Lotus Flowers and the Book of Mormon

Beautiful Qishan

You're probably thinking what do Lotus Flowers and the Book of Mormon have in common aren't you... well. Nothing. Except that both are what I'm going to talk about today, haha :P

So I'm pretty used to the food here that I normally don't even notice when I eat anything different or weird anymore. But this week we went to a member's house to eat and at the end of the meal she pulled out lotus flowers. They were like, jarred I guess? I don't know how to describe it, but they tasted kind of like cranberries. They were pretty good, haha. So that's my Taiwan tidbit for the day.

Delicious Lotus Flower

This week as I've been reading the Book of Mormon I just realized again what an amazing book it is. Every time I read it I get more bits and pieces here and there. For those who don't know, the Book of Mormon is a record of a family who traveled to the America's at about 600 BC. Over the next thousand years it records about their posterity. Through their experiences and testimonies we learn of the reality of God and of His nature and why it matters in our lives. It's a really good book, full of awesome stories and the best part is that they're all true :D I know that this book is true and it will bless the lives of anyone who reads it. Go read it! Just take 5 minutes each day and flip it open, it's worth it!

Have an amazing week! Go eat some lotus flowers! And read the Book of Mormon!

-Sister Biancardi

Deserted Lot with Creepy Statues

ZTM and English class and Exchanges, Oh my!

Yes! This week was busy.

Tuesday we had to travel to GaoXiong for a meeting; an hour bus ride plus a taxi ride. So that took up lots of our day, but it was a good meeting!

Wednesday night we had English class. The kids are... crazy, they're just crazy. I'm always so exhausted on Wednesday nights, haha.

Friday and Saturday we exchanged companions with our Sister Training leaders. They live in Tainan so traveling took up some time there too. But all for the sake of learning!

But despite all the traveling and meetings it was a good week! One fun this week did this week was bike to ShanLin. Okay the biking wasn't too fun but the scenery was awesome! And we got to ride through this long tunnel to get there.

It was kind of sketch but we're alive (we're alive! don't worry dad!) So yeah, one great thing about QiShan is we get to ride to lots of beautiful places.

I think something I re-learned this week was the importance of faith despite of the outcome. Having faith regardless of the results. I think the key to this kind of faith is to truly anchor our faith in Christ. When our faith is in Christ and our Heavenly Father and their plan for us, it doesn't matter if we fail or if someone rejects us or if life doesn't go as we expect it too. When our faith is in Christ we trust Him and continue on. While it's important to have faith in our self and faith in our goals and faith in our friends, our greatest and strongest faith should be in our Savior Jesus Christ. As we make that our true foundation, He will not let us fall. (Favorite Book of Mormon scripture - Helaman 5:12)

-Sister Biancardi

A Fresh Start

Matching Ama pants!

Happy New Year! So crazy!

This holiday people actually celebrate here, so that was different. They even had 4 days off of school/work. (So unusual for here; they never rest...) It was weird to see Taiwan in party mode; even in the summer the kids all go to summer school and they don't really have many holidays. So everyone was out and about, and actually lots of people came to QiShan to play, so it was a party!

2 Little Monkeys  . . .

This morning we went on a hike with a couple members. It was SO steep! I felt like we just walked straight up the mountain... But it was good! But I might be sore riding my bike tomorrow...

Beautiful View from the top

We saw so many miracles this week I don't even know where to start... mostly lots of answered prayers. But I think the biggest miracle I again came to know this week was the gift and power of the Atonement. Christ knows us perfectly; all our weaknesses, our strengths, our shortcomings, what makes us happy, what really irritates us... And because He knows us He knows what is best for us and how we can become better. The only way to progress (become better, smarter, happier, healthier...) is in relying on Him. It's the simplest thing and makes our life so much easier, but for some reason it's so hard for us to do! But I know that as we continue to rely on the Savior our lives will be so much better and we can have a fresh start every day, and every minute of every day. This church leader explains how we can apply the Savior's Atonement every minute of every day. I know that's true! Go read/re-read this talk and apply it, I know it will make you more consistently happy and confident.

Love you all!! Have a great week!

-Sister Biancardi