OUTDOOR ZONE CONFERENCE!!

What is up!?

Well last week was fulllllll of meetings! It was so crazy! We didn't not have much time to find or have lessons, but it was SOOOOO good(: 

Tuesday we had temple square tours. It was full of miracles!

FRIDAY- OUTDOOR ZONE CONFERENCE(: SOOOO GOOOOD! We went and hike AliShan. It was soo fun. So that is where it was our zone with one other zone and we all go and hike together with President and Sister Day, the assistants and temple sisters. We had so much fun. They had some really good training there as well. Something that stuck out to me was President Day had us remember our second day on Island when we prayed with our companion that day. I thought back to when Sister Roy and I went to pray. I couldn't remember what exactly I prayed for, but I am sure it was something along the lines of giving it everything I have. My heart, mind, work, everything to the Lord. But I loved how he told us to rededicate ourselves. That is something I want to do every day in my morning prayers. I think it is important every day to give to the Lord. I just really enjoyed outdoor zone conference. It is super fun! 

Saturday we helped a sister in our ward move. Us and the elders and her boyfriend. We were all POURING sweat, as she lived on the sixth floor with no elevator! And then had to take it to her new house. It was so fun though! It was pretty funny, Elder Nasman (the one from my mtc district from finland) his pants were completely a differenct color from sweat. It was hilarious. 

TYPHOON AND SPRAINED ANKLE:(

Hello everyone, yesterday there was a typhoon! Exciting, isn't it??! Haha just kidding, it just rains a lot and get's a little windy. I think the biggest part of it came last night when we were sleeping. 

But not a lot happened this week. Actually it's sort of like all of our investigators all of a sudden decided to stop answering their phones or be Buddhist or just sort of dropped off the face of the planet... So this week we spent a lot of time FINDING.  

 I thought I broke my foot again... YIKES! Haha we were getting ready to go to English class and I fell of my bike and sort of crumbled to the ground. So then we decided to walk to the church because my foot was hurting pretty bad. And it felt very similar to when I broke it in 7th grade and in the same place. Anyway long story short, it was sprained, thank goodness! But it was pretty not that fun because I couldn't walk fast at all and was just in pain. But thursday night I got a blessing and it was so goood. I love the priesthood. I am so grateful for it. One part of the blessing said, "according to my faith I will be healed. Not just right now but in my whole life I will be able to be healed acccording to my faith, physically, spiritually, or mentally." It was something along those lines. But it was just a really cool blessing. By Friday I was walking pretty much back up to speed again. It was cool! That was a miracle!

If I were a rich man...

I hope after reading that title you were all doing the dance with me... by with me I mean without me because as President Day says, "missionaries don't dance". Haha But last Saturday we got some move calls, and by get a move call I mean: we didn't get a move call because we are becoming eternal companions for one more transfer and both staying. 

That's right: Shout out to cute Liz Bond who was my other eternal companion. Sorry you aren't the only one anymore:(

But anyway. Yeah I will probably end my mission here in beitou which means I will probably have two areas my whole mission. But hey, that isn't a bad thing. Especially because I love it here! And bu yiding. You keneng I will move. We will see what happens. 

Our ward is doing really good. I really love our ward members a lot. They really take care of us and just help us so much. they love to feed us. We are always getting food. Usually it's either fruit or cake or mantou (steamed bread) or something like that. I have never had members qing us chi as much as they have.  I love that I have been in both of my areas for so long, because I Really feel like I have made eternal friendships in both places. I love it. 

I love you all so much. I know that this is God's church and I know he is in control of this plan. I love my mission and I love being a representative of Christ, it will be a hard day when I have to take this name tag off. But I also know that every single member is a missionary. So keep up the work family and keep adding oil (jiayou)!!! 

Haha my favorite moment this week? I think it was that one night at a park we got to teach a cute family sitting there. I love teaching families. I just want more than anything for them to be baptized. They were so cute and hopefully we can go and teach them again. 

PICTURES FINALLY!!!

MISSIONARY MEMORIAL AND KIRK'S WEDDING!

What in the world?! KIRK IS MARRIED.... It sounds like it was such an amazing day! I am so glad everything went so well. I am so excited for you kirky and Jenny. Jenny welcome to the family, you have just entered the best, craziest, dramatic, funny, BEST family in the world. Haha okay, I am a little biased... :) You have probably gotten to know our craziness now, so hopefullly you like it. Haha Anyways, congratulations you two. I am very happy for you. I am excited to meet you Jenny!

