The 6th and Final Area?

Dear family and friends,

Well I've moved again. And probably for the last time. The final two move calls. Really interesting. I'm with Elder Cuartas. He was born in Columbia and has lived in South Jordan since he was 4. And he's cousins with Danny Bolivar! He was in Beauty and the Beast with me. He's super cool. I'm way excited to be here with him. Oh yeah! I'm in Taizhong Donghai. I'm in the city again. This will take some getting used to again. So many people. I'm in the most north zone in the mission. It's above the mission office. And Elder Terry is my zone leader! I'm way excited!

So last week...

Tuesday we went to Gaoxiong for ZTM. It was cool. We went out onto the ground that is reserved for the future Gaoxiong temple and had out ZTM there. It was really cool. Since it was the last week of the transfer, the missionaries that were going home gave some final remarks. It was really weird knowing they're going home. It's always weird for the Sisters now because I got on island before them. Seeing them leave just makes me feel old.  We biked out to Yanpu that night to find some sad news about some less actives. And it was so cold. I was freezing! That night we cut out snowflakes for our english party the next day.

Wednesday we were working on the english party for a while. We had cut out a ton of snowflakes to hang on see through string to make it look like it was snowing in the cultural hall. It had a Hogwarts feel to it. Elder Teerlink and I got a call saying since we're going to be short on Elders for a few move calls, they're taking out the second set of Elders from wards that have more than one. So we were getting taken out. It was sad. We started saying goodbye to everyone that night. All my students didn't like the fact that I was moving. But the party turned out really great. I was in charge of making gingerbread houses. It was a rough start, but everyone loved it. Probably because it was the most sweet thing they've ever eaten.

Thursday was a rough day. We had weekly planning and had to do it with the other Elders since they'd be taking over with our investigators. Then that night we had a dinner with the single adults in the ward. They took us to the same BBQ place we went for the mid autumn festival. It was so good. They gave me a birthday card. At the dinner, Sister Shultz got a call from President saying she was no longer training. That was a weird shock. So the whole district was thrown all out of wack. None of us knew what was going on.

Friday was my birthday. I stared and the packet of hollendaise sauce and was too lazy to make it. And I forgot to buy butter, so it was a no go. But it was a great birthday! I'll tell you a secret about that when I get home. But I took Elder Bardsley around in our area to show him all the important places. Then we went on splits that night with the ward. I took Huang Yi Cheng around. Elder Teerlink was with the bishop and helped James set a new goal! Then the other Elders surprised me with McDonald's once I got home. And I tried 21 shots of this liquid yogurt drink that I love a lot. Elder Muhlestein, my first zone leader, did it for his 21st birthday, so I wanted to try too. They come in these little bottles. I got to 11 and puked. Not smart. Never doing it again. But I still love the drink.

Saturday we had a fun morning helping a family move in. The bishop was there and wanted us to call President so he can talk to him and know for sure that he'd be getting the other set of Elders back sometime in the future. Then that's when the miracle hit. Turns out that the assistants and President had just said a prayer about move call and he said he had a feeling not to turn Pingdong into just one companionship of Elders. And that's when the bishop called him. He took that as his answer. So that night we got the news that Elder Teerlink was staying! He was way happy. He has a Taiwanese companion.

Sunday had a bit of a sad turnout with church. I don't know where everyone was. But I did a baptismal interview with one of Elder Bardsley's investigators and he's getting baptized this Saturday!  Then that night we met with an amazing Shen dixiong. All his standards fall in line with Christ's. We shared about the Plan of Salvation. He loved it. The change this will make in his life is a little weird for him. So he wants to take it slow. But he wants to help his daughter grow up in the environment that that church offers!

This morning I grabbed my things, got on a train, and 3.5 hours later I'm with Elder Cuartas! I got to see a lot of people at the mission office. Even Zhu Zhang Qi! He came up to say goodbye to Elder Stone. Elder Stone goes home tomorrow. So it was really cool to see him.

And that was my week! It was all over the place. And now I'm up in Taizhong. It's really weird. But I'm really excited. I love you all! Oh yeah! I was about to leave the office and they hand me just a stack of letters and two packages. I got it. So much stuff! I haven't gotten mail in weeks. Maybe months. I forgot. Time flies. Until next week!

 

Love, Elder Anthony Kai Buckwalter

Thanksgiving In Taiwan

Dear family and friends,

I can't even begin to describe how crazy this last week was! So many ups and downs... So on Tuesday we had a great night of English Proselyting. There was so many people with interest! Then we went to visit the Sisters' RC's family. The dad was referred to us a while ago and he's been pretty busy since then. So we checked up on him. Not a whole lot of luck there. But then we went to a Thanksgiving/missionary goodbye/less active dinner. A few less actives that are all friends being less active arranged a dinner at an all you can eat pizza and fried chicken restaurant. They all love the missionaries and do this every so often. Since it's near the end of the transfer and it was also Thanksgiving, they arranged this one. James came to it and loved it too.

Wednesday was a hard day. Elder Teerlink was really sick and had to have a rest day. So he was knocked out all day and I was calling through a ton of old contact cards trying to set up lessons. So I was just laying on the hammock that I bought all day making non stop calls. And there was a lot of success from that. I woke him up and we went to English class. It was a fun night talking about food. And I got in the biggest argument about what a biscuit is. In Chinese the translation of cookie and biscuit are the same. And Taiwan doesn't sell biscuits. So I was trying so hard to draw it and describe it. Then a student looked it up on his phone and showed everyone. Then I taught them about eggs benedict (if that's how you spell it). I saved that sauce packet for my birthday this week! haha.

