First Week in Mingjian!

Dear Family and Friends,

This week has been a super awesome week!!  MingJian is awesome!!  It is one of the most rural places in Taiwan and I love it!!  haha.  It is like camping every day kinda... haha.  Our area is huge as well.  We have like 8 secondary areas that we either bike to or take a bus or train to.  This week Elder Roberts and I were whitewashing the area and we had no idea where we were half of the time.  haha.  It ended up being a great week though with a lot of awesome miracles.  

The first night we got there in MingJian we went and found the church.  The church is so small.  It is just in a little garage with a couple floors. There are only like 20 people who come to church.... it is so small haha!!  After that we went to McDonalds and had dinner with a LA that we eat with every week I guess.  That was nice.  

The next few days we spent some time getting to know that area and visiting members.  We went to Lunch with the Branch President who is awesome and who speaks perfect english.  He is so awesome.  He is a young guy and he just kept telling us at lunch that this is a tough area... haha but he kept saying, the work is progressing and miracles are happening.  I believe him... I believe that miracles are happening.  

We also went to one of our secondary's called JiJi, and we had a lesson with a recent convert who is from India.  She speaks mandarin, but her Taiwanese is better because it is closer to her native language I guess.  hahah Taiwanese sounds crazy... hahah its super hard.  The area we are in has a lot of old people... who only speak Taiwanese... haha WE don't understand anything.  I hope that while I am here I can learn how to say some basic things in Taiwanese to help these people.  The RC we met with is super cool and she has a little boy and she works some of the most crazy hours.  She doesnt' have an easy life.  She has a strong testimony of the truth of the gospel.  We had the second counselor in the Branch Presidency come with us... well he actually drove us because we weren't too familiar with the area.  He is awesome.  He got baptized 1 1/2years ago.  He has the kindest heart.  When we were in lessons with him you could just feel of his love for the gospel.  After that we went over to his house for another lesson.  We had an ivestigator come to his home.  Here name is "M".  She is awesome and loves the bible.  We taught her aobut the book of mormon and how she can read it.  She is awesome.  We also met the Second counselors wife.  She was baptized 2 years ago! She was awesome too.  

When the second counselor drove us home.  He is a super cool guy and was telling us that every other week he has kongfu class so we can't come to his house at that time.  On the way home he told us that the gospel has really blessed his family.  When we were over there you could just feel the love of the gospel in that home.  It reminded me of my home.  I am so grateful to have been raised in a home where the gospel was taught and where I could feel of that love.  I love this gospel.  

On Thursday we went to TaiZhong!! wahhhhooo!!! hahaha.  My comp is our District leader so he had to go to a meeting there.  When we were there I got to go an serve in Dakeng while he was in the meeting!!! It was so awesome!!!  I served with Elder Ju's companion. He is a duan chuan... i can't remember how to say that in english.  He isn't a missionary yet... but he gets to come serve for a week.  He is Taiwanese!  It was so fun.  We got to go visit "W".  We had lunch with them and I was so happy. He told me he would send a pic when he got baptized. It was just awesome being there.  Then on the way home we ran into some miracle contacts who set up.  That was awesome!!  

This week has been so crazy and tiring and awesome!! haha!! I can't wait to tell you more over call/skype on Mother's Day call!!! This place is awesome.  We are still lost half the time but the Lord is guiding us.  I love you all so much!!!

Love ,

Elder Redding