Last Post!

Dear Family and Friends,

Well... I cant believe i am writing my last email to you right now.... It really is a strange feeling. I want to say that I feel good about all the work I have done in the Lord's vineyard here in Taiwan. I pray that he will accept my efforts and be proud of me also. I know that my service will not end here, in a week, but will continue on into the eternities. I hope to live a life centered on the serving the Lord and His children, my brothers and sisters. 

This past week here with Elder Hughes has been great! We really did see MIRACLES. I think that is another great thing about the mission. I have come to learn that miracles are REAL. God really does show us each and everyday that he is a living God, a God that can and will influence our lives for the better, if we allow him to.
Miracle #1 - Brother Hu is progressing like crazy and has already quit smoking and drinking, starting last saturday!!! He has such a pure desire to come unto Christ and to do the things that would make God proud of him. Can you think that only a few weeks ago this man was an atheist? Its crazy! We have been making plans and setting goals with him to help him quit smoking and he has been following them to the line! This week we reinvited him to baptism since his original date had passed. We invited for 8/16 and he said, "can I get baptized earlier? on 8/9?" Elder Hughes and I looked at each other, smiled, and just nodded our head up and down. I love him!
Miracle #2 - Our district witnessed TWO baptisms this week! So cool! Originally it was going to be 4, with every companionship having one, but a few things happened that I will mention in a bit.
A Brother Huang and Li were baptized on saturday and it was so cool to see them in white. The baptism was filled with the spirit! Seeing people repent and change there lives to draw closer to the savior really is one of the most special things in this life.
Yes, it is sad that our investigator Brother Liao was not baptized this last saturday. He gave into peer pressure from freinds and relapsed on on friday by smoking a cigarette. So, his baptismal date will be post-poned to this Saturday. Its a little bit sad that I wont be able to see him get baptized, but I take great Joy in knowing that he is still on tract and that the Lord will help. I have faith the God will help him return to the fold. Plus, Elder Hughes is an Awesome missionary, so I know he will take care of him! I will miss Brother Liao.
Coming into my last week, I have made a goal. Although, I will be heading to Taibei on thursday and wont be in taidong anymore, I have made a goal to preach the gospel all the way until I get released. So that means that even on the airplane home I would like to be able to share the gospel with those who sit next to me! I hope to be able to share with them some of my experiences over these past two years and help them see the blessing that come from the gospel. I am so grateful that the Lord has blessed us with the Restored gospel!
Well, I can say that I love the Lord, I love these Taiwanese people, I have loved my mission and I will be sad to see it end. 

I know that God lives. I know that He loves us. I know that he has once again called a Prophet of God and through him, has restored His church. Christ is our Savior.  "And now, after the many testimonies which have been given of him, this is the testimony, last of all, which we give of him: That he lives! (D&C 76:22)"

This wraps it up for the past 2 years!

I hope all of you have a great week. See you soon!

Love,

Elder Bastian

Translating

Hello Everyone!

Well this past week was pretty interesting, but a lot of good was accomplished!

I was still feeling pretty sick the first couple days of the week, but by wednesday I was starting to feel a bit better and it just so happens that that day, a few of the elders in my zone and I were able to head to Taipei for a Leadership training meeting. We didnt get back until Saturday morning. So most of this past week I was not in my area. 

The meeting that we attended was great though. We were able to receive many trainings on the Fundamentals of Missionary work and how to improve our skill and abilities to be able to more fully preach the gospel like the Savior. 

I was assigned to translate for the 1st day of the leadership meeting which was pretty fun. Translating is challenging as sometimes the people speaking, say really advanced english words that we dont know how to say in chinese so we have to think of how to say it in a simpler way while at the same time trying to stay on top of the moving conversation. The people speaking dont stop for us to catch up so it makes it an interesting challenge.

Overall it was an uplifting meeting!

