翻譯很好玩喔 (Season 14 Episode 4) - 2/24/20

Greetings and salutations! 大家好!

Monday was awesome. We had a good morning getting some exercise in and then had a good time getting some studies done and calling family. Pretty much the usual preparation day things. The fun part was going to Costco and having a friend help drive us there so we didn't have to bike there. We got our shopping done and then made our way back to the chapel and shot some emails off and then proceeded to get stood up by an investigator. It was all good though because we were prepared and now we will be prepared for the next time we teach that lesson. That was pretty much the day though. Way fun and chill too. I do enjoy a nice, relaxing preparation without the expectation of doing much. It helps truly prepare me for the next week's work.

Tuesday was a very awesome day! We had Zone Conference and it was awesome! President asked me to help translate alongside a Taiwanese elder and boy, did I have a good time doing it! Comparing it to the first time I tried translating 6 transfers ago I can see such a big improvement. I felt super great and kept up with hardly any issue. It all flowed so smoothly and afterward the missionaries I translated for thanked me and said I did a very nice job. So that was a big confidence boost and Zone Conference itself was great too. We talked about the pamphlets and President shouted me out for the pamphlets and providing the letter that our mission is using now to help us learn how to do it. A big thing that was introduced to us was the new mission music standards. Up until now, we hadn't had any specific guidelines but now we do. And to be honest it meant me deleting almost all my music. I did it right then and told President because he knows how hard it was for me. The sacrifice is worth it and I am willing to give up something I love for a mission and a God I love even more. After this amazing conference, we went to a taco shop for language study and it played some interesting tunes. We heard "What Does The Fox Say?" and other great hits. We also had dinner there and it was so tasty. I miss Mexican food a lot so this was a great taste. And for the night I was on exchanges with my District Leader Elder Bell! We had an awesome night and also had some awesome discussions about life and our missions. He is a great man and I love serving alongside him.

Wednesday was another good day. Elder Bell and I had a chill morning and got out the door to do our studies and whatnot. We honestly had a laid back day because we did studies and English Group planning so it was some planning and whatnot. Then we came back to our apartment and did contacting and had dinner then had our English group. It went well and afterward we just went home and also hung out with the District for a second before heading out. So it was a good day and pretty chill too.

Thursday was a good day and we didn't have much going on so we went out to a further part of the area and tried to visit some members that were on our list. That was the big activity of the day and at night we spent some time talking to a member and Elder Ellis and I talking amongst ourselves. We just got to chatting and time got away. It was a good time though. And we also had a fun morning exercise with the other Elders. We met up at a sports stadium nearby and did a running workout and threw a frisbee around for a bit too. The workout was fun, we did two, 1-mile repeats. So not a lot of volume but for where I'm at it was a good workout. The first mile was 5:53 and the second one was 5:57. So pretty consistent and it was a good push for me as well. So overall it was a good day. Just another day laboring in the vineyard.

Friday was pretty fun! We had a busy day teaching a lesson and doing our studies and weekly planning. That took up a lot of the day and at night we had District Dinner, some contacting, and then practiced singing a song for a gig we are going to tomorrow. It should be a good time but I kinda wished we had more time to practice the song. No matter though, it'll all work out. We also helped set up a little for the wedding reception (the previously mentioned gig), and before you knew it curfew hit and we ended the day.

Saturday was pretty interesting. We had that wedding reception and it was pretty good except for the fact that it lasted a lot longer than we anticipated and therefore kind of wrecked our schedule. However, we were able to salvage our language study and do some companionship study as well. Probably the coolest thing that happened in the day was that we had a lesson with our super promising friend and he also went to the wedding reception for a bit too since we were tied up with that. When we shared the commandments with him he was very willing to obey and saw the blessings he could receive as a result. It was so inspiring and as I told him that no matter what he has done in the past he can have a fresh start and follow these commandments and he was so willing to do it. He committed to come to church and he is really coming along nicely. The last fun thing we did was have dinner with four YSA members and that was really fun too. So overall it was a fun day with some good things going on.

Sunday was pretty busy and fun. We had church and our most progressing friend was able to come with us! So that was super great and after church we had foreign member Come Follow Me and a nice lunch! By the time afternoon hit, we did studies until our coordination meeting with the other ward we cover. That was pretty good and after dinner and contacting people we ended the day with a lesson with the sisters where we went to visit one of their recent converts who is a young man. It was fun and biking home was nice because I was able to talk with the Taiwanese sister in our District and after we biked back to town she said she was thankful I spoke Chinese. That hit me hard and it made me think that sometimes the Taiwanese missionaries sometimes just need a friend and someone to talk to. I am so grateful I am able to speak Chinese fluently and be the friend that these missionaries sometimes really need. The sabbath truly is a delight!

