The One Where We Prepared for Chinese New Year

Ericka Elliott and her Donuts

Jasmine Player and Jessica Meeks at Taibei 101

Bafang Dumplings (Jasmine Player and Jessica Meeks)

A year difference in District pictures !

Us killing the bug...and making a mess! 

Jessica Meeks, Yan Ru (member) and Jasmine Player

Walking the streets of Taibei! 

Jasmine Player, Jessica Meeks, and Kris (little six year old son of recent convert Patty)

Jessica Meeks, Patty, Kris, and Jasmine Player

Our Chinese New Year card (Jessica Meeks and Jasmine Player)

West Zone Best Zone! 

Temple night! Jasmine Player, Sister Dong (member) Sister Wang (RC), Xie Jun Jun (RC), Jessica Meeks, Austin (RC).

Pictures! 

-Our donut trip on Pday 

-Year of the Pig

-walking down the streets of Taiwan 

-Kris wanted to give this piece of fruit to my parents! He was sad to find out they lived all the way in America! 

-Patty and Kris showing us the way after dinner 

-Chaos/shoe mess after killing a cockroach haha 

-HAPPY CHINESE NEW YEAR 

-Temple Night 

-The chairs represent the number of transfers you have been on your mission! The first one is when I was in Banqiao the first time and the second one was taken this week! 

-had lunch with cute new lady we met this week! 

-Zone Council! #westzonebestzone

-Sister Player's first time at my favorite restaurant! 

Hello Everyone! 

新年快樂!! HAPPY NEW YEAR! This week was full of fun Chinese New Year preparations and fun things! It goes on this entire next week and we are excited to be a part of all the fun celebrations! This year is The Year of the Pig so we see lots of fun stuff all around the streets! We are loving it so far! 

This week started with a fun trip to Taibei 101.(the tallest building in Taiwan) We did some fun shopping and made a special visit to Kristy Kreme! That was super fun! Sister Elliott (my last companion) and I love going there to look at all the fun shops everywhere! Very fun day! 

Then on Tuesday, I got to reunite and have dinner with two of my favorite people from this area!! Patty and Kris! They are so so fun to be around! Kris is 6 years old and full of lots of energy while is mom just looks on and shakes her head. She got baptized about a year ago and is preparing to go to the temple. I felt the spirit so strong and I testified of the blessing of the temple and how much it was going to help her and her son. I love them so much and am excited to go to the temple with her! 

Wednesday we had English class! I got to see some old students and they were super confused as to why I was back in Banqiao! 🤣 But it was a fun reunion and we got to teach all our cute kids about the food pyramid! Sister Player did great and we ended with a spiritual share about families and how we can pray over our food! They loved it and we are excited to hear the stories as they try it with their families over Chinese New Year. 

On Thursday we had an awesome Zone Council! Let's go West Zone! Sister Player and I had the opportunity to train everyone on daily planning and we also talked about how we can better build up the church here in Taiwan. We have some really amazing missionaries in our Zone and it was cool to hear everyone's ideas! I have seen so many miracles as we work with the people in our ward and I have made so many close friends! I'm excited to have this new push for member work lead to to a lot of miracles! 

We also got to go to the temple that night with 3 of my RCs from this area! I was feeling so emotional as I got to see them all to work for their ancestors. Each of them have grown and learned so much since the first time I met them. It really is amazing what the Gospel of Jesus Christ can do to change someone's life! 

Friday was crazy! We were running around all day long!  But I got to meet with a former friend Jerry and it made me super super happy. I started teaching him last year when I was first in this area and he has changed so much. I rememeber helping him read the first few chapters of the Book of Mormon, and now he is just a few chapters away from finishing! So proud of him. We also got to eat lunch with this member we met last week! She is moving to our area from the East Coast and she is adorable. We are super similar and she loves go laugh and joke around with us. Such a fun time!

