CALLED TO SERVE: Pokemon & Sweet Potatoes

Letter 62 (8/14/16)

Got some pretty awesome stories from last week. We were serving an elderly member by bringing lots of junk from her attic on the fourth floor to the main floor to be thrown out when we saw one of those old-fashioned telephones like the one Cruela Devil uses in 101 Dalmations (how do you even spell Cruela Devil and Dalmations???). Being the Elders that we are and seeing that it was going to waste, we asked her if we could have it. She said it didn't work, but gave it to the crazy white missionaries anyway. A little bit of TLC, and we are now calling everyone in the zone to brag about the phone we are using to call them (picture of the phone attached).

So one thing I gotta know, is this whole Pokemon thing as crazy in America as it is here? Like, is everyone playing it? The streets are PACKED with people playing that Pokemon game that is synced with google maps (another picture attached). I looks pretty lame honestly, but us missionaries have never been more excited about a video game. The streets have been loaded with people pulling off to the side of the road on their motorscooters to catch a Pokemon or two on the way to work, and when they do that they enter the 'probably-will-be-contacted-by-missionaries zone'. Even public parks are loaded with people walking aimlessly in circles catching Pokemon. They are literally the perfect people to contact, because every single one of them has loads of time. The cherry on the banana split, though, is that our chapel is a Pokemon gym--meaning people from all around come to stand outside our chapel and play Pokemon. I never thought I would see the day when Pokemon became one of our most effective missionary tools.

Last and coolest experience came when we visited a less active recent convert. He lives on his own in a very rundown house about a 35 minute bike ride from downtown Hualien. There is not much out there at all, and you can tell he is a pretty lonely man. Elder Miner and I were on exchanges, and we decided to go visit him at around 7 o'clock at night. It was dark, and it just so happened that he got home from work the same time we went to go visit him. He invited us into the gloomy backyard lit with a single bulb (there wasn't enough space in his house to sit down), and sat us down on two little stools he found in the rubbish of his backyard. Then he brought out a sort of grass tea that is supposed to be good for your eyes (and not against the word of wisdom), what he told us was an 'apple-banana', and a small pot of steamed sweet potato, all three of which he had grown or made from ingredients he grew himself.

As he served us the grass tea and handed us steamed sweet potato on big leaves he had found on the way home, my heart was touched. You could tell that this was his dinner after a long hard day: a very small dinner that he was completely willing to share. As we sat in the gloomy backyard enjoying the meager meal and getting eaten by mosquitoes, a voice came to my mind saying: "Elder Hawkes, enjoy these moments--they don't come often." There wasn't anything grand or eloquent about tea, bananas, steamed sweet potatoes on a leaf, a lonely old man, dark trees, a dilapidated house from 60 years ago, mosquitoes, and a small message about church, but boy did it have a powerful effect on my mind and spirit. Isn't that life? Living the small moments, developing relationships, and learning about God. All of which can be found in the smallest of moments. I love you all, and I hope you all have a wonderful week!!!

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Sorry, yet another short letter. In fairness to me, I only sent one email not to you guys today. So you know that it isn't just me 'emailing girls all the time' but rather a lack of speed and time. Today we are going to Taroko Gorge, so we woke up pretty early to get going. I hope everything is going well at home! One quick question I had for you guys though, so our apartment sometimes gets pretty distracted and Elder Stevenson gets distracted pretty often as well. I know there probably isn't too much I can do on that front, but is there anything I can do to stay laser focused and maybe influence my companion and the others to be more focused? I love you!! Transfers are next week and we have a mission conference next Monday, so next week will be super interesting and I may or may not be training! Haha my companion might need a few of your prayers if I am. Thanks for your letters! And Sarah, don't hold back an email because you think I am too busy, I am willing to wake up 20 minutes early to read an email on my camera from you guys!

Did you get your package before your actually birthday (it ended up coming the day of)? The card was fun. Elder Miner told me how if you blew on the tip of a permanent marker it would make really cool splotches on the paper. First though, you have to shake the marker so that all the ink goes to the tip. The problem is when you shake the marker and forget to keep the cap on. So he shook the marker, and lets just say that my desk, my shorts, my arms, my face, the floor, the wall, my language learning cards, and pretty much everything else within a 10 ft arc got covered in green speckles. Well, it made for a pretty good laugh.

Happy Birthday Mom!!!!!!!!!!!!! Sorry I didn't mention it before your birthday, but at least I can mention it afterwards!!!! I love you!!!