Sister Cecily Roberts: Week 10: First week in Taiwan - Missing Captain, Lugging Luggage & Merry Christmas

Hey Everyone!!!!

Oh my goodness....this week though..... I don't even know where to start!!!

So if you haven't heard yet, we left the MTC on Monday super early in the morning. We got to the airport just fine. I got to call home which was fantastic! I love my family :) Then we sat on our plane for like 3 hours....while it was still in the airport....what? So annoying. We had to wait for the captain to get there (delayed cause of the snow). When we first heard the announcement, the guy was like "We don't know where the captain is. He should be here in 10-15 min". Then 10-15 min later it would be the same thing....then we had to wait to get de-iced. After we finally got de-iced, they were like "Oh actually, there's something wrong with the plane". What??? So we went back to the gate, and actually got on a "bus plane?" and we went to San Fran. But because of the delay we missed our flight to Taiwan. So we ended up having to stay the night in a hotel. It was fun though. We got to talk to our family four about an hour. There was a really nice young man on the plane that let us use an extra phone of his. #blessing.

So we finally arrived in Taiwan. (Btw the flight was so short. It was 14 hours, but I slept for most of it. I guess that's what happens when you're tired. #lifeofamissionary.) It was a little overwhelming, but mostly I just didn't know how to feel. We were thrown right into work. But not the work you think. We sorted missionary's packages into alphabetical groups because the transfer meeting was the next day, and you only get mail when you go to Taipei. Thanks mom for the package, I won't open it until Christmas.

The transfer meeting was the next day, and my trainer is Sister Beeston! She's so great! She's from Utah and is awesome! The Lord definitely has blessed me. Oh and my area is Taitung. Which literally is the furthest away from Taibei that you can go!!! It's a 3.5 hour away or 5. Depending on the train. But Sister Beeston, we get along great and she sounds Taiwanese when she speaks. Kinda haha I don't know. She has great Chinese though. So after the transfer meeting, we had new missionary training stuff with our trainers. Then we like ran around Taibei (kinda) trying to get to different ATMs so I could pay for my bike. Well my card didn't work. So I spent the next 20 min calling them (with permission of course). Calling Chase bank I mean. Anyway, after that we had to catch our train. But we didn't have time to go the 5 hours all the way to Taitung, so we lugged all my luggage around the train station. Then onto the train to Hua Lien, which is about half way. We stayed the night with the Sisters in Hua Lien. Then the next morning we woke up (at 4:45 am) to catch a 6:30 train. So we were sitting on the train before it left, (on our way to Taitung) and Sister Beeston goes "The train hasn't left yet...." She asks the person next to her where our train was going. And it was going to Taichung. (Out of our mission), so we literally ran off the train. Although technically we couldn't run cause of my luggage... anyway :) I jumped off the train right as it started moving. Which was a blessing but what an adventure!!!!

We finally got to Taitung at like 10 or 11 a.m. We arrive at the apartment and just start doing studies. I met the other Sisters in the apartment, Sister Child (who knows Sister Hughes from Bountiful) and Sister Lafevre. They are so so so sweet and their Chinese is fei chang hao. It's really motivating because they haven't been out TOO long, and I know I can learn Chinese.

So I will admit, that by this point (of all the traveling, and just not knowing how to feel), I was really, really overwhelmed. We finally got to the apartment and started our studies and I broke down. First time I've cried though, and I probably shouldn't tell you this (haha) but I doesn't matter. I don't even know why I broke down. I really was just so overwhelmed. I was upset because the past couple days had gone so slow, and I was like "Oh my goodness I'm going to be here the rest of my life" Not really, but that's just how I felt. I got through it and was fine. They have this awesome Chinese study program. There's phase 1 and 2, and 3. And I didn't know where to start for Phase 1, (which btw I have a goal to finish and pass off in 10 weeks). Anyway, I was just overwhelmed and didn't know how to learn Chinese, and didn't want to fail and it all just kind of built up. That's basically it. I got over it really fast, and things are great now. I'm still feeling like I'm going to be here forever because this week was honestly the longest week of my entire life....I just hope it doesn't go this slow al the time. Not that I don't love it :)

So I really actually do love being a missionary, and once I got into the swing of things, I was fine. Oh btw, everyone told me that I was so lucky to be "born" in Taitung. I know that Heavenly Father knows me. Because 1) I hate cities, 2) I love the countryside, 3) This area is the countryside, but isn't too big of a city. It's not too big of a city, but I can see the sky, and I love it!!!!! I'm so blessed. Random note, all the buildings have hard floors. Makes things feel less homey, but I understand why. The floors would be gross because of all the humidity :).