Saturday was also really busy! We got to eat lunch with some of Sister Player's Mom's friends who were visiting Taiwan! Such fun connections! Then later that night, we got to eat dinner with 謝姐妹 and Austin! (My RCs) Since we went to the temple with them this week, we talked about temples and all the blessing that come along with it! We also talked about misisonary work and one of the things she asked was "Is missionary life ever hard or do you ever get sad?" 

I thought about this question for a second and I said "Yes it does." But I kept explaining my thoughts. Missionary work is hard! But it's also incredible. It was hard for me to understand at first. How could this new experience, fill of trials and struggles, also be such a happy part of my life? I truly know that I am happy because I'm sharing the gospel of Jesus Christ with other people. Seeing the people I teach change because of their knowledge of the Gospel is completely incredible and nothing matches that feeling!! The Gospel of Jesus Christ changes everyone and makes them happier! I know it has changed me. 

Love you all! 

Sis. Meeks 

The one where I went back to Banqiao!!

Ericka Elliott and Elder Tustin Neilson playing games on Pday! 

Ericka Elliott doing Jessica Meeks' makeup late one night.

Jessica Meeks and Ericka Elliott glasses shopping

Jasmine Player and Jessica Meeks meeting with this crazy lady who was just full of conspiracy theories.

Jasmine Player, Jessica Meeks and Sister Wang (Recent convert)

Jasmine Player and Jessica Meeks

Ericka Elliott, Jessica Meeks, and the Chen family in Yonghe

Jessica Meeks , Sister Lin (and Husband) and Sister Ericka Elliott

Jasmine Player, Ericka Elliott, Jessica Meeks, and Lauren Zaitz

Jessica Meeks and Jasmine Player

Jasmine Player, Jessica Meeks, and our grandpa friends! 

Hello Everyone! 

This week brought a lot of change! I was transferred out of Yonghe and had to leave Sister Elliott ! There were a lot of mixed emotions the last few days we were together but I'm grateful for all the time we had 😊 So fun! But now I'm back in Banqiao!! I served here a little over 6 months ago and I am loving it so much. I was surprised when a member picked us up and drove us straight to our house! They have three daughters and it was so fun to see them all again! 

My new companion is Sister Player and she is great! She is from California and is on her third transfer in the mission! We have very very similar personalities and do everything the same! We have so much in common and talk all the time! I have already learned so much from her and I'm excited to see miracles here! 

It has been so amazing coming back to this area! Such a throwback. As I am biking around, I am reminded of so many good times and crazy miracles that happened! I feel like it is a huge blessing to be able to serve here again! I am here to focus on my recent converts and to help build and strengthen the ward. Sunday was one of the happiness days of my mission! I had so many people welcome me back and so many hugs were given. It reminds me how much I love the Taiwanese people and how blessed I am to serve in this beautiful country!

Lastly, I wanted to share my favorite scripture!! It is in 2nd Nephi 22:2! (Very easy to remember because it has a lot of 2's in it! Haha)

Behold, God is my salvation; I will trust, and not be afraid; for the Lord Jehovah is my strength and my song; he also has become my salvation.

I love this scripture and I share it all the time. It provides me with so much comfort. I know that God loves us and we can always trust in him. No matter what challenges we go through, our Heavenly Father and his son Jesus Christ will always be by our side to protect and watch over us. Isn't that beautiful? ❤️ There really is no greater love! 

Hope you all have an amazing week! 

Sister Meeks

Pictures!

-Playing card games on Pday (thanks for the game mom!)

-Eating dinner with a family from the ward! They are still celebrating Christmas! Haha 

-Eating with Sister Elliott's trainer 林姐妹! She got married recently and we got to get to know the husband a little better! 

-Sister Elliott did my hair and makeup ❤️ 

-My new companion Sister Player!!! With the temple in the background! 

-We are dinner with some of our friends for Sister Player's birthday! 

-Us freezing on the coldest day of winter so far! 

-Meeting with my recent convert 王姐妹 again!! 

-Eating lunch with the 永和 sisters when I picked up my bike! 

-Meeting with a cute lady I met in 花蓮! 

Last Transfer

My favorite Taiwanese breakfast! 

