回家了！(Season 15 Episode 4) - 4/3/20

My mission ended this week due to the Covid-19 virus. and below is my testimony and some thoughts about my mission...

I never thought that my mission would end like this. But I know that Heavenly Father did. 2 years ago he called me to serve these 22 months in Taiwan. And I am so grateful for the experiences I have had on my mission and how they shaped me into the person I am today. 

I have had many experiences on my mission and have learned so many things. The biggest thing I learned was Heavenly Father's love for his children. I had the great opportunity to work with two people specifically and go through the whole teaching and baptism process with them. These two people have changed my life. I felt just a portion of God's love for them and every time I was with them I felt so full of the Spirit and absolutely filled with love for them. Words aren't adequate to describe those feelings. Because of these experiences, my testimony of this principle grew so much. I know that we are all children of our loving Heavenly Father and that knowledge changes everything. The way I see and perceive people is so different, I am slower to judge and quicker to love and befriend those around me. We are all on this journey together and we all need as much help as we can receive. 

I know that my mission went exactly how it should have. There is nothing I would do differently about it. I know that God is our Heavenly Father and he has given us His son Jesus Christ to bless us as individuals and our families as well. I know we have prophets on the earth just like in the Bible. These prophets are called of God and have his priesthood power to lead the church. President Russell M. Nelson is our living prophet. I know that Joseph Smith restored this church through the power and through God's power brought forth The Book of Mormon as a witness of this restoration and Heavenly Father's love for us. The Book of Mormon is the word of God and it has changed my life. I know that everything I taught on my mission is absolutely true and has the power to change lives. It has changed mine and I have seen it change the lives of the people I taught. I love my Heavenly Father and my savior Jesus Christ. I love Taiwan and am so grateful for every minute I had in that beautiful place.

每一個禮拜都是一樣的 (Season 15 Episode 3) - 3/30/20

Greetings and salutations, 大家好!

Monday was a good day. We had a dope frisbee game in the morning and I had two solid runs there and back. So all was well there and other than that we just chilled for the day and did some shopping with the District at Carrefour. That was fun and pretty much the highlight of the day. In the evening we had a meeting with a less active member and it went really well! Hopefully, despite the virus, we can continue meeting with him and help him come back. That was the day, prayers to all those missionaries going home. See y'all on the flipside.

Tuesday was pretty cool. Started off the day with an awesome run! 10 miles at a 7:19 pace with my last mile clocking in at 6:48! I felt way good and was taking it easy after yesterday's run so I just ran by feel and turned out to be 10 miles. Despite that, we still had a normal day with District Council and taking the Sacrament. We also talked a lot about prayer which was super cool. Then we spent the night trying to find some less-actives in our area and we were able to drop off one card which was a definite success for us.

Wednesday was pretty good. It started off with a big game of frisbee and then had a fun day biking around our area and going to 湖口. A funny thing happened on the ride up. As we were climbing the big hill to get there one of our YSA friends rode by on her scooter. She stopped and said hi and before you knew it she was pulling me up the hill and we flew by Elder Ellis and it was hilarious. That was a good time and aside from studies, we spent our time biking around trying to find less active members. It went pretty well and we gained more information we can give back to the ward if we ever get to meet again.

Thursday was a cool day. We had a good morning and then started an exchange with our Zone Leaders and this time I went to their area. We had a good day and made a few visits. It's always fun going to someone else's area because you are the guest and just follow the other person around and do what you are told. Which sometimes is nice, I definitely enjoyed it.

Friday was pretty sweet. Finished off exchanges and Elder Ellis and I had a good day doing weekly planning and having District Dinner and language study as well. Then for the evening we just called people and filtered through our list a bit more. Good stuff happening here but not all of it makes for exciting journal entries. I'm grateful for every day I can be here. I have recently been looking every day for one thing I can be especially grateful for and it helps me realize the reasons I am still here and that we aren't sent home. There is a reason.

Saturday was pretty awesome. We had a great time and it was raining so it made for a mellow time outside. But we still had two appointments and one became a new investigator and the other was with our recent convert. Both went really well and I especially loved meeting with my recent convert. He's doing absolutely amazing and he was sharing his scripture insights with us and telling us about how he was reading the apostles and stuff. It was so awesome. I just was absolutely filled with love and felt so much happiness being with him. That was easily the highlight of my day.

Sunday was a fast day. Everything went smoothly and the best part was meeting with some of the YSA of our ward and our recent convert as well! We read the first part of Joseph Smith History and taught the first lesson along with it. It went super well and I'll probably remember that for the future. Our convert is doing super well and like I said yesterday, I love him so much. In the evening we tried to find less active homes and got juked out by more addresses but the work still goes on. Then we ended the night off at the other Elders' apartment in preparation for p-day. It's gonna be a good time.

Elder Heber Chase Ciminski

謝希伯長老

甭武漢肺炎 (Season 15 Episode 2) - 3/23/20

Greetings and salutations, 大家好!

Monday was so awesome! We had a fun preparation day that started at 4:30 in the morning and Elder Bell and I went for a great 4.5 mile run to get things started off. We got back and got cleaned up then called family and got ready to head out on a hike! It was a great hike, we got a ride to Taipei and we got to see some awesome sights from the highway and then we did the hike and saw even more awesome sights! It was such a beautiful hike and the weather was so great for it also. The sun was out but it wasn't too hot and there was a slight breeze. The hike was fairly quick so we went and got all-you-can-eat hamburgers in my previous area! It was super cool to go back and see 三峽 and grab some burgers. I also went and saw the new chapel that has been created since I left the area and it was so cool. After four transfers of hearing about it, to finally see it was super awesome. Our adventure continued as we got a ride to Costco and did some quick shopping before heading home and finishing out the day writing some stuff. The night wasn't super eventful but we planned our last English Conversation Group because it has now been shut down!

