MY VEGETARIAN DIET...IT WAS A GOOD RIDE

Elder Willes with Robert, a young local Taiwanese member of the Church serving a temporary mission. "I love this guy!"

Well the weeks are passing by in the blink of an eye now. As usual, things were great this week in Taiwan! 

I saw some awesome miracles. Last Monday we made plans to take a few members out and go on splits. So I went out with Brother Dong3, a college student. This was his first time talking to people on the street about religion. He was really nervous but we got going and he started getting the hang of things. We kept talking and talking and talking to everyone we could find but nobody was listening. We had gone almost an hour with no one really wanting to talk to us. All I wanted was for Brother Dong3 to have one good experience. So, we said another prayer and then started talking to this lady who was really cool! Long story short she is a devout Christian and has heard a lot about Mormons because one of her best friends from Texas, but is living with her family right now, is a Mormon! Super cool! Brother Dong3 and I were able to share the Restoration with her. It was so cool! I was so happy that Brother Dong3 had the chance to share his testimony with her and I think he had a great experience. We've met with this lady since and she and her whole family want to keep meeting with us when they move back to Texas in 2 weeks. So that's a pretty great referral! Awesome stuff. 

Sister He2, Brother Dong3 and Elder Willes
We found her after lots of effort and an earnest prayer.

I also went on exchanges this week with Elder Ure and we had some really cool miracles together. We only had 30 minutes before a lesson so we decided to contact people right around the chapel. We found this girl from Mongolia with an English class flyer in her hands. She was looking for the free English class and didn't know which building it was in. We led her into the chapel and did a tour with her and taught her about Christ all before English class started. We found a Mongolian Book of Mormon and I showed it to her and she wanted it so bad she took it right out of my hands. It was awesome! I'm pretty sure the Sister missionaries are going to start to meet with her. 

Elder Huntsman and I had the chance to give a few priesthood blessings this week to sick missionaries and members. It was a cool opportunity for us and I feel like on my mission I've learned more of the importance of the priesthood. I think it is so humble of people to seek priesthood blessings and the Lord's help. It is also such a blessing to be able to serve this way. 

Another exchange this week with Elder Pincock

Saw some of my awesome friends from Xin Ban

We have some awesome new investigators. It's really just hard for us to have a lot of time to meet with them all. We are trying to set more dates and help more people progress. Zheng4 JM is doing really good. She is progressing and coming to church again tomorrow. She's slowly progressing. I know she will be baptized! Our area is on the rise! 

Elder Huntsman and I found this really amazing guy Bryan

A funny Taiwan story...last week during the Sacrament meeting during the primary program there was this guy in the back who just randomly started clapping really loud. It was pretty funny. The Bishop went and talked to him. Also, my watch broke and both of the tires on my bike popped. All in a week's work. 

This week was cool because I tried a vegetarian diet to help my stomach. I didn't eat meat all week long. I felt pretty  healthy! My stomach is doing better and I feel like a million bucks. Yesterday I caved and ate chicken, sausage, duck and bacon, but my stomach still feels fine. So I think the diet is over for now! It was a good ride. 

The start of my vegetarian diet

It's been cool to see the progress of our temporary missionary Robert, Brother Chen2. He is loving missionary work and is really enjoying it. He loves contacting on the street. I love seeing what his faith has done for him. Thank you for helping him to have this experience. I love this guy.

One thing Elder Huntsman and I have talked about this week is how it is so cool that literally almost 50% of the people you talk to on the street are willing to give you their phone number after your first meeting. I think it's really cool how the spirit gives everyone little pushes and encouragement to Come Unto Christ to the point they are willing to give someone they have only talked to for 5 minutes their phone number. 

Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ  really are at the helm and are leading and guiding us! I love being a missionary! Have a great week. Love you all!

Elder Willes

THE BEAUTIFUL ISLAND OF TAIWAN

"I felt sad that this would be my last General Conference as a missionary but I felt grateful for my wonderful mom and her love for me, my dad and his example of honoring the priesthood, and for my 2 sick brothers who are my best friends! Mostly, I am grateful to be a missionary and for Jesus Christ. I love being a missionary." 

