Greetings from Taiwan!

  It is great to be in the mission field.  I have been assigned to serve in the Hualian district - a beautiful town of about 2 to 3 hundred thousand (according to my companion) people on the east coast of Taiwan.  My trainer is Elder Stephen Elliott Fairbanks from Buffalo, New York.  He is 27 years old.  We are easily the oldest companionship in the mission.  He is a great companion, and I know that we have already and will continue to do good work.
  I thought there was no free time at the MTC (Missionary Training Center); it was like a vacation compared to this.  We are kept busy all day, whether it be teaching investigators; visiting less active members, having meetings, knocking on doors, or talking to people on the streets.  It is exhausting but great.  It's also a little scary since what I can say in Chinese is still very limited and what the Taiwanese people say to me is still so difficult to understand.  It will come over time.  It's actually quite remarkable how much more I understand now compared to two weeks ago when I arrived in Taiwan.
  There are dogs all over the place in Taiwan.  They often bark and chase after us while we ride our bikes.  No bites yet--at least no dog bites.  Every morning I wake up with at least one new mosquito bite, and who knows what else is crawling around on me at night.  I sleep on a piece of plywood with a bunch of blankets and something that some might call a pillow.  Suprisingly I sleep quite well--truly though, I'm so tired at night I think I could sleep on anything.
  The only thing there are more of on the streets than dogs is motor scooters.  Driving on the wrong side of the road and running red lights is normal in Taiwan.  And you'd never believe how many people and how much stuff you can ride with on one scooter.

  The food here is feuhang hoo! (extremely good)  We usually eat breakfast at home and then eat the other meals at little restaurants or vendors.  It's so good, but it's not unusual to find a hair in your food.  You also serve your own soup everywhere.  One time I scooped out a paw.  I almost jumped.  I don't know what kind of soup it was, but it was doggone good!
  I am so happy here in Taiwan - happy to be serving our Lord - happy to be a representative of His son, our Savior - happy to be sharing the joyful message of the restoration of the true Church.  I have no doubt that the church is true, that Joseph Smith translated the Book of Mormon, and that Gordon B. Hinckley is a true prophet of God.  I am so grateful for the gospel in my life and the blessings that it brings.  I am grateful for this opportunity to share the gospel with others and see them progress and recognize blessings in their lives as they choose the right <CTR>.
  Be happy!  Recognize and thank the Lord for all that He blesses you with.  Please forgive me for mailing you a copied letter, but as I've heard many different ways and probably more than anything else in Chinese, "I don't have time."  Know that I love you and that you are in my prayers.
  Thank you for your love, support and prayers.  Write me and tell me how you are doing, what's new, what's going on and what you've been up to.

  Love,
       Elder Schulzke                     www.tyrus.schulzke.org