Is watermelon sweet? Dad in Taichung (Feb. 14,2017)

                                              Dad visiting the mission office in Taichung

Dad sneaking a selfie with Sammy's companion, Sis. Reeve.  (Sammy was in a meeting with her mission president, Pres. Loh)

Dad explaining to Sis. Reeve's parents about his sneaking around in Yuan Lin:

Brother & Sister Reeve,

Hey!  I'm the father of Sister Daynes, your daughter's companion.  I just wanted to share with you how happy we've been with the first two months (in country) for our daughter.  Your daughter seems to be the perfect companion for ours and she's been so positive about the whole experience.  Thank you so much!  I've been wanting to send your daughter an email thanking her for being so great to Sammy (our daughter) but I don't know her first name.  Can you send me her email address?  

I also need to apologize to her for putting her in an awkward position this past week.  I feel really bad about how everything happened so quickly but I hope it will be a good story some day.  You may be hearing from her about the experience and her story may be different but, here's what happened:

I was in Taiwan on a business trip and my wife sent me with a backpack full of goodies for Sammy.  I got on a train and headed down to Taichung.  I went to the mission office to drop off the package and I spent about a half hour there talking to the missionaries... and a senior couple who would have talked for hours if I'd let them.  I should have gone back to Taipei at that point, but I got in a taxi and was curious to see Yuanlin.  The only reference point I had was the LDS church so my taxi dropped me off there.  My goal was to just cruise around the town, take some photos and then leave without being seen.  Thanks to google maps it wasn't difficult to find the church.  So, the chapel there was really nice and it looked empty.  I started walking around the building and I walked by a window and a girl inside looked surprised to see me.  I had been spotted so I hustled around the back of the church trying to figure out what to do.  Then, I saw that this girl had come over to another side door and I could tell it was your daughter.  She had spotted me and I'm pretty sure she knew who I was (because they knew that I was supposed to be in Taichung that week).  Soon, I saw two Elders looking over her shoulder.  I wasn't sure what to do so I was kind of waving at them to pay no attention to me... thinking that I could hide or something... but then I waved them over.  Sister Reeve and the two elders ran toward me and she said "what are you doing?!!!"  And, I explained "I don't want her (Sister Daynes) to know I'm here.  Where is she?"  And, Sister Reeve explained that Sister Daynes was inside having an interview with the mission president!  Oops!  Awkward situation!  So, I just took a selfie with Sister Reeve and the two elders and I said, "don't tell her that I was here!" and as they ran back in she said, "Okay! you're crazy!"  Then I hustled out of the church parking lot, hailed a cab, and went back to the train station.  I'm feeling pretty guilty about the whole experience... and I didn't even see my daughter.  I put them in an awkward situation and I feel bad about that.  The photo, however, is classic.  I'm not sure if your daughter or the Elders told my daughter about the encounter but if they do, I hope it will be fine.  I probably could have hid outside the church somewhere and tried to get a photo of them but I was kind of spooked because the mission president was there and I didn't want them to get in trouble for my immaturity.  My wife thinks I'm crazy but it is pretty funny that I got in there, got a photo with the other three missionaries and wasn't spotted by my daughter (as far as I know).  I hope they're not too mad at me.  

I'd like to send this photo to your daughter, and leave it up to her if she wants to share with my daughter.

Mike Daynes

Our first e-mail from Sammy after she heard about dad's "phantom visit" to Yuan Lin:

I was in the middle of my interview when I saw you walk past with a big leprechaun grin on your face (I was in the room right next to where Sister Reeve was). I said "Oh my gosh...that looks like my dad. I've been thinking about my dad a lot because he's in Taipei right now...that can't be him. Sorry about that, what were you saying?" The only way I was able to finish the interview is because I convinced myself it couldn't possibly have been you. Then I came out of the room and asked if anybody had seen a waiguoren, Sister Teh said yes, she had seen you running away and was sorry because she likes to talk to waiguoren and would've liked to talk to you. So...then I kind of started freaking out. At first I was giddy, and then we left and went to a 7/11 and I started to cry. I won't lie to you, I cried a lot that day. I couldn't believe you were RIGHT THERE and I hadn't gotten to talk to you. I wasn't so much angry about the fact that you'd shown up as I was about the fact that I hadn't gotten to talk to you.

