Week...66?

Week...66?

I think that's the number of weeks that I've been out...don't quote me on that I guess...I have 16 weeks left at this point though and time is getting a little ridiculous. It seems like the weeks are rushing by me because of everything we are doing here. We have so many meetings in this area. With three wards it seems like we have a coordination meeting every day, and if not that its a district meeting or an English class or another special training meeting. I guess that's ok, they break up the time a little bit.

Mission life is going well. We are still plugging along here. We have had a lot of investigators die off this week, which lessens our numbers and allows us more time for finding new people I guess. We haven't had too much time to find recently. But we have had some really good lessons with our investigators this last week. We had a couple where we found out some issues that were important in their progression. And we got 5 people to church! Which is a very good thing if they can continue to come. Getting people to church makes me want to pull my hair out sometimes. People are far to busy in their lives for God. If God was too busy for all of us, or even a few of us, I think the globe would stop spinning.

This week we had our temple day. First off let me say I love the temple. It makes everything look brighter. We had a good day up in Taipei. And I also love Taipei. Its got an energy all of its own, like a life-beat that you feel growing as your train moves closer to the central focus of the top of the island. But I am glad that I don't serve there, I like serving in the less intensely populated slightly less pressured 'south west' of our mission. It is still the city, there is no escaping that on this island, but it is less than the mega-metropolis of Taipei. On Thursday and Friday we had companion exchanges with the Zhubei sisters, Sister Choi and Sister Wang. They have it hard as a companionship but I think that their relationship is improving. Sister Holm and I have our share of issues, as all companionships do, but we are pretty lucky as far as that goes, it makes me grateful for her being my companion.

Taiwan is still hot. The weather here feels like summer still. Hot and sometimes very muggy. But they tell me that they can tell the winter is coming on because the wind is getting pretty ferocious. Here in Xinzhu the winter wind is pretty fearsome I hear. I am starting to get a taste for that. Its a little hazardous as a sister wearing a skirt...It must be minded on a bike, on the street, and especially while talking to people. We will get over it somehow.

Well I guess that is all the exciting news I have for this week. My birthday is fast approaching and I can't believe that I will be 23 already. Where has my life gone? It seems like its been here in Taiwan for years. I have trouble sometimes remembering my pre-mission life in great detail. Its a little pathetic, but now I understand all the silly missionary talk that I always heard before. I guess it something that you have to experience before you really get it. I love you all. Remember that missionaries love letters! And we also pray for all of you.

Sister Melissa Thiessen