Zhong Qiu Jie Kuai Le!!!!(:(:

Translation: Happy mid autumn festival!!!!   it hasn't cooled down. still really hot. <3 

YOU know you are in TAIWAN when:

1. it is mid-autumn festival...but it isn't mid autumn, or autumn, it is actually still full blown summer. 

2. everyone. like EVERYONE is barbecuing, i think taiwanese people like it more than americans. 

3. when you eat tuna salad on your waffle. super good by the way....(at a place called "Shark bites toast")

4. the new ice cream flavor at the family mart is red bean. oh man, also really good.

5. you have two xili hui's this week!!! (two baptisms!!!) not our investigators... but the other elders in Hualian!

6. your trainer is falling apart. direct quote from her: "you know, some people have problems of a mental, or spiritual, or emotional nature on their missions, mine.....its just physical." She cut her finger, and her gums and lip, she bent her retainer and needs to go to the dentist, she needs braces for both knees but only has one, refuses to take medication too, she slipped and fell while riding her bike and now the left side of her body is bruised and her neck has whip lash. etc. etc. it is so sad. i love her. she is great. don't make judgements from that (:(: just take it, laugh at it (: and know i have an amazing companion (:(:

7. you take your watch off for one whole day and you know have a sunburn line...... and all your hard work to keep it white is wasted. got to start over again :(

8. every 6 weeks we have an english party and this week we are having a Lord of the Rings theme party.... you can thank the elders for that. i think we might even have a live larp and everything. ill let you know how that goes. 

9. you feel very safe riding on the roads of taiwan because no one follows the rules so everyone has to be a very defensive driver. and you almost die everyday. almost. (: (mom please do not worry i feel more safe here than in america) and i wear my helmet (:

10. you are in the family mart buying some banana pancakes and you hear this song come on, it sounds really familiar........ then it hits you.... it is taylor swift's song, we are never, ever, ever getting back together. but it isn't her singing it.... it is some asian.... and it is in chinese.... and you just stand there shocked. haahha (:(:

11. people stare at you. all the time. (finally figured out why this week!!!) ok, so we were riding our bikes along and in the park next to us were these white foreigners.... and i was just starring at them... just thinking,.... why are they here? and then i realized. that is what people do to us. hardly any white person here, so it is a shock when we see white people. and yup, it is just curiousity. especially here in hualian... hahaha (: so it is our job to share our message and purpose with everyone!!!! and we do. we are sitting for a red light.... and then we just turn over and start talking to the person next to us. because guess what, they were starring. and they want to know why we are there (: haha. we get the best looks, and sometimes people will pass us on our bikes and they will turn their head all the way around to look back at us. hahahaha (: oh man.

12. YOU EAT YUMMY SWEET POTATO FRIES!!!(:

13. you go to visit a less active and there are 3 cops outside her house..... talking to this lady in a car outside her house and this lady is histarical!!!! like i don't know how to spell that word... but you get it. she was freaking out. and our LA is freaking out too. and everyone is yelling and there are people standing around starring and taking pictures and videos.... we just write her a card, stick it in the door and just ride our bikes away as fast as we could. 

14. people are really nice. and some people are blunt and are just like... wow your chinese is not as good as your companion. (in chinese) and im just like, thank you i know. and i know what you just said too. hahaha, and then other people are like wow! you look different, i think you have lost weight! or some people are just crazy and like to speak incomprehensible english to you. and then....

15. some people are miracles. Let me continue the story of our miracle lady. the same one we found when we were lost. and we asked her for directions.... well we got to meet with her at the chapel. it was an amazing how to begin teaching lesson.... just like we got to know her and her needs and concerns and she got to know us and our expectations and her expectations and wow. she basically quoted alma 32. saying she only has a desire to believe and she really wants faith. she just wants to feel God in her life. she wants it so bad, is willing to pray everyday and read the Book of Mormon to find out if it is true. and she told us how it will be hard to come to church because of family opposition, but we will keep working with her. i felt impressed to say that we could take a tour into the chapel. and we walked in and the spirirt just hit you like a wave. seriously. and everything got really quiet and reverent. and she said she could feel it. we talked about the Holy Ghost and it's influence in our lives, and ya. she is golden. invited her to be baptized, she accepted, we are going to set a date next time we meet with her. she is so shy! but i would never know because she just opens up to us. she keeps saying how amazing that it is. 

IT IS AMAZING> LIFE IS AMAZING> GOD IS AMAZING>

I am so grateful to my Savior, i believe Him with all my heart. Lets go flood the world. <3

love you all so much, and ps i don't want to be the person overloading your inbox, so if you don't want any more emails.... please tell me. please (:(: i will still love you.

-Sister Walker

went to the beach!!!!

this is sister george with an ice pack and my scarf to keep it in place (:

this is a you zi hat. i think the english translation...is pomello?? haha. it is yummy. hahaa (: and "traditional" but not really.

so ok, the pictures are only of food this time (: because we just made food for the entire PDAY!!! so yay (:(:(: we made yue bing (moon cake) and other yummy bread and pineapple cakes and we had sweet potatoes and corn soup and it was just really good. ALSO, i am super full. ill be full all week. (:(: