Transfer 16 - Week 5

Well family and friends this will be my last rally before I head back home to the freezing depths of a Utah Winter. I hope what I write will sufficiently express all that I want to concerning the past two years. It is also my hope that perhaps this email will makeup for all of my previous emails, which were usually written in haste and without much thought. 

Yesterday was one of the best days of my mission. Coming towards the end of my mission, I was starting to think of all of the people I've taught and served with for the past two years and if I had really helped them or not, if I had actually touched them or not. It may be safe to assume that all missionaries have similar thoughts. Or maybe it's just me! In any case, these were the thoughts in my head as I was biking to church for the last time. Upon arriving, Wang Jian Xing was there as always and his wife came too! They kept telling me how grateful they are and how much they want to come to the Salt Lake Temple with me in a few years but I kept reminding Sister Wang that she needs to get baptized first. We chatted for a while and then my uncle and grandma came! They gave me some gifts and things to take back to family, in particular was a calligraphy scroll that my uncle himself wrote of the scripture John 16:33, one of my favorite scriptures. It's an incredible piece of art. He told me he spent three solid months practicing this style of calligraphy to perfect it, and then, in one sitting, used all of his focus to write it out. He then dyed the scroll using tea leaves to give it a ancient, archaic, almost tattered look and I assure you, it's amazing. I visited the National Palace Museum a few weeks back and the calligraphy scrolls they had in there look exactly like the one my uncle made for me. It's wonderful. 

Another great thing about yesterday is that one of my old friends from when I was serving in Bade came! Brother Fu, his wife and their adopted daughter from Singapore. He had no idea that I was leaving so soon but told me he felt like he should come up and visit me in Neihu! We had a good little reunion and they also told me they want to visit the States in a couple years. I told them when they come they can definitely look me up and I'll cook them up some fried rice at Green Panda! Oh ya!

One other little cool particle was that I received a letter from one of my recent converts while I was in Daxi, Chen Hui Jin. In it she wrote that she was grateful that I taught her the Gospel and that since then she had shared the Gospel with one of her friends and she had since been baptized as well. She included a picture of the baptism and at the bottom wrote,"Thank you Elder Hagedorn!" It was a sweet moment to know that the Gospel had truly started to change her life, not to mention my own. 

I gave my last testimony in church and a nice thing about it is that the bishopric started a new little theme for the month of December which is "Worshiping Christ through Music" so a large portion of the meeting was just listening to musical numbers and it was awesome. Music is fantastic. Perhaps my best church meeting ever.

Regarding the past two years, my English has probably regressed to the point of no return but if it so irretrievable, so be it. I don't think there is any other thing I've done before that has been more fulfilling or gratifying. Yet the main feeling I get now is not one of pride or accomplishment, but of gratitude and realization of a never ending duty. I'm incredibly thankful that I've been counted worthy to serve a mission and blessed enough to be in a situation that I could have this opportunity. There is so much good to be done in the world and serving a mission has helped me realize that these deeds need to be done by all of us, that we all have ample opportunity to do good, and much of it. I've gained a testimony of God and I know he lives. He knows what is best for us and as long as we trust in him, we will gain the happiness and confidence that cannot come by any other way. As his children, we our filled with potential that can only be unlocked through faith in his son, Jesus Christ. Through study and experience, I have felt the reality of the mission of the Savior and it is my hope that I will forever be counted one of his disciples, despite my many imperfections and mistakes. I've learned how to love people simply because they are people; I've realized that the light of Christ is within every single person and there is much to learn; And I've seen that through Christ, we really can, as he has, "overcome the world." 

Oh, and I can speak a little Chinese now, too. 

I love you all. 

Love,

Elder Hagedorn

Wang Jian Xing and his wife! 

Thanksgiving. Costco Pizza. 

​Yep. End of mission. 

Transfer 16 - Week 4

Well first off, our investigator Chen Xin Hua quit coffee and tea cold! We taught her the Word of Wisdom, knowing she drinks tea and coffee, and when we committed her to follow it she just said,"Ya I can do that. I just need to find some drinks to replace them." So we suggested hot chocolate and fruit tea. She said she'll do it! She's a boss. She's probably not going to get baptized until after I leave, however. But it's ok! It's pretty crazy, a lot of members and investigators and stuff are starting to want to take us out to eat, I've actually been full recently! As of late, Elder Kennedy and I have been working on Chinese a good amount. I realized the other day that I've been here for 2 years and my Chinese isn't too shabby, so I told Elder Kennedy that I'm going to start helping his out and that might mean I'll be correcting him a lot, but he said it'd be good so we've started to read the Book of Mormon out loud together every morning and any time he says something wrong, I correct it. Luckily he's so humble! I feel I wouldn't take correction very well... He's also going to pass off Phase 1 next week! So things are going well and we're just trying to work hard and find those prepared! 

