What the Winter?!, 洪弟兄 Plot Twist!, and Bike Problems

大家好。

(Big Family Good.)

How as your week been? Ours was pretty good. Saw quite a few miracles this week, as well as some surprises, as well as some weather changes. Training is still going ok. It is still hard, but it is still so much fun as well. Elder Park and I have been bonding pretty well. He is a good guy. He wants to work hard and see miracles. And he has the same sense of humor and appetite as I do, so that is always a good thing. But yeah....差不多.  kind of a crazy week. But it has been fun. Lots of miracles, and our numbers went up for this week, so that has us encouraged. And we have some really cool potential investigators right now.

Well, this week has been flipping freezing!!!! Especially the last couple of days. We had noticed that the wind was picking up earlier in the week, and that is never fun. Riding your bike in the wind makes things difficult sometimes. But then, one night, I woke up to the sound of the wind whistling through windows. (So, since our apartment is on the 16th floor, the wind can get pretty crazy. And if it gets crazy enough, it will push through the seams in the windows and doors and stuff and create this ridiculously annoying whistling sound.) But, yeah. In addition to the wind it was also raining. And the temperature was ridiculously cold!!!! We went outside and then realized that we weren't going to be warm enough with only one jacket. Eventually, I ended up wearing like 4 layers of clothing to church, including a long sleeve shirt, a sweater, my suit coat, and then my big wool overcoat. And even then I was still freezing! I wore gloves and everything when I was biking because my hands would get numb if I didn't! Crazy! We were talking to a member and apparently it hasn't gotten this cold in like 10 years or something! And also, we heard that it started snowing up in Taipei. So, yeah it was cold. People don't really like to talk to you when it's 5 degrees Celsius (41 degrees Fahrenheit) outside and windy!  And yeah, 5 degrees is NOT warm!!! Weather has not been on our side for the past couple of days, but we have made it work.And wow, 41 degrees! I'm turning into a sissy!!!! I'm gonna die when I get back to Utah!!!!! 

Well, this week, we had kind of a surprise. So, our investigator, 洪弟兄, has been meeting with us for quite a while now. He is just about ready to be baptized! In fact, his interview is on Tuesday! But, earlier this week, we met with him, and I realized that I hadn't confirmed his address. So, when I asked him where his address was, like which area it was in and stuff, and he told me that it was in 永康, which is NOT OUR AREA!!! We were kind of like, "Oh.....uh........well.......hmm......" So, because of this we have had to work with the YongKang 2nd Ward Elders the past few days to help him transition over to their ward. But it has proved successful. Hong Di Xiong feels comfortable attending their meetings and being baptized in the ward that he lives in. It was definitely a blessing, because YongKang 2nd Ward is where Elder Erwin is now, one of the Elders who started teaching him! So, everything has been falling into place. But, it was still hard to let our about-to-be-baptized investigator go to a different ward. But, as long as we have helped another soul come closer to Christ, then we have fulfilled our responsibility and our purpose, and we are so very happy for him!

Lastly, this week I encountered some bicycle problems. I went in to the local Giant shop to have my back brake changed. (Ya know, those things wear down.) He starts looking at my bike and then says that he would like to check a couple of other things. I thought it was weird, but I said ok. He takes my back rim and tire off and then starts doing some stuff to it. Then he tells me that my rims are messed up. Then he starts like banging it with a hammer to try and straighten it out and not my rim, but the hammer breaks!!!!!! He tells me that I can't ride with these rims. He said it was too dangerous. So, instead of paying a couple hundred kuai for a brake replacement, I ended up spending a ton on replacing rims and tires and the brake!!! So yeah, not the happiest day of my life. But at least my bike is safer, and it rides a lot better now. So, I guess it was a needed sacrifice. But, I look at it this way. Had I not switched the stuff out, I could've had some very big problems later on and I have probably prevented a future accident, which I am grateful for. (Gotta love the mission life! I'm tellin' ya! This kind of 東西 happens all the time!)

Well, that is about it for this week. Sorry, no new pictures for this week. I will try to be better about taking pictures! But yeah, I am healthy, aside from the cold I've gotten from the weather. I'm happy, even with all of the crazy stuff happening. And I am enjoying the work here in 台南三支會. Taiwan is a beautiful place. I can't believe that I only have like 9 short months left. But, I am enjoying every minute of it. Love you all. Can't wait to hear from you. And the Chinese New Year is just about here, so that is getting me excited. So, have a happy New Year from the other side of the world!!!!

