Transfers!

This last week transfers took place which was super crazy. I didn't really care because I knew I wasn't moving, and neither was my trainer. Everyone else was freaking out though. It's like Christmas when transfers come, people find out if they will get a new companion, and where they will move to. In other missions when transfers happen, the leaders will call the missionaries and tell them where they are going and who their next companion will be. Our mission is a bit different. The Mission Recorder will send out an Ibon code to each companionship, and the companionship puts the code into a machine at the nearest 7/11(They're everywhere in Taiwan). They then get a paper printout which tells them all the information they need and that they'll be leaving the next morning. It makes the mission a lot more organized and transfers go much more smoothly. So Elder Hooker and I were just chilling doing our studies when we get a text from the Recorder with an Ibon code. We were super confused, cause we weren't supposed to get moved. We rushed to the nearest 7/11 and he printed the code out and started going crazy. It said he was going to be moved to Hualian and become a District and Zone leader there. Which is usually impossible. Right then the Zone Leaders called me and asked me how I felt about the transfers. I told them I hadn't read it yet. They told me to read it out loud to them. It said that Bali would be closed as an area, and I would finish my training with Elder Swank. I knew it had to be fake, and then they told me it was haha. It really fooled Elder Hooker though. It looked Legit and everything. But yeah, I'm still here in Bali for the next 6 weeks with Elder Hooker.

This week was our first week having a member accompany our lessons! We have been working really hard to get members involved in the work here. They are so important in every mission, and if you don't have the support of the ward, you won't be as successful in your area. Member missionary work is the way to go because this last week was raining a ton. Taiwanese people won't be outside when it's raining, so there isn't anyone to talk to. Bali is already a small area, so street contacting in the rain usually doesn't end up too good. So we have been trying really hard to work with them. We brought our investigator Ke Jiemei to a member named Coco's house. She did really well and was able to share a few stories with her and help her understand how the spirit works. Ke Jiemei is progressing very well as an investigator. She accepted all of the Ten Commandments, and is trying to read the Book of Mormon every day. She told us that she reads it to her son Louis before he goes to bed. When she gets tired, he makes sure she reads it haha. We are hoping to meet with Louis soon, his Mom just wants to make sure he wants to.

Sadly we had to drop one of our investigators this week. His name is Zheng Dixiong, and he's the one who accepted baptism when I committed him to it the first day I was here. We knew going into this lesson with him that it was kind of our last hope. He hasn't been keeping commitments, and never wanted to come to church. His wife is a Christian, and he is a Buddhist so it's tearing their family apart. Our bishop came with us to teach him, cause he knew him before from work. We invited him to church and talked about how it has blessed us, but he said he wouldn't come. We then asked him about his Book of Mormon reading and he said that the Book of Mormon's teachings were not in harmony with his faith. By the end of the lesson we asked him if he could say a closing prayer which he had always done before. He paused for awhile and then refused. We left on good terms with him, but we knew we had to drop him. Bishop told him that even if he didn't join our church, he should still join his wife's church to be able to have the family united. I had learned about being bold more while teaching this week which has always been a struggle for me because I'm not as bold as I could be with my language skills the way they are.  So before we left I said something like this:" God gave us the Book of Mormon, The Bible, and Prayer so that we can know the truth for ourselves. If we aren't reading and praying with a desire to figure out what's true, God will not answer us. This is why you don't know if you want this. Because you have no desire to know for yourself." I was a little surprised about what I said, but I could feel the spirit stronger because I did. I know that if we follow the Spirit's direction, even if it seems strange, we will be blessed.

One last funny thing happened this week. One of our investigators is named Eddy. It's his English name, and his English is some of the best I've seen out here. He's been to Idaho as an Exchange Student, and was put with a member family. The members did great, and gave his referral to us when he came home. He loves them and is always keeping in touch with them. He's a really nice kid, but his parents won't let him get baptized till he's 18 cause they don't know if that's what he actually wants. He's 15 though which is old enough to make a decision, parents are just very protective of their kids over here. After English class one day we asked him if we could talk about the Book of Mormon a little bit with him, he agreed and then we asked him how much he knew about Joseph Smith. He said umm, and was thinking for awhile and then said:" After he saw God and Jesus Christ he was in his room or something at night and an Angel came to him. The light was brighter than the sunlight or something and he told him about some Golden Plates or something. Then he tried to fall asleep but the Angel came back like 3 more times, and when he was done it was already morning. So he had to go outside to work and then he told his Father about it and he said that he needed to do what God wanted him to do. So he found the Golden Plates under the ground on a hill but he couldn't take them out. He had to come back every year for four years before he could take them out. And then when he was translating he fought with his wife and couldn't do it anymore. He asked God why he couldn't do it and God said that he needs to have peace with his wife or he can't translate." Anyways... he just went on and on. He knew way more than most members I know haha. He's a super cool kid, so hopefully we can talk to his parents about letting him come to church.

That's about everything that happened this week! Love you all.

-Elder Thayne