Hello everyone!
First things first! We got a toilet!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I am so excited. After four weeks of not being able to use our toilet, I don't even know what to do with my return to civilization. I got to be the first person to take care of acts of congressional magnitude on our new little baby and it was great. I don't think that's a feeling many people get to have in their lives. Hee Hee.
Food: We have once again proved that anything that can be cooked in any manner can also be cooked in the microwave. This week we made blueberry muffins in the microwave. They actually tasted amazing and it was a great treat to have something that was so reminescent of home. 4 blueberry blasphemies out of 5.
I also had a great dish from a Thai restaurant that I found this week called a Xia1bing2. It's basically dough and stuff with shrimp and other goodies in it that is fried and served with sweet chili sauce. I think that it was without a doubt one of the best things I have ever had. The outside was really crisp and the inside was soft and chewy. The flavor was light and exceptional with the sauce. 5 spunky shrimps out of 5.
Car Review: I nearly had the singular experience of getting hit by a Maseratti this weekend. I was so disappointed that I didn't. It was at a light, so I wouldn't have been hit hard enough to have been injured, but think of the bragging rights! Some people can say that have a Maseratti or have driven one, but how many people could say that they have been hit by one? I'm so disappointed. Plus, I wanted to see how much damage I could do to it.
This week we saw an awesome miracle with one of the investigators that I contacted on the street. I called him up and set up a time with him to meet and he was able to meet with us that same night. We went and started talking to him and finding out more about his life. He is a surgeon and is very well off, even though his wife is divorced and his family has major problems. He was kind of complaining about everything when we were talking and we were finally able to say a prayer and start talking about the gospel with him. The change in the spirit was instantaneous and incredible. He started listening and really connecting with the spirit of what we were sharing. We extended a baptismal commitment to him and he immediately accepted. It was a very exciting lesson and we were really able to teach to his needs. It was such a miracle to me to see the Lord providing for us, His little servants.
I know miracles happen, I love you all.
Elder Siebert
Monday, November 21, 2011
Tuesday, November 15, 2011
A Short Week
Hey everyone!
This week was a good one but due to the late email last week and the temple day, there really isn't too much to report over here. I did try a new food this week so....
Mixed fungus fried noodles: (that's the literal translation of the name) I would have to say that this is probably one of the most satisfying things that I have had in the last little while. The noodles kind of tasted like the way my mom did them, which, I will admit, I didn't like much before the mission but now that tastes have matured, I love it. (hopefully I've matured with the tastes). The lady seemed so surprised when I walked in, looked over the unpictured menu and ordered that dish by name. She told me that I was a foreigner and probably wouldn't like it. I assure her it would be okay. It was. 4 well intentioned warnings out of 5.
This week I got the chance to go up to Nei4hu2 and exchange with one of the new members of my district. Elder Braithwaite is a second transfer mission whose companion got conscripted into the military sort notice so he is now with a temporary missionary and all that. He's doing remarkably well despite the fact that he is only second transfer and having to be the senior companion. I got to go up there and do some training and help him out and will continue to do so by order of President every week. Yes Sir!
It was a cool miracle to have our man, Xie4 dx come to church this week. He really liked sacrament meeting and I was able to get him introduced to a bunch of members and get him all comfy. He's such a great guy because even though we've met him twice and haven't shared tons and tons with him yet, he still wants to come to church again, even though the lessons in sunday school and priesthood were about tithing and offerings and also about the millenium. I nearly cried.
It was also really cool this week to get to do my second baptismal interview. This one went so much better than the other one that I did earlier in the week. This lady was so prepared and she loves to repent and is so excited. It's a great miracle to see the changes the gospel can work in people.
I had a really cool miracle the other day. We had maybe thirty minutes before we needed to go in for the night and I was really trying to think hard of where we needed to go. We'd been on exchanges so my companion hadn't made a backup plan for the appointment that didn't come. I prayed so hard that I would be shown where to go to find those that would receive us. As I prayed, I knew exactly where to go: I literally saw the street and the door to knock in my mind. We went out and we did find a lady who was willing to set up another time for us to come back and share more with her. She'd already learned a little bit about our church before and as I applied How to begin teaching from PMG and kept talking to her, I was able to find out she's Christian already and had a lot of misconceptions about the church which she wants sorted out. It was an amazing miracle that the Lord really gave me exactly what he wanted me to do. I know when we are lost and need help, all we need to do is to pray to Heavenly Father with faith that He'll help and He really will guide us.
