A most wonderful day!

Saturday was a wonderful day!  Kristi and I got up early and went to the temple in Taipei, and that is always a wonderful thing.  The sad thing is, I wanted to buy an Asian scripture case, and the store was closed.  Pooh!  We did do a bit of souvenir shopping at Chang Kai-Shek Memorial.  We got home from Taipei at around 5:30pm.

After coming up the stairs, we passed the kitchen and Erin informed me that I had mail on my bed.  Could it be!?  Could it be!?  I hurried to my room to find a large envelope on my bed!  That was the most beautiful piece of mail have ever seen!  It was from the Church, of course.  I just had to admire it.  All of the sudden, I felt scared.  I wasn't ready to open it.  I had to feel ready.  Whatever it said in the envelope would change my life and I had to feel ready.  I cleaned my room and went to the lounge to say a private prayer.  The Spirit confirmed to me that whatever the call was, it would be the best for me.

I was driving my roommates nuts with the waiting, but I wanted all of my roommates to be here.  Whitney was absent.  She finally came home close to 6:30pm.  Then I skyped my family, so they could "be there."  I felt a little bad because it was in the middle of the night for them. I don't think they minded, especially for this reason. It had been one day short of seven weeks since I handed over my papers to the Stake President.  It felt like an eternity, but now it is finally here.  My family was on skype and all my roommates were in the room, plus Randy.  Lien filmed the joyous moment.  I openned the envelope and pulled out the letter.  I wanted to read the letter and not cheat and read ahead.  I quickly covered the letter with the other booklet in the envelope.  I read the letter line by line.  (This play-by-play is for those who can't get the video to work.)

"Dear Sister Yancey:
You are hereby called to serve as a missionary of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints."  Me!  A missionary!  The tears started to flow and the Spirit enveloped me with its warmth.  "You are assigned to labor in the"....

New York New York North Mission!!!!!!


I couldn't believe it!  I still can't believe it.  New York!  Me a missionary in New York!  Everyone screamed when I read it.  The Spirit told me that that is the best place for me and that is where I am needed.  I continued reading:

"It is anticipated that you will serve for a period of 18 months.  You should report to the Provo Missionary Training Center on Wednesday, February 16, 2011."  In two months!  That is just so perfect!  But wait, it gets better!  I wasn't expecting this next part.  "You will prepare to preach the gospel in the Mandarin Chinese language."  Are you kidding me!?  Everyone screamed again of course.  That was the cherry on top of the most delicious sundae!  I am so excited!  I am going to New York and I get to learn Chinese!!!

Narnia in 3D

We went to see Narnia in 3D a week before it came out in the States.  Might as well take some pictures.  Oh and don't break the glasses.  You will have to pay for those.

Kristi, Me, Aslan, Lien, Erin, Katy

Allison, Me, Katy, Lien, Kristi, Devin

Dig the glasses?
Me, Lien, Devin, Katy

I got in a fight...

...with a car. 

On Monday night, I was riding my bike with Allison.  I was actually on Lien's bike because I hate my bike.  Anyway, we were almost home, on a smaller dark street.  There were no street lights.  I was cruising and kind of daydreaming.  When I looked forward, I saw a car backing out right in front of me.  I didn't have enough reaction time and ran into the car's back right side.  I fell off my bike and stood there stunned.  I looked back at Allison, who was several feet behind me and said, "I was just hit by a car."  Call me Captain Obvious.  I pulled my bike out from behind the car.  The Taiwanese came out and started to ask me if I was okay, a man in his twenties and an older man, probably his father.  The younger man spoke okay English.  He apologized and apologized and asked if I needed to go to the hospital.  I just felt bad for their car and the scare.  There was a nasty scratch on their nice car.  As far as I was concerned, I was not hurt.  The man's father kept patting his arms and his legs as if to ask me if I was hurt.  So I checked.  My legs were fine, but when I pulled up my shirt sleeve, I noticed a bloody 4-inch scrape on my right forearm.  Then the stinging pain hit me.  And my shoulder started to kill.  I think that it is interesting that sometimes injuries don't hurt until you become aware of them.  When the Taiwanese saw my scrape, they freaked out a little bit and offered to take me to the hospital or help me bandage it up.  I told them it wasn't that bad, that I was almost home, and that I would clean it up when I got home.  They asked if we were English teachers at Berhan, and we eventually found out that I am one of the teachers of the man's cute 3 year-old son Curtis.  I soon went home, showed off my battle wounds to my roommates and went to the secretaries to bandage it.  They decided it would be better if it air-dried and put some smelly yellow powder on it.  When I asked what it was, they just said Chinese medicine.

A couple days later, Curtis' mom came in to see if I was okay.  How sweet!  She came bearing gifts and offered to pay for my nonexistant hospital bill.  She gave me expensive hand creams.  I love how thoughtful the Taiwanese people are. 

I know that I made this all sound very dramatic, but now I can say that I have been hit by a car in Taiwan, and I will have a scar to prove it.





Chinese Medicine

A couple days later...
Healing nicely.

Hand cream

Taipei

Another wonderful temple trip to the Taipei temple!  It was wonderful as usual.

Chang Kai-Shek Memorial Park



Kristi, Laura, Me





Falun Dafa Convention?



Thanksgiving in Taiwan

On Thanksgiving day, all of us teachers were busy with classes all day.  There was little time to think about pilgrims and Indians.  I made little ugly turkeys with my kindergartners, however.  It's true, they were very ugly, but my kids loved it. 

My cutie kindergartners Group B
Terrence, Rae, Bryson, Enya, Lori, Lilian, Celine

Group C
Katrina, Raya, Elean, Darren, Damon, Leo, Curtis, Kendra

Group A
Carol, Cooper, Eason, Kyan, Jenny, Olivia, Eason, Emily



My Crazy Afternoon Kindergartners
Me (really!), Sean, Jacky, Henry, Dino, Angel, Jake


We decided to postpone our festivities until November 30.  It was great.  Everyone made a dish and we had a glorious feast.  There is no turkey in Taiwan, but we many delicious options including: Candied Yams, Chicken, Rolls, Apple Pie, Cookies, Corn, Stuffing, Mashed Potatoes, Vegetables, and what meal in Taiwan would be complete without rice?!  Happy Thanksgiving Y'all!

Our Thanksgiving dinner centerpiece
We like to color!



My Taiwan Familiy
Katy, Allison, Whitney, Libby, Kristi, Meg, Laura, Devin and Lien

 

Yum!



A typical plate

We are thankful for...

Fun in November

My Crazy Roommates!
Whitney, Me, Allison, Kristi, Laura, Erin, Devin, Katy (Back row)
Libby and Lien

I caught a lizard!
Don't worry I let it go.



Harry Potter 7
This is how we do in Taiwan.
Laura, Erin, Libby, Kristi, and Me



This is how they do in Taiwan.
Very common image.

I like this picture.  Haha!

Me and Erin

Libby (too cool for school), Katy, Me, Erin
We are waiting in front of our Branch building.

We went to dinner at a French place owned by an Australian in Taichung, Taiwan.
They serve an American Thanksgiving dinner.

Me and Beautiful Emily (one of my primary kids)



Lien, Libby, Katy, Me



Elder Greene, Emily, Sister Greene, Sister Bishop, President Bishop
The Greenes are the senior missionary couple in my Branch.
President Bishop is the Mission President of the Taichung, Taiwan Mission.



President Baclayon, Emily, Melissa, and Bradley

Jana and Kevin Hogan are on the right.