Thursday I was feeling sick now and I also had to arrange for exchanged with Elder Bardsley that day. So after weekly planning we had to bike all the way to Sandimen and up the mountain to get to an aborigine family's house to look at their clothes for the Thanksgiving dinner on Saturday. After biking for about and hour and a half, this bus driver stopped and asked us where we were going. We told him and he wanted to help, but we couldn't fit our bikes on the bus. He drove away but then stopped 50 feet ahead. He said we could wing it if he could charge the bikes as people too. We were fine with that. And somehow it only turned out to be a really small price for the both of us. Usually the price of one person. It was just us on the bus and our bikes were in the isle. And he drove us to the bottom of the mountain. Such a nice guy. The ride was way funny. But that's a longer story.

So we started our trek up this super steep mountain in the freezing cold as mist is coming down on us. I'm already sick. My lungs, throat, and legs are on fire. And we finally make it 45 minutes later. And it's just pure aborigine reservation. I wasn't in Taiwan anymore. All the houses were made of wood and had an American feel. Everyone is Christian. It was so weird. We got to their house and they make Christmas decorations. It was so cool to actually see a hint of Christmas! And the misty mountains was almost like snow! The clothes worked and we made our way down the mountain. I haven't gone that fast downhill in so long.  We then went to the Lin family's house and they said they'd come to the Thanksgiving dinner.

Friday we went to Gaoxiong for mission tour. Elder Randy Funk was there. He spoke in Conference in October. It was really cool to learn from him. The whole conference was really great and focused on working with members, giving it your all, and being diligent. Then we had a full Thanksgiving lunch with Turkey, stuffing, funeral potatoes, and other random stuff! It was SOOO Good! It was a super sweet mission tour. I was so tired though. Still sick and all.

Saturday we went on splits in the morning and I found a really willing less active. I was with the Elders Quorum president and we loved getting to meet this guy. And his daughter has a lot of potential to get baptized too. The dad just got busy with the military and work after he was baptized 30 years ago.   That afternoon we started making the set for our skit for the Thanksgiving dinner that night. The ward was all around outside cleaning up the grounds and putting up lights all over the trees! I've never seen such a decorated church! There are wreaths hanging everywhere and a huge tree in the entryway with garlands everywhere. It's so cool.

There was a huge turnout. We had a few referrals from it. A lot of members brought their friends. A lot of less actives came. It was just a great time to come together and be thankful. Then it was time for our performance. I have a CD with traditional Indian music and Elder Bardsley had some adventurous music. So we acted out persecution in England, leaving on boats, getting to America, struggles, war with the natives, and coming together for a peace dinner. We wrote a script and Kang Zhe Wei narrated the whole thing. It was so cool and everyone there loved it. Then some members came up to us afterwards and asked if we could do it for another service project near Christmas time. It was so great.

Sunday we had a super great turnout at church. We had a few investigators come, as well as some of the people I had called on Wednesday, and they loved it. Every one's testimonies were all about their thankfulness for the Savior. The Spirit was so strong in that meeting.

And that was my week. I loved it so much! This week will be a lot of fun as well. It's the final week of the transfer. I don't know what will be happening next week! Sorry this email is so long! I just loved the details this week. The ward is doing great! I love you all! I hope you all had a happy Thanksgiving!

 

Love, Elder Anthony Kai Buckwalter

It's Cold

Dear family and friends,

I'm going to suffer in Utah. It hit 60 degrees last week and I was freezing. Pingdong is just so much hotter. That's what I'm used to. I don't have a whole lot of time. So I'll cover the highlights!

Wednesday was really rough with 6 lessons that fell through. But English class was a lot of fun. I had 8 new students. I hit a record high for my class of 24. There was a lot of people. The range of English ability is so big! It's so hard to teach all of them according to their desires. We talked about the world. It was a lot of fun to tour the world with them. I thought it was funny that not a single one of them would choose to go to America if they could go anywhere.

Thursday was a rough day during the day. But the night was full. We went to James' house and talked about the Gospel of Jesus Christ. He really liked it. We set a baptismal planner with him. So now he knows what he needs to do to reach his goal. He's getting interviewed this week! After James we went to visit our professional badminton player. I didn't think he was really that famous, but actually a ton of people know him. He's a national champion. Pretty sweet. He didn't have a whole lot of time because he was going to train a guy. But we were able to sit with him for a second. Then we went to our computer specialist and got to share more about the restoration. It didn't seem like his interest was that big until we really got into the need for a restoration. Then it seemed like it really touched his heart and he said he'll try. I really liked that lesson.

Friday we got to meet with this really cool guy that we met at the track. He has a sweet British accent and runs marathons all the time. He has a lot of interest, but is going to Taibei for a month filled with two weddings and two marathons. So we're gonna have to wait for him. He spotted me and waved to me first at the track. And then we went around twice talking about the church before we had to go. So his desire is there.  Immediately following his lesson was a lesson with a less active. We always meet with him at his shop. But this was the first time he came to the church since he stopped over 3 years ago. He really liked it a lot.

Saturday we got to go around with the 1st counselor to help him with home teaching. We went to the ward's oldest couples' house. They were both baptized back in the 70's before they met and got sealed in the Tokyo temple I think. Taibei didn't have a temple yet. They've been sealed longer than anyone else I've ever met in Taiwan. Super cool. Then we went looking for less actives with the maps we have and our 1st counselor loved it so much. He wants to keep doing it. We found a really nice old guy that wrecked his car going to church long ago, so his kids won't let him go out to our church anymore. They say he has to stay safe and go to a different church near his house. The whole "they're all the same" thought here is a little irritating.  Then that night the bishop helped peike with James and we shared the Law of Chastity. It was an extremely good lesson. I loved it so much. It boosted James' faith a ton. I love the bishop.

Sunday James came! And it was the best Sunday of the year: The Primary Program. I cried. A few of the families got up and sang together "Families can be together forever" and "I am a Child of God". It was so GOOD!!!    Then last night we had an amazing first lesson with one of the most humble men ever. I can't even describe it. His family is everything to him and he works so hard to help them. All his views are right in line with the church. I can't even tell you the Spirit filled reaction he gave as we invited him to read and pray. When he prayed, you could feel the Spirit so strong. A great ending to the week.

I love you all. I love my mission. I'm so happy for all the experiences I've had so far. I can't wait to see what else comes my way! Keep writing!

 

Love, Elder Anthony Kai Buckwalter

Little Miracles

Dear family and friends,

It was a very lopsided week. It wasn't eventful that much during the week, but had a lot near the end. Tuesday I got a random call from the Ke family in Tainan! I don't know how they got my number, but it was pretty sweet nonetheless. We had a good DTM on Effective Study. It was pretty fun. After that and english proselyting, Elder Teerlink and I went to my favorite bread store, Donutes, and ate a nice bread dinner and took it a little slow. We both had massive headaches. The rest of the night was pretty rough with some lessons cancelling.

Wednesday was also a rough day. We got lost looking for some less actives and formers and time disappeared from us. English was fun though. We talked about directions. It was really funny talking about the difference between America's and Taiwan's traffic laws. Then I simulated a roller coaster and told them which way to turn. I guess it was more like "The fast and the furious classroom edition" It was so funny.

Thursday we got to sit with a less active at his hair salon. He has a perm now. It's pretty sweet. And he confirmed for church! It's just getting up that worries him. I got to help Elder Lieske pass off his phase 1 and Elder Teerlink did this interesting recording thing for an investigator. Elder Teerlink is now the English voice for their PowerPoint of their corporation. Worldwide status too.   Then we went to dinner with the Lin family. They took us to a beef noodles place that was actually pretty good. Then they took us to a dessert place. I really can't describe Douhua besides bean curd yogurt stuff with red bean and pearls in a super sweet liquid. It was good though!   Then we biked out to Yanpu to visit and RC. He's doing alright, but has been lonely. He's all by himself.

Friday I honestly can't remember. It was a long day. We were just outside all day. Saturday was all over the place. We had a ton of lessons fall through right at the last minute. Thankfully, they called us to cancel and didn't just leave us hanging. But we went to James' house and sat with him. He's doing really good. He's just nervous around people. He's still working on hitting his goal. Kang Zhe Wei is doing really good too. He's the new 2nd counselor in the young men's presidency!

Sunday was a cool morning. All the investigators we had confirmed didn't come. But one of our investigators was able to make it. We actually haven't even had a chance to sit with him yet. But he's come to church twice. He's an english student of mine. He can only stay for Sacrament Meeting and then has to leave immediately. But then he asked how long it goes till and I said noon. Then he said he'll adjust his schedule so he can stay for the whole time next week! He's super cool and is way down to come to church.   Last night we made a lot of nachos. A lady in the ward helped us buy stuff from Costco.

And today Kang Zhe Wei took us to Sandimen. That's where all the aborigines live. It was super beautiful. I got pictures, but I have no time to upload them!

It was a good week. I enjoyed it a lot. I hope this week we keep seeing all the little miracles! I love you all! I hope you're enjoying the snow. I'm still sweating everyday. I miss you all!

 

Love, Elder Anthony Kai Buckwalter

Interviews

Dear family and friends,

I'm loving it here in Pingdong. It's just a great city. Last Tuesday was a great day in Gaoxiong for ZTM. Right across the street from the stake center is a plot of land already bought by the church for the Gaoxiong temple. It still can't be built because the church hasn't increased enough in Taiwan. But we went out and stood on it and made the vision. The vision is 5 years get it started. So we talked about what we can do now to make it happen. It was a super sweet ZTM. Then that night our ward mission leader came with us to the Lin family's house. We watched the restoration on their laptop. It was a little hard to hear, but it was still good. They're going to take some time though.

Wednesday we had a lot of lessons fall through, but then a man just walked into the church looking for the missionaries. Turns out he has met missionaries twice in the past 20 years. He knew we could speak English, so he came by to have us review his work's mission statement. Kang Zhe Wei was there as well, and we got into a gospel discussion. He actually really agrees with our church's views. And he set up for tonight! We're really excited to meet with his whole family too.

Thursday we had interviews. President Blickenstaff came here and we had it at our chapel. Half the zone didn't know how to get here, so we had to give directions a lot. But I loved the interviews. President Blickenstaff is really chill and loving. He knows how to help. People in the ward that came by during the day were really happy to see Elder Limpanasriphong as well.

Friday after weekly planning we took a bus all the way out to Sandimen. That's where all the aborigines live. We didn't get a whole lot of luck. It was rough with little energy. We both got a little car sick on the way there. But after a 40 minutes long Indiana Jones ride in the form of a bus, we got back in time for a bishopric meeting. Elder Bardsley and I went to a meeting with the bishopric and a few others over skype. It was really cool. We discussed the needs of the ward and plans to get it done. We're really excited to continue to get the ward involved. During the meeting, Elder Teerlink and Elder Lieske met with James and shared the plan of salvation. It really hit him. He said he had doubts 7 years ago and didn't get baptized. Now he knows he needs to get over those doubts and get baptized. He set a date and is really determined to get baptized now!

Saturday we met with a super cool guy for lunch. His name is Ben. He is fluent in English and German. He went to college somewhere near Dusseldorf. He's Taiwanese by the way. He came prepared with questions and had already downloaded the gospel library onto his phone. It was so sweet. He's starting a masters program and can only meet once every two weeks. So it'll be hard to meet with him, but he's way willing.  That afternoon we stopped by the Lin family's house to give them a loving note, but they were home and let us in. We had a good talk. They're slowly getting into the habit of reading and praying. We set up with them for tomorrow to have our 2nd counselor's family come over and share the plan of salvation.   That night the other Elders had a baptism. He's a really cool guy. It was a good baptism.

