First Typhoon!

早安!

First transfer on island has officially come to an end, and with it the stress of being the youngest missionary on island! I'm still a little missionary, but everyday when I look in the mirror, I look a little bit less like a deer in the headlights! So, maybe this humidity is good for loosening up facial muscles, if nothing else.

So, as far as fun things go, we went to the Zoo last P-Day, and it was awesome! I'm not a huge "zoo" guy, but a $2 (60元) entrance fee makes it all right! We saw some awesome animals, and my new favorite animal is probably the Bongo! They're orange, and super sick.

ALSO! We had my first typhoon in Taiwan this weekend, and it was a double whammy, we actually heard there were TWO typhoons! In Taiwan, when a typhoon gets too big, the government issues a warning, and everything shuts down, which makes missionary work... pretty tough. No one is on the streets, and no one will meet with you, because no one wants to go out in the rain and wind! So, if the government issues a "Typhoon Day" alert, most times the mission president will have the missionaries go home, and try to be as effective as they can from our apartment (making calls, updating records, etc.). So, Saturday night, we got a notice to head home, and then we realized if Sunday was going to be a Typhoon Day, we had no food. Because our fridge was broken. And we don't buy food on Sundays. BUT, the fridge had just been fixed, so we decided to run and grab some food real fast, and then settle in for the night. After we got home, we found out they had cancelled church, and Sunday was declared a Typhoon Day.

Well, as it would happen, Sunday morning was beautiful, with blue skies and no typhoon! But because it was declared a Typhoon day, almost all of Taiwan had already cancelled church. So, Elder Kimmel and I just made our Sunday as effective as we could, and got ahead on this week! A second typhoon did come in that evening, but it wasn't even a big deal. We were already typhoon pros at that point.But it was a crazy adventure, for sure!

I've been reflecting a lot this week on my first transfer in Taiwan, and the challenges and trials I have faced while being on my mission. I've had to learn a difficult language; I've felt homesick, lonely, and uncomfortable; and I'm constantly tired and overwhelmed. But as I was thinking about it, and about just how much I've had to rely on the Lord these past 6 weeks, I've also realized how much my testimony of my Father in Heaven has grown, and how much I've begun to personally come to know Him. Not as a Deity, not as some all-powerful Being; but as a Father, as a real, living person, who loves me, cares about my well-being, and wants the very best for me. Through prayer and study, I have come to know who He is, and to rely on Him for my strength in the hardships and struggles of my life. I've come to really understand, and renew my testimony of His love for me. He truly loves me, He wants to bless me, and if I am willing to follow the commandments He's given me, He has promised me that He will. I know He loves me, I have no doubt. I know He loves me because He gave me His only Begotten Son. His Perfect Son, His Beloved Son. God, the very being who created me, gave me the thing He finds most precious, because He believes I'm just as precious. He allowed His perfect, unblemished Son to be beaten, ridiculed, tormented, and ultimately killed, for me. So that I could return to be with Him, and have all the blessings that He can bestow. I know that Jesus Christ, my Elder Brother, loves me, because He was willing to be that sacrifice. He was willing to come to Earth, to endure the pains, sicknesses, anguish, trials, and afflictions of an entire world, so that we could have a way to return home. I know that Jesus Christ's Atonement is the only way that we can become clean, become happy, and return to our Heavenly home above. I know that Christ endured everything for me, and because I know that, I am willing to endure everything for Him. Because I love Him, too. I will never have to suffer the pains of an entire people, never have to carry a cross that no one else can bear, because someone better than me has already done that. But I am willing to stand as His witness at all times, in all things, and in all places, and endure whatever trials or afflictions may come my way, because I love Him. He is my Savior, my Redeemer, my Brother. And He is the Son of God. And I will gladly stand fast in whatever my come my way to declare it.

