what I need to learn.
Chinese is very difficult. Most of the people in my district (there are 8 of us) have had some background in the language, more than I have, and far surpass my meager skills. Oh how gloriously humbling that is. However, I am really really working to push the tones and words into my resistant brain. I am so excited to learn the language. I love Chinese!
My companion is a wonderful angel of a sister. Her name is Sister Emily Peterson, and she hails from Kaysville UT. Funny thing, after I first got my mission call I registered on the Taipei mission website. She registered when she got her call, saw my name and found me on FB. then we became companions. The lord works in strange ways. she is exactly what I needed here at the MTC. She has a missionary our right now and we both commiserate boy stories and longings. She is incredibly supportive and wise.
Because my time to email here is severely limited I am going to have to cut this short. I really really would love to regale you all with stories of my district mates, who are wonderful people, but there is sadly not the time! These stories of MTC life (which I know all of you are just dieing to hear) will have to wait until next week when hopefully I will not be so rushed to compose a better post.
Please please write me! I LOVE receiving letters, they brighten my entire week immeasurably. www.dearelder.com is absolutely AMAZING and I recommend it. My mission info is Taiwan, Taipei and my date of departure is 11/16. (you need those things to use www.dearelder.com.) My address is on fb, or contact my mother, Monica Bird Thiessen.
I love and miss you all!
Sister Melissa Thiessen
1:30pm, the Missionary Training Center. What an overwhelming thing. A curbside goodbye to two of my favorite people and then I was thrust into the peculiar routine of the MTC. Those first few days were very difficult and I honestly questioned my choice to come and not pursue a very different path with a certain boy. There was a lot of prayer, a lot of soul searching. The last few days however have been the Lord's way of answering my questionings. I'm beginning to remember my purpose and enjoy the experience.
The day before yesterday in one on my classes we watched a talk given by Jeffery R Holland, a talk given specifically to missionaries that can only be seen while we are here at the MTC. It was Amazing! With tears in his eyes he professed that his mission was the greatest thing that ever happened to him. He said he was inspired to digress from his planned talk and then begged any missionary toying with the idea of going home to stay. When I say begging I mean, really, he begged. He used such powerful language. He said he would rip the curtains off the walls and the cords from the TV s and tie us up if he could. He pleaded with us not to leave because of homesickness of feelings of inadequacy or any other reason, stating with all the power of his soul that this is the most important work we will ever do, and if we leave now we would regret it rot the rest of our lives. It was an AMAZING talk.
Then yesterday during devotional (which was honestly awesome) I began to feel that excited enthusiasm which drove me to come in the first place.
Yes, coming was a hard choice, but I am remembering my purpose. And honestly the MTC is a great place for learning. I have learned so much in so short a time. The fact that so many people volunteer their their time and so much of their lives to come and serve, and the teachers volunteering their time and lives to come and teach us, its astounding. Really it amazes me. Everyone is so cheerful and friendly here. It is quite a unique place in all the world.
My classes are great. I have two teachers, who are both wonderful people. Strangely enough one of them was in my ward here in Provo. It is so very odd to know him from a missionary perspective. I'm finding that time moves very oddly here in the MTC. Too slow but all together too fast. I have 12 weeks here, and that is forever long. 1/6th of my mission actually, and it seems like I've already been here an eternity rather than just six days. Six days!! Each morning I wake up, and each evening I clamber back into bed and wonder what had even been done in all the time between, the day went by so fast. And yet there is not enough time, not nearly enough time to learn what I need to learn.
Chinese is very difficult. Most of the people in my district (there are 8 of us) have had some background in the language, more than I have, and far surpass my meager skills. Oh how gloriously humbling that is. However, I am really really working to push the tones and words into my resistant brain. I am so excited to learn the language. I love Chinese!
My companion is a wonderful angel of a sister. Her name is Sister Emily Peterson, and she hails from Kaysville UT. Funny thing, after I first got my mission call I registered on the Taipei mission website. She registered when she got her call, saw my name and found me on FB. then we became companions. The lord works in strange ways. she is exactly what I needed here at the MTC. She has a missionary our right now and we both commiserate boy stories and longings. She is incredibly supportive and wise.
Because my time to email here is severely limited I am going to have to cut this short. I really really would love to regale you all with stories of my district mates, who are wonderful people, but there is sadly not the time! These stories of MTC life (which I know all of you are just dieing to hear) will have to wait until next week when hopefully I will not be so rushed to compose a better post.
Please please write me! I LOVE receiving letters, they brighten my entire week immeasurably. www.dearelder.com is absolutely AMAZING and I recommend it. My mission info is Taiwan, Taipei and my date of departure is 11/16. (you need those things to use www.dearelder.com.) My address is on fb, or contact my mother, Monica Bird Thiessen.
