你好!
Well, this has been quite the interesting week, starting with Monday finding our Elder Robinson was leaving and then on Friday with an even bigger twist that there are going to be another set of missionaries in 新埔 (Xinpu). So to say the least, it has been a busy week.
As to begin the week off, we finish off 過年 (Chinese New Year) really well. As a total count, we have 13 請客 (Dinner invites) over the space of six days. To say the least, Elder Robinson and I were beyond full for most of the week. And as soon as we let people know that Elder Robinson would be moving, the 請客 (Dinner invites) kept coming, and we found that over the space of a week and a half, we only spent 90 kuai or just under 3 US dollars. It was really pretty sweet.
So as I mentioned, on Monday, we found out that Elder Robinson would be moving because I was going to be training one of the new missionaries coming in this transfer, which pretty much meant the rest of our week would be planned out for us. Tuesday and Wednesday we visited as many investigators and members as possible so that Elder Robinson could say good bye, and then the rest of the week was me in Taipei for meetings with the new trainees. As for the meeting themselves, they were pretty good. My favorite out of all of them was at the beginning when it was just the trainers and President Day. He shared a little about how he was trained and how he prays that we will be better trainers than the trainer he had. He also shared a good number of scriptures with us in hope that we will truly be able to see the importance of the calling we have to train the new missionaries that have just arrived with the 12 week program again even though they have completed in their mission field in the States. And ya, all of the missionaries that are coming on have already completed training and one was even training a new missionary in the states but then got his visa, so they have been out for a while.
After all the meetings on Thursday, we had babysitting, which is an opportunity for the trainers to take one of the trainees at random out anywhere in Taipei to go finding for two hours. I don't know if this was planned or what, but I got the tallest of all the trainees who is actually taller than me. His name is Elder Deipeveen. Don't ask me how to say it because I don't think I could pronounce it right anyways, but his Chinese name is a lot easier which made introducing him on the street a lot easier. As for finding with a new missionary, it was quite the experience. Thinking about when I just got to Taiwan and my babysitting experience, I remember just being lost in what was actually happening. All I can say is that it looks like I have come a long ways.
As for the biggest day of the week, it was transfer meeting where things got a little crazy. It was then when we found out who my trainee would be, that my old area 苗栗 (Miaoli) was split into two areas, and that my current area is being split into two areas! So, for the transfer meeting, there were a lot of changes being made.
Now to introduce my new companion, Elder Brinton is from California. He has done one year at BYU and looking to get into the accounting at BYU. I think I know why he is my trainee now, but that is just a random thought that almost everyone in my generation mentioned when they found out he also was studying a math based major. As for serving in the USA, he had the opportunity to serve in Pueblo Colorado for a few months. So, we are both really excited to be serving together and also with the extra set of elders in the area too!
So about that part of the change, we got a new set of missionaries and it really did surprise our ward mission leader and also the entire ward on Sunday. Just because of how things worked out, we actually didn't tell anyone that we got another set of elders because we just ran out of time. As for the funny part of it all, they all super excited about getting elders, but their comment to us then turned to where are the sister missionaries. Looks like they still want us to be doing more with 陪課 (Lessons with a member present) so that they can still get those sister missionaries that President Day promised. As for splitting the area, it pretty much came down to Elder Pincock and I deciding and then telling the office. Elder Pincock is the senior companion in the other companionship so we went on splits for the day and just sent my trainee off with Elder Pincock's companion. As to give you an idea of the age of the missionaries. I am the oldest mission wise, then Elder Pincock, then Elder Green (Elder Pincock's companion), and then Elder Brinton. So we are all pretty new, but there is only a one transfer gap between each of us if that makes sense. So I knew Elder Pincock in the MTC, he knew Elder Green in the MTC, and Elder Green knew Elder Brinton in the MTC. So, it is pretty fun and I am sure that this next week will be too!
Well, I don't really know how time flies by so fast for emails, but it does. I will try to send a longer email next week, but thanks for all the emails and prayers!
我愛妳們,
Love you,
柯長老
Elder Okeson
P.S. So, I didn't have time to get any photos, but I got a photo of my new companion with his old companion in the States, so that will have to do for this week =P Sorry. He is the one on the left.
No comments:
Post a Comment