Love,
Elder Siebert
This week was a good one but due to the late email last week and the temple day, there really isn't too much to report over here. I did try a new food this week so....
Mixed fungus fried noodles: (that's the literal translation of the name) I would have to say that this is probably one of the most satisfying things that I have had in the last little while. The noodles kind of tasted like the way my mom did them, which, I will admit, I didn't like much before the mission but now that tastes have matured, I love it. (hopefully I've matured with the tastes). The lady seemed so surprised when I walked in, looked over the unpictured menu and ordered that dish by name. She told me that I was a foreigner and probably wouldn't like it. I assure her it would be okay. It was. 4 well intentioned warnings out of 5.
This week I got the chance to go up to Nei4hu2 and exchange with one of the new members of my district. Elder Braithwaite is a second transfer mission whose companion got conscripted into the military sort notice so he is now with a temporary missionary and all that. He's doing remarkably well despite the fact that he is only second transfer and having to be the senior companion. I got to go up there and do some training and help him out and will continue to do so by order of President every week. Yes Sir!
It was a cool miracle to have our man, Xie4 dx come to church this week. He really liked sacrament meeting and I was able to get him introduced to a bunch of members and get him all comfy. He's such a great guy because even though we've met him twice and haven't shared tons and tons with him yet, he still wants to come to church again, even though the lessons in sunday school and priesthood were about tithing and offerings and also about the millenium. I nearly cried.
It was also really cool this week to get to do my second baptismal interview. This one went so much better than the other one that I did earlier in the week. This lady was so prepared and she loves to repent and is so excited. It's a great miracle to see the changes the gospel can work in people.
I had a really cool miracle the other day. We had maybe thirty minutes before we needed to go in for the night and I was really trying to think hard of where we needed to go. We'd been on exchanges so my companion hadn't made a backup plan for the appointment that didn't come. I prayed so hard that I would be shown where to go to find those that would receive us. As I prayed, I knew exactly where to go: I literally saw the street and the door to knock in my mind. We went out and we did find a lady who was willing to set up another time for us to come back and share more with her. She'd already learned a little bit about our church before and as I applied How to begin teaching from PMG and kept talking to her, I was able to find out she's Christian already and had a lot of misconceptions about the church which she wants sorted out. It was an amazing miracle that the Lord really gave me exactly what he wanted me to do. I know when we are lost and need help, all we need to do is to pray to Heavenly Father with faith that He'll help and He really will guide us.
Love,
Elder Siebert
Wednesday, November 9, 2011
The Merger
Hey everyone!
I have survived yet another week as the district leader and have had a new mix of happenings this week. I have just gotten word that one of my companionships is moving into another district and that I am therefore receiving two new companionships into my district from the other district. I am therefore the unworthy leader of 10 missionaries now. It's a little bit of a weighty responsibility, I can feel my already mediocre height beginning to shrink even more under the stress. Kidding. I love it and all my missionaries are great.
Sadly, there's nothing new in the food report this week.
Verbatim: "finger were the original Kuai4zi3 (chopsticks)" Sister Oler regarding the use of her fingers rather than a fork to eat part of Elder Bennion's B-day cake.
"I'M sisters. Look." Elder Kasparian regarding my question as to where the sisters had gone, he sporting Sister Oler's messenger bag and a seductive look.
"Please, Ferrari's don't even phase me anymore, I just saw the Bugatti Veyron." Me regarding the Ferrari I saw after seeing the worlds fastest car. (That being said, I have the number of a guy who I have seen, to date, driving three different Ferraris. I want to call him and get him to take me for a ride on P-day. I'll take a picture if I can Josh.)
This week was a busy one and a long one, but a good one none the less. We got the chance to exchange with the Traveling Assistants and learn a lot from them. There are pretty much the best of the best at doing the work and as always, I love working with Elder Sessions, who shares my chinese name and my personal first name. We have been friends for a long while now and it's just great working with people who I can learn from in every way.
I wanted to share a miracle from this last week. We were up at the Chinese Culture University this weekend with one of our investigators and after teaching him, we were able to have dinner with him and spend that time chatting with him and getting to know him even more. At some point near the end of dinner, we went to this outlook over the whole city and talked there with him for a while. On the way back up to our bikes, I had a subtle impression to talk to this boy who was sitting alone on the blocks. I introduced myself and the message and asked if I could sit down with him. He accepted. We talked and as I applied the principles of How To Begin Teaching in PMG, I was able to find out things about him and help him see that the gospel was going to help him with all the concerns and decisions he is facing right now. We prayed, read some scriptures together and talked more about gospel principles and really applied them to his life. When I walked away, he thanked me so profusely and I realized that by listening and really trying so hard to make everything about him, the Lord had made me a powerful tool in His almighty hands.
