February 2015 Baptisms!

February 28, Wuquan

February 7, Nantou

February 1, Qishan

February 2015 Asia Area Interim Mission Presidents' Seminar - Taipei

There to welcome us at the Grand Hotel Taipei were Elder and Sister Gong:

 Taipei skyline at night:

 Asia Area Presidency, Mission Presidents and their wives:

The Mains from Singapore, our beloved Days from Taipei, the Sackleys from New Delhi India, 

the Seniors from Thailand, the Hawks from Hong Kong, and the Moons from Cambodia 

will conclude their missions this July. We will miss them so much!

Taipei in the morning:

 On our way to the devotional:

 Learning from President Day about the dedicatory prayer for Taiwan offered here on the grounds of
the Grand Hotel by Elder Mark E. Peterson on June 1, 1959.

 Instruction from our Asia Area Presidency and participating with other mission presidents is so inspiring! Seminar topics included Long-term Area Self-Reliance, Becoming a Full-Purpose Missionary,
Using the Training Model, Achieving Mission Standards, Language Development, and
Increasing Missionary Faith, Skills, and PMG Effectiveness.

 Enriching cultural experience at the National Palace Museum:

 Our training sessions during the day are also livened with some fun in the evening: photo scavenger hunt!

Our best selfie:

 Most interesting food (snails):

 Best smile:

 Lunch at Dongmen Restaurant, where President Blickenstaff and Sis. Gong went to eat during their
new missionary orientation in the 1970's. Still there and still great!

 Dinner at Texas Roadhouse Restaurant:

 I love to see the temple on my morning run from the hotel!

It was wonderful to be together in our temple with the Asia Area Presidency and
all the other mission presidents and their wives.

 Taipei 101:

 Our newest addition to the seminar this year: Baby Benson from the Mongolia Ulaanbaatar Mission!

2-25-15 New Arrivals!

Our Taiwan missionaries are finally here! Eighteen beautiful elders and sisters for each mission!

Our Taiwan Taichung missionaries:

Bus ride home: sharing introductions and mission expectations.

 President inspiring them with the expectation to BAPTIZE!

 After a good night's rest, down to the track for a timed mile run. Stretching first, led by the APs:

 Joined by our zone leaders and office elders:

Leading the pack:

This speedy sister kept up with the elders:

 Keeping the pace:

 Finishing up with Buddha claps:

Traditional Taiwanese breakfast afterwards with local fruit in the mission home:

 Morning orientation: introducing the missionaries to our family, 

followed by office operations and finance introductions.

 Break for lunch back at the mission home:

Caesar, Thai, and Mexican wraps from BeMo's!

 After the lunch break, one of our new sisters met a zone leader who used to be in her same ward in China! 

His younger sister was her best friend:) Such a small world!

Afternoon training included Sis. Blickenstaff's Health and Safety as well as Taiwanese Culture and  Contacting by the APs:

Practicing in Chinese:

After practicing, our new missionaries got to contact on the streets walking to dinner!

Wow, these missionaries are fearless duck brain takers!

 And almost as as many taking on the fish eye challenge:

 President sharing the inspiring story of missionary Dan Jones:

 After one evening of contacting, our new missionaries overcame a lot of fears…

 shared their successes:

Up and early the next morning for P90X: 

Ab Ripper X V-up Roll-ups:

 Great form sisters!

 Oblique Roll-ups led by the APs:

 Not bad, elders:

 Bring it on, sisters!

 Fifer scissors:

After a morning of Preach My Gospel instruction, they finally got to meet their trainers,
find out their first area, and have lunch together!

This elder training a new missionary found out one of the new sisters is his home ward bishop's daughter! 

Our newest missionaries and their trainers: