BALLING UP IN AN ASIAN SCHOOL!! - 12/31/18

This week was INCREDIBLE! Read on if you want to know what happened!

So Tuesday was preparation day but also Christmas! It was my first Christmas away from home but it was awesome. The best part was calling home of course! Being able to talk with family is incredible I loved seeing them and hearing about their lives! I feel a little bad though because I feel like I talked so much and didn't let anyone else say a lot. I guess I'll learn for my future calls. After the calls and doing routine weekly prep we went down to 光復 to go to a members house for a get-together. On our way, we stopped by a legendary shop that sells student uniforms. And Elder Crimm and I had to buy the matching uniforms of course. We really bonded over that and made our way to the member's house. This family is so awesome. Both the husband and wife ride motorcycles and do stunts and the wife also manages a McDonalds in 花蓮. They are so awesome we picked some fruit and had an awesome dinner with them (by the way I have started liking oranges now, missions truly do change people)! Definitely, an awesome way to spend this holiday I hope you all had an amazing holiday and could remember Jesus Christ as the reason behind the season!

Wednesday was a slower day. Lots of biking and we even did some knocking today. To be honest, I do not enjoy knocking doors after doing it so much in Kansas I just feel like time could be used way more effectively but sometimes you just do it to show God you're willing to work. That's one thing Elder Zolik taught me. Anyway, aside from that I also had some great studies today. I started a new plan for studying every day and it makes it so much better! The gospel is so great I wish I could study it all day! Nonetheless, that can't happen. We need to help people get baptized! And that is the last point of the day. A man I taught for 3 months in 淡水 accepted baptism today! I am so happy for him and the choice he made to become more like our savior. He is the first person I have helped be baptized and it is so amazing the feeling I have, helping someone gain salvation! I love it, makes the less than ideal situations very worth it.

Thursday was another slower day down here in the Pineapple Grove. We did some walking and knocking and taught a lesson today too. All in all a pretty good day! Today I watched the old Face 2 Face with The Piano Guys again and I just really enjoyed it! The stuff they talked about was so relatable. And lastly, I got another recent convert today! Another one of the people I taught in 淡水 was baptized today. So that is 2 in 2 days! This pattern won't continue but it makes me wanna work harder to help more people be baptized in the future. Even though I couldn't attend the services for my 2 friends I still feel so much joy for them and the blessings they are receiving for following Christ! It will be hard to do that in this area but I will try to help anyone I can! Overall, today was awesome!

Friday went by so fast! We had our studies and weekly planning session. Afterward, we went down to 光復 to play basketball with one of our investigator's kids. It was actually super fun we went to this school and there was a bunch of students and we ended playing some pickup ball altogether. Whenever Elder Crimm or I would make a shot the small group watching us would be super surprised but believe it or not, we can ball! I don't know who won or lost but we had a great time and that's what matters. Afterward, we read the Book of Mormon with the kids and it was a great 1-2 combo. They want to do it again next Friday! We were happy to oblige to that request. After our share with them we had dinner then it was time to come back to 鳳林 and that was 差不多 (pretty much) our day. Today was such a fun day!

Saturday was truly a winter day. Cold and even a little rainy at the end. It felt nice with it being cloudy and stuff. The cloud formations were sublime. I was constantly looking around and just admiring the beautiful creations of Heavenly Father. We have truly been given everything by Him! Even the cloud formations and the rain. Even answers to prayers. I am so grateful for the ability to pray and have conversations with God and really tell him everything. I'm nowhere close to perfect but I am trying to improve every day!

Sunday was a super solid Sabbath day! We had church in the morning (we walked to church, it was so pleasant!) At church I had a chance to bless the sacrament and it made my weekly sacrament experience much more meaningful and I was also grateful for the chance to use the Priesthood God has given me! After church we walked around town some more to do studies (once again, it was so pleasant!) Then we biked to visit some people. I had an awesome reminder of mom today, we were stopping by a man's house to try and set up a time to meet with him this week and in the background I hear a song. The song was "Handclap" by Fitz and the Tantrums! I know Mom has that on her workout list and hearing it reminded me of her! Good song and good memories to go with it 😊. I am excited for the new year that begins this week! I have some big goals and aspirations I will be striving to achieve. And through God and Jesus Christ I know I can!