I love and miss you all!
Sister Melissa Thiessen
Saturday, September 4, 2010
She's at the MTC
Well, she's at the MTC. She went in on Wednesday at 1:30pm. She was a lot braver than her mother was. (That's me by the way, in the picture with Lissa.) I don't think she even looked back. Just went straight up the sidewalk, face up to the sun with excitement and determination, for this, her latest adventure.
I got an email on Thursday and she asked me to post that I will be posting on her blog, when she emails them to me on her Preparation Day. She gets one day a week to do laundry, write letters, etc. (Or part of a day, more likely.)
She is doing well. Misses everyone. Said the first couple of nights were a little rough. I am sure she is missing the communication tools that are part of our daily lives. Facebook, email, Deviant Art, and just web surfing. Missing all her family and friends.
Sorry I am not the writer that she is. My prose tends to be much simpler, less descriptive and more to the point.
On the up side, I am usually a better speller. :D
Look on Tuesday to see if I received an email on Monday to post.
Have a good Labor Day weekend everyone. Be safe.
Tuesday, August 24, 2010
First Stop: Reality.
I guess all things must eventually come to a close. Tomorrow morning I fly out of Munich and back through to Seattle. It seems like my time here has been both very long, and very short. Isn't it funny how time behaves that way? It was a good experience, and I am thankful that I could spend the last shreds of time with most of my family. I am going to miss them.
Time is sneaking up on me. The date of my MTC entry scuttles closer and closer and I'm beginning to feel the pressure. A recent revolution to my particular planet has somewhat thrown my center of gravity slightly a-kilter, but I am still going. Its just going to be a little harder. Provo is calling to me pretty loudly these days.
Time is sneaking up on me. The date of my MTC entry scuttles closer and closer and I'm beginning to feel the pressure. A recent revolution to my particular planet has somewhat thrown my center of gravity slightly a-kilter, but I am still going. Its just going to be a little harder. Provo is calling to me pretty loudly these days.
Saturday, August 14, 2010
A Romantic Getaway and a Fairy Tale Castle
Ok, so the getaway was not exactly meant for me. But I'm tagging along anyway.
Earlier this week it appeared as if all our weekend hopes were to be dashed when they notified my dad that he would most likely have to work the weekend through. That's what he gets for being a superior and dependable soldier. But by a happy turn of events he informed someone that his wife and kids were here visiting and they informed him right back about this retreat to Garmish. Garmish Germany is a beauty of a quaint town located somewhere right at the feet of the Alps, and the Army has a rather ritzy resort nestled comfortably in the town. The best part, family's could come and the Army was paying for it all. So here I sit in a cozy hotel room overlooking the foothills of the Alps and I have a nice cushy bed instead of a couch...mmm...
But since this is a couples retreat, they have everything geared toward the married couple. They have classes on communication and connection and male vs. female thinking. This means though that when we go to something like dinner at the hotel and they see that two couple slots have been charged the automatically assume Jacob and I are a couple. Its like being in Provo again! This phenomenon on one hand really amuses me, and on the other kind of irritates me too. But, oh well, what can you do? Must be because we look exactly alike or something.
Today we took a tour bus to Bavaria. Have I mentioned before that Germany is so green! I love it. Rolling hills became grew and grew until they formed wooded valleys full of little towns and red roofs.
We stopped first on our bus tour at a little wood workers shop, then roamed on to a church surrounded by green meadows. These meadows gave the church its name, The church in the Meadows. Don't you love German originality? We'd visited this little village before and it was interesting to see that ten years hadn't changed it overly much. Inside catholic Mass was in session. Now I've been to mass before, but its something completely different inside an intricately carved, painted and gilded building that's a couple hundred years old, and its in German. I'm so glad I'm happily settled in my own religion. The church was beautiful, if a little ostentatious.
Our final stop was the castle of Neuschwanstein. The swan castle built by Bavaria's most famous and loved king, King Ludwig. Now he is an interesting character here. The man became sickened by the politics of his time and retreated into his own world, one that he built for himself. He had a growing obsession with castles, designing and building them. He had several castles in the plans, but only four were begun. Only one was ever completed, and lived in with any permanency. Neuschwanstein is probably his most famous undertaking. The white fairy tale be-spire-d castle is the same iconic figure that inspired the likes of Disney to base their own Cinderella's castle and the castle that became their symbol on. Ludwig ended up sadly being declared insane by the state and he was arrested and taken to Munich to be detained. The next day he left on a walk with his psychiatrist around a nearby lake (who allows a mentally insane man detained by the state to wander off and take a spin around the lake?) and never came back. Both their body's were mysteriously found in the water near the shore, drowned.