Transfer 16 - Week 3

Good news! Sister Wang came back from Zhong Shan so stay with her husband Wang Jian Xing! So we went to visit them a few days ago and we taught her the Plan of Salvation. 

Turns out her son, a returned missionary, would try and teach her many years ago and she still remembers most of it so when we taught her she could grasp the concepts and it essentially wasn't new material to her, but this gave us opportunity to answer some of her questions she's had while reading the scriptures. Overall it was a very good lesson, though slightly rushed, due to the fact that the two of them love to talk, not to mention the occasional bicker that old couples seem so prone to falling into, keeping us from sharing everything regarding baptism so we decided to wait on the invite. She's looking very good though and she will be baptized for sure. We're still working with a few other investigators and they're all doing very well too. Chen Xin Hua has gotten to the commandments and we're meeting with her in a few days to teach her about the Sabbath as well as the Word of Wisdom, cross your fingers! I get the feeling that she's a tea drinker. But so is everyone. Anyway, we've got some big lessons coming up and we're excited to get these people going! We're also going to a Pizza Hut buffet too so be excited for me. 

Love you all! 

Transfer 16 - Week 2

I'll start with the bad news first. The Brother Zhu, who I mentioned last week with the baptismal date you remember? He's long gone. His phone number is non-existent as of a few days ago.

But, Wang Jian Xing's wife is coming back this Wednesday so we'll be able to meet with her!! We were talking to Wang Jian Xing about it at church and many of the members were excited about it too and we're saying, "Oh, I'll help you teach her, just give me a call!". We're pretty excited to teach her, needless to say. The weather was not ideal this week, coming down in sheets of rain, but it was nice to almost feel cold. We met with many less actives this week, them springing up out of nowhere and wanting to come back to church. Two of them came to church this week! More should be coming back next week, as we continue to work with the members in fellowshipping them. 

Looking forward to another good week! 

Transfer 16 - Week 1

It was a good week! Just yesterday we found a new investigator and met with him, teaching him the Restoration and inviting him to baptism. The awesome thing is that he accepted our invite and said he is willing to start praying and reading the Book of Mormon to prepare for baptism! We gave him the date of November 29, the last Saturday of November and what will also be the last Saturday of my mission. I really really hope that we can help him progress and that he will be able to make his date. It would be a miracle! His name is Zhu Dixiong and he said he ran into missionaries about a year ago and they talked to him a little bit but because he was busy with work he wasn't able to meet with him. Now, he has more free time and we perfectly happened to call him a few days ago from an old sheet of phone numbers. We met with him yesterday after church and he's awesome! 

We're also still working with a good amount of less actives too. One of them, Wang Wei Han came to church yesterday! The main thing with these less actives is not so much teaching them about the Gospel, because they all understand it pretty well, it's more trying to find them friends in the ward and integrate them into the ward smoothly. It's a working progress.

Last night we went to Taipei for the monthly new member fireside and I ran into some old investigators from my second area, Xinzhuang, whom I didn't remember. Worth mentioning is their names: Sam and Gimley. They remembered me so they came up to me and started chatting but I couldn't remember who they were. After we talked a minute I started to remember, after all, who could forget those names? Turns out a few months ago they got baptized! I also ran into some other old members from the same ward and it was great to talk to them. It's definitely a humbling blessing to be able to look back and know that you left a good impression. Love you all! 

Transfer 15 - Week 6

Alright so this is going to be quick because today has been a bit rushed due to travel to the temple but this last week and beginning of this week were good! We're still working with those less actives and they are still doing really well. 