Sunday was just a good day. Our man Oliver came for sacrament meeting. That was it though. That night we got to meet with an RC and he's just adorable. He's really old and just so jolly. Then we met with an LA that is really loving as well. And boy can he pray. It was General Conference status. He has a huge love for the gospel, but has to take his mom to her church on Sunday because she's Catholic. It's rough. But he's trying.

And today we have a very busy day. We're running all over the place. And Casper from Yuanlin is here with his wife! He was an RC while I was there. He met a girl at the Single adult conference and now they're sealed in the temple! She used to live here, so we're getting lunch with them. It'll be a good day.

I love you all! I miss you all. Keep the faith!

 

Love, Elder Anthony Kai Buckwalter

I Love Families.....Again!

Dear family and friends,

This week has been a great week. There wasn't a whole lot of huge changes. But here's how it goes!

Tuesday we had a good DTM about chapter 10 of Preach My Gospel. That's teaching skills. It was a good time. There's a lot to cover. We had a good English proselyting and had a lot of success. A lot of people just want to learn English!

Wednesday was slow, but fun as well. We sat with a cool computer repair guy. He's a former that is just way too busy. But he loves when we come over. He's fluent in English too. I feel right at home at his work because there's computer stuff all over the place. It reminds me of dad's work.   That night at English class I had a ton of new people come to my beginner class. I talked about family home evening for my spiritual share. All the moms were just nodding their heads saying everything is a good idea. And all the kids were groaning. Sorry kids!

Thursday we had such a great day. We got ice with Kang Zhe Wei. He was going to help us peike, but then they didn't come, so we ate and sat with him. He's so great. He loves all the church has to offer. Then we went to the Lin family's house. It was so great! They all love us. We tried to watch the restoration video with them, but they don't have a DVD player. So we dove into the scriptures. I love them so much. And they keep giving us so much candy from different countries. It's super funny. We're really excited to meet with them tomorrow and watch the restoration. They're slowly moving along!

Friday we had weekly planning. Then after that, it was a really slow day. But we decided to get McDonald's for dinner and had a blast entertaining this kid in the play area. We were sitting on the bar seats in front of the window of the play area and there was this little 3-4 year old. He would come up and look at us. Then he'd duck and hide. After a few times, we decided to duck as well to surprise him. After 20 times or so (kids never get tired!), we left. The parents loved it and we were able to talk to them for a bit as well.

Saturday was a rough day of lessons falling through. But I got to interview the other Elders' investigator to be baptized and he's super ready. Then that night James called us and apologized for not coming earlier. Then he immediately came over and we were able to meet with him. He's also a little hard to get moving. But he's willing and we're happy with that.

Sunday was super stressful in the morning trying to get a bike to this kid's house so he could ride to church with us. We ended up being 10 minutes late to Sacrament meeting. The ward is doing great though. And last night we had a sweet 1st time sit down with a guy that really wants to help his parents and brother. He's really sincere. I loved that lesson.

And that was my week. Just those miracles that happen each day. I'm excited for this coming week. ZTM, president interviews, a baptism, families, the whole kit and kaboodle! I love you all! Time flies as 4 months from tomorrow I'll be flying home. Time flies when you're having fun. And time has never flown so fast in my life...

 

Love, Elder Anthony Kai Buckwalter

I Love Families!

Dear family and friends,

To start off, I'm still in Pingdong! And what's even more shocking, I'm still with Elder Teerlink! Our whole 4-man stayed together! So crazy. It's so rare to be with a companion for over 2 transfers. And we're doing it. We were all so shocked. I'm so excited.

So Tuesday we had a fun time mopping 5 floors of stairs for some service. It was a lot of fun, and we were fed this really good pecan spread on toast. It was just way good! Then I got to help one of our RC's write a letter to the Elder that baptized him. He can't write that well, so I helped him out. It was way fun.

Wednesday was so dang CRAZY!! We had to prepare all day for our Halloween party. I had to carry the box that had our washing machine in it to the church on my bike. That was way hard. Then we made this really epic haunted house out of bedsheets and newspaper. That took so long. We had the help of a lot of the young single adults. We were all really stressing out though. We got it all done 10 minutes before 7:00. We had 83 people show up. They all had so much fun. We had bobbing for apples, eating donuts on a string, face painting, and the haunted house. All the YSA were the scarers. They did a great job. Kang Zhe Wei was in the washing machine box and grabbed people's hands as they grabbed some candy. It was so great. Everyone loved the decorations that you sent out mom. Especially the big Halloween balloon that I suspended on the basketball hoop. It took so long to clean up afterwards.

Thursday we had such a great night. We went by the Lin family's house. They're such a great family. As they continue to investigate, they see the significance of the gospel in their lives. And they're so nice too. I'm so excited to keep meeting with them. We also got to split up after that and help two of our other investigators make goals for baptism! I'm so excited! It was a great night.

Friday was hard. I had the biggest headache and thought I was going to pass out. But I exchanged with Elder Bardsley. We went all over the place. We went to two of his secondary areas far away. At one we met with and investigator that has been investigating for a while. He's just really busy. Just by talking to him, he opened up a lot about what was keeping him back. And then the mayor of the town walked in. He knows a few members and asked about family history. He got way excited and said he wants to do a whole town family history day and needs our help. He thinks it'll be a great way to spread the gospel too. People are weird like that here. They don't accept it themselves, but they're willing to help you help others learn about the gospel. So we told our ward and they were all so excited. So we're going to hopefully get this town into our church for family history!

