da jia hao!

Alright so this past week or so has been crazy!! i love every second of it though thats for sure! Taiwan is just so flipping awesome i love it so much i can’t even get over it! All the people here are so nice and they all just want to make sure you’re fed its kind of funny haha The language is coming not as fast as i would maybe like but hey its only been about a week so i can’t expect too much! My companion is Elder Jensen and he is a really good trainer, sometimes he makes me do things i don’t want to do but i know they will help me so thats just me being dumb haha anyway so right now im serving in xinzhuang which is a really cool place! ill show you some pictures ive taken of my area and all of Taiwan that ive been to so far later. but our area is actually a newly opened area so we don’t have anything…. almost literally. we don’t have a phone, bikes, area book, or past investigators for this area. oh and we’ve gone finding pretty much 8 hours each day because we have no appointments which i love actually because im learning so much about Taiwan and im learning the language faster because im speaking with a lot of people haha

The mission is such a sweet place!! ive already learned a ton and hope i can keep learning! now ill show you some pictures!

-First is Taipei 101 its a HUGE building its crazy cool!

-this museum place i don’t know the name…

-Where we go running every morning which is the best

-just a broken cross walk sign it was funny at the time.. haha

-all this fruit was like $3 in american money, sooo good!

-oh and a massive hog some guy had as a pet!

Hey! so im actually leaving tomorrow morning and the flight leaves at 7:15! so ill try and call whoever i can when i get to the airport! and i won’t be able to email this week i don’t think because everything is changing a lot so i guess ill see you all next week! love you all!

Elder Miner

Hey everyone!
This is that last week that i will have while here in the Arkansas little Rock mission! its been awesome and i really have grown to love the people ive met here and i hope that they can continue to grow this little branch. buuuut…. to be honest i don’t see myself living here its just not my culture really haha but don’t get me wrong i will come visit here again thats for sure! Im very excited to go to Taiwan and see just what its like there and adjust to the almost exact 12 hour time difference there… its going to be some tiring first days!

alright so story time.

so the first week i was here i heard a story about my companions getting a ride to a zone meeting from one of the members here in our branch. his name is Brother Austin and he is about 80 years old. He has had a stroke and he is just this funny little old man that really is just my favorite so they get in his van and brother Austin starts driving down the road and they come to this red light. Now brother Austin says “Now boys, if i have another stroke just grab the wheel and pull off the road then pull the emergency brake.” Everyone in the car just laughs and  thinks he’s joking but they get really nervous because they realize he’s telling the truth! Then they start driving and he is having a hard time turning the wheel. Brother Austin says “Oh, my power steering is out. but its ok if i have trouble turning just grab the wheel and help me.” Now they are all really nervous and to top it off he then tells them that the brakes in the car are going out….. haha Elder Ernst says “Brother Austin its alright we can turn around and find another ride its no problem!” Bother Austin replies “No boys were going on an adventure!” as he says this he puts on his hat. Now the ride was sketchy but they made it there on time and in one piece! President Jensen (our branch President) said later that when they all walked in they all looked pale and scared out of their mind! it was a great story i just wish i could have told it better!

well love you guys!

Elder Miner

oh yeah im leaving next monday and its going to be a suuuper long flight there! i stop in atlanta first then i go to tokyo japan and then i end up in taiwan!

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Dad to Nathan: What an amazing story! I was on the edge of my seat! I was afraid for how it was going to end.

If you’re still online … I’m dying to hear when you leave for Taiwan! Any specifics yet?

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Nathan to Dad: oh yeah im leaving next monday and its going to be a suuuper long flight there! i stop in atlanta first then i go to tokyo japan and then i end up in taiwan!

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Dad to Nathan: That’s insane! You’ll be flying several hours east, only to turn around and fly that many hours back west and more!!!

Sure love you. Hope you can call from one of the airports. Would love to chat. I’ll keep my phone with me. Let us know a rough schedule sometime if you can, even a flight number.

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Nathan to Dad: yeah its going to be  a really long flight thats for sure! but its all good. yeah ill try my best to call you when i get to a phone ill try and let you know about flights and such if i can

Hey everyone!

So i just got news that my visa went through! im not sure how long im going to be staying here in the south anymore i could be leaving really anytime! im super excited and a little nervous but hey its all good ill get over it super quick!

I feel like ive learned so much while here in Tennessee and im sure that will help me in Taiwan but i know that Taiwan is going to be such a different experience and im excited to head out there! Im fully expecting it to be hard and for the things i face to change me. but i hope they do in some ways, i can’t possibly progress in life or eternally without some sort of change so bring it on! ….Maybe i shouldn’t ask for it… but its coming either way haha

anyway i love you all and hope that you  are doing well and you all can remember who you are and what you really truly stand for in your life. Thanks for all the support and everything you have done!