Brother Chen shared the full story about his experience about coming back to church. He was diagnosed with cancer and after fighting it for years and being hospitalized, he was feeling a bit reflective about life in general. Right as he walked out his front door to go for a walk, us missionaries biked by and he knew he had to come back to church. This happened about a month ago. We have been struggling with investigators but we have been able to find one good one. Her name is Chen Xin Hua and she's a super funny lady with a lot of faith in God. The only thing is she has faith in all gods. So this week we hope to be able to focus her faith in gods to faith in Heavenly Father. Again, this email is going to be short but we're excited for this coming week and I'll make sure to get a better email off next week! 

Transfer 15 - Week 5

Well this week we saw a couple little miracles with less active members! The first is a college student who was actually baptized when she was 10 and remained active for a few years but when the rest of her family she also did. Now, about ten years later she's in college and has started to feel that she needs to go back to her childhood church because she misses the good feelings she used to have. She tells us that she's been feeling like she doesn't have direction and wants to come back to church. 

Another man is in a similar situation. He showed up at church yesterday so we started talking to him and he told us that about a month ago he saw us missionaries riding on our bikes and felt that maybe he should go to church. A couple weeks after that, he saw us again and had the same feeling. Yesterday he woke up and resolved that he needed to come to church and that's when we saw him Sunday morning! We're excited to start working with them and see them become active! We're still working with Wang Jian Xing's wife but it's been slower because she went out of town this week to see a doctor in another city. We're praying that she'll come back soon because she tends to stay with family for at least a few weeks when she goes to the city. Meanwhile we've just been keeping in touch over the phone but we're definitely looking forward to when she gets back so we can start to really help her progress. 

Love you all! 

Transfer 15 - Week 4

It was a great week! It rained pretty much the whole week, apparently there was a small typhoon so that was enjoyable. "And the rains came down, and the floods descended..." 

I also have a new companion! His name is Elder Kennedy and he's from Riverton, Utah. Just up the way from us Provo dwellers. He will probably be my last companion. He also just got out of training so it'll be fun to "break" him. Conference was great! I particularly liked Christofferson, Callister and Klebingat's talks. The message I got from them is that I can't have any excuses, I must do my best and be diligent and to trust in the gospel and the Lord. This week was a little difficult with the new companion and the rain but we definitely saw some miracles. 

We're working with our RC's, Wang Jian Xing's, wife and she is great! She came to church yesterday for conference and she loved it! When we taught her a few days before about prophets and that we would have the opportunity to hear him on Sunday she said, " Oh, it's probably very important to this guy!" Also as part of the general conference Sunday, the ward had a little lunch in between sessions so it was a perfect opportunity for her to get to know some of the members and mingle with them. We hope she will get baptized in the middle of next month! On Saturday night we knocked into a middle age lady and invited her to church. Sunday morning came along and she was there! We're going to see her tonight so that was a cool little miracle. I'll let you know the outcome next week. Besides Sister Wang, our other investigators are kind of wallowing about so we'll try and set them straight but our real hopes are more towards new investigators. On Sunday night, with about 20 minutes left on the night, we were contacting in the rain and started talking to a graduate student. We taught him about God and prayer and he set up a time to meet with us this week! I also feel my companion and I are starting to get a little more comfortable with each other, not to say we weren't before, but now we're starting to get some good unity! Exciting stuff. Looking forward to another great week! 

Love you all! 

Transfer 15 - Week 3

Well this last week was good! We've started to work with our recent convert, Wang Jian Xing 王 建興's wife and she's really good! Just last night they both attended Taipei's monthly new convert fireside and they really enjoyed it. A missionary sang "I know that My Redeemer Lives" and Sister Wang said she was very touched. 

Our other investigators, Brother Guan and Sister Gao are kind of floating around. We met with them but Brother Guan is very busy and goes out of town every weekend so his progression is slow and Sister Gao won't pray because she had a supernatural experience a few years ago and is afraid to pray. Still working with them though! We're definitely very excited to be working with 王 建興's wife. My companion Elder Chalmers is moving tomorrow! So I'll be getting what will probably be my last companion. We're recently been trying to talk to people on the street about families and family history but we haven't had much success. It's hard to convince people that ancestors are important! We also met a couple that wasn't too bad. A Michael and Sister Zou. Boyfriend and girlfriend. The boyfriend, whom we contacted a few nights before, had no interest but he brought his girlfriend to our appointment and she said she would be baptized if she felt it was true! When she said she would be baptized, the look on her boyfriend's face was priceless. The only problem is that we only have the boyfriend's number so when we've called he just rejects it. Hopefully we can get in touch with her! Looking forward to this new week and a new companion! 

