Taiwan Post May 26, 2014

Dear Everyone,

This week is move call. I was in Nanzi with Sister Chen, but that area was closed for sisters because there are no new sisters coming in so some areas will be closed. But I’m not moving very far, I’m just going above Nanzi to Gangshan. The two areas are touching. So I am still really close to where I came from. My companion is Sister Yeh; she is Taiwanese and has been serving in Taiwan for 1 move call more than me. So excited to be here. The area is a little bigger, but not too big.

This week was crazy, we were super busy. We had 3 people wanting to feed us dinner on Tuesday night at 6:30. We had already made plans long before with Sister Joy and Sister Zeng so we went to Joy's home to eat. But we had a little snack with our member and her little sister right before. It was really great to get to know her better and her sister. They have completely opposite personalities. They are super cute. After we headed to Joys and had dinner with a less active, it was a really good environment, it was really comfortable and we are able to get to know her better. On Wednesday we had lunch with an less active out in Dashe, her food is really good. It is all homemade and very fresh. After we helped move some stuff around in her house, then had dinner with our recent convert and her son. It was really fun, we got to see our recent convert's personality outside meeting with her. She is usually very strict, but when she meets with us she is always relaxed. It was good get to know her son better.

 On Thuusday we had a big group of us eat together, our less active told us to bring people so we invited another recent convert, and the elders brought an investigator and his girlfriend. It was a lot of fun. It was a little awkward to start with, but after it was very relaxed and got to know each other and shared about how this gospel has blessed our lives.

We exchanged with the sister training leaders on Friday and Saturday. I learned a ton from Sister Graham, about how to contact on the street. It is all about how you express it, if you are excited to talk with someone they will be interested, but if you’re not, then they will not have interest either. She is really amazing. She contacts everyone and is so energetic. It really makes a big difference. If you are excited to talk to someone they will be more willing to learn more. Always think positively because if you don't all those doubts will stop you from really progressing.

Love you all. I love going out and serving the people in Taiwan. They are very friendly and willing to listen. As we look for ways we need to change, God will help us know and developed skills to overcome our weaknesses.

Love Sister Basko

Taiwan post May 19, 2014

This week was so exciting, we had a progressing investigator!!!Her husband is Buddhist but she is really interested, and her husband asked her if she would still be able to worship. And she can even when she is baptized as long as she is praying to Heavenly Father and not the Buddha statue. She is really cute and getting very interesting in how to be healthy, we are super excited to keep sharing the gospel with her.

We were outside sharing about our English class and we looked down the street and saw it down pouring. It had not yet reached us. We ran and put on rain gear and less than a minute it started down pouring. It was incredible the streets had about 2 inches of rain on it and then it was done raining. And it was really nice since it cooled off and was no long quite as humid out.

I got the opportunity to eat pig’s blood in gelatin form and to eat small intestines. It was really interesting. It didn't taste bad but it really was not that good either. It was a good experience.

Stay strong and close to Heavenly Father.

Love Sister Basko

Taiwan post May 12, 2014

Time is so short. Nobody really realizes how short their time is here on Earth. You don't know if you will live to a very long old age, or if it will be cut short. But no matter how long your life is everyone has the ability to change what happens. You can make so many different choices, but the consequences are never our choice. As we do the best we can we will be satisfied with the outcome. Our mission president share this story with us, about a guy who said "this is just the way I Am." he is giving up his ability to change. But we must remember our future is in our hands, if we listen to Heavenly Fathers direction we will be able to find the right path, the path that will lead to the most happiness.

It is only in and through the Savior Jesus Christ's atonement that we can fix our mistakes. That we can be forgiven of the things that we regret. I love you all very much. And I hope that you will continue to follow Christ's example and serve others and love them to the best of your ability.

Happy Mother's Day!!!!

Love Sister Basko

It was wonderful to be able to skype with Rachel on Mother's day, she looks so good and she looks so happy. It is amazing that technology now allows us to be able to see her beautiful face and hear her voice half  a world away! And to be able to bring her twin sister (Alicia) into the call so that we could all see each other. Amazing!

Rachel is busy being about our Father's business in sharing the good news of the Gospel of Jesus Christ and teaching about the restoration of that gospel. She is serving the people of Taiwan and teaching them about our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. mom

Her wornout shoes

Cotton candy from the day/night market

Taiwan post May 5, 2014

This week the work goes on. We have been working with members to help them to find opportunities to share the gospel with family and friends. A friend of a member met with one of our members this week and she told us about her life how from a young age she knew she has greater purpose in life. She had a tough childhood and through her friend she learned about Christ and then after she was married she found this church. Knew it was true from the moment she heard it, she learned everything for 6 days and read the whole book of Mormon in 6 days. And then was baptized. In every ward there are members who have amazing stories of how they learned about the gospel. Listening to others experiences we can learn so much about our lives and how we need to stay strong in the faith. Knowing that God places people in our path everyday for us to serve, or share the gospel, or be a friend. And as we look for these opportunities that he gives us we will be more prepared. I know that this gospel is true. Through the Holy Ghost testifying the truth and helping to feel and know that God loves all his children. We are all important to him. I know God calls us to a work no matter where we are or what we are doing he has a work for us to do. I love you all.

Read, pray and attend church will help you become resilient to stay strong and close to God.

Love Sister Basko

 

Taiwan post April 28, 2014

Miracles happen every day. So many of us are too busy to notice them, or have too many things running around in our minds that we miss them. Even if we do not notice them, they still happen. Sister Chen and I are still together for another move call and still have no investigators that we are currently teaching. We spend every day making phone callings, knocking on doors, looking for formers, less-activities and trying to contact recent converts. We have not found too many investigators. So we are taking more time with the people we are working with. We have a former investigator that has some interest again, but not a ton so we stood and talk to her at her store for about an hour. It is really good to get to know her and learned what she wants to with her life. And it was a lot of fun. It’s not just missionaries who ask her to come to church or read or pray. We are her friends and we bring the gospel in and tie it to things we are talking about, so that she can understand how big of a difference this gospel has made in our lives. This has made the biggest difference when we meet with her. It is no longer awkward and we now understand better how we can help her.

We also had time to help a recent convert move to a different home. Our ward got together and we all worked. We moved her boxes out, across the road then into her new house. We then sat and had lunch with her afterwards and got to talk to her and see how she was doing. She has a lot of trust in our members, and knows that if she needs help she can ask and there with always be people to help her. Service is the best way to show people that you care.

 I love my mission so much. We meet so many amazing people on the road or knocking on doors. It is a huge blessing to see how much the Lord blessing people to allow us to have opportunities to share the gospel. We will always find people who are prepared; we just need to be ready. I love you all. Stay strong.

Love Sister Basko

 

Just a side not, Rachel is already halfway through her mission, she is right at the nine month mark. mom

Taiwan post April 21, 2014

This week was amazing. We when on exchanges with the sister training leaders. I went to Sanming with Sister Xie, and Sister Gram came to Nanzi with Sister Chen. It was amazing and so beautiful. The church has land right next to the church where a future temple is going to be built. So amazing!!!

This week we had many miracles and so many blessings. On our P-day we went to an island near Xiziwan and went climbing on the mountain. We raced up the trail with Sister Ah Quin. We got to see a lighthouse from the gate and then walked around on the fort. Talked to people while we were there then headed back to our area. It was beautiful.

We were knocking on doors near our house and we found several people that have interest in learning more about Christ. And that have never met missionaries before even though we are so close. It was an amazing experience to have a chance to meet them and to have the opportunity to teach them about Christ.

This Saturday was Sister Cai and Brother Sung's wedding reception. Even though they have been married for a month now. It was really fun. They had little kids sing some songs, and then the young single adults also sang some songs...it was really funny. They are so cute and had a lot of fun with it. We got to talk with our members and meet their friends that came. It was a really good experience that brought the whole ward together.

I am so grateful for my mission. It has brought so many blessings to be humbled and to learn a new language. To start from the very bottom and do everything I can and trusting that God will make up the difference when I have done all that I can. To learn that God is in control, and if we trust him our lives with go so much smoother, not that we won’t have trials but he will be there to comfort us and lead us when we can’t see the way. When we try to do it ourselves we usually mess it up and it just become harder. But if God is guiding us everything will work out that we will receive the greatest peace and happiness in this life. Everyone is a child of God and He loves you all!!!

Love Sister Basko

Wedding picture, Rachel on right in orange

At the fort on P-day

Rachel found a gecko

Racing up the hill

at an ice cream shop - she looks tired!

 

 Bride and Groom at reception

What a cute couple!

Taiwan post April 14, 2014

We had general conference this weekend. Which is a week late because of the need for Chinese translations. It was so amazing. So much hope and greater understanding of the Saviors love. To know that the expression of gratitude is so important and crucial to our ability to finding the blessings we need in our lives. God’s love is manifested in the lives of His children; the light of Christ is emulated in their happiness and greater purpose and family unity.

We are standing on the shoulders of Giants whether it is our parents or friends. We each are here to support each other and raise each other up. There is no place for judging others. We are not perfect but the Lord is there to help us to become our best. As we each strive to developed Christ-like attributes we will emulate the Savior in our lives.

I know that the Savior lives and loves us. He came to earth to atone for our sins and our mistakes. And that everyone can change and that he is our loving older brother. I know that this church is true. Though we are not perfect we are able to do our best to become who Heavenly Father knows we can become. As we reread and ponder on the things we learn let us strive to bring others to know Christ.

Love Sister Basko

A lizard Rachel was chasing, it got tired of running from her and it turned and did this at her

Ultimate frisbee on p-day

English party,  relay race. our student was blindfolded and raced to the end with a pingpong ball blanaced on the end of chopsticks. is funny

Elder Pihl moved this move call, he was in Nanzi for 7 monthes and his recent convert Kent

 

Wanted to share a few pictures from Rachel's emails this week - mom