again.
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| Bowling with the Zone. |
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| Sister Chey |
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| Elder Sohn, Zone Leader saying, "Keep the rules!" |
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| Elder Arnett |
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| Elder Cho (my missionary 'dad') playing a farewell song. he is being transferred down south after being in the ward for eight months. He is like an icon of the ward. Sad to see him leave :( |
When the time came, 윤 자매님 and I went home to quickly to change for an appointment. It was with a woman who is on the border of being less active. Her husband is a non-member and they have an 18 month old son. He is THE CUTEST baby! He is always happy and laugh so loud. During the whole appointment, he was climbing all over me and 윤 자매님. While we ate, the husband had all kinds of questions about the Book of Mormon. I didn't understand much but I was confused as to why he had so many questions. His wife is a return missionary and she comes to church most Sundays. Anyway, 윤 자매님 answered his questions which led really well into our message about clinging to the iron rode. I testified that the iron rod is God's word and counsel (the Book of Mormon). I could tell he and his wife felt kind of awkward when 윤 자매님 asked the wife how the Book of Mormon has played a role in her life. She said she hasn't been reading but she knows that in the past she has found a lot of answers and felt direction from reading. I think the husband felt pressure from us as we testified about the importance of reading and following but that didn't take away from the spirit. When we ended they offered to drive us home- so generous! Once in the car, I sat in the back with the mom and the baby. The little boy kept reaching his arm out to hold my hand. I almost died, it was so cute!!
Tuesday was a rushed morning. It looked like a rainy day so I changed my outfit last minute in order to wear boots and save my feet from all the puddles. When I finally looked in the mirror, I hated what I saw but there was no time to change because we had to get to our district meeting. Before every meeting we eat lunch together. This lunch was especially fun because the elders (acting their age) made a ridiculous concoction of Korean hot sauces and different spicy kimchee side dishes. It looked disgusting and they decided to 가위, 바위, 보 (rock, paper, scissors) for who had to try it. Incase I never told you- that is a serious game here! If you don't play- you automatically lose. Also, it is taken so seriously that the decision is final. There is no best out of three or double or nothing. It is hilarious to watch. The elders were sweating when it was time to choice rock, paper, or scissors. Elder Cho lost haha. He was a good sport but also retarded for actually eating it. I think he drank all the water in the restaurant as well as ate everyone's leftover rice to try and counteract the sauce and spices.
Eventually the meeting started. Our district leader, Elder Cho, is being transferred down south after being here in 곡반정 for 8 months! He is an icon for this ward so it will be hard for him to leave. His last training was powerful. He even cried when we bore testimony of this work and what we are doing. I am really going to miss him. We took "family pictures" after. Remember how I hated my outfit? FAIL! I tried to hide it in the pictures but I'm not sure how that went over.
The time came to say goodbye and my companion and I head an appointment. This was with a 소개 (referral) from a member that comes to our English class every week. She brags about being taught by foreigners and this friend wanted to meet with us. She is in her thirties, married, and had a young son. Her dream is to be an English teacher for elementary students here in Korea. When we walked in to meet her, she was so excited haha. Most people tell me I'm pretty (I know it's just because I'm not what they usually see- also she must not have seen my outfit...) but she went on and on. It was funny. The
English and gospel lesson went really well. We invited her to be baptized and she set a date! (8/11/13). Hopefully she'll progress quickly because the next transfer happens on August 1st. Regardless, I'm happy for her and I'm so excited to teach her. At first I was worried that she would only be English interest but at the end of our message, 윤 자매님 and I bore testimony and when we finished she said, "that was my favorite part." It was adorable and it made me smile. The church is true!
Our last appointment with the catholic lady (that blocked my baptismal invitation) was rescheduled. I hate to admit it but I was relieved. I hated my outfit so much I didn't want anyone else to see it. Plus it was raining and we were soaked. We headed home for language study and dinner. I immediately changed into my 할머니 pants and a dry shirt. My studies were really effective today (I give full credit to the comfort of my 할머니 pants). It was nice to be able to stay in from the torrential downpour outside.
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| I want to die! It's 85 degrees with 50% humidity and 100% discomfort. My companion keeps asking me what I;m going to do in August when it's worse -______- |
Next appointment was with that mom we met in the park while street boarding. She has a baptismal date which is very exciting. We taught her the first half of the plan of salvation. She enjoyed it but I don't think she was paying too much attention. I'm not quite sure why but today she was acting really weird. Before we arrived she told us that she had an appointment with her friends to goto the local bath
house, so maybe she was just anxious to shower? Not sure. All in all it went alright. Also, she informed us that she has already read half of the Book of Mormon! Wow!