Love you all! 

Transfer 15 - Week 2

It was a good week! We went on a big outdoor conference Friday together with the East and West Zones. We hiked partway up a mountain and along the way read scriptures, talked about missionary stuff, sang hymns, etc. It was very nice. I also got the chance to bear my testimony to all the missionaries there because I'm going home soon so that was strange. 

We're currently working with 2 good investigators. The first is Brother Guan. He's getting a new job right now so he's been very busy finishing up his last job as well as organizing his new job. We've been able to meet with him only once but he's been reading the Book of Mormon everyday and we keep in touch daily by phone. We should be able to meet with him this week and we're really hoping we'll be able to take advantage of the opportunity by inviting the Spirit so he can feel the difference. The second investigator is Sister Gao. She is a very eccentric, funny lady. She questions all things questionable and it's fun to answer questions and then watch her go, "Ohhhh... That makes sense!" We had a member help us teach her and they got along really well so our member has started to text her scriptures, invite her to church, etc and it's really good. We feel we'll see a lot of progress with them this week and they'll become progressing investigators. 

The weather has started to cool down and it's super nice to be able to contact people without sweat dripping down all over my face like some sort of monster that just emerged from a swamp. I think people are more willing to talk to us at least. Yep so we're having a good time and really just trying to find those prepared people. I must apologize this email is terribly organized but things are going well. 

Love you all! 

Transfer 15 - Week 1

Well, I'm 21. On the day of my birthday we were contacting on the street and came across an older woman. Not hiding her negative feelings for us, she said she could never believe our book and that us, with the rest of the Mormons, are going to Hell. I wasn't very disturbed, perhaps more amused, so we wished her a good night and went on to the next person to contact. The next woman told us that we had the countenance of Christ upon us and was very moved at our sincerity. She was a devout Buddhist, however. But what a contrast! 

Elder Chalmers would later call it a tender mercy. The first lady's remarks remind me of something the prophet Joseph Smith once said,"The difference between us and the other Christian churches is that they believe we are going to Hell and we believe that they can be saved." Something like that anyway. I think the world just needs a bit more understanding, tolerance and love. I think that lady will be ok. 

We found 1 new investigator! Not an incredibly impressive number but he's awesome! We invited him to baptism and he very sincerely said he is willing to be baptized. His name is Brother Guan and he says he's been wondering about the existence of a God. We told him he can know through prayer, as well as following God's Son, Jesus Christ. He was actually a referral. We have been working very hard, talking to many people, wasting no time, yet we didn't actually have any success through our own efforts. Towards the end of the week, we were praying very hard, and got a referral through our phone of this Brother Guan. We feel very blessed to be able to have an opportunity to teach someone as him. 

There was a typhoon last night but it wasn't too severe so we continued to knock some doors. As we would knock on people's doors, they would all say to us,"Sorry! There's a typhoon!" I would be tempted to say,"We're the ones standing outside! We know!" But it was still a good time. Looking forward to this coming week! Love you all!

Transfer 14 -Week 6

It was a good week! I think I always say that. This one was terrific. Missionary work was a bit slower from Monday to Friday and we didn't see much happening: Nobody was picking up their phone, people on the street were ignoring us and no one had time to meet with us. But we kept working hard, prayed harder, set some goals to focus more and on Saturday we were allowed some leeway. We met a "Terry" and he when we met with him he poured out all his life problems and wanted to know how to deal with it all. We taught him about Christ, His Gospel and how following His teachings relieves us of the burdens we all have. He said he's willing to try it out and trusts what we say. We also called this referral a while back and invited him to church. Sunday morning came around and he came! He said he felt very touched that us strangers would reach out and try to bless him with our church. He also said he wants to learn more. The only thing is that the latter doesn't live in our area, he lives in the district over. 

We've set some goals to only speak Chinese to each other and not talk about anything relating to home or "trunky" things. So far so good! We've been really trying hard to focus on the work and do as much as we can in every aspect. Of course, whatever we do isn't much but it's our hope that the Lord will recognize our efforts and give us the opportunity to see miracles. Looking forward to another good week! 

Love you all! 

