Emails 10/26/2015

Haha I'm glad you liked that I was on the blog! Yeah, President and Sister Blickenstaff just showed up to the district training meeting (DTM) on Tuesday. I had two burgers and two chocolate milks right before we did the meeting, so when they came in, between the shock of them showing up, the stress of them showing up and my lunch, I thought I was going to throw up! :) It ended up going ok though and after about ten minutes, I was ok. :) At dinner that night, I just took about 10 minutes to just de-stress from DTM, because after DTM we had a lesson and had to go from that to the lesson and then we ate dinner. :) Hopefully they think I did well and they don't need to come back to my DTM's for a while. ;) 

I'm sorry to hear about Grandpa. I've been praying for him and for Grandma a lot more these past few weeks. I hope that they're ok and that Grandma is doing well. I'm really worried about Grandma and the stress and stuff she must be dealing with. That's not good to hear about Becca, either! :o I hope she's feeling ok and that her surgery goes well. I'll definitely be keeping her in my prayers. :) I'm glad Nicole is going to Sadie's. :) 

I'm super excited to see the pictures and what you do for Halloween! I'm super bummed that I'll be missing out! The good news is that I only miss one more Halloween. :) Haha I don't miss cutting the grass... much. ;) I do miss lawns, though. There are almost no lawns in Taiwan. There's just not a lot of space for them. :/ 

I'm doing well, still alive and I finally stopped coughing! :D I had this cough for like, 3 weeks. I wonder if part of the pneumonia from when I was in high school came back. It went away though, so that's good. :) I think training is going well. I just hope I'm doing well for my trainee! I feel like training is like parenting (to a very, very small degree), because everything you do is for them. Trainers need to set a good example and leave a good impression for the trainees. They will look to the example of their trainers and it really does leave a lasting impression on the trainees for a very long time. I'm still looking at the things Elder Bak did and I'm trying to do the things he did for me. I think my trainee is doing well; he seems to be getting better and better every week. I can also see a difference and he has more of a desire to do the work and seems to be happier as time goes on. I really hope that I'm helping him out. 

The lang is pretty good. It's never where I want it to be or never as good as I want, but I can communicate with people and usually understand what they're saying to me and I can get my point across to them. :)  I'm really trying to make even better use of language study though, so that I can get better and better in the language. :) I'm eating well; and I was stuffed to the rafters on Tuesday when I ate 2 hamburgers and 2 chocolate milks. :) (I do that about every other Tuesday before DTM) :)

Anyway I love you lots and miss you tons and hope everything is going well there! I pray for you all the time! :) I was thinking the other day and when I finish training, I'll be right at a year mark on my mission. :O It'll be hump day! 

--

Elder Fleming

Super awesome sky pictures! I don't know how good the pictures look, but the clouds and the sky looked super cool and if you look at the picture upside down, it almost looks like a partly-frozen lake with the sun reflecting off of it (even though it's really just the sky) ;) 

More sky pictures and bad, long-ranged pictures of a Taoist parade going on outside of our apartment one morning.

More parade pictures. :)

 We are teaching the kid's English class. They are nuts, but super cute! :) The one wearing the bunny ears cracks me up. :) They drew pictures last week and then we took pictures with them. :)  

 Elder Chen totally fell asleep and then woke up four times while we were studying while my companion was doing a language pass off yesterday! Haha! :) 

Bryce, a member who just turned 8 and got baptized on Saturday.  :D

 Baseball stadium in our area and a sunset (I think it was a sunset)  :)

On the blog again....

Elder Fleming's on the blog again....

Elder Fleming was on the Taiwan Taichung Mission blog again. Here is the post and pictures.
 Link to mission blog

10-20-2015 District Training Meeting-Daya District

Sharing with district members their investigators' names and concerns so that prayers may be offered in their behalf. 

District leader instructing from Preach My Gospel on praying with faith and addressing the importance of families. 

Practicing teaching about the importance of families.  

 The Daya District

Emails 10/19/15

Huge bummer to hear about RSL losing and not going to the finals. That's disappointing.  It sounds like we really need Borchers back. :) I hope they're back to doing well when I get back! :) 

I miss spending time with you guys, though. :) It was kind of weird; I was getting ready the other day, and I just had this sudden longing to be home and be with you guys again. I miss you and all, but it's not usually that strong and it hasn't happened in a while! It made me excited, because when I finish with training, I'll be at my year mark, and that's hump day on the mission! :o It also makes me want to try waaay harder! I need to do more and work harder and help more people! At first, it felt like 2 years was forever, but now it seems like it isn't enough. 

