July 24, 2016 The week of timeless work

This week was crazy busy, we had the first half full of visits to the bu (boo or mission home) because we werer needed there for stuff, then the weekend at the beginning of the week had 15 set ups... in 3 days including days that we alreaady have stuff set up... hahaha this week was bomb, so to start PDAY was dope we climbed a mountain that overlooked the northern tip of taiwan and then ran down the other side and got on the ferry across the large danshui river! my legs felt it hahah really! but what i wanna tell you is about the bannana spiders, i have no idea if they are deadly but they are big... like the smallest one i have met so far was longer than my pinky actually the smallest spider i have seen is as large as my pinky, but anyway these spiders dont only get long they're legs each is atleast the length of the body, and they dont really have a limit for size i have heard of them as big as your head from some dead missionaries that served in taidong (the southern side) but while we were hiking i saw atleast 50 of these things, and they dont really stay away from the trail either they actually quite enjoy being just above or at head height over the trail.... and the biggest one i saw the body was easily as big as my hand.. hahahah it was dope they are not happy looking but they are dope and big and aren't very aggressive though i did watch it eat many things... including a large caterpillar in a cacoon what a sucker! then we had exchanges the next day so i was in danshui met some dope people. then we had to go to the bu, and switch companions again hte next day and they were gone for a while. BUT we ate at costco! so that was gpood! then we had the follow up meeting for training which was about 7 hours long! but i saw everyone they are doing great! i am so glad that i have my companion the only problem we worry about is who is paying for copies! hahahahaha anyway then the next day interviews with the MP and training with the AP's and some how through out those days we were still getting lessons and finding new people! it was crazy! full of miracles this week! saturday was the biggest miracle i would say jk it is tied with church, but saturday we had 8 set ups between 1-9 pm we ended up getting members able to be at all of those!! and some were pretty big lessons! it was insane usually its hard to get like 3 members a day! like legit god prepared that day so well! not only that we still got new investigators that day! and at the end had to switch comps again so that Elder Facer could do an interview while we kept teaching! crazy!!!! SUNDAY we had committed about 6 people to come to church, the most we have had since i have been here and the most i have seen is 3 or 4 at church at that isnt common, mostly cuz most people walk and a lot of our chapels are on large hills.... and they really just dont come, anyway we had some problems that morning so we got there like 5 minutes before it started and didnt see anyone come, but then we walked up satirs and look inside 4 investigsators are sitting there, and one of them is fairly new, we sat by her and she told us she brought a friend that makes 5 at church! like holy cow!!!!!!!!! and it was a friend!!! like she is loving it!!! then after church we split with some members and we each taught a lesson and set 2 new dates right there. i met with the investigators friend and her, and we set the date right up, he was just so intent on the lesson! it was awesome!

K so we have been meeting with this guy he is way past ready for baptism but he just wont commit, we had a haert to heart with him, and i have gained a pretty good relation with him. and i looked him straight in the face at the end and i was like bruh we both know you can. he agreed to go for the 6th of august and im confident in him, we have his interview set-up! i am so pumped for him! AUGUST has been so setup for us i am so excited! needless to say we have said many grattitude prayers this weekend! I THANK YOU ALL FOR ALL OF THE SUPPORT! i have felt yours prayers! i am here to tell you he answers he has anwsered mine and will yours!!!

spiritual thought- if you have the thought to help someone do it. if you have the impression to say something say it. "by their fruits ye shall know them" "how can ye know the master ye have not served" just trust in it "all good things come of god" if it is good follow it. that is all I love you all I have a deep love for this gospel, this church, and my savior, because he really did suffer for ME and he really will save me every time i ask.

PS if you want a personal email or want to tell me something send me a personal email, id love to hear from you!

July 17,2016 Transfer 1

So today is the start of transfer 2 in field, and let me tell you the small things add up fast, we totalled our numbers for the transfer, and i'll be honest a lot of times you feel like you are running and running and knocking and talking, and asking, and nothing happens, but i'll be honest looking at the totals was a good feeling to look back and say holy cow in 6 weeks we did that! and its already been 6 weeks!!!!! like what up!!! i love seeing the fruits of the effort as we continue to just work! my trainer Elder Facer is an expert at staying focused onworking he sets an amazing high pace, and knows we can both reach it! he is a great missionary!!