 

Anyway, this week in Taiwan was sooo good. So about the two elders who passed away. There was a memorial service just for our mission on Thursday. So every single missionary no matter where we are serving all got to go to the service. It was so amazing. It was so good and the spirit there was so strong and so real. The spirit that our mission brought to it was just so tender and sweet and it just was an amazing program. So President conducted and we had two Quorum of the Seventies elder's there. It was really cool. So president had some of their companions speak at the memorial. And it was cool to get to know them better. So their companions were able to share some stories about them and they both just sounded like amazing missionaries. Elder Xiong was just so funny. I still remember some stories from when we were in the same zone. So stories about him were just so funny and it was good to just celebrate their lives. They were hard workers and loved this work. I didn't know Elder Thredgold at all so it was cool to learn about him and learn from his example. He sounds like an amazing harrrrrrrd happy worker. So it makes us all want to be a little better missionaries to follow their examples. It was just a really good thing for our mission. Also I think it gave us some closure which was much needed. It was really special and a tender experience. I never expected anything like this to happen on my mission. But I really have learned to turn to the Lord. And to trust God and trust his plan for us. Thanks for all of your prayers as well.(: I love you.

SAD DAY IN THE MISSION

So a lot of you heard about what happened two those two elders in my mission. If you didn't hear about it, there were two elder's who passed away last Saturday in there apartment. They think it is from carbon monoxide, but still aren't sure. Hoestly we haven't heard much about it. We only found out about it through one of our investigators Saturday night on our way to a baptism for the Danshui sisters. When she told us about it we still didn't know who the elders were. But that night our district leader let us know. I have a lot of different feelings. Sunday we went to church and we just felt weird. I think sometimes we hear about things like this happening but then all of a sudden it hits pretty close to home. I knew Elder Xiong a lot more than I knew Elder Thredgold. Elder Xiong was in my first zone for a while. I know that this is part of God's plan and it has become more and more real to me how much God is in control of things. Don't doubt that this is his plan, because I know for a fact that it is. I know that they are okay, ina  place a whole lot better than we are right now. And I know that they are still doing missionary work. I know that God is in control. I also know that there are a lot of people really in need of comfort and peace right now, so please pray for them.

 

So on a happier note Kirk is getting married this week! WHAT?! I seriously can't believe it. 

 

Transfers are coming up. They are early this transfer because president has a big meeting. So next week will be mind and Sister Huang's last week together! My baby! It really has been sort of like being a mom... Haha but it has been so fun and I love her so much. We have become like best friends and I just am so excited to see what will happen in her mission! Haha Last week it doesn't seem like a lot happened... or I just can't remember because the situation with the two elder's has been on our minds. Our ward has been so kind to us and I am sooooo grateful to be in this ward. I really love Beitou a lot. I realized that a lot this week.

OUCH!! BAD DAY:(

Ok this week was pretty interesting... Haha. I will start off with after I was done emailing you last week. This is the part of the week that's like, "really? Did that all just happen in one day?" It's suuuuper funny looking back on it now.  So it was p-day and we went to a members house. So then when we were coming home, we still had to buy food and we were running late because p-day ends at 6:00. So we bought all of our food and were rushing home with all the food on our bikes. I was carrying everything heavy, for example: The HUGE water jug (our house still doesn't have good water), two things of milk, some juice, and some other things. So I was riding and riding and there is a car in front of me. It stopped, so I slowed down. Then it started going so I started going. I looked down for 2 SECONDS and looked back up and WHABAM! I ran smack dab in the middle of the back of this truck. Eh... oops. So then I was gonna tell this guy I might have dented his truck... but he was just like, "are you okay??? is your bike okay?" and just making sure I was ok. So then we were like yeah I am fine. and were on our way... Hahaha how does that happen?? So then we go home and quickly put away our food and gather our garbage so when the garbage trucks come buy we can dump it. So we walk outside and my companion looks at me and is like "Sister Smedley, did you bring the keys?" I was a little quiet. I knew what had happened. She asked again and I was like no. No I didn't. Then we realized we were locked outside. So then we call the bu operations and ask if they can bring our extra key.. they said they could. So then the garbage people wouldn't except our garbage. In taipei you have to have "special" bags. Haha it's a special place. So anyway we buy the special bags, throw away our garbage, and we go where we wanted to find. And I say, "Huang JM (jiemei=sister), I just need two minutes to say a prayer." So I start saying a little prayer and I hear a text message go off and then Sister Huang on the phone. Then I realized she was talking to president Day. I quickly ended my prayer. Then he wanted to talk to me. Turns out, he is going to bring us our key. I was like, "I'm so sorry president.." She was like, "Oh, I'll make up for it when I get there!" then I asked, "what does that mean???" Haha then we both laughed a little. Then he asked what happened. Then later he brought us our key. So a nice unexpected visit from President Day! But it was good. He was laughing and telling us funny stories. I love him. So that was my crazy monday. But it shows that even when we are having a hard day, it can still end really great! Just trying to be positive and learning to laugh. Yeah it took me til seeing president to be able to laugh about it... But it ended up a great night!