The Beyond-Epic Journey Draws to a Close

I can't believe tomorrow we are going "home." Not to our home-home, but to our home base for two months. These last 18 days have FLOWN BY!

But at the moment we are STILL in Hualian, and have had a lovely Sabbath.

Sign says, "Stay away fools, 'cuz love rules." Or maybe it's "Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints." What do I know? I'm illiterate.

Right off this morning we headed to church. As blessings go, church was just a ways down the street from us, we discovered on our first morning here. (We came to a corner and I looked up and thought, "That looks just like a steeple in Utah." Then I noticed the size of the building and thought, "That is one HUGE, very conservative-looking building." As we slowly drove past the gate around it, I noticed the signs on the walls and exclaimed aloud, "LOOK! It's our church!")

So we knew just where to go, and found on the internet when we could catch a Sacrament Meeting. At least that was the plan. And Sophia wanted to come, so Sammi came too. We were even there a bit before 9am. Sadly, and I didn't know this 'til AFTER the meeting began, it was the "new member meeting" of Stake Conference! So instead of taking the sacrament, we got to listen to whom I presume were the mission leaders of each ward introduce the members that had been baptized in the last year or two, and then hear some conversion stories. I should have done much better translating, because some of them we touching. I thought perhaps it was just I who was touched, but Big Bro and Veeve also said they could feel the spirit, though everything was in Chinese. And even Q noticed the loving, welcoming vibe and happy countenances of the faces of the people. Sammi has never seemed especially interested in our church. That was a constant.

The recurring theme of those who bore testimony or shared their conversions was that they were able to feel God's love in their lives. This THRILLED me, as it's what I want MOST to share with all the people I meet and see.

The upside of missing a sacrament meeting was that I got to meet the new Mission President, President Jergenson, from Providence, UT. I wish I could remember everyone who asked us to tell him hi. We'd never met him before, but I picked him out as the tall, older gentleman who was WHITE. Also, his name tag helped. I walked up to him and said, "I'm sister Casperson, and I bring you greetings from Millville, Utah."

Anyway, we only were able to meet one member in the 15 minutes after our meeting ended and Stake Conference began. Big Bro was very interested in meeting the missionaries, and it's always the missionaries who seem excited to meet us. At first I thought it was because we have a Rachel - an absolutely GORGEOUS American girl about their age. It MAY truly be this. But I've also remembered how excited I felt as a missionary to see any white person, and how I always wanted to talk to them and find out why THEY were in Taiwan. The missionaries LOVE that I am back with the whole family after loving my mission 18 years ago. Big Bro is fascinated that nearly ALL of them are from Utah. I did meet a sister today from Ammon, Idaho. Go Ammon!

Veeve, working on her fashion coloring book.

We left after this meeting and came back to the apartment where the kids played, and Sammi packed to head back to Taipei on the train today, and Q drilled her about Daoism. Q, having read the Tao te ching (I think that's how it's spelled in English) is fascinated with the process of moving from very deep thoughts on how to live in oneness with others and the world to the ornate temples filled with incense, gods, and bowing worshipers. What we found out today (or perhaps more firmly confirmed our suspicions of) was that Laotsu (again, a guess on the familiar English spelling) is NOT a god in one of the temples that people worship. Most likely, the various gods represented were believed in BEFORE Laotsu's teachings. Sammi explained some people believed (and believe) in one god, some in many, some in ghosts and demons, and so there were many stories about these deities. When people began to believe Laotsu's teachings about the Dao (spelled Tao) they became Taoist, but they likely didn't leave their other beliefs. (Which makes sense because the Tao doesn't prescribe worship, or a belief about life before or after this one, or answer any of the big questions that seem to be addressed in most religious faith.)

Pondering all of it, we feel to become better believers ourselves. Q likened how one might feel after meeting a really kind, or in-tune Catholic priest or nun, and then going to a Catholic church with all the graphic depictions of Christ's suffering - that there might be some emotional disconnect. We wondered if people go on pilgrimage to Mormon mecca and only to find rude drivers and multi-level sales folks, where they had hoped to be with holy saints. Anyway, Q is a bit let down (again) by eastern religion. The "believers" we see in action, especially in the Taoist temples, seem to be buying favors and bowing with empty expressions. I hope we never come across this way in our faith.

After the kids played here, we chatted religion, and Sammi was ready, we decided to hit a park just down the street from us and discovered we are mere blocks away from the ocean! For whatever reason, the ocean is just not the draw here that it is in the states. This park was deserted, and furthermore, no buildings were surrounding it or built up to maximize the beautiful view. MY kids were thrilled to be back with their friend, the fighting swimming pool, and Weese and Stew kept asking if they could get wet. Or even just a little wet. The pictures should explain why the answer was NO WAY. These huge boulders reached all the way to where the waves were crashing on them. It might have been a lovely place to sit and chat with my dear hubby for hours. But the wee natives were restless so we hunted for other things to keep them occupied. We didn't find much, but we soaked up the rest of the time 'til Sammi needed to be dropped off at the train station and took her there. Since they've been gone, Stew has asked to see Sophia again about 10 times. (And it's just been a few hours.)

All over Taiwan, there are odd, cartoony structures with English on them. I think they are just photo-ops, but they all strike us as rather random. Q was disappointed I'm pondering his forceful proposal in this shot. Which is as true to life as his anxious pace and disappointment in my pondering during our courtship. Some things never change!

Veeve, dead from the heat, in one tiny spot of grass in
the shade of a palm tree.

It was SO hot outside, we opted to get food on the go and head back home to our air conditioned S P A C E to eat it. After lunch, I crashed, and we rallied again at 4 (when it was cooler, or at least bearably hot) to hit the Buddhist University we passed on our way to Taroko. We finally got out the door, ice cream barred the kids and got there about 5, with only 1 hour of daylight left. We didn't see much, not much was open. But we are thinking we may get out the door early tomorrow and see more before heading north. We shall see.

The building behind us was HUGE!!! We haven't seen the inside, YET, but the outside is something right out of Mulan or Kungfu Panda. So beautiful.