Friends from Zhong1 Li4 with Elder Willes
One of my favorite people in the world, our Ward Mission Leader, Brother Wu2 (on the far right)

Hello family and friends,

It was another phenomenal week here on the beautiful island of Taiwan! 

Bian Mama was baptized last Sunday! Such a cool miracle! Hers, is a crazy story. Bian Mama's children met the missionaries about 30 years ago and were eventually all baptized and then went to the temple. She has had multiple grand kids go on missions. All of her children have been trying for 20+ years to help Bian Mama gain a testimony and be baptized. So Sunday was a tender moment for their family and the ward, when after 20+ years she decided to be baptized! It was really cool seeing all of her family there. Some of her family lives in Canada now but it was amazing to see how excited they were as they skyped in to her baptism! Bian Mama's son baptized her. It was a really special Sunday and one I won't forget for a long, long time!

Bian Mama with her son who baptized her

Also last Sunday night my stomach started hurting REALLY bad. It got so rough so Elder Huntsman and I went to the emergency room where I received an IV, x-rays, and tests etc. It isn't anything too serious. Eventually they gave me some medicine and now I'm doing great! So all is well there. :)

Our recent converts, Sister Wang and Sister Chen, are both doing really well. This upcoming week we are starting to help them with their family history and we hope they will be able to take these family names to the temple with them in the next few weeks!

Interviews are plugging along and Elder Huntsman and I have been doing trainings on being optimistic, happy, with faith,  while building companionship unity. (3 Nephi 19:30 "And when Jesus had spoken these words he came again unto his disciples: and behold they did pray steadfastly, without ceasing, unto him; and he did smile upon them again.")

I had a really cool exchange with my favorite Australian, Elder Taulepa. We had a really cool night of finding and while we were biking home we stopped and talked to this lady from the Philippines. Her name is Nieves and she is Christian. She is really, really nice and we started sharing with her the Restoration. When Elder Taulepa got to the First Vision he whispered to me worried and said, "I don't know this in English. " I just told him, "Follow the Spirit." I was praying so hard in my heart that he would know what to say and that those English words would come to him. Then Elder Taulepa recited word for word the First Vision in English. When he said, "This is my beloved Son. Hear Him," the spirit was so strong! Nieves felt the Spirit and recognized truth, that Joseph Smith is a prophet of God. She committed to coming to church with these Elders this coming Sunday! It was a really cool lesson. I will never forget it! 

Nieves, Elder Taulepa and Elder Willes

Our investigator Zheng4 JM has had a complete change of heart. She set a firm baptismal date for 11/28/15 and is coming to church on Sunday. Reading the Book of Mormon is changing her life and we are so excited for her. Please keep Sister Zheng4 in your prayers. She is a college student and so so cool and ready for the Gospel. She is probably our closest investigator to baptism.  

Also this week, Elder Huntsman and I were contacting on the street and met a really cool lady from Syria. Her name is Dina and we taught her about God and she said her first prayer! She is our new investigator and we should be meeting with her this week. Really cool.

Lastly, I loved General Conference. General Conference as a missionary is the absolute best. It gets you so pumped and motivated to be a better disciple. President Eyring's message on the Holy Ghost as our constant companion was awesome. I have tons of notes and loved every single talk. I was reminded about the need for our lives to be centered in Christ, what lack I?, how can I improve? But my favorite talks were President Monson's. They were so powerful to me. He spoke of the importance of repentance and keeping the commandments. Wow, that talk was incredible! I also loved President Monson's talk on letting our light shine and being an example to others. My companion calls everyone he sees on the street, "shuai4" (handsome). He says, "Everyone has their own shuai4." I love that! We all have lights. We can all be examples. Everyday we have the chance to bless other people, make them smile, and serve. I was so inspired by our Prophet! I felt sad that this would be my last General Conference as a missionary but I am grateful for my wonderful mom and her love for me, my dad and his example of honoring the priesthood, and for my 2 sick brothers who are my best friends. Mostly, I am grateful to be a missionary. I love being a missionary. Love you all! I encourage everyone to "forget yourself and go to work!" Have a great week! 這個福音是真實的. 我們都要加油!

Love,

Elder Willes

韋長老

Sister Wilhelm, who I was in the MTC with, came back to Taiwan for a visit

Eating dinner with our less active member Sun1 and with Robert, our friend, who will be
serving as a temporary missionary beginning on Monday.

