Transferred !

Dear Family & Friends!!!

From the City to the Country! I was transferred and moved all the way on the east coast close to the bottom of Taiwan.
I'm current serving in Taidong! Super pretty and big! Never knew how big Taiwan really is. I have some picture from the first few days that I've been here!

It has been a blast. The first day though that we worked I felt super sick and I was in pain all day long. Didn't know what it was but my Sister Training Leaders reassured me that it was probably stress from moving to another place on my mission - I just realized that Taidong is my second area here in Taiwan! Wow, I was in the city for about 4 months! That's crazy. I hope I stay here in Taidong for a while too :)

This week was a crazy week. I only had one night to pack and then arrived at "Transfers meeting" the next morning  This meeting is for all the missionaries that are moving into a different areas and for those that are ending their missions. It was a sad thing to say good-bye to everyone. When you're sent to the east coast you don't get to see everyone very much.

From all the stress and moving I was able to have a first great sunday here in Taidong! The east is where the church is still being built! It's great! When we arrive to sacrament meeting I looked at the mother helping a young boy, probably 9 years old, pick prelude music. Turns out it's that the bishop's kid who plays the piano for sacrament. I loved it! Another thing is Taidong has long roads and we don't live close to the city so we bike about 20 minutes to our chapel! Totally different from the city of Shuang He, where I last served.

Here is my email for now! We're going to go take a trip down as missionaries to the beach. I've never been to the beach here in Taiwan! I'm super stoked!!!
Thank you for all your love and emails! Sorry, if you haven't been receiving my emails - I don't know what's going on with my email :(

Anyways, here is a great quote by Elder Bednar: "..Although He may not relieve all your suffering now. He will bless you with comfort and understanding and with strength to "bear up [your] burdens with ease,"" -Mosiah 24:15

Love sincerely Sister Komatsu!
Here are some quick bike ride pictures!

Safe After Typhoon !

Dear Family & Friends!

WOW! Thank you so much for your emails and your sincere concern! But I'm happy to report that all is well here after the huge typhoon ripped through Taiwan!

It is truly a blessing that we are all safe and sound! It was a crazy night and day when the typhoon came - the wind and rain was intense that I couldn't sleep very much. Then that Saturday we we're all told by our Mission President to stay indoors for the rest of the day! Then at 7pm we were let go  and did some missionary work.While walking along the streets there were so many trees and debris int he streets - tin roofs and big commercial signs blown off. It was the closest I've been to a  huge natural disaster.

Many have written that it was a huge storm not only in Taiwan since 20 years ago but also the hugest one on earth in 2015. That's crazy! It was my first typhoon!

This whole storm thing is kind of ironic because last week wednesday we talked about current events in our english class. We shared that there are a lot of events happening in our lives and that things are constantly changing. We then shared a scripture from Ether 12:4 ( I always seem to share this scripture but I love it!) The prophet Ether says: "Wherefore, whoso believeth in God might with surety hope for a better world, yea, even a place at the right hand of God, which hope cometh of faith, maketh an anchor to the souls of men, which would make them sure and steadfast, always abounding in good works, being led to glorify God."
Then I drew a picture of a boat and talked about sailing - about how I use to sail. While you sail you have to be aware of things that are going on around you: the wind, current, and much more. Also, talked about how the wind is the driving force while you sail - without wind you aren't able to go anywhere but in strong winds, like a storm, there is a chance you will be likely tossed, and turned, and eventually lost at sea. On this boat I drew a anchor and explained that I have been through alot of up and downs -that I've experienced a lot of storms in my life and continue to but through what I believe and know to be true I've been able to weather out the storms. I have a sure anchor  and this anchor is Christ and His gospel. It also represents my faith and my belief. There will always be storms and trials that will beat upon us but if are willing to lower down our anchor and trust in Heavenly Father then we will be sure and steadfast through the storms that we face. I know this to be true and I'm grateful to be a missionary and to have these challenges and hardships because I know it is Heavenly Father who is shaping and refining me into a stronger and more steadfast servant! I'm definitely stronger than I realize when I have Heavenly Father watching over me!

