Searching For Investigators

Dajia Hao,

Can't wait for this traditional Tiawanese meal! 

Well here we are again! This week has been a great time. We are in a newer area which means that we get to have a lot of time to go finding! Which is really comical and fun. Luckily the people are so polite here that they are usually willing to at least let you start a conversation. Then when you start talk about the Church they just say Fojiao or bai bai! And I'm like, yeah I was 99% sure you were a Buddhist but that doesn't mean I don't want to talk to you buddy.

 But it's alright, we are out here to find the few that are prepared. This Thursday I went out on an exchange with Elder Anderson who is in Zhunan, which means that I was in the same apartment as Elder Humphries. Which of course means we had a blast! Elder Anderson has been in that area as long as I have been in mine which means we were still trying to find out where we were hahaha.

Glad I'm not scared of heights...

On Friday we went out to Zaociao which is in the country a little bit. The train just stopped and it was like a ghost town almost. No one was at the station there to get tickets or anything. It turned out that it is a really really populated area but during the day everyone goes to work in a nearby big city. So that meant we were left with all the older Taiwanese. Which provides two small problems, 1. They are huge on tradition so don't really care for Christianity and 2. Most of them couldn't speak Mandarin. They speak Taiwanese or Hakkan. Which for your info sounds nothing like Chinese to me at least. But something neat did happen. We were walking up a street and there was a group of about 25 kids waiting for the bus to take them home from school. They just stared at us for a while and then just kind of giggled when we waved. Across the street we stopped to make a phone call. I was watching them, a little amused cause I was pretty sure they hadn't seen an American this close. Very often at least. Then with some peer pressure one of the kids got up the courage and yelled out "Where are you from?" I told him America and they all looked at each other and laughed. Then I told him his English was really good! But that was a little advanced because he didn't understand so I just switched back to Chinese. I'm sure he didn't understand me though. They were all super funny and it was cool to talk to them and ask them a little bit about themselves. Then it was back on the train and returning to Xiang Shan. It was good to be back home! 

My companion told me that they found a new investigator which of course I was stoked about. He told me that it was a bit of an interesting situation though. When I asked for further details he told me that he was the equivalent of a fortune teller... I thought oh man there is no way. The next day we rode out to teach him and it was very.... different. However he does have a lot of potential. He really does want to follow Jesus Christ and grow closer to him so I hope that he will follow through with the commitments we extended to him. It was hard to teach because not only did he talk really fast but he used really really old Chinese that I guess no one uses anymore. Luckily we had a ward member accompany us so when we didn't understand what he was saying he could translate. Needless to say I, I didn't do much talking. 

My beautiful Xiang Shan!

Last of all, I talked to a man this week who had been investigating the church for the past 20 years. When I asked him why he was willing to meet with us he told me just because it would have been rude to say no. As the conversation progressed he had a wide array of reasons that he didn't want to accept baptism. He began saying that the reason we were so willing to be in the Church was just because of our families. That is where somehow I got the courage up to tell him that wasn't true. And in my broken Chinese I told him that it doesn't really matter what my family believes. Because I had to, like him, know that this was true. And I didn't what Moroni tells us to do. And I've tested it and I got an answer. I bore testimony that this Book is true and that this gospel is the true restored gospel. And that's why I am here because of what I know for myself and I want other's to get what I have. This broke down the wall a bit and even though I don't know if he will ever convert to our Church. It reminded me that no matter what this is true. I learn more about my self everyday. My advice to anyone whether Church member or not would be: Don't take anyone's word for it. Find out for yourself. Because you can. This gospel is capable of changing lives! I love you all. I'm so blessed to be here! I pray for all of you all the time!!! 

Cockroaches...they will take over...

Elder Roe

p.s. Shout out to my sister for finishing her mission! Your awesome and I love your face as well!