That's 差不多 (pretty much) it for this week! 我非常愛你們 (I love you guys a lot)! I hope you all have an amazing week and enjoy your new years!

宋長老

Elder Ciminski

REUNITED WITH EMMA!! - 12/25/18

Another week has flown by. Come with me now as we journey through this glorious week!

Monday was preparation day of course. We took care of some routine things and then went to 花蓮 to play some sport and spend time with other missionaries. We played an awesome game of frisbee, I think I performed well which is good because I love playing frisbee! The best part of the day was going to the beach. I was blessed with some amazing photo opportunities including one I particularly enjoyed where I stacked some rocks up and took a selective focus picture with the waves blurred in the background. I made it my new phone background because I love looking at it! It reminds me to keep a continuous balance of my life, in all aspects. That is a constant goal for myself is to have balance in everything. Today was a great day. I enjoyed it thoroughly and look forward to the bright future ahead of me.

Tuesday was bright! Mostly because the sun was actually out today for the first time since I've moved! It has been cloudy and raining recently so the weather today was a pleasant change. We rode our bikes around a lot today making visits and trying to find some people. We actually set up a few people to learn more about this restored gospel and they accepted! Other than that, nothing much else happened. 鳳林 is a slower area than 淡水 so not too much happens around here but that's ok. The slowness allows me time to ponder and think about things so it's great! I did learn, however, that my bike still hasn't been shipped from the office in 台北 down here so for the near future I'll still be on my loaner exchange bike. I've grown quite accustomed to my bike so not riding it has been weird. I guess that's a drawback of being a bike missionary, getting too attached to my bike! Never thought I would say that!

Wednesday was a chill day. We just made some visits and did some awesome studies. During one of our visits today we ended up doing a power restoration lesson (teaching lesson 1 but in about 4 to 5 minutes). When I was explaining the Joseph Smith story and his first vision I felt so much power in the testimony. I truly do know that God the Father and Jesus Christ came and revealed themselves to Joseph. It's such a glorious message. Today as well, as I was biking, I was staring at the mountains in awe. No picture could do it justice but I was just in amazement at how beautiful it all was. To know that God created it all for us makes me so thankful! We are all so blessed, don't ever lose sight of it. I guess today's entry is more of a spiritual share but it was my thoughts regarding today! 鳳林 is unique, but a great place to be.

Thursday was a busy day. We had to catch a train to 花蓮 in order to attend our District Council. We got there a few hours early because trains are very few and far between in terms of timing so it was either get there early or cut it close. Since we were doing studies anyway we decided to be early. Smart choice! After District Council, we came back to 鳳林 and I went and bought my next journal since the one I am writing in now is almost filled! It will be fun to look back and see one day what I wrote about during this time, and all my time as a missionary. That's why it's important to keep a record now! Anyway, to round out the night we rode our bikes (I GOT MY PERSONAL BIKE TODAY) around and talked to a few old people.... super interesting. Some good news came my way when I received word that our closest person to baptism being taught in 淡水 is getting baptized next Thursday! I spent 3 months working with him so it's so exciting to see him make that decision and become more like Jesus Christ and our Heavenly Father!

Friday was pretty laid back since we had our studies and then weekly planning to do. It was a good day nonetheless! After we got out to work for the night we biked to a town in our area but a little far away, but for a lesson! The lesson was originally going to be with a mom and her family but when we got there the kids came out and said she was feeling uncomfortable (the translation of the word they use for when they are not feeling well). So we ended up talking to the kids and one of their friends that was over as well, so it was still awesome! We set up a time to play some basketball with them next week in hopes that we can develop a better friendship with them and help them accept the gospel. I am excited about the outcomes we will see from it, and they are excited too! That was basically it for the day but I feel like I have hit my 鳳林 groove and starting to figure out how to "missionary" here. I admit it was a struggle coming to 鳳林 because it is a whole different style than what I have done before but I feel like I have a good handle on it now and am no longer struggling. God truly performs miracles in our lives!

Saturday was a service-filled day! We walked around town to our studies so we could say hi to people in the town. Our vision is to have everyone in town know us as missionaries and start developing those relationships with them. And hopefully, teach and baptize them all! That was cool then afterward we went and bought some materials for no-bake cookies and then we made them. One of our investigator's families isn't feeling to well so we made them cookies to bring them some good cheer! We ended the day traveling to 花蓮 to stay the night because we have to go to 台北 on Sunday for the Christmas Concert! It should be a fun little excursion up north until Monday night.

