Happy Middle Moon Festival!

Well this week I had a pleasant surprise. On Sunday we (meaning me and my American co-workers) went out with some of the funniest Taiwan friends that I have and had a Middle Moon Festival barbecue, Taiwan style. For all you Americans that don't know what the difference between a Taiwan barbecue and our I'll give you the low-down. In America we have innovated the Barbecue to be a standing up activity, where the man controls the cooking and we have even limited the selection of foods that you can put on a barbecue to mainly beef, pork and hot-dogs with the occasional fish and Ka-bob assortment. In Taiwan they do not lug around a big machine or even have that much of an expert way to barbecue. They just put charred pieces of wood between a man-made thing of rocks, or inside a thin metal box that is later thrown away and put a screen of some sort over the top to put the things that you are barbecuing on. The creativity of things to barbecue is also very plenteous as well. You name it, they've covered it in Teriyaki sauce and put it on their little campfire contraption. From vegetables that look like cattail roots and fish-product pancakes, to whole squid and chicken-heart-ka-bobs they will broil away to their hearts content. The point of having a barbecue on the Middle Moon festival is also so that you can be outside and look at the moon and the Moon was very pretty that night. We also ended up having a water fight started by a big beefy dude named JiaMing that kind of got out of hand and almost made it so we couldn't continue the barbecue but it was all in good fun.

Anyway, my pleasant surprise came after that night of fun. As we were driving home that night I voiced how I didn't want to go back to school the next day and my friend said, "You don't have school tomorrow. Tomorrow is the Middle Moon Festival holiday." and I was like, "I know but I thought we were still going to school." to which he replied, "Who would go to school on a holiday?" I don't know what I was thinking but I went home with a much lighter countenance knowing that I had one more day off before I had to go back to teaching. I think I slept more than I played but it turned out to be a great day.

I just received another answer to prayer this week as well. Coming back here I've made specific goals for myself to be more motivated on doing the things that I should be doing every day more consistently. I've been doing pretty well in implementing them but I just play a little bit too much so that I get really tired by the end of the week and those things kind of get left in the dust. Well, I just received another assignment under a calling that I already have. Since this year we don't have any students that need to take seminary at Zhong Shan we have discontinued the release time class, but they did not release me from my Seminary teacher calling. Well, apparently the early morning seminary teacher that teaches the youth here in Daliao has not been feeling well lately and they need a substitute to take over for the classes being taught at 5:50am. Ahhhhhhh! I told the bishop that it would be really difficult to keep a calling in the ward while doing this so he promised me that my Sunday responsibilities that needed preparation during the week would not be given while I did this. I then told him that this couldn't have come at a better time because I have been kind of thinking that I need a lifestyle change. Maybe this will make me a more responsible person with my scripture reading and my sleep schedule. Hopefully I don't have to have a major break down to change my lifestyle habits :) Nobody likes a crabby seminary teacher. I know because I lived with one for 4 years. I would appreciate any prayers that can be spared for my well being. I'm sure that I will at least love teaching the youth the gospel again because that does really feed my need for doing something that really makes a difference. Well, here's to another week. Hurrah for Israel!!