I love you all more than I can possibly convey. I know that God loves you, and I know that His Son, Jesus Christ loves you, too. As a missionary, we make invitations, and my invitation to you today is to come, and feel the love of your Father in Heaven, and of His Son. And love them, too. Show them you love them, do what they want you to do. I promise you, as a representative of Jesus Christ, that you will find a peace, a hope, that cannot be found any other way. You will find strength to endure the trials of life, and you will find joy in the journey.

Love,

Elder Shope

1st Baptism in Taiwan!

Hello all!

This last week was great, we've had a blast this week! For P-Day this last week, we went to a basketball game, Taiwan vs. The Phillipines! The Filipino team won, to the great excitement of our Filipino friend. He was messing with one of our AP's, who is a Taiwan native, for like a week afterwards! It's been so funny!

Also, we had my first baptism this week! And because the Lord did not want me to forget it, He made it the most interesting day on my mission thus far! To start, we had English class in the morning, and we had to bike a half hour from our apartment to the Church where we do class, with a bunch of extra stuff for the baptism and our activities for the day. But on the way, my bike hit a curb wrong and blew out the tire! So, we had to walk the bike to English Class, and ended up being about 15 minutes late! Then, immediately after English Class, we had to bike over to a kickball activity we had planned at the nearby university, but I didn't have a bike! So, we spent about 15 minutes going through the bikes of old missionaries, and finally, one of the other Elders told us we could use a bike he had just had fixed, so that was good. Then we showed up to the activity, no one was there for about the first half hour. Eventually, we had a really good turn out, though, and it was super fun! I got a little sunkissed, so I'm a nice Tomato color now. Then, after the kickball activity, we ran to another set of Elders' apartment, and quickly showered, so we could run back and go to another activity at the church. They were making Vietnamese spring rolls! And then finally, after the activity was over, we began preparing for the baptism. At no point during the day had I eaten at all, including the spring roll activity, because there wasn't enough for us and others. So, hungry, tired, and sunburned, I watched as Pei Jin was baptized, and it made that whole day, my whole mission, worth it. Seeing someone you've worked so hard with, someone you've seen work so hard, accept that first step on the road back to their Heavenly Father, made the whole thing worth it.

After his baptism, the Bishop asked Pei Jin to share his testimony, and each of the missionaries that taught him to share a little bit about Pei Jin and their testimonies. As I shared, I couldn't help but think how grateful I was that I had gotten to be a part of this man's experience of receiving the joy of the Restored Gospel. I'm so grateful for this Gospel, for the opportunity my Father has given me to change, to improve, to leave the past behind, and start fresh. I am so grateful for examples I have seen, of people with so much faith, changing their entire life, because they have come to truly believe in and know for themselves our Father in Heaven's plan for them, and they have felt that happiness it brings. I am grateful for my Father, that He has restored His true and living church to the Earth, that it is truly guided by His hand through a living prophet. I am grateful that He speaks to us through the Bible, through the Book of Mormon, and through His living prophets today. He wants us to know Him, and He gave us a way to learn of Him. And if we are willing to learn of Him, and follow the example of His Son, He has promised us blessings beyond our comprehension.

I love you all, and I am so grateful for the examples of faith you have all been to me. Thank you so much!

Love,

Elder Shope

Week 5 of WanDa!

Hello, everyone! I'm still here! These last 5 days have been pretty good, keeping the work alive! This week, we have my first baptism, for a man named Cai Pei Jin (tsigh pay jeen), which is so awesome to finally see him get baptized! When the missionaries met him three months ago, he smoked 60 cigarettes a day! Now, in just three months, he has completely quit! He has so much faith, and we have seen miracles in his life. It is such a testimony to me of how the gospel helps us become better people, and gives us so much hope! I'm so much better as a person because of my faith is Christ, and in His church.

As far as fun stuff goes, our apartment stinks! The fridge has not been working, and the 3 things we have in there have started to smell. But it's ok, we have a second, smaller fridge, and we don't keep anything in our fridge anyway! So it's not a big deal, we take it as it comes!... It's kinda sad when all you have to talk about is your smelly fridge.

