week #16 Monday, June 23, 2013

Well I survived a full 6 weeks, I'm no longer the youngest missionary (generation wise), I'm so experienced now!!!! Just kidding, I still have plenty to learn, but it is weird to think I've already been here for 6 weeks, the MTC seems like it wasn't that long ago. Even last year's graduation, doesn't seem like that long ago, I feel like I just started college like 2 months ago, but It's almost been a year, crazy how time flies by. I realized last night while praying @ the beginning of next week, I will have been on my mission for 4 months, that means I will have completed 1/6 of my mission, so crazy!!!

So first I got to talk about my trainer for a few minutes.  He and I were riding to a dinner appointment last week in Luzhu(road bamboo-about 30 minute bike ride) and on the way his gear got caught I look over to his bike doing some funky turned while motion, and then he flipped over his bike. We went to the dinner appointment, came back that night, and he got a bandage out and wrapped it. He kept complaining *he wants to clarify that he was commenting not complaining* about it all week, but he didn't ask the Mission President's Wife for permission until like Friday. Then we realized he didn't have time to go until Monday. So finally we went today, He apparently had "irritated triangular cartilage" in is wrist beforehand, but this bike crash had caused it to become more irritated. So he got some medicine and now he should heal quickly but ya... Moral of the story go to the doctor sooner (even though I hate the Taiwan Hospital system, there are millions of patients there, I imagine that's how American's Obamacare turned out).

Let's see we had a zone leader exchange on Tuesday, I got to go up to Gaoxiong, holy cow, I love the city, it felt so cool, The Zone leaders however have the tiniest apartment in the world. It was so funny I felt like was in a dollhouse, so tiny! But while on Exchanges I got to go to costco for my first lunch, then the next day we got Mango French Toast, and it was SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOD!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Basically, It was the bet thing ever. I also got my first Zone Leader Phase One pass off done, basically I've been given the stamp of approval that I can teach people in Chinese (I'm not sure how accurate that stamp of approval is but.....)

On Wednesday we had a English Party, it was pretty fun. We do a party every six weeks, this party's theme was 4th of July. It was really fun, We had fishing, taught them about Yankee Doodle, played limbo, used those tiny poppers (not the exploding kind the kind that shoot out streamers) and had Root Beer Floats and Funnel Cake. Pretty good party. Even though little to none of it had to do w/ 4th of July...awkward. After the party we had made a plan to do a quick mashang (sit down lesson) w/ our investigators that would be there, but separate...(in other words, I would teach one investigator while on split w/ a member, and Elder Jensen would teach another. It was super crazy, but I managed to do it. It all turned out well no one ended up deciding the church was false or anything so I deem that a success (It actually wasn't too bad of a lesson, I taught the Plan of Salvation).

 

 So Elder Jensen are staying here in Gangshan, but Elder Jorgensen has left and is going to the southern most tip of the Island, and his replacement is Elder Sumsion who is from Kaysville, UT. He seems pretty cool, he is about 2 movecalls ahead of me, He left right before I got to the MTC.. so ya.

 

ummm That's everything I hope, I'm gonna try to send pictures see how that goes... I know this church is true, I know God has a plan. a plan for you a plan for me. He has called me here to Taiwan to succeed, and He is helping me do so, in the language and every other part. I miss you all can't wait to hear from you next week.

Sincerely 

Elder Brandon Bean