 So this week i have been focusing and identifying what my motivation is, and how can i can better bring my motivation from better places. The better you know where you draw energy from the better you can use that energy and get more. Not only that but you can learn to draw energy from better deeper and stronger sources, i have been trying to focus on drawing energy from the work and the service. My favorite day this week was the day i reached my goal i set for myself for my mission. Before i left i told myself i wanted to be so lost in the work that when i come home i get planning done, and somehow find the energy to journal and brushteeth before collapsing into bed, literally me and Elder Facer walked in the door did everything we needed to and just pray and barely made it into bed utterly exhausted, I hope i can continue this in the same manner literally i want nothing more than to be exhausted everyday. because i know as i give everything the lord he takes over "MAN'S LIMITS ARE GOD'S OPPORTUNITY"!! 

Right so this week had a lot of cool stuff happened we had transfers and we lost 4 missionaries and only got 2 back, we had a huge number die, and very few come in, but next transfer is a huge load of new meat! super cool! so we closed one of our areas, and traded 2 out of the remaining 6 of us, which doesn't seem like a lot but its a pretty big change! Also i got to go to the temple here!!!! its super dope and crazy and dope and beautiful. then the President does waffles on temple days, so i ate a bunch, and then felt bad so we stopped eating, and just hung with a bunch of other elders! it was pretty cool! Some big hints were dropped but i wont tell you anything until next trranfer, also they changed the language training here so trying to adjust there! our zoneleader got switched too which effects me a tiny bit more because my comp is district leader. so im pretty tight with the zoneleaders! they are dope. anyway we had tremendous success in finding this week, and especially with long-term finding, meaning people that we got numbers from that have a little interest so we set-up at least one family and just got investigators! and the wierd thing is this week we didnt have a lot of time for finding! and we went on exchanges! so miracles all day! God has been allowing a few more language problems to become apparent so i can start getting over thoseand helping me become just that much more committed to learning and submitting! we have been getting very good with out members they are working really well with us and are trusting me alot more cuz my companion has already been in this area for 6 months, but we have seen miracles from them and for them.

This needs its own paragraph while we were in study time and on exchanges we (me and Elder Gray) recieved a call requesting a blesssing, it was a member brother for his non-member brother. we quickly hurried to the cancer specialty hospital... (fore-shadowing) when we arrived and met the man, and started to learn about the situation we were informed the man was only given a few days left to live, and blood had already begun to fill the lungs, so we went up to the 5th floor and walked in the man was noticeably uncomfortbale due to his situation, and had a few tubes pumping the slow flow of blood oout of his lungs. they had already tried chemo a few moths prior so he was already a little beat up. so we explained what was happening and what we would do, and he accepted, we put the oil on his head and i annointed him, after which Elder Gray stepped forward and began the blessing using english so as not to forget anything, then switeched to chinese for the actual blessing even though i couldn't understand everything there was an emense power in the room, and the man's breathing slowed and become more smooth, he settled under our hands and Elder Gray promised him peace in all things, but that if yhe truly believed he would recieve the healing he needed! when he closed there was silence and the man comfortably eyes still closed smiled slightly then returned to quietly sitting eyes still closed, the family then thank us, and we thanked them for the chance, and asked if we could do anything politely they said no and the member escorted us out, and as we were leaving the man said thank you. after which we stopped and bore testimony telling him that the blessing could be fulfilled and telling him we know god loves and will help you. we left and talked shortly with the member he thanked us and said it was a very powerful moment bore us a short testimony we told him to kkeep us informed and that we are always ready to help. his wife came and gave us cheese cake, and we thanked again and left. i have not yet heard anything but i know that god loves us and answers our prayers, i know that blessing are by god through us, and i know that he will fulfill all words according to his plan and pleasure. and i have doubt that if that man truly does believe our words he will be healed. I will forever be greatful for the priesthood which i hold, and the example of worthiness and leadership my father has shown me. i am grateful that i have had the chance to have blessings of all kinds in my kife, that i can have a testimony of their power, and truth. 

