Thanksgiving in Taiwan

HAPPY THANKSGIVING I hope it was full of being grateful, sleeping, and eating. 

Well this week started off in a really good way... I got binglang spit in my face. Binglang is a type of drug. The English name is beetle nut. When I first came to Taiwan I thought peoples mouths were bleeding.. but nope. They were just chewing binglang. And I got the stuff spit in my face. 

This week in English class I taught them Thanksgiving words, and we made turkey hands! They LOVED IT. I had them write what they were grateful for on the fingers of the turkey hand, and they wrote their teacher.. they are too kind to me. LOVE THEM. I left beaming. 

There is a couple here visiting Yuli, their names are Travis and Navi Ely. Travis served here in Yuli ten years ago!! They are staying here for a little bit and they are so fun. I love being around them and we are going to help Travis get in contact with his old converts! Goals. He is giving us so many good ideas from when he was a missionary.

This Thanksgiving was like any other day of missionary work. We didn't have any special party, no special dinner. I did love to yell at people while I rode past them "GAN AN JIE KUAILE" (happy thanksgiving) almost everyone yelled "kuaile!" back. That made me happy. But no one really celebrates it here, unless they are apart of the church and they are familiar with missionaries. We did have a Thanksgiving lunch after church this Sunday. We had rice, and other Taiwanese foods. It was good. 

This weekend was really busy and really tiring. Thursday night our smoke alarm went off at 2 in the morning and we couldn't get it to stop beeping and yelling "FIRE FIRE". Then the night after that we only got five hours of sleep because we had to wake up at 4 to get to Taitung on time for our 60th year anniversary activity!! Its so special that I am able to be in Taiwan serving at this time. I also was able to go to the activity that was in Taipei when I was serving there. Such a fun experience! This activity in Taitung was a 5k and a 10k. It made me miss running so much (the 30 minute "exercise" isn't quite enough. It was so cool to have one of our investigators go, and to meet so many people there! There were members and non members from all over Taiwan! We got to pass out Book of Mormons and fliers. They even had us missionaries run a little lap lol. OH and Sister Xie is in my zone now!! I got to see her on at the activity! Love her to death. 

This Sunday was a fun one, the stake presidency came, and I spoke again. Have I mentioned that I also have a calling to teach gospel principles class? When they asked me to speak I decided I was going to plan my talk during language study so I could get it really good. Which I did, then Saturday night I felt like it was all wrong. So I prayed changed the subject and planned it really fast. Yikes. But it went really good. I talked about who the Holy Ghost is, and his role in missionary work. I shared some scriptures and I shared my experience with my convert Lan Jiemei. Our branch president, who spoke after me, used part of my talk in his. So hopefully that is a sign that I did alright. Since Navi Ely was here, I got to translate for her during Relief Society. It was a cool experience remembering when Chinese just sounded like funny sounds to me. But now they are actual real words. 

I am so grateful for this opportunity to be in Taiwan. I am grateful to have the knowledge of the gospel and to share it with others. I am grateful for my Savior and his infinite atonement. I know that through his atonement we can be healed from sin, physical pain, and heart break. I know that no matter what is going on in your life right now, you can find true happiness through Jesus Christ. I love being a missionary in Taiwan! 

and HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO TYLER I LOVE YOU BUDDY

Sister Shi

Banannanananananas (they are so cute and tiny even though you can't tell from this picture)

My english class. I love them so much I can't explain it.

Streets in Yuli 

A little boy in our branch, it was his birthday!! 

The birthday party, this is our branch president barbecuing seafood for us, and chicken butt. yes I ate the chicken butt.

The race! 

(the trees are broken from the typhoon not too long ago) 

Our investigator, a family in our branch finishing, and some cute kids! 

The video, we are all warming up together for the race! 

 Another adorable baby from the race I can't leave out!

If you zoom in on this picture you can see the pure joy between me and Sister Xie. I love her so much lololol "we endured to the end together" is it possible to be companions twice??

Branch Thanksgiving Activity

 A part member family we had family home evening with! we were playing the game spaghetti. THEY ARE SO CUTE !

This Week Was Amazing!

Some of the students at Ruisui English Class!

Well, I am still in YULI! Sister Brinkerhoff is still my companion! This is the first time since training I have had a companion for more than one transfer. So, fun.

This week was amazing. No if's or but's about it. So many miracles.