Sorry if these emails are too long, I hope you at least find them semi-entertaining. I love the opportunity I have to share my testimonies with you all, and I'd love to hear some of yours, too! This week I have been thinking a lot about faith, and what faith really is. In the Book of Mormon, Alma Chapter 32, it talks about faith not being a perfect knowledge, but a belief, or a desire to believe in something that we cannot see. In the MTC, I was always scared out of my mind, because I felt like I didn't have a strong enough knowledge of certain things. But as I read that Chapter in Alma, I received so much relief. I have so much faith, because I believe that God lives, I believe that Christ is our Savior. And then, as the Chapter continues, it tells us how to turn our faith into a knowledge. When we want to know if something is true, if we have faith, we need to exercise our faith. Faith is an action word, more than just a hope. We need to experiment our faith, to be willing to act on the faith we have. Through scripture study, personal prayer, and attending church, we learn of God, we learn of Christ, and our faith is strengthened. Through prayer, we have a personal conversation with our Father in Heaven, we ask Him questions and tell him our worries. Through scripture study, we learn of Christ, we learn of God, and Their plan for us. We learn how God talks to us, and how we can receive our own answers. We learn from the experiences of others. And through attending church, we meet with others, and hear their experiences and testimonies. And when we do these things, we can feel, in our hearts, and in our minds, that these things are true. And then our faith is strengthened. I am so grateful to know that I don't have to know. And I am so grateful that God has promised us, He has given us an absolute assurance that if we are willing to try our faith, and show God that we want to know He is there, He will give us a confirmation that He is. I'm so grateful that no matter where we feel our faith is, no matter who we are, even if we are completely unsure of something, if we are willing to make an effort, God has promised us an answer. And He has promised to bless us, to help us in our lives. Even if you smoke 60 cigarettes a day, God will reward honest effort.

 Thank you all so much for sticking around these 3 months, and for all the emails of encouragement! I love you all so much, and I know our Father in Heaven wants you to know Him, because He loves you, too.

Love,

Elder Shope

3 Down, 21 To Go

Sorry everyone, I forgot to make a note in my last email, our P-Day was changed to Wednesday this week because we got to go to the Taipei Temple! It was such a neat experience, and I so appreciate the peace and joy I can feel there. The Temple is truly a special place. This past week (and a half) has been so awesome! We have been teaching some really great people, and we have 5 people preparing to be baptized! We are truly seeing miracles here in the field! It's so crazy to think I've already been out on a mission for 3 months!

This week I had some crazy experiences! We went on exchanges with the Assistants to the President, and it was a weeeeird day! We ended up having to go to a basketball game to meet an investigator, and watched ten minutes of the most intense basketball game of my life. No joke. It was wild. Then we were headed home, and we started talking to a Buddhist monk. She was super cool, and she actually said she wanted to sit down and talk with us again! And we snapped a selfie with her! Taiwan is literally the best. I am so grateful for the opportunity to be here, and get to know these amazing people.

So, this week I have been thinking a lot about church, and the importance of attending church. We attend a Chinese ward, and I understand almost nothing. So it gives me a lot of time to ponder, and as I was thinking about it, I had some ideas. Church, first and foremost, is where we take the sacrament, and renew the sacred covenant of baptism. It makes us clean again, and spiritually renews us for the coming week. I am so grateful for the opportunity I have to be made clean again, and to remember the love of Jesus Christ and our Father in Heaven, for providing us a way to overcome our mistakes. I also was thinking about our life on Earth, and how hard it can be. Everyone has to walk their own path, to make their own choices and to use their agency to make the right decisions. And that's a lot of responsibility, it's scary, and sometimes we don't know if we're doing it right. And ultimately, we do have to make the scary decisions for ourselves, but the Lord, in His infinite love for us, has put amazing people in our lives to help us. People who have experienced similar things, who have learned the pitfalls and the cliffs of our paths, and want to help others avoid them. The Lord puts these people in our path so we can learn from them, so we can feel their testimonies, and we can avoid the hardest parts of the path. And as I was thinking about the people who have helped me the most, who have helped me avoid the pitfalls, or helped me when I have fallen down, I realized, most of them have been church members. And that's why I love church. No one is perfect, we all make mistakes, but when you go to church, and partake of the sacrament, you know you are surrounded by others who are just trying to do their best. None of us are perfect, but we want to help each other grow. We are here to "mourn with those that mourn, and comfort those that stand in need of comfort". I love verse 9 of Mosiah 18 (in the Book of Mormon), because it outlines our purpose as members of the church. To help others, and to stand as a witness of Christ at all times, in all things, and in all places. I am far from perfect, every day I make mistakes, and every day I need to improve. But I am grateful that, even though this path is one I may have to choose for myself, I have others who love me enough to help me keep going. Our journey towards God is a hard one, but God doesn't want us to walk it alone. He has given us people to help us along the way. And those people are at church, trying to do their best to be more like our perfect example, Jesus Christ. I love you all, and I know our Father in Heaven loves you, too.