The priesthood isn't used for personal gain never was and never will be but it is for the blessing of the meek and sick and weak, for the building of a great kingdom and for the care of the others whether member or nonmember, god didnt giv eus this responsibilty that we can sit idly, but that we might be anxiously engaged in helping his children, and i will invite and encourage all to partake, to magnify to assist. i love this gospel, and the lord, and my final invite and question for this email, never lose the fire, just trust me and god go to church read pray, stay active help his children this is the one true and living church restored by god through a prophet and he still leads us through a living prophet, and i dont care what anyonme says i will forsake all things for him and follow him (matthew 19:26) (thanks dao qi for the scripture i keep it with me always written neatly and protected)

Waffle bar at mission home after temple. 

He and Elder Gray

View from hospital room 

Memorial hall

July 12,3016 The TYPHOOOON of disappointment

So this week was pretty bomb i have been focusing on using every hour of my time effectively and to use the time to the max, so me and my companion were thinking on an iphone you can look at your usage and see where you have used your time and how long, so we wanted to do the same thing, so we counted all the hours you actually have in one week devoted for missionary work and see how many of those hours you use as a missionary, so out of 168 hours in the week you have 42 devoted to proselyting activities, the max is 8 hours in one day, so thats 25% of all the hours in the week and how much of that tiny portion are we using? thats what we do everyday we write on the board how many of those hours we use to proselyte out of how many given, you'd be surprised at the outcomes sometimes higher or lower try it it doesnt have to be just missionary stuff it helps keep you wanting to do effective things

SO THIS WEEK everyone got us all worked up about a massive typhoon and it was bigger than taiwan its self, it rolled striaght in to us... at least the little tiny south 1/4 of the island, got smashed i was excited i love storms, but all we got was a load of rain, for 4 days striaght smashing us it was fun, wet shoes all day everyday, it was fun! then basically this week we met some dope people! so there is this nigerian man that we have gotten his number three times, and lost it twice, niether were my fault in fact one happened before i was here, but ironically we have always ran into him again in beitou... not exaactly a coincidence beitou has a butt load of people in it, not only that he has a crazy work schedule, and he lived on the edge of our boundaries.... well guess what he quit his job and had time to meet with us, i dont know if we will be the ones that convert him, but the lord wants him to hear this gospel bad enough that he allowed us to "coincidentally" run into to him 3 times! i cant wait to see what happens!!! we had a lady self set up us, so that was awesome she seems super interested! and then we met this lady that has noticed how wierd taiwan christianity is... its really wierd literally no other christians in the world do what they do. (i listened to a guy the other day pray and at the end she shook his hands really fast and his head and just went HJDSKFHBKDGVUIAHNVUIORAHFVPUIORHGIPURAEFJRAEWHFIRENWFGJ) thats just their prayers my friends... you think God's church would change that much just because another country has it... let me tell you it doesnt! ours is pretty much the same but in chinese not english so dope! any way that lady is a christian back round so she knows a little biit and she was asking a bunch of questions and we are so excited to meet her a again!!!!!! the we had this middle school kid ask us to meet with him, and he is so crazy into it he already has a date, and is just super open to learning!!! lastly of the coolest people was stella i stopped her the other day and started talking to her, and she was just like wow! i was hoping you'd talk to me i have seen you guys a bunch but i never wanted to bother you but i always wanted to know like who you are, turns out she is a christian backround too, and she already has a date to be baptized as well! GO TEAM BAPTIZE!!

then through out this week god has smacked me with gift of tongues, so a few weeks ago i made a commitment to not translate in my head, because i dont do it with english i just know the words and what they mean, well its been paying off, i'll get home some nights and realize i just had like 5 converesations in chinese with out missing a single word and just talked with them! i still mess up and dont understand all the time but god has blessed me a lot this week!