On our way home we decided to visit a less active member. This member just had a baby boy in May! He is so cute. Her and her husband (non-member) moved to Korea last July for their wedding and stayed for his job at Samsung (I swear everyone works there). They are both Korean but the wife had been living in Canada for over ten years prior. When we knocked on the door we were greeted by her mother and little sister that were visiting from Canada. The sister was about 15 and spoke amazing English! I was so relieved to hear everyone speaking English- I could finally communicate and create small talk with someone! The less active member actually said that she prefers English to Korean so booyah!! We'll be visiting a lot in the future. ^^ Anyway, 윤 자매님 spent her time talking to the mother and the daughter while they were cleaning the kitchen. meanwhile I kept the younger
sister company and talked to her in the other room. I really enjoyed\ myself. The little girl and I were talking about all the things
Koreans do to torture themselves haha. Here is what we came up with:
1. Live in Korea during the summer heat
2. Eat crazy hot food (from spices as well as the ridiculous temperatures)
3. Sleep on a yo (basically the ground)
4. Work until they die (the grandma and grandpas here spend their days picking up trash for money since no where will hire them.. it is crazy!)
... and so on. It was a hilarious conversation. Before we left we shared a quick message and testimony with everyone. It was a fun visit!
English class was last on the list for the day. I read the third chapter of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. We acted it out as a class and it was awesome! The kids and parents are good sports even though it is hard for them to totally understand. I do my best to help but I mostly just want it to be fun because I know how frustrating it is to try to understand and learn a hard language.
Thursday was another busy day. It is crazy for me to look back at my planner from the first week I was in the field here in Korea. It was empty. We scheduled all of our time visiting members to ask for 소개's and 전도. But now! All of our time is filled with lessons and reaching people that we have found! It is a miracle and I feel so blessed to have this opportunity to teach so many different people.
After our studies, 운 자매님 and I left our apartment to meet a member from the ward. This member works at a Japanese restaurant and she wanted go buy us a nice lunch. It was delicious! The people her are so generous with anything and everything they have. The restaurant got pretty busy so we weren't able to spend too much time talking with the member but we were able to share a short message with her before we left.
Next was an appointment with our Atheist investigator. We brought a member from the ward with us to help teach the second half of the plan of salvation. Since it is a 30/30 lesson, we spend the first 30 minutes free talking in English. It was a hilarious conversation! We always meet in a cafe called, Coffee House which can get pretty noisy- sometimes its's annoying because the people there are pretty noisy… but his time is was all our fault for filling the cafe with laughter and loud talking. I really enjoyed myself. The investigator was telling us the future dating advice she always give the Elders. She tells them that (Korean) girls hate hearing about three things:
3. Soccer
2. Military service (every male has to serve 2 years in the Korean military)
1. Soccer in the military
Her explanations were so funny and I was almost crying because I was laughing so hard. It was awesome. Time got away from us but we did get to our gospel message eventually. The mood shift when I introduced the three kingdoms in heaven. We briefly described all of them and then asked her what kingdom she wanted to be part of. She said, "The middle one because then I can die without believing in God." How sad is that?? I cannot understand why someone wouldn't want to be the best version of themselves. This investigator essentially said that she doesn't want to progress of get better but, instead stand still and settle. UGH! I was so sad. The member bore strong testimony to explain
the amazing blessings we can receive if we strive to progress and be better. We are literally children of God! We were designed and made to do amazing things! I wish I could help everyone see their divine role and potential. It was hard to leave this lesson without making any progress but, we meet every week, next time!
Our final appointment for the day was with the less-active family with two kids that have baptismal dates! We taught the last lesson about the commandments. We played a fun board game that 윤 자매님 made. The kids are always so much fun and also so smart! They are soaking up everything we teach them. The game tested their knowledge of what they remembered from all if the lessons and they did awesome! They are 8 and 11 and already far smarter than me. We ate dinner together and ate a delicious chocolate cake that 윤 자매님 and I picked up (the sons birthday was Wednesday and it was also to celebrate our last lesson before they get baptized on Sunday). After the mother gave us a ride home. It was a funny ride because she asked that when the Elders come to her house Saturday to have a baptismal interview with the 11 year old daughter, that we come too because her kids are more comfortable with us Sisters. We were sad to inform her about the new rule we have about missionaries being advised not to gather together for meal appointments. We wanted to come because we love her kids and family so much but we knew we shouldn't. The mom insisted and said it would only be a snack not dinner. It seemed okay so we excepted but as soon as we did, she said, "Perfect! Come hungry at 6:30PM!" Haha we knew she wasn't just giving us a snack- sneaky mom.