Tuesday was pretty cool. Nothing much happened except for our District Council. It was really special because we had the sacrament during it. With the cancelation of Sunday meetings, President Peterson gave us the authorization to have the sacrament during District Councils. It was pretty special, really simple, and really awesome. That was the best part of the day for sure. We also had a fun district dinner and spent the rest of the day doing studies and finding. On a side note, we are definitely not in a shortage of toilet paper. Stores here have plenty to spare. Taiwan: 1, America: 0.

Wednesday was pretty good. It was a rainy day so there weren't that many people to talk to. Also, the virus also has made an impact too, haha. So we just did studies and whatnot until the evening when we had our last English Conversation Group for the foreseeable future, possibly the last of my mission. It was ok though, not that many people showed up so we ended up combining groups and it was good. Overall it was a quick day and nothing too notable to write about. We did start an exchange though so I am with my great friend Elder Stewart and we are gonna have a great time!

Thursday was pretty interesting. Our schedule got super thrown off because we had apartment inspections! We also had a lesson at 9:15 in the morning so that messed with the schedule a bit also. It all ended well and we ended up getting lunch with the senior missionaries in charge of doing inspections! That was nice and we spent most of the time talking about the virus and the effects of it. We heard some of the latest news and it sounds pretty wild out in the world. Prayers to Italy for sure. So we got done with inspections and Elder Stewart and I had an awesome time doing studies and then having dinner and spending the night at the chapel. We had a good time together though and I learned a good bit from him. We ended up the night back at our apartment and the other Elders sleeping over because we are going to 台北 tomorrow for a meeting!

Friday was a crazy day. Elder Bell and I got up at 5 AM and got in a brisk 5k before taking a train to 台北 for our 6 week follow up meeting. It was pretty fun and having time with President Peterson is always a treat. What made the meeting most unique was when President sent a text to the whole mission chat and in that text he said we had a high likelihood of getting sent home because of the virus. It was so crazy and so when we finally got back home we grabbed dinner and then started getting our stuff together. We got pretty much all of our stuff together and now just waiting for the inevitable. I'm so surprised that we are at this point and now we really don't know what each new day will bring.

Saturday was a rollercoaster of a day. We woke up to the news that we wouldn't be heading home after all. This is good news, but we were mentally prepared for the other outcome so it was hard to have it flip back around. Long story short, my emotions were all over but we got out to work and things went ok. Just the usual getting stood up by people and calling lots of people. I did receive an email from Church travel though and so the future still can change. For now I got 12 weeks left in this beautiful land!

Sunday was a good day. Still pretty whack not having Sunday services but I'm sure it'll get back to normal soon. Elder Ellis and I did our weekly planning in the afternoon and it went well. We had a good talk and both agreed it's hard to focus on the work sometimes with knowing that so many other places are being affected heavily by the virus and we are supposed to act like nothing is happening. We set a goal for the transfer and hopefully that will whip us back into focus. We had a member dinner and that was great! Things are going well here in Taiwan. I trust in God and even though I'm still scared at times of what will happen in the future I can't do much except for trust it'll all be ok. I still have 12 weeks left so gotta do what I can with the time left!

Elder Heber Chase Ciminski

謝希伯長老

武漢肺炎那麼誇張!! (Season 15 Episode 1) - 3/16/20

Greetings and Salutations! 大家好!

Monday was a well-earned, relaxing preparation day. Aside from shopping I bought new running shoes and we relaxed at home. So there isn't that much to write about. As for the night's work we planned English Group and then did some daily contacting. Elder Ellis and I got to talking about amusement parks and that took up more time than we realized. Since Elder Ellis is from Southern California he knows all about theme parks and we were talking about Disneyland and our favorite rides and memories and stuff. So that was fun and brought back so many awesome family memories.

Tuesday was a pretty chill day. We had some rain in the morning so that made street contacting numbers low but we were able to call lots of people and I learned that some less-active members can be very savage. No worries, life moves on. We also had District Council and it was the last one before the transfer so that was a bummer because we are saying goodbye to one of the sisters. Other than that, we had the other Elders at our apartment for dinner and that was fun because Elder Bell and I had some great talks about running and talking about what we wanna do in the future. It will be so fun to be with him at BYU in the future and keep up our friendship. The rain subsided towards the middle of the day so that made the weather very nice.

Wednesday was a good day. We had a pretty busy day and the reason being that a member took the whole District out to a barbecue place! It was very tasty and it was actually the same place that we went to on Elder Seamons' birthday so it was cool to eat there again. After lunch, we just did studies and had dinner before English group. This morning I also took my new running shoes out for a spin and they are super great, they feel awesome and will definitely take me places. So it was a good day all in all and tomorrow marks the start of my second to last transfer. What a surreal feeling. However cool that is I also got hit with the realization that our teaching pool is down to two people. This means that we really gotta step up the finding grind, which is hard but also the time where miracles happen.

Thursday was a good day. We had a normal day, but because of the weather, street contacting was pretty hard. We had two lessons set up that both didn't end up happening and they got bumped to tomorrow. One was scheduled with our friend who is getting baptized on Saturday, but he still needs to meet with us one more time so if he doesn't come tomorrow then we will have to reschedule the baptism. I was pretty stressed after he rescheduled because it is so last minute but as I was pondering and half-mentally praying for comfort I just had a thought that no matter what happens, nothing is because of what we did. We are doing our best and the rest is out of our control. Aside from that nothing crazy happened. Just another day of work and the start of a new transfer. My second to last!

