GaoXiong, Veggie, and Back to Square One‏

Hello Family,

I hope that your week has been stupendous! Ours hasn't been too bad, can't complain too much. I 

guess that the only real complaint is that it is still getting hotter. Oh my goodness I am frying down here! But I am still keepin' on in that department.

Well, for starters, this email is late because today Elder Yeh and I had to come to GaoXiong, which is the southern part of the island. Elder Yeh had to come to the chapel here to take what's called the Michigan Test. This test is an English Proficiency test. Elder Yeh wants to attend BYU Hawaii and this test is one of the requirements for foreign students I guess. So there were quite a few native missionaries who came here today. But anyways, Elder Yeh's English is really good, so I'm sure he did fine! But yeah, the GaoXiong chapel is huge. Like, HUGE! Biggest chapel I've ever seen in my life, that's for sure.

Secondly, in addition to my new exercise endeavor, I have also slowly started to change my diet. I am now eating mostly vegetarian. I am not a COMPLETE vegetarian though. I will still eat eggs and a few other meat products, but if there is a way to cut meat out, I am doing it. This is mostly because the meat here is really fatty, not a whole lotta lean stuff you can find. So, in an attempt to continue losing weight and getting healthier, I am slowly working towards total vegetarianism. And it has been a little tough at the start, but I'm sure the benefits will come.

Now, lastly, when I say that we are back to square one, it is because of our investigator, KGL. I wrote last week that we had given him a goal for the 4th of July. Well, that's not happening... After that meeting, he cancelled on us twice because of work things he had to do. And then, later that week, he called us and told us that he was going to Hong Kong for a week and a half! FLIP! So, that goal is toast, and now were are back to where we were before, trying to set up time to meet and trying to give him a goal that he can SERIOUSLY commit to. But, I guess that's the 傳教士 life sometimes. People commit, people cancel, people spontaneously leave the country for two weeks. Fun stuff.

Well, that's about it for this week. I hope that you are all doing well and I look forward to hearing from you guys very soon. Love you all and stay awesome!

GaoXiong Chapel‏

Sincerely,

Elder Chase Joseph Millett

雷長老

This one is a Kao Rou, which is like grilling or barbeque

P-day adventures

Me and one of our Recent Converts

View from the train ride down to GaoXiong

View of Taibao from the roof of our chapel

Phase 1 Finally Complete, 柯弟兄 Back on Track, Hairspray, and Consecration‏

你好家庭！

 

I hope that your week has been a good one. Ours has been very cool down in 太保. Another hot week, and only getting hotter, but it has been fun.

 

WOW! 4 TOPICS THIS WEEK!!!! SURPRISED YA' DIDN'T I !!!

 

So, to start off, I finally finished my Phase 1 pass-offs, the mission's language training program. So I finally get to start working on Phase 2. Now, Phase 2 is different in that it doesn't have pass-offs, and it is all flashcards. But the purpose of Phase 2 is to simply start to increase our vocabulary, which is what I need at this point. So, tomorrow I will be getting the "Red Box," or the first box of the Phase 2 program so that I can get going as soon as I can. So that has been exciting, and I am happy to see growth in the language.

 

Now onto the second, and quite frankly the most important part of this email. Ke Guo Lin is finally back on track for baptism. He spent a lot of time traveling recently and we were finally able to meet with him again this week. We sat down with him and discussed what needed to happen so that he could be baptized. We finally came up with the 3 most important things for him to remember.

 

1. He has to be available on Saturday to do the baptismal service.

 

2. He has to be able to attend church (at least Sacrament Meeting) for the Confirmation.

 

3. He has to be able to Schedule time for another Baptismal Interview in the coming week or week and a half.

 

So, that is where he stands at this point. His goal is for July 4, so we are working hard and often to try and make this thing happen. We are meeting with him tomorrow to set up his interview and hopefully, he will finally be able to take this important step.

 

And now onto a less important subject. So, recently, I've been experimenting with some new methods of doing my hair. I've discovered that because it is so hot here, anytime I use hair gel, it just melts down into my eyes and causes me discomfort. (And also, if my hair gets too long, gel just looks ridiculous.) So I started experimenting with hairspray. I've discovered that I love hairspray more than I've ever enjoyed using gel. So, that is probably the way I will do it from now on. Not only is it more convenient and comfortable, but it allows me to try out some new looks. So fun stuff.

 

And finally, I have been downloading lots of talks recently. On P-day, as I am doing my emails, I have been perusing LDS.org looking for more and more talks to listen too. Now, most recently, I have started listening to more and more talks by Elder Neal A. Maxwell. I've heard that people refer to him as "the modern day Isaiah." I totally agree. Anyways, I've started to love talks by him and some of the really thought-provoking and spiritual quotes he's given. So, that will be my invite for this week.

