Earthquakes, Typhoons, and Undaunted Missionaries

Typhoon Lekima made quite a bit of international excitement this week. Upgraded to a super typhoon, and headed to the northern part of Taiwan and places beyond, the Taiwanese government ordered schools, stores and even our temple to be closed on Friday. Just to be on the safe side. No one ever quite knows the exact path of these things though predictions are made carefully. So we braced for the worst, then watched while it veered farther north and just left in its wake lots of rain in this part of the island. So sorry to hear of the devastation it caused in China. 

This just after the 6.0 earthquake jolted us from our beds Thursday morning. Elder Coffey and I are used to typhoons and earthquakes so we weren’t overly impressed by the magnitude of either, though the quake did send us to a sisters apartment to examine long horizontal cracks in their bedroom walls. No worries - they're just surface cracks. The structural integrity of the apartment is still intact. 

Crack extending the full length of the wall in a sisters' apartment following the earthquake.

It also disrupted the mission presidents office with a smashed picture and a broken decorative pot, along with a noticeable crack in the corner wall. 

Life still carries on. There is work to do. We are all safe and the buildings are still sound. They are built well here and made to withstand earthquakes much larger than this one.

We’ve been here for a month. We’ve inspected many apartments, fixing faucets, dryers, microwaves, leaks, and whatever else might need attending to. We first try to teach the missionaries how to fix the problem themselves (self reliance), then try to get the landlords to fix the issue, then Elder Coffey steps in if the need still continues. 

Elders in front of their apartment building entrance

Each apartment has a water filter system for clean drinkinng water

Rain doesn't stop them!

And along the way we take them treats and get to enjoy these wonderful missionaries, all 126 of them. We love seeing them as they do what they do best - finding people with whom they can share the good news of the Gospel of Jesus Christ!

Sisters with their newly found friends

There are 8 zones, or areas, in the mission. Each zone has anywhere from 12-20 missionaries. So we travel by subway (MRT), bus, train or drive the mission mini van, slowly getting out to each of the areas, some of them hours away.  We are encouraged to do an inspection to each apartment once a quarter, checking for cleanliness, safety, and repairs where needed. This way we will eventually get to see the entire northern and eastern side of the island!  Pretty cool! 

It's always appreciated when they come out to meet us and help us find their apartment!

The missionaries stop to talk to everyone, even while waiting at a stop light!  Such examples!

Most apartments are pretty cleaned up before we arrive, some better than others.  But this pair of Elders win the clean apartment award - hands down. We haven't seen a more orderly, clean and neat apartment anywhere here. They will make their future wives proud! Good job Elders!

They also win the ingenious award. They had a leaky air conditioner, and rather than just mopping up the water each day, they devised a controlled drip system to channel the water down into collection bottles, until the leak can be fixed.

But sometimes we find ugly surprises, like this slimy moldy wall underneath some sisters' bathroom cabinet. We located the source of the leak and the sisters contacted the attentive landlord, who came in minutes to get it fixed. Not all landlords are as conscientious. We are grateful!