Friday was pretty awesome. We had a good morning and I did my third run of the week and that was pretty sweet. Still feeling good! As for the missionary work, we had two amazing lessons as well as starting an exchange with the Traveling Assistants. Our two lessons were so awesome though. One was with our progressing friend and it was so powerful. He told us a little more about his past and I am completely amazed at the faith he has and the desire he has to turn his life around. He is totally gonna get baptized but until sacrament meetings can happen again I'm not sure how he can progress. No matter, I know God cares for us and we have a prophet who is guiding us. Things will work out how they need to. Our other lesson was with our friend who is getting baptized tomorrow! He's so awesome and we had a great review with him and he is totally ready to go. It was kinda a bummer because now we have to organize everything kinda last second. Once again I have faith it will all work out. I trust Heavenly Father's hand to be in this event.

Saturday was amazing. We had a great morning on exchanges and talked to some awesome people and then we had a lesson as well which ended up in us getting a new friend! He's a way awesome 17-year old and he seems way sincere about this stuff so it'll be fun to continue working with him. We did some studies and had dinner before the fun night ensued which included a baptism! Heavenly Father is so great and He helped this process go so smoothly. The baptismal service for our friend was amazing and even though it was a smaller service, I am so glad it could happen. If it hadn't had happened then we would have had to wait who knows how long until things regarding the virus get better. God's hand is in everything. No doubt about it. The Spirit was present and now our friend is a member of the church. Such a beautiful day.

Sunday was pretty weird. It did not feel like a Sunday at all. I guess that's what happens when you don't have any church meetings or anything like that. It just felt like a normal day. We still did the normal things including our weekly planning to make up for not doing it Friday. It is pretty interesting with these new guidelines and whatnot because it makes our work very hard. Because so much of our work revolves around having people attend church, so with no church it halts our progression a bit. Now we will just have to get creative and make it work with the new changes. It will be interesting to see how the next little bit goes and if anything else will happen. Only God knows so I am just waiting for His will to be made manifest and I will follow accordingly.

Elder Heber Chase Ciminski

謝希伯長老

雙數的矮人 (Season 14 Episode 6) - 3/9/20

Greetings and salutations, 大家好!

Monday was loads of fun. We woke up in the morning and ran to frisbee and back. It ended up being a 10K all in all. And my 5K split back home was faster then my split heading out so that was some good improvement. We then proceeded to call familia and then headed out to Costco! It was especially fun because we had YSA come with us and then the 新竹 missionaries came too so it was a big party. We had a good time and got the necessities. Then we came back to the apartment and chilled before getting myself a hair cut and then planning english group. It was a chill day and pretty relaxed.

Tuesday was loads of fun. We had District Council and watched the new broadcast from Elder Uchtdorf and it was pretty cool. We also ate dinner with the District at a hotpot restaurant and we went to a different one than usual but it wasn't as good. I guess that's why if it ain't broke, don't fix it. At night we updated our member wall and then had some good times finding. The crazy experience of the day happened in a Family Mart. I was sitting at a table and Elder Ellis was at another one talking to a guy. All the sudden a lady sits down across from me and long story short she was kinda crazy, hit on me and made me feel super uneasy so we left super fast. Very whack and glad we got out of there quick.

Wednesday was pretty cool. It was a pretty chill day because our schedule was full. We had 2 lessons set up for the day and one of them ended up happening and he became a new friend so I am very grateful to be able to share the gospel with another precious child of God. To think that 24 hours prior to that lesson he still hadn't even known about the missionaries (I street contacted him last night). It is so wild to think about how fast someone's life can be changed. Our other lesson didn't end up happening because he had to work overtime, but we got another time set up and so it all ended well. Aside from that, we had English Conversation Group and that went well also. Nothing way crazy happened but I did get an email from the Mission Secretary with my official church travel documents. Still got 101 days left and I got some big lofty goals to hit within that time. So I have no time to waste!

Good day Thursday. It was an exchange day and I was with Elder Stewart in my area. It was a good day and we went out to 湖口 and spent the whole afternoon out in that part of the area. It was pretty fun we explored the college in the process of doing our studies. It was enjoyable and I liked the time with Elder Stewart. We also had a lesson with our friend who is getting baptized soon! We reviewed the baptismal interview questions with him and he seems ready to go. The real interview is this Saturday and we are very excited for him. He seems like an honest and standup man and it's been so awesome to see him progress along the path. When we biked back to 竹北 and had dinner with the District at McDonalds then finished up the night doing daily contacting. Overall a great day. I'm grateful for everyday I have to be alive and help make this earth a better place.

Friday was a great day. It also marks another month on the mission. We are up to 21 months complete and only three left. It was a good day for sure. We didn't end up getting out of the house until almost 4 in the afternoon because Elder Ellis took his language test and passed it! Then we had lunch and our weekly planning session. So we finally got out and did some language study before having dinner. In the evening we had to run to the dermatologist (this time for Elder Ellis) and then we got stood up for our only lesson of the day. Then we headed home and did some daily contacting as well. It was also a frisbee day which meant I got two good runs in. The run out there I did no GPS or anything. On the way home I clocked a 6:07 and 5:48 miles respectively. Midway through I had a near miss with a red-light runner and that got me a mix of adrenaline and frustration that propelled me that last mile. My body is feeling good and my running is feeling better every time.

Saturday was a great day. We hit every one of our goals and it felt super good. We talked with 20 people, called 15 formers, shared 10 Book of Mormon scriptures on the streets, and visited three member homes as well as adding one new baptismal date to our teaching pool! So it was a very productive day and the best part was the lesson we had with our friend. We picked him up this week and he is honestly so ready. He shared with us some of his reasons for wanting to meet with us and it was pretty deep. Then we invited him to be baptized and he had such a great desire for it. He told us some things that have happened previously in his life and he told us he wants to become a better man. I am so grateful we can work with him and help him receive the power of Jesus Christ in his life.

