I am in Taiwan!!! It is awesome here i love it! I can’t talk to very many people but there are still quite a few people that know English. The flight was good. I slept most of the way so it wasn’t to bad. Not very comfortable though and the food was nasty!!! haha but other than that it was good! It was crazy flying over the city seeing all of the characters on the signs. I never really had culture shock though which is pretty cool! I do have jet lag though!!! Every day at about 4, I am ready to go to bed! haha I get so tired, but in the mornings it is pretty easy to get up :)

 

My trainer is going to be awesome! He reminds me a lot of Taylor Carlson! I think it will be good and he is really helpful! We also have a member named Tony that hangs out with us pretty much all day everyday so he helps me a lot to. He is 19 and he is wanting to go on a mission but he is the only member in his family and  his parents don’t really support him. He has to wait until he is 20 to turn in his papers.

 

Taiping is kind of like Ogden i guess I would say Taizhong is more like salt lake and Taiping is like Ogden  They are bigger cities but for here that is probably what they are like. Taiping is about a 20 or 30 minute bike ride from Taizhong. Our apartment is alright everything is tile.  I will take pictures of it with my go pro this week and send them to you guys next week but my go pro has been dead soI am charging it right now. I want to use my go pro because it has a wider view and so you will be able to see more :) The one picture of the city is from our balcony in our apartment we are on the 12th floor so we can see like everything it is cool! :)

 

SHOUT OUT TO...... old man Mr. Dave Andre!! haha Happy birthday! How old are you now 38 or 39? I think :) 

 

That would be so awesome to come here after my mission. The weather right now is perfect!! It is like 20 to 22 degrees Celsius in the mornings and then gets around like 25 I think so about 70 to 80 degrees :) The humidity isn't too bad right now either! 

 

I got the pictures kaylee. She looks super cute, and ky is studly as every! :) Pretty much everyone has seen the picture of ky's show already! Everyone is super jealous and at first they did not think it is real until I show them the other pictures :) My bike is super nice to :) Things worked out fine I didn’t even get my bike or need it until Friday afternoon thanks for doing that though and just remember to put my money in my savings now haha :) 

 

Friday afternoon I met Elder Gish and we left the mission home at about 1:30 and I was teaching my first lesson at 2! They were in active members though so it wasn’t too bad :) Then we had another appointment at 3 and I got lucky again and the guy knew quite a bit of English so I could just talk to him in English but the last 10 minutes elder Gish had to leave because he scheduled another appointment that he forgot about so I had to finish the lesson by myself!!! It went pretty good though. Oh and on Thursday we ate at a place called Marihuana and had hot pot.

 

Saturday we mostly just had lessons with RC's (recent converts) and they got to know me and I got to know them a little bit! It is awesome to see how much happier the people are here that have the gospel in their life! They all just can’t stop smiling and are always so happy!  Sunday we went to church and I had to get up and introduce myself during sacrament. The bad part was during church I didn’t really understand anything so it was pretty long... :)

 

Monday, my first p day in Taiwan! :) It is 3:15 right now, earlier today we studied and then went and said bye to all the missionaries that were going to another area or going home, then we went to the mall and I finally got a soda with caffeine! They didn’t have mountain dew but I got a coke :) It tasted so good!!!! For a 20oz bottle it was 27 Kauai which is a little less than a dollar, they say 30 Kauai is about a dollar. Then I had subway for lunch which tasted super good also! That was a little expensive because it is American food, it was about 160 Kauai Usually for a full mean it is about 60 Kauai on average so we eat out quite a bit :) We get about 7500 Kauai a month so I have heard we can spend around 200 a day and be good with money.

 

Things here are so awesome, I love it here!! I probably wouldn’t want to live here but it is pretty cool! Traffic is crazy and there are so many scooters everywhere!!! One of the pictures is all the scooters on the sidewalk! The traffic rules are different!!! On bikes when the light is red we can turn left because we just "use the sidewalk. But when it is green we can’t turn left, and when the light is red you can’t turn right until it turns green.... but there are exceptions for pretty much everything and you can get around most laws :) I have only seen one crash and it was right after it happened, a scooter hit the side of a car Things are good here nothing really to complain about except I can’t communicate! That will come though! Love you guys!! :) 

Picture #1- My first companion Elder Gish.
Picture #2- Lots of scooters out here.
Picture#3- The view of Taiping from my balcony.

 

Love Elder Roberts 

 

ruan jun xiong zhanglao

阮俊雄長老

First couple of days in Taiwan.

He is the one looking away from the camera.

Finally in Taiwan!

Last MTC E-Mail

MOM RELAX!!!! gees haha they have given us a bunch of orientations and power points letting us know what to do and how to pack and all of that stuff. My mission president has also sent me letters telling us what we need in what bag, I guess we are staying at the mission home for the first couple days and we won’t have any of our luggage so we have to pack a couple days’ worth of stuff in our carry on. Elder Bird leaves the MTC at 3 tomorrow morning!!! So we say goodbye tonight kind of.