Elder Heber Chase Ciminski

謝希伯長老

奇蹟的神 (Season 14 Episode 3) - 2/17/20

Greetings and salutations, 大家好!

Good day, Monday. Our P-Day was pretty chill as always, we had a nice morning then went to Costco and shopped and had lunch with the Elders. Then we went back to our part of town, finished up shopping, then went to the chapel to write emails and whatnot. I also set up my bullet journal and am super excited to put it to use! I already started with it and I love it! At night we had a lesson that was super cool. It was with a referral we got last week and he set a baptismal goal with us! So that was nice but I felt like I was stumbling over my words during the lesson which means I was trying too hard to put myself into it. I need to step back and let Heavenly Father take the lead.

Tuesday was super fun. We had a busy morning and started exchanges with our Zone Leaders. We ended the day with 2 lessons total and 1 new friend and some great progression in one of our other friends. On top of that we had District Council and that was really nice too. We talked about seeking the Spirit for everything and that was nice. I can always use more of the Spirit and have that guide me in my life. So that and District dinner were the highlights of the day! It was a busy day and I also enjoyed talking with my Zone Leader Elder Dalton. He's from Gilbert too and so we have loads in common and it's fun to be with him. And lastly, I had a great personal achievement in that I went for a run in the morning and ran a 5k in 19:26. That is my first under 20-minute 5k since sophomore year of high school! I struggled mentally during it and had to stop twice for a minute to gather myself but nonetheless I count it as a huge win for myself and a great confidence booster.

Wednesday was very nice. We had some frisbee in the morning and then ended off our exchange soon after. It was a good exchange and we were blessed to see some awesome miracles and met some great people! Something cool that I noticed in myself this morning was that when I was ready to go standing next to the door, I realized I didn't have my phone! I think that is so awesome I felt ready to leave and didn't even think about my phone. I think that has something to do with the calmness and balance I have felt recently. With my new endeavours in journaling and meditation it has helped me be more in tune with God and helps empty my mind of things that can be placed elsewhere. So aside from that, we also had English group and that was awesome and I loved our spiritual share. I felt prompted to teach the third lesson to our students and relate it back to the video we watched and it was so powerful and clear. The Spirit was there and prepared one of our attendees to set up with us and become a new investigator of ours! God's hand is in this work. His arm is always bared and I see the power it brings. You can't serve a mission or serve God in any capacity like this and not see His hand. It is ALWAYS there.

Thursday was pretty great. The biggest highlight of the day was actually our frisbee game in the morning because President Peterson was there! He is in town to do interviews and so we invited him to the game and he made it! It was so much fun and everyone played really well. There was also one time where President was open so someone threw him the frisbee and I ran over and jumped and spiked it down and it was way good. President returned the favor and he got me on defense a few times too. It was so awesome to be able to see President let loose and have fun with us. I also had a good game offensively too with some great throws and a few awesome catches. I walked away with some of the newer missionaries telling me I gotta teach them some stuff. President also told me later in interviews that my frisbee game is better than my Chinese! So that is a high compliment from him. That leads to the other highlight of the day which was interviews. It was pretty short but President and I talked about teaching with the pamphlets and how they want to start training more on it and since I wrote about it to him this week he asked me for my resources and stuff on how I learned to use the pamphlet. He had me send it to him during my interview and then he immediately sent it to all the Zone Leaders and Sister Training Leaders to prepare to train everyone else on. So I am way stoked for that and next week at my Zone Conference I will give a training on how we are doing it! Despite the success of the pamphlets we still got stood up 3 times this evening so that was a bummer. Tomorrow is a new day with new opportunities!

Friday was a good day. We started off the day well and just did studies and weekly planning before having some dinner with the District! We went to a steak place but I am just there for the ice cream and other snacks. After dinner we started an exchange with the traveling Assistants to the President. It started off pretty good and I was privileged to be with a Taiwanese companion once again! It was good and we taught one lesson to our most promising friend and he committed to come to church on Sunday and he seems super solid! I am excited to see his progression because if everything goes to plan he can get baptized this transfer. And the last awesome thing from the day is that President Peterson sent out preparation for Zone Conferences and included in it was the document I sent him during interviews that helps learning how to teach with the pamphlets. It made me feel pretty cool to have been able to provide that document and now have the whole mission learn from it. Next week should be pretty fun.

