First Week Training

8/19-25
Monday was the last PDAY before transfers. As such, the zone wanted to get together to say goodbyes to the few missionaries who were transferring out. I am transferring, but am staying in the same zone so I didn't care to much to attend. However, we felt obligated, so like last week we went to 수지 (Suji) to play basketball. Once again, only a few elders played while the rest of us watched and/or socialized. It was okay.

On the way home our Monday appointment cancelled! That is three weeks in a row. I'm totally bummed that I wouldn't be able to see that family again before I leave. Super sad. Despite the disappointment, it worked out for the best. 김천 (Sister Kim) is transferring as well and needed to take her things to her new area ASAP. She has had issues with receiving her visa since she was born in Busan, Korea- they wanted her to obtain an original birth certificate for the town she was born. Lame huh? Anyway, she was scheduled to do that tomorrow so tonight was the best time for us to help her move her things. We hopped in a taxi and drove to 분당 (Poon Dahng). It wasn't too far but was an $18 taxi ride! Woah! I've never spent more than $6 before ha.

Between helping Sister Kim pack and move, the day ended quickly. We had to hurry and get home so we dropped her things and left straight away. Instead of getting on a bus, Sister Kim was feeling lazy so she offered to pay for a taxi home. I wasn't complaining haha! I slept the whole ride back, it was awesome.

Tuesday was the day Sister Kim was scheduled to go to Busan. A member of our church that was working to get her visa approved was also assigned to escort her to Busan. This morning 윤 자매님(Sister Yoon) and I had to drop her off with the escort in Seoul. It was about an hour and half by subway to drop her off then another hour and a half back to our area. Once back we had to find a semi-quiet place to plan for the appointments we had scheduled.

윤현미 자매님 (Sister Yoon Hynme) and I decided to sit in a booth at the nearest Baskin Robins. Planning didn't take long which gave us time just to just talk and reflect on the time we had to serve together. It was a bittersweet conversation. Sister Yoon is the best companion I think I will ever have- everyone loves her, including me. She has been patient and loving regardless of my frustration with the language and adjusting to the missionary lifestyle. We have seen a lot of miracles together and had a lot of fun these last three months. I expressed my appreciation to her while holding back the tears that have been trying so hard to come out the passed few days. Luckily I stayed strong. We soon packed up in order to meet our first appointment for the day.

A single adult in the ward, 김슬기S wanted to take us to lunch before transfers to say goodbye. She is super shy but it has been a lot of fun getting to know her these passed few months. Pizza Hut was the restaurant of choice and it was yummy. Korean pizza is strange because they love putting sweet potato and pumpkin in the crust and also add them as a topping. It tastes just fine, but adds a weird consistency to each bite. Anyway, as we ate we were able to talk to this single adult about her college classes and the art she is working on. She is so talented! As a parting gift she made us bookmarks with traditional Korean masks drawn/painted on the front and her favorite scripture written on the back. I was so grateful to receive this gift because I know how shy and embarrassed she is about her art ability- she has never given or shown anything to anyone except us today. It meant a lot. I am really going to miss her.

Time got away from us, but we had to head to our next visit at the patriarch's home. Him and his wife 이영지S wanted us over for ice cream and to say thank you and goodbye before I left. They are the cutest retired couple in the whole world! The husband is a pretty important guy here in Korea. He served at the Seoul temple president starting in 1987 I think and was also the Seoul mission president at some point... I think haha. Anyway, they are an awesome couple. As we ate ice cream we talked all about our families and missionary work. I wasn't particularly close to them but I am still sad to have to say goodbye. Since we were already behind schedule we had to leave pretty quickly to meet with our only investigator appointment for the day.

Being our last appointment with the son and mother, 김동은B and 죄윤정S, I asked them to meet us at the Caffe Bene near their house- I wanted to treat them to my favorite 팥빙수 (shaved ice with toppings) as a goodbye. We had our normal 30/30 lesson like we always do. This week the English portion didn't take as long as usual so I used the extra time to just talk with 김동은B. As we talked, I told him how proud I was of him and how smart I think he is. I told him that he is lucky to have the mother he does and I can tell that she is very proud of him too. I ended by making him promise me that he would always be the kind, patient, and loving kid that he is. He promised he would do his best and that he would email me all the time to keep me up to date on his life. As we spoke, it was hard to look at him because he would look back at me with the saddest eyes I think I have her seen. He was on the verge of tears and I knew if he lost it, I would too. To avoid crying we both downed the rest of the 팥빙수 until it was time for the gospel lesson. After the gospel message, I expressed my love to 죄윤정S. She was very appreciative and told me that she would never forget me. She made me promise that I wouldn't forget her and her son- duh! I would never do that, I love this family too much to ever forget them. Our time together ended as 김동은B offered the closing prayer. His voice trembled as he asked Heavenly Father for the opportunity to see me again in the future. It was a very sweet prayer and when it was over, and we all opened our eyes, his eyes were red with tears. I wanted so badly to give him the biggest hug- I am really going to miss him a lot. We took one last picture before we walked our separate ways. You know that dramatic moment in movies as people walk away they keep turning around and smiling sadly? Well... That also happens in real life... It was really hard.

Our last appointment was with 남궁희정S and her adorable son. She wanted to make us food one last time. Unfortunately, she had her heart set on making 팥빙수 haha. I'm not complaining though because I love it! We spend the remainder of the evening snacking and socializing. Her son was so excited to see us when we arrived. He would not leave me alone when I was trying to talk to his mother. I am really going to miss him; especially at church because I could always count on his huge smile to greet me every time he ran up to me as I entered the chapel. Even though he probably won't remember me, I know I won't forget him or his family. They are all so happy all the time. It has always been hard for me to wrap my brain around how people can be like that- so many things annoy me or make me mad haha! Anyway, they are awesome examples to me and I'm working hard to become more positive and optimistic in all things. When it was time to go, her husband arrived. He offered to drive us home but we politely declined because he had just gotten home from what appeared to be a long day. 윤 자매님 (Sister Yoon) and I hurried to the elevator before they tried to offer again. Once to the first floor we failed- they had taken the other elevator and more forcefully told us they were taking us home haha. Ugh they are so awesome.

Once home, Sister Yoon and I received a call from Sister Kim. She informed us that she had a successful trip to Busan, but instead of coming back home, she would be staying at the 본부 (mission home) for the night. Even though I thought it was pretty selfish and rude for her to make that decision and then request that Sister Yoon could just pack the remainder of her things, I was somewhat excited. Sister Yoon and I had started this last transfer together and now we would be ending it the same way. After planning, packing, and cleaning we had a fun night. We took some silly pictures and ended the evening with face masks and pillow talk. I am really going to miss her.

Wednesday, TRANSFER DAY! It was a hectic morning loading all my my things into a taxi and then dropping it off at my new apartment in 신풍. When we arrived, Sister Hendricks and 한다솜S were there to help. We unloaded everything and dragged it up four flights of stairs to the apartment. Everyone helping was now sweating and a little bugged. I felt bad but it was inevitable. We then all made our way to the subway station in Seoul where everyone was scheduled to meet to be paired with their new companions and then head to their new areas. It was pretty anti-climactic when we arrived. People were calm and casually saying goodbye as they left for their new areas haha. I gave Sister Yoon a big hug before rounding up all the 신풍 (Sinpoong) missionaries to get on our subway that was about to arrive. The subway was packed which made for an uncomfortable hour of standing. It seemed to go by quickly though as I now had all control of the companionship cell phone- I spent a majority of the ride changing every setting haha.

Once back to the apartment 한 자매님 (Sister Han) and I began our daily studies. She filled me in on the area and the few appointments we had scheduled for the day. Everything just so happened to fall through until it was time for English class. Here, English class is pretty huge compared to my last area! All together I think thirty-ish people showed up. Since I replaced Sister Hendricks, I took over her advanced class of free talking. I wanted to spend some time getting to know all of my students but they quickly informed me about their normal routine haha. We got straight to talking. It was fun. It was a nice welcoming to the area, I felt like I fit right in. I'm really excited to get to work here! ^^

Thursday was my first full day serving in 신풍. We wasted no time getting to work. Today 한 자매님 started by foot walking to less active members houses so I could get a better feel for the area. Thankfully the humidity is calming down so the walk wasn't too bad. A couple times some grandpas would yell at me to walk in the shade haha. I like to keep that part of the sidewalk open for the grandma and grandpas that pull huge carts of things to sell on the street but they are more concerned about my 'foreign skin' they say haha.

Some of the members either weren't home or pretended they weren't there after they asked who we were haha. Silly people. Anyway it was a nice day and it gave me some quality time to talk with my companion. She is really quiet- in school most Koran kids are taught to be quiet in public. She took that to heart when she was in school and is now the quietest human being on the planet. It's not all bad though because she is ready to work hard to achieve the goals we set for this transfer.

To end the evening, a member 이상훈B invited the new missionaries for dinner. I don't think I mentioned that this ward previously only had 4 missionaries- after transfers there are now 6 (two sets of elders and us sister)! Only four of us went to dinner but it was pretty fun. Brother Lee is pretty hilarious. His English is amazing so I am able to talk freely which I have really missed. He is a 37, single, and a convert of 11 years. He still loves missionary work and spends all his free time with us. I have a lot of respect for him because he is such a genuine guy and still has a missionary spirit about him. I told him that this transfer I made a goal to find an investigator that can also be his girlfriend. He deserves an amazing girl and I'm keeping my eyes peeled haha.

When we finished eating, he asked us to each take a turn and bear our testimony. I was excited until he insisted that we only speak Korean. I complained and said, "But I have so much more to say..." He didn't care. Ugh I have a feeling he is really going to push me to learn Korean this transfer. I am secretly grateful because I need someone to push me. I bore my simple, four-sentence testimony and was feeling pretty lame because the other missionaries spoke for a lot longer than I did. Despite it's simplicity he dropped his fist on the table and said, "See! Who cares if it's short! That was powerful!" I just laughed but it made me feel a lot better about my ability to speak. He reminds me a lot of Brother Tanner (one of my MTC teachers) in that he motivates me to want to be better! It was a good way to end my first full day in this area.

Friday was another good day. Like usual we had our weekly planning session. Here I took my time to really understand what was going on in the area from my companion. She is very soft spoken so I asked her a million questions to make sure I understood everything. After a couple hours that may have felt like an interrogation, we moved on to setting goals for the week and the whole transfer. I have a really good feeling about this area!

After we ate lunch we left the house for the rest of the night determined to find some new investigators. I prayed pretty hard for me to be able to teach with the spirit as we left to meet a few potential investigators. I am happy to report that the spirit definitely took over and worked some awesome miracles. By the time we left the last appointment, we were able to add three more people to our teaching pool! This transfer is off to an awesome start!

Saturday was a crazy adventurous day! Since coming to this area, there are SO MANY less active members of the ward. It was pretty sad to see that more than half of the members don't attend church or have any contact with anyone at church. I am determined to change that! So today was the first day 한 자매님 (Sister Han) and I decided to start tackling the task of visiting ever member- active and less active.

We studied the map of the ward boundaries and set out to find four houses of active members. I will spare you the details and end by saying we only met one. It was like we were detectives find clues to where these specific members had moved. I think we spend a total of ₩10,000 on bus fair today.. That is in heard of. Despite the lack of success, we worked really hard and were more than exhausted by the time we arrived home for dinner.

After we ate and were semi re-energized, we had time to try visiting a less active that lives near by our apartment. On our way up to her apartment we bought come ice cream cones to share as we talked with her. Thankfully she was home and happy to see us. I was happy to end the evening feeling successful.

Sunday was an interesting day. Church was good. I gave a seven minute talk to introduce myself and bear my testimony. Most of what I said was understood, so that's a plus haha. After sacrament meeting (first hour) ended, we were introduced to a YSA (young single adult) couple. The boyfriend was inactive and his girlfriend was a nonmember. They asked my companion and I if we would start teaching them about the church. I was super surprised but also excited to have such an opportunity just fall into our laps. They wanted to attend Sunday school (scone hour) which gave 한 자매님 (Sister Han) and I time to prepare. The lesson went really well. Even though my Korean isn't great yet, I felt like I did okay and was proud to have taught half the lesson! We set a rerun appointment which means- we have a total of 4 new investigators this week! I'm pretty pumped to get to work on helping this area liven up from what it has been like the last year or so.

After church we had a series of meetings. One included a stake meeting in the 곡반정 building. You could say I was pretty eager to get there. The bus ride over was just like any other except as I stared out the window, I was close to crying because I was so happy to be going back to my last area. I haven't even been gone a whole week yet but still, I feel so sad to have left because that is where I feel the most at home. When we arrived a lot of the 곡반정 ward members were there waiting for the meeting to start. Immediately when we made eye contact, each person would light up and give me a hug or hand shake depending on the gender haha. I love love love this ward. Each member asked me, "can you come back now?" or "when are you coming back?" Haha I feel so loved. I especially melted when one of the men came up and said the ward missed seeing me today at church. He went on to say, that specifically the children were sad to not have me there. AWWW!!! It was so nice to hear that I was being missed as much as I was missing everyone in the ward. It was a good ending to my Sunday.

Welp, today is PDAY as well as my birthday! No huge plans for today yet, but later we are meeting the zone again. Maybe someone will bring a cake to celebrate! All morning I have had the song '22' by Taylor Swift stuck in my head.. Because I'm, 22!! OO! O! 🎶

Love you all ^^

Last night with my trainer

Sweet reunion with the women of my first ward.  I almost cried I was so happy to see them.

An Elder taking a Selfie

Sister Yoon is the best!  She got me two (get it, because I am 22) Nutella jars and bedazzled mustache hair braids for my birthday.  ^^

Also, the Elders signed a long strand of paper with hands cut out for the ends.  Since they can't hug me for my Birthday.  Aww!  That is Elder Anderson slapping himself with one of the hands.

A sweet departure from Suwon

Senior week continued...

Monday was a good PDAY. After emailing home we hopped on the subway to make it to the 수지 (Suji) church building. When we arrived, we discovered that only the elders from our zone showed up. They were really into their mini basketball tournament which meant us sisters wouldn't be able to jump in. I had previously planned to play, but instead I was much happier relaxing and cheering from the sidelines. Since being here, I have quite a reputation for keeping up with CrossFit.  My companions tell everyone I'm scary during our morning workouts haha. I'm not scary, maybe my voice is a tad louder but I'm just trying to help them finish... Anyway, the elders get a kick out it and constantly bug me to make them a workout plan. Today was no different. They told me if I was cheering from the sidelines, I better be yelling something useful to improve their form or help them play harder. I am by no means a certified anything when it comes to CrossFit- I just love it! They are a bunch of weirdos.