I thank you for all your faith in me and your prayers. I pray that you will all be strong and know that God is real. He loves you all.
Love,
Elder Siebert
I have survived yet another week as the district leader and have had a new mix of happenings this week. I have just gotten word that one of my companionships is moving into another district and that I am therefore receiving two new companionships into my district from the other district. I am therefore the unworthy leader of 10 missionaries now. It's a little bit of a weighty responsibility, I can feel my already mediocre height beginning to shrink even more under the stress. Kidding. I love it and all my missionaries are great.
Sadly, there's nothing new in the food report this week.
Verbatim: "finger were the original Kuai4zi3 (chopsticks)" Sister Oler regarding the use of her fingers rather than a fork to eat part of Elder Bennion's B-day cake.
"I'M sisters. Look." Elder Kasparian regarding my question as to where the sisters had gone, he sporting Sister Oler's messenger bag and a seductive look.
"Please, Ferrari's don't even phase me anymore, I just saw the Bugatti Veyron." Me regarding the Ferrari I saw after seeing the worlds fastest car. (That being said, I have the number of a guy who I have seen, to date, driving three different Ferraris. I want to call him and get him to take me for a ride on P-day. I'll take a picture if I can Josh.)
This week was a busy one and a long one, but a good one none the less. We got the chance to exchange with the Traveling Assistants and learn a lot from them. There are pretty much the best of the best at doing the work and as always, I love working with Elder Sessions, who shares my chinese name and my personal first name. We have been friends for a long while now and it's just great working with people who I can learn from in every way.
I wanted to share a miracle from this last week. We were up at the Chinese Culture University this weekend with one of our investigators and after teaching him, we were able to have dinner with him and spend that time chatting with him and getting to know him even more. At some point near the end of dinner, we went to this outlook over the whole city and talked there with him for a while. On the way back up to our bikes, I had a subtle impression to talk to this boy who was sitting alone on the blocks. I introduced myself and the message and asked if I could sit down with him. He accepted. We talked and as I applied the principles of How To Begin Teaching in PMG, I was able to find out things about him and help him see that the gospel was going to help him with all the concerns and decisions he is facing right now. We prayed, read some scriptures together and talked more about gospel principles and really applied them to his life. When I walked away, he thanked me so profusely and I realized that by listening and really trying so hard to make everything about him, the Lord had made me a powerful tool in His almighty hands.
I thank you for all your faith in me and your prayers. I pray that you will all be strong and know that God is real. He loves you all.
Love,
Elder Siebert
Friday, November 4, 2011
How are you? Do you speak English? I don't!
Hey everyone!
I am now writing from Tianmu which is proclaimed by my mama to be the most affluent place in all of Taipei city. It certainly is a very wealthy region. I see everyone driving their Ferrari 550, 555s, their Mercedes CL3000 (I think that's what it is), their lamborghinis and all the works. It's pretty much insane. It's really great though. There are still plenty of people who are willing to listen to the message of the restoration and stop and talk.
I can't think of anything really new foodwise that I tried out. I was a little stingy on the money this week because everything is so expensive and I want to make sure that i have enough dough to make it through the month and then I can be a little more adventurous.
So I held my first district meeting with the zone leaders present and then a surprise visit from both the assistants to the president. That was a little pressure. It was pretty good. It was really hard keeping things on track, especially with my district, but it was really fun and we had a really good spirit there. I am looking forward to working more with my beloved district.
There's a really weird phenomenon here in Tianmu, it's called white people. After almost a year of only contacting in Chinese, it's a shocker when I have to use english to contact someone. There are words that I have only ever really used in Chinese, but that I use all the time and it's tough thinking of what they are in English. It's also strange when people tell me, "thanks man." I don't think I have heard that from anyone for ages now. I am started to get back into the swing of it though and I will have the english contacting down in a little bit I think.