The biggest miracle of the week though came on Sunday! We have been meeting with an older man named Brother Liao for the past 2 months or so and he has been slowly progressing. Last week he miraculously quit smoking, but we still had a few things that were worrying would hold him back from being baptized. BUT, he over came them and yesterday passed his Baptismal interview so he is planned to get baptized this Saturday! Elder Hughes and I are so excited, because this guy is so sweet! He just has a simple but great desire to follow God and is willing to do what it takes to become His disciple. He is a man of great faith!

Lastly, I just want to bear my testimony that I know that God lives and that he loves us. He perfectly knows each and everyone of us and is constantly helping us. Although sometimes it is harder to feel his influence than other times, he is always there. How could a Father ever forget his child anyways?

I am grateful for this knowledge that I have in my life.

I love you all and hope that you have a great week at home!

Elder Bastian

Last Three Weeks

Hello Everyone!

This past week down here in Taidong has been good, but also not so good! I will explain.
First I will talk about the great things that happen as we really did see  miracles this past week!
Number 1: We found our investigator Brother Hu again! We thought he had dropped off the face of the earth, because for the past week and a half he didnt answer our phone calls and when we went to his house he wasn't there. But one day as we were finding this past week my companion had a feeling to go to his house and see if he was there. He was home! He then explain how he hadn't payed his phone bill so he wasn't able to get in contact with us. The best part, is that he is still progressing and has a great desire to come unto Christ! During the time we didnt have contact, he read all the way to 2 NE 1. Saturday we shared with him the Word of Wisdom and even though he has a lot of problems with it he is completely willing to work to overcome it! Then sunday he came to church! MIRACLE!
Number 2: Our 73 year old investigator who has been smoking for almost 60 years, quit smoking!!! It was crazy. My companion and I had felt we had done all we could to help him and were praying our guts out for him and God put in the last little(or HUGE) bit to make it happen!

Last Cool Experience. Saturday night we were able to watch a batismal service for the other branch down here. A 20 year old girl and also an 80+ year old couple got baptized. I was able to be the witness while they were baptized. The coolest part was watching the 80+ year old brother be baptized. He has some more major health problems so he isnt able to walk or get around by himself at all. So when he got baptized four elders had to help him into the water and them help him be fully immersed. The whole time this man had a super calm look on his face. He just seemed to trust God even though it was extremely difficult for him to be baptized and people had to help him in. It really brought the spirit as we saw this man's faith and absolute trust in God. Miracle!

The biggest downer of this past week is that I got sick! It started saturday morning and has continued till now. I am feeling a bit better today though. Yesterday was pretty bad though. We stayed inside the whole day except for going to sacrament meeting. I was able to take a nap and rest some more. It stinks to be sick because you feel like you aren't getting anything done! but I trust in the Lord and know he has a plan and that things happen for a reason.

These last 3 weeks I am here I want to really focus on the work be in harmony with my companion, so that I can sprint to the finish and he will be prepared to take over the area when I leave. As I have been sick, Elder Hughes has already been doing a great job on keeping on top of the work making sure that our investigators were taken care of at church and things.

I remember something my friend wrote who just went home a few weeks ago. He said, the last month of a mission is like last 100m of a race running down the home strecth. Your running your hardest, sprinting to the finish, but your also the most exhausted at that point, and you're relying on the cheer of the crowd and parents to push you through, except with us on the mission we are relying on the Lord. The last month of the mission as I push my hardest I really will rely on the lord and and seek His strength and guidance to do HIS work. I wont be able to do it with out him. I will seek to do this through humility, prayer, and obedience! I am so grateful that the Lord has given me this opportunity to serve. 

Well this about wraps it up for the week! Hope everyone has a great week at home!
Love you all,

Elder Bastian

Finding People

Hello Everyone!

This past week here in Taidong has been pretty good. Its getting super hot down here, so Elder Hughes and I bringing extra water with us each day so we dont get dehydrated. We walk outside and within about 20 minutes we are pretty soaked with sweat!

But the work goes on with diligence!

