This week was super eventful!
Monday we had choir practice again at 金華 and then afterward we went and did some really cool barbecue stuff. It's a cool joint where you grill your own meat in these little grills in the table. It was super good but super expensive compared to other meals we have (it was 626 kuai as opposed to the usual 80-100 kuai we spend). It was good though! After that, we just rode over to Costco on the MRT! It was my first time being in a Costco ever and man it was so big! We eventually made our way back to 淡水 and got our groceries then went back to the apartment and rested up! We didn't do much after preparation day ended so that's all I'll say about Monday. Though today while I was singing in the choir I just had an overwhelming feeling come over me that I never want being a missionary to end! Thankfully I have a long ways to go before that happens. I love being here so much!!
Tuesday was a mellow day. Nothing much happened but we did teach 3 lessons and they all went well though. I kinda called the shots and talked more today and it felt super good to participate more! I feel like it helped me, and the friends we taught understood me so it's all good! The weather was super good today though it's starting to cool down more and it's super comfortable. This week is transfer week. Even though I'm not moving or anything it's an exciting time because all my MTC friends are going to be coming in now and it's an exciting time!
Wednesday started out super good. We did a solid 8K run up to a super cool temple thing up in a mountain nearby. The run itself was rough since I'm super out of shape (and I'm coming down with a cold) but it was so beautiful. It was a light sprinkle and we even saw a double rainbow! I did get a blister which isn't fun but then again things aren't always easy! The run was super good. Other than that we just did studies and prep for English class! Just the usual Wednesday activities but we made crepes for dinner with the district and it was a good time :)
Thursday was transfer day! Elder Pope and I didn't move but we did get a new roommate! Elder Hogge moved out which I'm bummed about. He was such a great guy I'm gonna miss him! Now we have Elder Weber and he's a cool dude also it'll be fun to get to know him more. Since we weren't affected by the transfers at all it was a normal day for us. We did a lot of the usual things we usually do but we rode a lot of public transportation which I actually enjoy a lot. So that was fun! My cold is getting a little better every day and I can't wait to be over it! The last awesome thing from today is that I am no longer in the youngest group on the island! We got 2 new generations of missionaries because the visa issue has been resolved for the time being so now people aren't getting visa waited! That means that the groups that came in today have had either 1 transfer of wait or none. I am also a level 3 missionary since I am starting my third transfer! Such an awesome day!
Friday was such a blessed day! We had a mission conference with Elder Homer (a general authority seventy) and President Owen who is the Young Men General President! They shared some marvelous things and I left the meeting so inspired and encouraged to become the best me that I can be. That was a point Elder Homer made and when he said that he was looking into my eyes and kinda lingered. So I definitely took that statement to heart! I gotta become Heber 2.0! Another awesome part of today was seeing all of my friends from the MTC district 6 weeks behind me that just arrived in Taiwan! It was such a joyful reunion and I was so happy to see them all! Today was honestly such an awesome day I am so happy to have been able to live it!
Saturday was super interesting. We had a baptismal service for one of the sister's friends. It was a super great service and Elder Pope and I had some of our people being taught there as well so it was awesome! The interesting part is that we went to get dinner and brought it back to the chapel and after we ate it in the basement we went up the stairs to the third floor and little did we know that water had begun to leak from an unknown source and it was flooding the top floor! So we had to start the baptism late because we were bailing out water with whatever we could find! The problem got managed thankfully and the baptism was performed and so everything was kosher in the end! Definitely an interesting turn of events though.
Sunday was mega good we got to go to the recent convert fireside! I love going to these because I get to see other missionaries but even more so is the musical numbers people perform! Music has really been a way for me to feel the spirit a lot since I've begun my mission and I wish I could sing more! Even though I don't have the best voice I love taking advantage of every opportunity I have. Today was awesome and a great way to conclude out another amazing week in the best mission in the world!
Love you all so much have a blessed week and if you need anything lemme know!
宋長老
Elder Ciminski