That night when I'd calmed down some Sister Reeve told me she'd seen you and that actually made me feel a lot better. I was glad you'd talked to somebody. I'm very certain that the whole thing was God's arrangement, Shen de ampai. You happened to show up EXACTLY when I was in the interview, and I just so HAPPENED to be facing the window. It was too perfect not to be arranged by God. This leads me to wonder what he wanted me to learn from it, other than to become a walking testimony of the white handbook. Maybe you can shed some light on that for me.

I don't want to make you feel super bad because I know you're just being you. But yes, President Teh does know lol. I'll write him a letter this wek and explain a little. I don't think he faults you, Sister Teh was pretty cool with it. She reasoned that because you're in the country you'd do anything to see your daughter. Its lame you didnt actually see me though. I read the email you wrote to Sister Reeve, it had a lot of the answers to the questions I've been dying to ask you all week. And it was a hard couple of days but I got better as the week went on. If it makes you feel better, I was incredibly upset not because I was mad but because I miss you so impossibly much and wanted to talk to you so so so bad. Anyway yeah I'm going to end this before I cry more. Love you. You really are pretty flippin awesome. :)

Thank you! - Feb. 5, 2017

Story time: 

This week we taught a less active family. The dad is the Elders Quorum President but his 2 daughters, aged 12 and 15, are less active. They haven't been to church in who knows how long. They just don't want to get up early and they don't care (even though the church is right down the street from their house). After we visited them, I found myself feeling so grateful for a family where going to church every week wasn't an option. Yes we protested and slept in and were often late, but it was never a question: If you're a Daynes, you go to church. When that isn't emphasized, people fall away from the joy of the gospel.

We invited the family to read the Book of Mormon together every night. Usually when I teach lessons I will just open my mouth and say whatever the flip pops into my head. I just need to trust that God will give me the words. Well, during this lesson I all of a sudden started telling this family about my own family. I told them how "every week I email them and ask them if they're reading the Book of Mormon. Sometimes they don't like to do it, but when they read together, they're happier, the house is more peaceful, and they don't fight as much. I know reading the Book of Mormon will bless your family, because it has blessed mine."

So I just wanted to thank all of you. I'm so so grateful I was able to grow up in the church and that you're all reading together. I know I sound like a broken record, but it really is so important. Share this story with whoever you want. 

I love you all so much :)

Love,

Sammy

Letter to my Family - "Time to Change" - Brady Bunch (Jan. 29, 2017)

I'm here! Thanks for all the emails you've been sending, I'm reading through them right now. 

Yes of course I heard about the new missionary schedule, I'm a missionary XD We had a big mission conference with half the mission in it. No I didn't meet Elder Pothier. I met Elder Daines tho and he's a pretty nice guy. I told him I spell it the right way. At the end of the broadcast they announced the changes in schedule and every missionary in the room was at the edge of their seats. "What's it gonna be??? What's happening???" We were so scared. They announced that now we're gonna do planning in the morning instead of at night, which means we get to come home and get straight into our PJs instead of having to plan for half an hour!!! Yes!!! We also have free time from 9-10:30 at night now (as opposed to 9:30-10:30) so we can choose to go to bed whenever we want now!!! YAAAAAASSSS an extra hour of sleep!!!!!! Gah I'm so excited. I might actually have some free time now!!! Speaking of which, I sent you all a letter, let me know when you get it. 

The morning schedule changed too, now we do planning for 30 mins, personal study for an hour, then leave the house and go proselyting. We get to do our 30-60 mins of comp study and 60 mins of language study basically whenever we want throughout the day. So we have a lot more freedom and we get out of the house earlier. This is awesome because due to the schedule I have cuz I'm in training, sis Reeve and I wouldn't get to leave the house until noon (if we stayed inside for lunch, we won't leave the house until 1). But now we have so much freedom! We also get to leave the house earlier on P days so we get 2 EXTRA HOURS OF TIME!!!! It's heaven. I might start coming to email you all earlier now since we get out of the house at 8, but Sister reeve and I went to the market this morning and bought fruit. It was fun :)

I'll write you some more in a bit :) How y'all been?

