March 17-23 In-field Training

 

Sister DeVictoria writing:

This week was a week of training.  We received training in the MTC, but many things are done differently here.  For example, we were trained to use Canva to be able to do newsletters.  But the young Elders in our mission office do the newsletter, so I won’t need to do that.  I’m actually really happy to have their help.  When I was a young missionary, there were no senior missionaries, so young missionaries did all of the office work.

Here is Elder DeVictoria being trained by Elder Croft

 

We spent so much time traveling back and forth to China and staying in all kinds of Air bnbs and hotels that staying here feels much the same.  Our apartment is nice.  I especially love the bed.  It is much firmer than our stupid memory foam mattress back home.  We will probably move to the other senior apartment when the current office couple (the Crofts) return to America.  Everyone says that apartment is better, and since we will be here for 23 months, we might as well take the nicer apartment.  The only draw back to this apartment is that there is a big gym across the street that keeps its lights on until the early morning hours.  We do have curtains, but there is also a lot of noise and traffic from the gym in the middle of the night.  The weather has been wonderfully cool all week.  I’m sure that will not last long. 

We have really been enjoying the food here.  I’ve been inundating my family with pictures of our dinners.  There are several self-serve cafeteria style restaurants in the neighborhood.  There are a wide variety of dishes, including plenty of vegetables.  The food definitely tastes different from the food in mainland China.  Not too much spicy food here, much milder.  I also think the soy sauce has a different flavor.  But we are enjoying it all.  Today (preparation day) we did some shopping at the open-air market so that we can make more food at home, especially for the weekend.  Here is the market, and a very faint Taipei 101 in the background.

 

The mission president has to interview each missionary at least once every 6 weeks.  This week was interview week, so we had an office full of missionaries every day.  They have so much energy!  I wish I could bottle it and take some every day.  We enjoy getting to know the missionaries, they are all really good people.

Sister Croft showed me how to get to the post office, and where to go to apply for the Alien residency card.  I have to apply for each missionary who comes.  After 6 months they are eligible for Taiwan’s national health care.  I will also apply for that for each missionary.  We applied for ours the day after we arrived, and they told us we can pick up our cards this coming Monday.  So, we shouldn’t have any problem traveling back to the States for our son’s wedding on April 7^th.  I’ll probably just be getting over jet lag when we leave for the wedding…..

In the basement of the mission office is a storage area.  (Our own little D.I.)  Many missionaries have put old clothing there.  I was able to get a used set of character cards to study.  As I started going through them, I noticed I already know a lot of them, so I may have to advance to the next set.  I’m still studying German on DuoLingo and have 1425 day streak. 

 Elder DeVictoria writing:

 This has been a full week of training in our mission office duties.  What I learned is that this is a cash-based mission, and a bicycle-based mission.  Every young missionary buys a bicycle upon arrival.  With each transfer, the bicycle must be shipped to the new area. The Church provides the monthly money to each missionary’s credit card, then the missionaries go to an ATM and withdraw it all as cash.  Very few vendors in Taiwan accept credit cards.  Also, this mission has only 5 vehicles;  three associated with the mission office (one for the president and two vans), then there are two senior couples that live in very remote towns that each have cars. 

Each missionary also gets a cell phone that is provided by the Church.  When the missionaries are transferred, the SIM card stays in the area, but the phone goes with the missionaries. The amount of money each missionary receives is 9,000 TWD- Taiwan dollars which is about US$280 per month.  This is for food, travel, and minor personal items.  One of the major tasks of the financial secretary (me) is to supplement each missionary’s monthly allotment with extra money to cover travel expenses for zone conferences, mission conferences, and transfers to new areas.  This can get complicated with about 120 missionaries.  There are 8 zones and 59 areas.  

It's been a pleasure to learn more about how the mission works.  We are just getting started.  

