Mountain Lookout

Hello Everybody!

 

Its been another pretty good week here in Long Tan! Sister Guan is continuing to prepare for her baptism this next Saturday. We are all very excited! It has been so cool to be able to see the changes that the gospel has made to her life. You can really see a new light in here eyes. I think one of the coolest things since we have met her, was that after we gave her a Book of Mormon and she started reading it, she began to call us and give us updates saying that she read today and how it was going. She called us... pretty cool huh?! 

This past week Elder Bennion and I have had a lot of fun. I think as we have worked hard and come home to the warm apartment, wiped at the end of the day, that's when we have really had the most fun because we know that we have done our best helping others come unto Christ.

On Preperation Day last Monday, we decided that we wanted to get outside and bike somewhere cool for the day. We found a cool mountain lookout spot on the map that we had in our apartment and decided to go there. Since I have been here for a little while I thought I knew the area pretty well and knew where the mountain was. We biked out to the edge of town and started to head up the mountains that line the little city. It was such a windy and steep road! We kept climbing and climbing looking for the signs that had the lookout. We couldn't find it... so we finally decided to stop at the top and go down this little road where we could get a good view and take some pictures. We ended up finding this abandoned leather sofa chair in the middle of this field so we decided to get some cool pictures sitting in it. I'll attach them. It was a pretty cool place up at the top of that mountain. Taiwan is super pretty! Elder Bennion and I plan to go hiking so I'll get some pictures up of that next week.

This week we had a cool experience of meeting an 80 year old kung fu master at the park. He was just awesome! He said that he has been teaching kung fu for over 30 years and invited us to stop by his place some time. On Friday, we went to visit him. He was pretty funny. He taught us a couple punch blocking moves and we were able to teach him a little bit about prayer and Jesus Christ. Good trade, huh? We are going to try and keep visiting him. I hope all goes well, and that over time he will be able to accept the gospel into his life.

Well, my time this week is about up. The church has changed some of the mission rules that allows us to email individually to friends so I have spent a little more time doing separate emails today, which has eaten up some of my time for the main email, but I hope that everyone has a great week and that school, work, or whatever life is bringing you at this time all goes well!

Love ya!

Elder Bastian

Move Calls

Hello Everyone!

 

Its been a week of big changes! On Wednesday evening we got the move call from the Zone Leaders saying that I would be staying in Long Tan, my companion would be moving, and that we were to be in Taipei on Friday at 9:00 in the morning. My companion Elder Wang ended up moving about 30 minutes south to an area called XinZhu (sheen jew). I am glad to welcome Elder Bennion from Maryland to Long Tan. My new companion is just great! He studied a semester at the University of Utah before his mission, i think in time i will be able to forgive him..., but no, seriously he is great! He has a very similar personality to me and similar perspectives. He has been in Taiwan for about a year and a half now, so he will be returning in July. I think this transfer we will be able to see a lot of success here, working with the member to seek out less actives and help rebuild the ward while bringing in new people to the fold as we contact on the street and knock doors! We are both really excited to get the ball rolling!

Last week was pretty great. I was able to go on exchanges Tuesday to Wednesday with Elder Mattson again, this time in my area. We had a great time. We were able to go tracting that evening and had such a cool experience! We started off at one end of the street and the second house that we knocked at the gate a lady came out, we started talking and it turns out she had met with missionaries a few years earlier at her home. She was very kind. She said that recently she was very busy and had a lot of family things going on, but then (completely unexpectedly) she said that her neighbor was christian and that we should try and see if he is home. We said our goodbyes and and headed off to next door. We rang the doorbell out side the gate and waited for a little bit then out came running a little boy. He asked who we were and we told him that we were missionaries, he quickly said "wait a second" then ran back inside the home and about 20 seconds later he and his mom both came out the door to the gate and welcomed us in. My companion and I looked at each other and just thought, "WOW!" They were both super nice. 

We were able to sit down with them, get to know them, and share our message about the restoration of Jesus Christ's gospel. This spirit was very strong as Elder Mattson and I (both fairly younger missionaries) struggled through the Chinese to explain the importance of what we were sharing. The mom was very kind and welcoming, but sadly in the end she said that she was glad to have meet us but that she was not too interested in the message we were sharing. My companion and I were a little bummed as we had been really exctited when she let us in, but even though she did not accept our invitation to learn more, we know that we planted a seed in her heart that over time will grow! It was cool to be able to see that miracles that happened that night as we met some wonderful people.

This last weekend my new companion and I, Elder Bennion, and I were able to hold a little fireside for the members of our ward. We talked about the missionary work in this area and how we could work togther better to help other come unto Christ and help this work to move forward. It was a great experience as we were better able to understand the perspectives of the members and find ways that we could work in better unity. I think that soon we will really be able to see the Long Tan ward rebuild and grow. 