So let me tell you about biking....in a skirt....um no. It's not fun. It's not awful, but I have yet to figure out the best way to do it. Contacting is actually really fun. I love standing out from the crowd, and I love waving and smiling at people. I sometimes start the conversation. I like talking to people, i just can't keep the conversation going because i don't understand what they say J. But we've had two or three solid contacts. And I'm so excited. I really do love talking to people and sharing the gospel. Most have rejected us, but everyone is so nice about it!!! Sister Beeston said that I'm great, and that I just go for it (Which was my goal). She's so nice.

We had a ward Christmas party on Saturday, and the missionaries sang "Hark the Herald Angels Sing". But it was hilarious because we sang over the voices of the recording. So it was just a normal song, but they had us sing over it J. So the whole party was just a huge play, and I gotta tell you, I have never seen so much work go into a nativity play. There was everything. The costumes were amazing, there were spotlights, a great sound system, a legit stage, a beautiful background painting, everything. I was impressed. We even got to dress up like angels (because we were angels). And normally costumes aren't allowed but we got permission.

I think that's all I've got for you this week. I really do love being a missionary, and I'm excited to learn more, and learn a lot of Chinese. The ward is great, the people are so sweet, and it just always amazes me that the church is the same everywhere you go.

Oh my goodness I almost forgot!!!! So I had to bear my testimony in sacrament meeting (because I was new), and after sacrament meeting this lady comes up to me (speaking English :) ) and she introduces herself (Sister Liu). She said that she lived with me and my family in China! And that I knew her sons, David and James!!!! I was like "Oh my goodness yes!!!!!!!!!!!!" We went over to her house for dinner and Oh my goodness I found this one picture of all the boy scouts in China!!! Brother Sevy was the scout master and all the boys my age were in the pic! Ethan W., Mitchell C, Paul L, Sam and Joe O, etc. OH MY GOODNESS!!!!!!!!!!! And then, there was a shadow box kinda thing on the outside and people had written stuff on it, and i look and see "Rod" And I look at the message and IT WAS MY DAD'S HANDWRITING!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! WHAT!?!?!?!?!? I can't tell you what a miracle that was to me. I'm in Taiwan, in the furthest city away from Taibei, and I meet someone that I used to know??? And who has a part of my family in their home/??? AHHHHHH SOOOOOO COOOLLLLL!!!!!!!!!!!!! Wow!!! Obviously I am so excited about it!!!!!!!! It was just so good to see a little bit of home and my past!!!! I made friends with their youngest son, Michael. So fun!!!! And the food was delicious

I love Taiwan food....seriously, I just want to eat all the time hahaha. I've had some pretty normal things, and I don't know what they are called but I had dong gua cha, which is tea but it's missionary appropriate tea. I also had this spicy ginger drink....which was weird and awful. It smelled like ginger which was fine, but wow it was like spicy as you swallowed it. It was so weird and I never want to drink it again. Other than that, everything has been normal. Oh I did have steamed corn. They just passed it out after church which was so random. But it was a little strange because it was chewy. You'll have to try it sometime.

Okay, now I'm just rambling.... :) I love you all! I'm so grateful for this opportunity to be here and to be in Taitung with these wonderful sisters and these wonderful people. I hope I didn't sound like I didn't want to be here. My heart burns with testimony of this gospel, and I'm so excited to help others come unto Christ. Speaking of which, we have a baptism this week. I'm an awful missionary for not making that the first thing on my list :) She is so prepared and we taught her tithing this week (well Sister B did haha, but I added my testimony), and I was seriously so amazed that she was so willing. The conversion process is so amazing and this gospel has to be true. Nothing else would change someone's life so dramatically (for the better). I know that God knows all of us. I know that we are all in the place we are for a reason, and that through everything we do, He is there next to us. He has His arms wrapped around us during times of need. He loves us, and we are His children. I feel like I always bear testimony about that, but it's just because it's the most simple and most important I feel. To know who you are, and to know why you are here. It's such a blessing.

I love you all so so much! And I'm sorry for not taking more pictures!!!! I will this week I promise!!!!!!!!!!

Love,

Sister Roberts

Luo Jie Mei