Transfer 14 - Week 5

Well this last week was a bit slow, to be honest. Our one really gold investigator, Kristin, turned out to have slight infatuations for yours truly so we gave her to the sister missionaries to be taught but she still seems to have interest in the Gospel so that's good. Still waiting on Zheng family to be done with camping and stuff, another 2 1/2 weeks about. We had a new English class student, Sherry who is really good as well. She was asking us questions about how to pray and God and Christ and stuff after English class last week so she's our new investigator and we're pretty excited about her. She left on the weekend for Moon Festival but she comes back tomorrow so we'll be able to meet with her this week. 

This morning when we left the apartment to go out to run as we usually do, we forgot to bring the keys so when we got back we weren't able to get in. We sat outside for a few minutes wondering what to do. We didn't have a phone to use to call anybody and we rang all the doorbells of the apartment complex to get someone to open the door but nobody answered. They were all gone for Moon Festival. We sat down on the steps and thought. I started to pray but didn't want to ask right away because I figured being thankful first is best. I had said a few lines of being grateful when we heard the door behind us open! I guess someone opened the door! We went up to our door, which was also locked, but we found this pipe type of thing that we were able to use to slide behind the first metal barred door, the locked one, and latch it on to the sliding lock thing and open it! Definitely said a prayer of thankfulness afterwards too! Pray and it shall be opened!

So our investigator pool has kind of gone down again, besides a couple people, but our plan this week is simple: Pray! Pray! And Pray more! 

Transfer 14 - Week 4

It was a wonderful week! First, on Thursday we held a mission-wide memorial service for the two Elders that passed away and it was a very nice, spiritual meeting. An MTC buddy, Elder Gibson and I translated for it so it was kind of cool to see each other after all this time because he's been in the southern parts of Taiwan most of his mission. The parents of one of the missionaries sent a letter to the Mission President to read to all of us, it said something like,"Take a few minutes to mourn, to cry and then to smile, for you know that they live on. Now go and continue to preach the Gospel, for you know that they preach on." The meeting gave my companion and I renewed energy and motivation to work hard and we saw many miracles and blessings. We found 7 investigators! 

We've been working with a really really good investigator named Chen Zi Jun. She's an English class student and we've been teaching her for a few weeks now. The other day she was looking at a picture of Jesus (the one where he is holding a lamb) and said,"I don't know why but I really like looking at this picture. I can't stop looking at it." She has a baptismal date on the 27th and she is well on her way to make it. Whoo! Next up is a super awesome family that we found this week, the Zheng family. Just a Dad, Mom and 4 year old daughter. I teach the little kid English class and their daughter has been coming the past couple weeks, brought by her grandma but this past week their parents came too so we chatted with them and they liked us so we visited them a few days later and they are so awesome! You can really feel the love they have for their daughter and they were both very receptive to our first lesson about Heavenly Father, Jesus Christ and the Holy Ghost. When we asked if the Dad could pray the daughter said, "I don't want to pray!" And then both the parents both said ,"不行！需要做祷告！“ ("Hey! None of that!") Then we all knelt and said a prayer and it was great! The only thing is that they're literally going camping for the next four weekends and so it will be really hard to find time to meet with them. But they said we can call them and share scriptures and stuff so it shouldn't be too bad. 


We also found this lady who just moved from China a few weeks and we met with her last night. It was a little strange teaching her because she said she's always been taught there is no God and that you can't talk about this sort of stuff in China. So we taught her very simply and in the end she said a prayer of her own! It was really cool to see her pray. It was a very good week and we're pretty excited for this upcoming week. 

Transfer 14 - Week 3

This week was a good one! At the beginning we didn't have any investigators with a baptismal date but now at the end of the week we have 2 and they're both really good. Well, one is really good and the other is on his way to being really good. 

There was some sad news this week, however. There were two missionaries serving in Sanchong who passed away due to carbon monoxide leaking from their water heater. Some old apartments put the gas heaters inside the apartment instead of outside so there is a risk of leakage. Our apartment's is on the outside so it is safe. Upon hearing this news, I was not confused as to why they passed away, where they are or anything like that but more concerned with these missionaries' families. Knowing the Plan of Salvation, I know that they are in God's hands now, as they always have been. They are alright and what we might deem to be unfair is simply because we don't understand it. I have faith in God, that He is ever watchful of us and of hope that we will do our best and overcome difficulties and trials through faith in Jesus Christ. At it says in John, "Be of good cheer. I have overcome the world." Christ has surpassed all things  and so can we through Him. Elder Xiong and Elder Thredgold are okay. It is my prayer that their families will not fall apart because of this, but rise together and feel hope in Christ.