Our investigator Sister Guan is still progressing well and it looks like she will be able to be baptized next Saturday! She is super excited! We have a lot that we need to get done this transfer. Many people to call, visit, and new ones to meet. Im stoked! The mission is so fulfilling and awesome! I wish I had more time to explain all of the little miracle we are able to see each day. I hope that everyone is doing well back at home and that the weather is starting to shape up! It is sure getting nice here.

Love you!

Elder Bastian

A Week of Variety

Hello Everyone!

 

This week has been pretty good! We were able to invite 2 other people to be baptized this week and they said "yes!" We hope to be able to set firm dates with them this following week. The work has been a little slower lately but as Elder Wang and I have done our best efforts to help this area we have been able to see some miracles and success in here in Long Tan. As of right now, we have one investigator that is progressing quickly towards baptism. Her goal is for the end of this month and I know that she will be able to obtain it. She is very accepting of the gospel and you can tell that she has been blessed with the gift of the spirit to believe. I think that is one of the things I have noticed on the mission so far, there truly are some people that are blessed with this gift. When you meet them, you just know that they will be baptized and you are truly able to see their potential. How great are the blessings of the Lord! 

This week we have been able to concentrate our efforts a little more on finding as we have been out on the roads going to and from places, seeking out Less Actives. On Friday, I was able to see a miracle. I had felt that finding was a little harder that day and I was feeling a little down. I prayed in my heart that we would be able to find someone. As I began to talk with those one the street I noticed a young man that I had seen cross the street a little ways back after he left the army campus. I rode up next to him and started to share about our relationship with God and prayer, said a prayer with him and he loved it! He was really interested in meeting with us! Sadly, but not sadly, he lives in Xin Zhuang so I had to pass him off, but I know that the Lord is watching over me and him and that no matter what area in the world we are in. There is one more starting on his way back home to the Lord.

On our preparation day Monday, Elder Wang and I and a couple other missionaries in the neighboring area were able to visit a place called the ShiMen Water Resovior. It is a dam that is built up into that side of this mountain at the border of our area in Long Tan. It is such a beautiful place! The mountains here are really pretty and the water behind the dam was pure blue. It reminded me a lot of all the beautiful hiking areas in Seattle. We had to ride quite a ways to get there, but it was so worth it! After the little trip I had the opportunity to go on exchanges with the Zone Leader, Elder Anderson. We went back to his area, Tao Yuan, which is a little north of ours. We had a great time together and I think we were able to learn a lot from the experience about enjoying the work. 

The next day after that I was able to go on exchanges with another member in our district Elder Robinson. He is from, well actually a lot of different places. His father is an NCIS agent and they often move. He spent his high school years in Singapore, but his family, before his mission moved to California. We were able to visit a new family that we had been able to get in contact with and the family is great! I see a lot of potential in them. Later that night as we headed home and started to talk about life back at home and especially BYU! He did a year there also before his mission. We talked about how awesome of a university it is. It really is the best! By the way, how is the BYU basketball doing and the other sports teams? Im sure the the NCAA is rolling around or maybe already started. How cool.

Well, in all this week has been pretty good! A lot of memories made and people met. Taiwan is great. I hope that everyone is doing well back at home and that your week goes great.

Love you!

Elder Bastian

Cold Sinks Into Your Bones

Hello everyone!

 

Another week has gone by here in Long Tan. Its been pretty good! On Friday one of our investigators was baptized! She is 18 and actually had lived in China for 10 years of her life and had just returned about 6 months ago. She is the neice of the Bishop in our ward. She really has a desire to develop her relationship with God. It's been really cool to see some of the changes that she has made. After her baptism on Friday evening, she was just sooo happy and excited! She said she wasn't sure why but she was so happy! I know that these feelings were given to her from God helping her to feel that she truly was doing what is right in life. I hope that she continues a life full of faithful service and growth in the church. She is great.

This week it has been a lot colder here in Long Tan. It is a lot different from the dry cold in Provo that I experienced when I was at college. The air here is so humid so when it is cold it just sinks into you bones cutting through all your layers of clothing. Fortunately, we have been able to stay fairly warm. It's always nice to come home at the end of the night after a hard day's work to flip on the little electric heater that we have and warm up my feet as we plan for the next day! I hear that it's supposed to be nicer weather this next week and that soon things should be starting to warm up for good! I'm excited. It's pretty interesting to see how people's moods correlate with the weather. People truly are happier and smile more often when it's sunny outside. I have really been able to see this as we go out to talk to different people each day.