For p day we went to that cool bridge again, because I am the only missionary in Yuli who had been there before. Its all beautiful, but my favorite part is after you cross the bridge and climb the big rock. I want you to imagine the last scene in Star Wars 7. That is the feeling that place gives me. After we had all of our fun, we were heading back and there was the tall, big, white guy walking right toward us. Wow honestly after being surrounded by Taiwanese white people scare me to death. He was really nice! He showed us his juggling skills with some rocks also he told us some life details and that he just quit his job and that he was trying to stay sober for a night. We had a good conversation about Heavenly Father. He wasn't interested, but he told me he listened and would think about it because he could tell it meant a lot to me. I hope he does think about it. 

At Ruisui English class we had SO MANY people show up. I remember when I first came to Yuli we had one male student show up, so we were not able to have class that night. Well this week we had 14!!! It was so fun to teach that class. I love all my students so much. Also one of them is going to go up to Taipei so we set him up for a temple tour :) This week at Yuli English class one guy showed up, showed us our english tract and flat out said he didn't come for English he came to learn about the church. That was a first, and way cool. Yay for english class :) 

After English class on Wednesday I had deepest lesson ever. We have an American investigator! Its very rare to find another foreigner in Yuli. (and weird speaking english) The way we came in contact with her is a miracle. The elders about three weeks ago met her on the street. Our investigator told them that she thought it was interesting that she met them that day, because just one day before she found the Book of Mormon online and started reading it on her own. Three weeks ago when the elders told me this I was almost in tears because you can just see how Heavenly Father puts people in places where they need to be. She is really into religion and knows her stuff. She had lots of good questions and some of them I honestly didn't know the answer to. I am used to teaching people who have little to no knowledge about God. And even though English is easier for me to speak in, its still hard to teach hahaha. But she had a lot of questions about the Bible. We shared with her the scriptures about the other sheep in John chapter 10, and then in 3 Nephi 15 when Christ tells them that they were the other sheep. It helped her to see that the Book of Mormon helped us understand the Bible. I don't have a perfect knowledge of the Gospel, but I do know that the Book of Mormon is true, Joseph Smith was a prophet, and this is the Church of Jesus Christ. 

Speaking of Joseph Smith, we had an activity this weekend where we watched the Joseph Smith movie and had popcorn! We had four investigators show up! They all loved it. Especially Ding Jm. We met with her afterward and taught about following prophets and keeping the word of wisdom. She really loved Joseph Smiths example of enduring to the end. We all are not perfect, and we all have trials, but if we trust God we can make it through anything. She already knew about the word of wisdom but we set a specific plan to get her to stop! She loves coffee. Love is actually an understatement lol. But she can do it :) Also, her boyfriend is now back in the picture.. but she is telling him she wants to get a temple marriage or no relationship. When she told us that it sounded like music. So happy. We are finding out a way to get him meeting with the missionaries in his area.

This week I ate a ton of crazy foods. I ate duck soup, (wait for the pictures) and pigs blood cake..... yum.

I know that Thanksgiving is this week! I will experience Thanksgiving in Taiwan, then tell you about it next week :) Love you all!! Eat lots of turkey while I will probably be eating pig. LOVE YOU! 

Sister Scharman

Pictures: 

pictures 1-8: pday at the bridge! The last one is me and my fisher friend Zhang xs

My fisher friend Zhang XS

More pictures of the bridge

Pig heads :) this is right next to our church.

Pretty lanterns while eating pig's blood cake!

Pig's blood cake! Yum!

Duck soup

Our branch activity with our investigators: Ding JM is the one in the purple jacket behind me, Chen Jm is behind her. Wu Jiating is the lady across from Sister Brinkerhof and Wu Jiating's husband behind her. The other three are members! 

Zao an!

OKAY HONESTLY I AM CRYING BECAUSE OF JOY RIGHT NOW. MY INVESTIGATOR LAN JIEMEI IN WANDA GOT BAPTIZED! When we found her on the street it was one of the sweetest experiences on my mission. I emailed about it a few months ago but I am going to retell the story :) 

We were out finding and we met 藍姐妹 (Lan Jiemei) at a park. We talked to her, then asked to pray for her. When she said yes we asked her what we could pray for. She told us about some health problems she has been having. So when I prayed for her, I prayed for her to get better. Immediately after the prayer she put her hand on her heart and told us that she felt a very warm, peaceful feeling. We explained that it was Gods love for her, who God is, how we can communicate with God through prayer, and then taught her how. She said her first prayer that night. I've witnessed and heard a lot of first prayers, but this one was so special and sincere. Before we left she thanked us for stopping to talk to her, and for helping her understand that God answers prayers. I am so grateful for the Holy Ghost and that I can see the hand of God touching lives through a simple prayer. Now she is baptized. Wow my heart is so full. 