Sunday was quite a heart-filling day. We woke up and went to church for 1 hour (it was only 1 hour today because of Christmas). Our train to 台北 left a couple hours later so we just rode to the train station and waited. Because it rained it was a good time to dry off a bit before the ride up north. We made the train ride safely and were able to perform in the Taiwan Taipei Mission Christmas Concert! It was such a majestic display of Christmas and an amazing expression of testimony through singing. We did 2 performances and during the climax of the first performance we were singing "Angel's We Have Heard On High" and I will admit I teared up a little bit! The spirit was just so strong I felt lifted up and inspired. After the immaculate performance, we went to some elders apartment to spend the night! And that pretty much ended up an amazing day!

Back around to where we started this email at, Monday! Today was a special day not only because it is Christmas Eve but we also had our Christmas Zone Conference. It was a great day of spiritual feasting and some great food for lunch also! The focus was on making this Christmas a CHRISTmas. Really putting the emphasis on Christ and having him be the reason for the season. I can truly testify that as I have made Christ the focus of my Christmas it has been way more fulfilling. Things always change, areas, companions and so many other things but one thing that doesn't change is Christ and the gifts he has given us. I truly love my Savior and everything he has given me. I'm grateful he is the reason for this season!

We did also make it back to 鳳林 so our excursion is complete.

I love you all and wish you the most merry of Christmas' and be sure to remember Christ in all that you do!

宋長老
Elder Ciminski

THERE WAS AN EARTHQUAKE!!! - 12/17/18

So this week was pretty great! Lots of change going on!

Monday was preparation day and we hiked a mountain near our apartment it was pretty cool! The peak of the mountain was covered in clouds and it was super cool to be able to literally walk in the clouds! It was really wet but totally worth it in the end! I enjoyed it a lot. After we concluded the hike and returned to 淡水 and did some grocery shopping and rested up before returning to the work! We had a dinner with a member today and then taught a Law of Chastity lesson to our friend. The work here is progressing and the future is looking bright for this holy land!

Tuesday was a great rainy day on this beautiful island! We had 3 lessons and they all went well. We are helping these people come closer to Jesus Christ and help them repent! It is very rewarding to think of the first time we met with these people and see them where they are at now! That makes everything worth it in the end. Other than those lessons we had some great studies and that consumed the rest of the day along with district council! Quite an awesome day if I do say so myself.

Wednesday was a shocking day. Tuesday night we got transfer calls and it blew my mind to see that I was moving! My area in 淡水 got closed. So I packed up all my stuff today in preparation to move to 鳳林. This new town is way more south and I imagined and will be a whole different experience than my area now! I'm sad to leave so soon but God has His plan and I'm just clay in the Expert Potter's hands.

Thursday was moving day. I got up early with Elder Pope because we are actually moving to the same zone in the south. He is going to 台東. So all of my journey was with him since we were on the same train and his stop was after mine. We made it through all of our travel hoops without a hitch and made it to the land down south! The train ride was pretty cool I could spot the ocean which was awesome. Eventually, I made it to my stop and met my companion Elder Crimm. As coincidence would have it he was actually Elder Pope's previous companion in 淡水, when Elder Pope trained me I replaced him! So I had already heard a lot about him. He's a good guy and I'm looking forward to our time together. We taught a lesson today that rounded out a tiring, but great day. I'll talk more about 鳳林 tomorrow!

On Friday the dust settled a bit and I am pretty much unpacked and settled in this new area! It is very different compared to 淡水 but it is quite a fun place to be. It reminds me a lot of Eager, Arizona. This area is a heavy biking area, we cover a few small towns that are spread out. I would not be surprised if I lose weight in this area because there is so much biking! I am excited to serve here.  We met with another person being taught today and the people here are so nice. Only the future will tell how awesome this area is but from first impressions, it will be amazing! Today I also received a tender mercy from Heavenly Father.  During weekly planning, I was cleaning some of the apartment up (I have really developed a habit of cleaning and tidying things up, I guess worse habits could be developed), and while cleaning out I found 2 PACKS OF IN-N-OUT BURGER STICKY NOTES. No joke I almost lost my mind.  I never expected that! I quickly snatched them up and thanked Heavenly Father for the tender mercy. God truly does love us and is looking out for us!