By the time it turned 5 o'clock, we all packed up and locked the building. Just as we were leaving the church, guess what? Our only appointment cancelled again. :( With that news there was no sense of urgency to get home and change. Because we had previously planned on leaving for the 본부 (mission home) directly after our appointment, we had an awkward hour to spare before it was time to head up north. We all agreed it would be best to visit the second counselor to the Young Women, 류지헤S. In my first transfer 윤 자매님 (Sister Yoon) and I visited her and challenged her to think of someone to refer us to teach. We first called to make sure she was home then quickly headed over. She is a return missionary so we admitted our time was limited and she completely understood. Right away she ushered us in, sat us down, and dropped a pizza box on the table and said, "Eat, fast!" It was pretty funny. As we talked she told us that she really feels like she needs to focus on her husband first, who is not a member. We challenged her to maybe start praying together. I bore testimony of the power of prayer and she was touched. When we committed her, it was time to leave so she walked us out and told us to be safe. This trip to the 본부 (mission home) took longer than usual. I was worried about that so I brought along my handy Rubik Cube to fill our time. I took turns between teaching each companion. They both want to learn, but 김 자매님's (Sister Kim's) interest faded as 윤 자매님's (Sister Yoon's) grew. It was fun teaching them. I kept looking around and a majority of the subway car were intently watching as I taught. I felt pretty awesome for a moment or two.

We were the first sisters to arrive and be greeted by Sister Morrise. It didn't take long for the other 수원 자매님들 (Suwon sisters) to show up. Since 수원 존 (Suwon zone) is the only zone that moved from the Daejeon mission to the Seoul South mission, our area is the furthest south and takes the longest to travel to the mission home. As such, we have had so many opportunities to spend the night in the Morrise's home. They are so generous! I love them.

Before heading to bed, everyone strapped on their 할머니 (grandma) pants and gathered in the kitchen for a "midnight" (more like 10PM) snack with Sister Morrise. It was fun talking and joking with everyone. Especially fun for me. Sister Morrise laughs at all my jokes which I appreciate because my sense of humor and sarcasm isn't well received by Koreans here haha. One of the last things Sister Morrise said before heading off to bed was, "I hope you won't take it the wrong way tomorrow because part of my training advises again being sarcastic..." We all laughed and admitted we could try harder to be nicer haha. It was funny.

Tuesday was a fun day. Like before, it was strange going about our normal routine in the Morrise's home. Most of the sisters followed me outside for a WOD (CrossFit workout of the day). As missionaries we are only given 30 minutes a day to workout but for some reason most sisters don't take advantage of that time. Needless to say, the pace was slow despite their best effort. Once done we all showered and gathered for a big companionship study with all three companionships. We started by singing the hymn, "난 하나님의 자녀" (I am a Child of God). We later found out that Sister Morrise was listening from the other room and it brought her to tears. I do admit that I absolutely love singing hymns in Korean. Even though I don't understand the lyrics fully, I think they sound so beautiful. If you'd like a recoded solo- just ask :) haha just kidding I'm an awful singer. Anyway, the study and meetings/training that followed went really well. This was a follow-up training for all new missionaries and their trainers. Even though I'm not technically a trainer, President asked me to attend- which scares me for the transfer calls we will be receiving on Saturday evening.

When it came time to head home, instead of rushing, we decided to take our time again. We figured it would be smart to take advantage of talking to most of the people we came in contact with. After de-boarding one of the subways, we had to wait for the next line to arrive. Anticipating a long wait, I took a seat on a nearby bench. It took all of two seconds for the old man sitting next to me to make it very obvious he was trying to read my name tag. As a newly formed instinct, I grabbed a corner of my tag and angled it up asking, "저희같은 선교사들 보신 적 있으세요?" (Have you ever seen missionaries like me before?). He shook his head no and in perfect English asked where I was from. As the conversation evolved he told me that he was Catholic, but was curious to know why our church was so different from others. In my hands I was holding a Korean Book of Mormon, so I held it up and said, "This book right here." He smiled as if waiting for more of an explanation. I went on to teach him the whole first lesson about the restoration of the Book of Mormon; including a brief timeline of the
Bible, Chirst's earthly ministry, the apostasy, and Joseph Smith. As I taught I asked him to read a few paragraphs from the introduction of the Book of Mormon. I offered it to him and as he accepted I asked him if he would be interested in learning more from missionaries that lived near him. Without missing a beat, he said yes. Just as I finished adding his number into the companionship phone, the subway-line had arrived. We parted ways with big smiles of both of our faces. Boy was I proud of myself! I love teaching this gospel- and in English!? It was a breeze!

We spent the remainder of our evening with 박치우S, a young woman from the ward. She spent time proselyting with us as well as visiting the less active member, 남궁희정S and her son. We talked and ate 밭핑수 (Pop Bing Sue) together. Between playing with her son and laughing together, it was an awesome night.

Wednesday was another District meeting and split day. When our meeting ended 윤 자매님 (Sister Yoon) stayed with 강 자매님 (Sister Kang) and Sister Hunt came with me and 김 자매님 (Sister Kim). We immediately had an appointment with 김동은B and his mother, 최윤정S. We mostly talked about the commandment of following prophets. We brought a Liahona church magazine for her to read. They both really liked it and thanked us for the gift. This family continues to progress and I love them so much. As we were walking out, 김동은B was walking very close behind me. His mother laughed to herself and said, "He loves you!" I smiled big, grabbed his shoulder while facing his mother and said, "I love him too!" Everyone laughed, but seriously this family is amazing and by far my favorite investigators that we have taught so far.

English class was the last thing on our list of appointments. Sister Hunt and I taught my regular class were we continued to read Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. This week only two kids showed up- one being the young woman that spent a few hours with us Tuesday and the other being her brother. Normally they are both the opposite of energetic. However, since having spent time with me yesterday the girl at least warmed up to my humor. She was laughing and participating- I had a lot of fun as did Sister Hunt.

Thursday was a holiday! Korean Independence Day from Japan. I'm sure it was an exciting day for most but not for me... it was pretty standard. The morning consisted of studying until 윤 and 강 자매님 came to unsplit. As always, we made and ate lunch together before seeing them off. Our appointment with 김선혜S was cancelled yet again. We had scheduled a less-active couple (김광석B and 강소진S) to join us so when we called them with the news we suggested just dropping by their house to visit them instead. The wife loved the idea and told us not to be late. That immediately meant their was food involved haha. When we arrived there was an enormous pizza and a ton of fruit waiting for us. It was all very delicious! As we ate both the husband and wife shared their conversion stories with us. It was hard for me to understand the husbands, but I think he just had a really good example in his life- a guy he thought was so cool, so he followed his example and joined the church. I also he later served a mission, so that pretty awesome!

