Dear Blog

Elias is not going to like the fact that I am putting this picture on the blog. He hates it! But I think we should never forget the fact that what grosses one person out, is another person's favorite dinner -- I guess it is really large chicken feet or goose feet! We walk past the restaurant that serves these every day! I guess the other part of the bird is inside the pail!

"There was a young woman who lived in a shoe" .... I'm not ready to be called "an old woman, yet! This gigantic woman's shoe sits on one side of the street called, of all things, "shoe street", and another gigantic man's shoe sits on the other side of the street. President and Sister Walker took us here to do a little shopping. My real comfortable shoes are wearing out and I hoped to find some new ones here, but to no avail! We had dinner together at TGI Friday's. It was fun!

Can you believe that this little dog doesn't fall off while riding on this motorcycle with his owner? These people love their dogs and take them, just like they do their children, on their motorcycles! Just yesterday we saw a man with his huge dog, (it looked like a golden Lab), standing in that same spot on the motorcycle, his tail dragging because he could hardly fit! AS they would say, ("No problem!")

Graduation day for some of our piano students! This was taken just before Brother and Sister Dodge and Sister Calvert, our main piano teacher, left to go home. We four who are in front on the left, teach piano to about twelve students. Next to the Dodges is Sister Venables, then Sister CAlvert, myself and Sister Durrant! How we love to teach them! They tell us they practice hard to make us happy!

First of all, I need to relate the inspirational true story of Meli, our Philippino RS President's conversion. She was 17 years old and the oldest of 7 children living with their mother in a small village in the Philippines when she met the Elders of the Church. The villagers were very against them and when they found out she was meeting with them, they forbade her to ever see them again. So she had to sneak out when no one was around, so they wouldn't see her. She went at night or early in the morning to meet with them, so no one would know. About that same time, her mother passed away, leaving she and her six brothers and sisters to provide for themselves! I don't know what had happened to her father, but it didn't sound like he was there. A beloved Aunt, in another country, offered to send them enough money each month to support them, but when she found out that Meli was meeting with the missionaries, she told her that she would not give any support to help the family if Meli continued to have anything to do with the Church, and that Meli would have to support them herself! Meli fasted and prayed for help to know what to do. Could she really support herself and her family? The Spirit told her to get baptized! Just how everything else would work out, she didn't know, but she had the faith to go ahead with her baptism. Can you imagine how strong her faith would have to be to do this? About two weeks after her baptism, her Aunt showed up and decided to go ahead with helping them financially! Everything was hard, but they were able to survive. Meli works in here in Taiwan as a nanny and housemaid, to continue to support those of her siblings who still need it! What faith these sweet Philippinos have! And each one of them has a simiar story of their conversion and the challenges they have had to fact and are still facing as first generation members, and most of them are the only members in their families! They are a real inspiration to us.

Here are some pictures of things we've seen and done lately: This first one is of our dear Single Sister missionary from England, Sister Venables, and our friend, Sister Xia, who took us shopping to find some cooler blouses to wear, now that it has become a lot hotter! They are really enjoying this watermelon they bought from a fruit stand on the corner!