Love,

 Elder Shope

Chi Dao BAO

YOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!

Sorry, I just have run out of Chinese greetings, and I get the feeling not too many people are reading my emails, so I was trying to spice things up, make it sound exciting. Because MISSIONARY WORK IS THE BEST! (Cool, now I have an exciting statement in bold, keeping up the excitement) This week has been super fun! Elder Kimmel, the WanDa sisters and I are all working on a strategy to update the ward list and do missionary work AT THE SAME TIME! It's more exciting than it sounds. Or maybe it's not, and I'm just desperate. Who knows.

So, we have been fed about 4 times this week, and 3 of them were at these lovely places called "Chi Dao Bao"s, which translates to "Eat until Full". Chi dao baos are huge here, the people love them. So Monday, we went to a Chi dao Bao for P-Day, and it was pretty nice. THEN, Tuesday, we had another ward member, who just got a job, take us to a Chi dao Bao! And it was THE MOST expensive place I have eaten at since getting here. When we got there, he's like "OK, we have 3 hours here! Let's get started!" and Elder Kimmel and I just looked at each other. Our dinners are never supposed to go over an hour. On top of that, it was 6:30, it took us a half an hour to get to the restaurant, and we had an appointment at 8. But the member had spent so much money for us to eat there, and he was so excited, we felt so bad. So we decided to spend an hour an a half there, and then come home. We had to call and change our appointment, which our investigator said was fine, and then we ate so much food. So much food. So many Chi dao Bao's... I'm never going to eat again. 

But not only am I full of food, (wait for it) I'm also full of the Spirit! (Boom, best segway ever.) A mission is so amazing, because you get to watch people grow, and feel the joy that this gospel brings. As they learn about our Father in Heaven, about Jesus Christ, about eternal families, they are filled with hope, and that is the best feeling in the world. And I know that through this Gospel, we can all find that same happiness. This message is one of hope, and of peace. We can look forward, and find comfort, because we know our destination. The road will still be rough, and we will still stumble and fall, but because of Jesus Christ, we have the opportunity to get back up, and keep going. Because of Christ, because of His Atoning Sacrifice, it doesn't matter what we've done, who we are, or where we stand, because we can still move forward. Heavenly Father just asks that we try, that every time we fall, we stand up, dust ourselves off, and keep pushing forward. I am so grateful that every time I make a mistake, every time I mess up, I can be forgiven. More than anything, I am grateful for my older brother, Jesus Christ, who was willing to take my pains, my anguish, and suffer for them, so I don't have to. Sometimes we feel like we are not worthy of forgiveness, but I can bear personal witness that it doesn't matter how far we've fallen, how low we've gone, our Savior was willing to go lower. I know that He knows us, that He knows me personally, and that I can rely so completely on Him, because He will never leave me comfortless. This Gospel gives me hope, I know where I'm going, and that where I am is not where I have to stay. I love you all, and more importantly, Heavenly Father and His Son, Jesus Christ, love you.

Love,

Elder Shope