The rare Krispy Kreme donuts

Yonghe District! Elders Parker Morgan, Grant Church, Tustin Neilson, Johnathen Merrill, Ericka Elliott, Jessica Meeks and Stanly (member) We helped paint his house. !

Ericka Elliott and Jessica Meeks (Pizza Place) 

Jessica Meeks and Ericka Elliott (SHOPPING) 

Painting for Pday! 

Dinner with these random members from the United States that we met on the street. (Ericka Elliott and Jessica Meeks) 

Ericka Elliott and Jessica Meeks (matching Jedi shirts!)

Hello Everyone!! 

Transfer calls came yesterday! Sadly, I'm leaving my favorite person Sister Elliott for another area but I'm excited for the next new adventure!! 😁 It's actually kind of an old adventure because I'm going back to my old area in Banqiao!! I already spent three transfers there and I get to go back and spend my last transfer there 😊 I already love the members there so I'm very excited for this exciting way to end the mission!! 

But, this last week started off with a very chill Pday and a trip to Kristy Kreme! There aren't very many in Taiwan (and normal Taiwanese donuts are not even close to the same) so we made a special donut trip! Totally worth it!! 

Something super fun this week was painting a house for our member! We did it as a district and it was super super fun 😊😊 I got paint all over myself but we played 20 questions with our District to make the time go by fast! It was an awesome service opportunity! 

A cool story from this week was we were at the night market and we ran into some members who lived in Utah! They came up to us and were super excited to talk! After talking for a little while, we said goodbye and went on our way! Then about a minute later, they came running back and asked if they could take us to eat hot pot with them! We were so surprised and it was so nice of them! They took us to an all-you-can- eat hot pot and it was AMAZING ! So kind and so fun!

The scripture I liked this week was in Alma 26: 37 

Now my brethren, we see that God is mindful of every people, whatsoever land they may be in; yea, he numbereth his people, and his bowels of mercy are over all the earth. Now this is my joy, and my great thanksgiving; yea, and I will give thanks unto my God forever. Amen.

This scriptures gives me so much comfort because it reminds me that God loves us and is mindful of everything we do!  No matter what struggles we are going through, he understands and will help us! He loves us and this really is my joy and what brings me happiness 😁 I love my Heavenly Father!! 

Love you all!! Hope you have an amazing week 😁😁 

Sister Meeks 

We're officially old missionaries

Pday, South and Easy Zone Conference, exchanges, dinner as a district, English class students, Bitan Sisters!!


Hello friends and family!! 

This week was AWESOME and everyday had something exciting and fun!! Something crazy I realized this week is we are the oldest sisters in Taiwan right now! (Meaning we have been here the longest! Crazy!)

Monday: Went to the Chang Kai Shek Memorial and it was really cool! Lots of cool history and cool buildings! We went with a fun group and ended our Pday with a fun game of Coup which is a very complicated game that gets competitive when you play with Elders! One of my favorite games now! 

Tuesday: Zone Council with South Zone! We talked a lot about the power of the Book of Mormon and member work! Our mission is focusing a lot of working with members and we discussed and found effective ways to help them start their own missionary efforts! 

Wednesday: We were on exchanges with the lovely Songshan sisters! I had the chance to go with Sister Hayden! She is so positive and so happy all the time! 😊 I had so much fun with her and learned a lot from her! 

Thursday: Zone Council with East Zone! We talked about focus and how work with members! We used the optical illusions to teach about focus and they are is frustrating!! Haha I can never see them no matter how hard a try but it was a fun activity to try! 

Friday: Interviews with President! So great. I always love talking to him. He always resolves all of my concerns and gives me lots of wisdom! 

Saturday: We had a ward potluck! Got to eat some yummy Taiwanese food and talk to the members ! 

Sunday: Second session of two hour church! Can honestly say I'm loving it and so are the members 😊 

That's about it for this week!! Loving my time here in Taiwan! Loving the Book of Mormon and continuing to develop my testimony of it! 

Have an amazing week! 

Sister Meeks