My awesome companion Elder Huntsman spilled his package

LIFE IS GOOD!

 

Hello family and friends,

Life is good. This was another incredible week with so many miracles.

I got to go back to XinZhu, my first area, on exchanges with Elder Gray who is a Zone Leader there. It was super fun. I taught English Class and that was a blast! I haven't taught any English classes for about 6 months. Even better than teaching English was seeing lots of members that I haven't seen in over a year. Oh man I love these people. 

This week we had the new District Leader training meeting. We have about 10 new District Leaders. Being a District Leader is one of the coolest opportunities. I loved serving as a District Leader so I am so excited for these missionaries to have that opportunity to serve. President Jergensen shared a cool analogy of Peter sinking in the water when he was walking towards Jesus Christ. But he stressed to all of us that, "Christ will not let us sink. He will always be there if we only turn to Him." I love that. We all need to just humble ourselves and reach towards Christ. He will catch us! 

One other pretty cool thing going on in our mission right now is Temple Tours. We have 2 new Temple Tour Sisters and they are really advertising Temple Tours here at the chapel. Mormon.org is even going to make a video and do a fly-over the chapel. So that is pretty cool. Also, these 2 Sisters have iPads. So we've been using the 2 iPads to skype in missionaries on the East Coast to be a part of meetings. (Unless absolutely necessary missionaries serving on the East Coast don't come into Taipei because of the travel time.) 

Elder Huntsman and I have really been praying hard for our area. We really want to magnify our calling in our area. We saw some incredible miracles! This week when we were able to go out finding, we had baptism ingrained on our brains. We wanted to teach anyone and everyone about baptism because that is our purpose. We feared no one and we prayed that we would be able to help one soul set a baptismal date. 

So off we went out and the first girl we talked to was incredible. Her name is Sister Su. She told us that lately she's really been wanting to learn about Christianity and become closer to God. Soon her little sister came up and started talking with us too. We shared the "Because He Lives" video with them and taught them all about baptism. Elder Huntsman and I both shared our own baptisms and bore simple testimony to these sisters. We then invited them to read Ether 12:4 

(Wherefore, whoso believeth in God might with surety hope for a better world, yea, even a place at the right hand of God, which hope cometh of faith, maketh an anchor to the souls of men, which would make them sure and steadfast, always abounding in good works, being led to glorify God.) 

They read this scripture out loud and at the same time. It was like a choir of scripture reading. It was cool! Then we invited them both to be baptized. They both paused, looked at each other, and then said, "Yes" this is what we want! These sisters don't live in our area but they are planning on meeting with the Sisters where they do live, going to church, and I really believe they will get baptized on November 21st! A SUPER BIG miracle. 

The Su Sisters with Elder Huntsman and Elder Willes

Last night I went on exchanges in my area with Elder Okeson and we met a college-age girl and literally the same story. She's been wanting to get baptized and set a baptismal date for November 14th. She is super prepared and is coming to General Conference. Sister Zhang1 lives in our area! We are really excited about her. Pray for her. There are prepared people ALL over. We just have to follow the spirit, show the Lord we want it, and go plant seeds! 

Also, tomorrow the temple sisters are having a baptism! They are baptizing Bian1 Mama who Elder Stewart and I found on the street 2 months ago! Woohooo! She's 80 and was a big miracle for Elder Stewart and I. I am so excited about her baptism tomorrow. Super blessed week!

Last night on our way home we hear this voice, "ELDERS!" in ENGLISH. Someone seeking us out and someone speaking English. Crazy. Turns out it is this guy from California, a convert of 2 years, who had just moved to Taiwan for a few months. He told us he didn't know how he was going to find the church but literally the day he got here in Taiwan and we found him! He's coming to Conference tomorrow! 

A week full of miracles! I couldn't be more pumped and excited to be a missionary. 3 Nephi 5:13 "I am a disciple of Christ. I have been called of Him to declare His word among His people, that they may have everlasting Life!" I am also so excited to hear General Conference today and tomorrow. Awesome. Love you all!

Keep on keeping on!