This week we hope to be able to help these investigators we are working with better understand the Gospel and continue to develop faith.

Oh ya

Transfer 14 - Week 2

Hello good people! Neihu is still great and what's more, the membership of the ward has increased by 1! Brother Wang Jian Xing got baptized! And double what's more, his son came up from Gaoxiong (the southern part of Taiwan, a good distance from Neihu) to baptize his father! They both shared their testimonies as part of the service and it was awesome! Before the baptism however, we had a special little treat. The Morphis family, a family from Montreal, Canada that has recently been touring Asia doing musical performances in many of the churches. It just so happened that they have a friend in Neihu and spur of the moment, decided to come to our ward for a special performance on the night of Brother Wang's baptism. It all went very smoothly. They performed at 6:30 and I also translated for their performance which was pretty insane! Then we had the baptism at 8:00 and it was very nice. Although it was incredibly hot, wearing a wool suit and running around making sure everything was in place for the performance and the baptism, by the time the night was through, Brother Wang's words,"I believe I will stay in this church forever." made it all worth it. He is one of the most humble people I've ever met, a friend to everyone. The Bishop wants to give him a calling in the next couple weeks to which Brother Wang said, " Whatever it is, I will do my best.". He's such a boss! So other than the baptism and performance, it was a rather ordinary week, truthfully. 

Actually, on second thought, we ran into about 3 less actives on the street, completely out of the blue. We had just talked about a certain less active, Brother Liu Jia Xin, in a missionary counsel meeting and his name was in the back of our minds. Neither I or Elder Chalmers had met him before. We went contacting at night in a part of the city less visited and came across a college-age looking kid and started talking to him. He said his name is Liu. We had the exact same thought and ask him,"Liu Jia Xin?". Of course, it was him. He ended up coming to the performance and baptism the following night and we're in the process of finding him some friends and getting him to feel the good word. We had similar experiences with two other less actives. Investigator pool, parched. Though as I sit in this internet cafe looking out the window, it's raining, so maybe that's a good sign. Should be a good week. 

​Ya it was a little hot and we are all a little antsy to go next door to the A/C... 

Transfer 13 - Week 4

The missionary work has started to pick up here! We finally got a real investigator to church! That is burdensome business in Linkou, I'll have you know. We also met a couple others last week whom's first words were basically I would like to get baptized because I believe in Christ. Those moments always allow an opportunity for one to marvel at the power of the Spirit and of Christ, and of God. It's hardly anything us missionaries do, in fact, because in both cases, both of these men contacted us on the street themselves. It is humbling, to go about for God and his purposes and to see these miracles displayed, simply because these people allowed the Spirit to touch their hearts. 

The first is Wang Jun Kai, I think I mentioned him in another email, a couple weeks back. The second is Hong Zheng Hua and we just ran into him last week. They both say they want to be baptized and both have dates for  August 9th. We're going to try and get them there! This transfer has gone by incredibly fast! We're on the 5th week already but I feel these 2 investigators are the start of many more good things to come. It is my hope that Elder Clark and I will be able to get another transfer together but we'll see how things go! Sorry, I don't have any pictures again this week... It's hard to take pictures! Love you all!! 

我愛你們噢！ 

Transfer 13 - Week 3

Well this last week we had our temple day on Wednesday as you might recall so it was a shorter week but still very good! First story, we were contacting an old, really nice man and had a good conversation going about Christianity and our church. Then, out of nowhere, in broken but understandable English says to me,"You are a very elegant man." I definitely let loose some giggles. 

Random stuff like this actually happens all the time but I realized none of you are aware of these classic moments so I thought I would share. Second Story. This was actually a couple weeks ago in our Gospel Principles class at church but it's worth mentioning. We were at the beginning of the class, introducing the investigators, newcomers, etc. and one man in the back, was a bit shy and couldn't be heard. A member, Sister Chen Wei, a very outgoing woman, yells,"That's Brother Lin! I've taught him with the missionaries before! I know why he's not baptized yet! It's TITHING!!" After everyone had gotten control of themselves and stopped laughing, I was still trying to keep it in but it was all priceless. 