Yeah, I read Tyler's email. That's super awesome that he's going to be district leader! I tried to email him before, but I think that it was Uncle Daryl's email, but I just want to let him know not to stress it too much, and that as a district leader, you need to set the example for other people and just work hard, but that's what he seems to already be doing. :) I would also tell him that district meetings every week aren't so bad as long as you prepare well and have energy to get everyone pumped! Also some of the leadership stuff we discussed last week. :) 

I have had a couple dreams with a little Chinese in them, and one of the biggest dreams I remember is back in the MTC, where I was being taught Chinese in my dream! That was kind of cool. :) 

Things are going pretty well here, and we have a couple investigators looking like they're going to be getting baptized soon, which I'm super excited for because we are helping these people come unto Christ and hopefully it's pumping my companion up for the work! :) 

This week was good and awesome stuff happened, but I forgot most of it. :) Just kidding. :) Monday wasn't too special; just hung out and vegged, which was nice, because I hadn't done that in a while. Tuesday, we had some meetings and stuff which went well and we also got a bunch of referrals in our referral system; I guess it was clogged up or something and so we have like, 30 or so new referrals from other missionaries and stuff! :D Super cool! Wednesday was good; we had English class and we are now in charge of the little kids, which is going to be a challenge to keep them entertained, so if you have any ideas to keep little kids (under the age of 7 or so and over 3 I think) entertained for periods of time, that would be great! :D Thursday went not as planned, which I don't always like, but it turned out ok and we were able to meet with some investigators and stuff, which was good. :) Friday was good. Saturday was good and we got some lessons in, so that was good. Sunday was really good because I got to see my RC, Qiu Di Xiong (Di Xiong=Brother) because he got the weekend off from military service! :D It was super good to see him! I think that's about it this week. :) Love you and miss you lots and you're always in my prayers!!! :D 

Love you lots! I miss you, too! :) 

--
Elder Fleming

My companion and I

Accident on the freeway

Trainer Update

Elder Fleming made the Taiwan Taichung Mission blog again. Click the link to see their page: Taiwan Taichung Mission

I have included some of the pictures at the bottom of this post.

We received a letter from President Blickenstaff last night informing us about his new assignment. (We already knew he was  trainer from previous blog posts and emails from Zack.)

Dear Brother and Sister Fleming and family,

I am pleased to inform you that your son, Elder Zachary Keith Fleming, has been called to serve as a Missionary Trainer in the Taiwan Taichung Mission.

This calling is a sacred trust and only the most capable and dedicated of missionaries is called to be a Trainer.  A missionary’s first companion will have a lasting influence on the development of the new missionary’s attitude and habits; therefore, a Trainer must set a firm example of worthiness, obedience and diligence at all times.  I am confident your son, Elder Fleming, will set such an example and be an enduring positive influence for excellence in the life of his new missionary.

I am pleased that Elder Fleming has accepted this calling and hope that you will continue to support and encourage him in this important responsibility.

Sincerely,

  

President Kurt L. Blickenstaff

Zack and his new companion

Trainers are eating a meal together

Emails 10/12/15

My new companion is Elder Anderson! He's pretty cool! His Chinese is pretty good, too and I'm excited to work with him. I guess his older sister and her husband both served in the TaiZhong mission before! I think I saw his older sister's baptismal picture in my last area. I heard she was really good! I hope that I can help Elder Anderson be as good or better! :)  There are some things about him that remind me of myself when I first started my mission. He seems to be learning pretty quickly though, which is good! He is from Springville, Utah. :) And we did get to baptize our investigator! :D I was so happy that it worked out!

We survived the typhoon. :) The power had gone out in a nearby area, but our apartment was ok. :)

Zack's new companion, Elder Anderson. This photo was on the Taichung, Taiwan Mission blog when he arrived in Taiwan earlier this week. 

I'm super bummed I'll be missing Halloween this year! :( The decorations look really cool, though! :) That's a huge bummer that Mexico beat the US men's team. Lame.

General Conference talks: I really liked Elder Uchtdorf's talk, Elder Holland's talk I loved, and there were some other ones that I liked that I forgot who gave them. I also really liked the Relief Society President's testimony. The one with the seat belt. :)Yeah, Elder Holland's talk made me tear up. I thought of all you have done for me and I was super grateful for all you've done for me in the past. :) and the stuff you still do for me now. :) I knew Elder Stevenson's son is in my mission. :) He got to watch his dad's talk live. :) 

Also, for your leadership question, I do like what the missionary handbook says about leadership. I think that good leaders will also love those whom they serve. And that is what leaders (especially in the Church) are called to do; serve. Leaders are the ministers of the church, not the administrators. The best leaders, King Benjamin, Joseph Smith, even world leaders like George Washington or Abraham Lincoln, were servants. They didn't look to get gain--their leadership actually cost some great personal sacrifice. I think that's what makes a good leader. They serve and love and are willing to do anything for those whom they serve. :) 

-- 

Elder Fleming

My new companion, Elder Anderson and I! The other one is of the old district! It's move day today, so we are getting new people. One of the new sisters is actually one of the sisters from my MTC district! I'll have to get pictures of the new district next week. :) 

Baptism

More district picture and Liu Di Xiong's baptism! :D He's the one in the middle, and our RC (far left) did the baptism!!! :D It was super cool and the Blickenstaffs came to it because they met Liu Di Xiong before! I was so glad we were able to help him get baptized because it was my companion's first full day in the field that day! Super awesome!!! :D 

 view from a member's sunglasses store :)

Gross fish thingy--Yuck! :) and also a windmill with our RC, Lin Di Xiong's back (Di Xiong=Brother. Brother Lin) :) 

We went to the beach last week and there were HUGE windmills! Also a funny sign letting us know that the place had urinals. :) 

More creepy fish thingy

Baptism pictures of the Tan Zi sister's newest RC and more big, dead fish!

Da Ya Sister's newest 

Elder Williams (MTC district) and Elder Olsen (high school) and I. :) 

Elder Williams (MTC district) and Elder Olsen (high school) and I. :)