Saturday was pretty good. Had a lesson in the morning and that was pretty good. Another one of our friends is slowly but surely making his way down the covenant path. Aside from that, we were still on exchanges and so we just did the normal studies and found our way around. We were also blessed with the chance to administer a priesthood blessing to a member who has ran into some tough challenges these last few weeks. That was a good experience and afterwards we had dinner with our District and the traveling Assistants. One of them bought the whole district dinner and that was super solid. Then we swapped back and had a night of calling people and Elder Ellis and I talked about our exchanges and stuff. He had a great time and learned a lot but I didn't really walk away feeling that lifted up, so I guess I need to take a look and see what I could have done better or what I missed. Overall it was a good day and I'm thankful for what we could do within it.

Sunday was a way fun day. We had church in the morning and topped off a great week with having two of our investigators coming to church! Numbers-wise this was the best week of my mission all around. And for that I am grateful because it shows that God is still a God of miracles and they have not ceased. After church, we spent some time with our members and then the other Elders doing some teaching roleplays. Then I got to call a good mission friend that is already home and talk about this area because he served here also. We got some good tips and insights from him so we have some more ideas for finding. After getting stood up for our only appointment of the day we did some record-updating and daily contacting which took up most of the night because Elder Ellis did the contacting for the day! It really pushed him and he was able to do it all! I am very proud of him. Then we talked with some of the YSA members that were at the chapel and finished off the day with dinner. So a really fun day and lots of chances for growth and learning!

Elder Heber Chase Ciminski

謝希伯長老

透過天堂的眼睛，看你的生活 (Season 14 Episode 2) - 2/10/20

Greetings and salutations, 大家好!

Monday was an awesome day! We had a killer preparation day and we are starting a new tradition of going to Costco with the other Elders for shopping and lunch. So we did that and I bought some food to make for this week that will be a bit healthier and help me re-establish my previous habits. Aside from that, we just hung out around home and wrote some emails and I took a nap which was very nice. Then at night we had a lesson with a friend and it was so awesome! Elder Ellis and I were both able to teach and the spirit was so strong during the lesson. Ultimately the Holy Ghost is the teacher but we did everything we could to make sure the Spirit was present. We also got more member stuff sorted out and called some potentials. We had a cool experience that touched me. We were biking home and I stopped and talked to a guy walking down the street. He was a very nice guy and at the end of the contact he gave us some face masks to help keep us safe and healthy. It was such a nice act of charity, a man we had just met, sharing with us his face masks because he cared about us. That made me smile.

Tuesday was a good day and it went by so fast. We had our normal studies and then had lunch with a member we brought back to church! He is doing well and the lunch was very tasty. It was raining though which made it harder to talk to people. However the people we had the chance to talk with were all so nice and one said I spoke Chinese so fluently and someone else asked me if I was born and raised in Taiwan. I am so grateful to have received these high compliments but in the end I know the real reason behind my lanaguge and it's the gracious blessings of Heavenly Father. The gift of tongues is a real thing. I have seen it time and time again and can really testify of it.

Wednesday was pretty sweet! We had a good time doing studies and I had some good meals I cooked myself! So it was way awesome. Because of the Wuhan Virus we have to keep off the streets and avoid talking to people. So it is pretty wild, and another thing that makes my mission way interesting. We continued to press forward in member work and getting things rolling on that. It's going to start taking off soon. We also had District Dinner and then English Group also! So it was a fun day and another adventure for sure.

Thursday was a good day. And, as every 6th day of the month does, it marks another month being on my mission and this time around marks month 20. Super wild but the work doesn't ever slow down! We had District Council and a lesson that made the day go by pretty quick. We also got lots more done in regards to members and also called lots of people. We still got some setups so that was a big blessing. As I was biking around I got such a feeling of gratitude for being able to be in Taiwan. I absolutely love living in Asia and am so grateful that I have been called to serve here.

Friday was amazing. We had a busy day with weekly planning and 2 appointments also. One appointment was with a less active and it went pretty well! The other appointment was with a friend we met with earlier this week, and he brought a friend with him who wants to learn more! It was such an amazing miracle and I have really noticed a difference in the lessons we teach when we use the pamphlets and when we don't. We have been using the pamphlets every lesson now and it has brought the spirit so much more. So I'm glad I have finally come around and have started using this! We also helped our older friend set a baptismal goal! So it was such a day of miracles.

Another awesome day! Saturday we had a great day getting studies done and getting stood up twice. That was ok because at night we had a member dinner with my favorite family in 竹北! They fed us pizza and chicken and we had a great time chatting and Elder Ellis got some good Chinese practice! It was a fun time and I always feel such a great spirt when I'm at that home. Other than that we called people and tried to do other finding things besides street contacting. The progress is slower but it's better than nothing and worth being safer.

