Dog Year

It's Chinese New Year, and you know what that means! Or do you? Because to be honest, I knew almost nothing about Chinese New Year before coming on a mission, and I know only slightly more now that I have been on a mission here in Taiwan. So, for those of you who do not know anything about Chinese New Year, here's all the secrets I've learned in my vast experience! It's a very traditional holiday, complete with certain things you should say and gifts you should exchange. Everything you give has a certain meaning, and most come in some form of red or gold packaging. Red has some sort of symbolic meaning as well, I think. Look, nobody has really told me anything special about Chinese New Year, except one thing: you eat. A lot. Like, a lot. Everyone takes five days off of work, and you come together with your family and eat a bunch of traditional Taiwanese food. It's a blast. And that is Elder Shope's thoroughly butchered rundown of a traditional Chinese holiday. Also this year it's dog themed. Maybe Wikipedia will know more. I'm sorry.

In news that I am a little more familiar with, transfers are happening this week! I have been here in FengLin for three transfers now, which is as long as most missionaries spend here. So, we will see what happens! I have loved being in FengLin, it's a beautiful place, and I have had so many amazing experiences here! We will see how the cards fall!

Because of the celebrations, missionary work has been a bit slower, but we have been able to eat with some of the church members here, and enjoy the gospel with them! Something that is awesome about New Years, be it in America or Taiwan, is the opportunity we have to start over, to get rid of the old, and start new. And that is what I love about the gospel! We all have hard times in our lives, we have weaknesses and setbacks, and other things we want to change in our lives. But without our Savior, we would have no way to do that. We would fall further from happiness, and from peace. But because if Christ, and His loving sacrficie for us, we have a way to change, to repent and move forward. We don't have to let our regrets and our sorrows direct our lives. I am so grateful for the Gospel of Christ, it makes me so happy to know that I can always improve, and change!

Also, we went to the beach this morning, and the weather in HuaLian has been warming up! It felt like I was in a Chinese California! I love my mission in Taiwan! I posted some pictures on my Google Drive!

Love,

Elder Shope

On a Scale from 1 to 10, Definitely a 6.4

Wow, this has been a long week!

... I have been trying to think of some funny way to make it seem nonchalant that I was in a 6.4 earthquake this week, but after 5 minutes of sitting at this computer and staring blankly at the screen grinding the gears in my head, I have come up empty. We didn't do much else this week. So... Yeah! We were in a massive earthquake in Hualian City on Wednesday night, that has resulted in the collapse of several buildings and the loss of several lives. We are truly grateful that we missionaries were all kept safe in such a dangerous time, and that so many people were also protected! Our prayers go out to those whose homes have been damaged, and to the families of those whose lives were lost. But through this tragedy, I truly have found peace in knowing with a surety the plan my Father in Heaven has for me, and that this life is not the end. And my love for the people of Taiwan and their charity has grown as we have seen so many people so willing to help those around them!

Also, today is my 10 month anniversary on a mission! It's so weird to think I only have 14 months left, I still feel so new, but at the same time, I am grateful I still have so much time to give in service to the Lord and His children. I am definitely not the best missionary, but I am so grateful the Lord accepts everyone with a sincere desire to follow him, regardless of our ability! To celebrate my 10 months, we went to the beach in Hualian this morning, and took some cool pictures! The Taiwan ocean water was actually quite a bit warmer than the air, which only made me a little sad we can't go swimming. Oh, well!

This morning, I was reading a short talk from President Nelson, from the General Conference in October 2012, titled: "Ask the Missionaries! They Can Help You!" In the talk, President Nelson made a statement that was very interesting and helpful for me, he said "All missionaries, younger and older, serve with the sole hope of making life better for other people." That definitely made me ponder my motivations and attitude as a missionary. Have I been focused solely on making life better for others? Or have my own problems and concerns been getting in the way? The quote was talking about missionaries, but I think it is so relevant and applicable to everyone! Regardless of whether we are old or young, male or female, rich or poor, is our sole hope to make lives better for others? Christ taught us in His ministering that "He that findeth his life shall lose it: and he that loseth his life for my sake shall find it." If we are willing to look outside ourselves, and find those who need us, even in the times when we ourselves are struggling, then the Lord has promised us that He will bless us, and that we will be happy. I have seen the joy of charity, and I am grateful every time I see someone, in their own circumstances, with their own trials, willing to stop and help another who has stumbled or fallen on the path. Thank you to everyone who has, at one time or another, stopped and helped me when I have stumbled and fallen, and thank you for those who have stopped to help others. I can testify that when we have a desire and a willingness to bless the lives of others, as a direct result, our lives are also blessed.