Love, Sammy

Sister Daynes & Sister Daynes (in the MTC together) Dec. 2016

PHOTOS in Yuan Lin - Sent on Jan. 1, 2017

Christmas day/Christmas Eve Pageant

We went to Narnia (flipping awesomerestaurant)

The district at Narnia plus the bishop and his wife

The Chus again :)

 We have fun :)

PHOTOS From Taiwan - Sent on Jan. 1, 2017

ALL the pictures!!!!!!

1) the magical Sister Reeve

2) MY COMP DREW ME!!!!!! (she is an AMAZING artist btw)

3. PEOPLE AT THE MTC: This is Sister Chu!!!!! She just left us to go to the MTC and is going to Brisban, Australia! This girl is amazing. She is so sweet and knows some English so she has been so helpful in translating stuff for me!!!If you're at the MTC take care of her for me. She is so special :)

4.We made a Christmas tree :)

5. Christmas day dinner! We literally threw together everything we have in the kitchen

6. The Chu family!!!!! These peoplehave been so amazing. Brother Chu is the ward mission leader and they take care of us:)

PHOTOS from Taiwan - sent on Dec. 18, 2016

                                            Sis. Daynes and Sis. Reeve

                                                           Sis. Reeve (my trainer!)

Flight Plans (Nov. 23, 2016)

We got our flight plans early!!! Our elders surprised us and we freaked out. Flight plans are a huge deal here.

We leave SLC on Dec 6 at 9:40 AM, get to San Fran at 11 am. Leave San Fran at 12:20 pm, get to Taipei at 6:25 PM on Dec 7. Then a 2 hour drive from the airport to the mission home in Taichung. Soooo excited!!!!

Letter #7 - "For The Longest Time" - Billy Joel (Nov. 16, 2016)

I feel like this is the theme song of my entire mission so far. This song has been stuck in my head for weeks and I'm always humming it, but nobody can remember the words. Somebody should send me the lyrics.

Not much to say this week. Just know that I'm alive and well. And I am STILL HERE. I swear I've been here for the longest time. 

I really do love the MTC. But this has probably been one of the hardest weeks here. What I do know is that God and the enabling power of Jesus Christ's Atonement is real. When I am at my weakest, He will strengthen me. He will build me up. Last night I was really stressed and was sitting in the hall of our building. Then two random sisters found me in the hall and asked if they could say a prayer with me. I felt so much better afterward. I knew God had sent them. I think that Sisters also have the power to give priesthood blessings, because I felt strongly that the prayer we said was them giving me a blessing. It was amazing.

Some great things have been happening too! Last night Elder Gary E Stevenson of the 12 spoke to us. Nobody was expecting an apostle so that was a nice surprise.

My dear cousin Sister Daynes, who was here in the MTC with me for 3 weeks, just departed to Colorado! I had a picture but can't get it to upload. She is wonderful and it was such a blessing to see her and talk to her all the time.  

Also, if you are going on a mission or even relatively thinking about going on one, you need to read a thing called the Ricciardi Letter. IT IS SO GOOD. It changed my thinking in so many ways about a mission and mission life. Go read it!

Much love to you all. God is real and He will love and support you in your afflictions. Wo ai nimen!

Sister Daynes

Letter to my Family -"Gonna make it, gonna make it, gonna make it" -Lucky Day, the Three Amigos (Nov. 2, 2017)

Letter To My Family from the MTC:

Sister McCabe has been teaching me to use the weight machines in the gym and every time we do them I think of Lucky Day in prison. Plus this is sometimes how I feel in getting through the day haha. And through out long 9 weeks.

Have any of you seen the Testaments? Please watch it, it's awesome! 

How's BOM reading? ;)

Everyone loved your awesome care packages Mom! Ok so our STLs SiS Loo Sis Clark moved in with us and Sis Loo is generally a pretty grumpy person. So Sis McCabe came up with the idea to use the silly string on her. So one morning after we came back from breakfast (when we're all still exhausted and dead tired) Sis Loo and Sis Clark weren't back yet and we turned off the lights and got the silly string ready. Then when they came in we sprayed them! Sis Loo was mad. I felt kinda bad becauseit's me but all my other roommates didn't feel bad at all lol. She immediately went to the laundry room to wash the silly string off her sweatshirt. But she came back and said "Is this how white girls play pranks?" And that's how we knew she'd forgiven us. It was soooooooooo funny! I'm not sure what you thought we woulduse silly string for but I'm glad we put it to good use!

