CHINESE NEW YEAR HIGHLIGHTS

What a wonderful privilege it was to be invited to speak to our young single missionaries at our zone conferences on the subject of how mission experiences can strengthen future relationships during the rest of their lives, including those in marriage. Our missionaries do not choose their many companions and so have the opportunity and challenge to learn to love each one through language, cultural and personality differences. We see bonds of friendship in these young missionaries that can last forever. Elder Greene taught the things that are most important to bring home from missions, especially increased faith and testimony.

While our Chinese New Year's week was filled with warm memories of enjoying the companionship of our President and his wife, visiting a new convert's extended family and seeing beautiful new places on this island, one of the most memorable times occurred at the end of the week. We were privileged to meet with a Taiwanese family who were totally unacquainted with the Gospel of Jesus Christ and after a lovely dinner by our kind hosts, we had the opportunity to teach Gospel principles. The joy felt in our hearts to testify of what we do know, through the Holy Spirit, is indescribable. And for most of us, that still small voice speaks to our mind and heart, not in the wind, earthquake or fire as Elijah describes it in the Bible (1 Kings 19:11-12).

The Book of Mormon, another Testament of Jesus Christ, teaches how to find real truth and it is not dependent on the opinion of any man (Moroni 10:4) but by direct revelation from God. It was wonderful to testify to a family who we think had no idea that prayer is a two way communication with a Heavenly Father; that He loves us and will answer our prayers offered in faith and in the name of His son, Jesus Christ, the Mediator. We know God answers prayers for He has answered our pleadings. The father, in his mid-fifties, was taught how to pray and then he offered a simple and heart-felt prayer for the first time in his life. This family can discover the truth of the restored Gospel as they study the Book of Mormon, a companion to the Bible, and pray to know if it is true.

On Finding Truth - "For behold, the spirit of Christ is given to every man, that he may know good from evil; wherefore, I show unto you the way to judge; for everything which inviteth to do good, and to persuade to believe in Christ, is sent forth by the power and gift of Christ; wherefore ye may know with a perfect knowledge it is of God." (Book of Mormon-Moroni 7:16)

WELCOME TO TAINAN, TAIWAN AND THE EXTENDED LIN/SU FAMILY

Many members of the Lin/Su families at a New Years banquet.

Elder and Sister Greene looking through a vase shaped doorway at a restored Dutch fortress in Tainan.

Beautiful water falls and fish-filled streams on the site of the Dutch fortress.

Welcome to Tainan, in full emperor attire, although it is quite obvious that there is a huge difference in the size of my head and that of the emperor.

CHINESE NEW YEAR CELEBRATION IN TAINAN

Sister Greene and I with Sister Lin's 83 year old mother. After attending and speaking to about 85 missionaries at a missionary zone conference in Kaohsiung we traveled to Tainan and spent two days celebrating New Years with a wonderful convert and his extended family, many of whom were nonmembers. We helped teach Brother Lin the gospel a few months earlier and, as mentioned in an earlier post, he was finally baptized. His wife had patiently waited for 27 years for him to be baptized. At one of the sites they insisted that I put on a traditional Emperor's robe for some pictures.

Sister and Elder Greene with Brother Lin's five grandchildren from his son and his daughter's marriages.

Taken on the ship's bow of one of two destroyers given by the United States to China and later brought to Taiwan by Chaing Kai Shek in 1949. They later purchased about thirty more ships from the U.S government

A mural of the U.S. Destroyer in the officer's meeting room.

Brother and Sister Lin on the destroyer. Since his baptism he has become a great missionary and shares the gospel of Jesus Christ with everyone he meets.

A TRIP TO KAOHSIUNG, TAIWAN

Overlooking the Kaohsiung harbor from our 70th floor room at the Splendor Hotel.

The hotel has 85 floors and we took three elevators to get to the 70th floor from the 5th level of the underground parking lot. We viewed the fireworks taking place in the city below us during the middle of the night on New Years Eve.

We took a ferry across the harbor to a small island and took in the sights watching surfers riding the waves in to shore. You can see our hotel in the distance. On the island they had many seafood stalls so we tried the shrimp and small deep-fat fried crabs, eating them cut in pieces, shell and all. Sitting on a wall surrounding the old British Consulate building on the mountain side we watched the sun set over the China Sea.

Sister Greene on the bridge over the waterway with many sailboats, speed boats and yachts moored along each side.

At the foot of a huge tree with hundreds of exposed roots.

TIME IS WINDING DOWN SO QUICKLY

The Marihuana Restaurant right next to our chapel. The name means everything here in Taiwan. Many times words are placed on shirts here which would be very obscene and unacceptable in the United states and those wearing the shirts don't even know what the words mean.

Another one of our Taiwan friends. He is a guard at the bank where we deposit funds and transact business for the mission and he always goes out of his way to cheefrully welcome us and to practice his beginning English.

There are beautiful parks all over Taichung and this is one with huge indoor and outdoor botanical gardens. Behind us is a giant butterfly about to carry us away.

My sister in Paradise, California is a tremendous person who supports us with communications of love and prayers and a lot of humor and laughs while on our mission.

One of our recent zone conferences with some of our missionaries, President and Sister Bishop and Elder Pratt, a member of the Area Presidency, and his wife on the front row. We have great respect for these young missionaries; they are worthy, obedient, and diligent and exercise great faith. We know they are tools in the hands of the Lord, sharing the gospel message and plan of happiness through the Holy Spirit to prepared souls.

THE TAIWAN, TAICHUNG MISSION 2010 CHRISTMAS PICTURE

An "all mission" photo opportunity at Baguashan in Zhanghua. Elder and Sister Greene are tucked away in the back at far right. There are 150 missionaries here.

CHRISTMAS 2010

The Sister missionaries at the huge Buddha with Sister Bishop, Sister Greene in back at far right.

A group of young Chinese girls performing a dance at the mall where we sang Christmas carols.

The Greenes with Sister Morey and Sister King

Sister Ko, our fellow Idaho missionary.

A small Buddhist Temple in Lugang, Taiwan, where remains of ancient Chinese culture still exist. This is a popular place for tourists to shop in a multitude of small stores and from street vendors. It is fun to try many authentic foods, including an oyster omelet many missionaries love. Some shop keepers are willing to bargain a little and others not at all. An artist in Lugang is very popular for he paints pictures of LDS Temples on Chinese fans; he has quite a business going with missionaries!

AN ALL MISSIONARY CHRISTMAS ACTIVITY

President & Sister Bishop with son Nick, his wife Christina & infant son, with the Greenes and all of the Taiwan, Taichung missionaries at the Taichung Steak House. All 152 could not fit into this picture but they all enjoyed a fantastic, all you can eat, dinner.

Sister Greene knocking at a door in the old section of Lugang where we spent a few hours seeing the sights and doing a little Christmas shopping.

Sisters Liu and Brownell on the bus heading for the Christmas dinner. It was surely something to smile about.

In front of a huge elaborate three story Chinese temple at Baguashan.

Our sister missionaries in front of the huge Buddha at Baguashan.

CHRISTMAS IN THE MALL

Christmas caroling in the mall while the crowds looked on and some joined in singing.

Sister Morey, the Bishops and the Greenes.

Feeling the real spirit and meaning of the Christmas miracle that we celebrate.

The Christmas DVD "Joy to the World" was shown on a large screen next to us.

Santa Claus is alive and ever present in Taiwan.

The beautiful tree was created with many thousands of little white plastic spoons

lit up by strings of blue lights.

PREPARING FOR CHRISTMAS 2010

We spent an hour with about twenty five missionaries singing Christmas carols
and handing out information about the restored gospel of Jesus Christ.

Some of the missionaries helped decorate the mission office for Christmas, complete with raising the lighted star high above the office roof.

President Baclayon, our English Branch President, with his wife Melissa and their two children Emily and Bradley.

Jana and Kevin Hogan at a farewell dinner for them and as they prepared to leave Taiwan for their new job in Minnesota. Kevin was the 1st counselor in the branch presidency during the nine months that they lived in Taichung. They were a great blessing to our small branch and are missed by us all. We also bid farewell to Jake and Ariel Anderson who moved to Australia.

Sister Greene enjoying a casual stroll down the narrow street of the "night market" in Taichung, close to where we bring the new arriving missionaries for a "Dan Jones" experience.

MISSION GOODBYES AND PROJECTS

Sister Greene with missionary Sisters the day before they left for their homes. From left to right, Sisters Hampton, Lindley, Roper, Infanger and Crane. What a dedicated and spiritually powerful group of Sisters they are.

Elder Greene in one of the beautiful cactus gardens at the Chaing Kai Shek Memorial in Taipei.

A counselor in the Taichung Stake Presidency, Pres. Wu, with returned missionary Stephani Jian and Elder Greene. The stake held a humanitarian project teaching members of the church and 20-30 nonmembers how to make hand puppets. Parents (such as single mothers) of special-needs children will then be taught how to make the puppets to sell as money-making projects to help support family needs so their children could be kept in their own homes. About 200 attended the three-hour work session making about 300 puppets and then 700 puppet-making kits were given to the Foundation so local community project leaders can offer them to the parents of the children to assemble. It brought to mind the saying "if you give a man a fish it will provide food for one meal but if you teach him to fish it will provide food for a lifetime".

What a great project to teach the gospel principle of self reliance.

Our Mission President's wife, Sister Bishop with Sister Greene participating in the puppet-making project.

Elder and Sister Karl Wheatley, the Humanitarian Missionaries from Taipei, provided, through the church, one thousand kits and the other resources for the project and the stake organized the work day to accomplish the goals for which the event was held. Elder Wheatley and I were companions in the Southern Far East Mission in Hong Kong during the early 1960's and I couldn't have asked for a better example of what an obedient and dedicated missionary should be.

THANKSGIVING IN TAIWAN 2010

President and Sister Bishop with a delicious Thanksgiving feast for the four office Elders and Elder and Sister Greene. This was a wonderful dinner with a turkey and all of the trimmings. It was a pleasant surprise for all of us and we each had the opportunity to share stories of how we have been blessed for our time spent in Taiwan, and how thankful we are for the Lord's sustaining help.

From left to right: Sister and President Bishop, Elder and Sister Greene, Elders Mix, Opper, Lloyd and Young in the mission home's spacious kitchen.

A memorable Thanksgiving feast with wonderful friends.