This week I really had a great miracle following exactly what we had planned to do. We had planned to go to this street on Saturday and go knocking some doors because I thought that the road looked good on the map. When we got there we quickly realized that there was no way that we could knock the massive apartment complexes. However, I felt that we should be accountable to the plan that we had made, so we started down the little lane. I talked to a couple guys on the side of the road and began to testify of Christ. They were Christian. I shared a little about the restoration and asked if they'd be willing to listen to a little more right then and they agreed. I shared the power of the BOM with them and more about Joseph Smith and his vision. They were very open and were willing to set up a time to meet. Because of this miracle, we were able to hit all our goals for the day and it was just a wonderful experience to see how much can happen if we are really accountable for all our work.
I testify the power of accountability and goals are real. If we will hold ourselves accountable and set goals that will make us stretch, the Lord will really help us reach those as long as we try.
Love,
Elder Siebert
I am now writing from Tianmu which is proclaimed by my mama to be the most affluent place in all of Taipei city. It certainly is a very wealthy region. I see everyone driving their Ferrari 550, 555s, their Mercedes CL3000 (I think that's what it is), their lamborghinis and all the works. It's pretty much insane. It's really great though. There are still plenty of people who are willing to listen to the message of the restoration and stop and talk.
I can't think of anything really new foodwise that I tried out. I was a little stingy on the money this week because everything is so expensive and I want to make sure that i have enough dough to make it through the month and then I can be a little more adventurous.
So I held my first district meeting with the zone leaders present and then a surprise visit from both the assistants to the president. That was a little pressure. It was pretty good. It was really hard keeping things on track, especially with my district, but it was really fun and we had a really good spirit there. I am looking forward to working more with my beloved district.
There's a really weird phenomenon here in Tianmu, it's called white people. After almost a year of only contacting in Chinese, it's a shocker when I have to use english to contact someone. There are words that I have only ever really used in Chinese, but that I use all the time and it's tough thinking of what they are in English. It's also strange when people tell me, "thanks man." I don't think I have heard that from anyone for ages now. I am started to get back into the swing of it though and I will have the english contacting down in a little bit I think.
This week I really had a great miracle following exactly what we had planned to do. We had planned to go to this street on Saturday and go knocking some doors because I thought that the road looked good on the map. When we got there we quickly realized that there was no way that we could knock the massive apartment complexes. However, I felt that we should be accountable to the plan that we had made, so we started down the little lane. I talked to a couple guys on the side of the road and began to testify of Christ. They were Christian. I shared a little about the restoration and asked if they'd be willing to listen to a little more right then and they agreed. I shared the power of the BOM with them and more about Joseph Smith and his vision. They were very open and were willing to set up a time to meet. Because of this miracle, we were able to hit all our goals for the day and it was just a wonderful experience to see how much can happen if we are really accountable for all our work.
I testify the power of accountability and goals are real. If we will hold ourselves accountable and set goals that will make us stretch, the Lord will really help us reach those as long as we try.
Love,
Elder Siebert
Monday, October 24, 2011
What do the letters D and L have in common? The fact that they terrify me!
Hey everyone!
This is my last week in XiangShan because I'll be moving up to Tian1Mu3 as the district leader this week. I am excited to be up in TianMu, but afraid for the district leader part. Haha, we live and we grow I guess. I am sad to be leaving my dear friends and members here, but that's missionary life.
Food: Lasagna: We got all the stuff together last week and I made lasagna with the de Silvas last week for P-day. It was a blast and I taught them how to make their own noodles, sauce and the works and we had some really tasty lasagna. The noodles were slightly undercooked, so I would have to give it a 4 out of 5 layered lunches.
I don't know what they are called, but yesterday I got fed some little Brazillian thingies. They were like an empanada I think. They were little things of dough that are filled with meats and cheese and then fried, but there's nothing that I have tasted quite like that before. I give it 5 mysterious masterpieces out of 5.
Verbatim: "Elder Pac-man"--Jonathan de Silva concerning Elder Lew's eating habits.
This week was a good week where we were able to work a lot with the investigators we already have and keep helping them to improve and grow. We are super excited about the prospects. We were sad to lose an investigator this week because he decided for the time being he's going to help out at the church that he used to go to, but we had an awesome lesson with him. I can testify of the power of priesthood leadership because we got the stake president to help teach with us and what he said was perfect for Chen dx, however, he still didn't want to continue meeting for right now. It's okay, we gave him the best chance I think we could to know that this is true and to know how to get an answer about the BOM and why that matters. I know he already believes a lot of what we have taught, so I pray that he will be able to get this some day.