I wish you all well! Thank you so much for your emails and concerns! I pray for you all!
Love you dearly!!!

PS I'm  sorry that I only have a couple of pictures but for more of the typhoon in my area you can go to TaiwanTaipeiMission.com for recent updates and pictures! Also, here are pictures from Last P-day after I emailed. We went to Chiang Kai Shiek Memorial in Central Taipei! I was fun and its so beautiful!!
Sincerely, Sister Komatsu 小松姐妹


Chiang Kai Siek Memorial! It's so huge

New Mission President !

FAMILY & FRIENDS!!!

Sorry, this is an email from last week that didn't send for some reason!


Here in the Taiwan Taipei Mission we welcome our new Mission President and his very loving family! I am so grateful for the encourage and faith that they have to takeover the wonderful work here in Taipei!
They just recently updated our mission's website! CHECK IT OUT!!! (see if you can find me ;)
www.taiwantaipeimission.com

This pasted week we all got to meet the Jergensen Family! They are from Logan, UT and have 6 kids! We just met three that arrived here with them! They are a blasted and have so much energy!!

There was too much that we did this week! It's way too hard to sum it all up!!

I've been thinking a lot about what it means to be missionary when your not a missionary! The ward I'm currently serving is very loving but have not yet understood what it means to be disciples of Christ. Being a disciple of Christ is being anxiously engaged in preaching the gospel that He has so willingly given to us! If you feel like God has blessed your life and have the opportunity to share what He has given you - I hope you do so!
Our Heavenly Father has entrusted us with the knowledge that most of the world doesn't have.  Trust me I know! Being in Taiwan not many people understand God or Christ and who they really are. Yesterday, we visited a member whose family members are not apart of our religion. They are baibai (bubbist).  They have a huge shrine in the middle of their home - in that moment I was glad that I had the Gospel of Jesus Christ and that God entrusted me with such a blessing! I'm thankful to be serving a mission and magnifying my calling as a child of God and preaching His Gospel!!!

D&C 58:26-29 I encourage you all to be anxiously engaged in sharing this special message about Christ and our Heavenly Father!

And here are random pictures that I've taken these past two weeks!
Here is a picture of the Jergensen Family in Taibei! Took it from the new website.
Here is a pic of Sister Oviatt and I! We went to the zoo last P-Day (ate ice cream b/c it was sooo hot!) and we ate dinner because it was here 9 month mark!! Lol, we have a blast with each other!!
Also, here are pictures of the food I got when we also went to Costco!!! Costco is heaven on earth for an American! It brought back so many memories of home!!
It's MANGO SEASON!!!! The mango's here are to die for!!!! They are amazing! I can't get enough of them! Was taught how to properly cut a mango!
Bought SPAM at COSTCO! Best decision I've ever made! It's 600 NT here but in US it's about $20 for 6 cans!! :D
Love you all!! I pray for you all!!!

Sincerely, Sister Komatsu

Lift Where You Stand !

Dear Family & Friends,

This week's email is pretty short!

There was a a lot of rain these past few days! There was a ton of thunder and lightening and there was also hail yesterday. Who knew it could hail in Taiwan?! So cool. Sorry I wish I had a picture.

Recently, I've been learning a lot about progressing to become better person and ultimately having a changed nature. Recently I read a talk by President Dieter F. Utchdorf called 'Lift where you stand' (A talk I suggest everyone to read!)
It is about many different people who have shown this example of "lift where you stand". This "lift where your stand" concept came from a situation President Utchdorf encountered while trying to get a grand piano from one room to another. The task was difficult and there were many there to help none could figure out a way to accomplish this task. Standing around this piano for awhile a brethren called out and said, "now brethren just lift where you stand", and that's what they did. Suddenly the piano seemed to have lifted itself and began to move into the room they had set out to do. This concept seems too simple but it is very true.