Saturday was great! We spent most of the day in 花蓮 because that's where we had our ward Christmas function! We also had coordination with the Ward Mission Leader there. It's a little interesting where I'm at because 鳳林's group of members is classified as a 小組 (translated as "small group"), so every fast Sunday our "small group" will go up to join the 花蓮 second ward for there meeting. It's a little interesting because we are a part of 2 units but it's super fun. I just have the opportunity to get to know more awesome people! The Christmas activity was really great. Christ is truly the center of Christmas and remembering that makes the holidays so much better! 

Sunday was a slow day. 鳳林 is a slower area than the city. It is nice to slow down and not have a lot going on. I do miss the city though. This morning we had something interesting happen, an earthquake! It was pretty mild it was just enough to wake me up for second and I shook it off (pun intended) and went back to sleep. Crazy though! Church was cool as well, I blessed the Sacrament and thankfully I had my language study Book of Mormon because I still can't read characters yet! Church down here is already 2 hours because we do not have enough members to split for a third hour. It is quite a shift from 淡水 but we have two stuntmen in our ward! I do not think anyone can claim that. Today the Sabbath was truly a delight and I am thankful for the Sacrament and the chance it gives all of us to become clean again. What a great opportunity!

Well that is it for this week! Lot's of change this week but it'll be exciting to see how this area progresses during my time here! I love you all and am always praying for you.

宋長老

Elder Ciminski

EPIC BATTLE WITH A SQUATTER TOILET! - 12/10/18

This week did not lack in new experiences! Let's dive into it.

Monday was preparation day and we got together with 16 missionaries total and did some 烤肉 (barbecue). It was a great time but towards the end, it got a little dicey. Sometimes when I barbecue it will cause some diarrhea problems. Sure enough right when I thought I was all fine I felt that gravitational pull towards the bathroom and so I go to use it and sure enough the only option was the classic toilet-in-the-ground Asian squatter. Long story short I had some digestive problems and resolved it while developing squatting skills. Despite my diarrhea dilemma today was an awesome day! Coming back home on my bike I grabbed onto a bus and got some free distance out of it. Energy saved is energy... that can be used at another time! So all in all, an awesome day on the beautiful island of 台灣!

Tuesday was some more firsts! We were really busy but we did some telephone calls and I did some calling on my own! My first time! Not gonna lie it was kinda scary but I did it! It also doesn't help the nerves when the ringer for the phones is shorter than in America so it always sounds like they are picking up but it's just ringing. Anyways I got in some good conversations and I improved a little bit. We taught three lessons and they all went 很棒 (very awesome). Today I was thinking about superheroes, we see Aquaman ads all the time and I hear Marvel is coming out with some trailers this week too so I've been thinking about it a tad when I bike. Then it hit me that I'm a superhero! I wake up every day and don my uniform and go save lives by sharing the gospel! It's quite the privilege to have this sacred opportunity I love being able to do it!

Wednesday was a day full of little things that compounded to make today an awesome day. Probably the biggest little thing was that one of my English Class students bought me and Elder Pope cream bread from 7/11! The reason that was so cool was because last week I had talked about in class how I stopped buying snacks and stuff like that, and how it has helped me out. Then she brought us bread and it was awesome! Since I have stopped buying snacks my budget has improved a lot (I also eat lunch inside more frequently so that saves me some money too). I have also seen changes in my health already. My workouts feel more effective and I have even lost a few pounds, I did gain some weight from the MTC and Kansas, so, all in all, I am feeling like a whole new guy! Yeah, the little things can truly compound to make something awesome and today was a testament to that!

Thursday was a big day because it was my 6-month mark being a missionary! This landmark brought me to reflect on my past 6 months and also looking to the future 18 and determining who I need to become. We didn't do anything exciting today missionary work wise but we did have District Council and that was cool! It is the second to last of the transfer and next transfer we might be seeing a few changes so we'll have to see what happens next week when we learn more. All in all, I am so excited for these next 18 months and grateful for the last 6 I've enjoyed as a missionary! I never want this time to end, and thankfully it won't for a long time!