Yesterday, Sunday, we had the opportunity to eat dinner at a member's home. He has a returned missionary and his wife visiting them for the weekend. The returned missionary is from Lehi, Utah and about 10 years ago served in Gao Xiong, Taiwan. The member speaks amazing English and the returned missionary has been able to maintain his Chinese fairly well, so most of the night was a mix of what we call Chinglish. It's pretty fun. I think his wife was a little lost at times but she seemed have a great time experiencing the different culture here in Taiwan. It really is much different here in Taiwan. It was a pretty cool experience to be able visit with the returned missionary and hear about his mission experience while he was in Taiwan. I think it gave me a little spark to do the missionary work even more diligently.

Recently, my companion and I have been wokring on a service project for our Ward. Each week we have been spending some time to paint the church parking lot lines. The have really faded over the years so we are repainting them. It's been tedious and long as we have to do it all by hand, but it's been cool to see the progress and I'm sure the members will really appreciate. Service always brings a smile and a good attitude to your heart. 

I'll have to send a picture to you guys once we finish.

Well, I hope that everyone has a wonderful week and that you are able to accomplish all that you need and want to do! I love you guys!

Elder Bastian

Highlights

Hello Everyone!

 

How has the past week been for all of you back at home? I hope it's been a good one. It's been a pretty busy week here in Taiwan. We have been able to do a lot of successful missionary work to help others come unto Christ. I think one of the highlights of this week was being able to meet with one of our investigators who had seemed to us to be dropping off the past few weeks. She met with us this week and explained that she had been thinking a lot about baptism lately and she wanted to move her baptismal date up. We were really surprised!  Sometimes we are able to see the improvements that people are making, but sometimes they just come out of no where. During this last lesson that we had with her, I could really see the Spirit working through her to prepare her for this important step that she is going to take in her life. She really has a great testimony and is excited to be baptized this coming week. We are excited too!

Another highlight has been meeting with the families that we have that are investigating the church. Right now we have two families that are fairly new investigators. They are both great and seem to have a lot of interest. It is a little different teaching families than teaching a single person because there are a lot more factors that go into having a successful lesson. I think the first is finding a time to meet with them when all of them are home!  With the first family, we have often stopped by to visit them and either they were not there or only 2 out of the 6 were there. It has been slower than I thought it would be in sharing the gospel with them, but I have been able to see the changes that have already come into their lives with what we have shared. There seems to be a stronger spirit of love and optimism in their home when we go to visit them. The second family is also so great. I had told you a little bit about them two weeks ago when we were in the middle of the Chinese New Year. They are the ones that asked us in when we knocked on their door, because they felt badly for us since it was the holiday and we were still outside working. My companion called them this week and the husband said that we could come back to visit them. I was really excited, because before I wasn't too sure how receptive they were to our message. This week, we were able to share with them the Restoration of the Gospel of Jesus Christ and the Book of Mormon. The wife seemed pretty interested in the Book of Mormon. She even asked us, "do you really think the principles in this book can help us? I mean it's a super old record...".  I told her, "I know they can! They have helped my family so much!" She also said that she had noticed before that our church really emphasizes families and she really likes that. I hope that they will really take the time to read this book and continue meeting with us so that they will be able to partake of the vast amount of blessings that are waiting for them, especially the blessing of an eternal family. I'm excited too see what happens over the next few weeks!

I'd like to share a cool story with you guys that happened this past week. I hope it will help you to better understand the type of people that live here in Taiwan. They are such a hard working people! A couple days ago my companion and I were out on the out-skirts of town searching for, and trying to visit, some less active members from the church.  We had stopped at one small, little house that was in a smaller alley. Some of these little houses will have gardens out in front that the people use for growing food.  As we passed one garden, we saw an old man that was hunched over in the rain tending to his garden. I thought, wow, he is very diligent to be out here like this. After we stopped at the house next to his, he looked up and noticed us and came over to ask us what we were up to. We told him we were trying to find a friend. We started to talk to him for a little bit and he explained to us that he is an 88 year old man! He lives by himself with his dog and works out in his garden, by himself, everyday. I was blown away. How many 88 year olds do you know that live by themselves all alone and are able to go outside and tend to a garden in the cold rain. It was a cool sight to see and it boosted my confidence about growing old.

The people here are so great, and I love working with them. Although it sometimes feels hard to be away from home, I really am loving the people more and more here. What a great experience it is to be a missionary.

I love all of you guys and hope that you all have a wonderful week!

Elder Bastian

Pig Ear, Pig Feet

Hello Everyone!

 

Well, the Chinese New Year has finished up here in Taiwan! It was an eventful week as we visited many member families and were able to have some awesome meals with them. Our ward set up a meal schedule for our companionship. Everyday, we had the opportunity to eat at a member's home for lunch and dinner. There were so many families willing to feed us! I had a good time being able to meet with all of these people and build relationships with them. I definitely ate some pretty weird things though. The two that really were pretty strange were Pig Ear and Pig Foot. Sounds pretty gross, right? There is a lot of food here that I don't think a lot of people in America would eat.