Also Sis Hoskins gave everyone in the zone one of the halloween stickers you gave us and we all wore them on our nametags on halloween. Twas fun.

By the way Carson, do you know a Vita Sitakema? Former NFL, now ESPN anchor. He gave us a devotional a few weeks ago and it was way good.

Also do we know an Ali Pendegrass? The name sounds super familiar.

Sky, what award did you get in school? (Loved the DearElders this week by the way!! <3)

I SAW SISTER DAYNES!!!!!! I ran up behind her and surprised her in the cafeteria. We're in the same building, she's on the floor above me! Plus I see her around a lot so we get to talk and stuff! It's awesome.

So Sister McCabe and Sister Young were each other for Halloween, and it was legit the funniest thing I've ever seen. Sis Young hated wearing Sis McCabe's clothes, which Sis McCabe thought was hilarious. Sis Loo and Sis Clark are also polar opposites (literally dark and light) so they were each other as well. Sis Hoskins and I didn't switch because she didn't want to wear my clothes lol. Not sure if I should be offended. Still working on not feeling a little left out when she hangs out with Sister Young (or two brand new sisters who just came into the zone and who Sister H and Y have decided are their soulmates). But things are so so so much better than they were that I'm just very grateful.

New letter on its way! Also, remember those family names we took to the temple? Do you guys want to do those names? If not you can send me the initiatories/endowments and I can get them done, at least if they're sent very soon. If you have my ligers shirt that would be sweet too, but don't sweat it if not.

Love you so so so much!

Sister Daynes

Photos from the MTC - sent on Nov. 2, 2017

1) District fun

2) All the new sisters

3) Sis Loo and Sis Clark, switched personalities, and Sis Young and Sis McCabe, switched personalities

4) Sis Young and McCabe. They've come so far.

5) So proud of this shot. I took the picture and it was totally candid. Love all their reactions.

6) One more

Letter #5 - "It's Comforting How Some Things Never Change Do They?" - The Waitress (Nov. 2, 2017)

"The day starts like the rest we've seen, another carbon copy of an old routine..."

The days are blending into each other and this was probably the fastest week of my life. We hit our halfway point on Friday!! Sometimes we forget that we'll actually leave here someday. It seems like a faraway dream. But as always I'm loving it here. I constantly feel as though we have so much to learn and I'll never know enough of the language, but when all the new districts came in I was able to see how far I've come. They'll ask us questions about how to say something and I'll be like "wow, I actually know how to respond to that."

So one morning I come out of the bathroom after getting ready to go to exercise- I usually go on splits with Sister McCabe and we walk to the field- and find that she has LEFT ME. This is super against mission rules so I didn't know what to do! I was all alone since all 10 sisters in our zone had left! Plus I was locked out of my room. So I walk to the front desk all by myself to get a key and then Sister McCabe comes running into the office, super breathless and apologetic. She'd gone to the field with another sister and somehow forgotten me! It was so funny.

We were giving the first lesson to each other in Mandarin one day and I couldn't stop smiling. You know why? Because WE CAN SAY THE ENTIRE FIRST LESSON IN MANDARIN! Our pronounciation is probably terrible and we would have no idea what to say if someone asked us a question, but we can do it! It's incredible how far the Lord has brought us from when we first arrived. With more practice hopefully we can get even better.

We guessed an apostle was coming to speak to us due to the buzzing that was spreading around the MTC. Our choir director told us it would be a big night so there was all kinds of speculation about who it would be. (This is what missionaries talk about in the MTC). My guess was President Nelson and I hit it right on the money! He is amazing. Probably my favorite apostle. We sang "Praise to the Man" and it was so powerful. Our director told us all about Joseph Smith and his life, and the story of W.W. Phelps writing that song. The story is incredible. Joseph Smith was such an amazing man and prophet.