Saturday was interesting because Elder Averrett came up from Chaozhou. His companion was training, so he came with us for the day. We were all over the place trying to get all the business done that we had to. We then had a really sweet lesson with James. He just walked into the church my first week with Elder Teerlink. He's been very off and on with meeting with us. And right as we were about to stop trying, he sets up again and opens up SO MUCH!! So we're going to keep helping him. He's really excited to keep trying. We'll do all we can to help him.

Sunday the Lin family came to church! I was so happy to see them come. The ward just ate them up. They loved it a lot. They're excited to keep meeting with us. I also had a feeling to call a few less active people up during the week and most of them came too! One of which was a family. I sat by the one I called up and didn't even know his mom and sister came too. The 2nd counselor in the bishopric talked to us afterwards and asked if we called him. They've been trying to get them to come back for a while. It was just a day of miracles. Then that night we had dinner at Sister Hu's house. Sister Liu left today, so it was like a goodbye dinner.  Then Hengchun Elders came up since one of them is moving today too. So it was just a long night with a lot of Elders.

And that was the week of weird. I loved it so much. I'm so excited to stay here in Pingdong for a little longer. I love you all! I miss you all.

 

Love, Elder Anthony Kai Buckwalter

So. Much. Service

Dear family and friends,

 

It was a grand week. Yes yes and grand one indeed. And I'll tell you why.  Tuesday we had a great DTM by Elder Bardsley on finding and Book of Mormon. We made banner things out of cloth and put them on our bikes. It was fun. Mine hangs off the back of my helmet. We then got to meet with an Allen. He's a super cool kid that we found walking with his girlfriend. We just had a simple first meet and talked about prayer. He had been to all sorts of churches with friends and thought they were cool. But then when he said amen after the prayer, he pretty much jumped and was like "Ah! I felt something!" He described it, and yep it was the Spirit! He accepted a goal to get baptized. He's super willing.

 

Wednesday morning we went and did service at a members garden. We had been there twice before, and this time I was determined to pull out the stump of the tree I cut down earlier. So I just jumped at it and attacked it. After a ton of struggle, it came out! I just carried it to her and dropped it and said "done". It was a good accomplishment. There were a lot of people that came.   Later we got to meet with some investigators that are Christian. We emphasized the importance of the Book of Mormon and why we have it. It helped them a lot understand the need for the restoration. We invited them to pray about baptism under proper authority. I'm way excited.   That night for English class we taught body parts. I felt at home. It was like medical anatomy class, but in Chinese. They kept asking what the medical terms were for them and I'd write them down. They were so confused. It was really funny.

 

Thursday we had lunch at the Sisters' RC's house. They want the dad to learn about the church. He made a super good meal. It was so good! And he loves to talk. So we talked a lot. And he said we could come back and share more! Then we had a super quick ward coordination meeting because the guy delivering our mattresses and bunk bed came! So we hurried back to get him before he left.  That night we met with a Zhong dixiong. We finished the Plan of Salvation. He agreed with it more than I've ever seen before. He just said it all makes sense and that's why we need Christ. He wants to learn all about Christ's gospel, but is so busy, so we can only meet with him once a week. But he's so willing.    Once we got home, we built a bunk bed. It wasn't like the pile of metal that Elder Allen and I built last year. It was from Ikea. It's so comfortable!

 

Friday we had another service project. We had to carry a  ton of wood across the wild forest. It's that same place where the praying mantis screeched at me a few weeks ago. This was also a ton of work. But it was way fun.  Then we met with a Cai dixiong that we've met with once before. He's also extremely willing. We shared about the restoration and he liked it a lot. And he also has a huge desire to get baptized!   That night we had to take the fresh delivered mattresses to the Sisters' apartment. When the mission ordered them, they had them all sent to us to save shipping costs. So we had a member help us get them over. That took a ton of time.

 

Saturday was "Clean up the World Day." So a good amount of the ward got together in the morning and we went and cleaned up the world. It was fun. We were just picking up trash on the street. But we got a ton of it picked up. The street looked so clean.  Then that night we celebrated Kang Zhe Wei's birthday. We went to this steak BBQ and hot pot. It was so good. He loved it. Then we went out to visit Su dixiong out in the middle of nowhere. I love going out to his house. It's so peaceful. His dog, Pudding, is super cute. His brother was there too and had heard a little about our church. So we talked about prayer.

 

Sunday one of the Sisters' investigators that is American, came to church with her Taiwanese husband. She doesn't speak Chinese, and her husband isn't familiar with a lot of the church words. So I translated Sacrament meeting and Sunday school, and Elder Bardsley translated a combined Priesthood/Relief Society. And of course the topic of Sacrament meeting was the Law of Chastity. I haven't taught that in English is so long, and now I had to translate all of it to this American woman. It was weird. But I love translating. It's a lot of fun.    After church us and a bunch of members got to go to a funeral of a father of a member who had passed away. We sang at it. It was super interesting. Imagine a funeral home, but way bigger that fits 10+ funerals at once.   That night we met at a members house with RC's and had a good curry dinner. Kang Zhe Wei had a good time and is getting to know the ward more. And he only has two more days of the military service!

 

And that was my week. I had a good time. I did a lot of service. It made me exhausted. All four of us made plans to sleep all day today and relax. I'm way excited.  I love you all! I miss you dearly!

 

Love, Elder Anthony Kai Buckwalter

The Typhoon That Never Came

Dear family and friends,

 

I'm just going to put it out right now that the typhoon didn't influence us at all. It hit the east a lot. Especially the islands. But we got nothing where I was. We had maybe 40 mile per hour winds for 5 minutes. And some rain that got me drenched in 10 minutes. But that was it.

