Zhu nimen shengdan jie quaile!

1 opening presents

2: the tree.

3 Miniature toilet in the hospital late one night

4 Me Sister Holm and my favorite little old special ward member in Xinzhu. I loved this guy and his dog. They were so nice.

5 Sister Holm and I and an investigator Jane

5 Sister Holm and I christmasin out

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

This week was very interesting. I'm pretty sure my entire mission I've never had a schedule with quite so much of nothing in it. We had a total of 3 lessons this week. The sister I replaced mid transfer was going home so the past few weeks have been much preparation for her and as such there were no lessons scheduled with our investigators, of which there are like 5...so...I haven't really met any of them yet...and what does a missionary do when there are no people to teach? We go find people to teach! We were outside all week finding. We did a lot of bike riding and walking and a ton of talking. I've never gotten so many phone numbers in a day before.

We had sister Oler's first lesson on a doorstep with two college jocks. We knocked on their door and when it opened much to our surprisings there were no pants. The door quickly closed on us only after they found out that we were missionaries and we heard frantic scrambling and then almost as equally surprising they really did open the door again. They were almost uncertainly engaging in some very questionable activity...but we taught them about the power of prayer and about who heavenly father is and they gave us their number and said that they would try meeting with the elders. The next day we interrupted a funeral and then went caroling. The next day I let sister Oler lead in contacting and starting the conversations with people. She did pretty well. I assured her that I would be right behind her if she didn't understand something or needed me to jump in, but we were in a park and so every time she initiated conversation somehow a crazy/homeless person would start talking to me...but she did just fine on her own really.

Its a strange thing to suddenly be the one so adept with the language here. I lucked out with getting a 'step-trainee' that is already pretty advanced for a trainee. She ting-de-dongs (understands) most of what she hears already so its like I don't even have to translate most of the time. Its pretty sweet. She will doubtless advance quickly. We get along wonderfully, and I don't fore see much problem wise this transfer. But I do fore see a lot of long hours on the streets. We are going to put our all in resurrecting the area here. Its really tough because its also a high income area and the people are proud and well off most of the time. I came from the area that Sister Holm and I had worked into a boom with 20 something investigators working towards baptism and constant lessons now to a slow creep of the work here. God does not want me to get lazy at the end. This might be my hardest working area. Good on the end.

Christmas day we only had 2 hours of church since this area only has 2 wards. We got up, made french toast, went to church and I gave my by now routine introductory talks. Most of the wards for some reason or another thought I was a new missionary or something and unable to speak Chinese so I had a lot of people afterward come up to me and tell me that my Chinese was really good in surprised tones. that was mildly amusing. We went home and had our little Christmas party around our tiny tree and then Sister Oler called her family. We finished the night at the house of an American family living a few streets down from us we were lucky to be chosen out of the missionaries in the area to share Christmas with them because they invite the missionaries over every year. It topped off the night in a lovely way.

That is all I've got to report on this week, I hope you are all wonderful. And have kaixin de xinnian! Happy New Year! I love you all! Don't forget those resolutions and drink some bubbled cider for me too.

Love you all,

Sister Thiessen

http://melissathiessen.blogspot.com/

melissa.thiessen@myldsmail.net

Taiwan, Taipei Mission
Sister Melissa Thiessen
F4, No.24, Lane 183, Chin Hua St.
106-42 Taipei, TAIWAN

The Holiday Surprise

So it is the second week of the transfer and last Thursday just as our studies were ending we get a surprise call from the Assistants in which they inform me that they can now tell me of the secret plan. Its as I had expected, an emergency move call to take the place of the sisters leaving. I was informed that I would be moving back up to Taipei, a city called Shilin, to take over the second half of training for a sister Oler. It threw every plan we had for the weekend into a spin of disarray as we struggled to get everything in order to move. I was moving, my companion Sister Holm was taking over as a new senior companion, and there was a new sister moving in. I had to pack all of my stuff, get the area in order, and say my goodbyes.

Goodbyes, what a hard thing this time around. I can honestly say that I thought I would be ending my mission in the little metropolis of Xinzhu, and I had invested quite a bit of love into that little place. I have to say that it was my favorite area as far as the place, the investigators and the members. I will miss it much-ly. The members were also quite loving as I was leaving and all very concerned and surprised. It was a touching display of affection.

When I came into the area of Xinzhu it was much like white washing, starting completely over because the area was floundering with no active investigators and no finding happening. When I left we had 20+ investigators and we were doing very well. I saw a great deal of success and miracles in that area and it will always have a peace of my heart and it will always be a place I love. And I will also miss Sister Holm. It was the strangest feeling as we started out with different companions from the mission home. Sister Holm is and will be my longest companion on the mission and it was like parting with family when I left her. It was something that I hadn't quite experienced before, because usually I'm not so invested in my companions. I will really miss her. And I will miss spending Christmas with her as well.