Till next week!

Elder Miner

Hey everyone!

So this week has been good! to be honest its been a slow week and kind of discouraging week overall but hey! we got two families to come back to church and they seem commited to coming back next week also so thats a plus! Im loving it here and my companions are awesome! we stay in an appartment that is right next to another set of elders that are also super great missionaries!

So this branch is awesome! Even though its super small like maybe 60 members on average, all of the members that are active are just so missionary minded and help out whenever and wherever they can! i love it here and hope that before i can leave i can help out the branch in one way or another.

Oh so this week we attended a baptist funeral in support of one our members who had a sister pass away… It was so much different than any other meeting i have ever been to before! you know how you see it on the movies, where they are pretty much just rocking out and having a good old time and they throw in jesus’ name every so often in their surmons and stuff like that? it was exactly like that and it just blew me away to be honest! just wasn’t centered on what religeous services should be centered on but it was a good time everyone left smiling! felt like a concert!

On another note i got to go walk around the temple and i finally memorized the first vision in English! i had it in chinese but not english… haha sad but funny so now ive got it in both so im good Love you all and hope youre doing well!

Elder Miner

Hey everyone!

Sorry i missed out last week! its crazy hard to get all the writing done in the time that i have to do it in but its all good! so its definitely a different experience being here in the south! im actually here in Dyersburg Tennessee, so not little rock but im in the little rock arkansas mission so thats crazy its a huge mission! anyway the people here are so different and everyone believes in christianity and all that but they really just have these views that i haven’t ever thought of its giving me a whole new perspective on this gospel! its hard to get through to some of them but really they are all really nice people! Dont get me wrong i really do wish i could go to taiwan and actually speak chinese daily but where im at is great now, its a great place and i love the people ive gotten to meet and teach Even though its hard and they all have different views, ive learned here more than ever that the apostasy really did happen and this church has it all, its all we need and i know thats very important Love you all and hope everything is going good back home! Keep me updated on whats happening there.

Elder Miner

Hey dad!

How are you doing? i hope you are doing good. im enjoying the field and hope to get to know it better as i stay here for who knows how long before my visa comes. i know that im here for a reason and will do my best as i serve the lord. thank you for all you have and continue to do for me and i hope that you can continue to find those answers that the lord would show you and keep strong in the gospel and follow christ to the best of your ability and all your heart and that is all that matters as you go through life its very great to know.

Im actually in dyersburg Tennessee so that is crazy! this mission is huge! im sorry i didn’t have time to call you like i said i would, after i called mom i had to get on the flight then the next airport didn’t have a single phone in the entire place…. it was kind of rediculous but its alright ill do my best as i go to taiwan love you dad!

Elder Miner

Hey everyone!

So i made it sucesfully to Arkansas Little Rock! its has been a crazy time and im so ready to start this work here as soon as i can! So i love the people here and they all are such spiritual giants. i can’t wait to grow and do my best to know and leanr from them. love you all!

Elder Miner

Hey all!

So im leaving tomorrow for Arkansas little rock! its super crazy and exciting i can’t wait to get out and serve! Thank you all for the support and everything, ill keep you updated on all that goes on there and when i actually get my visa to go to taiwan. Not a ton happened this week, but hey its all good this week will have a lot for me to talk about no worries! here are my flight plans:

So i report to the travel office in the MTC at 3:30am then my flight goes from Salt Lake at 7:50am to Atlanta Hartsfield jackson i land at about 12:44pm Then from there i leave at 2:22pm to go to Little Rock Clinton National and land about 3:03pm

Ive got a day of probably not a lot of sleep and a lot of excitement! its going to be good! tell next time i have a chance to write!

Elder Miner

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Hey dad!

Im excited to get to this new area and see what i can do and learn while im there! wish i had more time but i have to pack up and stuff! Love you!

So i report to the travel office in the MTC at 3:30am then my flight goes from Salt Lake at 7:50am to Atlanta Hartsfield jackson i land at about 12:44pm Then from there i leave at 2:22pm to go to Little Rock Clinton National and land about 3:03pm.

Ill try to call you at a reasonable hour so just be ready whenever i should be at an airport!

Hey everyone!

so i just got my reassignment so i now know where im going before i actually get to go to Taiwan! so before i get my visa im going to be going to Arkansas Little Rock!!! its going to be cool to see that side of the US im excited to be leaving but at the same time i wish i was going to be heading to Taiwan either way is good though! its been an exciting day! i got my travel plans and i got a crazy good haircut haha anyway im excited to be heading out! love you all and hope youre good!

Elder Miner

oh and i leave on tuesday at 3:30 in the morning…. no sleep whatsoever!!!

its all good, i love this work

Elder Miner