October 2, 2011 - Training is so much fun!

Dear Family,

Hello. How is everybody?
Well Elder graham is doing pretty good. But for some reason my camera's battery isn't working so sorry. No new pictures. :\
But this week we have spent a lot of time talking to everyone and visiting with all the members we can and just trying to get anybody we can to listen to us! Come to church! gosh.

Training is so much fun. I am laughing all the time with my super tall companion. There are so many things that I didn't realize that I learned that someone brand new to Taiwan wouldn't know. Like don't stick your chopsticks straight up and down in your bowl. It is a sign of death and it attracts ghosts. We almost got kicked out of a house, but luckily the members knew that he was new and didn't know. Haha
Oh yeah. Thanks for the package. The cookies were in crumbs but my comp thought they were awesome so he ate them. I'm trying to stay off sugar. I'm back up to around 145 pounds and my super buff companion is putting me on the p90x program as well as running. So all sugar things are going to him. But that's OK. I'm trying to be more healthy.
This week is general conference. Sweet. Hopefully that goes well. We usually have problems with the translations. Anyway. So pops, I haven't heard any of them yet.
It is starting to get really cold. This morning we ran in the rain and wind. But it felt good.

Well Elder graham has to write his presidents letter now.. bye bye
桂長老桂俊杰
Elder Graham

Sept 25, 2011

Hello family!!
So this week was pretty good. Lately we have been struggling to find people to teach.This is going to be super short sorry.. But We have a ton of stuff to do. I might need a new gospel study journal... mine is all filled up. That's a good thing I think. That's so weird that Aaron Naylor is coming home so soon. Training is a lot more fun than everyone says it is. We just need to keep working with the people in the ward to find some new families to teach!!
Get them in the water!
Anyway, I hope everything is going good back there. I think my release date is in April some time.
I don't know how it is going to work but I am going to try and send my credit card home, the one from best buy. And you guys can get all the money off that. It doesn't work here. And it expires in March.
Ji di xiong's grandpa died and so he couldn't come to church yesterday. sad face.
Well elder graham has to go... Sorry this was short.

桂長老桂俊杰

Elder Graham

September 18, 2011 - Companion progressing fast!

Hello family,
Well this week went by really fast. My trainee is super sweet. He is so willing to work as hard as he can. He just wants to learn and keep learning. His Chinese is way better than mine was when I first got here. He is very humble in the way that he wants me to correct everything he says wrong. Its kinda funny sometimes. And now that everyone is comparing my Chinese to his, They all say that mine is really good. But last movecall, nobody said that. Anyway. But what I have figured out is that I have a Taiwanese accent. At the MTC they teach mainland Chinese. VERY DIFFERENT. Whatever Sarah is learning right now will be different than what I speak everyday.
Just a couple weeks ago the mission changed to "contacting in unity" which means that we contact together instead of separately. Which is very different from when I was trained. My companion is progressing a lot faster than I did. Its awesome.
These past few weeks, we have been having a hard time finding new people to teach that are willing to come to church. We have been working with a lot of part member families. Which has been giving us lots of good lessons but not a lot of progressing investigators. But this week we got 4 member referrals from ACTIVE members which was really cool. (and a first).
I'm glad you guys are doing good. I think we are Thrashing. Its been interesting to see how far I have come since it was my first move call.
I'm sorry this was short but Elder Graham doesn't have a lot of time today because we have a lot of things we have to get for my new companion. There's a lot of stuff he doesn't have!
Sisi - boys are just weird in general. Just so you know.

Love Elder Graham

桂長老桂俊杰