One day this past week, we had a sister in the ward who had invited us over to her place. She ended up living really far away up on the mountain at the edge of the little city that we live in. I thought it would be a good little bike ride to her place. It was! Except by little, I mean hard! The hill that went up the mountain was probably the steepest and longest hill I have ever biked. I was in the absolutely lowest gear possible the whole way going up. It reminded me of a running workout that we did back in high school at cross country camp each year where we ran up Mt. Constitution on Orcas Island off the coast of Washington. I just had to tell myself, "OK Jeff, just keep on going, keep on going..."   Eventually we made it to the top and got to the member's place in one piece and had a good meal.

This week has been a little bit harder for missionary work because a lot of our investigators have been out of town or really busy with the Chinese New Year activities. We have had some good lessons though, that I felt have really been able to help our investigators. I hope they continue to progress! It's been very interesting to have the perspective of a missionary and be able to see so many people begin exercising their faith and then begin repenting and truly changing their lives to come unto Christ. It has really helped build my testimony of this gospel as I realize it's power to help all of us overcome any challenge or trial that we face in this life.

I am pretty excited for tomorrow as we will have Elder Evans and Elder Watson of the Quorum of the Seventy come to visit us at the mission headquarters. We will be having a mission wide meeting with them. I am excited to hear what they will say to us! It is always great to be able to meet with the leaders of the church. They have so much experience in the gospel and really know how things work within the Lord's kingdom. I'll let you guys know how it goes next week!

I hope you all have a great week back at home!

Love,

Elder Bastian

Chinese New Year

Hello Everyone!

 

Well, another week has gone by here in Long Tan! It is the beginning of Chinese New Year. The New Year's Celebration here in Taiwan is much different than in America. In fact, New Year's here lasts about a week and a half long! Crazy huh? During this time all of the family will return back to their parent's home and visit and eat a TON of food! The streets have been empty these past few days, but late at night the fireworks start blasting from the roads. It is pretty exciting to see them from our apartment window.

This past week has been pretty exciting here in Long Tan. We were able to have a lot of success. On Monday, we were able to visit a family that is investigating the church. It's a mother, father, and their son. When we stopped by, only the son and his aunt were home so we decided to meet with the son for a little bit and share a message with him. As we were doing so his aunt started to sit down and listen too. I thought, wow, that's pretty cool! Then a little bit later the son's mom arrived home from work with her other daughter and they both sat down and joined in on the lesson...AND then about 5 minutes later, the aunt's daughter came home and joined in too! We had 5 people listening to the message and the 2 mothers were pretty excited to have their kids listen and participate. They kept trying to get their kids to say a prayer and one of the daughters did! It was a great lesson and a huge blessing from the Lord. We hope to be able to meet with them again soon after the new year!

We were also able to have a lesson with a high school kid that I had contacted on the street about a week ago. When we first started to meet with him, I wasn't sure what his perspective was going to be, but we soon found out that he has actually attended 17 different churches and is really interested in religion. His parents are Taoist, but he seems to often ponder some of life's deepest questions, and he is only 16, the same age as my brother Daniel! We were able to talk about the restoration of the Gospel of Jesus Christ with him and really help him understand God, prophets and the gospel. He had a lot of questions but was really interested in the lesson and said that he was going to start reading the book of Mormon and start praying. We are actually meeting with him again tonight so we will see how it goes!

On Friday, I had the opportunity to exchange companions for a day. I went to the area called Bada, with an Elder Mattson. He is from California and is a pretty funny kid. We had a lot of fun contacting people at stop lights on our way to visit some members. He was able to bring a great spirit to the work and really made it fun! Saturday was the start of the New Year here so lately we have had a lot of members inviting us over for lunch or dinner. Their New Year's meals are huge and they just keep telling us, "eat more, eat more". It's really funny. I will have to take some pictures.

It's been a very busy week here and I am still getting use to the area and a new companion, but things have been going well. I have really been able to learn a lot about missionary work recently. It's cool to see the different people that the Lord is preparing all around us. We had a really cool experience Saturday night. After we finished dinner at a member's home we decided to go out and contact some people on the streets. The streets were all super empty so there wasn't really anyone to talk to. Then my companion decided to knock on a few doors for the last little bit of the night. At first we had no success, but we decided to knock on one more door and a lady opened. She didn't seem interested at first but then started to open up and say "Well, why don't you guys come in and sit down for a bit.  It's New Year's and you guys are still outside working!" We were able to visit with her and her family and share a short message with her, her husband and their 1 year old. The wife had a lot of questions about our church. In the end the family said they might be willing to meet again in the future and chat. They were super nice and it really was a miracle for them to let us in like that. How cool!

Well, I really hope that everything is going well for everyone back at home or school. You are all so great! Keep it up!

Love,

Elder Bastian