 

This week has been really good! I have been stressing quite a bit but I am super excited! :) I am going to be in Taiwan in a couple days!!!! Nothing to exciting has happened this week but it has been pretty spiritual! During our infield orientation one of the guys shared a story about two missionaries that was awesome!! The two missionaries had just started a new split and they were making their goals for what they wanted to accomplish while they were together, they decided they wanted to have 8 baptisms so they got to work! The first week they worked really hard and nothing... Second week they tried even harder and still didn't get anyone to teach. They went for 4 weeks trying and doing everything they could to get a baptism and they still came up short with nothing! Now they only have two weeks left of their transfer and they don't even have anyone to teach, they were pretty disappointed obviously and they weren't really sure what else to do. They decided to go through their day and pray on every street and ask if they should go down it or move on. They went past a couple streets doing this and didn't feel anything so they would go to the next one they finally came up to a street and felt really strongly to go to one specific house so they did. They went up to the door and knocked and waited.... and nobody came to the door. They thought for sure this was where they were supposed to be but they decided to move on. A little while later they felt like they should go back. Where they were the people really didn't like the missionaries especially if they knocked more than once so they were a little worried but decided to go back... They got to the door and knocked.... and still nobody answered!! They were so confused so they left again and felt prompted to go back and the same thing happened. They decided that was the last time as they left. They walked down the road a little ways and again felt like they should go back and by this time they were really nervous because it was their fourth time but they decided to try one more time. This time a lady answered the door and her eyes were red like she had been crying, she asked them if they were the people that knocked on her door 40 minutes ago. They answered yes kind of ashamed and apologetic. She then invited them in and told them what had happened. They found out that nobody answered the door because they were praying as a family to know what to join and what church was true, she said the missionaries were the answer to their prayers!! The family was baptized within the next two weeks!! 

 

I know this church is true and I know heavenly father is aware of each and every one of us! I know that through him we can do anything we just need to put our trust him and push on! sometimes we might not know why we are doing it or we think we shouldn't be doing it but as long as you follow the spirit and listen to heavenly father we will be where we need to be! Everything happens for a reason sometimes it’s hard to know and believe that it is or was supposed to happen but the Lord knows what’s best and knows what needs to happen! Put your faith in him and put him first and everything else will work out!

 

Love you guys hope everything is going good at home! I still can’t believe I am going to be in Taiwan soon!! I haven't started to pack yet either by the way... haha surprise :) Our laundry is almost done then I will start to pack hopefully it doesn't take too long! :)

 

Love Elder Roberts

October 21st

Last day together

The District Leader!

Last picture with the MTC District!

Elder Roberts Testimony to his brothers

September 24,2013

          It is so Awesome here ! I have met so many new people, I get to learn a new language with the lords help and all I have to do for the next two years is help people and make them happy! What a better way to spend two years of my life dedicated to the lord. This is going to help me so much in my  future I cant even express how much! There is not anything you could do that would be better for you than this!

        I know maybe you feel a mission is not for you and your exactly right!! Its not for you! Its for the lord! Just think about everything the lord has given you and all he asks is for you to give him two years of your life to bring his children back to live with him. Lets say I just left and told you where I was going but said I wasn't coming back or I left and just got lost and couldn't come back home unless you came and helped me get on the right path. Are you going to tell mom and dad it just isn't for you? Or would you come help me get back home? That is what we are doing for God is helping his children to return to him. So they can live with their families forever and for all eternity! We leave our families for 2 years so others can be together forever! I know if you put the lord first things will always work out better than if you don't. He will take care of you, Have Faith!

      Read your Patriarchal blessing that will help! If you pray and read your scriptures I know you will get answers. Be worthy and prepare yourself so if you decide to go you can!! It will be the best thing you could do for yourself! And for others! Hopefully you will be blessed to get to learn a language! Maybe mandarin so we could talk secretly! haha

      I know this is a very hard choice and a BIG one, believe me I really want to be home with you guys and starting my life, but right now there are people in Taiwan that need me! Sometimes you have to put others first and when you do you will find out it makes you a lot happier!

      I love you man and I just want the best for you and I know a mission is Hard! Its really Hard!! But good things don't come easy! I know if you put your heart and truly try to know if you should serve a mission you will get an answer! Read the scriptures a lot and start with a prayer it is amazing how much more you get out of it! I know if you live worthily and live church standards (watch what music you listen to and watch what you think and say)  you will want to serve and want to share the greatness of this gospel!

     All we are doing is talking to people about what makes us happy! It is amazing how strong the spirit is and what it can do for you if you listen to it!!

     TRUST IN THE LORD AND PUT HIM FIRST AND THINGS  WILL WORK OUT!!

                 I LOVE YOU BROS,

                         Love your older brother, Elder Roberts

Uplifting messages and some of my favorite Scriptures

Mormon messages:

-Origins
-Enemy Territory
-The will of god
-Rescued by Christ
-Good things to come
-Within the bounds

Scriptures I love:


-Ephesians 5:8
-Moroni 10:32
-D&C 20:32
-2 Nephi 31:20
-2 Nephi 32:8-9
- D&C 21:9
-D&C  24:8,12
-Alma 32:26-28
-Helaman 10:7
-Helaman 3:28
-D&C 9:8-9
-D&C 8:2-3
-D&C 10-5
-1 Corinthians 13:11