Sunday was awesome. Another day where we hit our goals! We set some high goals and worked to get it done. Church was also pretty awesome. After church our friend for interviewed for baptism. It turns out that he still needs to deepen his understanding on some things so we need to keep on working with him for a little bit longer. His heart is in the right place though so we just need to step up our teaching in order to best help him. All good things will come with time. Aside from that we had a member dinner with a super amazing family and it was a nice time! We ate curry and brownies and that's such a great combination to be honest. It was way tasty and we were so grateful they invited us over!

Elder Heber Chase Ciminski

謝希伯長老

哇塞這個禮拜過得很快 (Season 14 Episode 5) - 3/2/20

Greetings and salutations. 大家好!

Preparation day! Monday was way relaxed. We only went out for our Costco trip with the Elders. While we were there though we ran into a member! Fun coincidence and we enjoyed the rest of the shopping trip as well. Since it is the end of the month I splurged and got some chips and salsa! It will be such an amazing snack this whole week! On our way back home we stopped by the other Elders flat and dropped of their stuff before heading back to our place and spending the rest of the day there. We busted out some emails and enjoyed the rest time. We had our Coordination Meeting at night and called people the rest of the day.

Tuesday was a fun day. We had a busy day because we had District Council and studies and a member dinner at night. The member dinner was super far out so we hauled out there and had a good dinner. Then we ended up at the college that's in a far corner of our area and it was super cool! We did daily contacting there and then headed back to 竹北 for the night. We were able to see some stars at night and it was so mesmerizing. Astronomy has always intrigued me and tonight was incredible. We biked back and had a great view of the cities of 竹北 and 新竹 and it was so beautiful. I am so grateful to be here in Taiwan and am filled with an indescribable love for this country. The last highlight of the day was my morning run. 6 miles at a 6:56 pace with my fastest mile being my last one in 6:25! Running is also amazing. 

Wednesday was pretty nice. We had 2 lessons and they both went well. For one we just read the Book of Mormon with him and the other one was with our friend that is close to baptism! We finished up the commandments and he is down to live them. After our lesson we learned he still smokes and so we need to go back and make sure he understands the Word of Wisdom. I still have faith in him. He is going to make it! Aside from those events it was studies and planning and then English group! So just more of the usual routine.

Thursday was a good day! We spent the morning and afternoon doing studies and then we biked all the way to 新竹 to meet up with the Zone Leaders to start an exchange. It was kinda fun because they didn't expect us to go to their chapel but we figured since they were having District Council why not. So we went and just walked in the back and sat down and when they ended we acted like nothing happened. Pretty funny and everyone got a kick out of my bike lock (which is just a chain and padlock). After we started our exchange we came back to 竹北 and dropped some stuff off at home before heading to dinner. We had dinner with the district at our favorite hot pot place and it was loads of fun. At night we just did some daily contacting and then called lots of people. So nothing super wild but we did talk to some cool people so even if they weren't interested in the gospel it was cool to meet new people.

Friday was pretty cool! We had a good morning and that included some frisbee. I didn't play but did run there and back and on my run back I clocked a 19:52 5K which was so awesome. My form and strength is definitely coming back so I am optimistic to hit my running goals this year! Anyways as for the work we finished up exchanges with some studies and an evaluation. Then we swapped back and grabbed lunch, did weekly planning, ate dinner and had a night of trying to find members houses and daily contacting. So it was pretty fun and we found a cool park in our area! Being on foot always leads to some good exploring.

Saturday was an amazing day. We had an amazing biking adventure that included us going into Taoyuan and going to the most remote part of the area and trying to find one person's address. Turns out the address was a dud but the adventure wasn't. We ended up on a mountain road that sat on a ridge between two valleys. The road had such a sweet flow that we were just able to cruise the whole thing and it was so exhilarating. Then we biked a pretty long way back into town which was actually pretty sweet. We saw some beautiful Taiwan scenery and I walked away being filled with so much more love towards this beautiful island. When we finally made it back into town we attended a baptismal service for other elders and we had an investigator be able to attend and it was great because we met with him afterwards and we finished sharing the lessons with him. Now we have to address some other concerns that came up during the lesson and help him feel prepared for his baptism which, if all goes well, will be in 2 weeks from now. Then we ended the day with dinner with the Elders at McDonalds.

Sunday was so fun. We had a good church meeting and after church it was just studies and stuff before having dinner and getting a surprise invitation to a YSA get together! They had good food and our most progressing friend attended so he was able to meet lots of other people. That took up the night and when we left we got our stuff ready to go and headed over to the other elder's apartment to spend the night. Such a fun day and some great progress for our friend.

Elder Heber Chase Ciminski

謝希伯長老

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

我感冒了，新年快樂! (Season 13 Episode 6) - 1/27/20

大家好! Greetings and salutations!

Monday was pretty chill. Which was actually pretty nice because I woke up feeling worse as compared to yesterday. So to have the day set aside to clean in preparation for Chinese New Year was really nice. That was pretty much all we did until our inspection and after that we got out and had some dinner with the District at a hot pot place. The food wasn't too bad but since I wasn't feeling the best I wasn't able to down that much food. What I did eat was pretty good. As for the night I wasn't feeling good so we stayed at the chapel and we started getting some member work things together in preparation for next transfer and contacting our investigators. So it was a chill day and hopefully I start feeling better soon.

Tuesday was a good day. We had some good times getting all our things done for the day. We were also able to have a District Council and it was fun. We did a good activity with listening and asking questions which was very insightful. Afterwards we ended up also having dinner with the Elders at another hot pot place. I don't go for the actual hot pot, but for all the sides like ice cream, soft serve, and popcorn. That's what makes it worth it, that and the people we are with. Other than that stuff, we got stood up by a guy and tried to find more people to teach. The usual missionary stuff!

