Reconnecting with friends in Tainan and Taichung, Taiwan

After McDonald's breakfast burritos, courtesy of our hotel, we took a taxi to church.

Taking advantage of every available ad space

The Yong Kang ward meets in a lovely three-story stake center in Tainan. 

Craig was looking forward to seeing the Tang family again.  Not only did we meet them, but Br. Tang gave a talk in sacrament meeting!

Br. Tang and another man that Craig baptized while in Tainan

 Sister Tang had been attending church faithfully for ten years before Craig arrived in the ward.  At that time, Brother Tang had recently begun attending church, but was not yet baptized.  As Craig and his companion were loving and responsive to the Spirit in teaching about eternal families, Br. Tang's heart was touched and he agreed to be baptized.  Their oldest son will soon serve a mission in New Zealand, while the younger son, 16, lives at home with his family.

Craig, Mary Lee, and Bruce with the Tang family and another ward member

The Tang family gave us a ride back to our hotel, where we retrieved our bags from the hotel, then took a train to Taichung.

Craig anticipates returning to his mission headquarters

The land in Taiwan is lush and green.  It seemed that every available piece of land without a building was cultivated.  You can read more about Taiwan here.

Plastic bags protect mango fruit from birds

Burning rice fields with Daoist temple in background

Flooded rice fields (early planting)

Mature rice plants

Our first view of Taichung, outside the railway station, near our hotel

Craig suggested that we stay at the Park City Hotel in Taichung.  It is located in the area where he served and he had passed it many times, always curious about what it would be like to stay there.  It was a great choice!

Park City Hotel, Taichung

After checking in, we headed back out on the streets in search of Craig's favorite street food--and a sit-down restaurant where Bruce and I could get something to eat!

 

 

Craig chose vegetables and meats for his made-to-order stew.

The final creation

Take out, street food style

There was a lot of interesting food, some beautifully presented, but Bruce and I were not ready to try it off the street, especially since our friend Nancy had warned against it.  By the time we left Beijing, however, we

enjoyed a kind of fried bread with a semi-sweet glaze that Craig bought for us all.

We found a curry restaurant nearby--Mr. 38--where Bruce and I ate, right next to Let's Burger.

In the evening, we visited Craig's mission president and his wife, President and Sister Bishop, who were returning home in just a few days.  They graciously invited us to their home and served us delicious fruit.  We stayed only about 20 minutes, aware of their busy schedule, but we enjoyed hearing about what a great missionary Craig had been.  President Bishop said Craig was a great student of the gospel and the language and that he was very enthusiastic about the work.  Sister Bishop said they appreciated the scriptures and quotes that Craig would often share with them.