Sincerely,

Elder Chase Joseph Millett

雷長老

(Missionary-cicle)

Training: Week 2, An Exchange with an Old Friend, and Some General Thoughts

大家早安。你們最近好不好？我們最近都還好。在訓練中，有發現到，在傳教的時候，一定要遇到一些苦難。我們最近沒有很多的新慕道友。還有，我們現在的慕道友常常有事，就沒有辦法來教會。所以，我們平常在路上接觸。但是，我們還會用信心去分享這個美好的福音。

Well, training is going ok I guess. It is definitely a lot harder than I was anticipating, but I guess that applies to missions in general. We have been trying find some new people to teach, but we are struggling a little bit. And the investigators that we do have have all run into some things recently, whether it just be off-the-wall busy, or they won't come to church because it's raining. But, we are still going by faith and relying on the will of the Lord. But, as I've been training, I have definitely been reminded that we are to experience trials that we may learn and grow. I am reminded of what Elder Neal A. Maxwell has said, "We must partake of life's bitter cups, but without becoming bitter." Although I still feel unqualified as a trainer, I know that it is for a reason. 

Nextly, this past week, I had the chance to go on exchanges with an old friend of mine, Elder Crockett, from the MTC. Elder Crockett was in a district above mine, but at the MTC we became friends, at least I think so. He and I have both lost a lot of weight on our missions, and we share a lot of the same ideas about missionary work. So, we moved to Tainan at the same time. I came to the 3rd Ward and he went to DongQu to be our Zone Leader. We came on island together almost a year ago, which seems crazy to me. We talked for a long time about a lot of things, from funny experiences to the changes we've seen in ourselves to the changes in the mission culture. We just talked! He definitely taught me a lot of different things. After that exchange, I have been pondering about a lot of things. How is the mission going to change in the next few months? What is "true obedience?" What will I have want to become after my mission is finished? I've been asking myself questions like this all the time. I don't really have time to share all of my thoughts. But, needless to say, our exchange left a very profound impression on my heart and mind.

Lastly, since I couldn't think of a third thing to write about, I figured I could just kind of 隨便 share some of my thoughts. I mean, I guess recently it's been pretty cold here. I have had to wear my sweater a few times, which was shocking. I never would've thought that I would have to wear a sweater in Taiwan of all places! So, yeah, it's been pretty cold. Umm, the food here in Tainan is pretty good. We have found some pretty good places to eat at around here. And there is one of my favorite Hot-Pot places just behind our house, so that is fun. I am still feeling good, health wise anyways, but I do think I am starting to put a little weight back on. But, I've been doing P90X again, so I plan on keeping it down. Our area is actually massive. There are places that missionaries have probably only ever biked out to once or twice. Don't know if we'll ever make it out there, but we will try to figure it out. Yeah, throughout my mission, my emotions have gone up and down. Recently, I have been a little down, not anything serious, just exhausted and trying to find new people. I just want Elder Park to have a good training experience. I will certainly try, but there are times when I feel him get frustrated and I am still trying to figure out the best way to help him. But, this is a learning experience for both of us.

Anyways, that is about it for the week. I love you guys so much. Thank you for all of the support over these 15 months or so. From my loving family and friends, to my fellow missionaries in the MTC and around the world, to the wonderful members of the Buckley and Enumclaw YSA Ward, to all of the members in Taiwan, and to all of my companions and other people here. I dearly love you all. I look forward to the time when I will see all of you again, and what a glorious reunion it will be. Well, I hope to hear from you guys soon, and the work goes on here in Tainan.

愛你們喔！加油！加油！

Sincerely,

雷長老

A funny sign at KFC

Elder Fleming and I wearing our sweaters on exchanges. (Mom asked WHAT he was wearing. His response: "It's just fine Mom! I think its supposed to be like Taiwan aborigine artwork or something. It's actually not as extreme as the pictures make it look")

Training 怎麼樣, Interviews, and a Very 佛教 P-Day

Hello Family,

Sorry again for the late email. But today I had one of the most fun P-Days I've ever had. But I will get to that later. For now, I guess I will just explain how I've been doing.

So, training. Not a very easy task. It can be challenging. I have definitely spent a lot of time getting back to the basics of Chinese, but that's never a bad thing. I have been working with the 12 Weeks training program again, and that is a good refresher. We have like 2 additional hours of study in addition to the regular study time, so that feels long sometimes, but it is worth it. This week, we had a lot of cool people set up, but they either cancelled on us or just straight up didn't come, so that slaughtered this week's numbers, but it could be worse. Training is definitely a humbling experience. You learn just as much, if not more, as the trainer than as the trainee, I think. And that was what I talked about in my interview with President Blickenstaff this week.