Being a missionary here in the middle of Taipei sometimes seems impossible to get everyone to hear about God and His Son Jesus Christ. I've been learning a lot about team work and what it means to stand where you are, weakness and shortcomings in all, and then to lift what you have set out to accomplish. I've seen many blessings as I continue to learn a very difficult language and continue to be a disciple of the Lord- I've had many great people that have blessed me here in Taiwan that have made it easier to lift the work.

Working with new investigators has always been the fun part about being a missionary. You get to see people change and change for the better. It's the greatest blessings. At the end of our english class we always have a spiritual share about the Gospel. Last week we talked about the Book of Mormon and read some verses out of it. After class a new student, named Jocelyn (english name), walked up to us and said that she wanted to learn more about this book and if there were any people in our church that could help her. Sister Oviatt and I smiled at each other and said yes and that we were the people that could help her. That very Saturday we met with her and taught her the Restoration of the Gospel. It was very spiritual and she was very willing to listen to us. This same night we were having a ward dinner at the church and a random baptism was happening for 2 little girls from a different district from ours (which we did not know about till after our lesson). Our investigator stayed with us and ate the dinner that our ward members had provided. I then asked if she was going to go home soon and immediately said that she wanted to stay to watch the baptism! I smiled and turned to my companion immediately. The joy in my companions eyes made me smile and laugh!! It truly was the best night ever!!

I love missionary work and the small ways that the Lord goes about in His work!!

Sorry family and friends but no pictures this week. I've been slacking in taking pictures :( But please enjoy this wonderful picture that I deeply love! I also love this story of the resurrected Christ walking with two men on the road to Emmaus. (Luke 24)


Till next week I love and miss you all!! Thank you for your prays and emails!!

Sincerely, Sister Komatsu 小松姐妹
Serving in the Taipei Taiwan Mission

Happy July !

Dear Family & Friends!!

HAPPY JULY!!!!!!

It's a very very hot July here in the City of Taibei!! WOW! I've honestly learned to make the best out of the heat - I think I prefer sweating and biking in Taibei city then freezing and walking through snow storms in Boston! I've learned that water and sunscreen are very important things to have as a missionary in Taiwan. It's been so great to sweat and be active and just be a missionary!!

This week was a wild week! Just helping my comp get to know the area  while she is helping me understand chinese and how to be an effective missionary! Its been great! I've literally had 3 trainers so far since being on the mission - I had one in Boston, one here, and this last week I finished my training with my new comp Sister Oviatt!! Heavenly Father knows me really well. I needed 3 trainers to get it right. 

I'm still in Shuang He - the lovely New Taipei City where people aren't afraid to run you over with their scooters- LOL I love it here and I love how fast pace it is though!

Wei, Chin Chin is our investigator that we've been working hard with to help her come closer unto Christ! She has a coffee problem that she is trying to kick! So, your prayers would be most appreciated! 

We've been doing a lot of member visits at their homes: helping them strengthen their families and working hard to center their homes around Christ!

So many different things are happening here in Taibei that there isn't enough time or space to tell you everything but I can tell you that we are working hard and doing the best we can to find those that are willing to about God's wonderful plan!

In other news I heard about Gay marriage being legalized in America! I still can't believe it. Is it true? Someone email me back! A good member of ours came up to us last week and told us what happened then said in her broken english that, "Christ is coming soon." I couldn't help but laugh at her - she's just too cute! It is interesting though to hear the world around me changing and the different things that are happening - As a missionary we dont hear a lot about what's going on in the world - we focus all our efforts on the work where we are! I know in my heart though that God has His own time and time table. Last week my companion and I taught our english class about Time and we shared this scripture from Ecclesiastes 3:1-11

"To everything there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven: A time to be born, a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to pluck up that which is planted; A time to kill, a time to heal, a time to break down, and a time to build up; A time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance; ...A time to rend, and a time to hate; a time of war, and a time of peace... He hath made very thing beautiful in his time: also he hath set the world in their heart, so that now man can find our the work that God maketh from the beginning to the end."