Neuschwanstein sits up on the mountainside and there are three ways to get there, hiking, a tram, or horse pulled buggy. My parents trammed it up and Jacob and I proved our medal as the first ones in our group to reach the top hoofing it up the hill. Thats what dem long legs is used fer. We were supposed to meet my parents at a bridge spanning across a waterfall's ravine overlooking the castle...or should I say that the castle overlooks? In any case, through a misunderstanding (mostly Jacobs...) we wasted twenty minutes waiting for our tour group in the courtyard. Then I convinced him that our parents were still waiting for us at the bridge so we hiked all the way up there too, just to meet them at the bridge as they were leaving (our scheduled tour was starting in 10 minutes and the hike down was going to take time) so we hiked back down again and then back up to the castle.
The tour was amazing. The inside of the castle, what was finished, was art. Every wall was decorated with a scene from an opera, or the darkest of polished and carved wood. Its hard to enter a place like that and not imagine how it used to be, when it was bustling with people who lived and worked there. Its also nearly impossible not to wish to have experienced it. I really would have liked to just admire the beauty all day. It all told a story, each room, each carving, right down to the patterns in the columns on the walls. Such a beautiful castle.
After the tour we hiked once again to the bridge, Jacob and I wanted pictures. But we took it a step further and gallivanted up the mountain side along a sketchy washed out path gnarled roots and mud at a pretty much straight up angle. We left my parents at a lower altitude and roughed it up as far as we could. We got some great pictures. We also got sweaty and a little dirty.
On the way down the mountain we took an alternate (and quite a bit longer) route and happened upon a pretty little waterfall. Back to the bus, and back to Garmish we traveled.
We leave for Graf again tomorrow. I have to say, I'm going to be sorry to give up this bed for a couch...
More pictures are up here: http://www.facebook.com/#!/album.php?aid=239824&id=678053486&ref=mf
Earlier this week it appeared as if all our weekend hopes were to be dashed when they notified my dad that he would most likely have to work the weekend through. That's what he gets for being a superior and dependable soldier. But by a happy turn of events he informed someone that his wife and kids were here visiting and they informed him right back about this retreat to Garmish. Garmish Germany is a beauty of a quaint town located somewhere right at the feet of the Alps, and the Army has a rather ritzy resort nestled comfortably in the town. The best part, family's could come and the Army was paying for it all. So here I sit in a cozy hotel room overlooking the foothills of the Alps and I have a nice cushy bed instead of a couch...mmm...
 |
| Edelweiss Resort lounge |
But since this is a couples retreat, they have everything geared toward the married couple. They have classes on communication and connection and male vs. female thinking. This means though that when we go to something like dinner at the hotel and they see that two couple slots have been charged the automatically assume Jacob and I are a couple. Its like being in Provo again! This phenomenon on one hand really amuses me, and on the other kind of irritates me too. But, oh well, what can you do? Must be because we look exactly alike or something.
Today we took a tour bus to Bavaria. Have I mentioned before that Germany is so green! I love it. Rolling hills became grew and grew until they formed wooded valleys full of little towns and red roofs.
 |
| View off of the balcony in our room. |
We stopped first on our bus tour at a little wood workers shop, then roamed on to a church surrounded by green meadows. These meadows gave the church its name, The church in the Meadows. Don't you love German originality? We'd visited this little village before and it was interesting to see that ten years hadn't changed it overly much. Inside catholic Mass was in session. Now I've been to mass before, but its something completely different inside an intricately carved, painted and gilded building that's a couple hundred years old, and its in German. I'm so glad I'm happily settled in my own religion. The church was beautiful, if a little ostentatious.
 |
| Front of chapel in the church. |
Our final stop was the castle of Neuschwanstein. The swan castle built by Bavaria's most famous and loved king, King Ludwig. Now he is an interesting character here. The man became sickened by the politics of his time and retreated into his own world, one that he built for himself. He had a growing obsession with castles, designing and building them. He had several castles in the plans, but only four were begun. Only one was ever completed, and lived in with any permanency. Neuschwanstein is probably his most famous undertaking. The white fairy tale be-spire-d castle is the same iconic figure that inspired the likes of Disney to base their own Cinderella's castle and the castle that became their symbol on. Ludwig ended up sadly being declared insane by the state and he was arrested and taken to Munich to be detained. The next day he left on a walk with his psychiatrist around a nearby lake (who allows a mentally insane man detained by the state to wander off and take a spin around the lake?) and never came back. Both their body's were mysteriously found in the water near the shore, drowned.
