Weekly Report: Hippy Shirts, Illegal Music, Book of Mormon

Hey Everyone!
The crazy news first: This week we realized that my companion, Elder Harris, was in Matt's fifth grade class in elementary school. This is a really really really small world. I never would have guessed that something like this could happen.

Shirt Review: The Double Hippy
First shirt: "We want world peace." Normally, I would just dismiss this as a lone hippy in the crowd of normal people (sort of like my dad [kidding, sir]), but then a day later, I saw one that said, "UN for Taiwan, Peace Forever." I felt like I'd stepped into an alternate dimension where the sixties involved a lot more yellow skin and squintier eyes. I want to see a shirt that says, "Isolationism: Proudly Not Giving A Darn." I give both shirts 1 dysfunctional druggies out of 5 (yes, I know not everyone was doing drugs in the 60's.)

Food Review:
Wow, a lot of new and delicious things this week. First off, we've got dragoneyes. These are one of my mom's favorite. The flavor is not nearly so intense as the name might suggest (I didn't breath fire), but they had a really mild, honeylike flavor that got better the more I ate. I definitely enjoyed them. 4 misnomers out of 5. Second, Winter Melon Tea with Ice Cream. Ooh, so good. Me and Elder Harris splurged cause we thought it sounded so good (35 NT for a drink?!) but we were not disappointed. Our current plans involve getting ahold of ice cream and making some, or getting ahold of dry ice and carbonating winter melon tea. We're geniuses, right, Mom? I brew winter melon tea for myself, and have a cup most nights. I just can't make it through the night without my drink. Hehe. 5 delicious drinks out of five (wow, that was a boring alliteration).

Excuse Review: The Pansy Pardon
This week, I pulled up next to a guy and said, "Hello, mister!" He was startled (some people are, my smile is that white), and replied, "You can't just scare people to death like that." No matter what I said after that, he just responded with the same sentence. It was kind of boring excuse, and I was rather happy when he sped off a second later. I give it 3 sissy scares out of 5.

The Triple Temptresses
Everyone knows missionaries can't listen to music, but sometimes we hear songs we know when we're outside. This week, the music was out to get me. It all started when we sat down to teach a guy at a cafe, and Taylor Swift's "Fearless" came on. I'll admit that it's hard to relate the First Vision, with that in the background. Next, we were getting Elder Harris's bike fixed (the axle was broken, and the guy fixing it was so surprised when he took off the wheel), when Vanessa Carlton came on. Those who know me well know that I'm a huge fan of her voice, and tuning it out was no small challenge. I was very happy to leave halfway through the song and get lunch. Lastly, last night, as we were riding home, I heard Avril Lavigne, and well, Avril is Avril. Thank goodness we flew by it. I still had the guitar part stuck in my head for a couple minutes. The musical world is out to get me. Hopefully it doesn't happen much more. PS: The Back Street Boys are much easier to tune out.

This week, we had the opportunity to meet with one of our investigators, Lin2 yu4 ren4 淋育任. Previously, he's been a little wishy washy, and hasn't been terribly interested in coming to church. He wanted to get baptized, was willing to keep all the commandments, but he just didn't seem to get the importance of church. Anyways, we committed him to read and pray each day. When we met with him on Thursday, it was like meeting with a totally new person. It was amazing. We asked him what his favorite part of what he's read of the Book of Mormon was, and instead of relating a story, he flipped straight to a scripture about the Holy Ghost making the mysteries of God known. Me and Elder Harris were so amazed and happy. I couldn't help but smile. The more time I spend out here, the more I realize the miraculous power of the Book of Mormon. It truly has the power to bring us closer to God. Keep reading, folks. I can promise it'll help you all. You'll see miracles in your lives, and your testimonies will grow.

I love you all. Sorry this week was a little more silly than usual. I guess I'm just in a silly mood.
Elder Siebert