Today I wanted to share about the experience I had last night having a "last supper" with the de Silvas. After we ate, we had a lot of time left over and the thought came subtly to my mind to ask to have a testimony meeting where we could all share with each other, whether in english, chinese or portuguese. It was an amazing experience. I can tell you that as Brother de Silva bore his testimony in Chinese, though the language was simple, it had the power and weight of the spirit behind it. As Jonathan, Thayse and Bruno bore their testimonies in Portuguese, if I really listened, with my heart and not my ears, I could understand the language and words that the spirit was speaking to me. It was an amazing experience. I am stunned to learn once again that the language of the spirit can transcend any language barrier. It was great to see them to feel the spirit from the things that their family was sharing. Sister de Silva thanked me after for giving me the chance for them to testify to each other. It made me think of how rarely we often share our testimonies with our families. I testify that frequently sharing our testimonies with those we love most, our families, will bless and strengthen us now and for years to come. I pray that you will all take the chance to share simply, powerfully, and frequently your testimonies with your families.
I love you all,
Elder Siebert
This is my last week in XiangShan because I'll be moving up to Tian1Mu3 as the district leader this week. I am excited to be up in TianMu, but afraid for the district leader part. Haha, we live and we grow I guess. I am sad to be leaving my dear friends and members here, but that's missionary life.
Food: Lasagna: We got all the stuff together last week and I made lasagna with the de Silvas last week for P-day. It was a blast and I taught them how to make their own noodles, sauce and the works and we had some really tasty lasagna. The noodles were slightly undercooked, so I would have to give it a 4 out of 5 layered lunches.
I don't know what they are called, but yesterday I got fed some little Brazillian thingies. They were like an empanada I think. They were little things of dough that are filled with meats and cheese and then fried, but there's nothing that I have tasted quite like that before. I give it 5 mysterious masterpieces out of 5.
Verbatim: "Elder Pac-man"--Jonathan de Silva concerning Elder Lew's eating habits.
This week was a good week where we were able to work a lot with the investigators we already have and keep helping them to improve and grow. We are super excited about the prospects. We were sad to lose an investigator this week because he decided for the time being he's going to help out at the church that he used to go to, but we had an awesome lesson with him. I can testify of the power of priesthood leadership because we got the stake president to help teach with us and what he said was perfect for Chen dx, however, he still didn't want to continue meeting for right now. It's okay, we gave him the best chance I think we could to know that this is true and to know how to get an answer about the BOM and why that matters. I know he already believes a lot of what we have taught, so I pray that he will be able to get this some day.
Today I wanted to share about the experience I had last night having a "last supper" with the de Silvas. After we ate, we had a lot of time left over and the thought came subtly to my mind to ask to have a testimony meeting where we could all share with each other, whether in english, chinese or portuguese. It was an amazing experience. I can tell you that as Brother de Silva bore his testimony in Chinese, though the language was simple, it had the power and weight of the spirit behind it. As Jonathan, Thayse and Bruno bore their testimonies in Portuguese, if I really listened, with my heart and not my ears, I could understand the language and words that the spirit was speaking to me. It was an amazing experience. I am stunned to learn once again that the language of the spirit can transcend any language barrier. It was great to see them to feel the spirit from the things that their family was sharing. Sister de Silva thanked me after for giving me the chance for them to testify to each other. It made me think of how rarely we often share our testimonies with our families. I testify that frequently sharing our testimonies with those we love most, our families, will bless and strengthen us now and for years to come. I pray that you will all take the chance to share simply, powerfully, and frequently your testimonies with your families.
I love you all,
Elder Siebert
Monday, October 17, 2011
Another Good Week
Hey everyone!
We finally have weather that is cooling down a little bit. I still sweat when we're on the bikes, but at least it's not me having sweat pouring down my face while I stand in the shade. We have had a lot of success in contacting new people and finding people who are willing to meet with us. We also have a good pool of people that we are teaching right now, which is really exciting.
Food Review:
Costco Hot Dog: I know that this seems to be so lame in comparison to some of the other things that have been eaten, but this one is just too good. It brought back all the memories of going and eating them with my great grandpa and Josh and I getting the Polish Sausages and then for the next couple hours groaning about the "vengeace" (polish sausage burps are nasty). I give it 5 reminiscent relish recepticles out of 5.
Verbatim: Elder Siebert, this guava represents you because like you, it's very hard--Elder Yu2, our district leader for the district love box.