This past week here in Taidong we had a pretty special missionary activity where the mission president sent 28 missionaries down to the east coast of Taiwan to help out in each of the proselyting areas for 4 days. The missionaries that came down had the sole purpose to FIND people who are prepared to here the gospel so they were outside for 10+ hours each day knocking doors and contacting people on the street. It was pretty cool and a huge help to us! The mission president has a huge vision to help the east coast as it is the last district in the mission. The rest of the areas are all stakes. Im glad that he has so much love for the people out here.

Here are a few other highlights of the week:
Last night as we were finding we weren't seeing much success so we stopped to say a prayer and as for Heavenly Fathers help. We decided that we would head one direction after the prayer and the first person we stopped and talked to turned out to be super good! We ran into this girl and her boyfriend. Through a few questions we were able to figure out that she has a not so good family situation right now and really hopes that God can help here. I testified how the gospel has helped the 9 of us in my family and told here how I know it can help her. Shes set up again for this tuesday! We're pumped and so glad that we were lead to her!
We also have a newer investigating family of 4. This week meeting with them the Dad seemed to open up more and they all said they were willing to keep our commitments to pray and begin reading the book of mormon to seek for an answer. It was cool to see them commit to do these actions that with help them to draw closer to Heavenly Father because they have such little knowledge of Christianity and a lot of the thing we share with them are newer concepts. I hope they will be able to feel the spirit as they begin to pray.

Its been a good week and Elder Hughes and I are going to continue to do our best to help these people come to FEEL that Jesus Christ is their Savior. As I have been out on the mission longer and longer, I have learned its so important for people to really FEEL deep down in there heart that what the are doing (coming to know God) is whats best for them. The best way they can get these feelings is through their own experience.

Well this about sums it up for the week! Hope everyone is doing well at home.

Love you all,

Elder Bastian

Monkey Mountain

Hello Everyone!

I don't have a ton of time to write my email this week so it will be a bit shorter, but here are some of this week's highlights.

On Saturday our 11 year old investigator Lin Feng Xiu was baptized. It was a very special experience. After he was baptized he told me that he really had this special feeling in his heart and said that it must be the Spirit!

He had a big smile on his face. I hope that he and his mom continue faithful in the gospel till the end! It will be awesome to see him in 7 years or so preparing and leaving to serve a mission.

Another cool experience this week was talking to this 17 year old kid on the street. He said that he was recently starting to attend a different church in another town, but we started to share about the restoration of the gospel and mention that we have a living prophet and he stopped and said, "What? You really mean that there is a prophet again on the earth?" We said, "Yes!" He seemed so shocked and interested. We were pretty shocked too because most people that we talk too, a prophet means very little to them. He is set up to meet again tonight and I really hope he comes!

Today we will be heading out to a cool mountain for P-Day. It's called, Monkey Mountain, know for its roaming monkeys that you can feed and take pictures with. It should be fun!

Well my time is just about up! 

Hope that everyone has a great week back at home!

Love,

Elder Bastian

It's Gonna Be a Good One

Hello Everyone!

Wow, I can't believe that I have now entered into my last transfer as a missionary representing Jesus Christ. Time has flown by. Last week I went back and read the very first email I ever sent to President Day when I first got to the Island and was being trained by Elder Johnson. It helped me to reflect on the beginning of the mission up until now and see how much the Lord has helped me to change and to think about all the people I have had the opportunity to help come unto Christ. I hope that I have been able to help all those who the Lord has wanted me to help! Time really does fly.

This transfer Elder Niedfeldt moved. He actually is now serving in the area where I started my mission! Pretty cool! It was great being with him and learning from him. I am also super excited to be here with Elder Hughes, my new companion. He is a Fire Ball and has such a positive uplifting attitude/presence. We are having a great time together and have already seen miracles! I know that this last transfer will be filled with miracles performed by the Lord!

Highlight 1! Our investigator Lin Feng Xiu will be baptized this coming Saturday night!!!!!!!!! He passed his interview on Saturday night with Elder Gibson. He is such a sweet kid and really has a good, clear understanding of the gospel principles and their true importance. No wonder Christ tells us that we need to be more like the little children! I wish all of our investigators were like him! So this is the first thing I am pumped for.

Highlight 2! Our investigator Brother Hu came to church for the first time on Sunday! I am so grateful for all the service that our branch president has done for him. He has really reached out to him, even exchanging phone numbers and texting/calling him, helping him find a new job, and also giving him a ride to church. I really think that the branch president's help has been monumental in this investigator's progression. He trusts us and is so much more willing to trust our testimonies as he strives to develop his own now. He also set a baptismal date for 7/19. I hope he makes it!

Last Highlight! This past week we went to visit a potential investigator that had set up an appointment with us. I had forgotten who he was when we called and set up with him, but we figured we would find out when we got there. We got there, and he happened to be the husband of a lady I contacted several weeks ago who hadn't seemed too interested, but they both sat down to talk. Then, we asked if their kids who were playing in the other room would like to listen to the message too. They came out and all 4 of them had a lesson with us about the restoration and the mom seemed pretty interested! MIRACLE! We hope to really be able to help their family come unto Christ!

This last transfer I really am just going to keep doing my best down here and seek to love these people with my whole heart. Its going to be a good one.

Well, this about wraps it up for the week. 

Hope everyone is doing well back at home!

Love you all,

Elder Bastian

Attitude of Gratitude

This past week here in Taidong was pretty good. Elder Neidfeldt and I were able to see some great miracles and learn some important lessons.
I will start first with the miracles: 

We met with our 11 year old investigator name Lin Feng Xiu this past week. He is the son of a recently returning less active sister in our branch. He has been coming to church with his mom for about the past 4 or 5 weeks. We started the lessons with him and invited him to baptism on Saturday. When we first asked him if he knew what baptism was he said "its a new start in life!" we were pretty surprised he already knew that. Then we taught him the rest about it and invited him to follow Jesus Christ and be baptized. His reply? "YES! I really want to be baptized!" He didn't look to his mom or anything. This was totally from his own desire. I was truly filled with joy from hearing his reaction and decision to be baptized! His date is set for the 28th of this month and im sure he will be able to make it. Elder Niedfeldt and I are sooo excited!

Another miracle: we were finding on Sunday night and up to this point in the week we didnt have too much success in finding, so we were really praying that God could lead us to his prepared children. There was a family that we had tracted into the week before who had let us in and listened to a message, but because they were more devout Buddhists they didn't seem to show great interest. But we went back last night and met with them again. They had really changed! They allowed us to pray with them and the wife even said she would pray. They also told us how they really want to come to our church and are going to try and come this next week. One again, Elder Niedfeldt and I were humbled by the experience and understanding that the lord prepares His children according to His time. And now we have a new investigating family!!! It was a pretty cool experience, especially since it was a straight down pour of rain that night when we were finding.

Another great lesson that Elder Niedfeldt and I have learned this past week is the importance of prayers of gratitude. As we were on exchanges this past week with Elder Glaittli and Forbes, Elder Forbes gave Elder Niedfeldt an invite for us to say prayers of gratitude after we see success in finding whether we find a new investigator, get someone's phone number, or even talk to a nice person. We have started to do so and truly we have been feeling a difference. I have really noticed that the spirit is more fully with us and they I am more humble and understanding of these people. I think it has made finding much more happy! I'm grateful that Elder Forbes gave us this invite. I know that expressing thanks to our Heavenly Father frequently is so important. Sometimes we get caught up in seeing what our life is missing or focusing on what our struggles and challenges are, and seem to look right past the many blessing that the Lord has already given us. This type of thinking can blind our lives and lead us to live in sorrow, but as I can testify and Elder Uchtdorf did in conference that as we focus on having an attitude of gratitude the Spirit will permeate our lives and new measure of happiness will flood in.

Well this about sums its up for the week. Hope everyone is doing well at home!

Love you all!

Elder Bastian

Tender Mercies

Hello Everyone!

This past week was good here in Taidong. Elder Niedfeldt and I have been making some good goals and plans together and we are working hard to accomplish them. Elder Niedfeldt is a great example of someone who is sooo committed to the goals he sets, I wish that came easier for me. but I am learning a lot from him and doing my best to set more meaningful goals that will guide the missionary work. It was easier for me to make goals when I was at home running, or at school and things, because I felt I had most all of the control on how the outcome will be. I've learned that It really does take faith to set goals on the mission, but I know they show God our desires and hopes. 
This past week we met with the Zhuang Family again. They are doing well. We taught them about the 10 commandments.  The mom in the family has some concerns about her own mother opposing her joining the church, because her mom is a pretty devout buddhist, but I think that our peike was able to help her a lot. This week when we meet with them on tuesday we want to invite them to take a step of faith and set a baptismal goal for the 28th of this month. They are so good! I hope the mom will overcome the fear she has of her mom and know that baptism is the best decision she can make in her life right now, even if she doesn't necessarily see or understand ALL the blessing its will bring her. Its a step of faith.
Another "tender mercy of lord" this week actually came on monday. We had biked out to this beach-side park that was up the coast. It was really pretty there and after seeing the ocean we were walking back up the trail to where our bike were parked and we ran into some of the landscape workers there. They had a pile of coconuts and when they saw us the yelled out "Foreigners!" then they picked up a coconut and called us over, chopped it open and had us drink the milk inside. They were so nice! It brought a good spirit to our day. Im glad the Lord often blesses us through the people around us.

Well my time is about up for this weeks email. The work is going well and I am continuing to work hard until the end! Im glad to have the Lord on my side, helping me along the way.

Hope everyone has a great week.

Love,

Elder Bastian

Too Many Mangoes

Hello Everyone,

This past week here in Taidong was overall good. We some good successes and few downers, but overall I feel that Elder Niedfeldt and I worked our hardest and that is what counts. 
Some highlights of the week though were:
Meeting again with a recently returning LA's and her son who is our investigator. In the beginning, he was pretty closed up to praying with his mom and would tell her that he didn't want to come to church, but we met last saturday and learned that they prayed together this last week 2 or 3 times and the he is liking church more and more! He is slowly opening up to the gospel, its a miracle! I really feel that this is a huge blessing for his mom and him as she is becoming more and more active also. We really hope to help him be baptized in June. 
We also have been meeting with this 70 year old man and he is super willing to listen to our message. Its been a challenge to help him really understand it clearly as its so foreign to him but he is warming up nicely, has set a baptismal date, and is excited to come to church this coming Sunday. If we can help him quite smoking, I think he will get baptized for sure!

The Zhuang Family is also doing well. The 2 daughters came to church this past week, but the mom did not. This week were are focusing more on teaching the commandments. Its interesting how here in Taiwan that one of the harder commandments for people to accept is the 10 commandments because #1 says to only worship Heavenly Father. In Taiwan, many people believe there are thousands of gods and that even there ancestors are gods. I have noticed that the best way to help the understand that we are to only worship Heavenly Father is by helping them have their our spiritual experiences through prayer and communicating with him. Its pretty interesting. I hope all goes well when teaching them this on Tuesday!

Its been pretty hot here lately, but we also had a sweet miracle! Yesterday as we were doing studies at home someone knocked on our door. We opened it to find a little boy and girl holding this big bag of mangos. The said they were neighbors for the floor below and that the had grown too many mangos this season so they wanted to give us some. They were huge! I ate one yesterday and man it was delicious. I will attach a picture to the email.

Well that's pretty much it for some of the bigger highlights of the week.

Elder Niedfeldt and I are continuing to work hard and hope to see much success.

Hope everyone has a great week at home.

Love,

Elder Bastian

Reflecting on the Mission

Hello Everyone!

Its been a pretty good week here in Taidong.

