Lunch at Grace Tao's Home

Grace invited us to her home for lunch. She is a Taipei Temple worker and we have become good friends. Grace is a talented artist. She painted all the pictures hanging on the walls of her home. She and her husband are retired. Grace retired as the Head Manufacturing Designer for a clothing company, she even studied fashion and design in New York City for a year.  Her husband retired as an Air Traffic Controller from a major airport.

The missionaries from the ward were also invited for lunch. Grace is also a talent cook and the meal was delicious, and served beautifully.

We enjoyed our visit with Alan and Grace Tao. They have two unmarried sons. They both worked for about 30 years, and now enjoy their retirement. Grace is the only member of the church in her family. Bob tried to take all the photos with Grace's paintings in the background.

Dinner at the Wilson"s

This is Keith and Wendy in their Taipei Apartment cooking dinner for the starving Missionaries (us).  Both of them are RM's and so they have great compassion for the Missionaries, and they cooked an unforgettable meal.  They are newlyweds, and both have lived in Taiwan for the last 5 years.

Keith is getting ready to cook the steaks.  Beef is so expensive here in Taiwan, and so we have not eaten steaks or even a roast since we arrive here a year ago.  Look at the view from the window above the range. 

Here come the steaks.  The food was delicious, and Keith had cooked the steaks perfectly.  Keith works for a very interesting company based in Utah. The company tests the quality of down feathers for most of the big companies all over the world (REI, Columbia Sports, Pacific Down, North Face, Bogner, etc). He oversees the testing labs, and travels to the manufacturing plants in China to make sure the products are made to certain standards. He speaks fluent mandarin, which he learned on his mission. They have bought a home in Sandy, Utah and will move there in December, but will continue to work for the same company.

The dinner not only tasted great, it was also pleasing to the eye. The Wilson's entertained us in high fashion, and put forth a great amount of time in preparation and thoughtfulness into the wonderful meal and evening.

Philippine Sisters Working in Taiwan

These are some of our Philippine Sisters who have left their families to work in Taiwan as maids, cooks, and caregivers to help their families survive.  Most of them have been doing this for years, and at most only get to go home once every 2 to 3 years. Many have young children.  I can't even imagine the sacrifice that would be, but better than seeing your children starve. Julio, who also wanted to be in the picture, is from the Philippines. His leg is cut off above the knee, but he still works and sends the money home to his family.

This is Nanette, her employer that she now has lets her have one day off each month.  Her choice was the first Sunday of each month so she could attend Fast and Testimony Sacrament Meeting. Nanette has only been in Taipei 14 months, but the first employer she had would not give her any days off each month and would not let her out of the house.  It was only after 9 months that she became so discouraged and had been praying for help; that decided that her only hope was to wash her underclothing, then hang the items outside hoping that someone would recognize that she lived in that house.  It worked, a neighbor (member of the church) came over to see who was living there.  The neighbor told her that she did not know that a member of the church lived in the area. Nanette told the neighbor that she was being held hostage and needed to make contact with someone in the church who could help her.  Nanette was directed to a Filipino Sister in our ward, who knew the employment agency had to make sure the employer was giving at least one day off each month, and had to let her go outside the home. The agency responded and Nanette was able to come to church for the first time in 10 months.  The agency said if things did not improve for her they would find her a new employer after one year, which did happen. She originally signed a two year contract, and cannot go home until the end of her second year. Nanette has 6 children ranging in ages from 3 years old to age 16. Each time she comes to church I hug her and cry with her.  She tells me that her husband is good man, active in the church, he just can't find work.  She said she had no choice but to come to Taipei and work for her family to survive.

My Filipino Sisters are my true hero's.  This is Jenny; and she has 3 young children, and a husband who can't find work in the Philippines. She has been working in Taipei for the last 2 years, but has recently signed a contract to be a nanny in Montreal, Canada. She told me that this has been her great plan to get a job in Canada, and make a way for her family to immigrate there.  She said it would take 2 years working there for her family to qualify to join her.  She is leaving next month and will not be able to go back to the Philippines first to see her family.  By the time she gets to see her children and husband it will be a total of 4 years.  

I am finding it very hard to write even a little bit about these sisters, because of the emotions and tears.  As you can see here these women all radiate love of God, Families, and the Gospel of Jesus Christ.  In the picture we all held up our fingers for the number of children we have.  Nanette in the green dress has the most, and I was told that her fingers say 6 in sign language.  Her green dress was given to her by a member of our ward.  One more story to remember them by is, that they told me the hardest part is being away from their children when their children get sick. They try to daily e-mail or text their families; and so when they are told that one of them is sick, and they can't be there to hold them, and try to help them feel better that is the hardest of all.
One more story.....I did not know this sister, because she went home to the Philippines a month before we arrived in Taipei.  The true story was told to me by Sister Horner; the woman came to Taiwan a few months after her youngest child was born and she did not get to go back to see her family until that baby was 8 years old and being Baptized.  Fortunately, she got to stay with her family in the Philippines and did not have to return.