Tired, confused and SO SO Happy!

Time here FLIES!

This week we had SO many appointments, met SO many people, and ate SO much food!  Right now, we're in 萬華和大同 area, and it's way nice:)

As far as Chinese goes, I've still got an insanely long way to go but conversations are getting easier to follow:)

I'm finding that while my language comprehension is taking its sweet sweet time, I have the chance to talk to a lot of people coming from different places to visit Taiwan for work or for other things. Most of them coming from outside speak English and its really cool to hear all of their different stories. So far we've met people coming from the Philippines, Austria, and Germany!

This week we went on exchanges to the Danxue (no idea how to spell it lol) district and even though it's only a 40 minute trip, the area is so different! They've got so many hills and it's a way more rural area. Did I still fall on my bike a bunch of times? Yes. Are we surprised? Absolutely not.

I will say though, my favorite part has been getting to know the people:) even though we're in completely different parts of the world, we have the same questions and the same desires. We all want to know where we came from and why we're here, and we're all looking for peace.  I'm reminded every day I'm here of how important it is to know of our purpose here and that we have a Heavenly Father who loves us so much and wants us to succeed.

SO, when things get tricky, know you've got a pretty dope hype crew cheering you on:)

Love you all, be safe, and 加油!！

I'm just like Batman...only sweatier...and I ride a bike!

Wow. Where do I even start? The last few weeks have been WILD to say the least, but guess what? We made it to Taiwan! Gonna be real, it was a HASSLE trying to make it here (with everything closing in Cali as we left and missionaries being denied entry to Taiwan just hours after we got in) but HOLY COW was it worth it! This place really is as amazing as people have told me and I feel incredibly blessed to have this opportunity.

    So far here, I've got a seriously awesome companion who's from Taiwan and every day we bike in and out of super busy roads (scary but so cool!) and I've only fallen twice haha! The language is coming slowly but surely, which is definitely credit to her helping me ALL the time. We've gotten to know a lot of people from them correcting my super rough Chinese that has been an adventure😊 Right now, we live on the 10th floor of a building and have a few cockroaches who are our buds now (do they bite? Idk, guess we'll find out). Our mission president is BOMB and so is nearly everyone I meet here! It really is a blessing to share a message of peace in a time that everyone really needs it.

    That being said, how is everyone doing? I hear Utah is having a TIME with CV and an earthquake, and something about Angel Moroni's trumpet? Crazy! Know that you are all in our prayers and that we really hope everything is alright while we're gone! Love you all!!

    Lastly, I wanna talk about this work. We had a moment just 2 days ago where our president sent a message telling us to pack our bags and be prepared to head home because of the virus. It really took a toll on our whole district, because others need the hope that this Gospel brings, especially now. It goes without saying that although nothing is certain, a lot of prayers were answered when we heard that as of right now we will continue to serve our planned time. I know that a lot of missionaries are being sent home now, and our hearts are with them and with all who are affected by this. Even though things are so messy right now and sometimes it's so hard to see the light, God is still there! Even when things don't go as you planned or hoped, take comfort in knowing that you have a purpose here and God will help you accomplish it.

我愛你們!  蘇姐妹

(ps MTC district and Cantonese elders, I'll have you know the first day I spent with my comp she started singing "What does he think" 😂😂 thanks for that lol)

TAIWAN, TAIPEI!!!

Here is a story all about how...

 So FUN FACT things are a little wild down here.  This week we gotta meet a SUPER cool lady named Najah Bazzy (pictured below) and now she's seriously my role model.  She's been selected as CNN Hero of 2019 for her service and it was honestly an awesome experience to talk to her and get to know what it is that makes such a cool person.  The moment she walked in our class we could feel the love she had for us.  She made a huge impact on our whole district and it was inspiring to hear her story!!  After that, we got the chance to speak in Chinese all day which was tricky but a challenge that really helped us stay committed.

  We also got three new missionaries coming straight from Taiwan, and they are seriously so cool! None of them had seen snow before so when it finally came, it was a happy day:) (more pictures below)  They help us out with Chinese and in turn we teach them slang because they've already got awesome English.  It's been so good to have them here, and if we get out in time we should be on the same flight!  

  Which leads me to my next point, our mission has been delayed for about a week.  We think it's because our VISAs need time to process but with the Coronavirus going around, its anyone's guess.  As scary as it's been, we still feel pretty hopeful!  It still sounds like we've got a place in Taiwan so we're looking up!  It's been taking a toll on a lot of the missionaries headed to Asia though, so please keep a good thought for them.  The Hong Kong Mission president and his wife were taken out of Hong Kong because of the virus, but they came to our district and they've been a huge support to us as well.  They shared experiences that they've had and they've been an awesome addition to our little MTC family:)

  Other than that, Chinese is coming slowly but surely.  We've started teaching lessons completely in Mandarin, and it has been really awesome getting to know them too!

That's all for this week, make good choices and love you all!!

And I was like...WOAH!!!

A few more quotes from our new teacher Píng Lăoshì:

"Guide 'em straight to the chocolate milk"

"I've been a sinner from the womb"

"That's bad juju"  

And MY personal favorite: "I have a spoon... In my pocket... Because I ate Chobani for breakfast" (found this spoon WHILE TEACHING class at 6pm)

Needless to say, we've been having fun up here:) We had the chance last week to have a sweet sister live with us the week before she left the MTC.  She's headed to Hong Kong but because of the virus going around, she's been temporarily reassigned to Hawaii but it was SO SO awesome to get to know her!  Other than that we've been really busy studying Chinese and planning lessons so these 9 weeks in the MTC are just flying by... We've got 3 more till we leave for Taiwan!! So scared but also so ready!

I had a moment this last week where I looked out on the crowds of missionaries outside and it made me think about the value that every single one of us brings to the table.  We are all so different and the reason we dedicate a year and a half to a mission is because every person is worth it! 

我愛你们 

(And look I finally figured out how to put characters in, woot woot!)

NI HOWDY!

Hello all!! First week out of 9 in the MTC is DONE!! It's been a lot of fun, but a LOT of work especially because surprise surprise Mandarin Chinese is tricky!!  District is awesome, companion is awesome and life is... Awesome:) My comp (who's like half as tall as me which is sorta hilarious) speaks pretty fluent Chinese so I'm tryna catch up with her, but she's super sweet and it's been a blast to meet the people we'll be around in the MTC, and to fall in love with this beautiful language:)

Funny story: In our district we have missionaries from lots of different places, so we've got a sweet mix of cultures.  One day, walking into class one of the elders just starting Chinese tried to say Ni Hao but it ended up as NI HOWDY and this pretty much sums up our MTC family:)

As we're learning, I'm starting to recognize just how much I've got! I have an amazing family and friends and my life is filled with SO many opportunities that are not too common for which I am so grateful!!

Anyway, it's been WILD but so good and I love you all!! I'll try to email every once in a while, and I wish you the best!!

Su Jie Mei