Well this week was a fun one! It started out with me eating octopus.. yep. It was really chewy but not bad. 

This week we met this couple, turns out they are the parents of one of our English students! They are so cute. Everyone here pretty much has a English name and if they don't, we give them one. The mothers name is Mary, but surprisingly the father didn't have one. So guess what I name I gave him.. Bill :) I tell them they are my Taiwanese parents lol. They are really cute and we are so excited to start meeting with them! That same night we met a whole group of girls and one boy from Malaysia! They were also here for some service, and they were really interested in missionary work! It was really fun to talk to them!! 

On our way to English class in Ruisui we met a member who lives in California! He is Taiwanese, and used to be Bishop for the JinHua ward. (in the huge chapel in Taipei) The funny thing was that we were just walking and said hi to him. You never know who you are going to meet. He is really cool! Our English class in Yuli was about the elections hahahah. Everyone here is obsessed. (Trump in Chinese is pronounced trumpu) 

This week we had two really good lessons with our investigators Yang JM and Ding JM. With Yang JM we talked about the importance of prayer, asked some questions, and then related her to Enos and read his story together. The spirit was strong and we found out some of her needs. Ding JM's was about baptism, the Gift of the Holy Ghost, sacrament, and enduring to the end. It was so good. She really understands, everything just makes sense to her. YAY!

We had Stake conference this weekend up in Hualien. We were lucky enough to have a member drive us! Its about a two hour drive, and so beautiful. All the talks were amazing. I especially loved President and Sister Jergensen's. Sister Jergensen even spoke in Chinese for a little bit (: Ding Jiemei came, which shows how committed she is. I am so lucky to be able to teach her.

Transfers are this week! I feel like I am going to stay here another transfer, but anything can happen. "the only thing you can expect from life is the unexpected" lol 

I am reading in Alma right now, which I love. Alma and the sons of Mosiah are such amazing missionaries. I am so grateful for their story and their examples. I was reading in Alma Chapter 29. I am in love with this chapter. The whole thing is so great but I want to share two verses.

9 I know that which the Lord hath commanded me, and I glory in it. I do not glory of myself, but I glory in that which the Lord hath commanded me; yea, and this is my glory, that perhaps I may be an instrument in the hands of God to bring some soul to repentance; and this is my joy.

10 And behold, when I see many of my brethren truly penitent, and coming to the Lord their God, then is my soul filled with joy; then do I remember what the Lord has done for me, yea, even that he hath heard my prayer; yea, then do I remember his merciful arm which he extended towards me.

This chapter and these verses really stood out to me. Especially because what has happened the last couple months of my mission. When I came to Yuli, we were basically going through the refiners fire. We had no solid investigators. I probably taught a solid 5 lessons that whole transfer.. and it was hard. So hard. But now I look at what we have and I can see how Heavenly Fathers hand has been in everything. The blessings are so great we have been getting calls from our zone leaders telling us that President said that "Yuli is on fire" and asking us what we have been doing. And all this progress is not because of us, but because our Lord is blessing us. I am reminded everyday how I am so reliant on the Lord. I am literally nothing without him. The song Holocene//Bon Iver has a line that says "and once I knew I was not magnificent" If you think you can do anything without our Savior please, attempt to learn Mandarin Chinese and get fed pig intestines with rice for dinner. lol, but really. We are NOT magnificent. Our Heavenly Father and Savior are so good to us. 

Love you all! Thank you for all of the love and support! Be safe and have a good week!

Shi Ni Ke Jiemei

施妮可姐妹

(if you google translate my name.. thats not what it means lol)

Lan jiemei!!

Bill and Mary :) 

Wu DX

Pan mama and Pan Didi 

Group from Malaysia!

Wu Jiatings baby 

We took care of Xin Dixiong and Xin Jiemei's dogs and cat this week

Octopus

More sea food dongxi I ate

Service for members!

English Class lolol

Me in front of a pretty lake on our drive to Hualien

Dr Seuss got his plants from Taiwan