Letter From Elder and Sister Woo: Serving in Taipei, Taiwan Temple

We are now six months into our Taipei Taiwan Temple Mission. It has been an exciting and spiritual journey for us. We have learnt much and have grown from the experience.

Church in Taiwan for 60 years – great pioneer members

Taiwan is a beautiful island filled with friendly and helpful people. We love the natural beauty - the mountains, the seas, the lakes, the vegetation, and the countryside. They fill our hearts and mind with peace and tranquility. 

This year the Church in Taiwan celebrates its 60th anniversary. There are 60,000 members, 17 stakes and 117 congregations and one temple. The temple is 32 years old. Members travel from all over Taiwan to come to the temple on a regular basis.  We are impressed by the faith of the elderly temple workers. Some of them are in their 70s, 80s and 90s. Despite their physical limitations, they come every week to serve in the temple – excellent role models for all of us.  

Taiwan food is great but Singapore food is paradisiacal

You cannot talk about Taiwan without mentioning the food and the night markets – they are everywhere. At first we were hesitant to eat the local food and had a few bouts of diarrhea but since then we have become more adventurous. We love Taiwanese desserts, crispy chicken, grilled cuttlefish, beef noodles, dumplings and mala hotpot. The seasonal fruits are excellent. However, at the end of the day, we really miss our Singapore food. We miss the Singapore chicken rice, laksa, chilli crabs, curry chicken, satay, beef rendang, lontong, roti prata, prawn noodles, fish ball noodles, bak chor mee, mee siam, chwee kuey, etc. Singapore is indeed a food paradise! 

Earthquakes and typhoons, and food storage

Since arriving in Taiwan in April 2016, we have gone through several minor earthquakes and three super typhoons. At first, we were naturally anxious about these happenings but they soon became part and parcel of life here.

As preparations for these natural disasters, we have 72-hour trolley bag emergency kits. We also stock-up water and food in our pantry. The umbrellas we brought from Singapore could not withstand the strong winds and heavy rain and we have since replaced them with sturdy ones.

We work hard and get to play on P-Day

As Temple Missionaries, we work eight hours a day, Tuesday to Saturday. Believe us, it is hard work. We had to learn everything in Chinese and English. Memorizing the scripts and performing the ordinances well require skill and lots of practice. We stumbled along the way but our fellow temple workers and temple Presidency are very helpful and encouraging. They take good care of us. Apart from work, we do have some fun during our P-day (Preparation Day). Our group of senior missionaries meets once a month to explore different parts of the Taiwan. We enjoy the fellowship that comes with potluck dinner during our FHE (family home evening).  These outings and meetings never fail to rejuvenate our spirits.

Humility and patience

Serving in the temple opens the door to many spiritual experiences - some have enlightened our spirit, others instructed and inspired us. Still others have happened seemingly for our growth and learning. Pride has no place in the temple - only humility, patience and love. We work alongside temple workers from different backgrounds. Each has a story to share, exemplifying faith, sacrifice and love for the Lord and His church. We enjoy the camaraderie and feel much joy doing the work in the temple. 

We miss everyone in Singapore.

Elder and Sister Woo

Taipei Temple, Taiwan 

October 30, 2016