Sunday was way wild. We went to church at the normal time in the morning and then before you knew it it was 5:30PM and we were leaving the chapel for the first time. What happened was that we had our own ward's meetings and then did some Come Follow Me with the foreign members in our ward. Afterwards we had a lunch get-together and then as we were walking out to head home we ran into a guy that Elder Ellis had contacted this last week and so we ended up turning around and going to two more hours of church with him. Then after that ward finished we had another meeting that lasted an hour. AND THEN we did our studies at the chapel so we could get them done on time. So when we finally got home we ate dinner then headed back to the chapel for the night and got the rest of our member spreadsheet sorted out! It feels way good to finally have that done and now we can start calling everybody and bring back the sheep that have strayed! So we spent all our day except for dinner at the chapel but we got a lot done and that felt good.

Elder Heber Chase Ciminski

謝希伯長老

我的baby出生了! (Season 14 Episode 1) - 2/3/20

Greetings and salutations!

Monday was a very good day. For Preparation Day we did not do that much. I did get a hair cut and got some shopping done and got some great deals along the way! In addition to that, we also wrote some emails and hung out at the chapel until we went back home for a bit and got some good housekeeping items out of the way. For our meals, we were blessed once again to have 2 Member-provided meals. Every time it is always so good and so even though I am noticeably gaining weight I am content with it. When New Year is over I can start controlling myself again and get back to normal. For now, I am happy with everything.

Another full day in the books. Tuesday was pretty good our 2 meal appointments were way good and lasted over two hours, but it was nice. At one of them, we also had Family Home Evening and we played games and whatnot and it was lots of fun. I felt a great spirit in that home as we all had that time together. Aside from that we just did studies and filled up the rest of the time with what we could. Tomorrow marks the end of Chinese New Year and also the last day of the transfer! So crazy how time flies.

Wednesday was pretty laid back. Our lunch appointment ended up taking 4 hours between travel there and back and the actual meal. So that was a big chunk of time and then we had District Council and dinner right after. Then we ended the night with our English group! So the day went by super quick and it was my last full day with Elder Seamons. This time has flown by and I am grateful for it all. I learned a lot these last two transfers and am excited for the next chapter in this journey, training! It's been a wild ride and will only pick up more. I can't wait.

Thursday was a big day!! We were up early and out the door to drop the two moving elders off at the train station. Afterward, Elder Bell and I took the shuttle to the high-speed rail station and made our way to 台北. Once we got there we were busy getting stuff done. We had a meeting with President Peterson and all the trainers and then we got into the big meeting with all of us together, trainers and trainees. That was awesome and it definitely felt better being on the other side of things this time around. The last thing we did was obviously knowing who our new companions were! So my new companion is named Elder Ellis and he is from California and he's a solid dude! I already love him a lot and am excited to work with him and help him out. Once we got out of the meeting we had a circus act of trying to get 8 missionaries, 2 bikes, and 5 people's luggage all through the busy MRT and onto trains. It was a wild ride but we did it and for the night we just got my companion settled and some little grocery items taken care of. Since we got back late that was about all we had time for. So excited for the future!

Friday was so great. We had a busy day with getting studies in and our weekly planning as well as having a lesson with a super awesome guy! He's an aspiring rapper and he let us listen to one of his songs about Kobe. Good stuff. We had a way fun District Dinner and then a night of getting stood up by people and contacting more potentials! The grind still goes on and we are working on getting Elder Ellis settled in and he's doing a great job so far!

Saturday was pretty sick. We didn't have any appointments or anything going on so it was a day of studies and finding! We were able to hit our 20 conversation goal and it was awesome! We also had some great studies and did some awesome roleplays. I usually don't like roleplaying but it was nice to do it again. Recently I have been feeling super happy. I am happy with my companion, my mission, and everything else that's going on so I honestly have no complaints! I am grateful for Heavenly Father and his never-ending blessings I am so lucky to receive!

Sunday was super awesome. We had an awesome church meeting and afterward we had ward council. Elder Ellis also had a good time at church, he got to meet members and they all love him! Also, Ward Council was such a cool experience. Bishop gave us a few minutes to talk about missionary stuff and so I was talking about our vision for the transfer of working a lot with members and really helping this ward grow through that aspect. We asked who they knew that hadn't been to church in a while that we could go visit and start helping to come back. In the end they gave us 11 names! I was so grateful and astonished how willing they were to give us these names. They will be the focus of this week and we are going to have great experiences working with these members. That night we spent lots of time going through our member list and making it more up to date and then I got to see President Hilton from my MTC branch presidency! He and his wife are in Taiwan serving a mission now and it was so cool to see them and have a few minutes to catch up and let them know I've improved since the MTC! Overall it was a great day. I have been filled with such immense joy recently and I am really grateful for everything I have and all the blessings I have received.

Elder Heber Chase Ciminski

謝希伯長老