Well this week we say a cool miracle when we were going to meet with someone, but they cancelled last minute on us. We prayed to see where we should go and I felt that we should go to this one road, but it had to be by a certain way. As we went over, I saw a couple on the sidewalk at a red light. I felt that I should talk to them, even though they were a ways off. I pulled out a tract and waved it at them and then called them over. They came. They are expecting their first child and we very willing and excited to hear about the gospel. I was so thrilled to see them have that little spark of gospel truth grow within them. It was a great miracle. I had once again started to pray for Heavenly Father to put people in my path, something that I'd forgotten for the last couple week, and right away He did.
I also want to testify of the truth and power of the Book of Mormon. I know that it is true because I have read it and prayed about it. I have seen it give me answers to questions that I didn't even realize I had. I have it give me answers to questions that I do have. I have seen it turn the lives of readers around. I testify that it can help every person on this earth and that if you have not yet received this witness, that you can. Take time daily to carefully read from its pages. Apply what you find. Then pray fervently for the witness that this divine book of revelation and truth is true. It will come. It will give you the strength and faith to do hard things.
I love you all. Be strong.
Elder Siebert
We finally have weather that is cooling down a little bit. I still sweat when we're on the bikes, but at least it's not me having sweat pouring down my face while I stand in the shade. We have had a lot of success in contacting new people and finding people who are willing to meet with us. We also have a good pool of people that we are teaching right now, which is really exciting.
Food Review:
Costco Hot Dog: I know that this seems to be so lame in comparison to some of the other things that have been eaten, but this one is just too good. It brought back all the memories of going and eating them with my great grandpa and Josh and I getting the Polish Sausages and then for the next couple hours groaning about the "vengeace" (polish sausage burps are nasty). I give it 5 reminiscent relish recepticles out of 5.
Verbatim: Elder Siebert, this guava represents you because like you, it's very hard--Elder Yu2, our district leader for the district love box.
Well this week we say a cool miracle when we were going to meet with someone, but they cancelled last minute on us. We prayed to see where we should go and I felt that we should go to this one road, but it had to be by a certain way. As we went over, I saw a couple on the sidewalk at a red light. I felt that I should talk to them, even though they were a ways off. I pulled out a tract and waved it at them and then called them over. They came. They are expecting their first child and we very willing and excited to hear about the gospel. I was so thrilled to see them have that little spark of gospel truth grow within them. It was a great miracle. I had once again started to pray for Heavenly Father to put people in my path, something that I'd forgotten for the last couple week, and right away He did.
I also want to testify of the truth and power of the Book of Mormon. I know that it is true because I have read it and prayed about it. I have seen it give me answers to questions that I didn't even realize I had. I have it give me answers to questions that I do have. I have seen it turn the lives of readers around. I testify that it can help every person on this earth and that if you have not yet received this witness, that you can. Take time daily to carefully read from its pages. Apply what you find. Then pray fervently for the witness that this divine book of revelation and truth is true. It will come. It will give you the strength and faith to do hard things.
I love you all. Be strong.
Elder Siebert
Monday, October 10, 2011
Check, Check? This microphone is dead!
Hey everyone!
Food Review: Cinnamon Raisin French Bread:
This week I made some bread with a member and I decided that I needed to try something new. For some reason, I stopped hating raisins here, so I really felt the craving for cinnamon raisin bread. I made a french bread with additions of spice and fruit and it turned out really great. The flavor was very sophisticated due to the poolish start and the crumb was wide and open. It could've been a little better with just a little more yeast I think, would've rose more, but I didn't want to overdo it and ruin the dough and didn't have measuring cups or spoons, so I played it safe. I know that it's bad form to give yourself a five out of five, but I will also use the reviews of the sisters and the de Silva family as a second witness.
Verbatim: I'm going green! I'm wind powered!--Me after a really strong gust of wind pushed me to new speeds on my bike.
"Hao2 Chi1!" (tastes good) My companion at dinner with the de Silva's right after me and Sister Holm got in a big discussion about a word that she claimed existed but I vehemetly insisted did not. It didn't. I exclaimed "I told you!" and then there was a moment of silence. Then my companion uttered the aforementioned phrase. The family thought it was the funniest thing in the world and they say it all the time to him.