 

Recently, I've been reading a lot about "Consecration." What it means. What it entails and things of that nature. I have really started asking myself how consecrated I am to the Lord. And this talk by Neal A. Maxwell, entitled "Consecrate Thy Performance," really helps to put into perspective what Consecration entails.

 

https://www.lds.org/general-conference/2002/04/consecrate-thy-performance?lang=eng

 

As I've been doing this study, I remembered my experience in the temple. Now, for all of you who have had the chance to go to the temple, I would invite you to think about YOUR experience. Think about where the Law of Consecration comes in the order of the temple endowment. Think about the significance of the covenants that we make with our Father in Heaven.

 

Brothers and Sisters, we are the Lord's covenant people! We take upon ourselves sacred obligations, oaths, and promises before God, Angels, and Witnesses that we will always do as the Lord commands. May we all strive for complete consecration as we traverse this probationary mortality. May we all strive to become better as we too "are trying to be like Jesus." I love all of you and I leave this as my testimony in the name of Jesus Christ, our Lord, Savior, and Redeemer, whose grace is sufficient for all of us, Amen.

 

I love all of you, I hope that I too have been able to provoke some thinking, some self-evaluation, and some spiritual renewal. I hope that all of you have an amazing week and I look forward to hearing from you very soon.

 

With lots of love,

Elder Chase Joseph Millett

雷長老

 

P.S. Here are some pictures from last P-day. We went golfing. And some food that I made on Sunday (Soymilk Scrambled Eggs with Kimchi and Salmon)

we are on early. At about 11:45, a member from JiaYi is going to come pick us up and take us to the train station. We are going with the other missionaries in our district to another Chi Dao Bao. This one is a little bit different though. This one is a Kao Rou, which is like grilling or barbeque. So I am excited. And then afterwards, this member said that he could take us to Costco or somewhere to buy our food for the week and then he is taking us back here. This week is going to be a whole lot better knowing that you are ok! I will continue to pray that your recovery will be rapid. I'm glad that I have had the opportunity to share the things I've learned with you guys. I hope that you will be able to continue to take on my little weekly invites. The blessings that will come from doing so will be very evident. I love you so much!

P-90X, Young Men's Activity, and Followed by a Ghost‏

Hello Family, 

Well this week has certainly been an interesting one. This may be a shorter email, but I will try to say what I can.

Well, to start off, I finally got a package I had been waiting on from my parents this week. I had asked them to send me P-90X so that I could have a set workout schedule in the morning. (For those of you who don't know, Elder Watson and I had a hard time getting up and working out in the morning.) But now I've started doing P-90X every morning, 6:00. And Elder Yeh is doing it with me. And it still kicks butt like it did the first time. But it really is a lot of fun. I forgot how much I enjoy doing it. 

Oh, and just a funny story about that same package. I thought I smelled something funny from inside when I first opened it. And after some observation I discovered that a deodorant stick inside had melted or exploded or something. It was all over everything! It was a mess! But I finally managed to save most of the package. The only things that perished were a copy of the Ensign and a picture. Yeah, that was fun to clean up.

Nextly, on Saturday I think, our day was kind of crazy. That morning, we went and helped do some service for like 3 hours in a non-member's field. But because it was in some green house sort of contraption, it was soooooo hot! But after that, we went home, showered, and did our studies. Then we put on our exercise clothes again and attended a branch Young Men's activity, the first one since I've been here. We played Volleyball and Basketball and afterwards enjoyed some "Mai Cha." (Barley Tea: DON'T WORRY! NO WORD OF WISDOM PROBLEMS HERE!) But that was a lot of fun. I don't have pictures unfortunately....sorry.

Well lastly, followed by a ghost. No, I was not followed by a ghost. Let me explain. Elder Yeh and I were out tracting some houses near the church when we got a call from one of our Recent Converts who asked if we could meet him at the chapel at 8:00. We went to the chapel and started chatting with him. Now, a few minutes later, we hear a knocking sound. There had been a meeting going on upstairs so we thought it was just a member coming down the stairs. Well then it happened again. We finally went and opened the front door of the chapel and we found a guy standing there, looking fairly concerned. He asked if we were having our church meetings right now and we told him we weren't. We invited him to come in and sit with us for a few minutes and he told us his story. He said that he had felt he was being followed by a ghost. He also said that recently he had been hearing voices. He told us that he heard the voice of Jesus, and that he was angry with him for believing in other gods. We tried to talk him down and reassure him that everything was alright. We gave him a priesthood blessing and his whole countenance changed. He was a lot brighter and happier after the blessing. We invited him to meet with us the next day and he accepted. But then he never came. So that was the last we heard of our mysterious friend. But it was a really neat experience.

To be a FB missionary means that Elder Yeh and I can have a half an hour each day to use facebook to proselyte, follow up with Members, RC's, Investigators and things like that. There is a whole packet with rules that I have to read. So, I am not going to change my facebook all that much today, but I will do it over the next few days. I have to unfollow family and friends profiles, not unfriend them. Just so that you guys can see what I'm doing, but I can't see what you're doing back home. And then I have to change some pictures and like certain pages and things like that. It's a process.

Well that about sums up this week. I hope that you guys are doing well. I am certainly trying to get by at this point. But I know that there are still good things to come.

Love you all and I'll talk to you next week,

Sincerely,

Elder Chase Joseph Millett

雷長老

太保分會

Another Late Email, Bye-Bye Elder Watson, Welcome Elder Yeh‏

Well Family,

I hope that you've had a good week. My week has certainly been a little bit crazy. But I guess I'll start with the most obvious news first.

Yup, Elder Watson is gone! We received the phone call Saturday night that he would be moving to Wu Feng in Taichung to be a Zone Leader with our former District Leader Elder Zhu. So, we went home, started packing all of his stuff. On Sunday, we were booking it all around the map visiting people and saying goodbye to them. We went and visited the guys we play basketball with every other Saturday and took some pictures. We ate at Lao Di Fang one last time and we went home. It was a busy day, but so much fun. And then he left me today. I am pretty sad about that, we were really good friends after all, but he is where he needs to be. I am thrilled to have had the experience of serving with such a funny companion. He has blessed my life and I am grateful for all he did for me. Thank you Elder Watson! Enjoy Taichung!

So, after he left, I met my new companion at the JiaYi Train Station. His name is Elder Yeh, and he is a native Taiwanese! He has been about about a month longer than me. Since he can speak Chinese, he is the senior companion. When I first found out that I would be getting a native companion, I was so nervous. Like, you don't even believe. I was like, "How am I going to communicate with him!?" "How are we going to get anything done if I can't talk with my companion!?" But then President Blickenstaff and Elder Watson both reassured me that his English was pretty good. So, I picked him up at the train station and we came back to Taibao! I am so excited to get to work with him now, because he will really help my Chinese to skyrocket! So, welcome to Taibao, Elder Yeh! Let's get rockin' it!

Well, aside from that little bit of news, this week was super busy. Saturday Evening and Sunday Morning were our District Conference, and we had an Area 70 come to our district from Beijing. His Chinese is perfect, some white guy. But it was super cool, and I could understand the majority of what was said. On Saturday night, we "pei'd" (or traveled with, accompanied) a sister in our branch to the conference. We paid for her bus ticket and some dinner, because she really doesn't have much money. She was so happy she was able to go!

Aside from that, things are going pretty normally here in Taibao at this point. We have a couple of pretty solid investigators at this point. We are teaching a Hellen H. She has been coming to English class for quite some time now. Apparently she has been a pretty stubborn investigator for past missionaries, and they usually stop meeting with her after only a couple of visits. But we are continuing to meet with her and she is making rapid progress. She still has lots of questions, but we have been able to make things happen. Now we just hope that things continue to go smoothly.

We also have our investigator Ke Gxx  Lxx. We were actually pretty scared at one point. He didn't return our phone calls for like a week and a half, and we were worried that he'd dropped us, even though he was so close. But, last week, we finally heard from him. His work had sent him to AoMen, a little island just south of Mainland China for a few weeks. He won't be back until the 15th, but he talked to a member in the branch and told her that he wants to be baptized in July, so we are going to work our hardest to make that happen.

Well, the spiritual experience I had this week was the District Conference that we had. It was awesome that President  was able to attend and to give some very inspiring words! . With JiaYi working towards Stake-status, we need all the encouragement we can get. I also loved Elder Toronto's words. He had a way with making us laugh, but really taking in the meaning of what he was saying. I loved the emphasis that was put on families for this conference. I firmly believe that by strengthening families, we in turn build the strength of the church. So, I thought that that was a really neat experience.

Well, that about sums up this week. I love you guys and I hope to hear from you soon! Wish me luck with my new companion!

HAPPY BIRTH DAY MOM! I hope that you have a wonderful day and a wonderful time at girls' camp. I am doing wonderful! I love you and miss you so much!

祝你生日快樂!

祝你生日快樂!