I am now in Shilin and I don't know much about the place yet. I have been here once before, long long ago in my second transfer on exchanges. But I have high hopes for the place. It seems like a good area. We will see how it unfolds. My new companion/trainee is Sister Oler from Houston TX. From my Aunt Stacie's ward actually. Funny story, when she got her mission call and my aunt found out she gave sister Oler my email. Sister Oler emailed me and asked questions about Taiwan. When I replied I said that by the time she got here I would be an old missionary and maybe I would train her. I was actually surprised the transfer she first got here and I didn't. But then...I did. And that's how the Lord works. She seems like a pretty cool girl so far, I don't know much about her yet except that she is very outspoken and spunky. I think we will get along :) Well see how well the 'training' part goes. Though it is a godsend to be able to have a full hour of language study again.

So Christmas is coming in only a week...and I am not feeling it. Its not even cold here in Shilin (though it sure was in xinzhu!). I've gotta do something to invite the Christmas spirit. This is my second Christmas in Taiwan and I as still missing the family. But that's ok, because my whole family is in 5 different continents for Christmas anyway so at least we are all missing each other together with unity! Ha. I'll be home for the next one.

I hope you all have a very merry Christmas, and do remember why it is that we have a Christmas in the first place. Its not just about the pretty tree and the shiny paper. I love you all. And I love my Savior. Say happy birthday to Christ with some good deeds this year my friends.

Sister Melissa Thiessen

hen jiu bu jian.

So there have been some interesting things recently occurring here in xinzhu Taiwan, particularly in the life of this sister missionary. Last last week were move calls, and nothing really exciting happened (even though I was really hoping that I could train) Sister Holm and I stayed together and not much else happened. Except I have passed through probably the most trying and low point in my mission at least thus far but considering the time I have left it might more fully count in a whole kind of sense. ( I guess that should offer me some great comfort because its all smooth sailing from here then right? Hah. Probably not. :) ) I won't go into details because that would take too long, but suffice it to know that it was not a happy time. And it really dashed my faith against the rocks. But I learned a great deal from it. I learned about optimism, I learned about taking action in faith and I learned that sometimes the plan the Lord has in mind for us doesn't always line up with the way we see it. God's ways really are not out own, and it is left to us to learn humility and accept that especially when it hurts so we can see the happiness waiting on us if we pull through the storm clouds.

This week found us with an unexpected surprise. Wednesday we were heading to the city next to ours to meet with the district there to practice a musical number for an activity that we were going to do. As we were riding the phone started to ring so we pulled over on this little scenic bike path thing and I looked at the phone. It was the assistants. It was a little bit of a shocking thing, because the assistants don't call for whatever reason. Usually its just about official business,.. So I answer the phone and the assistant Elder Young tells me that he has a message for me straight from president and I'm all thinking great what did I do, and then he says that I am part of a secret plan. He said that I needed to swiftly acquire the trainer handbook and start studying that as fast as possible, especially some certain parts. He sounded like it was pretty important that I get on this and quick, but he said he couldn't tell me why. So Sister Holm and I were all abuzz and curious and such. But we didn't really know why, it had to be that I was training or something because they would have no other reason to secretly give me the hand book, which they give to people to prepare to train.

So the next day we have Elder Young fax us some pages because I couldn't get them from the mission home for a couple of days, and when I saw the parts he wanted me to start studying first it all clicked in my head and I think I have it all figured out. Trainers must train for two transfers now. And the church provides a very scheduled and regulated like syllabus thing that you have to follow for studies and training, and its organized by what you have to study and do every week for 12 weeks. He wanted me to study weeks 9-12. So there is also another situation in the mission right now with sisters. All the sisters in the transfer just older than me (4 sisters) are going home a just over half a transfer early so they can start school. So the mission is trying to find out how to cover for them spontaneously leaving. Two of those sisters are in the middle of training and when they leave it will be the 9th week. Which matches up with the part they wanted me to study. So I think that all along president had it planned for me to take over for one of them when they leave, which is why he didn't have me train last move call. Gods plans sometimes are really unexpected, but He sure has got them. So chances are that I will be moving on emergency move calls up to Taipei next Monday. It will probably be me because if I stay here and the trainee comes down here Sister Holm would have to go white wash (start over) with the area up there that the sisters would be leaving, because no one would know the investigators or anything. And that is pretty tough, and they will probably have to put Sister Holm with a duanchuan (short term replacement missionary that is a volunteer from a ward in our mission). It could happen that she moves. but it will probably me me moving. Again. Hah. Of course this is just how I think it will go down so its not for sure cause I really don't know anything...but that's how I think it will go down.

I would really be sad to leave XinZhu so close to Christmas. Sis Holm and I were really excited to spend Christmas together. It was going to be good, and now I might be leaving the week before, so I would get to a new place just before and not know anyone. Sad day. But its all good. I could handle it, I'm a moving pro. I will really miss it here if that is my destiny though. I love the members and the investigators and the missionaries down in this little far corner area. I had been hoping to spend my last couple of transfers in one area. But as I have recently learned so well, my plan doesn't necessarily mean that its Gods plan. And his is usually so much better.

Well that is that. And I love you all. have a good week! I get to call home this week to talk to my dad and my brother before they rocket off to other sides of the globe again, so mine will be good :)
Love
Sister Melissa Thiessen