He's home!!

Welcome home Elder Bray..."well done thou good and faithful servant"!!

Yale Branch Talent Show

A couple of photos taken at the Yale Branch talent show (that's Jeremy on the ukulele).

My favorite old couple from English class were baptized this week. It was the greatest thing in the world for me to baptize the two of them on Saturday. Their daughter and grandchildren are members of the church and were so stoked when I called them to tell them that their parents/grandparents decided to be baptized. The daughter and her children live in Newport and have kind of been out of the picture when it comes to us missionaries meeting with/teaching their grandparents. They thanked me over and over and over again for helping their whole family become an eternal family. I have been working with this older couple for months and months. I thought so many times that we should drop them and not waste time with them anymore because they wouldn’t get baptized but I always had a feeling to keep working with them and not give up. I have always been so close to them. I’m seriously like a grandson to these people. They actually took me out to lunch today at a very expensive restaurant in Newport Beach. It was kind of my farewell lunch with them. I love them so much. I’m so happy I could baptize them before going home.

1 week and counting...

That's right - our missionary will be home in 1 week!! He returns Wednesday, March 14th at 6:00 p.m. Let the count down begin...

Impressions of a Trainer

Oh yeah, I forgot to mention that I’m training a new missionary. I’ve been called as a trainer but just for my last 3 weeks. Elder Kim will be taking over on all the training after I leave. I’m training an elder from Georgia, named Elder Winters. I’m not even kidding you, this guys is a stud. I’m so impressed with his missionary attitude, Chinese, testimony, and willingness to serve the Lord. This trainee I have right now is the perfect elder to take my place. I was seriously so worried about leaving and who's hands I would be leaving this branch in, but no joke, Elder Winters will definitely be able to take my place. We have been having a great time together already. I am literally teaching him everything I know during these 3 weeks. I feel like I’m just cramming him with so much stuff but he’s absorbing it all at a fast rate and with a smile. This guys is great. (Elder Winters pictured above in the middle)

Oh man, I can’t even tell you how much I look up to, admire, and love Elder Beus (my trainer). I was talking about Elder Beus with President Bowen last week after he asked me to train Elder Winters for my last 3 weeks. I was telling President Bowen how Elder Beus literally changed my life and helped me realize what it really means to serve a mission. Elder Beus was the exact person I needed in Taiwan. I miss him. I totally got his wedding invitation in the mail last week!!! I was so shocked. I couldn’t believe it. He is getting married 3/10... right before I go home. I’m gonna miss his reception by like 4 days. I wish I could be there to attend. Oh well. I was so stoked to get his wedding announcement though. I’m happy for him. I really want to leave an impression on Elder Winters just like the one Elder Beus left on me. I’m gonna work so hard until the end and train Elder Winters as best as I possible can. (Jeremy & Elder Beus in Taiwan pictured below)

Super Busy!

Oh man, you have no idea how busy we have been lately! No joke. We have been super super, super, super, busy. I love it though. We have 9 people right now all with very solid baptismal dates. It’s amazing! We taught a TON of lessons last week. I think our trainee came at exactly the right time. We are like overwhelming this new missionary with the amount of lessons we are teaching and with all the work we are doing. The baptism on Saturday was absolutely amazing. And yes, that baptism was for sister Guo's sister who is 64 years old. She is so awesome. We taught her all of the lessons in 2 hours and she passed a baptismal interview directly after that 2 hour lesson. She was so prepared. Sister Guo (the one I’m going to the temple with at the end of March) was so amazing at teaching her little sister the gospel and being the absolute best fellowshipper ever. She played the biggest role in her sister's conversion. I’m just so impressed with Sister Guo and how far she has come since she was baptized last year. Her testimony is so strong. She gave a talk at the baptism on Saturday and then another talk on Sunday during sacrament meeting. She is such an amazing/inspiring speaker. I wish you could understand Chinese and were there to hear her speak. I just love seeing my converts progress more and more. Like yesterday, Hunter (baptized him last summer) helped us teach a lesson and man was he amazing! His testimony is huge and now he is getting ready to serve a mission. I love seeing the people I helped baptize grow in the gospel. These people are so solid in the gospel and that makes me so happy. Right now we are working with a ton of people who should all be getting baptized this Saturday and then next Saturday. We have 9 people who have set baptismal dates for 3/3 and 3/10. It’s looking like we'll have at least 3-4 baptisms this week and then 4 more the following week. Huge miracles are happening here in the Yale branch. I hope and pray that these people will get baptized before I go back home. Oh man, that would be so great. I really think and have faith that these people will join the church before I go. If everything goes as planned then we will have baptisms for 3 consecutive weeks in a row. I’m excited, to say the least :) I can’t wait to get home and tell you about some of these lessons we are teaching. It’s just way too much to email. Like yesterdays lesson... oh man that was so intense. We taught our eternal investigator, sister Zhou, with her white husband who doesn’t speak Chinese (first time teaching him the gospel) and the spirit was just so powerful and the two of them both accepted a baptismal date for 3/10. There is way more to that story but I just don’t have the time to explain it all. It was a miracle to say the least. My favorite old Taiwanese couple from English class will be getting baptized this Saturday. I can’t wait. Then there is Hui Jin and her son who we have been teaching since last November that should be getting baptized this week, too (fingers crossed for that one). Well enough of me telling you about people who you don’t really know at all. You’ll know a whole lot more about them when I get home and tell you everything. Just know that I love these people. I really am sad to leave all of them...

The Birthday Boy

My birthday was awesome! The branch went all out for me last night. I had like 2 birthday dinners and 3 cakes yesterday. I spent most of my time yesterday at Janet Wong's house (former relief society president and like my second grandma) with the entire Chen family, Ying family, and many others there as well. We ate a ton of chinese food and then Minnie Chen went all out and made some really good Mexican food for me :) I was seriously so surprised how good her Mexican food was! Usually I'm a little scared when Chinese people attempt to make Mexican food but hers was legit...so tasty! I enjoyed lots and lots of cake from many different people. Sister Wong had a cake, Minnie brought a cake, Olivia made a cake, and then Sister Ying bought a mango cake from a really famous Taiwanese bakery. So many cakes last night! I think I gained like 20 pounds after all that food. I'm glad Olivia could send you some photos of my birthday party. I hope you enjoyed seeing those. I was for sure well taken care of by the branch. i had members calling me all day long and singing happy birthday to me over the phone. Lots of people gave me birthday cards and little gifts yesterday at church as well. I felt loved all day long yesterday. These people are awesome! I'm gonna be so depressed when I have to leave this place in 6 weeks. I'm so stoked to go home and see you guys again of course, but still it makes me sad when I think about how I won't be living here and seeing these people on a daily basis. Ahhh leaving California is gonna be the most bittersweet feeling ever! Anyways, thanks again for my birthday package! Youre the best, mom!