I love you all, and thank you so much for the emails! I am safe!

Love,

Elder Shope

Safe!!

So, there was just a 7.0 earthquake in HuaLian, but we are all OK. We have made our way to an open space, and are safely away from any buildings.

We are totally fine, we are definitely spooked, but we are doing OK! We are definitely ok! There are a few buildings coming down, but we are not near them. We are totally fine

2 or 3 buildings came down, a couple others are tilted. We are fine, we are gonna sleep outside.

Mission Miracles and Moving Mountains

What is happening?!

This week was absolutely FULL of miracles, and we were definitely keeping busy! Thank you so much to everyone who is praying for the missionaries, I can testify that prayers absolutely make a difference and have been answered this week! We saw so many miracles that prove to me that no matter who we are, or where we are, God is watching over us.

But before I get into the miracles, let's talk about the fun stuff! As we were making our way up to Hualian last night on the train, it started feeling a little shaky. We just assumed it was the train, and after a second, it stopped. I also got a notification on my phone for something, but it was in Chinese, so there was no way I was going to be able to read that! Haha, but when we got to the apartment in Hualian, things started shaking again, and we didn't know what to do! It turns out right off the coast of Taiwan was a 5.8 earthquake! We were a little spooked, I have never taken any earthquake safety trainings! We were fine (really, mom! We are OK!), it was just a fun little experience for me! So, not to brag or anything, but I was in an earthquake last night.

But more than just the miracle of surviving last night, we also had some AMAZING miracles in our missionary work! This last Thursday, we had a member who lives in Hualian tell one of the members who lives in FengLin that she wanted to come down and proselyte with us one day. She used to live in a part of our area, and because a lot of our area is aborigines, a lot of them are relatives! So, she came down on Thursday, and we sat down and taught a lesson to her younger sister and a couple of their friends, and they are all pretty interested! Then, after the lesson, she stands up, and starts taking us down the street. She took us up the street, and we started talking to some of her other relatives. After talking to a couple people, and going between a couple houses, I asked her if all these people were her relatives, and she said "No, I don't know these people!" She was literally just knocking doors with us! It was so cool! We got 3 new investigators that day, and 3 families set up for us to come back! We ended up with 6 new investigators! It was so awesome!

Also, the next day, Friday, as we were still cooling down from that miracle, we were sitting down to do language study in a 7-Eleven, when one of our friends came in. He came over and started talking to us, and we talked about some questions he had about the Book of Mormon. As we were answering his question, another guy walks into the 7-Eleven, and my companion waved at him. The guy was surprised that we were talking to him, but he was interested in talking, andwe started a conversation. It turns out this guy was from Mainland China! When he recognized us as missionaries, he told us he wanted us to "preach" to him! He then told us to wait, and a minute later he came back in with a couple of his other friends, who were all on a bike tour of Taiwan. They sat down, and Elder Church and I ended up teaching parts of all the missionary lessons to them. They also wanted to read the BofM, so we went over to our chapel and grabbed about 6. They were all very curious, so we ended up handing out all of them! We also referred them to the website Mormons and China, where they can learn more! We ended up being in that 7-Eleven for two hours talking to them about the church! It was so cool! 