Wednesday was pretty good. We had a pretty normal day and had a member treat us to lunch. That was a sweet bonus and we also had 2 lessons and only 1 stood us up. One of the lessons we had was so amazing. I felt the spirit super strong and it was so unreal. I just felt so amazing as I was teaching and helping this man learn more of Jesus Christ. The other lesson was interesting. Nothing extraordinary happened but I walked out and just felt super anxious and overwhelmed. It was so strange because I have never felt this way with so much intensity and I have no idea what the reason was. I felt so strange. It was just so wild. I can't even really describe it. So that was a little more of a downer note to the end the day. Tomorrow is a new day.

Thursday starts Chinese New Year! It was a fun day and we were blessed to have two awesome meals by members! We definitely ate a lot and had a good time. Aside from that, we did our studies and then got some other things done. We didn't get to talk to that many people but there's always tomorrow. One other fun part of the day was that we did our daily contacting in the Sheraton Hotel! It was super fancy and pretty cool to chill for a little bit in there.

Friday was pretty awesome. We spent the day eating food and doing studies! No joke we left the house and went over to our lunch appointment and managed to squeeze in a study before that. The lunch was so sweet. The member's house we went to was so fancy and I honestly felt pretty uncomfortable it was so nice. The food was pretty awesome and then we biked across 3 towns to get to our next appointment. We did some language study and then started our weekly planning but couldn't finish it because we had a dinner appointment with my favorite family in 竹北! So it was way worth it and we had a great time there. I love that family a lot! Then we ended the day with a lesson with a guy who turned out to be a Jehovah's Witness but was super nice. Nonetheless, I had an President Kimball moment and realized I really need to know the Bible better than I do now.

Another good day of eating food. We had another two member meals Saturday and I am starting to get tired of eating so much food! I can't stop eating because it is always so good. Doing missionary work during this time of year is hard though. Lots of people are gone and the streets are sometimes barren! Something you wouldn't expect from Taiwan but it does happen! So we did more behind-the-scenes stuff and more of me getting this area ready for a greenie and making plans to get us going on the right foot. It may not be the best but in these conditions you gotta adapt accordingly.

Sunday was way chill. We had church and then stayed at the chapel for 10 hours. We did studies and miscellaneous stuff and did all the things we needed to then we headed out to dinner at a members house and it was way fun. We played a fun game where we went in a circle and took turns saying idioms in Chinese. The challenge was that they all had to do with animals. So it was way fun. We spent a lot of time with the Third Ward Elders also so that is always a good time.

Elder Heber Chase Ciminski
謝希伯長老

過年快到了!! (Season 13 Episode 5) - 1/20/20

Greetings and salutations!

Monday was a super chill preparation day. We didn't play frisbee but still ran a little in the morning. We called families and got ready for the day and then took a train to 新竹 and walked around a couple malls and ate some tacos at a Mexican food restaurant! The mall was cool because it had a legit Vans store in it. It felt like home and was such a cool vibe. I really liked it. We headed back and emailed for a bit and had dinner then chilled at the apartment before spending the night at the chapel calling people. We were blessed and got a couple appointments for this week so that will be nice.

Tuesday was another good day. We had two lessons that both ended up canceling or standing us up. The grind is like that sometimes. We also had District Council and that was super good. I have enjoyed our District this transfer and look forward to the next couple of weeks before transfers. That was pretty much the day! Nothing super crazy, just another normal day.

Wednesday was awesome. Lots went down. Right off the bat we biked out to a further part of the area and spent most of the day out there. We got studies done and had 1 hour to knock. When I was in Kansas I hated knocking, but now I love it. We were blessed with a set up for this weekend through our knocking efforts. So grateful for that. When we got back to town, we had dinner and then English group! English group was so amazing. We had more than 10 new students and had a great talk. Afterward, I talked with a man that came for the first time and he set up for tomorrow night! He said our spiritual share touched his heart and now he can continue to feel that when he meets with us! I'm excited.

Thursday was a great day. We had interviews with President Peterson and we had a good talk about member work and then he told me some stuff about what's happening next transfer in the area. All I'll say is that it's gonna be super exciting! After that, we started an exchange with the Assistants and I was with my good pal Elder Vander Linden from the MTC! Its been a while since we've been around each other so it was a good time to catch up and get work done! We talked to a lot of people but sadly they weren't really down to learn more. Bummer. We also had 2 lessons and they both didn't happen. Double bummer.

Friday went by so fast. We woke up and had a stellar game of frisbee and I had 2 great runs to get there and back. On the way home I did my classic last-mile pickup and ended up running 6:08. So after probably around 5 miles of running at roughly 6:40 pace (including frisbee), being able to drop that mile time is really fun. I'm feeling good and loving the feeling of running. When we got back we got ready for the day and then took a train to 台北 to switch back with the Assistants. So the beginning of our day was train riding then we came back and did studies and weekly planning before having District Dinner and having a few other little things to do during the night. So it was pretty sweet and we had a good day! I'm stoked for everything that's coming up and with the Chinese new year coming up time is going to fly!

Saturday was so great! We had a busy day and lots to do. We started off with a less active member visit and then got the normal stuff out of the way before having a killer first lesson with a guy. We tried a new teaching method that I had read about and it was so great. I felt the spirit so strong as we taught the Restoration. He was willing to set up again and start reading the Book of Mormon! I have become a firm believer in putting in steady, consistent effort and keeping the ball rolling. It has been paying off and we have consistently been able to find at least 1 new person to teach every week. Now we need to step up our teaching and help the people we find progress as best as we can. During the night we had the chance to attend 2 baptismal services and I got to help baptize the Sister's investigator! It was powerful and I felt so great to be able to exercise my priesthood and help someone else receive something so great and impactful. So that made for a great night and capped off a great day!

Sunday was pretty chill. We had a good morning at the chapel participating in church services and whatnot and then we had the afternoon to get stood up by a guy and get our studies done. We also typed up a report to send to our Ward Missionary group chat about our investigators and then we had a super good dinner at our Stake President's house! We spent 2 hours there and the Zone Leaders were there too so we talked a lot about missionary work and how our areas can help the members more so it was pretty fruitful. Then we ended the night contacting our friends. Nothing super crazy going on but I am coming down with something so that's a bummer.