 

 "And we ask thee, Holy Father, that they servants may go forth from this house armed with thy power, and that thy name may be upon them, and thy glory be round about them, and thine angels have charge over them;"  DC 109:22

 

 

 

 March 18, 2024

Sister DeVictoria writing:

What a great last week in the MTC!  On the last day, when we had to have our door cards deactivated, it was very sad to realize that we wouldn’t be coming back to the MTC.  We made such wonderful friends in our MTC district, and had so many uplifting and spiritual moments.  We also enjoyed getting to know many young missionaries, including those who would be following us to our mission. 

I think the MTC teachers especially look for activities to keep the senior missionaries moving.  I think too many of us nod off during our afternoon classes.  Lol  So we often are given assignments that have us go out of the classroom.  One of these activities we were assigned to go with a couple that we had been sharing teaching practice with to go out with them and find some meaningful activities to do together. We found some young missionaries to get to know in the recreation room.  We took advantage of the moment to play a little ping pong together.  Elder DeVictoria also made a video of our activity but it hasn’t been put together yet.

 One highlight of our MTC experience was the Tuesday night devotional.  They keep the guest a secret for security reasons, but as we were leaving the cafeteria we happened to see Elder Quentin L. Cook and his wife getting out of a car.  He gave an AMAZING talk!  I hope it is eventually allowed to be put on Youtube.  He talked about the recent acquisition of the Kirtland temple and the subsequent restoration of the Priesthood keys by Moses, Elijah and Elias.  At the end of the talk he said he wasn’t sure why the Lord gave him this experience, but he testified that he knows the Lord’s voice, and is familiar with His face.  He also shared a video from a previous devotional when two young missionaries taught him and his wife a lesson about the restoration.  Very powerful.  Elder Cook’s example made me want to study the gospel more carefully.

photo from church news.

 

One day as part of our morning devotional in class, we went to look at one of the murals in our building.  It was a picture of Martha standing by some fully set tables with dishes and food.  It occurred to me that when I looked at the pictures, all I saw was the hundreds of things that needed to be done.  I totally understood why she was feeling overwhelmed.  I have felt that way with regards to my secretarial duties.  All of those things needed to be done, but Mary chose the better part.  I have to remember the priority of seeking the Spirit to help me with the tasks I face.

 

We left our house early Saturday morning for our flight to Taiwan.  When we arrived in San Francisco (which was very nostalgic for us, particularly because Elder DeVictoria used to work right near there) we were sitting at the gate waiting when an Elder with a Chinese name tag (Elder Geis) came up and introduced himself.  He was going to our same mission!  It was fun to get to know him and we waited together for our ride to the mission office.  In general, we felt like celebrities in the airports.  People kept coming and thanked us for our service, asked where we were going, and helped us with our luggage. 

 

That was a long flight, which we have experienced many times with our trips to China.  We survived.  The mission president and his wife, as well as the 3 assistants to the president picked us up.  Between the three of us we had a LOT of luggage.  They delivered us safely to our apartment.  We will be able to choose between two different apartments where we want to live.  This one is nice, but everyone says the second one is nicer, so we will have to decide which one we want to take.  

 

The mission home is the same building as it was 40 years ago when I served here.  But they have renovated it, so it looks much different on the inside.  The neighborhood has also changed so much that I don’t really recognize it any more.  We will be staying in this area for the duration of our mission so we will have many opportunities to explore.

Taipei temple view from the mission office balcony

Chapel that is next to the temple.  It houses 5 wards, as well as the church country office

 We have started training in the office. There is a lot to learn

Elder DeVictoria writing:

Sure is great to be back in Taiwan.  The first day in the mission office was great.  Learned a lot already.  The couple who we are replacing will be leaving in two weeks.  Experiencing mild jet lag.  I'm sure we will get over it in a few days.  

8 For behold, the Lord doth grant unto all nations, of their own nation and tongue, to teach his word, yea, in wisdom, all that he seeth fit that they should have; therefore we see that the Lord doth counsel in wisdom, according to that which is just and true.  Alma 29:8

Missionary Training Center

 Sister DeVictoria writing:  We have just completed our first week at the MTC.  Our feelings about this week can be partially represented in the picture below.  

