大家好 (Big Family Good?)
Dear Family,
You may have heard that we had quite a weekend. Long story Short – we did manage to meet up with Rola Lin from Taiwan.
It was a great reunion and something that we will remember forever. Not knowing how to write this experience down, I decided to write it in a letter to Emily.
Amazing!
Love ya all Richard
Dear Emily,
Sunday,
August 09, 2015
How do I start? This
has been the most amazing week. It ranks
up there with all the normal amazing things that happen in one’s life. Going on a mission, getting married, having
kids and sending those kids on missions, etc…..
The past few days you have been so close to my heart. Your favorite scripture Alma 29: 9-10 has
constantly popped in and out of my thoughts too.
Alma Chapter 29
9 I know that which the Lord hath commanded me, and I glory
in it. I do not glory of myself, but I glory in that which the
Lord hath commanded me; yea, and this is my glory, that perhaps I may be an
instrument in the hands of God to bring some soul to repentance; and this is my
joy.
10 And behold, when I see many of my
brethren truly penitent, and coming to the Lord their God, then is my soul
filled with joy; then do I remember what the Lord has done for me,
yea, even that he hath heard my prayer; yea, then do I remember his merciful
arm which he extended towards me.
So let’s start at the beginning. November 14th 1987 Heng Chun
township, Taiwan, the name Heng Chun means Eternal Spring. We always thought it meant Eternal Wind, but
I digress. Looking through an old
referral book, Elder Goldsberry and Elder Hoth decide to visit or try to
contact a 6 month old referral we had never met. We end up contacting this amazing family of
three. Mr. Lin works at the Nuclear
Power Plant in Nan Wan, just a bit south of Heng Chun. Mrs. Lin is a stay at home mom (I think) and
they have a little baby girl – 11 months old with cute dimples. We proceed to have a great discussion and set
up another. Over the next 3 ½ months me
and my companions meet with the Lin Family.
I get a new comp a few weeks after our first meeting – Elder Goldsberry
is transferred up to Chang Hua (Central Taiwan) to be a new Sr. Companion and
trainer to a new missionary. Elder Todd
Harris from Idaho Falls – takes his place in Heng Chun. Elder Harris and I hit it off immediately. We had so much fun together. Elder Harris and I continue to teach this
“Golden Family” the Lin’s. According to
my old mission planners, we see them about once a week or so. Sometimes we miss a week if they are out of
town or something like that. To jump
ahead – sometime in late January 1988 a mission transfer brings Elder Harris
and me an additional companion. Elder
Matt Wardle from North Ogden, Utah comes to Heng Chun to make our companionship
a Trio. At first I am not too happy
(previous experience – long story) but almost immediately my fears are brought
to not. Elder Wardle is a perfect
addition to our companionship. Once
again, we had so much fun together. The
perfect Trio companionship to end my mission in Taiwan.
Back to the Lin Family, we continue to meet with them. My journal entries continue to say how great
it was meeting with them. How, Mr. Lin
was very smart and asked such great questions.
Mrs. Lin was my favorite. She is
not Chinese. She is a Shan Di Ren
(Taiwanese Aborigine) the people that inhabited Taiwan before the Chinese
people began to colonize Taiwan. Shan Di
Ren means mountain people – like Native Americans or First Nation people in
Canada. Mrs. Lin was a fire ball. I remember her as being different from most
Chinese women, she was right there during our discussions – asking questions,
laughing, joking around. She had a light
in her eyes, the joy of life you can easily see. Elder Harris recently reminded me of a return
trip home from teaching the Lin family.
He said that on the bike ride home, we had stopped to rest – the wind in
Heng Chun always blows right in your face – while resting at the top of a hill
Elder Harris says that I turned to him and said “She (Mrs. Lin) is going to get
Baptized! It is going to happen.” Mr. and Mrs. Lin’s daughter has always stood
out in my memories. She was so cute,
with dimples that almost touched when she smiled. I can remember holding her during discussions
and playing with her. A Golden Family,
the family that every missionary is searching for. So we continued to teach them. Mrs. Lin asked us one time “Why can’t women
have the Priesthood?” I don’t know how
we answered – we probably said something like “Yin Wei – because”. Our Mandarin Chinese probably wasn’t good
enough to explain it very well.
At this point, my mission was coming to an end. My companions did a good job of keeping my
“Shoulder to the Wheel” and we were working pretty hard and having a lot of fun
doing it. My Mom and Dad were going to
travel to Taiwan and tour with me around the mission. This was a great experience and a perfect end
to my mission service in Taiwan. I
really can’t remember after all these years saying “Goodbye” to the Lin
family. I know we did, but time is rough
on memories. But I knew they were being
left in good hands. Elder Harris was
transferred from Heng Chun to Gao Xiong at the same time I went back home to
Mei Guo (America). Elder Wardle was left
to continue the work in Heng Chun. In
the following weeks the Lin family did not show the progress Elder Wardle’s Sr.
companion wanted. So they were dropped
as investigators. I have since found out
that Mrs. Lin didn’t understand why the missionaries stopped visiting. So there you have it – that is how my mission
in Taiwan ended. Elders Harris, Wardle
and Goldsberry continued to serve and had great missions and success in
Taiwan. I came home with awesome
memories and lifelong friends.
As return missionaries do, I got on with life. But Taiwan and my mission experience
continued to bless my life. You know how
I always say, everything good in my life is an extension of my mission service
in Taiwan. Blessings for my family who
provided for a full time missionary.