Anyway, the wife started attending church with her aunt when she was young. No one else in her family was a member of the church, but regardless her mother would always wake her up early in the mornings every Sunday to make sure her daughter got to church. One day 강 자매님 (Sister Kang) didn't want to go and her mom was still strongly encouraging her to go. She asked why she was pushing her if she didn't even attend church herself. The mother replied, "Because you've a lot changed for the better since you've been attending that church." And it's history from there. Her mom today is pushing her to come back again since she had been less active for a few months. However she did share that that is the anchor for her testimony in this church and that she is going to start coming back each week. She explained everything a lot better than I did but just know that it was a really moving story.

Soon it was time for us to make our way to another appointment with 김동은B and 최윤정S. We normally meet them twice a week and this week it just so happened to work out to be two days in a row haha. Today, the mother had a lot of questions about the article she read in the Liahona as well as where she is reading in the Book of Mormon. The whole lesson time was spent answering those and bearing testimony. They are so awesome. I really hope to see them baptized soon. They would be a great addition to the 곡반정 ward!

Friday, was another weekly planning session. As senior, I decided that we would go to the church for our studies today. The heat was unbearable and our four fans were not keeping us cool. So we packed all of our books, got on a bus, and arrived at the air conditioned church in no time. We unpacked and got straight to work. It was a pretty effective planning session! At the end we are always supposed to conduct weekly companionship inventory. Sounds scary right? It isn't too bad because most of the time it consists of constructive criticism, but still I get nervous when it starts every week ha. Today 김천 자매님 (Sister Kim) asked us to be honest in telling her what she could do to be a better missionary. After 윤현미 자매님 (Sister Yoon) asked the same thing. I felt obligated to do the same since I had just made a few suggestions for both of them. I told them I wanted to know but I cautioned them to be nice haha. Sister Kim and I work fine together but outside of missionary work, I struggle getting along with her so I was mostly scared about what she would say. Surprisingly they both had a lot of really nice things to say. Their suggestion was for me to smile more. They said that the days where I do smile a lot, is when we see the most miracles. That made me feel pretty good!

Our final appointment for the day was with 이상훈B and 영미완S. This is the son and mother that we met for the first time last week- his mother is really interested in helping her son improve his English skills. Anyway, last week I explained our program and this week we began. The English portion was fun. I feel like I act like an idiot most of the time, but so far it has helped the students feel a little more comfortable about talking to me. When it came time for the gospel lesson, we taught about the restoration. I introduced the Book of Mormon and explained that today we were would talking about the history of it and how it came about. 윤 자매님 taught about God and Christ. I talked about prophets, the apostasy, and Joseph Smith. And 김 자매님 ended with the importance of the Book of Mormon and prayer. It went really well! By the end, the son recognized time was up but was curious if next time he could ask us some questions. We said of course and when we did he sighed and said, "Good, I have a lot!" What a good kid. We challenged them to begin reading and praying about the Book of Mormon and they said they would. I'm excited to see them next week!

Saturday was an okay day. We were finally able to meet 서은영S (the Atheist) again. Her son was on vacation so she was preoccupied entertaining him. Today we decided to focus on studying the Book of Mormon with her. I know how influential this book is and how important it is for people to read and study it; so I felt strongly to address this topic again. Thus far, 서은영S doesn't like reading it because she says it's boring and confusing. I don't blame her but today we presented her with a few different ideas of how to approach reading and studying. She was very interested and we committed her to begin reading a simplified version called, The Book of Mormon Stories. Typically that book is used by younger children and at first I was apprehensive about offering it because she is so highly educated. I was worried about offending her. Instead of being offended, she told me she was really excited to show her son and maybe start reading it together! Bonus! It was a great lesson.

Next, we met most of the youth for their weekly activity. They told us they were excited about bring friends to the activity that they wanted to introduce to us- the missionaries. So.... we joined them for a couple games of bowling. I was one of the highest scores (which means everyone was pretty horrible) but that's just about all I did. My companions tried hard to get to know most of the friends that came to
the activity but mostly failed because the kids were so rowdy. All in all, I feel like our time could have been better spent but if anything, I hope the kids had a good time and have a good lasting image of us missionaries.

The day was essentially over by the time we left. We took a long bus ride home which got us home right on time. After we planned, it was time to wait for transfer calls from President Morrise! Big news! I am a trainer!! I'm not going far- only to 신풍 (Shinpoong) which is in the same stake as my current area of 곡반정 (Gokbanjong). I will be finishing training a native, 한 자매님 (Sister Han). I think it's pretty funny because I lived at that missionary apartment when 윤 자매님 (Sister Yoon) and I arrived.  I've been on splits with Sister Han, and we have been in the same zone all transfer haha. I'm excited!! I'm training!!! I know it puts a lot more pressure on me but for now, I'm stoked.

Sunday was amazing. When we arrived to church I was asked to speak since I would be leaving the ward. I quickly brainstormed a few sentences with 윤 자매님 (Sister Yoon) before the meeting began. All I said was as follows:

저는 곡반정 와드 아주 아주 사랑합니다. (I really really love Gokbanjong Ward)
저는 신풍 와드 로 갑니다. (I and going to Sinpoong Ward)
제가 받은 사랑에 감사드립니다. (Thank you for all of your love)
제가 여러분들 절대 잊지 않 겠습니다. (I will never forget you [everyone])
저는 하나님께서 우리에 아버지 라는 것을 알고 있습니다. (I know God is our Father)
저는 몰몬경 이 하나님의 말씀 다는 것을 알고 있습니다. I know the Book of Mormon is God's word)
저는 이 교화 쵬되다는 것을 알고 있습니다. (I know this church is true)
예수 그리스도의 이름으로 간증 드립니다, 아멘. (In the name of Jesus Christ, I humbly bear my testimony, Amen)

It was short but to the point. After the meeting a majority of the ward came up and gave me hugs goodbye. I feel very loved here. When people said that they would miss me, it felt and sounded so sincere. I was on the verge of tears. When the normal meetings ended, I hung out in the hallway saying more goodbyes. I tried to take pictures and compile as maybe addresses as I could. Soon I had to join my companions in a ward council meeting. My Korean mother, 이정숙 자매님 (Sister Lee Jong Sook) waves me over to an open seat next to her. As the meeting went on for an hour, more than once I would hear 이 자매님 (Sister Lee) sigh then she would reach over into my lap and grab one of my hands and squeeze tightly. I tried hard not to let anyone see but I admit a tear or two formed in my tear-duck. I love her so much. Once the meeting ended, she turned to me and asked, "What am I going to do
without one of my daughters?" She looked so sad :( I forced a smile and told her I wasn't going far. As people lingered and I took pictures with various people, she just sat and watched from a distance waiting to see us off.

Making our way out of the building didn't take too long but I did stop to talk to the Bishop, 이권태 (Lee Gwon Tay). He had a lot of really nice things to say to me. He has seen and observed the love I have for Korean food, culture, and especially the people. He sees all I have done for these people as well as the different ways I have served them. He reassured me that I am an excellent missionary as he thanked me profusely for the work I have done. All I could do was smile and fight the tears. This ward is so blessed to have him as bishop, he is a great man. The last person I ran into as we were exited the building was the first counselor in the bishopric, 이원의B (Brother Lee Koan Eui). He too said some very touching things while also encouraging me to really focus on loving the people. He promised me if I do that, then my desire to learn and excel in Korean will increase. This time the tears were coming and I couldn't hold them back. I sincerely thanked him as I bowed to him and the small crowd that had gathered to see us off. Luckily I was waving my last goodbyes, walking out of the church parking lot when the tears came pouring down my cheeks. I kept a faster pace than my companions hoping to get myself together before we reached the bus stop- unfortunately that didn't happen ha. I couldn't help but cry. I was so sad to leave, grateful to have served, and mostly just crying because of all the love I felt from everyone today. I never thought it would be this hard saying goodbye, but that just reassured me that my heart and soul were invested in this ward. They will always have a piece of my heart no matter where I end up here on my mission or even when I go back home.