 

So from the beginning of the week! Tuesday we had a sweet DTM in which a few members came as well as part of our practicing and training. It was really cool working with them and seeing them be the investigators they once were. And we thought of ideas for working with the ward to help them get more involved in missionary work.   We then had English proselyting in the rain. Not a whole lot of success... And that night we had a good/bad lesson with a member referral and his friend. It was going really well, but then it took a turn for the worst when people kept coming into the room and interrupting the lesson. Then they had to leave extremely fast, so we had to wrap it up super quick. I was bugged. But our investigators are sweet, so they understood and still have desire!

Wednesday we had a day of finding. We grabbed out a ton of former records and went to all their houses. We planned it out so it would end in the area of the city where we're never looked for less active members. So we got the maps out and looked for them. There were a few that I know were super active not even a year ago. So we really hope they got our letters and call us back soon. We're going to head by there again soon too.   That night at English was a little drop since the next day was the mid autumn festival. But my class still had a good amount and loved it. Talking about emotions is really funny when you have them act it out. Enough said. Haha.

 

Thursday we had lunch at a members house. It was really good. I love Taiwan sausage. It's just so good! Then we met with a former in the afternoon. He has really good English because he studied in Canada. He's a computer guy. When we walked into his shop, I felt so much at home. Like walking into dad's office. The smell and everything. He has a ton of desire, but family problems make it hard for him to come. But he's so willing!   Also we had a less active dinner at a steak grill/hotpot. It was so good and really cheap. I'm going there from now on. Elder Teerlink bonded with a less active that all 4 of us Elders have been working on. It was super cool!

 

Friday we had Zone Conference. It was on conversion and repentance. The practices helped a lot. We also got to learn about Taiwan culture by one of President Blickenstaff's counselors that is his south counselor. And his wife made us some AMAZING curry rice. And the drink was like a tropical version of Buckwalter Punch. Super good.

Saturday was the so called Typhoon that never came. People showed us satellite images of it right above us, but we felt nothing. It was a let down. And everyone cancelled their lessons because of it. But there was a lady with TREMENDOUS faith that wanted a Priesthood blessing. She had heard about it from her daughter, who heard about it from a friend who is a member. So we went over to give her a blessing before she goes in for an operation. She was so beyond thankful and her faith was so strong.   We also had ward Coordination meeting and a good night of calling and visiting less active members.

 

Sunday we had a better turn out than the previous two weeks. And on a "typhoon day" too. An aborigine family brought their friend from Australia that is living with them while working on his PHD. He's a super cool guy and has a lot of interest. He doesn't speak any Chinese, so we just kept translating for him. We're heading out to the mountains this week to visit with him!  And to end the night we got to visit Hou didi. He's this super cool 10 year old member. He's less active because he has no way of getting to church. But he tries when he can. He lives right by us and we made a plan to ride with him and his 15 year old aunt to church every Sunday. He's so cool. And his little s

isters are so adorable. Whenever I call, I just hear these 5 and 6 year old voices yelling my name. It's so funny.

And that's my week. It was not what I was expecting at all. That typhoon was almost as big of a let down as the snow storm of the century. But I liked the week. It was a grand week. Haha. I love you all! I can't wait to hear back from all of you! Have a great week! Keep thinking of questions of the soul for the upcoming conference! I love conference!

 

Love, Elder Anthony Kai Buckwalter

Cold Dirt Has Never Felt So Great

Dear family and friends,

 

Another week, gone. Super weird. I'm already halfway through training. It's so interesting. Time is flying. Elder Bardsley is training another new guy, Elder Lieske. He's super cool. I think having him here the past few days has made me and Elder Teerlink realize how fast time has flown.

 

Tuesday we had a great ZTM in Gaoxiong. It was a lot of fun. It was on repentance and how we also need to repent. Obviously... It was also on going out with no fear and finding those people that are prepared. We had a few fun games to practice. Then that night I was working with some ward members to get together a PowerPoint thing for our English party the next day. It was an interesting day.

 

Wednesday We scheduled a bunch of lessons to be at the church because all of us were working on our English party stuff with the ward. We had to make a TON of moon cakes and prepare our space shuttle. Then that night at the party, we split into two group. The first group learned how to make moon cakes. And the second group prepared to fly to the moon and walk on the moon. Then we went into our shuttle, which was the stage, and had a projector with us going into space and landing on the moon. It was so cool. Then we had a bunch of pictures of space and had a spiritual share about the universe and God and Christ. It was really sweet. Then the groups switched.

 

Thursday we got to meet with 3 friends that we haven't met with in so long! They're Christian, so we've been trying to help them see the need for a restoration. They started to understand, and then we watched the restoration with them. And it has pretty much clicked. It was so good!   Then we had another really great lesson with another investigator on The Plan of Salvation. When we got to resurrection, he was beyond interested because his dad died last year. But then he had to go at the last minute! So he's just dangling to hear what happens next.

 

Friday morning we did service in the morning for a lady in our ward. We were working in her field. As we were digging trenches and trying to dig out a stump, I pulled extremely hard and it just exploded out, and I flew into a trench. The dirt felt so good to lay in. And that night we met with a really cool referral at a college here. He's super willing. We just sat on the campus benches and talked.

 

Saturday we did service again at another garden area. But this place was like the place in King Kong with the HUGE bugs. They were everywhere. The ants were all over me. And I watched and heard a praying mantis screech at me. It was crazy. But we had a lot of fun and helped a really fragile old lady out.    We also got to meet with Xie dixiong and help him understand the restoration. He's coming along. But his work is stalling him a lot. We're really hoping his time with clear up a bit more.

 

Sunday was a nice day. The Liao family came that we've been slowly working with. Kand dixiong blessed the Sacrament for the first time! I was so happy. He loved it. Because of all the service we've been doing, a bunch of people prepared a big lunch for us. It was so good! And a curry sauce they used tasted so much like the kind we use for steak fondue. It was a good time.

 

And that was my week. We also had the Hungchun Elders stay the night last night since Elder Palmer is moving and they'd have to get up way early to make it here this morning. So we had 6 men in one room again. It was good. Today is the start of a new transfer. Until next week! I love you all and miss you dearly!

 

Love, Elder Anthony Kai Buckwalter

I'm Batman

Dear family and friends,

 

First off, I'd like to say HAPPY BIRTHDAY DAD!!! I love you so much! Second, in response to that storm that hit Utah Valley, child's play. Chump Change. But that's pretty sweet that Utah got to have that fluke excitement. And it's better than that "blizzard of the century" a few years ago. Too bad that'll never happen again...

 

This past week was really fun. And I'll show you how. Follow, MEEEEE! Tuesday for DTM we were practicing teaching revelation through prayer. Not planned whatsoever, when me and two other Elders were asked who we were going to be as investigators, we all answered with superhero names. All at the same time. There was superman, batman, and spiderman. Just because the way the missionaries being the missionary in the role play asked "who are you?" in a very fitting way. Then there was a huge silence. It was almost spooky. But super funny. Had to be there.

 

But that night we had such a HUGE miracle! We had a member referral that met with us. He's this 12 year old kid who is an English student of a member that just moved to Taibei. He brought his neighbor and her son who is his age. And they all have so much interest! The first boy, Allen, already knows a bit and really wants to get baptized. And the neighbor woman and her son are also super interested and want to learn so much more. Every question she asked that was bothering her about life and religion is answered so perfectly with the gospel. She's super excited to learn more. I've never seen a more interested group of people right from the first visit!

 

Wednesday we had a fun former hunt. We selected a few former records that had addresses and found them. One let us in before we had a chance to knock. It was really sad seeing how much he NEEDED the gospel in his life, but wouldn't let it in. I felt quite a bit of sadness after that one. I had to think for a bit. It's really sad to see the struggling in people's lives and not be able to help them because they won't accept the help.   That night at English I had a lot of fun talking about communication. It was really funny. The one thing I could say holds this entire nation back from speaking English is the fact that they're too scared to use it. So I pushed it into their heads that night and made them speak out what they were thinking in English. They all loved it.

 

I used the analogy of Bogey, our loved dog, with my class. He grew up in a society ruled by a cat. The cat taught him to hate water. So he did. But water and swimming is just natural to a dog's desire. He'll refuse it when you try though. So sometimes you need to pick him up and throw him in the water. He'll think he's drowning, but he'll do what he was born able to do. And he'll swim. So I picked my class up and threw them in the water of conversation. They're scared, but it's something they were born to do. And they loved it in the end.

 

Thursday was a rough day, but Friday we had assistant exchanges with Elder Erickson. It was so much fun. I had a blast. We were all over the place meeting super cool people. We had some really great lessons that night. And such an amazing first prayer was given by one. He just opened up to God and told him everything that confuses him about life. It was super amazing. And now we know all that we need to help him with! Such a good day. And then having 6 Elders in one room that night was super fun as well.

 

Saturday was the Sisters' investigator's baptism. My RC, Kang dixiong, was going to baptize her, but didn't get a holiday from his military service this week. When he called and told me, he sounded so devastated. I felt so bad. So their investigator chose me to baptize her since I did her interview and she trusted me. It was a really great baptismal service. She loved getting baptized. It was so great.   That night we biked out to an RC's house in our secondary area. He's struggling a lot and really needs help. He loves church so much though. That's his comfort. I love that.

 

Sunday was a pretty normal great Sunday. I love going to choir practice. It reminds me of when I was getting trained. I love it. I was so lightheaded though. My stomach was growling a ton during Priesthood and our ward mission leader and another guy visiting our ward (who went to snow college) kept laughing at me. They both served in our mission a few years ago. So the afternoon was rough. But we had a sweet like Asian style potluck dinner at a member's house. We prepared a food to put into rice, and then we choose from what everyone made and make a rice ball with food in it. It's like those seaweed wraps that I love without the seaweed. It was way good.

 

And that was my week! It was super good. I loved this past week. I'm way excited for this coming week. It's going to be a scorcher! This is week 6 of the move call. So I'll be halfway through training by next week. Time is flying... I love you all! I miss you! I feel like my letters are getting longer and longer. And every week I'm doing all I can to make them shorter. I don't get it... Until next week!

 

Love, Elder Anthony Kai Buckwalter

I Might As Well Be Drowning

Dear family and friends,

 

It has been quite a week for rain. I've never seen so much rain in my life. It was nuts. There really wasn't a whole lot that happened because of the rain. So this will be a bit shorter. We had a really great lesson with Pan dixiong before he went off to Taibei. He let us know that he wants to stay in contact with us as he's up there. And in the end he said he's found a job, but it's not set in stone. So we might be referring him to the Elders up there... But I'm just glad he's really willing now! We also got to visit Su dixiong at his house. He's an RC. We had a lot of fun with his two year old son and their puppy again. It was really good for him. He got a good laugh as his son tried to force feed me dog food. I can make a lot of different sound effects that makes him laugh.

 

Wednesday was the start of the constant rain. It was seriously non stop. Every single lesson cancelled. But at English class we still had a pretty good turnout. I even had a few students that haven't come in a while come back! It was a good lesson on serving others. Somehow the topic got turned to Christmas and America's culture with Christmas. But I can easily wrap that back into service!

