Taiwan post January 27, 2014

This week we had a baptism!!! Yeah, so awesome. She is Lin Jiemei, she is 15 years old and her faith is so strong. So when people think that 15 is too young, it is not true. It is based on faith. If you have faith and a desire to learn more you are ready for baptism at any age. I love seeing her enthusiasm!!! Her friend introduced her to the church, her friend came to the baptism to support her!!! It was awesome!!

This week has been full of miracles. We found an less active, but we didn't know how to contact her, so we called her name out, but there was no response. So we did a couple more times. Still no luck, but we were there long enough that her neighbor came home and let us into the building. So we were able to meet her. We tried visiting again but she didn't answer, and we called her name out and then a family exited the building and asked if we needed to go in. It was a huge miracle that we were able to visit her both times.

We have a really special recent convert, she is deaf, our peika (member) wrote down what we say, and we also get to learn some Chinese sign language.which is pretty cool. This week has been busy finding new investigators and getting to know the members in the ward. Gaoxiong (Kaosiung) is much warmer so it is really nice riding without a coat. But nights are still pretty cold.

A little about my companion. She is from Maryland. Her parents are Taiwanese, she started learning Chinese in college, she has learned most of her Chinese here in Taiwan on her mission. And her Chinese is really good. She has 5 people in her family. Her grandparents are from China. Her name is Sister Tung. And she is so awesome!!!!

Love Sister Basko

Taiwan post January 20, 2014

Dear Everyone,

I’m getting old. 6 months has already passed. I don't know where the time has gone. So many miracles have happened that it is impossible to count and so many blessings that I am constantly reminded that this is God’s work, and we are His servants. As we are worthy to have the spirit to be with us we will know where we need to go and who we need to talk to. When we act in faith and open our mouths they will be filled with words our Father in Heaven would have us share.

This week is the move call. I moved from the middle of Taiwan Taichung, Wufeng/Dali to the bottom Gaoxiong, Nanzi. It is much warmer and very industrial. So excited to meet more members of our ward and excited to meet more amazing people on the streets of Taiwan. Got to see the Taiwan earthquake museum in Wufeng on our P-day, went exploring the area last Monday with our recent convert Rice. So much fun. Went tracting with her and helped her share the gospel and learn more about missionary work. She is such a good sport, willing to talking to people and share her testimony. It was a really cool experience.

This week is short...love you all

Sister Basko

Quick note. Rachel doesn't have internet access while on her mission. She can send an email of which I post here for her friends and family. I also go out to her FB account to let her friends know that her blog has been updated. Any pictures that you see out on FaceBook where Rachel is tagged has either been posted by me or one of her new friends in Taiwan. Rachel won't see those until she comes home next January. Thank you, mom

Taiwan post January 13, 2014

Taiwan is amazing. The members are amazing they are so willing to welcome investigators and less active members. It is so cool seeing the ward work together and being able to be a part of it. To be able to help them learn more about missionary work, and how to share the gospel with their friends and family. To hear their testimonies and to testify how this gospel has changed their lives and has brought them so many blessings.

Last p-day we went to Sun Moon Lake. It is a really big lake that lots of tourists go and visit, took a boat around and looked at the shops and visited a temple near the water. The area is old so there are older buildings and shops. Lots of fun and very pretty. We when with our recent convert and some less actives and hung out and talked.

Elder Shelton will be training, he is our district leader right now. So it is very exciting. We get to see his new companion on Sunday!!!

Wishing everyone a happy new year!!! And stay safe and warm through the winter season.

Love Sister Basko

Taiwan post January 6, 2014

Dear Everyone,

This week has been so great. I have focused on looking for miracles that happen every day and for blessings that I see in my life. And every night I write them down so that I can remember them and so that I can thank Heavenly Father for the wonderful opportunities that He gives us. Some miracles I have seen are how our recent converts are changing. When they are reading the Book of Mormon and really studying its teaching. They are applying what they have learned in their lives. Their testimonies kept growing and their faith is strengthened. So that when they are having a hard time they know they can pray and read the scriptures and God will communicate with them and they will feel peace and comfort, and find the answers they are looking for. Miracles are known that God is always a prayer away. That He is so willing to help us, we just have to be willing to pray and ask Him, asking in Faith and trusting that He will helps us. I know this church is true. I have felt so much peace and comfort that I know God knows each of us. I know that Christ came to earth to give us a way to return to live with our Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ, and to know how to improve our own lives and how to overcome trials with God’s help.

Love Sister Basko

 

 

 

 

 

Taiwan post December 30, 2013

We had a baptism this week!!!  Her name is Yang Jiemei, or Rice. She is so amazing. Our recent convert Cai Jiemei is her classmate, and invited her to church and she came. She saw that our recent convert was much happier and wanted to know why, and now she is reading the Book of Mormon like a champ and loving it. She is so excited to share what she has learned from the Book of Mormon each time we meet. She is so amazing. She really has seen how the Gospel of Jesus Christ has brought blessing into her life and brought greater happiness and it is amazing to see her change and become a happier person.

This week was Christmas, and was really awesome. We met some really amazing people who are interested in learning about God and who He is. We started meeting with them and sharing more about God and they are really interested. This gospel brings great happiness and a desire to be better and more loving and patient with others. It helps us to stop focusing on ourselves to focus on others. Serving the way Christ did and learning how to truly love everyone, the way Christ would, and trying to understand them.

I know that this gospel brings lasting peace and happiness. I know that through the Saviors atonement we are able to change our lives and become better people. God is able to change our nature and become the very best, to become the person that God knows we can become. He knows each of us and wants to help us through our struggles and trails. We just need to be willing to let Him. To have faith that He will help us and trusting in His grace.