The rest of the day was a blur. We met with two part member families and taught brief lessons. The last being with 홍수희 자매님 (Sister Hong Su He) and her two kids (황운섭B and 황혜정S). They are absolutely adorable. After we ate fruit together and had a fun FHE (Family Home Evening) the little girl quietly asked me if I used pencils. I smiled and said yes. Her and her brother quickly ran to the other room and came out with a pencil they had made especially for me- it had a doll glued to the top that was supposed to look like me. I was very touched by the thoughtful gift. Before leaving they asked us to write our missionary address down so they could write us- so cute!! Again, this ward is the best and I am so sad to be leaving these people. I love 곡반정!!!

This week was great. I cannot believe I will be training... starting WEDNESDAY! Super scary! 윤  매님 is doing all she can to get me ready. Since we are still in the same stake and zone, I will have the opportunity to go on splits with her so I'm not loosing her yet! ^^

I hope you all have a great week!! LOVE YOU!

"A big bug that was crawling toward me."  See the coin in comparison.

View from the 66th Floor of a Metopolis tower (apartment building).

남궁희정S and her son

Bishops wife (정준녀S) and two of the young woman (백지아S and 박주연S)

Japanese couple! I love them 가지마 노부코S and  이도헌B

이정숙S my mother ^^

남기환B and 김천 자매님

윤현미, me, 남해리, 김천

Bishop, 이권태B

Last FHE with 홍수희S and her two kids 황운섭B and 황혜정S.

Last time meeting 김동은B and 최윤정S. I love them!! The son gave the closing prayer and got teary eyed when asking God for the opportunity to see me again :( he's the best! I will miss them.

Senior Week - Practice

Monday was pretty good. Not a productive missionary day but a very productive preparation day. This week is my 13th week here in Korea. Since completing my "greenie" period of 12 weeks, we are celebrating with a senior week! That means that this week I am taking lead in
everything! I am supposed to lead lessons, making final decisions, and I am in charge of the companionship cell phone. If you'd like to oooo and ahhh, now would be the time. I feel a lot of responsibility but I'm excited. Anyway, PDAY consisted of a zone activity at our church. People played this card game called Bang- I hate it, others played 바둑 which is a complicated board game; everyone else ate ice cream, played ping pong, and socialized. I spent most of my time talking to Elder Schofield and Haffin while they played 바둑. They are so funny. The last hour of PDAY was spend looking at all 1,000,000 pictures that my district leader, Elder Kim had on his camera. I was mostly bored as he told me about every single one, but he was super excited to share. When it was time to leave he said, "I have three more memory cards at home! I'll bring them next time!" Yay and stuff.... Haha I love him though. Awesome missionary, district leader, and best second mission "step father" I could ask for.

Once everyone was leaving the chapel, of course the blueish skies changed to a shade of gray and where accompanied by a torrential downpour. Even though we all had umbrellas, my companions and I were soaked when we got home. We quickly changed and were about to start our missionary work when the AP's called. MLC (missionary leadership conference) was scheduled for tomorrow and they were curious if our companionship were planning to sleep at the 본부 (mission home). We weren't planning on it but I told them we could plan on it haha. With the sudden change of plans we had to pack our bags and make our way to
the subway station. We hadn't eaten dinner yet so right as we decided to grab something, we saw a Subway restaurant... 윤 자매님 (Sister Yoon) was pretty amused at the idea of eating Subway on the subway, so we grabbed a few sandwiches and boarded the first line. Somehow we met up with our Zone Leaders, Elder Keetch and Chow. Between talking to them and 전도ing (proselyting), the ride to the 본부 (mission home) went by super quick.

Upon arrival, we talked to the AP's and office missionaries for a little before heading up to see President and Sister Morrise. They are so awesome. Once we knocked on the mission home door, we were quickly welcomed in. We all talked for over an hour before getting ready for bed. Both President and Sister Morrise have such awesome insights and give such great advice. I am so grateful for the opportunity to work with them. I love them!

Tuesday morning was weird to go about our normal routine in a different house. But I'm not complaining because we had AC, couches, and a kitchen full of food. As Sister Kim and I dropped Sister Yoon off at her meeting, we left to have companionship study. From the looks of it- it seemed as if we would be talking to people on the streets of Seoul....allllll day. Normally, I dread these kinds of days especially thinking about the insane heat and humidity outside, but surprisingly I was excited to get out and have a productive day. So...we grabbed a handful of pamphlets, a stack of Books of Mormon, a couple umbrellas and hand fans- we were more than ready to tackle the day haha. As we walked out of the house, we set a goal to talk to 30 people before lunch time (60 minutes). With that goal in mind we folded our arms and Sister Kim offered a prayer for help to know who we should talk to and what we should say. We had some pretty awesome conversations! I really don't feel like I have a handle on the Korean language yet but still I was able to talk and understand a majority of the conversations we had. Pretty awesome! When the time came to head back to the 반부 (mission home) we stopped to talk to one last person. This girl looked about 16. I introduced us as missionaries and asked her if she had ever seen missionaries like us before- she said no. I went on to tell her that we are introducing a book called The Book of Mormon. After I said that she quickly responded in perfect English, "I've never heard of that book before." I was shocked. I lost my train of thought and said, "Woah! Your English is amazing, where did you learn?" She laughed, said briefly said, "School" then quickly changed the subject back to the book I was holding in my hand haha. I proceeded to testify that it was the word of God. I told her that I have read and prayed about it, and because I did that I know it is true. I offered her one and she happily took it. She told me that she doesn't have religious background and really wants to come to know God- so she really wants to read this book. I smiled and showed her the introductions where the prophet Moroni makes everyone a promise. I taught her that that promise is that if she reads and sincerely prays to know if it is true, then God will answer her. I felt prompted to ask her if she knew how to pray. She said no and asked me to teach her. And right there on the street I talked to this girl and taught her how to pray to her Father in Heaven to begin building her relationship with God. It was so cool!!

After lunch the rain was coming down pretty hard so we decided to stay inside and complete the rest of our studies until the rain let up. It only took about an hour for the rain to stop and the sky to lighten back up. When it did, that meant it was time to get back to work. As we left we set a goal to talk to 40 people until dinner time. To solidify our goal, I offered a prayer. As I prayed, the loudest crack of thunder sounded in the distance so as my prayer came to an end I mad sure to ask for help in staying safe and dry. 김 자매님 (Sister Kim) laughed- but I was totally serious. Luckily the skies cleared once again and we had a lot of success. Guess how many Books of Mormon I handed out? 12! Guess how many people we talked to by the end of the day? 63! I know I didn't do it alone. ^^ It was an awesome day.

