"CHEESE Gromit!!!"

Sometimes the oranges are green here!

Hello everyone! This week was so great! (If you got the Title quote props to you)

To start off we had "Mission Tour" on Tuesday. That's when a church leader comes and they talk to us all day. It's great :D But it was pretty amazing. A close tie for the amazing spiritual feast we had, was the amazing Thanksgiving lunch they prepared for us. We walked in and literally almost cried when we saw the pumpkin pie on the table. Turkey, gravy, mashed potatoes and CHEESE, corn, cranberry sauce, rolls, salad and croutons.... we don't get any of this here, so it was really a treat!

The rest of the week was filled with riding around our huge area teaching people about the Church :D We're really out in the sticks out here; tracting at the bottom of a mountain, riding past radish fields and banana tree farms, trying to take a shortcut through the mountains and failing... So, it's quite a bit of riding, but it's fun!

Taiwan:

- Oreos get soggy in one day if you don't put them in the fridge

- Their radishes are long and white instead of short and red

- Did you know that bananas grow upwards?!

Life as a missionary

- EVERYONE gives us so much FOOD (members, investigators, neighbors, strangers...)

This week it was really amazing; after we really opened up more and had more companionship unity we saw so many miracles. Unity is important!! Don't neglect the people around you; we need each other just as much as they need you. Everyone of us is important and we need to respect and love each other to become our best self and see the Lord's true plan for us.

Keep being awesome!!

-Sister Biancardi

PS This year is especially hot here in Taiwan; looks like I have to pack away my coats and scarves until next year :P Haha

Land of the Bananas

With new companion, Sister Eliason

Well, this week was crazy! But it was also awesome. Before I left TaiZhong I was able to see the new missionaries and help them with an activity. When we first get on island we do something called "Dan Jones" where we stand up on a milk box in the middle of a night market and shout our testimony of the Book of Mormon. Then every missionary pairs off with a new missionary and talks to people and tries to find someone to give the Book of Mormon to. It's so scary because when we first get on we don't really know Chinese. So I got to take someone around and help them talk to people. It was so great, and we saw lots of miracles!

View from apartment window

On Friday I moved down to QiShan, woo-hoo! It's down south so it's more rural and the weather is more hot and people are more friendly. QiShan is also known for it's bananas... I don't know why. I guess they grow a lot of them. Haha. But I already love the ward and love my companion. Sister Eliason only has 3 weeks left of her mission, so that means I have 3 weeks to learn my way area this area. Yay! It'll be a great 3 weeks, I'm excited!

Our study room - love the purple!

I'm not sure if this is because I'm in Taiwan or because we're missionaries, or both, but people always just give us food! Even complete strangers, haha. It's pretty funny. But it's just one evidence of how nice people are here; everyone has a very helpful and giving attitude towards life, I love it!

Street market delicacies

So that's my life right now. Continuing to learn and re-learn the importance of love. Today I read something that said the best way to show our love for God is to love our fellow men. I know that's true! Love others! It will bring blessings from God and you'll be able to more easily feel of His love.

Love you all!! Have a good week!

-Sister Biancardi

It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year! :)

The Rice Harvest

Hello!

This week I had lots of great learning opportunities and challenges. But lots of great things too! 

We went to a special training meeting for everyone who will be going "senior companion" soon. It was full of lots of good reminders and tips. 

We also met a super cute Christian ama (grandma). She let us into her house and gave us candy and showed us her family pictures and told us where to find investigators. She was quite the talker; I think I got one sentence in the whole time, but she was SO CUTE and so loving.

I also got sick this week, which...wasn't very fun. But I was so blessed; recently missionaries have been getting this really bad cold that last weeks and months, but mine has only lasted a few days and now it's mostly gone :) Yay! But I accidentally shared it with my companion :/ I hope she gets better soon!

The biggest miracle of this week happened when I was on Facebook and saw that my investigator from JiaYi got baptized last week! :D I am so so happy for her and can't wait to hear the whole story.