Here are some of the highlights/big news from this past week:

We were blessed with 3 new investigators that all came from member referrals! This is the first time its ever happened since I've been on the mission and whats even better is that they all seem pretty interest. We really hope to be able to work with these members to help the friend/ family be able to progress towards baptism. I know that member missionary work is sooo crucial to help people come unto christ! When and investigators has a friend by his side to answer his questions and encourage him along the way, the probability for them to join the church is so much higher. Then the member and friend can both rejoice in the blessings that have come from this gospel. 
We are also continuing to work with the Zhuang Family. They are so great. Once again they came to church as a whole family! Its their 4th time now. They are continuing to progress and will definetly be baptized in time. They are just trying to resolve some family opposition with the Grandmother. We are going to bring a member on tuesday that struggled with family opposistion at first, but over came it, to help them out.
Sadly, we had to pass Brother Wang off to the 2nd Branch down here in Taidong because we figured out the house that he is living in with his family is actually not in our area. We had been meeting at his Shop and I though he also lived right by, but he doesnt. Its ok though! He is still awesome and I know the missionaries in the 2nd branch will take great care of him.
Last insight:

This week I have been reflecting back on what the mission has done for me and it made me think of something my best friend's dad (Brother Brown) said to me before I left on my mission. He told me that one thing I should do while I am on my mission is to love every single one of my companions that I will have, no matter who they are. That is something that I have strived to take to heart and can say that I feel I have done well. I understand more and more why he told me that. Although we have ups and downs with each companion I have found that loving them and learning how to work with them and interact together has been so beneficial, not only for the work now, but I have really felt that it is preparing me for when I am married and will be with my wife. Its hard to explain in words, but I know that because of the mission and striving to love each companion I am better prepared to be with an eternal companion! So cool!
Well I thought I would share that insight with you, since its been something I have been thinking about lately. The mission really is a training ground for life! And NO, I am not trunky! This is just something I have learned and thought I could share.

This about sums it up for the week!

Love you all,

Elder Bastian

Third Celestial Bridge

Sorry time is a little bit shorter today, so I won't be able to write a lot! We are heading out to a famous tourist spot on the beach that a member is taking us to. It's called the 3rd Celestial Bridge. I hear it's super pretty so I will send pictures next week.

Highlights of the week:

My companion got hit by a scooter this past week and they both crashed! He is OK and only a little scraped up. The people that hit him were two 80+ year old people. I hope they are OK as they are much more frail. I know that the Lord really does send angels to protect us because this accident could have been much worse!

Elder Forbes and my companion met with Brother Wang this past week as I was on exchanges. They say that he seems to be much more on board with everything lately and even in the lesson asked what all the commandments were so he could know how to obtain the blessings that God wants to give him. So cool! I really hope he gets baptized this month.

We also did service for one of Elder Forbes' recent converts, this funny 60 year old sister who lives up on the mountain. We were moving some beds and things for her at her house and we found a spider that was huge! About 4 inches in width! It was funny to see supposed "missionary men" turn into little girls! Ha-Ha. Gladly, we smashed him good after we cornered him! Overall the service was a success.

This is about it for the week!

Hope everyone has a great week at home! Love you all!!!

Elder Bastian

Last Area?

Hello Everyone!

It was a pretty good were here in Taidong! Here are some of the highlights of the week:

We started meeting more frequently with our investigator Brother Zeng. He seemed like he was starting to drop off, but we were able to bring a member to the lesson who is an Aborigine, just like him. They were able to talk and get to know each other and I think it really helped Brother Zeng's desire to grow. Plus the member has a great interest to help him prepare to be baptized! We are doing our best to help him over come his bin lang habit which its getting better and better. I think if doesn't run into it this week that he will be ready to be interviewed for baptism on the weekend. 

Another highlight, our investigating family whose father is a recent convert has been doing well. His children are getting more and more involved with the church and its activities. Elder Neidfelt and I really feel that the kids will be able to be baptized this month. The mom might need more time as its hard for her to let go of the buddhist traditions and begin habits of pray and scripture study. But I'm sure she will be ready in the Lords time!