Spiritual share today i was reading the story of moroni and zerahemnah opposing generals, its just before title of liberty, anyway so moroni is whipping this guy back and forth with not even 1/2 the number of men he has, and then he stops, bears his testimony offers him to live, re rejects trys again stopped by a soldier and the soldier bears his testimony and then they reject and go again, moroni is annoyed because of the great slaughter on both sides, and becomes angry so he just says to finish them because thats what he promised if they wouldnt surrender but the moment they ask to stop and to surrender moroni istantly stops and forgives them, what i noticed is bear testimony in all times, places, things, it doesnt have to be words, but let men see your good works and know you are of god, dont hide the candel under a bushel, let everyone one know who you are god blesses the loyal!

I LOVE YOU ALL if i can ever do anything let me know and if you want a personal email from me email me first!

LOVE KONG ZHANG LAO

fourth of july massive fried beef cuz bbq is too hard here

Rice field 

Random Ferari not uncommon

Super watermelon

Wishbone bridge

Dragon fruit

Lightlihouse 

July 10, 2015 No Letter 😢

No letter from Jason today. We received a letter from the church last week letting us know about the typhoon that was heading toward Taiwan. We are hopeful he is safe and sound. (No news is good news RIGHT) the typhoon made land fall on the south east side of the island on Friday evening and while he is on the north end there was still plenty of wind and rain. From what I can tell the storm was so large it covered all of the island. 

Here is an article on the storm if you are interested. 

http://www.cnn.com/2016/07/06/world/super-typhoon-nepartak-taiwan/

Here is the storm as it passes over the Island. Thankfully the death toll was  minimal at 3 people with less than 200 reported injuries. The people of Taiwan know there stuff when it comes to Typhoons as they have a handful every year. Our prayers are with Jason and all the people of Taiwan as they recover from this storm. 

Thank you for all your prayers on his behalf as well. We are so grateful for all of you. I know Jason feels your love as well. 

One month in

On Jul 3, 2016, at 10:03 PM

aight i have been here a month, my chinese is still, bad its still hotter than a black pillowcase top side in the sun, and is the most fun thing ever, its rains all the time, or it burns all the time, and apperantly gets colder than a popsicle in antartican freezer on hoth, i love everything here, there is so much happening! the members are bomb, elders and sisters are dope, i see so much wierd stuff, i have never been more confused about chinese than i was last night at a fireside, i love this.

Also what i have learned is the power of prayer and fasting, legit my prayers are so sincere, and usually its just say thanks and to help my investigators, if there is one thing i can urge you to do from here, right now every morning and every night KNEEL DOWN and pray, just pray, and then once a day sometime during the day find your family pull them together for 5 minutes and PRAY TOGETHER pray always!!!!!

so this week i had a butt load of fun! we didn't  even do anything special though a crazy chinese man, he made sure we knew chinese not taiwanese, was yelling at us on the train and my district says he was yelling about how he had been a catholic for like 50 years and how us other Christians ruin everything and disturb the peace, (please go learn about catholic history) and everyone on the train was looking at him and just laughing about how crazy he was, and then every once in a while he would just calm down yell an English  swear word and then keep going.

we had a huge amount of fangs (fawngs) cancels, because people just didnt show up, so a lot of unplanned finding time, we ended up with a lot of new investigators, but we also had a lot of super good lessons! people were just so good this week! we also went on exchanges with zone leaders again that was so fun! we just killed it lesson after lesson, though we didnt do finding i was a little bummed about that! english class was a lot of fun we played headbands with them! hahahaha they couldnt use chinese it was so funny! we had some awesome qings (food lesson) that was delicious! also we had one of our awesome investigators named joyce get baptized! and an investigator that we gave to the sisters got baptized as well, so he was techniquelly ours and the only reason i say that is because i got to baptize him! and people say it went super smooth and that the prayer was flawless so wooooo!!!!!! then we had a new member fireside and ate cookies and that was super fun seeing my district members!

spiritual thought, take some time this week and read alma 26 but specifically i wanna talk about verse 31, now times in your life you will look back and see your fruits and they wont be few, what kind of fruit do you want? especially when talking to god, when you look back together do you want to look back and say my fruits are many and my works are good, or are you gonna look back on rotten and broken fruit, everyone has the same potetnial and no matter how many times we mess up, if we truly want to change the atonemnet makes our fruit good. never forget that!

> Kong Jie Long Zhang Lao