Aug 7, 2011 - My new comp & eating snake

Hello family! Its good to hear that you are having a good time. In taiwan today is fathers day. Happy fathers day pops!
So this week has been interesting. My companions english is not the best. And so it is really funny to hear him try and speak.

Last monday after I emailed you guys, we went out and ate snake. Isn't that sweet? if you zoom in on the picture, you should be able to see the snake skin and everything.
Its kinda weird being district leader here. I guess that a little while after I left, this whole zone kinda stopped doing to well. This is the biggest zone in the mission. And in the last 8 months its been the lowest baptizing. So they whitewashed (moved both of them and brought in two ...cough... more experienced ones) the zone leaders and brought in all new district leaders. Last week this area got 2 people at church. Yesterday we got 7. This is how we do it! This area is going to start blowing up. The members are super nice here in dong hai. Yesterday at church I saw a bunch of people that I knew from last year. Its pretty sweet. Today we are going to fong jia to go to a resteraunt that I used to go to.
My new companion has a sister who is in this same mission. (wouldn't that be weird) And his ex-girlfriend is going to fongjia but he says that it doesn't bother him. But anyway, his sister is in the hospital because she has brain cancer. But she is getting better! She will be coming back later this month. Yeah Τ快猭!!
It would be really weird to serve like in provo or something like that where home would just be like an hour away.

See ya in a year,
ρ
玊狽
Elder Graham

July 31, 2011 - District Leader over my old area - Taizhong!

Sooo helloooooooo family,
This is Elder Graham. Happy birthday mom!! Just so you know I sent a package. It was about 60 bucks to send. But it only has some shoes and things like that. A hat. And a really big scroll. Some of it is for me when I get back, like the shoes. But you guys can put the poster up in the house and wear the hat. The hat is really funny i think. It isn't made by our church but basically it says if you believe in Jesus you will be saved.

So yes. I moved. And guess where I moved to? Taizhong. I am now the district leader over my first area! I even get to go to the same chapel! I'm so excited! I get to see all the old people and go on exchanges in my old area! Isn't that cool? And guess what else. Oh man I am super lucky. My companion is a 台灣人. Isn't that sweeeeeet? He is from taidong. And he is going to help me with my characters and speaking and he will teach me a little 台語.
He is super cool. Kinda a bigger guy and he is like a teddy bear. sweet. So yeah. My new area is in 台中西屯區 just like my first area! But this time I am by DungHai University. (deng hai). Our house looks over the school grounds and our apartment is huge. The best apartment I have had so far. So sweet. We are going to do some cool stuff.

Sisi, That lady was right. Boys are all stupid. And you shouldn't care what other people think anyway.
Yes Sisi. That's why dad gave me a shotgun for my twelfth birthday.
What kind of phone did dad get mom?
Chinese food is way better than Thai.
Like I really want to come back to Taiwan. I am planning on it. But I just don't know when..
Well this elder has to go. We don't have a lot of time.. Next week will be better.
Love Elder Graham

July 24, 2011

OK the pictures are sweet but they are so small I can't see who is who.
But anyway. It looks like you guys had lots of fun.
Kami. you will never be a woman. Sorry. You will just be my sister.
Sisi. You don't like boys yet. And don't mention food. I'm soooo hungry. But guess what? I am going to an all you can eat place with all you can eat Hagen daz Ice cream. It is sooooooooo good. yay.

OK so this week was pretty good. Nothing huge happened. Rudi has been watching over his grandma while she is in the hospital. Hospitals are different here. Like you have to do everything yourself. You even have to bring your own toilet paper. Soooo he may or may not be getting baptized on Saturday. I'm not going to lie to you guys. I haven't been tracting in my whole mission. Maybe like 3 times for about 5 minutes every time. Its way more boring than talking to people on the street.

Am I surprised about everything that I have learned on my mission. Hmm. Some people will turn their backs on God. Even after spiritual confirmations of truth. People will let other things get in the way of things that will effect eternity. Things that don't matter.

So I just barely emailed on Wednesday and I don't have any new pictures. Sorry.

This week we hit most of our weekly goals. We had a good four investigators at church. This is the last week of the move call. I hope I don't go trainer......... I also don't want to move. But I have been here for three move calls and my time might be up.

Anyway. I'm sorry this was short again. I will talk to you guys again next week.!

Elder Graham

July 20, 2011 - Rain, Temple & Zone Conference

Hello family,
This is Elder Graham.

This week has rained like crazy. It rains every day for long periods of time. which is not fun because if we aren't teaching a lesson, we are outside contacting people. But when its raining, there isn't anybody to talk to. AND its in the rain and we are soaking wet.

Thank you for the package with garments. YAY for new garments. I've been sweating in mine everyday for over a year. Its weird to think that I've been here for over a year.

So today we went to the Taibei temple. It was really good. And I got to see a sister who I served around when I was in 蔼动. She went home two transfers ago. But now she works for the church in . She is going to BYU in December and I told her to get in contact with you guys when she gets there. Her name is Chen xiao ting. I think... I forgot. Anyway..

Sisi I don't think that Dad is getting slower. You are just getting faster .
OK for like the fifth time. When you say you are having "the talk" with Sarah. What does that mean?

Zone conference was really good last week. I learned a lot. Then yesterday was Leadership Training Meeting. Which was also really good. But they take all day and all it is, is we get taught for half an hour, then we practice for an hour on the thing that we learned about. I always have a headache by the end of the day. They last about 10 hours.

Rudi passed his interview.... But then last Saturday he went to a wedding and drank some alcohol. sad face. But yeah. After that, we didn't get a hold of him for two days. It made me worried. But he finally picked up his phone and we are meeting with him tomorrow. He is still planning on getting baptized on the 30th.

Next move call is in a week and a half. I might be training in the next couple move calls. We are getting like 40 new missionaries soon. That's a lot.

I told my President about my weakness of loving babies to death and he said that when he was on his mission here, he held babies all the time. It wasn't a rule back then. But it is now and we need to obey the rules. We have some super cute babies in this ward...

Well sorry this was short. We got back late.

Elder Graham