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!!!!!

Love Sister Basko

ps. I loved hearing from everyone!!! Hearing your stories and experiences.

 

recent convert at baptism

Ice cream pizza

Taiwan post December 23, 2013

This week has been so amazing. So many things have happened. And we have been working hard. This week we had exchanges with our sister training leaders in Zhanghua. I left the area, so Hsu Jiemei was leading the area. She’s only been here about a week...so I prayed that she would be ok...it seemed to have gone well. I went on exchanges with Sister Chord. She is so amazing. We went out to a secondary area (which means it’s far away) it was raining and the bike ride was about 45 minutes. But it was really cool. Got to see so many Taiwanese temples and different buildings. It was awesome. Then on the way back, we were going to end up soaking wet, so we rode through really big puddles and had fun on the way home. :) Their investigator is so amazing, her insights on the parts of the Book of Mormon that she reads are really deep. She is so in tune with the spirit.

Thursday this week we went as a whole mission to Sun Moon Lake!!!!! It is a really pretty lake and a huge tourist spot. There is a really big temple there and we all got a picture together. I got lots of pictures with other missionaries and with my trainer. It was really cool seeing missionaries that I have never met. Since my companion is Taiwanese, I got to meet more of the Taiwanese missionaries. It was so much fun. The temple is huge and lots of people come. Then there is an area to buy food, and trinkets. The shops are old styled shops. I bought mochi (mashed rice...sesame seed, peanut, cherry, melon, mango, walnut, taro, chocolate, red bean) so many different kinds. It was so delicious. Then we bought fried taro. It was interesting, pretty good, and very unique. Then we went to a huge restaurant and ate Japanese styled food, meats, and noodle dishes, rice dishes, sushi, ice cream, and fried food. It was really good. Then we went to the Dongqu chapel (the church building I go to every week for church) and had a devotional. It was really inspiring. President Blickstaff had really interesting insights on 2 Nephi, the Isaiah chapters, the Isaiah chapters in the bible were not changed because they were not understood.

This Saturday our investigator had a baptismal interview. She is going to be baptized on Dec 28. So exciting. She is so ready. We review the questions before she had the interview. And she felt ready!!!! She is our recent convert’s friend. She is so amazing, she is reading the Book of Mormon like crazy, and she is already half way through Alma. Then that night we had an activity at the mission office, the chapel next to it. There was a Christmas celebration, we invited everyone to come, and welcomed them to learn more about Christ. There was a choir that sang Christmas songs, and then little children sang some Christmas songs. It was really cool, you could feel the spirit. We had people walk in off the street to see was what going on. We invited them to learn more about Christ.

Christmas is a really special time to focus on the Savior and His life of service and His sacrifice. We are more focused on finding ways to serve others and to help them feel His love in their lives. I love this time of year where I can refocus and learn more about Him and learn what ways I can change to be more Christ-like. To be more humble and willing to change. Merry Christmas!!!!!

"Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men" Luke 2:14

Love Sister Basko

Sorry for the late posting. It was so awesome to talk to Rachel on the 24th (for us) the 25th (for her). She looks so good and she is so excited about being out serving the Lord and bringing them unto Christ.  Here is a link to the missions blog and the video the took of the missionaries singing Christmas hymns. Rachel is on the front row in the red coat. Merry Christmas. Mom

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hn--NC24fHs&feature=youtu.be

Taiwan post December 16, 2013

Last week...We had our English Christmas party at the church. We went caroling and taught our English students some English Christmas songs. We split up and went to businesses that are nearby and sang Christmas songs them. Came back and got pictures with Santa and had snacks and hot chocolate. It was a really good activity, it was great everyone got involved and was doing something uplifting to share the spirit of Christ. Another day we had two people scheduled for the same time. So Sister Adams and I went on splits with members, I went with our Relief Society president to visit a less active. And Sister Adams went with a ward member to visit an investigator. It was a really good experience to go teach with the Relief Society president and to work with her to get to know our less active member. Saturday night Sister Adams found out she is moving to Gaoxiong, Xiao Gong. And I am staying here and my new companion will be Hsu Jiemei.

This week....Got Sister Adams completely packed up and headed to the train station, got to know some sister's I have never met before. It was really good. My companion wasn’t due to arrive until 3:30, so we had a while to wait, Yoyo and Li Jiemei were there with me. We went and ate, came back and talked and walked around. At about 4:30 we finally met Hsu Jiemei. We got Hsu Jiemei settled into our apartment, email our families from the Church and headed to FHE (Family home evening). We now have two Taiwanese missionaries in our area. The Elder Page and Elder Lin (Taiwanese companion) are over Wufeng. Then Hsu Jiemei and I are over Wufeng and Dali, and then the Dali elders (both Americans), Elder Buhler and Elder Shelton. This Saturday we had a family history class for anyone to come to. Elder Packer (one of the Twelve Apostles) came and spoke about family history, I could understand what he was saying because he was speaking English, and they had a Chinese translator for non-English speakers.

This week has been great. I have learned what true patience is, which is to be able to say the same thing over and over again so that my companion can understand what I am saying. And for her also to repeat things over again so that I can understand what she is saying. And to be willing to compromise and learn to work together. It has been an interesting experience. I have really felt God helping me to be able to understand her, and to really help her to get to know our investigators.

Merry Christmas everyone!!!!!!! I love you, and pray that you have a great year!!!!

Love Sister Basko