I'm glad for the time that I live in and for the many things that God has given me the chance to experience. I pray for all you that are experiencing times of trials and heartache. I know that God is mindful of us all! Please continue in faith and love!!!

I love and pray for you all!!

PS sorry there are no pictures this week - left my camera at home  SORRY!!

Sincerely yours, Sister Komatsu 小松姐妹

Summer In Taiwan !

Dear Family & Friends,

Summer in Taipei has been ruff but the people in Taiwan have been very very kind which makes the temperate a little cooler!

Another transfer has come and gone and I am still currently serving in the Shuang He Area in New Taipei City! This area is amazing and I'm excited to serve here with a new companion!!

My new companion is Sister Oviatt! We were in the MTC together, which makes it even more fun! She is a sweetheart full of love and patience. She might need some patience if I'm her companion :) She is from Texas and she has been on her mission just a transfer or generation ahead of me! So we are both young missionaries :) In our area we have Shuang He 1 & 2. We serve in the 2nd ward. Our goal in our two wards right now is to help make a Shuang He 3! We are prepping to work hard this transfer to help make this goal happen within the year!! Actual Work is just music to my ears!!!

 So many new changes are happening this transfer! The biggest one is probably getting a new mission president! His name is President Jergensen - he's from Logan, Utah and he is bringing his wife, two twin sons who are 14 years old, one daughter whos 17, and even his father and mother-in-laws! I'm excited for President Jergensen and his willingness to serving along side us as missionaries. The Mission President with serve with his family for the next three years in Taiwan Taipei.

These last few weeks together we ate a lot with members and had a good time! We did all we could to make our last week count! Here is a picture of us with our Bishop's wife, Xie JieMei. They took us to a Thai restaurant. Then we ate lunch at a family members home. Heres a picture of their cute family! & another member made us a big pan of brownies!!! We also found chicken katsu in Taiwan~! It is was delicious!!!

Lastly, we saw our old "A Ma" (like a grandma but older and wiser) She is a old lady that sells "pig's blood" on a stick (everyone here loves it - i dont). She is always at the stop light going to our favorite contacting area. When we first met her we gave her a Christ picture because she said she believed in Christ. This last week we saw her setting up her little cart and saw the picture of Christ in here stuck on inside her cart! I had to take a picture of it. I love and adore her smile when we ride by. She always smiles and says we're pretty, which just makes our day.

Anyways, I love you all! I'm feeling much better and have a good time here in Taiwan. Trying to bless people's lives one day at a time!

Sincerely yours, Sister Komatsu

Happy Belated Father's Day !

Serving in Taiwan
With Sister Akita

Dear Family & Friends

Happy belated Father's Day to all the father's out there!

This week was an exhausting week! Feeling a little under the weather actually. It rained really hard yesterday and we were biking out all day long that I just took and shower and crashed immediately. We had Zone Conference which is a big training day for us as missionaries! It was our Mission President, President Day's, last time of training us. This coming week our new mission president is coming in and taking over! It's going to be so exciting! His name is President Jergensen. Everyone in the mission is a little worried or unsure about what's going to happen in our mission but I'm so excited and really to have a brand new and fresh Mission President. 

This friday is transfer meeting, which is a meeting for all new companionship to get together and move to their new areas they are assigned to. Transfer meeting is this really fun and a scary meeting that everyone loves to go to. The missionaries that are leaving that transfer get to share their testimonies and experiences they have. Then they pull up the big screen and everyone has their pictures on the screen - They show the areas and the companionship's in that area then your photos shows up in that new area with your new companion! It's scary but exciting!

I'm actually afraid to stay in my area because that means that my trainer is moving and I'm going to "take over the area" which just means that I know more than the new comp coming in so I plan everything. But I would be so excited to leave to another area and see Taiwan!!!

Here are photos! There were a lot of successes this week. We talked to a lot of people and visited our members. It was a hard working week! We are ready to blow off some steam and go ice skating today!! YAY!

Okay, love you all!!!

Sincerely, Sister Komatsu 小松姐妹