On Wednesday night we did not receive a call for transfers, but we both felt like we should have. We called the mission home and they were like “oh ya sorry we forgot to call! Elder Love is moving and you need to be in Taipei at 9:00 a.m. in two days!”
So the next day we said goodbyes to everyone and then packed and the next morning headed to Taipei. Elder Love was in and out of my life pretty quick! But my new companion Elder Francis is awesome! We have a lot in common and are working well together from what I can tell. We like a lot of the same things and he is a hard worker so it has been really fun the last few days. I am loving it!
We were able to meet with a lot of people and have some good experiences. We met with a “less active” that has been inactive for quite a few years. She, Angela, kindly invited us over when we called her and as we introduced ourselves, she was kind and polite.
But when we started talking about our wonderful gospel she became a completely different person. She began to yell at us. I believe she did and said all she could to make us argue with her. Near the beginning of my mission, assuming I could speak Chinese then, I do not know if I could have held back.
But I have learned a lot since then and I know that "bible bashing" is not something that brings the spirit. We were able to sit in silence as she yelled at us, then quietly invited her to read the Book of Mormon and we bore a solemn but powerful testimony. I know that this will allow us to come back into her home and hopefully bring the spirit. Elder Francis noticed that she did not seem very happy and that there was a sadness in her home. We have a fullness of hope that she will come back into the true fold of God, and bring that joy back into her home.
Another experience was when we were finding at a park near our apartment. We stopped a lady and asked if we could give her an English tract. She said happily "of course!" I was confused because that rarely happens but after a little bit of talking we found she was a “less active” who at one point had been a missionary in Taichung.
I was bewildered to say the least. She was eager to pray and speak with us and we found she had a very strong testimony of the church but that her husband had had a bad experience with the church and so he had forced their family out of activity. We invited her to pray for the faith to have her husband go back to church and she gave us his work address (which is right in the middle of our area). It was an awesome experience and quite a miracle!
I love these people. I am so grateful to be able to serve them here. They are so fun to talk to and we have met so many wonderful men and women. Though a lot of them have broken my heart more than a few times, I know they will eventually be able to find joy in Christ just like I have and that makes it worth it.
I got a valentines package from Jeni and it was so awesome! My companion and I ate all the candy in seconds! Thank you Gochnour family! I love you all so much!! I also got letters from Adelide and Lillie! Thank you!! I love you! And most of all thank you to my mother. I got your package with all my favorite snacks and goodies and I loved it! I am being extra careful at watching my rate of intake so I can ration it a little longer. My companion and I have also listened to the music you sent about 10 times through already!
Thank you!! I love you all! Love,
Elder Henry David Christensen
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