This week I've realized the power and significance of prayer. But not just any prayer, the prayer when you really truly communicate with God. I noticed that my personal prayers weren't going so well recently and I decided to try saying them out loud (in the closet, haha). It was super awkward at first, not going to lie, but after a while I started to open up, and I was able to tell God things that He needed to hear and I needed to say. Some feelings that I didn't even know I had, or answers to my own questions. It's amazing what true prayer can do, and I know praying out loud is a way to stay focused and be sure we're praying with real intent. Try it out one day! Endure through the initial awkwardness of it and you will truly receive answers.

Have an amazing week! Oh... and a good thanksgiving I guess. (It's thanksgiving this week right?...) I guess... Happy Happy Holidays! Haha

-Sister Biancardi

Faith + Diligence = POWER

Halloween Costumes for English class

This week we had our Halloween Party! Woo-hoo! Our costumes were simpler than last party, but fun. I was Snow White and Sister Basko was Red-riding Hood. We had donuts on a string, bobbing for apples, making pumpkins out of playdough, and pin the face on the pumpkin, it was way fun, and the homemade donuts were delicious :)

Donuts on a String Game

Taiwan:

1) Has really tasty bread; all different kinds, super tasty

2) There's houses are all in a row; all connected sort of. And in front of the front door there's a little area (sometimes covered sometimes not) to park your car and then in front of that there's a gate. Yeah. I wish I could draw a picture...

3) The men here chew beetle nut, a really gross drug thing; like tobacco sort of, but red and grosser. Bleck!

Typical Street Market in Taiwan

This month our mission is focusing on faith and diligence. Though these things, we are already seeing miracles! I know every time we do something pleasing to God, especially when it's really hard, we are blessed. Keep following the Spirit, keep obeying, especially when it's hard!
You got this!

-Sister Biancardi

Beautiful Rice Fields

Ninjas and Oreos

Sisters Ninja

Hello!

Taiwan is still hot.... I can't believe it. Today was the first day that it was nice and cool. But I've heard it'll get really cold really fast; there's no autumn here, just straight from summer to winter. So I'll keep you updated.

For Halloween we ate the small amounts of candy and Oreos that we found in our house. That was our rebellious celebration, haha. But Sister Chen and Anderson did dress up as ninjas for a couple minutes, that was fun too. Next week we'll have our English Halloween Party, yay :D Taiwan does celebrate Halloween, but not nearly as much as America.

Something I've learned this week is that relationships take work; relationships with companions, with investigators, with friends, with family, with God... Just like a growing a plant, you can't build a relationship and then leave it alone and expect it to be fine. It needs constant nourishment. If a relationship in your life seems stale and stagnant the nourishment it likely needs is communication. When you pray do you really communicate with God? Or are they just words. God is our Father and He wants us to have a good relationship with Him. It will take a little bit of work, but it's worth it.

Have an awesome week!

-Sister Biancardi

Becoming

Hello!

Well... after the temple there isn't too much to report, haha. But Alexis, our new member is started to help us "peike" (help us with lessons); so fun! Also we went to a night market to invite people to our English class but it turned out to be a crazy carnival thing. It looked super fun! But weird to be there as a missionary, haha. English class was crazy as usual (we still teach the little kids class).  Yeah!

Taiwan!!! (I haven't done this in a long time, sorry!)

- They pull out umbrellas in the sun and I think it's the cutest thing

- They can find a way to put everything and anything and anyone on a motor scooter

- Honking on the road means 1 of three things: 1) Letting you know I'm behind you (nice honk...but it still scares me) 2) You're in my way 3) I'm doing something illegal; watch out

This week we also had exchanges where we switch companions for a day. It was good and made me think a lot about what I can do better. Something I've worked on my whole mission (and probably will my whole life) is communication. The key to good relationships and ultimately the key to staying happy. At least for me. There was one time in particular this week that there was something on my mind and I knew I needed to talk to my companion about it. It was really hard to get it out at first, but afterwards, I felt so much better. I know open communication is always the option, which is so not easy for me. But I also know the best things we can do for ourselves are not going to be easy. Keep on working on strengthening your weaknesses and striving to become better. It's worth it!

-Sister Biancardi