Weekly Report: Passion Fruit, Jesus Shirt, Meeting Mission Goals

Hey all!!!
I hope you all had a great 4th of July! Mine was not so remarkable, though I did wear my navy blue pants and my red and white striped tie to commemorate the event. Also, in Priesthood, Brother Cao3, the second couselor in the bishopbric, greeted us while humming the Star Spangled Banner. That was pretty funny. Today we're going out to Taiwanese barbecue to commemorate the holiday. Should be great. I'm excited.

Excuse Review
Yesterday night, I contacted a guy on a street corner by a restaurant. He was super nice, and the contact was proceeding nicely, until he interrupted me by saying, "I've got to go! My customer got hurt, and the ambulance is coming." Sure enough, there was an ambulance coming. I felt this excuse was very legitimate (though still an excuse). I give it 5 emergency excuses out of 5.

Food Review: Passion Fruit
Oh so delicious. The ones I bought were pretty sour, but I really really liked them. Super fabulicious. I ate three of them yesterday. Elder Wilson said he was worried that there'd be some bad consequences (I also ate half of a very large mango), but apparently I have a stomach of steel. Oh man I love fruit here. There are so many random tasty things to try. I give it 5 delectable delicacies out of 5.

Shirt Review
This week, I saw a guy with a black shirt that said "Jesus Reigns" in gold lettering underneath a picture of a lion. I think the lion potentially could have been Aslan. I thought it was so funny. It was like something you'd see at Bible Camp, not in a country that's predominately Daoism/Buddhist (no seriously, they're exactly the same thing to a Taiwanese person). I give it 4 out of place Jesus freaks out of 5.

Well, folks, most of the time, I share extremely uplifting experiences from which I derived a lot of meaning. However, this week, I'd like to share something a little more discouraging that happened to me last night. At about 8 last night, I was contacting an intersection which I knew would likely be my last chance to make a concentrated effort at contacting. I had yet to add a baptismal goal with anyone in the day. Not adding is strongly frowned upon by mission leaders, and I was determined to find someone ready. As I neared the end of the half hour period, I found a guy who had a slightly weak personality. I talked him over to the side of the road. My language skills and my ability to talk to people have progressed to the point where I can talk someone into adding if they're not a very confrontational person. So I added the guy. I had absolutely no other objective in mind; I cared nothing for him. As he drove away, I felt absolutely terrible about what I had done. This work has no meaning if I don't love and care about the people I talk to. I resolved on the spot to never let that happen again. If it meant going without adding one day, so be it. Christ always cared about the people he encountered; he stopped to heal the woman with an issue of blood even on the way to heal Jairius's dying daughter. Service in the church is dependent upon charity. I don't mean simply missionary work, but ANY service in the church, no matter how small. This week, I'd like to challenge you all to avoid doing what I did. Care about those you serve. View your calling in terms of the people you help, and not as a checklist of things to do to fulfill your duty. As you do so, your work will be more meaningful, and you will find more joy in your service.

I love you all, and I miss you.
Elder Siebert