Friday was a rainy day. One of my personal favorites to be honest. Arizona just doesn't get enough rain! We did spend a lot of time inside since we had to do planning and such. It was a great day nonetheless we got to visit a cool member of the ward and share a special message about Jesus with them and 光照世人 (Light the World). It's the best time of year because its Christmas time and a perfect time to share about Jesus. Take some time and share a message about Christ this week. Light the World!

Saturday we sang a lot! We had a total of 4 performances at an elementary school called 之山國小. We sang a bunch of Christmas songs and it just really made me so happy. Even though my feet really hurt and the weather was a little cold I felt the warmth and comfort of the spirit. It was another one of those experiences where I just loved being a missionary and never want it to be over. Once again, I'm so grateful I have 18 months left! Christmas time is my favorite, the spirit of it is marvelous. I hope you all have caught the spirit of it!

Sunday was a beautiful day. Church went well and we had a great ward activity afterward because a Sister in my district is going home this week. The ward here is so amazing at coming together and putting on great events and this was no exception. It was a great opportunity to strengthen relationships with the ward members! What made the day the most beautiful was my personal study and additional study time. I read Alma chapter 7 today and it speaks of the Atonement of Jesus Christ. I absolutely love the Atonement because of the profound impact it has had in my life. Without it, I would not be where I am right now.  Because of Christ I can become the best I can be and forgiven everyday! That spiritual confirmation of truths I already know is what made today beautiful. This gospel is truly glorious.

This week was quite the week! Next week is transfers and that means some things are changing because I am finishing training. Stay tuned for some exciting news next week! Love you all more than words can express!

宋長老
Elder Ciminski

WE HAD TO GO TO THE HOSPITAL!!! - 12/3/18

This week is gonna be a short one but it'll be sweet!

So Wednesday was our P-day and we got to go to the temple! I am so grateful for the temple and the blessings it brings. Today I thought a lot about the early saints and how much they sacrificed to receive the blessings of the temple and it made me realize how much I wish I could go even more frequently. For now, I'll just go as often as President allows but post-mission I will go as often as I can! It's just such an amazing blessing. The temple was the highlight of the day so that's most of what I'm gonna talk about today. If you can attend the temple do it! We also did go to a museum and turns out we snuck in a back entrance and never bought a ticket and at the end, a lady asked for a ticket and it was then that we realized we didn't pay in the first place because nobody asked us.  Everyone just walked out and so I guess we fled the scene. We felt kinda bad but it's all good. Exciting things happening here!

Thursday was another exchange day! This time I went with Elder Weber and we had such an awesome day! We spent a lot of our time today finding at various colleges. There is one in our area that is about 5 kilometers away which when you are biking it is actually a pretty hefty distance. I wanted to go and so, despite hesitation from Elder Pope (during morning planning) and Elder Weber, we went. After 30 minutes of finding we had 3 people set up to meet again with us! It was super awesome and definitely a result of prayers and faith to find. And we also set up 2 more people at another college so in total we got 5 setups, which is a big improvement for our area. Since I am going to probably be leading the area after this transfer I am setting us up for future success! We also had the chance to administer a priesthood blessing in the hospital today and that was a good experience as well. Today was a blessed day and quite the spiritual experience. I am glad to be here and serving the Lord in this holy land.

Friday we had a busy day but super great nonetheless. When I woke up I got some interesting news that Elder Weber and I had a lesson at the chapel at 8 AM! If we get up at 7 that means we don't have too much time since it takes 30 minutes to ride there! We made it to the lesson on time and it all worked out good. The main reason today was busy was because we had to do Weekly Planning and that takes a few hours out of the day but we made some great plans and are ready to help others progress on the covenant path! We were in our apartment and decided to go on the roof and we climbed this ladder to a higher platform and it was so awesome to see the city from a perfect 360-degree view. I know I say it a lot but I'm so blessed to be here!! I am still loving it here!

Saturday was a great day. We started off the day playing basketball with the youth! This ward has some good ball players I definitely don't have the skills they have but I try my best and that's what matters. Afterwards we had some lunch with one of our member friends and he treated us to some Subway! All of the American food places here (Subway, McDonald's, Pizza Hut and KFC) are the most expensive so we rarely eat there, but being treated is always nice. And nice on the budget as well! After some studies, we went across the river to 八里 and sang some Christmas carols to some members. That took up the rest of the night and at the end, we had a long ride back home but it was all good. If nothing else, my legs are getting stronger every day! On a funny side note, today was 81 degrees and the next 2 days are going to have the same high temperature. I thought it was December? Not summertime!