We had a lesson this week where we asked our investigator, Yu Yong Xin, (who is actually our teacher) to pray and ask the Lord if he was there. We told him that prayer was like talking to God as if you were on the phone. So he bowed his head and said "Nihao, Tianfu. (Hello, Heavenly Father)." He prayed to know if ther Lord was there. He was quiet for a really long time. Then he said "Xiexie. Zaijian. (Thank you. Goodbye)." He told us that he'd heard a voice telling him that God was there. He knew that God had answered his prayer! It was so incredible. We left the room and were just jumping up and down, so excited. It was our first lesson where our investigator had made a really big step.

If God loved our fake investigator enough to give him that answer and to let us feel the spirit in that lesson, think what God will do for our investigators in the field? God loves us and wants to hear from us. Just by praying we can receive so much strength and hope.

We also watched the Testaments one night and I cried my eyes out. I hadn't seen it in years and the end is so amazing. If you haven't seen it, it's only like an hour long. I highly recommend it!

Much love to all of you! Hope you have an amazing week!!!

Sister Daynes

Photos from the MTC - Oct. 19, 2016

Sis. Hoskins & Sammy

                                            Sis. McCabe, Sis. Young, Sammy, Sis. Hoskins

Photos from the MTC - sent on Oct. 12, 2017

1) Our entire zone at the temple on Sunday

2) Just the sisters from our zone

3) Our district, from left to right - Elder Johnson, Elder Andersen, Sister Daynes, Sister Hoskins, Sister McCabe, Sister Young

4) Us four roommates at the temple

5) Sister Hoskins and I in the classroom​​​​​​​​​​

Letter #18 - "Do you have anywhere we can get our picture taken, like a photo store? -Uncle Rico (Feb. 19, 2017)

Excuse the strange title. See photos for clarification.

If this is my last week in Yuanlin, then I'm so grateful that I was able to serve here. While it's not perfect by any means, Yuanlin has become a bit of a heaven on earth for me. I wish I had the language skills to express to these people how much I love them. They have put a handprint on my heart. We won't know til next week if I'm leaving or staying, but time has gone so fast. Sister reeve and I want to work super hard for our last week. We have so much work to do. 

Highlights from this week: Wednesday we took a train to Tianzhong, our secondary area. We found several new people who we set up with! Sister Reeve and I both needed the pick-me-up and it was an awesome day. We play contacting games when we talk to  people and our favorite is Quidditch, where we give ourselves points for every tract we give, lesson we teach, Book of Mormon we give, and number, setup, and new investigator we get. Our goal was 500 and we ended the day with 560 points! Being a missionary can be fun you guys :)

The elders had a baptism Friday night and they realized last minute they had no one to play the piano. Somehow I was called on to play (be proud of me, Mom). I played every song I knew in the hymnbook and was feeling pretty good, but then our ward mission leader said "and now we will sing I am a child of God" which I had never played before!! Uhh... I struggled through it and it was very off key, but everyone told me it was fine. Oh well.

Last thing- one of our english class students came to church on sunday. He's an older man and is a little strange. near the end of sacrament meeting, he turned around in his seat and handed Sister Reeve and I a couple of pictures he took in 1993 of him with his shirt off. We quickly got up and left the chapel because we couldn't hold in our laughter, then started laughing our heads off! It was so ridiculous! So included for your viewing pleasure....

Photos this week also include lots of food and heart shaped pancakes on Valentines Day :)

Also! Next week cuz of transfer changes my P day willl be on tuesday.

Much love!!! sister Daynes

Letter #17 - The Story of Hong Dixiong & other miracles (Feb. 12, 2017)

The story of Hong Dixiong.

This is a story that is very near and dear to my heart, and has been a long time in the making.

 Our second week in Yuanlin, we started working with a part-member family. The wife is a member and they have two adorable little kids. When we first started meeting, their dad (Brother Hong, also known as Hong Dixiong) just didn't seem interested and we were kind of nervous around him cuz he didn't seem to really like us. But then he started asking us questions about God and we realized he was actually curious. We spent something close to two hours planning his lessons because we were just so nervous.

But over time, he started to change. We invited him to read one verse of the Book of Mormon every day. He did. And every time we met with him after that, he was happier. His relationship with his wife was better. He laughed! He became a person rather than just a name with a face. This man who we were scared of has become someone who we love so much. We love the Hong family and I feel so blessed to have had the opportunity to know them. Finally we invited Hong Dixiong to be baptized and he said yes! We set a date for February 18th. 