Neuschwanstein sits up on the mountainside and there are three ways to get there, hiking, a tram, or horse pulled buggy. My parents trammed it up and Jacob and I proved our medal as the first ones in our group to reach the top hoofing it up the hill. Thats what dem long legs is used fer. We were supposed to meet my parents at a bridge spanning across a waterfall's ravine overlooking the castle...or should I say that the castle overlooks? In any case, through a misunderstanding (mostly Jacobs...) we wasted twenty minutes waiting for our tour group in the courtyard. Then I convinced him that our parents were still waiting for us at the bridge so we hiked all the way up there too, just to meet them at the bridge as they were leaving (our scheduled tour was starting in 10 minutes and the hike down was going to take time) so we hiked back down again and then back up to the castle.
The tour was amazing. The inside of the castle, what was finished, was art. Every wall was decorated with a scene from an opera, or the darkest of polished and carved wood. Its hard to enter a place like that and not imagine how it used to be, when it was bustling with people who lived and worked there. Its also nearly impossible not to wish to have experienced it. I really would have liked to just admire the beauty all day. It all told a story, each room, each carving, right down to the patterns in the columns on the walls. Such a beautiful castle.
 |
| Thats a castle! |
On the way down the mountain we took an alternate (and quite a bit longer) route and happened upon a pretty little waterfall. Back to the bus, and back to Garmish we traveled.
 |
| The waterfall... |
We leave for Graf again tomorrow. I have to say, I'm going to be sorry to give up this bed for a couch...
More pictures are up here: http://www.facebook.com/#!/album.php?aid=239824&id=678053486&ref=mf
Sunday, August 8, 2010
Guten Tag
Almost from the moment I stepped off the plane in Munich I felt like I was entering a lost part of my history. I remember more fully once again why Germany is one of my favorite places that we have lived. On the two and a half hour ride from the air port to Grafenwoehr (when I wasn't lamenting the loss of my blackberry or dozing) I marveled at the lush landscape decorated by beautiful red roofed towns. Oh to have so many trees again! It makes me happy. And I have a good appreciation for Germans, who for the most part are a fairly friendly and sensible people. Sleep deprived as I was (which was quite), I managed to not sleep the day away, instead I took a bike tour around the small yet cute post of Graf. with Jacob.
Today we attended the small Ameri-German ward. It was interesting to hear the sacrament given first in German, then in English. I lament the loss of the sparse German I once knew. Hopefully I can pick some up again, its an interesting language both to speak and read. After church we wandered into sinful indulgence and bought Jacob and I bikes so we could all ride together and get around post this upcoming week. We then took the coolest ride to a duck park off post in the village outside and had a picnic. Jacob and I relived our youth and gave the see-saw a good go. Then we continued our ride through a light drizzle around the village and into the forest. Now mind you, I haven't ridden a bike in probably 5 years, but I didn't crash into anything! Which I was perfectly happy with.
We ended the ride at an ice cream shop and I remembered that German ice cream is entirely superior to most American stuff. You see, Germans actually like their ice cream (and most foods) to taste real, not artificial, and as a strange side effect they use real fruit and whole ingredients to flavor it. Weird I know, right? Jacob also managed to break a peddle off his brand new bike, then flatten the tire. So we traded it in for a new one.
Now we are back cozy-ed up in my dad's 400 sq ft temp apartment chilling through the rest of the afternoon. Jacob and I are rockin' the Disney tunes.
It was an entirely enjoyable sunday. And I am so thankful for the time I have been given to spend together with my family before we are on 4 different continents.
I know this is kinda a lame update, but I promise to spice the next one up with pictures!
Today we attended the small Ameri-German ward. It was interesting to hear the sacrament given first in German, then in English. I lament the loss of the sparse German I once knew. Hopefully I can pick some up again, its an interesting language both to speak and read. After church we wandered into sinful indulgence and bought Jacob and I bikes so we could all ride together and get around post this upcoming week. We then took the coolest ride to a duck park off post in the village outside and had a picnic. Jacob and I relived our youth and gave the see-saw a good go. Then we continued our ride through a light drizzle around the village and into the forest. Now mind you, I haven't ridden a bike in probably 5 years, but I didn't crash into anything! Which I was perfectly happy with.
We ended the ride at an ice cream shop and I remembered that German ice cream is entirely superior to most American stuff. You see, Germans actually like their ice cream (and most foods) to taste real, not artificial, and as a strange side effect they use real fruit and whole ingredients to flavor it. Weird I know, right? Jacob also managed to break a peddle off his brand new bike, then flatten the tire. So we traded it in for a new one.
Now we are back cozy-ed up in my dad's 400 sq ft temp apartment chilling through the rest of the afternoon. Jacob and I are rockin' the Disney tunes.
It was an entirely enjoyable sunday. And I am so thankful for the time I have been given to spend together with my family before we are on 4 different continents.
I know this is kinda a lame update, but I promise to spice the next one up with pictures!
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