 

Thursday we got to go to Gaoxiong for a trainer/trainee meeting as a follow up on how the past few weeks have been. But since a typhoon hit, a ton of train stations, including ours, were shut down. Everything was flooded over. The river was crazy high. So a lot of people were late to the meeting and it got pushed back. But it was really fun. President Blickenstaff is really cool and funny. We're having a lot of fun.

 

Friday after weekly planning we went out and tried to find people, but no one wanted to talk. We had a few good lessons that night. One was a guy named James. He self came to the church a few weeks ago and we sat with him. He's a former of 7 years ago. After we met the first time, he said he wanted to meet again. So we met again. He's beyond receptive. He's also fluent in English. So our lesson switches languages constantly. And he flat out opened up to us about why he stopped investigating the first time. It was so cool. And then he said he's not like that now and is willing to push forward more! It was a super great lesson. He actually said he really wanted to keep learning more. He asked us what we were going to share with him that night, but we spent so much time talking about his previous fears that we ran out of time. So he was devastated and excited to meet again!

Saturday was our adventure day. We didn't have any lessons after the morning, so we made a plan to bike to Sandimen. It's a town in the mountains really far away that are purely aborigine villages. I'm pretty sure missionaries haven't been there for a long time. So in the pouring rain, we set off. We were soaked completely through in the first 5 minutes. We biked through foot deep roads flooded over. And over a bridge with a raging river. And 10 minutes in to biking up the steep mountain, Elder Teerlink's tire popped. But luckily there was a repair shop the switchback before. So we got his help. We then asked him if he could point us in the direction of an LA's house. Turns out that the LA is his uncle! They're all aborigine. He was super cool. But he said it would be impossible to get there on bike. It was another 3 hour bike ride up super steep mountain roads. And it was almost 5. So we turned back. I was sad. But the repair man is pretty interested about our church! Success.

Sunday was a great Fast Sunday. We had a good amount of people come to church despite the rain. We watched The Testaments with him and he liked it. I was super light headed though. So the rest of the day we had to take it easy. I made those Biscuits and Gravy for dinner though. Also at the church we found a picture of an LA that we've been visiting when he got baptized! And last night we met with him. When we told him about it, he was really happy and wanted it. He's doing really well. He's just this cool 28 year old guy that kinda looks like me. Really weird.

 

And that was my week. It was seriously raining nonstop for 5 days. And some of those days were raging storms. It was crazy. But it's already nice and hot again today. So this week will be great!  I love you all! Time is flying super fast. I'll be reaching the start of my last 6 months this week. Super weird.

 

Love, Elder Anthony Kai Buckwalter

Then There Was A Typhoon!

Dear family and friends,

 

What an interesting week. I'd love to say a lot happened, but not a lot did. Monday I pretty much messed up our whole night. I felt so bad. But it worked out in the end. We had set up with a less active at his hair cutting salon. But it was more like we'd just stop by and have a short lesson between customers. But I switched in my head his lesson with Xie dixiong at his bear shop on Tuesday. So I booked it to the bear shop and Elder Teerlink was a little confused. We got there and his cousin let us in. I called him and was confused and thought maybe he just accidentally scheduled the wrong day. So we met with him. We were able to set a time table to overcome tea and coffee. Then after we got home, I realized that he really was set up for Tuesday and we just left an LA in the dust. We saw him later on in the week though and he forgot we were supposed to come, so it ended up being ok.

 

Tuesday was the start of the rain. We had a great DTM on talking to everyone. We had cool practicing scenarios. Then every lesson fell through because of the rain and one because of sudden family things. So the day was very long. But we also had a really fun English powerboarding. We got a lot of success from that.

 

Wednesday was also very long because the typhoon was about to hit and everyone wanted to stay home. It was just little rain (for Taiwan) all day, until right before English class started. Then it came pouring down. Elder Bardsley and I went outside with umbrellas to escort people inside. We still had a surprising turnout of 22. It was a nice night. A lady in my class said a prayer for the first time to close the lesson. It was cool.

 

Thursday there was lots of rain. But I was stuck inside all day so it was ok. From lunch to dinner I had phase 1 pass offs, ward coordination meeting, and a baptismal interview for the Sisters' investigator. We ended up eating at the same place for dinner 4 days in a row. It was unintentional, but they've warmed up to us a lot. Now their just making us their star meals. Then we tracted for a while. I love tracting. A man let us in and loved talking about American sports teams. But then his wife came home and he kicked us out so fast, it was like he was in trouble. It was funny.

 

Friday was a lot like Thursday. After weekly planning, I had to do a few phase 1 pass offs. And it was pouring all day still. After a long day, Xie dixiong came to the church. I love when he comes to the church because he's more focused. We asked him how his time table was helping him. He's been exceeding beyond it! He got up to where he planned to be a few weeks later! So we're really excited for him.

 

Saturday and Sunday were really complicated with Lin dixiong. All said and done, he's going to Taibei for 3 months for a school program they have here. They have school for 3 months and then work for 3 months, and then they do it again. It's year round. So because of that, his baptism was thrown all out of wack. But we were working with the bishop and the stake president because they work with Lin dixiong's and our RC Xiao dixiong's school system and we can figure out where they're both going so we can have the missionaries and the wards look after them there.

 

Sunday night was really relaxed. It was still raining all day, but we got to go to a lady's house in our ward. A cool 30 year old in our ward is going to be a short term missionary with one of our zone leaders who is stepping down and opening up a brand new area that has never had missionaries before in Tainan. So he came to dinner as well and we got to share about missionary work.

 

I have been semi sick for the past 3 days, so my days were really dizzy. But they were still really great. I'm way excited for this week. Elder Teerlink and I have made plans to go out to some of our undiscovered secondary areas in the mountains where all the aborigines live! It'll be fun.

 

I love you all! I hope everyone is doing ok! I pray for all of you!

 

Love, Elder Anthony Kai Buckwalter