This p-day when we were at the de Silva's making bread Yang2 dx (that's his chinese name) decided to show us a magic trick. He made a bell pepper float between his hands. The first time he showed us, I was rolling with laughter because I knew that the only way he was able to do it was that his thumb was punched through the back of the pepper. I nearly died. He then did it again and immediately thumbsed up-ed us with the pepper still on his thumb. I was crying. So good.
This week's conference was a huge miracle to me. I had so many questions answered. I was amazed and touched at how well Heavenly Father knows me and how he speaks through his servants to me and millions more. I want to invite everyone who felt like they didn't get much out of conference to pray and ponder about questions that you have and then write then down and re-watch conference. I testify that the Lord will answer you if you will just listen to the spirit and have faith.
This week I wanted to share a cool experience while listening to the spirit. We had planned to go to a road to go contact but we had far less time to go than I had planned, so I felt that we could cut through to the road on smaller roads where we were more likely to run into people on the road whom we could teach and share with. As we did so we passed a park and I had a strong impression to talk to some people at the park. I kept riding and the feeling came again and I knew that it wouldn't go away, nor was it something that should be ignored. I told my companion "I think we need to talk to those people." We turned around quickly and talked to the family there. To my surprise they weren't interested, but we did find a grandpa there, a Peng2 dx who was interested and who's friend, a valiant Latter Day Saint, had shared the gospel with years before. He'd just had a stroke not too long ago, but is still able to function and is very willing to learn more and whats to know what the gospel can do for him. It was such an amazing miracle. Had I not listened, I don't think that he would've been found. It is so touching to me that the Lord is always providing for His children to hear the gospel.
I love you all,
Elder Siebert
P.S. Big shoutout to Jenn Blossil for the amazing EFY song. You rock.
Food Review: Cinnamon Raisin French Bread:
This week I made some bread with a member and I decided that I needed to try something new. For some reason, I stopped hating raisins here, so I really felt the craving for cinnamon raisin bread. I made a french bread with additions of spice and fruit and it turned out really great. The flavor was very sophisticated due to the poolish start and the crumb was wide and open. It could've been a little better with just a little more yeast I think, would've rose more, but I didn't want to overdo it and ruin the dough and didn't have measuring cups or spoons, so I played it safe. I know that it's bad form to give yourself a five out of five, but I will also use the reviews of the sisters and the de Silva family as a second witness.
Verbatim: I'm going green! I'm wind powered!--Me after a really strong gust of wind pushed me to new speeds on my bike.
"Hao2 Chi1!" (tastes good) My companion at dinner with the de Silva's right after me and Sister Holm got in a big discussion about a word that she claimed existed but I vehemetly insisted did not. It didn't. I exclaimed "I told you!" and then there was a moment of silence. Then my companion uttered the aforementioned phrase. The family thought it was the funniest thing in the world and they say it all the time to him.
This p-day when we were at the de Silva's making bread Yang2 dx (that's his chinese name) decided to show us a magic trick. He made a bell pepper float between his hands. The first time he showed us, I was rolling with laughter because I knew that the only way he was able to do it was that his thumb was punched through the back of the pepper. I nearly died. He then did it again and immediately thumbsed up-ed us with the pepper still on his thumb. I was crying. So good.
This week's conference was a huge miracle to me. I had so many questions answered. I was amazed and touched at how well Heavenly Father knows me and how he speaks through his servants to me and millions more. I want to invite everyone who felt like they didn't get much out of conference to pray and ponder about questions that you have and then write then down and re-watch conference. I testify that the Lord will answer you if you will just listen to the spirit and have faith.
This week I wanted to share a cool experience while listening to the spirit. We had planned to go to a road to go contact but we had far less time to go than I had planned, so I felt that we could cut through to the road on smaller roads where we were more likely to run into people on the road whom we could teach and share with. As we did so we passed a park and I had a strong impression to talk to some people at the park. I kept riding and the feeling came again and I knew that it wouldn't go away, nor was it something that should be ignored. I told my companion "I think we need to talk to those people." We turned around quickly and talked to the family there. To my surprise they weren't interested, but we did find a grandpa there, a Peng2 dx who was interested and who's friend, a valiant Latter Day Saint, had shared the gospel with years before. He'd just had a stroke not too long ago, but is still able to function and is very willing to learn more and whats to know what the gospel can do for him. It was such an amazing miracle. Had I not listened, I don't think that he would've been found. It is so touching to me that the Lord is always providing for His children to hear the gospel.
I love you all,
Elder Siebert
P.S. Big shoutout to Jenn Blossil for the amazing EFY song. You rock.
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