Elder Heber Chase Ciminski

謝希伯長老

新年快樂 my friends (Season 13 Episode 3) - 1/6/20

Greetings and salutations!

Monday was pretty fun! We had a fun preparation day. Our big activity for the day was biking to Costco and getting some food! Not just lunch food but grocery food! So biking back was fun with 16 pounds of things on my bike and it was pouring rain too. Totally worth it though and we made it back alive. We then went to the chapel and sent off emails and chilled until we went to a dinner for Elder Seamons' birthday and a member took us to a very nice place. Since he set it up for right as preparation day technically ended it took up pretty much the whole night and afterward all we did was call some less active members and text our investigators. It was fun and special for Elder Seamons.

Tuesday was a pretty cool day. The last day of 2019! Pretty crazy that this year is already over and we are moving on to the next one. I'm glad for the last year and am excited to move forward to the next one. I have some good goals and am excited to work to hit them! As for the work, we had District Council and then started an exchange. I went to work with my District Leader Elder Bell. We had a good day just talking to people and talking to each other. We were also able to pop in on a member and meet her for the first time! Pretty great day! The wind was brutal and was so, so cold and it ripped through me but totally worth it.

Wednesday was fun! We had our exchange pretty much the whole day and switched back at English group. So for the day we did studies, got stood up by 2 people (a total of 3 by the end of the day), and had a good discussion between each other. Elder Bell and I are on the same wavelength about a lot of things so we had a very constructive conversation about many things. I'm not sure why but there weren't a lot of people out so we didn't get to talk to that many people but you win some and lose some. I am excited for the year and am glad for my goals. 2020 here we come!

Another day another exchange. Thursday we started another exchange, but this time with our Zone Leaders! I went with Elder Huang, one of my previous companion's trainees. So it is cool how we are now back around each other. We had a good day talking to people and we even had a surprise lesson with someone who we originally set up for the next day. It was a great lesson and the only bummer is that he doesn't live in our area, let alone the mission boundaries. We will get him passed off to the other missionaries down yonder. Recently, I have been receiving more answers to questions and I really feel like Heavenly Father is answering my prayers and guiding me. I am grateful for a loving Heavenly Father who still speaks with his children.

Friday was a busy day! We woke up and played frisbee and then had a chill morning. We had a good exchange evaluation before switching back to normal and having a good day following. We got stood up by two people but did have one awesome lesson with a friend. Elder Seamons and I have a good vision for this friend and we are doing what we can to help him. Aside from that, the best part of the day was a District Dinner minus our sisters. So it was just boys night and we had a great time. Joking and laughing and having a good time. It's times like those I look back on fondly. We are heading into a busy weekend and it's gonna be totally awesome!

Saturday was a full day! We had a less active visit in the morning before language study and then coming home for lunch and weekly planning! At night we called people and then played basketball with some kids before ending off the day with a boys night dinner at Hot Pot! Always a good time hanging with boys and enjoying some good food. I also felt pretty good since I was able to tick off lots of to-do list items and get prepped for the coming week. Lots of it was language-related things. This week I got a big compliment from a man on the street, he said my Chinese sounded fluent and very good. So that really lifted me up and has really pushed me to go harder in language study these last few months.

Sunday was a pretty chill day. We had church and that went well. With the New Year our time got switched a little and now we have Sunday School first and then Sacrament Meeting second so that's a fun adjustment. After church, we met with a less active and then went to Ward Council and then went with the Stake President to go visit a less active family! After all the excitement we got studies and dinner done before having the night to find and talk to people. Nothing super exciting but still not bad! 

Elder Heber Chase Ciminski

謝希伯長老

從神而來的祝福 (Season 13 Episode 4) - 1/13/20

Greetings and Salutations!

Monday was a very chill day. I had a good run in the morning and played frisbee as well. We got back at got ready for the day and called our families before heading out and getting shopping done. After that, we went to the chapel and chilled on the computers writing emails until dinner and that was our preparation day time! As for the night we just headed to 湖口 and called people and whatnot. It was fun to get out of 竹北 a little and switch up the scenery. It also marks 19 months of being a missionary. What a fun feat to have achieved. Thanks go to Heavenly Father for keeping me alive this long and blessing me along the way.

A good day Tuesday. We had District Council and that was cool. I also had a great lunch and surprisingly it was one of the highlights of the day (dinner was awesome too). Who would've thought I would have liked tofu like I do now?? We also met some cool people on the street. We got one set up with a physics teacher who was wearing a Nikola Tesla shirt. He seems super cool! We had dinner with the other Elders again and it was fun hanging with them. I am grateful for the tender mercies of the Lord and the little blessings I see every day. I wish I could recognize each one and praise God for every single one.

Wednesday was a fun day. Pretty wild because we had an exchange! So when we went to frisbee we switched and I went with Elder Xia and we spent the day together up until English group. We had a fun day doing the normal stuff and one of their friends had a baptismal interview and then we had 2 other lessons that all went pretty well. English group was good as well and we had a fair amount of students come which was nice. We had a good discussion and I felt like it was a great quality class.

Thursday was a killer day. We didn't have much going and so we just found for most of the day and we were blessed immensely. We ended the day with 28 gospel conversations and 5 setups (4 for tomorrow). I feel like we didn't do anything differently in terms of how we found, we were just blessed by our Father in Heaven. I am so grateful that I was able to talk to some awesome people and bear testimony of the Book of Mormon and help them spark that interest. The hope is that all these children of God begin progressing and developing a desire to keep on learning! On another note, it was a big day because I got my "death letter", or the email and whatnot that tells me when I'm going home and filling out the form so the office can buy my plane tickets. I've seen so many missionaries get theirs and now to be getting mine is wild. Only a finite time left, but so much left to do.