So, usually for interviews, President likes us to come prepared with any questions or concerns to talk about during the interview. Well, as I thought about what to ask, nothing came to mind. But, just before I went into the interview, something came to me. I then proceeded to ask President, "What made you consider my name for training?" I told him that I knew that it was all through prayer and revelation, but there is still some choice involved. I told him, "I am not the greatest missionary in the missionary. I can count the number of my RC's on one hand. I am not the greatest street contacter. I don't have the greatest numbers. My Chinese isn't THAT great.What made you think about me for training?" Well, he thought about it for a second, and then he gave me a pretty cool analogy. He told me that if he had been chosen to choose the Prophet of the Restoration, he personally may not have picked Joseph Smith. He said that he would've probably picked Sidney Rigdon. He explained that Sidney Rigdon had a lot more experience than Joseph Smith. He was older, more educated, and more trained in speaking than was Joseph Smith. But he explained that it's not the way that it worked out. God chose the Prophet Joseph Smith to open up the Dispensation of the Fullness of Times. Joseph Smith was a simple man. He had not much education. He wasn't the greatest speaker. He lived a simple life. Yet through him, God has restored the fullness of His church to the Earth. We have received some of the greatest revelation the world has ever known. We have the Book of Mormon. And he talked about a lot of other things. But he told me that his point was that the Lord doesn't always pick the "Top-Shelf" missionaries. He will pick normal people, like myself, to do His work. Like the fishermen of the New Testament, he will make us to become "Fishers of Men." And that really touched me. I may not be the most elegant speaker, the most skilled missionary, or the smartest missionary, but I have been called here because the Lord knows what I can do. It really hit me hard and filled my heart with the Spirit. So that was a really neat experience.

Lastly, today we had an AWESOME P-Day. So, a member in the Tainan 4th Ward named Ricky, likes to take missionaries places on P-Day. So, he told us this last week that he would take us to Fo Guang Shan, or the "Buddha Light Mountain." (I think that's what it was called.) But this place is massive. It is where the Mission Christmas Activity was the year before this last one. And what a place it is!

You have no idea how big this place is! The pictures don't do it justice. There is a ton of history I could tell you about this place, but time doesn't allow for it. But essentially, the point is is that this is one of 3 places in the world that houses a portion of Buddha's ashes! And it houses a 108 meter tall bronze statue of Buddha!!!!! And it is really cool. It took us like 3-4 hours around there and we only checked out like half of it! But, maybe next week, I can tell you more! For now, enjoy some pics, and there will be more on the way!

​Well, that is about it for this week. I wish I had more time to write, but this will have to do until next week. I hope that all of you have an awesome week. Know that I am missing you and thinking about you all the time! Love you and talk to you guys soon!

Sincerely,

Elder Chase Joseph Millett

雷長老

District Meeting on the Beach, English Party, and Please Welcome My Son, Elder Park

大家好。

I hope you have had an awesome week. New Year! New Opportunities! New Goals! and so forth.... This week has definitely been quite the roller coaster ride for me! But it has been so much fun at the same time. There have been a lot of fun activities and a lot of big changes here, so I'll get right to it.

So, this past Tuesday, (which is the day we have our District Training Meeting), we were only going to have 3 people at the meeting. Elder Booth was assigned as a Zone Leader, so he had to go up to Taichung to MLC (Mission Leadership Conference), as well as both of the Sisters in our district, since they were Sister Training Leaders. So, it was only Elder Bradford, Elder Erwin and I at the meeting that day. So, we decided to switch it up for our last DTM together. We decided that we were going to ride out to the beach to have our meeting.

It provided for a nice background and weather. And I got to use some pretty cool beach analogies to explain missionary work. (I love analogies.....)

Secondly, we had our English Party this week. Elder Bradford had decided earlier in the transfer that he wanted to have a jungle themed party, so we called our party "Welcome to the Jungle." We played a lot of Minute-to-Win-It type games. We had some fun decorations (that wouldn't cooperate when we were setting them up.), and we had an awesome New Year's themed spiritual share from the Sisters. We had everyone take a brush pen and write their goals for the upcoming year on a red scroll-looking thing. That was a lot of fun as well!

And lastly, my son has arrived!!!!

His name is Elder Park. He is from Syracuse, Utah! Hey, kind of like my trainer, Elder Watson!!! He is super cool. He is 18 years old. Fresh out of the MTC and ready to get to work. He is super cool. His Dad is full Korean, and his Mom is part Chinese and part Japanese. So, he is just all kinds of Asian! He loves music. He plays the guitar, piano, etc. He likes soccer. And most importantly, he loves food! Just like me!!!! So, I am super excited to serve with him for these two transfers. I am already dreading the day I will have to leave him with another companion!!! But, we are going to have an awesome time!!!

Well, that is about it for this week. Pretty crazy stuff, huh? Yeah, I thought so too. But, we are getting back into the swing of things and the work goes on!!! I will try to get pictures of our new district this week to get to you guys. Know that I love you and miss you very much. Happy 2016 everybody!!!

Sincerely,

Elder Chase Joseph Millett

雷長老

Tainan City

Elder Hardy (Chase's good friend in high school), Elder Wang (Member in Chase's old area)
They are serving in Salem Oregon Mission.

District meeting on the beach

Elder Millett and Elder Park