Wednesday was an okay day. The zone leaders put me in charge of organizing lunch for the Combined District meeting. It was difficult coordinating a catering order in Korean but I managed and got a good deal. When everyone arrived, we ate and socialized. Most people were impressed with the organization and all the thought put into the meeting- it was pretty great if I can say so myself haha. Anyway, not too much to report from the training. It mostly focused on the Book of Mormon and how to better talk to people on the street. President Morrise is more concerned about people having a good image of our church than a flyer or pamphlet in-hand after we are done talking to them. The zone leaders were in charge of relaying the information. Even though they were brief in their explanation, it sounds like a much better approach, in my opinion. I honestly think that this way of proselyting will be more natural and effective. Too many churches or salesmen are pushy which just so happens to drive more people away- sooo we don't want to be seen as such! President is a genius.

The day went about like normal until English class. Once a month we do a "Special English Class" and that was today. There were so many people! It was awesome! Again, I was in charge of the kids. They are crazy but it was a good time. For one game I wrote different nouns on balloons- the point of the game was to find a balloon with a noun that fell under the a category of 'hot,' 'cold,' or 'fun' depending on whatever I decided. I would yell the category and the kids would start running around and stomping on as many balloons as they could. It was hilarious- especially because everyone had a partner that was tied to their ankle, like a three-legged race haha. After, all the classes came together for a spiritual thought and a bunch of food. It was a great way to end the day.

Thursday morning there interviews scheduled with our mission president, President Morrise. There was a miscommunication about which chapel we were supposed to go to... Soo instead of being early like my companions and I had planned for, we ended up being an hour late. Due to our tardiness we were interviewed 3 hours late... That was a bummer because we had to reschedule an appointment with an investigator that we haven't seen in 3 weeks! It was sad but on the bright side, my interview with president lasted almost an hour haha. He is such an awesome guy, I really respect him. Every time I talk to him I can really feel how much love he has for me as well as every other missionary in the 소울 남 (Seoul South) mission.

The day proceeded with a couple of appointments where we brought a Young Woman from the ward. She studies in America, but is here visiting family while she is on vacation. Having attended SMYC, she was really eager to come and teach with us. The first appointment was with the son and mother investigators. It was a great lesson! They continue to progress by praying about and reading from the Book of Mormon. This time in particular the mother had a lot of questions about the timeline of the Book of Mormon and the Bible. I drew a pretty awesome diagram to help clarify. I also explained the significance and need for the Book of Mormon. She understood really well! I felt pretty great for being able to teach her. The last appointment was with 김장원S. Since she is leaving for America to study, this was our last appointment with her. It was a powerful meeting were we answered many remaining questions she had and we each bore testimony of what we have taught her over the past few months. The investigator's testimony was so sweet. She thanked us for all of our time, all that we've taught her, and especially our loving hearts. So sweet! I am going to miss her! Be good to her Riverside, California~

Friday started pretty normal. We completed our studies and had our weekly planning session. In the afternoon, we met up an another Young Woman and the elders for a 전도 (proselyting) activity. There is a local park that is ideal for talking to families called Metopolas- once there we showed the Young Woman how to talk to people. She was scared and very shy but did a great job. When the time came to say goodbye to the elders and head to our only appointment for the day, she told us that she was realizing how hard missionary work really is. I felt bad because I don't want these girls to spend a day with us and instead of being excited about missionary work, being scared off. I couldn't argue because it is hard however, the rewards that eventually come, more than outweigh the hard times. Anyway, the appointment was with a boy, 이상훈B and his mother who is really pushing him to learn English. By the end of our meeting I had explained the English program and guess what?! They are our two newest investigators! That was worth celebrating, so before we all hopped on the bus to call it a day, we ate 팥빙수 together!

Saturday was about the day I wanted to die. I have no idea what the exact temperature was but to give you an idea of how hot it is nowadays.. While I was trying to get dressed in the morning I had three fans blowing full-blast directly on me, an icepack balanced on my head and another on back of my neck... and yet I was still sweating. How's that for a fun morning?

Thankfully it was a little cooler outside, so when we left the house the walk wasn't too brutal. We made our way to the chapel to help supervise the primary activity. Since it has been so hot, they set up three pools in the parking lot for the kids to play in. Unfortunately, the weather switched to pouring rain. But that didn't stop us from having fun. Before arriving, I didn't anticipate getting very wet, but the kids had a different plan haha. As soon as the water guns came out, it took exactly 60 seconds for everyone to be soaked. Somehow it evolved to me throwing all the kids in the water after chasing and catching them. It was so much fun. I even soaked the leaders by picking them up and dragging them into the pools haha. The kids kept calling me a monster and Hercules... Haven't decided which one I like better. ^^ This ward is so awesome!! I never want to be transferred.

When the activity ended, my companions and I rode the bus home looking like a bunch of idiots- soaking wet for what appeared to be no reason because the rain had let up almost 2 hours before haha. Once we were decent again, we head back to the church for the Young Women's activity. The girls promised to bring friends for us to talk to (called referrals) so we went and made 팥빙수 (shaved ice-delicious-goodness) together. It was fun and delicious. Before we head home, 김 장로님 (Elder Kim) grabbed us and told us we needed to practice to sing a song in church tomorrow. We decided on the hymn, "Where Can I Turn for Peace?". I love that song! After about 20 times through, we called it a night and told everyone to pray for the ability to channel their inner Celine Dion haha.

Sunday was great! It was a special Sunday because President and Sister Morrise were coming to speak in our ward. They are both awesome speakers! I really really love them. They always teach me so much every time I listen to them or talk with them. Such inspired people. Looking back at all the meetings, the luncheon, and all the socializing- it was a great day. Once my companions and I saw most people off, we head home to finish our studies for the day. I focused all my language study time on memorizing and reciting Joseph Smith's first vision found in Joseph Smith History 1:16-17. The hour spent, paid off because I then recited it to my companions and totally nailed it! This coming week I am planning to start teaching my district and and zone leaders for practice and to receive feed back in order to improve my teaching ability. Wish me luck!!

The evening ended with a delicious 식사 (meal appointment) at the second counselor of the bishopric and relief society president's house. Not much else to say but that I love kimchee, rice, and chicken haha.

This morning during companionship study, It was sad to hand back the phone and all of the responsibilty back to 윤 자매님 (Sister Yoon). She told me that she enjoyed being a junior companion again and asked if I would be senior for another week. HOORAY!! Stay tuned for Senior week continued... ^^

XO
I love you all. 사랑해요! Have a great week. ^^

Sister Kim, an investigator.  We met with her for the last time (8/8/13).  She is leaving to study at UC Riverside for the next few years.  Love her!

Splits with the Young Women

Primary Activity

Newbie Decides She Knows Best

7/29-8/4
Monday was another lame PDAY. It was spent running errands to try and get an alien card for 김 자매님 (Sister Kim) since she has Canadian citizenship even though she was born in Busan. My highlight was definitely reading all the emails I received - 28 to be exact! Thank you to everyone who writes me. I love hear all about what everyone is up to. Letters are cool too, but now that I am in the Seoul South mission, the mission boundaries are small so they don't forward mail - instead we receive it only a couple times per transfer. It's very sad, but don't stop sending letters!