Sunday was a day of learning for me. We had some good church lessons and then afterward we went to a lesson at that college that we went to a few days ago. It went well and the brother we met with seemed very into the message.  However, he is a masters degree student and that means that he is super busy. Hopefully, we can get a hold of him soon and continue teaching him. Now comes the learning experience. Since it was the first Sunday of the month it was the Recent Convert Fireside. Our district actually sang a song during it and it went very well! Leading up to it I was not in a good mood. We were running late getting to the fireside and I was not a big fan of that, and I got hit with the hardest test of not comparing myself to others in my mission. An elder who reported to the MTC at the same time as me already passed off his Book B test (the 2700 word set) and now it is fast becoming mission legend. A lot of people asked me about it and President even talked about it to me and how amazing he was. I totally agree that he is awesome for learning the language so fast but the comments seemed to inquire about my lack of progression. I am not sure if that was the intention but nonetheless it is so hard to not compare yourself with other missionaries, especially learning a language. The lesson came from a conference talk I read to try and get mentally back on track then some words from "I am a Child of God". Basically the key is rejoicing in your own life and your own progression with God. I guess I needed that reminder and it was definitely well received because I feel so much better about things.

So that was my week! Some learning moments mingled with other awesome experiences! I hope you all are seeing miracles in life and don't forget to read the Book of Mormon every day!

宋長老
Elder Ciminski

WE GOT THIS BANNED IN THE MISSION!!! - 11/28/19

This week truly flew by but hopefully this writing will catch everything I want to share!

Monday was probably one of the funnest preparation days of my whole mission! We started off with a great Christmas choir practice at the mission office chapel and then afterwards I got to see some great friends serving in other areas and talk with them! Being a missionary is such an awesome thing you can meet so many great people! After we left the offices and stuff we rode the MRT to Costco and grabbed lunch with 12 other missionaries! We all had a good time and ate some good food! Then we had a massive dodgeball game with 14 missionaries that was so much fun! I can feel the soreness coming on already so that will be fun to deal with in the coming future. It was totally worth it in the end. Thanksgiving is this week and I am looking forward to it! Although every day is a day of Thanksgiving because God has blessed us so much with so many things! This week will be such a great week!

Tuesday was a busy day! Thankfully I have developed some decent time management skills and so time is becoming more of my slave instead of it being the other way around! We taught three lessons today, one was a first-time lesson and the second was with our friend we have been teaching for a while but he reset his baptismal goal and I have faith that he will make it! The third lesson was with a member family and we played a little game with them and helped them begin to realize how they can do simple acts of missionary work with their friends. Every member is a missionary and we are always blessed with opportunities to share the gospel. I think Mom is a great example of this because I am confident whenever she gets the chance she always talks about Noah being at college and then me here in Taiwan serving a mission and always brings up the church. There is power in the little things. Everyone can make a difference!

Wednesday was a great day because we had Zone Conference! We had 7 of the 8 zones in the mission altogether and we had an awesome Thanksgiving themed lunch with all the works! It was amazing and we also got a lot of spiritual fulfillment also! It was such a great time to see friends and grow stronger in the Army of the Lord! When we got back from Zone Conference it was time for English class and that went really well also. Providing that service is one of my favorite things to do as a missionary! Afterward, we actually got to walk back to the MRT station with one of our people we are teaching. We taught him lesson 3 along the way and he said he needed time but would be baptized so that was super great to hear! Today was such a blessed day God blessed us all so much!

Thanksgiving! Today was just like every other day in the fact that we didn't do anything special to celebrate but I got to share with 2 people how thankful I was for the Gospel in our lessons today! We also began a Zone Leader exchange so for today I was with Elder Swensen! He is a great guy and I have gleaned a lot of insights from him today. The best part of this Thanksgiving was that we had dinner at the Bishop's house and there were 8 missionaries there because the Sister Training Leaders were also on exchanges so we had all those missionaries plus 2 other cool people and it was a great time to be surrounded by friends and reflect on my many blessings! First major holiday on the books and it was amazing!