Friday was very relaxing. After our exercise and showers we had our three hour block of weekly planning. It was nice to stay inside all morning and just plan for the week. I'm all about organization so it made me happy to update all of the records we keep and also write down lesson plans for the upcoming week. It was very productive but also was awesome because it felt like such a lazy morning while we lounged in our 할머니 pants. After planning we ate lunch then head out the door to 전도 until our only appointment for the day. It was at 6:40PM with a mom, her two sons, and a friend of theirs. This mom loves how I teach English and she has been 소개ing (referring) all of her friends and neighbors. I hope these people that she introduces us to will not only listen to the English lesson but also the gospel lesson that we always share... I'm a little worries. Anyway, they appointment went well. The mom invited a neighbor and her two sons to come sit-in and watch. It was a weird dynamic but we taught the lessons and they went well. We followed up on prayer and they had! This time we gave the boys a Book of Mormon and asked them to read the story of Ammon in the book of Alma- I'm sure they will enjoy it haha. After finishing teaching the how to begin teaching' from PMG we invited those still sitting and listening (just the two sons and friend) to be baptized. I don't think they totally understand everything that we taught she they just starred with confused looks. 윤 자매님 saved me as she took a few steps back and set another appointment to come and teach. Overall it went okay. I was bummed with both moms stood up and went into the kitchen after the English lesson. They were going to prepare for for us to snack on but we wanted them to listen to the whole lesson. Maybe next time!
Saturday felt unproductive for the most part. Our appointment for the morning cancelled so we spend our morning studying and planning. As a back up plan we decided to visit some less-active members. Guess how many were home? Zero. It was hot and I wanted to die because every bus we got on didn't have their AC on. Why? I have no idea, everyone was sweating and complaining. Some bus drivers have a little issue with power trips... Bless their hearts, I will pray for them. We eventually endured to end of the day until it was time to meet up with the Elders. By bus it takes so long to goto the less-active members house with the two kids that are getting baptized on Sunday. When we finally
arrived, 윤 자매님 and I taught about prophets and especially focused on Thomas S. Monson (this was the only topic in the board game that the kids struggled with). We thought it would be go to reteach about this before the kids have their baptismal interviews. It was short and to the point. While the Elders (Erekson and Sorensen) took the little girl into the other room for her interview, the door bell rang. Guess what? The mom had ordered a bunch of chicken for dinner haha. She is so funny. We ate but soon had to leave to make it back home on time. On the ride back I mostly talked to Elder Erekson (our new district leader). He's a funny guy. Pointless fact but now you know haha.
Sunday was crazy! It started once we got to the church at 9AM. Our meeting with the ward mission leader went longer than expected but it was good. All companionships had investigators coming to church so we had to hurry to the chapel to greet them. Luckily ours got lost and had to call for directions. The investigator coming is Alex. He came to church two weeks ago. He is the one that approached me at the park asking for our church address. Earlier in the week I called him and asked if there was a time we could come by to visit his family (he had a wfie and 3 year old daughter). Unfortunately our schedules didn't work out so Alex suggested bringing his family to church! Naturally I was excited. So today they came. They are such a cute family! Alex is from Russia, his wife Rachel form Ukraine, and their daughter, Natalie is 3 and can speak Russian, English, and Korean... don't worry that didn't discourage me at all -____- Kind of just kidding. But seriously it was so great meeting them. We had coordinated with a member and an Elder to translate for them (they both teach English here so Korean is difficult for them to understand). It was a good meeting. The wife had to step out with the daughter because she was getting antsy. Every Sunday I bring a couple coloring books so I followed them out with a princess coloring book and crayons. It kept her entertained through sacrament and through our meeting that followed.
When sacrament ended, we introdced the family to members of the ward and socialized a maybe ten minutes before stepping into another room for a meeting. We invited the members that translated for them, to join us. We taught 'how to begin teaching' from PMG briefly then moved onto the first lesson. They are both very educated in religion so we didn't need to go into much detail about who God was and such. Instead we focused mainly on prophets and Joseph Smith. We watched 'The Restoration' video and testified after. Alex is very long-winded and had a lot of thought. The spirit wasn't really there because he kept changing the subject to bizarre topics. The member and I tried hard to reign it in but before we new is an hour and a half had passed. Finally when I was able to get a word in, I said we were out of time, testified, and invited him to say the closing prayer. His prayer was just as long as his other comments but that's okay. 윤 자매님 and I quickly learned that we need a new teaching style for him and his family. BUT! The good news is they are excited to come next week. They said that they are determined to be on time. Since we had a baptism after church, I invited them to stay but the daughter didn't look like she was going to last. Instead I found them an English Book of Mormon per their request and saw them out to their car. The wife gave me a big huge and thanked me for my time and for helping entertain her daughter. I was touched by her sincerity. I love her!