 

Actually, this week has been a wonderful experience.  I've never been in a place where so many people introduce themselves and as we talk we feel like we have always been friends.  It has been wonderful to get to know the young and senior missionaries!  We arrived with a group of 132 senior missionaries; one of the largest groups ever.  They refer to our group as the "Rasband effect".  

 

It has been so interesting to hear some of the unique missions to which people have been called.  There are missionaries assigned to some of the following missions:  Mongolia, Nepal, Northern Africa/UAE, Egypt, New Zealand, Honolulu, Malaysia, as well as many State side missions.  One widowed sister will be serving in the Bulgaria/Greece mission.  She will be companions with another widow who was previously a companion of hers!  One couple has been called to serve in a church history site where they will be Teamsters and drive oxen!  I met one young Elder who has Down syndrome.  He told me that he and his parents have been called to serve in the office in Thailand!  I also got word from a former seminary student of mine that he and his parents have been called to serve at church headquarters in Salt Lake City!  

One highlight of my week was that I saw a young man who we worked with in the Special Needs Activity program.  He works in the cafeteria of the MTC washing dishes.  I saw him peeking over at us while he was eating lunch and I recognized him so went over and talked to him.  We spent so many years working with him, it made me so happy to see him again.  Below is a picture of the cafeteria.

 

We have spent this week learning from the "Preach My Gospel" manual.  Although our entire District are going to serve as office missionaries, it has been a good opportunity to understand what the young missionaries are being taught, and hopefully we will have opportunities to practice these principles ourselves.  

 

 

We had two great meetings in the evenings.  The first was a fireside with Pres. Steven J. Lund who is the General Young Men's president of the church.  He and his wife spoke and had wonderful messages.  He spoke about how our testimonies are cumulative.  Even though a little child doesn't have the same testimony as an adult, we cannot discount that they also have a testimony in progress.  Our life experiences add to our testimonies over time.

The second meeting was called "The Character of Christ".  The speakers talked about the traits that Jesus Christ exhibits, and how we should all be working to develop those traits.  They especially emphasized how the Savior was always looking outward instead of inward.  As we look outward, we develop charity and find opportunities to help others.  They had two special speakers who came from very difficult backgrounds.  They were able to testify to how learning about Jesus Christ helped them to overcome the trials and mistakes of their lives and put them on the right path.  One of them, a woman, even spent 5 years in Federal prison.  But she was able to rise above her mistakes through the atonement of Jesus Christ.  

Next week we will begin our office training.  It is a daunting thought, but we trust that the Lord will help us to learn our duties so that we can help the mission.  

Elder DeVictoria writing:

What I enjoyed about the MTC experience this week was the spirit of the place; the feeling that we are truly embarking on a great mission, a great adventure, loaded with purpose.  Very meaningful.  And I loved rubbing shoulders with other missionaries who entered the MTC on the same day as us.  It's so heartwarming to hear where they are from, where they are going, what their duties will be, and why they chose to serve a mission at this time.  

With such a large group entering with us, we certainly couldn't get to know everyone, but we got to know quite a few, especially those in our District.  There are 8 couples in our District.  They are going to Montreal Canada, Germany Alpine mission that includes Switzerland and Austria, Auckland New Zealand, Peru, South Carolina, West Virginia, and Northern Colorado.

The Preach My gospel instruction was brief but powerful.  It basically just gave us a taste of the content of the Preach My gospel manual.  They basically just touched on some of the chapters.  As mature members of the church with a lot of experience, it's not like there was anything new to us.  The principles of the gospel are not new to us.  One thing that was emphasized was the use of social media.  They strongly encouraged us to participate in social media while we are serving as full time missionaries.  I'll have to admit that I am resistant.  I will have to prayerfully find my way.

We invite you participate in sharing the gospel as you can, wherever you are, in whatever way.  We encourage you to leave comments below, or contact us through Facebook or email.  We would love to hear from you.

Elder and Sister DeVictoria