There were so many other truly amazing miracles this week with our investigators and our missionary work that I want to share so badly, but I'm also aware that this email has come to the length of a short novel, and so I won't continue to drone on! But I do want to share quickly my testimony of my Savior, and His role in each of our lives, and the lives of our families. I think one of the mistakes (the many many mistakes) I made before my mission, was not spending time with my family, and not cherishing the time I had with them. But being on a mission, and not getting to see my family every day, has taught me so much about how important they really are. I remember in High School, I spent so much time trying to find happiness, to find peace, but at the same time pushing away the people and the place where those things can be the most strongly felt. Everyone wants to feel like they belong, like they have someone that loves them, like they're home. And God, knowing this, gave us a way to feel that sense of belonging. Families are central to God's plan, and He wants our families to be happy. He gave us a plan that would allow our families to be together, not only for this life, but forever. That would allow us, even in the trials of life, to maintain strong and hopeful. Every family is different, and every family has its own trials, but no matter what kind of family we have, or what has happened in or to our families, it is never to late to allow the Savior into our home, and feel the strength and the love that He provides. We are sons and daughters of God, and we are all brothers and sisters. God loves us so much, and shows us through the simple blessings and miracles He gives us every day. And all He asks is that we show that same love to those around us, and especially the ones closest to us. I love my family, and am so grateful for their patience, and the love they have shown me. I am grateful for an Older Brother, who loved me enough to sacrifice His life, and suffer pain unimaginable, for me. I am grateful for a Father, who loved me enough, to provide a way for me to return home to Him. And I love my family here on Earth, who have helped me through the struggles of life.

I love you all!

Love,

Elder Shope

Rock Bottom

Hello!

This week was absolutely amazing! It started pretty rough, but by the end, we saw so many miracles! Also, we had a super awesome Zone Conference, about missionaries being combat medics that help the needs of wounded on the field, and members being like helicopters that can bring the wounded into the hospital. Our job is to help people who are suffering, who are looking for peace and help in their lives. It was definitely a really good Zone Conference, and I felt inspired!

As far as crazy experiences, we had English Class on Saturday, and after English Class, one of our students asked if we wanted some bread. We tried to politely decline at first, but after some insistence, we finally accepted. She told us to follow her, and hopped on her bike. We hesitantly followed, and after about 5 minutes of biking, we arrived at a closed down bakery. The lady walked inside, and after a minute, came out with two large groceries bags full of frozen bread products. So, now we are trying to work slowly through all of that. But we were running low on money for food, so it was definitely a miracle!

But the bread was just one of many miracles, this week was so amazing! At the beginning of the week, we had stopped meeting with most of our investigators, and our last investigator with a baptismal date didn't want to meet with us anymore. We had hit rock bottom... But that was not the miracle. We were having a really hard time, and just not feeling very excited. But at Zone Conference, we talked about having hope and being happy in our trials, and so Elder Church and I decided to change our outlook. We approached our work with more hope and happiness, and it was crazy! We ended finding some super cool people, and we saw so many miracles!

I am so grateful for the opportunity I have to be a missionary, and to see so often the miracles of my Father in Heaven. I know that in our lives, we face struggles and challenges, and things become harder than we think we can handle. But I also know that the Lord has promised us the we are not going through these experiences for no reason. He has told us that all these things will be for our good, and if we can hold on with faith, we will see the miracles in our life. Yesterday, I was able to give an impromptu talk in Sacrament meeting about the gift of repentance, and repentance truly is a gift. The opportunity we have to be forgiven, to be happy even after we have made mistakes, truly is a representation of our Father in Heaven's love for us. And if we are willing to repent, and move forward with faith, we will see the miracles all around us!

I love you all, and I hope you're all doing well! I'd love to hear what's been happening with everyone else!

Love,

Elder Shope

Finding for Dayzzz

Hello! 

Well, this week was our first week spent half in Ji'An and half in FengLin, and it was definitely a new experience! We did a lot of finding, because we are in a new area, and don't have any investigators there! That was a good time! But I had the opportunity to work on some new finding techniques, and help Elder Church find his style! He is such an awesome missionary, who wants to do well! We have a lot of the same interests and we get along super well! I am glad he is patient with me, because I am definitely still learning how to be a senior companion!

Because of the change, we haven't had too many crazy experiences this week, mostly just finding! But we did meet some fun people! Also got to see a few cool sights in FengLin! And, I have pictures to share, on the drive! ALSO, Facebook Messenger is now approved for our mission, I am still trying to learn to adjust to all these changes! It's so crazy!