祝你生日快樂!

祝你生日快樂!

我愛你媽媽！

XXXOXXOxxoxXOxxXOXxXOXXOXOxXO

Sincerely, lots of love,

Elder Chase Joseph Millett

雷長老

太保分會

Basketball group

Elder Yeh and Elder Millett

Another Chi Dao Bao, Transfers, and Remembering Elder Perry‏

Hello Family,

I have to apologize for another late email again. We didn't really know what we wanted to do for our P-Day today so we asked the Zone Leaders. They said that they were going to a Chi Dao Bao and we were like, ok, we'll come. So we did. We went and ate at a Thai Chi Dao Bao today and it was so good! But I feel like I'm going to die I ate so much. But, I guess that's what happens. I will attach pictures.

Well, there really isn't a whole lot to write about this week. Transfers are coming up this next week. We have no idea what is going to happen, but we are assuming that Elder Watson is leaving. He has been in Taibao since just before Christmas. So yeah, he's about due for a move. But whether he stays or goes will determine where he is going to be for the rest of his mission. He goes home August 19! It's too crazy. I still feel like I've only just gotten to know him. I personally hope that he doesn't leave. I hope we have at least one more transfer as a companionship. But again, it's up to the Lord. Whatever President Blickenstaff decides is revelation from God, and I'm willing to accept whatever is coming.

Well, as I'm sure you are all aware, this weekend Elder L. Tom Perry passed away. We were sitting in our branch council meeting when a member got the text that he had passed. 

Well, it was some pretty sad news for me. Elder Perry was the only apostle that I've ever had the chance to talk to personally. We were at a youth conference a few years ago when he was coming out of the temple from one of his Quorum meetings. He put his hand on my shoulder and I remember him distinctly asking me "Son, do you plan on serving a mission?" "Of course," I responded. He then proceeded to tell me about the blessings of missionary service, something that he bore many a testimony about. It was an experience that changed my whole life, even if at the time I didn't realize it. To this day, I have felt a special connection to Elder Perry.  The blessings and promises that he told me come from missionary work ring true in my mind even to this day. When I start feeling down, I remember the things he told me about the lives I would touch, about the life lessons I would learn, and about the love for all men that I would develop.While I am sad to see him go, we know that he continues his work on the other side of the veil, and the promises of eternity have most certainly been fulfilled for this spiritual giant. I will miss him. I consider him a friend. And I continue to apply those things that he taught me, even in the very short time I got to talk to him.

Now, you wanted to hear my thoughts about the Joseph Smith movie (this was last weeks challengeL to watch Joseph Smith, Prophet of the Restoration movie) I think that it is fantastic. The first time I watched it here, at first I thought, oh, I've seen this before. But being on a mission and sharing the message of the Restoration really changed my thoughts about it. I payed sincere attention. I listened to the words that the prophet spoke. It really built my testimony of the sacrifice that it took for the Church to once again be restored.  I think of the prophets throughout the New and Old Testaments and the Book of Mormon and how many of them suffered pain, persecution, and even death for their testimonies of Jesus Christ. I know that Joseph Smith is counted among those prophets. I don't know if I ever told you, but President Eaton from my last mission wrote President Eyring's biography. He got to spend like 2 weeks having personal interviews with him and getting to know him. President Eaton recalled something that President Eyring told him when asked about Joseph Smith. He said that when they were filming the Joseph Smith movie, they kept having to redo the scenes and keep going through actors until they found the right Joseph Smith. President Eyring said that if all of the prophets throughout history were gathered into one room and Joseph Smith walked in, they would all stand out of respect. That is the Joseph Smith I know. A man of respect, humility, and sincere desire to seek the truth. And I feel that the movie really shows that.

Well, other than that, this week has been good. We continue to strive to find new investigators, although it is pretty tough out here. We are taking good care of our recent converts and we continue to spread the Gospel out here in Taibao. 

I love you all and I hope to talk to you guys very soon.

“The gospel of Jesus Christ is true. It has been restored to bless our lives in these latter days. It contains all the truths, principles, and ordinances contained in our Father in Heaven’s great plan of happiness, which is a plan for us to return and live with Him in the eternal realms beyond. That the gospel of Jesus Christ is His divine way for us to face our glorious future is my testimony to you.” —Elder L. Tom Perry:

Here is your weekly challenge: Elder L. Tom Perry's 1st talk as a member of the Quorum of the Twelve.

https://www.lds.org/general-conference/1974/04/build-your-shield-of-faith?lang=eng

Sincerely, your Son, Brother, Grandson, Nephew and so on,

Elder Chase Joseph Millett 雷長老