Last highlight came in finding, two of the new investigators we found are sweet!!! The first was this lady named Grace. We contacted here as she was going for a jog one night and she set up for last friday. We met in a 7/11 that was pretty crowded and didnt have many seats. At first I was think thinking, "ahh man, she is going to feel really embarrassed to meet here..." But as we sat down she was totally fine and was really interested in our message! She was asking great questions and the best part? As we were finishing up I asked if we could say a closing pray and hadn't even specified that I would like here to say the pray when she said, "ok, I'll do it! I want to practice saying a prayer!" Elder Neidfeldt and I were shocked! Afterwards she told us how she had seen us at the same 7 a few weeks ago eating dinner out front and that day she had stopped near us and had wanted to talk to us, but didn't muster up the courage to do so. She said it was such a coincidence to run into us again. As she told me this story I actually remembered that day and remembered her standing there! At that moment, I had a really peaceful feeling telling me that this was all God's set up. We are really excited for her!

We have some great investigators right now who are getting close to baptism. We are going to make sure that we do all we can this week to really help these people build faith in Christ and repent so that they can be baptized soon! I really hope they all chose to make this covenant with God! I feel like being a missionary has given me a peeks view into what parenthood is like as I can see the potential for these investigators and know how much accepting this gospel with absolutely change their lives, yet they in a sense are like children and dont quite realized this yet and will only slowly come to this understanding over time and through personal experience. You want to help them so bad but sometimes, you just got to leave it up to the Lord to take care of things.

I don't know if this is going to be my last area or not but I really hope that If I stay I can see these people be baptized!!!!! They are all such great people and children of God!

Things are going well here and I feel that I am working harder and more efficient now than I have my whole mission. I want to keep it up and hope that the Lord gives me strength to do so!
I think one thing that I have been learning and feeling the importance of over the past several months is the necessity of magnify our calling as missionaries and throughout the rest of my life. We dont just keep following the commandments when we get back, but we prove our faithfulness through magnifying all of the callings that God gives us.
I hope I continue to learn all that the Lords wants me to while I am here in Taiwan.

This about sums it up for here this week.

Hope you all have a great week at home! Love you all!

Elder Bastian

Ups and Downs

This past week was ok here in Taidong, there were a few ups and downs. I felt that Elder Neidfelt and I worked pretty hard, but we just didn't see the success that we had hoped for. A few of our investigators seem to being petering out which is sad because we have so much hope for them! But, everyone has there agency and we will continue to do our best to find the ones that are willing to receive us.

We did see a great blessing though this past week as our investigator Brother Wang came to church for the first time! He hadn't come yet since we started meeting with him about 2 months ago and I was worried that he might not come this week either since he didn't strongly commit when we invited him, but I sent him a text saturday night encouraging him to keep praying and reading and the hoping that we would be able to see him tomorrow and then he came! Elder Neidfelt and I were really excited. I hope that he will be able to make his baptismal date on 5/10.

I was also grateful to be able to hear Elder Wilson, a member of the seventy, and his wife this past week as they came to do a mission tour here. I thought that the topic he chose to address: The Book of Mormon. What perfect. Thats something that I felt has always been a little bit of astruggle on the mission was to help people really become connected with the Book of Mormon or sciptures in general. Its a little different here since people dont have a christian background and are unfimiliar with the Bible. But I felt Elder Wilson gave some great advice to help us better help our investigators experience the Spirit of reading the Book of Mormon. Several times this past week Elder Neidfeldt and I really worked to help our investigators understand the importance of the BoM and read with them to help them experience it. I know this is a process and over time as we continue to help them they will develop their own personal testimony of this second witness to Christ! 

I'm so grateful to have the Book of Mormon in my life and to understand its importance in our conversion to Christ.

This about sums it up for the week. I hope that everyone has a great week back at home!

Elder Bastian

Finished the BofM in Chinese!

Hello Everyone!