“Thanks Mom and Dad!” For being
able to find your Mom – the greatest woman on earth (also thanks to Sister
Shurley and Elder Olsen). For your Mom’s
missionary service in Iowa. For my three
wonderful kids. All of these blessings
being an extension of my mission service in Taiwan.
Then on Thursday night (Aug 6th) Harrison tells
me that Doug Olsen texted and wants me to call him and also look at Facebook
(Mom’s Facebook – you know that I don’t Facebook). So I grab the phone and it is dead. I then move on to Facebook (with Mom’s help). This is what I find.
Rola
Lin Ules’ Facebook Post August 6, 2015 at 11:04am
Greetings
to whoever read this, I have a big favor to ask. I'm Sister Lin, a convert from
Taiwan.
These
are the pictures I found after i was baptized in 2007 to the Church of Jesus
Christ of latter day Saints.
Those Elders came to our home in Nan-wan(南灣，in area Heng-chun恆春) and
taught my parents when I was je small.
I don't know those Elders names, nor can I read them from the pictures, I only
can guess that they were on their mission around 1984-1989 in Taiwan and served
in area Heng-chun.
My
parents didn't join the church, but I remember growing up having an Old Book of
Mormon at home, which I never knew what it was about until 2007 I joined the
church.
I
served the mission in 2012-2013 in Alpine German Speaking Mission, and have
tried to do temple work for my ancestors.
I always have those pictures with me on my mission, to encourage me even if
those I taught didn't accept the gospel, but the seeds are planted, and I've
worked hard and done my part.
These Elders planted the seeds in my family and never get to see it grows to a
tree.
I
Really hope and want to find them, thank them for sharing the gospel in Taiwan
and planting the seeds of the fullness of the gospel in me even when I was that
small, let them know that their hard works were not in vain, and they have
brought soo many wonderful Blessings upon me and my family.
So
Please, help me find them or their families!!
Thank
you so very much for
Sincerely, Rola Lin Ules
You can imagine my reaction.
First I see the pictures – I wonder “How did someone get my mission
pictures?” Then I begin to read and
understand what is happening. Names from
the past start to bring back memories.
Lin – that family we taught in Heng Chun – with the cutest little girl. Doug Olsen, Joe Seiley, Kim Ashby, Korey
Smitheram, Todd Parrish and Chuck Smith, all missionaries during my time in
Taiwan. Then the realization that that
cute little Chinese girl is the one posting these pictures and trying to find
out who these missionaries are. That she
has joined the Church and served a mission in German speaking Europe. That she has kept those two pictures with her
for encouragement when missionary work is tough. To have her talk about the seeds of the
gospel being planted without knowing the outcome. Just what you talked about in your mission
farewell talks. Remember? A sowing (planting) mission and a harvesting
(reaping) mission.
By this time – I am having trouble reading the computer page
through my teary eyes. This doesn’t
happen. This happens in “Ensign”
articles not in “real” life, certainly not in my life. So I bolt down to the basement, to begin
looking through my mission trunk. I find
pictures (3), journal entries and parts of letters written to my family at home
containing descriptions of gospel discussions with the Lin family. Wow!
This is for real, this is really happening. Unbelievable!
The miracles are just beginning. Rola (the cute, little, dimpled Chinese baby)
is currently in Salt Lake City visiting friends. I typed a response to everyone saying that
“Yes, this is Elders Hoth and Goldsberry and Elders Hoth, Harris and
Wardle.” And from there the most amazing
things have happened.
1987-88 Elder Goldsberry, Rola, Elder Hoth |
 |
| 2015 Bart Goldsberry, Rola, Richard Hoth |
| Yesterday Rola and her four elders (along with some of the wives and one family) met again after 27 years! It was amazing! It was a miracle to get everyone together. Elder Harris discovered what was going on at 9 am and he and his wife travelled from Twin Falls Idaho to meet everyone in SLC. Elder Wardle was on vacation in Yellowstone with his family and travelled 400 miles to get to Salt Lake. It was also his wife, Teal’s, birthday. Elder Goldsberry and us had it a bit easier. Goldsberry lives in the area and we are used to zipping down to Salt Lake. |
1988 Rola's Dad, Rola's Mom, Rola, Elder Hoth, Elder Harris, Elder Wardle
|
 |
2015 Rola, Richard Hoth, Todd Harris Matt Wardle
Our reunion was awesome! We met at a little Chinese restaurant and had dinner Chinese style with plates of food being passed around. We didn’t eat a whole lot because we spent the whole time talking and laughing and crying. Rola is just amazing! She has the light of the gospel and the JOY that comes from the gospel. She also told us that her Mom joined the church in 2008 a year after her. This news just put the icing on the cake for everyone! After 27 years of wondering what happened to that “golden” family in Hung Chun, we finally know. The blessings of a mission never seem to stop. Elder Harris said that he remembered hearing that “once you commit to serving a mission and you leave your home to teach the gospel, for the rest of your life as long as you’re living the gospel you continue to pick up blessings all along the way.”
Emily, you are blessing our lives so much. I know that this “Miracle” happened at this time partly because you are serving your Father in Heaven and Jesus Christ in Vancouver Canada. Wow! What a week, we love you so much and are so proud of you. Go get’em kid-O
Love you, Dad (Hwo you yu)
L to R Casey Wardle, Jared Wardle, Maddie Wardle, Teal Wardle, Matt (Elder) Wardle, Todd (Elder) Harris, Veronica Harris, Rola Lin (Lin rong an) Jill Hoth, Richard (Elder) Hoth, Bart (Elder) Goldsberry August 8th, 2015 (SLC Utah)
SWEET REUNION!
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