Although this week definitely had its miracles, it has also been kind of a rougher week in FengLin this week, a lot of the people we contact are not super interested, and it makes it hard to feel like we're making a difference. But something I love about this gospel, and especially about our Father in Heaven, is He blesses us for trying. Every time we fall down, every time we make a mistake or mess up, through the miracle of repentance and the power of the Atonement, we have the chance to try again, to get back up and put ourselves back on the path. Our Heavenly Father wants us to be the best we can, and he's not going to condemn us for not being perfect on the first try. He sees our potential, to become more than we can imagine. But he also sees our weaknesses, and our flaws, and as long as we are willing to stand up and give it our all again, He will continue to help us on our path. Our Father in Heaven's greatest joy is seeing the ones He loves most, you and me, doing what He knows is best for us. I love my Father in Heaven, and I am so grateful for His patience and persistence in helping me become the person I want to be! 

Sorry for the short email! I love you all!

Love,

Elder Shope

Transfer 6, Pick up Sticks

Hello!

Well, I guess I have just become an old missionary! I am currently in my 6th of 16 transfers, and I have just become senior companion! I am "breaking" (as they say in Missionese), a missionary that is fresh out of training! His name is Elder Church, and he is a stud! He is from South Jordan, Utah, and likes to swim and learn languages! He speaks pretty good Chinese, super good German, and a little Arabic! He spent a year in Germany before coming on a mission, so he's pretty fluent! Looks like the four years of German I didn't take in High School are about to come in handy! Ich bin ein Mann!

As part of our transfer, we also were told by our mission president that we are going to only be in FengLin half the week now, and the other half we will be in HuaLian. I'm excited for the change, and to learn another area! Hopefully we can use our time effectively and continue to share this joyful message with the people of Taiwan in 2 areas!

Miracles have been abounding recently in FengLin, as we have been finding new people to teach and helping those we are already teaching progress! One came in the form of one of our investigators, Brother Sun, finally really committing to what we are teaching him! He really wants to get baptized, and he tells us a lot that he really wants to be a disciple of Jesus Christ! And after sitting down with him last night, he told us he was willing to make the changes necessary to get baptized, and have the companionship of the Holy Ghost! We are so excited for him! FengLin is an amazing place!

We also had a really cool meeting with a new investigator, and during our lesson, he asked us a really interesting question: Does God want us to have so many churches, and to be confused? That question was super powerful to me, and definitely an evidence of someone who is really looking for the truth. In our world, there are a lot of churches, and although many of them possess the same basic ideas, or even worship the same being, their practices and teachings can have a lot of difference. The steps that are required, the things that we need to do, differ based on where you look and who you ask. And for those sincerely looking to find God, and His truth, it can be very hard to discern what is from God, and what isn't. It can be confusing, and lead to feeling lost, stressed, and sometimes even angry. But God does not want us to be confused. He wants us to know Him, He wants to help us, and He has given us a way to know His plan for us. God gave His children prophets, anciently, to guide His children, and help them know what they needed to do to feel joy in this life, and be saved in the life to come. Prophets were evidence of God's power and church on the earth. Their purpose was to help God's children know who God is, and what that means for us. But people rejected the prophets. They denied their authority and turned away. And they lost the truth, they lost sight of who God was. It's a pattern that can be seen throughout history. But, our Father in Heaven, in His infinite patience and love, has given us another chance. Just like in ancient times, God has called prophets today, to lead us through the darkness, through the confusion, and to show us what He wants for us. He has restored His authority and His truth, to the Earth. God has not abandoned us, He has not left us alone. He loved us so much He gave us His Only Begotten Son, that we could all find our way home to Him. He loves us so much He has given us prophets, to guide us, and teach us how to use the gift His Son gave us. He gives us prophets to show us where we need to look, to see the light and feel the warmth of the Gospel. Prophets are a sign that God has not left us to be confused. But God doesn't just want us to blindly follow prophets, He wants to know for ourselves that what they are saying is true. And through prayer, sincere prayer, with real intent, a real desire to know and act on the answer we are given, God will let us know that His truth really has been restored. I know that God's church has been restored on the Earth, and that He doesn't want us to be confused! Through my own prayers, my own experiences, I have learned for myself that The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints is the only completely true church on the Earth. And I don't want you to just trust what I'm saying, I want you to ask our Father in Heaven for yourself. And get your own answer from Him. I promise He will hear and answer your prayers, and you will feel the love that He has for you as His child.

I love you all!

Love,

Elder Shope