Monday, October 28, 2013

Taiwan post October 28, 2013

This week has been so busy. Wednesday was crazy. We had a training meeting at the Taichung Mission Office (chuandaobu). The trainers and the trainees from the Northern part of the mission came together. It was great to get a different perspective of see how to change something so that it works better or to make the mission work better. The training was amazing. We got to hear some wonderful stories of missionary experiences. After that we didn't have much time so we hurried to Chaoyuan University to teach our English class. Most of the students have really good English. Then we hurried down to the Wufeng Library to set up our Halloween Party. It was so good. A lot of members helped us set up and play a part in running the games. We set up a path for people to go on for our Halloween haunted tour. It turned out so good. Everyone really had a lot of fun and enjoyed it.

This week we saw so many miracles. We went to find a lady's house and we kind of knew where it should be, but we didn't know what street to turn down. So we turned down one of the streets and stopped in front of a house to call the lady again. And we just happened to stop in front of the lady's house. We were so glad; she has met a lot of missionaries but hasn't been taught anything about the gospel. So we have the opportunity to teach her about the gospel and more about what we do. She was so sweet. She has been in the English classes so she knows about missionaries, but not as much about the gospel. So it is so exciting. We were also to met with another one of our English students, Hazel, who's house is way out in Wufeng. We had a member come with us out there, and she has a daughter the same age as Hazel. Hazel's mom joined us and it was a great lesson. I really hope we can help her family to have a strong relationship with God.

Love Sister Basko

Rachel pointing at a big lizard they found while on a hike on P-day

With Sister Adams, other sisters in the mission

With Sister Adams on a hike on P-day

Monday, October 21, 2013

Taiwan post October 21, 2013 100 days mark

This week our newest convert Ling JM peika'ed for us. It was so awesome. She met Chen JM(Banana, who owns a beauty salon). It was an awesome experience, they got along and did most of the talking and it was really cool to see Ling JM going and helping us with our investigators. So awesome!!! We just had a really good time, testifying of the things we had learned at General Conference. Wednesday Sister Adams and I decided what we wanted to do for the day, but it just didn't feel right. I had been thinking about Liu JM, we had contacted her two weeks ago and didn't have a chance to visit her again. So we both felt that we needed to visit her. So we went over to her house, she was home. She invited us in and she had read the Book of Mormon and we taught the first lesson. She is really interested, and we need to help her get to know the members and come to church. So exciting, she is so awesome. She thinks that all churches are good, which is true. If the church you go to helps you have a relationship with God that is good. Our church is special because we are able to know more and continue developing our relationship with God.

It is so cool to have people serve us. It really blesses them and also helps us to learn more about them and ways that we can also help them. We have met with some really great LA's (less active members) and they have such strong testimonies we just need to help them come back to church so that they can have more friends and a better relationship with God and to learn more about how to also strength others. It was really cool on Sunday we saw so many things happen right in a roll that worked out we were able to help others. Sister Adams and I were working on some training missionary material at the church and had some studies. We were there late. We thought we were the last ones there so we made sure everything was locked up. Sister Adams found a cell phone, one of the missionary companionships forgot. So we put it somewhere safe and went out to shut the gate. But it got stuck and it wouldn't close. We couldn't figure out why, while we were trying to figure out the problem with the gate a set of elders arrived at the church. We found out the cell phone was theirs, and because they were in a different area they couldn't get into the church since they didn't have the key. We have a key since this is our area. They were able to get their phone because the gate wouldn't close (a tiny rock was in the way). So they left and we tried to close the gate but then it had trouble again. Because we had trouble with the gate and were still trying to figure it out, we found out a member was still inside the building and was just walking out. We didn't lock her in. So many things happened all at once and because of everything we were able to see how God is watching out for everyone and knows what to do to help them.

Today is our preparation day so we decided to go hiking, so fun and it was really pretty. Got to do some studies at the top and then went back down. Walked around the area for a while. Taiwan is so cool, there are so many buildings then mountains right through the middle. Amazing at night to see the mountain side with little dots of light where there are people living.

Love Sister Basko

Monday, October 14, 2013

Taiwan posting October 14, 2013

There is an order to the way things are run here in the Taiwan streets, buses come first, then cars, then small motorized vehicles, then bikes and last people. If you do not obey this, it can become very dangerous for you. The streets are crazy, it is sometimes hard to imagine there is any order, but I have found that if you stay in your respective place you are safe if not then it gets very dangerous.