Finally it was time to prepare for the two little kids baptism!! The parents worked hard with the bishop to become reactivated in the church and the dad was able to baptize his children. It was a sweet service that the whole ward attended. This ward is unbelievable! They sincerely care about each other and do anything they can to make things special. This is a very very special ward. I hope I never leave. Before the actual baptizm, the missionaries performed a song- 윤 자매님 played the flute as the rest of us sang the primary song, "Love is Spoken Here." Ehhh it was less than amazing but the kids enjoyed it. Overall, everything went perfectly. The relief society had prepared lunch and fruit for everyone that came. There was another birthday cake to celebrate the boys birthday. It was cute seeing both of them be so excited. I feel so blessed to have been part of this decision in their lives. Not only are there two kids baptized and member of this church, but their family is re-activated and actively involved with the whole ward. I took a few minutes to step back and watch this family be so accepted and loved by this amazing ward. It put a huge smile on my face.
Once the ward cleared out, it was time for dishes. Guess who volunteered? The full-time service missionaries! yayy... and stuff! There were over 100 bowls to clean as well as double the about of chopsticks and serving dishes. It took all 6 missionaries 2 hours to finish the job! While washing the bishop hung out in the kitchen with us so we could socialize. I can't say much to him but he still talks
to me (actually mostly at me) so we can still spend time and talk to each other. Despite my minimal understanding, I feel like we have a special bond. I really love my bishop!
On our way out, a few of the missionaries were praising my companion about all the work she has done. I jokingly chimmed in saying, "Hey, I helped too!" But they responded, "Well... you're the greeny though she does all the real work." Cool! These new missionaries that had just been transferred in, don't think that I do any work. My awesome day was ending on more of a downer note. Immediately after that comment, a couple comments followed that essentially said that my Korean wasn't getting any better. I was sad. On our walk home 윤 자매님 was going on and on about something but I wasn't really listening. She noticed and asked me what I was thinking about. I told her that we need to figure out a better way to have language study because my Korean isn't getting any better. Once I made that comment she knew something triggered me to say that. As she pried, I told her what people had just told me. She was annoyed and reassured me that everyone we have found has been for me. That didn't help. She went on to say that until you are companions with a missionary, you have no idea how much work they do and effort they put forth. That helped a little because I knew that was true. When we got home I went straight into the bathroom, closed the toilet seat to have a place to sit, and as I sat down, I started to cry.
As I did, I remembered something that my favorite MTC teacher, Brother Tanner, told me. He would always say, "Make a rut hour, a rut minute." So through my tears I looked at my watch. I cried for exactly one minute then stood up to clean myself up to go 전도 for the rest of the evening. My companion gave me a big hug when I came out and said, "자매님, when you are sad, I am sad." I smiled and informed her that I'm not sad anymore and that is was time to leave. She laughed at me and gathered her things. No success came from proselyting but we had a lot of fun as we walked a bunch of new streets near our apartment. My Sunday ended on a good note after all. I love my companion. She is a huge blessing and comfort to me! 윤현미 자매님 is the best!
Today is Monday. There is another zone activity scheduled. We are planning to buy cheap water guns and shoot each other this afternoon haha. I sense some revenge on those dumb elders that need to keep their thoughts to themselves... ^^ I'll let you know how it goes haha.
I love you all. I have missed home a lot this week but I know I am where I am supposed to be. I am happy regardless of some "rut minutes." I am working hard to be a useful tool in The Lords hands. Keep reading your scriptures and praying. The Lord is always waiting with open arms to help and lift us when we are down.
Have a great week!
사랑해요!
PS. I don't have much information about the new Seoul South mission
but here is what I know:
It is the 2nd smallest (1st being temple square) mission in the world. While it is one of the smallest, it also has the most people. (About 15 million people per zone... yeah you read that right, PER ZONE!)
This mission will also have the most missionaries because of the amount of people. It opens on July 2nd so for now you can still send things to the Daejeon mission home. I will give you the new address when they give it to us.
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| Infamous "kimchee" squat while airing for a bus. |
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| Pound it! |
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| My favorite little girl. |
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| Elder Lim |
"Bus drivers...bless their hearts, I will pray for them." Love it! So funny. What a great letter. Go Sister Sloan!
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