Our evening ended with an appointment with the 구 (Koo) family. We planned to teach the second lesson about the plan of salvation, because the youngest daughter (4th grade) would not stop asking us deep questions like, "What is the meaning of life?" or "Where we go after we die?" Pretty intense for an 11 year old girl to be thinking about. Haha The whole family (excluding the father because he wasn't home yet) was very receptive to the message. The lesson was so great! I didn't ever stutter when it came time for me to teach. ^^ At the end, we followed up about setting a goal for baptismal dates- guess what?! September 1st a baptismal service will be held baptism for 구지은S, 구도현S, and their mother 김향춘S! I am so excited for them. I cannot wait until next Monday when we get to teach them again.

Tuesday was average. Our companionship study we extraordinarily better than normal. When planning for the appointments scheduled for the day, we were at a loss of knowing the needs of our investigators. We took it to The Lord and prayed for guidance. It didn't take long for answers to come. It seemed so natural at the time, but looking back I realize it was pretty remarkable!

One appointment rescheduled for Thursday and the other went really well! We taught 김동은B and 최운정S about various commandments including the word of wisdom and the law of chastity. When I read PMG (Preach My Gospel) prior to coming on my mission, I always thought those topics would be awkward to teach and a big challenge people to follow. Turns out, when you have the spirit, it just makes sense. It's cool to see how willing people are to change their lives in order to align their will with God's.

Wednesday was pretty standard, but with a happy ending. First was district meeting. Our training focused on Christlike attributes. It was awesome - I love our district leader 김재겸 장로님, he is so genuine! The rest of the day was normal. When it was time for English class, we arrived early to prepare. As we did, there was a return missionary there visiting some friends he had made in 곡반정 ward when he served here a few years ago. He had a lot of questions for me about the dynamic of the ward and mission. While we were talking 남기완B (a single adult) came up and greeted me by saying, "Baby!" like he always does. Personally I find it weird- he means it in the way that he thinks that I am young but it sounds more like a pet name out of context haha. I rolled my eyes and said hello. The return missionary was surprised and asked if he could call me that too... What is wrong with people haha? I said no with a very sarcastic attitude and took that as my cue to leave and set up my classroom. Bunch of weirdos. When class was supposed to begin, no one showed up. All of the kids are on summer vacation (which only lasts two weeks!!) so I wasn't surprised. Instead, 윤 자매님 and I set up the church ping pong table and she taught me how to use a korean paddle. Once I got the hang of it, we played for about an hour. Maybe that doesn't sound like a productive missionary activity, but it was just nice to have some 윤현미S time again. We had a much needed heart to heart in between games and me singing "The Ping Pong Song" by Enrique Iglesias.

Thursday- happy August!! Wow I cannot believe I've already been on my mission for four whole months! Somedays it feels like it has been eternities. Today I feel more of an urgency to get to work. With that in mind, I was excited to start my day with our normal personal study.

Last night Bishop gave all the missionaries a book he wants us to study called, "The Power of an Everyday Missionaries" by Clayton M. Christiansen. As I read the intro, the first analogy Christiansen used really opened my eyes. He relayed a story about how he came to realize the absence of the spirit in his life. The absence was not due to disobedience but instead his neglect in continuing to build the Kingdom of God. As soon as he began inviting others to come unto Christ and to learn of Jesus Christ, that is when the spirit began playing an active role in his life again. For me, I've struggled to be happy on a regular basis. I know that the spirit brings me happiness but I've let my inability to speak Korean be an excuse to not feel that happiness. Instead of being actively involved in teaching, I've tried thinking of other ways I would be an effective missionary such as maybe become an Assistant to the President (AP) or office sister. HOWEVER, today I decided that I want to be on the front lines inviting others to build their own relationship with their Savior and Redeemer. I don't care if I speak broken Korean, I'm going to try!! And as I try I know that I will have the Spirit more abundantly in my life just as Christiansen also experienced.

After companionship study, we met our first appointment, 서은영S. She was happy to see us but also looked pretty flustered. We asked her what was wrong and for the next 90 minutes she went on and on about all of the bugs she has found in her house and is trying to exterminate. Before you are grossed out, I want you to know that she is the most clean-OCD person. It was hard for me not to laugh because she was freaking out over something so small. She told us that her husband keeps calling to check up on her like a good spouse but instead for finding comfort in his words, she yells back, "Stop calling! I don't need you, I need an exterminator!" Hahahaha! She was so frazzled- bless her husbands heart. While she is deep cleaning her house she even sent her son to her parents house "for his safety." Too funny. I love her. When we realized the time had quickly slipped away, we shared our message very briefly about the commandments of reading the scriptures and praying. She is very aware so we didn't need to spend too much time teaching.

As soon as we left, we rushed to meet a member from our ward (congregation) for a member split! We had overlapped two appointments on accident, so this was our solution. Unfortunately, one appointment cancelled last minute... The member was disappointed when we told her and insisted on still splitting haha. 김 자매님 hopped in her car and they went off to teach 박미현S. 윤 자매님 and I were so happy to be back to our normal companionship for the next couple hours! We decided to heart attack the elders apartment door because it was Elder Chow's birthday.

After, we met back up with 김 자매님 and the member and before we unsplit- we ate! The member  bought us all kids of bread and 팥빙수!! Best dinner ever! We ate quickly then had to leave to meet with our last appointment for the day with 김정원S. She is headed to UC Riverside to continue her studies for a few years. This was the lesson my companions and I had really spiritually prepared for the other day. We really felt strongly that we needed to commit her to be baptized the Saturday before she left for America. I especially felt this because right now is a very pivotal point in her life. The divorce from her unfaithful husband was finalized last month and she is now moving to California for the next 5 years to receive a doctorate degree. She really enjoys our lessons and is very responsive. She has been been reading the Book of Mormon daily and is already through 2 Nephi! Anyway, this lesson was planned to a T. As a companionship we even roll played about a dozen times because we were so excited to teach this lesson that felt so inspired!

As planned, I took the lead in the lesson. When I began I was feeling the spirit so strong and was very anxious to eventually invite her to be baptized at the end. I taught first about obedience and the role of the atonement by sharing, 3 Nephi 7:24. Next 김 자매님 (Sister Kim) was supposed to teach about the commandment of reading the scriptures. Last, 윤 자매님 (Sister Yoon) was going to teach about the commandment of prayer. Then that the time that I would tie everything together with the invitation. Instead, while 김 자매님(Sister Kim) taught I kept waiting and waiting to hear the word 'scriptures' in Korean- it never came. She went so far off 'script' and that caused me to panic. I didn't understand the conversation anymore and when our time was up, 윤 자매님 (Sister Yoon) hadn't even spoken! Then... Out of nowhere I heard 김 자매님 (Sister Kim) extend the invitation to be baptized. Immediately the investigator denied the invitation but thanked us for asking. We quickly closed with a prayer and walked her out to her car. Once she left, with wide eyes I looked at my companions and asked, "what happened?" 김 자매님 (Sister Kim) started laughing and said, "I have no idea haha." I looked at 윤 자매님 (Sister Yoon) waiting for a better answer. She looked just as flustered and confused as I did. Eventually I was filled in that 김 자매님 (Sister Kim) retaught about Joseph Smith. Say wahh?? 김 자매님(Sister Kim) thought our investigator had never been taught about him so she decided to do so. She obviously was not paying attention in that long planning season we had because 윤 자매님 (Sister Yoon) and I were very clear that she totally understood the role that Joseph Smith played in translating the Book of Mormon. UGH!!! As missionaries we don't teach in sneaky ways, but this lesson required some strategy to help the investigator not feel that the invitation was us putting pressure on her. Instead, I wanted to present the invitation as merely a goal to work towards. But that all went out the window when our newbie missionary thought she had everything figured out. I was so frustrated! I know that we had felt the spirit and had been guided to plan what we did... Oh well. At this point I can't change anything- I just tried to make this a learning experience for everyone involved.