This past week here in Taidong was great! 

On the weekend we had the opportunity to watch the re-broadcast of General Conference at our chapel. It was so great, but a bitter sweet moment as I realized that that was the last conference I would watch here in Taiwan. Nevertheless, it was very inspiring, my favorite talks were given by Elder Holland and Elder Uchtdorf's on Gratitude. I have already begun applying some of the principles that they shared with us and have seen a difference! I know that as we seek the USE the counsel given to us by these prophets of God, we will draw closer to our Heavenly Father, be able to more fully feel his influence in our lives, and be able to more swiftly navigate the challenges of life. Im grateful God has restored the gospel in our day!

Some other highlights of the week:

-Last monday I finished reading the Book of Mormon all the way through in Chinese! It feels very satisfying to have accomplished that... but now Im on to D&C!

-On Thursday or so, we were out on our bikes, contacting people on the streets when I stopped and said "Hi" to a man. Well he slowly turned his head toward me and then reach out for my arms without saying anything. I started to back away quickly and without thinking the words, "Oh man, TIME TO GO!" came out of my mouth! As I started to bike away he literaly ran after me for a several meters before stopping!!! I was out of there like lightning... If only I had heeded my companion's warning that he was crazy right before I said hi... What he said didn't really sink in, but now I know what he means! I hope the experience gives you guys a good laugh! Im sure I will remember this one for a while.

-We met with Brother Wang this past week and were able to read the Book of Mormon with him. It was a spiritual lesson as he seemed to really receive some inspiration from God and develop his testimony of the Book of Mormon. He's doing great.

-I also had the opportunity to go on exchanges with the zone leader on friday. His area is pretty far out of the city near the mountain. It was very rural and life out there is a lot slower! We met a lot of Taiwanese Aborigonees. It was pretty great. We had a cool experience teaching the restoration to a Catholic man, he accepted a copy of the Book of Mormon and promised to read it.

These are some of the experience of the week. I wish I had more time to write but that's about it!

Hope everyone had a great week at home!

Love,

Elder Bastian

Miracle Lane

Hello Everyone!

This past week has been pretty good here in Taidong. Elder Niedfeldt and I were able to see some great success. 

Recently, we started to meet with a recent convert's wife and kids to teach them the gospel. It's been great as they have been pretty receptive to the message. The husband (Brother Zhuang) was baptized about a month ago and is a super humble and nice man. The best part is, on Sunday, for the first time, he and his whole family came to church together!! They also had the opportunity to watch him get sustained to be able to receive the priesthood! It was pretty cool to see them all together smiling. I can just tell that this family will receive the gospel. The father is setting such a great example for them and im sure they will follow. I'm so grateful that my companion and I have the opportunity to help them in this conversion process.

I also had the opportunity to ask Zhuang DX at church on Sunday what he thought the most profound part of the gospel is to him so far and he told me....."Eternal Families".....SWEEEEEEETTTTT!!!!

Some other successes of the past week were meeting with Samuel, the kid we tracted into last week whose grandma first ignored us. We sat down with him and then his little brother who is 12 sat down too and read with as we went through 1 Ne 1. Now he is investigating too! We really hope that in the end we can start meeting with the whole family!

Last miracle that I want to write about happened last night. Elder Niedfeldt and I rode out to a fairly far away part of town to go meet with a potential we had. After we talked with her we continued to tract in her neighborhood for the rest of the evening and in a matter of 40 minutes we found 3 new investigators! One was a 52 year old man, and another was a mom and her 24 year old son! They all lived within 8 houses of each other.... I think we need to rename this place "miracle lane"!

We are also continuing to meet with Brother Wang and he is great. He wasn't able to meet this past week but is set up for Tuesday and really excited to meet! We are excited too!

The work is going well here in this part of the vineyard and I just hope that I can continue to do my best each day to serve the Lord and serve these people here in Taiwan.

I hope that everyone is doing well at home and has a great week.

Love you all,

Elder Bastian