Elder Willes

Last week at the new member fireside I got to see some of my favorite people Sister Xiao and Sister Cai4.
They are incredible and doing great! (And of course, Elder Tan.)

MY PRAYERS WERE ANSWERED THAT RAINY NIGHT

Elder Willes and Elder Huntsman

Hello family and friends,

WOW! This week was arguably the most hectic week of my mission. With new missionaries coming on island, Transfer Meetings, and our Mission Leadership Meeting all in the same week, things were crazy and very busy. I am so so so tired. Holy cow. Fortunately we made it through the week. Mom, the typhoon was not that bad. Just lots of heavy rain and gusting winds.

Last Sunday was great! Zheng4 JM, Hong2 DX, and Guo1 DX all came to church. That was so exciting. Zheng4 JM is progressing really well. I am hoping that things will slow down in the office the next few weeks so we can have more time to meet with our investigators. That will be good!

On Monday night we had the coolest thing happen! Do you remember we met a cool lady on the street two weeks ago, Sister Zhong1? When we taught her about Jesus Christ and how He can bless her life, she started crying. The last two weeks she has been too busy to meet with us. But on Monday night she called us and she told us she wanted to meet with us right then. It was pouring rain, with the typhoon coming in, so I asked her, "Are you sure?" She's said, "Yes. I will come to your chapel."  About 20 minutes later she called us and told us she was lost. So out in the pouring rain we ran trying to find her. Finally we found her about 5 minutes away from the chapel! We brought her back to the chapel and we were just praying there would be a member there because we needed another male to help us meet with her. My prayers were answered that rainy night. Luckily there was this unexpected member at the church and he said he would love to help us out! So cool. We had a great lesson with Sister Zhong1 and she has very real intent to read the Book of Mormon so we are super excited about her! 

Elder Jensen (previous companions) and Elder Willes

Everything went well with Transfer Meetings. Those meetings are pretty special and really cool. New missionaries coming into Taiwan and heading throughout all of Taiwan is special to be a part of. Also at our Mission Leadership Council Meeting this week (a meeting with all the Zone Leaders and Sister Training Leaders), President Jergensen asked Elder Huntsman and I to train on Baptism. Elder Huntsman and I spent a lot of time thinking, discussing and praying about what we should do. We got the idea to email all of these missionary's parents and asked them to email us a picture of the missionary's baptism. Then we put these all together for a slideshow. It was so cool to see everyone's face when their picture was on the screen. The spirit was so strong. Elder Huntsman and I then trained on overcoming the hesitation to invite everyone to baptism. It is a gift we hope many can have. We talked about using the Book of Mormon when teaching and encouraged the missionaries to share personal experiences about baptism. Lastly, we had President Jergensen pray for our mission and that was so powerful. We really hope each companionship in our mission can baptize one person a month. We are excited to see the results from this training. The meeting was so spiritual. I just can't put into words the feelings and promptings that came through the Holy Ghost that day. 

Another cool thing happened this week when we were at the church. I saw Yang2 DX from my last area in Ban3Qiao2. Yang2 DX is a 20 year old kid. I ate lunch with him about 6 months ago and we talked about missions and I really encouraged him to go on a mission. Today when he saw me he told me he had decided to go on a mission. Chahoo! So so cool! So he turns in his papers about the same time Nate! I am super pumped. I learned from this little tender mercy that most often our efforts when serving and helping others don't always bring forth fruit right away. Some times it takes a little time. But if we have faith, do our best, and then wait and endure, God will bless us and sometimes we get to see some of the fruits of our efforts. 

Elder Willes with Yang2 DX

This week was one of the harder weeks of my mission. Stress levels were high, it was crazy busy, and overall exhausting.  I'm grateful God helped me and that everything has gone well. There is a quote that has been in my head all week, "God gives tough battles to tough soldiers." This week was tough but I'm learning and growing more each day and I want to do everything I can to continue to serve God with all my heart, might, mind and strength. D&C 58:4 God gives us trials because He trusts us. They help us grow! I am so grateful for my mission. I still have a lot to learn and I'm still hungry to learn it! I am super grateful for Elder Huntsman. He is such a stud and I love working with him. Enjoy Conference. I can't wait until next week when it makes it's way here to Taiwan.

Love you all! Have a great week.  

Elder Willes