Friday was a great day! We were pretty busy and that was nice. We had a member lunch that went a lot longer than anticipated but it was really tasty. We managed to squeeze in our studies and weekly planning session as well before having a night of lessons. Sadly only 1 out of the 4 lessons ended up happening, but the one that did happen was really cool. It was with a high school kid and it was a cool lesson. Really felt the spirit and he was down to learn more which is awesome. We had another guy's night dinner and did what we could to find to round out the day. Just another day doing the good work.

Saturday was super fun. Lots of biking. We had a good morning and got stood up by a lesson, but such is life sometimes. We then biked out to 湖口 and enjoyed a day out there. We found some members and ended up talking to this guy from Australia named Michael. He was pretty cool but wasn't interested in the gospel. At night we had a member dinner and then stopped by a less active member's house to invite them to church tomorrow. Sadly they have stuff already but we will keep on trying. Then we made the long bike home and called it a day!

Sundays always feel different on the mission. I haven't pinpointed why yet but this one was no exception. We did have some great meetings and a cool Come Follow Me discussion and I really saw and felt the power of using the new videos in coordination with the discussion. Such powerful tools! Aside from that, we did studies, finding, and some more finding. Those new people aren't gonna find themselves ya know. We are working hard and trying our best. I know we will continue to see blessings as a result of it.

Elder Heber Chase Ciminski
謝希伯長老

I'm losing ideas for these titles... (Season 13 Episode 2) - 12/30/19

Greetings and salutations!

Christmas! Wednesday was great. We started early and called families and then Elder Seamons gave me a gift before we left the house. He gave me BYU stance socks and it was so cool, I am so grateful! We then headed to the temple and the temple was so great. I felt the Spirit super strong and really enjoyed my time in the House of the Lord. We finished up and grabbed lunch as a District and then made our way back home. A chill rest of the day led up to English group and then Elder Seamons and I had a talk for the rest of our day. Christmas was amazing. It felt like a normal day but when every day is spent serving the Lord and remembering Christ, Christmas is a bit more normal. It was still special and I'm glad the temple was included in it.

Thursday was a pretty good day. We had lots of finding time and we tried our best to make the most of it. We ended up with 24 conversations and got some potentials and phone numbers so we will earnestly try to make something from it! I also picked up a parcel from 7/11 and now my watch is fixed! So happy about that and so glad for the work we did Thursday. It was hard, tiring, but rewarding.

Friday was fun. We had a busy day and had some good goals to go with it. We had 2 member visits and even though we had our big weekly planning session we still managed to get 20 conversations and lots of people's contact info! One cool experience though was when we were outside the train station and we saw a kid on a skateboard and I immediately went to go talk to him. We chatted a little and I asked if I could try his skateboard (like I do every time), and he said yeah so I nailed my classic pop shuvit and then we shared a great scripture from the Book of Mormon and got his info! So cool how we are just normal people who leave home to be missionaries. We all have our pasts and interests and I can use mine to share the gospel. Such a cool thing!

Another day gone by. Saturday was pretty cool, we had a pass off lesson for the other Elders and then another lesson of our own! After that, we had a last-minute set up with a kid we talked to yesterday and he brought his friend and we played basketball and then shared the first lesson with them. They seemed way down to set up but they have tests and stuff till next month so that's a bummer. Aside from that, we were finding and eating meals. Not much else you can do when you don't have that many people to teach :)

Sunday was a crazy day. We had church in the morning and then right after we got picked up by a member who drove us out to 桃園 for Elder Seamons to perform the baptism of a girl he met when he was in middle school! That was a cool experience and riding there and back in a car was a lot nicer than a train. When we got back it was a late lunch and then studies. Some finding and planning for English group and then dinner at the end of the day. Super busy and fun day though. Despite not a lot of finding time we got 2 setups and lots of conversations and contact info.

Elder Heber Chase Ciminski

謝希伯長老

聖誕節快樂!! (Season 13 Episode 1) - 12/25/19

Greetings and salutations!

Monday was an interesting preparation day. It started off rather early and we took a train to 台北 for mandatory choir practice in preparation for the big Christmas Concert this weekend! It took a lot of time but was fun. I saw some good friends and had a chance to say goodbye to the Sister from my MTC generation who goes home this week. Pretty wild how that time goes by, but sure enough it does. I got to see old members of my District and it brought me joy to see them. We definitely grew a bond during our time together. When practice concluded we grabbed lunch with our current District members and then got back to our area with enough time to buy the necessary items for the week and then get to the chapel for our lesson! That was mostly the night because we did some contacting afterwards. Pretty busy, but good day I would say.

Tuesday was a pretty good day. We had a quick paced morning getting a study and lunch in with the District before having a lesson and District Council! Once District Council was over we had our second study and some English group prep and survey creating. That was pretty much the happenings of the day since we spent most of the night either practicing piano or out on the street. Not too bad. I was sad to say goodbye to the members of our District moving tomorrow. Change is inevitable so I just gotta roll with it.

Another day. Wednesday was cool because it was Transfer Day. Even though my companion didn't change the other two companionships in our District did get new missionaries so we got to meet them and they both seem way cool so it should make for a fun transfer. We also went to a further out town in our area and did our work for the day before coming back to the city for our District dinner and English group! It was a good day and pretty lowkey. We are just doing the things we need to and it's a simple life to live. Find, teach, convert, repeat.

Thursday was pretty cool. We didn't have much on the plan but we did have a lesson which went pretty well! He is slowly but surely progressing so that is good. Other than that we had some meals and did some studies and made a survey and then took a train and talked to lots of people! It was more of a grind day but it was fun. Just a normal part of the life. Our train getting home was 69 minutes delayed though so that was actually a little stinky, but we made it home eventually.

