Elder Ogden in Taipei: Part Dos

"In all things you can rely on us. Happy Pig Year!"

新年快樂！恭喜發財!(sheen nyen kwai luh, gong shee fah tsai).... again!

Chinese new year is upon us again. Yet another holiday I'm celebrating for the SECOND time here in 台灣 (you can probably guess what those two characters are, good luck

). [From Missionary Mom Des...the characters say "Taiwan".] So happy new year! Congratulations, get rich! as they say.

Today we kicked off the week of having every meal fed to us by members (or as I say, every week for most missionaries in America...only a little bitter

). We were able to eat at a place with Hakka food, Hakka is an ethnicity of people who came from a certain place in China, and their cuisine includes fatty pork dipped in a special orange sauce and other stir-fried vegetables that are somehow different from the stir-fried vegetables other ethnicities traditionally eat. It was really good. What you do at restaurants like the one we ate at is everyone gets a bowl of rice and then we all order a bunch of different dishes and just pick things out with our chopsticks from the middle of the table.

Here in Sanxia, although we won't be able to see it, they have a pig weighing contest for new years. They have some pretty massive pigs.

This week we met with a high schooler we met on the street. Turns out he was excited to read the Book of Mormon, willing to commit to a baptismal date, and may have also committed to serving a mission...? I'll have to keep you updated on him haha.

I wanted to share a scripture we've been sharing with the members we're working with recently from D&C76:

"22 And now, after the many testimonies which have been given of him, this is the testimony, last of all, which we give of him: That he lives!
"23 For we saw him, even on the right hand of God; and we heard the voice bearing record that he is the Only Begotten of the Father—
"24 That by him, and through him, and of him, the worlds are and were created, and the inhabitants thereof are begotten sons and daughters unto God."

I love this scripture with its simple power. It is true that after all that has been said, the most important thing is that Christ really lives, and He stands at the head of His church! I hope we can all be even better at living like that fact is true, because it is! It's pretty awesome.

Love you all,

Elder Ogden

Missionary for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints
武忠樂長老
耶穌基督後期聖徒教會的傳教