22 Week Remaining- October 27, 2013

大家好 

 

This week I went on two exchanges. As a zone leader we have to exchanges with all of the other Elders in the zone. An exchange is basically where we switch companions for 24 hours and so that we can work with the other Elders. So this week I went on two different areas on exchanges. Pretty normal week this week other than that though.

 

Monday we took the bus out to our ward mission leaders house. They fed us pizza and we got to know him and his family a little bit better.

Tuesday we had district meeting then I went to Banqiao on exchanges. That was a little crazy as some of their investigators are a little different. One guy wouldn't let us speak and just went off about how he hates the Philippinos. We had to just get up and leave because he wouldn't let us share anything.

Wednesday we did some street contacting and had English class that night.

Thursday we went on exchanges again. I went a different part of Banqiao with a Taiwanese Elder. I tried to teach him how to work a little harder.

Friday we met with some of the investigators who are progressing pretty slow right now.

Saturday we had this ward Halloween activity where they had some small activities and some spiritual thoughts.

Sunday we had church and did some tracting.

 

That's what's happening out here,

Love,

Elder Chatman

23 Weeks Remaining-October 20, 2013

大家好。一切都好。

Hello from Taipei. It's starting to cool down over here. Yeah! We saw some cool miracles this week.

One I'll mention was with our investigator 李弟兄 (Brother Li). It was my first time meeting him, but I guess in previous meetings he told the Elders he only met with them because he felt too embarrassed to say no and he also said he didn't want to keep commandments. But this week, after our lesson, he totally changed. We read with him from the first chapter in the Book of Mormon and talked about what we read meant to us and how to apply it into our lives. This seemed to really connect with him and he was touched by the Spirit. Near the end of the lesson he said he wants to get baptized if he recieves an answer that the Book of Mormon is true.

Also this week we had stake conference. It was super cool cuz for the conference they did a broadcoast where Elder Holland and Elder Hales spoke to all of the Asia Area. I guess Elder Holland recently replaced Elder Oaks as being the apostle in charge of the Asia Area. So yeah they gave some sweet talks about being member missionaries and sharing the gospel naturally. Then they showed a video called "I'll go where you want me to go" which they showed during the Work Of Salvation Broadcast but it was the Taiwanese verison. They used members and some of local missionaries and basically did exactly the same as the one they did in America but shot it in Taiwan. It was pretty funny seening in the video people that I knew and places I've been. I'm not sure if the Church put it out, see if you can find it.

Hope everyones doing well!

Elder Chatman

24 Weeks Remaining- October 15, 2013

你們好

Well, after 8 months in SongShan, I got transferred. It is bitter sweet. I loved the area, our converts, investigators, and members, but I'm excited to be able to go to a new area and ward. I got transferred to Tucheng which is the west part of Taipei. It's not as much of the big city as my last area (which was in the heart of the city.) So the people are a lot less hectic and more people are willing to talk to us. My new companion is Elder Bastian from Seattle and we are the zone leaders. He's super cool. He ran track at BYU in 2012. So we love chatting it up about the sports world. He just moved into the area 6 weeks ago so we'll probably have a fun couple transfers together. Right now, I'm just getting acquainted with the new area and meeting the investigators. They haven't had a baptism in our area since like June or July so we are hoping to have some in the next few transfers.

Last Saturday and Sunday,  we got to watch General Conference in English at our church. (This is when the apostles and the prophet speak to the church.) I loved it. Elder Ballard's talk about missionary work was great and we are going to try and make sure all of our members heard it.

It was super weird at the last missionary transfer meeting because the eight sisters I was in the MTC with finished their missions and went home! They gave their final testimonies and then left for home. It is crazy how time flies.

Anyways gotta go. we are going to the temple today.
Love,
Elder Chatman

These are pictures that a member in Taiwan (ma ma Wu) facebooked to Leah.  She friended her and then tagged all these pictures of Jordan for her.  It was so great!!

Dinner with the Ward Mission and ward members at Tastys.

Pday trip to JiLong rock zoo exhibit/ocean.

Jordan and his companion Elder Anderson being shuai(handsome cool) after a party at Bao4 Jiating for Tiffany Bao. She was leaving on her mission to Minnesota.

Farewell party at Bao Jia1ting2's house for Tiffany Pao.

Above and Below - Pday adventure with the other missionaries in the Song1 Shan1 ward- Sister Croft, Sister O'Brian, Elder Anderson, Elder Chen and his companion Elder Bennion that Wu Mama took them on.

Below - Pday adventure continued...flying lanterns that you draw on and guys at the area light on fire and float up into the air.

25 Weeks Remaining -October 6, 2013

October 6, 2013

你們好  

We had a baptism this week for Lai Guan Da. Yeah! I love this guy!! He is super cool!!  He’s the man! He's one of the most prepared Taiwanese people that I’ve taught. While in the English ward, I got to teach a lot of prepared people, but none of them were from Taiwan. It’s cool getting to teach a super prepared guy like Lai Guan Da. We'll go out and contact people and tract all day and get nothing but rejection. You just want to say, “man there’s no one in Taiwan that really wants it.” But then meeting people like Lai just boosts your faith and helps you know that there really is prepared people out there. Like I’ve mention before, Lai was introduced to us by his friend who is our assistant ward mission leader. Money! Finally someone out here who put the Apostle’s member-missionary work teachings into action!

I was talking to one of my previous companions, Elder Wesemann last pday. He was telling me how they were walking down this back alley by their church (which is like a floor in a business type building.) They saw this huge guy walking towards them. The closer he got, the more they were like, “wow this dude is a giant.”  It ended up being the 7 footer, Luke Nevill, who played basketball for the Utes a few years ago. Lol  I guess he is trying playing basketball in Taiwan or China so he was here playing or something. What a small world.

A cool story- I was on exchanges with Elder Gerrard in Xizhi and we were out tracting. We didn’t get anything on the entire street until the very last doorbell. We rang it, a family guy came out and we end up talking to him for like 10 minutes. We got him to say a prayer and gave him a Book of Mormon.  I love the tender mercies of the Lord. That always happens. After tracting or street contacting, for me it’s always been that last door or last contact that has interest.  It is cool stuff.

Anyways that’s a rap from Taipei,

Love,

Elder Chatman

This is Jordan with Elder Bennion and  Lai Guan Da. It was Lai's baptism day. Lai Dixiong was a member referral from Cao1 Dixiong, the assitant ward mission leader, who recently moved in to the ward. Jordan was good friends with him from his English class in his previous area Jin Hua. Cao1 Dixiong brought Lai Dixiong to church one Sunday, where they met him and later started teaching him until he got baptized. Eventually Lai Dixiong moved to Jordan's next area (Tucheng) for work and Jordan was able to continue to teach him as Lai Dixiong had become less active from being busy with work and going out of town/to America for work and such. Elder Bennion (on the left in this picture), Jordan's trainee/son, later moved to Jordan's next area (Tucheng) as well after Jordan fanxiangd (went home) and was able to continue to stay in contact with Lai4 Dixiong. Tender mercy of the Lord....