Friday was pretty quick. We had our studies as well as our weekly planning session. When that finished up we left the house and headed to the chapel to call some people because we had a dinner with our Bishop and some Filipino members shortly after. It was such a good dinner and we had a good time with the members also. The rest of the night we were with the other Elders and practiced a musical number and then did some daily contacting. Pretty sweet day and now begins the weekend of fun activities.

Saturday was a super cool day. We had a quick morning with studies and whatnot before having an awesome lesson with a new investigator! He is such a cool guy and is YSA so when we had our Christmas activity tonight with the Stake he actually came and our YSA did such a great job of befriending him. So that was our night too. A big Stake Christmas event and it was actually so awesome. We dressed up like people from Jesus' time because the theme was "A Night in Bethlehem". There was a cool performance and it was just such a Spirit-filled night and afterwards we practiced some Christmas songs as a District we will be performing soon. So it was a Spirit-filled day and a great preparation for the big weekend.

Sunday was a crazy day for sure. We had a cool combined church meeting with all three of the wards in 竹北 and had a nice Sacrament Meeting and lots of Christmas things thrown in the mix! Afterwards there was some mingling around and then we went to the train station with our District and took our train to 台北 for our Christmas Concert! The Christmas Concert was so great. The music was great and I played the ukulele with a bunch of other missionaries for a song and it was so much fun. Felt like a rock concert or something because the whole crowd was moving and way into it! I loved it! The Spirit was abundant there and I was able to see old friends from my previous areas and make some great memories. I also received some cool personal revelation during the concert about some things that I have been pondering lately and so it was cool that even though the two weren't directly related I still received an answer! Once the concert finished up we went back to an apartment in 台北 to stay the night with some other missionaries.

Monday was pretty fun. We had Zone Conference in 台北! It was three Zones combined so that was pretty fun to see lots of faces. We had some good talks and it had a nice Christmas undertone. Lunch was also super good and overall it was a great event! We took care of some to-do list items in the office and then made our way back to the area with the other missionaries. Then we had District dinner and a night of contacting and trying to find new people. Throw in some Ministering to our friends and that was the whole day.

Another fun day leading up to Christmas! Today was pretty cool. We had 3 lessons today and it was super sweet because they were awesome, effective lessons that really helped them in their progression. One of them set a baptismal goal and another is very close to setting one. Aside from that we just had finding time and caroling with the District! The caroling was kind of last minute but we had a violin and faith and we spread the Christmas cheer for all to hear! It's wild how on the mission the holidays feel so normal. I'm still wearing short sleeve shirts and still doing the same stuff. I am so grateful for the ultimate gift, Jesus Christ!

Elder Heber Chase Ciminski

謝希伯長老

相得一彰 (Season 12 Episode 5) - 12/16/19

Greetings and salutations!

Monday was a good day. We had frisbee in the morning, but switched it up by running to the game and back! On paper, it was a great idea but when I got back I had a really bad pain in my hip and that pain carried on throughout the day. So that was a big bummer but we didn't do too much. Just eating barbecue and writing emails. That night we biked out to a members house for dinner and then she just started chatting our ear off and before you know it we had to fight our way out and fly home in time to make curfew. It was good and we made it home in time. That was the day.

Tuesday was super fun. We had a good morning chilling at a Starbucks doing Language Study and then grabbed lunch before heading to the chapel for District Council. After our District Council, Elder Seamons practiced his piano for a bit then we went to dinner with our District and talked to people along the way. After dinner, we headed to the chapel again for a lesson and then played basketball with an investigator of ours and some members! So quite a busy day but way fun and productive. Nothing very special to write about but I'm happy so that's what matters.

Wednesday was special. It was a pretty normal day but the part that made it special was that I was able to see my trainer again! He and his dad are here for 2 weeks and he was able to come to my area and we had lunch together and talked about old times and shared some fun stories. It was so great to see him again and I can now relate to Alma 17:2 a lot more. He is strong and a great example. Aside from that great experience we had a fun District dinner and English group as well. Elder Seamons and I had a nice talk also. I just feel weighed down with some stuff and Elder Seamons helped me figure things out and get recentered going forward. I just discovered some deep down feelings I needed to share and thankfully my companion is someone I trust to share these things.

Thursday was a fun day. We had a cool lesson in the morning then did a quick language study and started an exchange! So I am with Elder Xia. He is in training and we had a killer day talking to people and also teaching a lesson! We hit our 20 conversations goal and got a few phone numbers of people who might be interested. We also biked a lot and that means I have biked 1000 miles in the last 6 months so I would reckon I have gone over 2000 this year. Fun fact I guess. So it was a pretty good day and nothing crazy happening!

Friday was a spooky Friday the 13th. Just kidding it was a pretty normal day. We finished up our exchange and than Elder Seamons and I got back to work. We just found around town and did studies and then had a lesson with a less active member! We read 2 Nephi 31 and talked about it with him and he said wants to come to church so that was cool. Then we found around at night and had some dinner in between.  Elder Seamons practiced the piano some and we saw one of our investigators playing basketball so we played with him for a little bit. Pretty relaxed day, but we got a lot done!

Saturday was a pretty normal day. We had our studies in the morning and then we also got our weekly planning session done since we didn't get to do it yesterday. That was cut short by a lesson that ended up texting up kinda last minute and rescheduling. So we finished up planning at the chapel and then had dinner with the Elders in our District. We then proceeded with the usually nightly activities of calling people and finding and all that usual stuff.

Sunday was cool. Had the normal church meetings and then had our weekly Coordination Meeting afterwards. Then we talked with some YSA members for a little bit then got home and did our personal study. After that, it was just studies and finding and eating meals. I was very irritable for some reason today. I'm not sure why, but I tried to keep my cool and it pretty much worked. I can't pinpoint a reason so I'll move on from it.

Elder Heber Chase Ciminski

謝希伯長老