Friday was pretty sweet. Finished up our exchanges and then did some super good Weekly Planning! After that, we had some McDonald's for dinner with the other elders and then went down to the chapel so Elder Pope could practice a song for a special musical number my district is doing at a fireside coming up. I also practiced my own piano skills and they aren't too bad! I can do the right hand for almost all of the songs in the Hymns Made Easy book! We visited a member to round out the day and it was a great day! One thing I'm trying to improve is how much I stop my bike and talk to people and it's getting better. I can't always maintain the conversation but I can introduce the gospel and try to bless everyone I can! That's what matters to me. The last thing from today is that I hung up my Christmas tree today! It is hand drawn and pretty low key but it still holds with the family tradition of setting it up Black Friday!

Saturday felt like a Tour of Taiwan stage. We biked to the chapel in the morning to play some basketball with the youth and then rode home! Before I say any more, biking to the chapel one way is 6 kilometers. Then we grabbed some lunch and studied the gospel and then we rode back to the chapel for a chapel tour with a new friend who we can hopefully meet with more. Then we rode back to town for dinner and a family home evening and then went back to the chapel again for another lesson! And then you guessed it, biked back home. So if my math was right we biked 24 miles approximately! Needless to say, my legs are a little tired! An awesome day!!

Sunday was pretty laid back. Had the usual Sunday meetings and stuff like that and those were good. The topic today was Patriarchal Blessings and it made me reflect on my own blessing and how much it has really been a guide for my life. After the meetings, we had some activities to attend to so by the time we got home it was a little later than usual. Not to mention on the way home my chain jumped off my front chain ring! After walking for a bit some other cyclists stopped and asked if they could help so I described my problem and sure enough they just whipped it back into place and I was back on my way! After studies and dinner, we went to Shilin (士林) for some special choir practice for a different concert than the missionary one. So much music and singing! The Christmas Spirit definitely abounds and I love it! Even though it isn't super cold here (it kinda feels like an Arizona winter), the feeling is still the same! Christ is truly the reason for the season!

Monday was not preparation day! It felt a little weird having to work on a Monday but it is all worth it because of the temple trip we have on Wednesday! As for today, we had a District Council which was cool and lots of studies! We also did have a lesson with one of our super promising people being taught. He is such a great guy and we are very hopeful for his progression in the gospel. And lastly, our whole apartment got haircuts last night in preparation for our interviews tomorrow. It takes a lot of trust to let another missionary cut your hair but thankfully it all worked out and I'm looking 帥 once again!

Tuesday was pretty jam-packed! The best part of the day though was being interviewed by President Peterson. He is such a great man I am thankful he is leading this mission! We had a nice chat today and I was able to tell him I'm loving everything about Taiwan and am rejoicing every day! Because it's true! Being here is amazing. Another shining point of the day was checking the mailbox and I actually had mail! Thank you Sister Garr for the awesome letter! I also got my name tags with my full Chinese name on it too and I am very happy with them. Now I can wear all of my favorite names on one name tag! My English last name, Chinese last name and first name (which is the same as my English basically), and the name of our Savior Jesus Christ! Balance has been restored! We are going to the temple tomorrow but y'all will have to wait to see how that goes in my next email! (cliffhanger I know )

I love you all so much I am praying for everyone back home!! 加油!!


宋長老
Elder Ciminski

SHE BROKE HER NOSE!!! - 11/19/18

Hello, I hope this last week was super good for you all! Mine was awesome!

On Monday we had the longest day of my mission so far. We were awake for 19 hours straight! We got up at 4:30 to go watch the sunrise with the district and that was a good time to get to know each other even more. After that, we grabbed some grub and went to choir practice down by the temple. Singing is getting more and more enjoyable and I am slowly developing that skill! We came back to our neck of the woods with 2 other companionships and we all hung out on the wharf and had a solid time. Then before you knew it we had bought groceries and had to get back to the missionary work grind! We visited an awesome family in the ward and when we got to what we thought was their apartment on the 17th floor it turns out we were in the wrong building... So we walked down SEVENTEEN flights of stairs and made it to the right building to share our message! Those stairs were quite arduous, to say the least.