But things have just not really worked out. We haven't had much time to teach him all of the lessons and he's not entirely sure of his personal testimony yet. So we're postponing the baptism so that he and his wife can focus on their brand new baby, who will be born we think on February 19th!!! We are so excited for them. 

We have seen God's love working in the life of this man. He has become a whole new person and it's amazing. We won't see him be baptized, but we have seen how God's light has touched and changed his life. And for me, that's enough. (Plus, his wife is super awesome. We know she'll get him baptized sometime soon :)

In other news, this transfer is going to be 5 weeks instead of 6. When Sister Reeve and I heard the news, I kinda broke down and cried...a lot. I'm not ready to leave her or be done with training. I had a week of training stolen from me and that was hard. But I have to have faith that the Lord knows where I need to go. 

In other other news, this week we met with Kelvin, who is Taiwanese but speaks amazing English!!! We were able to teach him the Joseph Smith story in English which was so weird but I loved it. He is looking for a church that he likes and we let him know that through prayer he can absolutely know that this one is true! He's been reading the Book of Mormon and it's so awesome!!!

We had a very strange lesson this week...a member invited us over to her house to meet her nonmember husband, who just quit smoking and drinking and she said he was ready to be baptized. But we show up and he's bustling around the room in his long john underwear...and he only speaks Taiwanese. He gave us hot pumpkin juice (it tasted nothing close to Harry Potter's), then went back into the kitchen to get lemon tea. When he came back and saw I hadn't drank all the pumpkin juice yet he yelled "YOU HAVEN'T DRUNK IT ALL?" He also gave us vinegar lemon (which tastes EXACTLY how it sounds). So in between the very sour faces we were making Sister Reeve and I worked up the courage to say..."Mmm...hao chi..." He also had no interest in gospel so we won't be meeting with him anytime soon. XD

And to end this letter on a very strange note, this week an old man pulled us over to the side of the road to ask if we were American and then told me I looked like I was related to Trump. Great. We are not immune to American politics over here, apparently. 

As you can see things are going pretty darn great here in Yuanlin :) I never want to leave. Pray that I'll survive transfers!

Also, the BIGGEST miracle of this week is that my wonderful friend Holly Lesser is COMING TO TAICHUNG WITH ME!!!!! I thought such a thing was too good to be true, but God really has a perfect plan. He sure loves us a whole lot. I AM SO HAPPY.

Much love!

Sister Daynes

Letter #16 - Lots of Food! (Feb. 5, 2017)

Sister Daynes' Very Official Rules for Missionaries regarding Eating with Members: 

(Since we were fed 7 TIMES this past week, I consider myself an expert on this topic now).

1. TALK. This is the most important rule, so it's going first! This is an awesome opportunity to get to know your members. Even if you can't speak the language and barely know what's going on, try to speak up as much as you can in order to help your desperate companion who is struggling to carry the entire dinner conversation all by herself.

2. Be gracious. Tell them how awesome their food is every five minutes or so. Because it usually is fantastic.

3. Try even the weird food. If you don't like it, you will probably make a weird face and the members will laugh hysterically at you. It makes for a fun time. Also I think it's secretly one of the members' favorite forms of entertainment. So try it all just to say you've tried it once, even if it looks like a snozzcumber and tastes like hand sanitizer. (There is this thing called bittermelon).

4. Make sure you know exactly WHEN AND WHERE you will be meeting said members. Don't let them bully you into taking an hour long bus ride to their house, because that wastes a lot of time and makes for some very unhappy missionaries. If you have to travel a ways, make sure you have transport back, or you will be waiting at a bus stop in the middle of nowhere with no way to get home. Again, not very happy missionaries :(

5. Make sure to let them know (very kindly) before the appointment that you only have an hour of time. Meeting with members is so much fun and amazing that it's easy to get comfortable, but the rule is one hour only, so we need to follow that rule and then go out to serve others. There are others who need to hear the gospel! Also it's important to let them know beforehand, otherwise you could find yourself at someone's house for 2 hours or more because they don't start making the food until you get there.