We have an English student we have been meeting with that we have started sharing the gospel with. It is so cool, she told us about some miracles she has seen in her life. It is awesome that we get to share these things with her and teach in English and Chinese. She is very smart and quiet.

This week was my first exchange, we have exchanges with the Sister Training Leaders. We are with them for about 24 hours. I went with Sister Mack to Chang Hua. Sister Chua stayed with Sister Adams in Wufeng/Dali. We rode the train to Chang Hua, then went and visited some less actives. It was cool to meet them, and to share a little about the gospel. We got lost a couple of times, but it was fine since I got to see the area. We ate at a restaurant that hand makes their noodles, it was so good and it had so many veggies!! The next day we met with a 10 and 11 year old. They are awesome. Their father thinks they are too young to be baptized, so every time they are taught they share it with their father. That takes a lot of courage on their part.

This week we had an exercise activity at a school in Wufeng. It was huge, all the missionaries raced in a race, it was pretty cool. We got to get to know the members and to hang out and get to know other wards in Taizhung.

Every time Shi baba gives us food we cannot possibly eat, we give it to others we know. It always happens that they really needed that food, and we had no idea. Shi baba gave us food, and we decided to give it to Cheng JM( or Banana). We found out the next day that they had been so busy that they had not eaten all day. And the food we brought was the only thing that they ate that day. It really is a miracle how much we are able to do without us really knowing it.

General Conference was amazing. I love Robert D. Hales talk about how after King Benjamin taught his people they went back to their homes to ponder. That is the same with us, we share a message with the investigators, and they return to their homes and have the opportunity to think about it and apply it to their lives. The best way to understand this gospel and to really be converted is to ponder on the things that we learn and to seek greater understanding.

Saturday was awesome, after conference we had some time to study and later met with Jeng JM (our peika, member at the lesson) and went to go see Jang JM(our investigator).  But she wasn't there. We couldn’t get a hold of the other person we were going to visit. Right before we left I had a thought that we should write a little note to remind her about General Conference. So we did that. That took just enough time that Lin Meng Jing(less active) rode by, she stopped and we talked to her. She invited us over. Her mother doesn't really like us. But she welcomed us over, our peika and the mother and Lin Meng Jing talked for a while, we didn't really say much. We shared a message but that was about it. Then we left and went home. Banana was sitting outside, so we stopped and talked to her for a little bit. Found out she forgot to pray so she said that she could come to church with us!!! So exciting, this is the first time she has come to church. It was such a good night.

This area is so blessed, and I am so lucky that this is my first area. I am grateful for everything and all the amazing church members.

Love Sister Basko

Posted by Jeri Basko (mom)

Ward parade at Stake Activity day

Missionaries in the Stake

Monday, October 7, 2013

Taiwan Post October 7,2013

We just had a baptism this week, it was so exciting. Listening to her testimony and to hear how much she has changed and continues to progress is inspiring. She didn't quite understand repentance and so we taught it again, and we came back and followed up on it, and she told us the most profound thing, she said "if I am not improving every day, then I need to repent." it is so awesome to see how people change. It makes me remember how special this gospel is and how important it is to share and really live it.
 
Shi baba bought so much food and he gave it to the missionaries. We were trying to think who we could visit and share with, and we thought of Sister Fletcher. She is an English teacher here, and she was recently in the hospital but she is fine now. We called her up to see if we could give her some food and found out she is sick and has no food. It is such a miracle how we are able to help her right when she needs it, and to visit her and be there to help her. It is so amazing how everything we do, when we are listening and prepared, we see miracles and so many blessings.

We have the most amazing peika's (members who come to lessons with investigators). All the member's here are new, they have not been members for very long. Their testimonies are so strong, and they can share their experience and their understanding of how the Book Mormon changes lives and coming to church is so important.

The food here is amazing. But there are not a lot of people that cook traditional Taiwanese food. We had the special privilege to visit the Miao jaiting(family), they do cook traditional Taiwanese food. Their daughter is on a mission right now in Taipei. They have pictures of Christ and the temple in their home, and they are not members, they are forever investigators. But they are amazing. They cook tradition Taiwanese food, it was good, had a tiny piece of 1000 year old egg, it was ok. They are so funny, they know so much and they just don't seem to want to get baptized. But they love having missionaries over. So it’s good that we can always share a message with them.

Love Sister Basko
Posted by Rachel's mom (jeri)