Tuesday was a busy but super good day! We had our first district council in 3 weeks and it was quite enlightening. We have some really good discussions to go along with our theme of #become. After the council, we had a lesson with one of our only solid people. Lately, we have been struggling a little bit in the people being taught department so we are in a rebuilding sort of phase I feel like. It is going well though and the lesson about commandments went well! As we were biking back to town my tire was being depleted of air and so we went to a scooter shop and I asked the dude to add some air for me and he not only added air but also added oil to my chain and hooked me up good! It is the little things in life that make the biggest difference. Speaking of little things we had a dinner with a member (he was the one in New York on his mission during 9/11) and it was such a good thing to happen. It was a great way to end the night! After that, we just finished studies so nothing too exciting. I did give my bike a name! A lot of missionaries name their bikes so I named mine, and the name I chose is Emma! I don't know why but it just sounds good to me! Miracles are brewing over here I am excited to see them manifest soon!

Wednesday was a roller coaster! We did a lot of studies and such but even though we didn't have a lot of time to find people we still used our time super effectively and were able to talk to people along the way between our scheduled items. I love the time we have at stop lights to talk to people because you can meet so many interesting people! It is a good way to practice talking in Chinese. We also had English class and I had an awesome burst of revelation to help a student in my class. He is trying to pass a test so he can live his dream and he is struggling with accents.  I was thinking about it today and it came to me how I can help him! He is not a member of the church but I am going to start sending him a conference talk from someone who has an accent, for example, Elder Uchtdorf! When I told him this idea he was so happy!! It is not only a good way to help him hear different accents but also get some gospel influence in his life! Personal revelation is so real and everyone is entitled to it. If we live worthy of it it is ours for the taking! Lesson learned from today.

Woah Thursday was such a great day! And I know that because after all was said and done I felt like God was pleased with our efforts and I felt great about what we did! We had three lessons today, a new member lesson, a first-time lesson, and another lesson with our progressing friend. All of them went well and we are trying to help our progressing friend quit smoking and he has already made leaps and bounds of progress so I have great faith in him. Today I also had a great "small things" moment. There was some extra ice cream and Coke in the fridge of the chapel and so I made Elder Pope and I some Coke Floats and we watched some Bible videos as part of our companionship study and at that moment I just felt super happy and great about life. The power is in the small things! Today was amazing and I am so lucky to have been able to live it first-hand!

Friday was pretty normal. We had to do our weekly planning session and make some awesome friends for all of our awesome people being taught! That took a long time though so by the time we finished it was time for our daily ministering and then we had to buy some dodge balls for an activity with the youth. Then before you know it it is almost 10 o'clock and we are rolling up to our flat. The day flew by! Another awesome thing that happened today is that I passed my Book A test! The mission has a language learning program based on three books. Book A, Book B, and Book C. A is gospel words based on the lessons they appear in, B is everyday words you would use on the street and C is characters specifically. So today I passed off Book A which means I can start studying more common words and increase my overall Mandarin vocabulary. There are 2700 words I need to learn by next March (the goal I set with President to have it passed off), and I couldn't be more excited! I am also becoming more proficient in Zhuyin which is the keyboard that the natives use. Basically, today was a big day for language learning improvement!

Of all the days to not go as planned, Saturday was the most different from our plans. The reason being that we had a dodgeball game in the morning with some youth (we are supposed to do an activity with the youth every week, and if we don't President says our week is incomplete). The result of those games was a Sister going to the hospital with a broken nose after colliding with Elder Pope. Elder Pope is OK but he sparked up a previous back problem so he was out for the count for the whole day with a hurt back. The only time we were out of the apartment after that was for meals. That is why the day did not go to plan because we didn't even make one! I got a lot of organizing of my personal stuff done so I am feeling good about the whole situation thus far but I am hoping and praying for Elder Pope's speedy recovery.

Sunday was sweet! Church went well though we got there late because the bus we planned on taking was late. It is all good because we were still able to partake of the sacrament and that is what's most important! Our time after church was pretty slow paced. We just did some studies and walked around town to meet up with some people and trying to grind out the work! It felt good to walk around and get some nice fresh air inside us. Elder Pope is feeling better but it is still a slow process. I am making sure he doesn't overdo it and can be 100% as soon as possible!

What a week! Hope everyone is doing great and know that I pray for you all constantly! Love you all so much!

宋長老
Elder Ciminski