6. If the nonmembers you're meeting with try to show you a movie, offer to show them Meet the Mormons instead :)

7. If the members take you to the same shabu shabu place for the third time, don't you dare tell them. Frantically whisper to the waiter (who has now seen you at the same restuarant 3 times) not to tell the member either. 

7. Above everything else, DO NOT allow your elders to drink 14 yogurt drinks at one lunch appointment. They will regret it later.

All of these things actually happened. It was a great week. :) Good luck to all missionaries out there who have lunch appointments, and good luck to the members who feed them! Sorry I don't have much more time, but I hope this was helpful.

Much love to you all,

Sister Daynes :)

A letter to my family on Week 13 (Jan. 22, 2017) "WE FOUND KYLE HARRISON!"

His name is Albert. He is from Virginia and teaches English to kids, he's been here for a bout 3 years! We ran into him on Christmas Eve and talked for a while. We've seen him out running around the places where we usually bike and we wave to him. Then when we left church on Sunday he was walking right by the church!

We stopped to talk to him and it was SOOOOOOO WEIRD AND AWESOME to talk to somebody in English!!!!!! He's going to Hong Kong for CNY, so even the white guy isn't free to meet for the next two weeks (nobody is). But we just talked and it was super chill! We asked if he had a specific religion, he said no, he's agnostic.

So I said, "Well you know, if you have interest we'd love to teach you about the church, this is what we do 24 hours a day!" He said, "You know, I'd actually like that. I'm actually really curious about this church building. It's just like a synagogue or something, it's interesting to learn about this stuff."

So we got his number!!!! He said it'd be great to meet after CNY. It was sooooooo weird and awesome!!! HE IS KYLE HARRISON! He's just a guy bumming around Asia, teaching English cuz he doesn't know what else to do with his life. Little did he know that he might've come to Asia just to find the restored gospel!!!!!!!!!!

We do have a small problem tho. All the church services are in Chinese....

I seriously feel more like Elder Calhoun every day. I actually asked one of our investigators if he wanted to be baptized tomorrow. (I was kidding tho, and he knew that and we all had a good laugh over it!) But seriously. I am him.

Letter #15 - Guo Nian Yihou (Jan. 22, 2017)

"Guo nian yihou."

My companion and I have come to fear those words. Next week is Chinese New Year (Guo nian), which is just the biggest shindig in the whole country. We're really excited to see what it will be like, but also nervous. For one thing, everyone either leaves to go be with family, holds big family gatherings at their home, or is too busy cleaning their houses, getting work out of the way, and doing other stuff to get ready for Guo Nian. This is why the words "After Guo Nian" as in, we'll be free to meet after Guo Nian, have become our worst nightmare. 

In addition to that, from what I can tell, Guo Nian is a time when people eat a lot. of. food. Well, the Bishop wants us to help strengthen the ward, so he's arranged for them to feed us LUNCH AND DINNER EVERY DAY FOR THE NEXT 20 DAYS. Sister Reeve and I are scared. We are going to get fat. Especially since the diet here consists of a lot of rice, noodles and dumplings. So yeah, pray that we'll be able to find people to teach and that they won't all say GNYihou. And that we will not get too fat. Thanks.

As for this past week....oh, how my companion and I had high hopes. We wanted to be able to meet with all our investigators before Guo Nian. We had so many lessons planned for the week- we were flying high and super excited!!

Then one by one, our lessons began dropping like flies, our hopes popping like bubbles. We found ourselves wondering why this had happened? We had tried extra extra hard to be obedient this week. We were wroking as hard as we could. And yet everything fell through. Why had this happened?

After a while I realized this wasn't the question we should be asking. Instead, we started paying attention to what HAD happened. Our lesson count for the week still ended super high, mostly from lessons we had when we would talk to people on the streets. We got to meet with the most important people, helped strengthen some of the recent converts, and experienced some very BIG miracles. Most importantly, our investigator Hong Dixiong has a baptismal date for Feb 18th!!!!!!!! Pray that he will make it. We are so excited for him! It's been amazing to see the changes the gospel has worked in his life.

I know God is watching out for me all the way out here in Taiwan! Much love to all of you :)

Sister Daynes