"Eat noodles and shine all day"

 Fun fact #1 I didn't like peanut butter until it was mad expensive and hard to find

Fun fact #2 I ate half a jar of peanut butter in one day with a spoon

And that's pretty much how my life is going right now ha😆

We've been pretty busy with lessons and meetings so far and it's been awesome! Currently teaching a lady who is so cool! Her light is SO bright and meeting with her reminds me of why I came on a mission in the first place. SO GOOD! We're getting to know the people in our area and it's been really awesome to see what they stand for. 

Besides our appointments we've done some service in a center for students with special needs, and it was really fun! We go each week to help make sure their activities run smoothly and we get to meet a lot of new friends there! It's been an awesome chance to meet more people! Working with them has been a huge blessing and has helped our district come closer together too.

As far as the Chinese, its... Improving?吧? To be honest it's been a big challenge in lessons trying to express a thought or a feeling and not quite getting it out right. It can be pretty frustrating, but things come into focus more when I realize why I left home in the first place, which is to see people in a more loving way.

WOOOWOO that's it for this week, ending with a profound quote from my comp:

"That. Is a fatty bird."

(fatty bird pictured below)

love you all, 蘇姐妹

That freaky bus on that one Harry Potter almost ended me

 Wah crazy week! Imma say it, biking on the busy streets of Taiwan is giving me heart problems. That being said, it's an adventure!

This week we had some way cool things go down, we ran into a French dude and I shouted "Look my last name is SWEESE", freaked him out a little but he was cool. We've been getting more chances to meet the members in our area and they are so cool! They're so loving and they've made this transition so much easier for us. 

Even the people we meet on the street have been pretty awesome and for the most part the rejections have been soft (heh😭) but honestly a really good chance to stop worrying about myself which is honestly just what I need! These skills are hard to learn (and I'll be learning them for a LONG time) but I am so grateful to be learning them now while I'm serving.

This week we had zone conference WOO so nice to see our friends! My first zone conference not in quarantine, what a life. But it's been good!

I ran into a CHONKER spider at the church, (PIC BELOW BEWARE),  I dont like them but. just look.

And last thing I do love that each time something even a little bit cool happens my comp leans over and whispers 奇蹟 which means miracle and it's given me a new outlook on life! When something good and small happens, know that they are miracles! 

Love you all, 

Rice cheeks and bad tan lines

This week we went on exchanges in beautiful Danshui and it was SO FUN! I've been there once before when I came to Taiwan the first time so it was really cool to see how its changed over the last few months. There, we got to see, eat (pictures below), and learn a lot! 

Over the week a lot of new people and it's been way cool! I met a woman on the MRT (the train we take everywhere) and she was such a sweetie! I was a little freaked out when she opened my bag and put snacks in but she is honestly so awesome and it was nice to talk to her:) we also meet people from all over and it has been so cool to hear their stories. Along with these, we're continuing to meet with our friends and its been a really cool experience to get to know their sweet spirits. 

This week especially,  I'm learning so much about taking things one day at a time and it is wicked useful because I make so. many. mistakes (Chinese and otherwise). Yes it is important to learn from the past, but life is the very best when we're really living in the present.

And who helps us us find beauty in the now? Jesus. I believed in Him before I came here, but it wasn't until I needed to rely on Him that I truly appreciated His sacrifice. I'm still learning to do so now. He is in the big moments. He's walking with us in those times, but He is also there when we feel lost or confused. His Atonement is meant to be used daily and it is one that is everlasting.

I heard a quote from a book this week that said: 

"We may believe IN Christ, but we don't often believe Christ. We believe that He is there and that He is our Savior, but we need to truly trust that He has the power and can help us face all of our challenges, whatever they may be."

I love you all and remember it's not always about the result, focus on the process❤

蘇姐妹

Taiwan has acid rain

Mangoes, hi chews, juice, dumplings and zhua bing (onion pancakes) taste SO much better here! Chocolate, however, does NOT.  I'm a fan of dark chocolate but we're swimming in plain. cocoa. powder.

That being said this place is BOPPIN. We had our first earthquake, church meeting, baptism (with 有容), 6 week follow up mtg, and maybe pretty soon a typhoon? (rain has started WOO).

It's been a tough but good second week out of quarantine, it's hot and rejection is the usual, but I think it's a good place to be:)

I'm going to be honest, a lot of the things I'm learning are completely on-the-job. I made a lot of mistakes with my Chinese and it's difficult to improvise when your lessons go a different direction but I walk out of each one having learned something new. It's not easy and some days I just wanna speak HEAPS of english, but life goes on and we are growing❤

I'm SO grateful to be here and want you to remember that life is pretty much on-the-job training! Might take us a few times and we're gonna mess up a TON but we're lucky to have a chance to improve. WOO.

 

Stay safe and love you all! 蘇姐妹