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| Goodbye Sister Wawro! |
Tainan
It was an eventful week!
Festive
If I had to pick a word to describe the week, it would be festive
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| All Mission Christmas Party |
Christmas Party
We had our mission Christmas party and it was super fun! We got up early, early in the morning while it was still pitch black. Our whole zone took a train to the other side of our mission. We hiked up to a beautiful Buddhist temple and met our entire mission there. So it was awesome seeing previous companions and tons of people I haven't seen in a long time.
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| Reunited with my MTC District |
The happiest part for me probably was that we were able to go to a beautiful spot. I heard about how pretty Taiwan was and saw some pictures on Google before coming and was so excited to see all the scenery. Here are photos of Sun Moon Lake. Beautiful Taiwan!
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| Sun Moon Lake -- Beautiful Taiwan! |
But I honestly haven't been able to see much because we serve in big cities and most of the scenic places are on the coast. And on a p-day you don't have a lot of time to bike out to super far places, so I was excited to see more of my mission country!
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| President Blickenstaff munching on shrimp tempura lettuce wraps :) |
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| Exploring Sun Moon Lake's Itashao aborigine village |
Killed Sister Wawro
Today I "killed" Sister Wawro ["killing" is slang for being the last companion of another's missoinary to "finish off" their life as a missionary]. She's finished her mission and is now at the mission office in Taizhong and flying home on Wednesday.
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| Goodbye to the missionaries who have finished their missions |
It's a really odd thing, being with someone the very last transfer of their mission, the last day, even the very last hour. But it was such a privilege to serve together! We really did become best friends in our 9 weeks together.
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| Sister Wawro and me--happy companions |
Interested in other people's lives
I learned so much from her example! What sticks out to me about Sister Wawro is how interested she is in other peoples' lives. She is amazing at getting to know people! She is a thinker, that girl. She's a very thoughtful person and very intelligent. We loved talking through things together, anything -- what the deal was with our investigators, what we would do in certain situations, deep doctrinal questions, our opinions on lots of different topics. We covered a lot in just 9 weeks! I'm really impressed by how well she got to know me in that short amount of time. She asks really good questions that make you ponder and reflect. And I'd say she is probably one of the people in the world who understands me most and what type of person I am, my personality, the way I think.
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| With recent convert Ke Jiemei |
Personal relationship with Jesus Christ
I really admire Sister Wawro because of how much she loves the Gospel. But not only that, how much she understands. She practically has an encyclopedia of conference talks stored somehow up in her brain! She knows so much about the scriptures, and has a really personal relationship with Jesus Christ. She's thoroughly studied His life and has a deep understanding of His character. There is so much more that I love about her but I thought I'd share a poem that she wrote as she was going home to America. (See below.)
Merry Christmas
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| Our ward put on a fun Christmas pageant. We missionaries passed out candles (or ate them) to the crowd to sing Silent Night together |
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| Celebrating Christmas with our Recent Convert, Sister Ye |
Merry Christmas!
Much love,
Sister Sinclaire Hancock
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| Merry Christmas! (December 2015) |
By Sister Wawro
I've been camping, and in camping you leave home to come here.
Me, I've been camping for well over a year.
In camping you'll learn pretty fast,
which gear is heavy & which aint gunna last.
Distractions are heavy, some stuff you gotta dump.
But if you pack up too soon you'll get stuck in a slump.
Before camping, its better if you prepare.
You need stamina, heart, and to know why you're there.
You need stamina, heart, and to know why you're there.
You'll say lots of prayers, hear lots of talks,
get caught in the rain and get stuck with wet socks.
In camping, sometimes it kinda sucks,
You'll hike for hours just to get stuck in the ruts.
You'll call lots of young girls whose interest is high,
only to find they just thought the elders were shuai.
It's physically hard, you'll sweat a lot,
and sleep on a bed that feels like a cot.
You'll get bitten, get tired, get zits on your face,
but be expected to smile and keep up a good pace.
You'll be dared to eat hearts, eyeballs, and slugs,
and fall asleep praying not to be crawled on by bugs.
You might be rejected for weeks, you'll feel like you've lost,
you'll become more like Him as you bear his cross.
While camping you'll find out real quick,
that happiness depends on the people you're with.
How you make other's feel says a lot about you,
help other campers along, lift their burdens too.
And you'll get closer to them, they'll become you're best friends.
They're your best souvenirs when this journey ends.
While camping, you'll learn some impressive new skills,
conqueror some fears, take parasite pills!
Plus safety skills!
CPR, rescuing, how to retain,
emergency kits, reflective gear, and what to wear in the rain.
You'll clean up after yourself, bring your own kit,
you'll leave every place better than you found it.
Camping builds character, brings you to new heights,
You'll climb to new peaks and see beautiful sights.
You'll learn that God, like stars, becomes more bright,
while you're in the trials of the night.
And God, like stars, seem more near and more deep,
in the nights that you can sleep.
Soon you'll find the inevitable, that you need a shower,
and you need to go home more and more by the hour.
Which is fine, because camping can't be your whole life.
You go home to apply the lessons you learned on your hike.
You'll realize camping is one big MTC,
It's Zion's camp, and you're still a trainee.
My camping trip has been perfect for me.
Most days are just days; all that we reap we can't see.
But never, never, never give up. You don't know what you'll do,
Most of the good that you do will only be seen by God, and by you.
So Brethren, shall we not go on in so great a cause?
To lift up our brothers, and shoulder the odds?
then at the end, we may stand still,
and we know the Lord his arm will reveal
that at the time of the storm a small helm moved a great ship,
so let us cheerfully do all things that lie in our power, so all benefit.
Don't get discouraged, worried, fear, or shrink small,
You stand for Christ when you speak; Live up to your call!
Open your mouth. Say the exact words He would say,
because sometime, somewhere, there will come a day,
When you take off your badge, and have a new start.
But but though you take off our badge, it'll stick on your heart.
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