Ok so now on to missionary work.We had finished lunch and I noticed this guy who had just pulled up with his scooter outside and I took notice of him (he looked kind of like a punk and was looking at me through the window) but didn't think much of it. A minute later we came out of the cafe during lunch when this cool guy, Eric (his English name) came up and started talking to us about church. We were just on our way to another appointment so we told him we couldn't talk long but we could meet him in two hours at the church and give him a tour. He said sure! So we met with him and gave him a tour and at the end invited him to baptism and he said yes! The only sad thing is that this was during exchanges so he's not actually my investigator... But team Jesus right! I think he'll get baptized about a month from now and will keep you updated. 

In our area, we found a really cool investigator. Equally as cool, just not as cool of a story. We were walking down the street, he seemed nice, we talked to him, has interest, exchanged information, set up a later time to meet, high fived goodbye and thanked God that we found a new investigator. Anyway, this email is a bit lengthy, because I don't have any pictures to send... Sorry! Oh and three Philippino less actives came to church! Apparently they've been living in Linkou for some time but haven't known where a church is because they don't speak any Chinese. So that was cool! 

Alright, love all of you! 

Transfer 13 - Week 2

Hello everyone! First off, I apologize for not saying last week that this week would be Temple Day and that I wouldn't be emailing on the usual Monday. 

But by now, you are all probably used to me not saying anything about it so no worries. Today we went to Taipei for the temple and it was great! Complete with brownies afterwards in the mission office. Yesterday we went to Bade (my last area) for zone conference and some specialized training from the Mission President. While there, I learned that one of my old investigators I found and taught got baptized a week ago! Pan Qi Wen! He's a beast!

Let's see, so this last week was actually a little difficult. The weather has started to get very hot and our investigator pool is still rather shallow so must of our time is out on the streets talking to people. We have managed to find a few good investigators who have real interest in the Gospel, the only problem is that they can only meet once a week and they work on Sundays so getting them to church is a challenge. We're currently working with a Brother Wen and another Brother Feng. The first, a cancer researcher and the second, a profession pistol shooter. They are both doing very well and slowly progressing, reading the Book of Mormon on their own and praying as well. They're great! Working on getting them to church somehow. We're really hoping and praying that this week we will be able to find some more good and new investigators. Since our area is new, we don't have any RC's to work with or anything like that so we really need to just build it up from the bottom. Oh get this. I officially have holes in the bottoms of my shoes! I'm official now. Nothing to worry about though, it actually makes me feel more hardcore and I see it as an advantage. 

So yep that is the update with Elder Hagedorn and Linkou. 

Love you all! Stay hungry, stay foolish.

Transfer 13 - Week 1

So this was my new companion and I's first week together and it was good! 

I was actually a little sick, and was blowing my nose like I've never blown before, I was actually a bit impressed by the amount of tissues I went through. I'm doing better now though! My throat is officially well and yes, singing in the shower has been sorely missed. A few days ago we were contacting down a sidewalk and this guy came up and contacted us! He asked if we were missionaries and told us that he had been a missionary before for another Christian church so we talked to him and he really wants to come to church and talk to us about our church! It was super cool! We'll be meeting with him this week and we're pretty excited about him. 

Lately, we have found many investigators, but yet no one seems to stick. We have been working with grandmas as well but they also have become "busy", meaning their interest is waning. We do, however, have high hopes for this missionary man. His name is Wang Jun Kai. We also found another investigator named Wen Wen Hong and we'll actually be seeing him tonight at the one and only KFC! Who wouldn't accept the Gospel over fried chicken? I've also recently been studying Chinese pretty hardcore lately, for the sake of being hardcore, and can definitely feel the effects of a good study session. 

The same thing goes for my personal study. I've been studying humility lately, always need to review, and came across some great scriptures that have changed my heart. I will just list a few, the first is Proverbs 27:2. It says in essence, do not seek to your boast over yourself but be humble and other people will boast of you. That was a terrible paraphrasing so I would suggest looking it up for yourself but it's well said. My favorite right now is Luke 14:10. It says to sit in the lowest seat and then they will find that you are worthy to sit in the higher seat and the glory will be yours. I feel that none of us can judge ourselves, we are all beggars before God and Christ. Mosiah 4:19. I cannot say smoothly so just look up the scriptures and know that they have affected me quite powerfully. Especially the one in Luke. 

I hope you all have a terrific week!