Friday morning was our normal weekly planning session. We weren't able to finish before we had to meet our Ward Mission Leader, 박정록B for a lunch he was treating all the 곡반정 missionaries to. It was delicious! Once again, every Korean was amazed how well I ate Korean food and also how I was able to use chopsticks. I'll be honest, I'm a pro! Haha, soon we had to leave to meet a less active member. She is on a break from work and is bored of being stuck in her house with her 2 year old son all day. So, today we told her we would keep her company for an hour. 남궁회종S told my two companions all about her mission in Busan while I played with her son. He is a handful but also so stinking cute! It was nearing time to leave when the someone came to the door- it was the pizza man! I love pizza but in my mind I was screaming, "Noooooo!" We had just eaten a big lunch and in and hour we were scheduled to eat dinner with Bishop and his family. I pretended to stay distracted with the son so I didn't have to help finish all the food- it worked but my poor companions looked like they wanted to die because they were so full haha. When the pizza was gone, he had to leave. She tried bribing us with food to stay but that was the opposite of what we all wanted haha.

We spent an hour on the streets talking to people and trying to walk as much as we could to build up an appetite for dinner. It semi-worked. Since it is so hot nowadays (nearing 100 degrees almost everyday plus humidity -___-) we were sweating so much so that we were realized to be back in an air conditioned house with cold water and cool kimchee to snack on. While we ate, we talked a lot. After we ate, I taught the second youngest son how to solve the rubik cube- he looked at me like i was magic haha. I absolutely love Bishop and his family!

Being back in his home reminded me of my first day here in Korean with my companion, 윤 자매님. Thinking back I was caught off guard with the idea that everyone lives in an apartment. For some reason, when I hear someone lives in an apartment it reminds me of college and my peers that have next to no money. I remember being shocked and asking if our bishop was poor. Haha judge away but I'm sure I'm not the only person that has thought that. I also remember being like a fly on the wall while Korean was being spoke. Around me at speeds I couldn't comprehend. Even now, I understand very little but I have gotten better at reading body language and intonations in people's voices in order to guess what people are talking about or asking. I have come a long way in these passed couple of months. That realization came as a comfort because most of the time I feel like I am at a standstill with learning and adapting to this language and culture.

Saturday was interesting. We only had one appointment with the two ladies we met at the train station last week. They are weird so I wasn't too excited to meet them because I was 99.9% sure they wanted to preach to us as oppose to us teach them. On our way, I was sitting front row on the bus- keeping to myself when out of nowhere the bus driver starts talking to me. The first few questions like, "Where are you from?" and "Why are you in Korea?" were easy to understand and answer. Then he began saying words I haven't learned yet. I got 윤 자매님's attention and she came to help translate. Apparently he was telling me all about his oldest son- about his major, his dreams and aspirations, and so on. Apparently the bus driver (the unnamed sons father) isn't a huge fan of the current girlfriend in the picture. He instead decided he liked me enough to be a candidate for marriage haha. He has seen 윤 자매님 and I a fair amount of times (he always recognizes us by the pace of our sprint to his bus haha) and thinks we are fine young ladies. I jokingly asked to see a picture of his family to amuse him- he didn't have one but assured me that his son was very handsome because his wife was an American like me. It was a funny conversation that ended with him giving us his address to come and visit. Door to door approaches here are the opposite of effective- but I have a good feeling about this one haha. As we deboarded he shared some candy with us and told us to be safe- Anyway, it was an entertaining bus ride to say the least.

We arrived a little early at the promised location to meet with our potential investigators. As we waited, there was a homeless man asking for money, claiming to have kidney cancer sitting on the steps leading up to the subway. I was skeptical of his claim but took a seat next to him to talk. There was a banana stand nearby and the aroma of the fruit was radiating! I told him I was going to buy some bananas but first asked him if the potassium would be a problem for his kidneys if I shared with him. He apologized and told me he was lying about having kidney cancer- haha not shocked. He quickly informed me that they were 4000₩ (about $4) haha. I laughed and bought a stalk. My companions were hiding from the heat in nearby shade so as I passed them I handed them each a banana. When I sat down I pealed one for myself and handed the man the remainder of the stalk. He thanked me a few times and then we ate in silence as we enjoyed the refreshingly cold fruit on this boiling hot day.

As soon as I finished eating, our potential investigators showed up. I greeted them with a smile despite their smug expressions. It wasn't a secret that they had a plan up their sleeves. We walked to a nearby bakery to sit and talk. Previously we had planned to teach them the 3rd lesson about Jesus Christ Gospel but that never happened. It didn't even take them 5 minutes before they wanted to start 'bible bashing.' That isn't our purpose as missionaries so we each bore testimony of the truthfulness of this gospel and said our last goodbyes to them. They are part of a newly formed church that believes that only a few people are selected to be saved (them being two of them) and that South Korea is the next Zion. Don't get me wrong, I love Korean, however when I bore testimony- I told them that I know that God loves all of his children equally and that everyone will be given an equal opportunity to accept his gospel. Oddly enough they agreed... Anyway, they were nice ladies. We hugged them both and went on our way.

Instead of going home, we stopped by the church where the Relief Society was meeting to clean the chapel together. They hadn't begun yet, so both my companions and I changed and got to work. I, of course, brought my favorite 할머니 (grandma) pants to wear. Everyone there could not stop laughing. They kept telling me how stylish I made ugly pants look haha. You could say I felt proud- to say the least. Seriously though, I have trouble speaking to people in Korean (duh) so I haven't been able to get to know many of the women in the ward. However, my 할머니 pants was my way in! The rest of the evening was really fun, the women just laughed when they saw me and I tried to start some small talk. Even though not much was said, I have really come to love these women and their families. I seriously love this ward SO much!! We ended the evening eating Korean chicken noodle soup and kimchee- yum! I'm not sure how I ever ate a meal without kimchee before... LOVE IT!

Sunday was amazing. The testimony meeting was so awesome! There is a program called SMYC here- it is like EFY in the rest of the world but here it only happens once every two years. All of the youth from the ward went and participated for the week- they all grew so much!! Almost every youth walked up to bear their testimony about what they learned and how they felt when they were learning about the gospel. They are unbelievable. I was close to tears as some of them testified boldly of their knowledge of this gospel and their Father in Heaven. They are so young and yet they speak with so much conviction! This church is so true!!

Next was Sunday school. The teacher couldn't make it to church today so he asked the missionaries late last night to fill in for him. We had no problem helping out, so we taught. 'The Scriptures' was our topic, so I started. I introduced the idea and asked a few questions to get a discussion going. From there, the other missionaries taught and the class-time flew by. It was a pretty awesome lesson; the elders even had an investigator there, he was really involved and interested in the material we were covering. My favorite part about teaching is watching the light in people's eyes brighten when they understand and accept a concept they are learning about. I love being a missionary!

On our way to the last hour of church, my companions and I stopped by the young women's room to make an announcement. I told them that I was very impressed with all of the testimonies that were shared today- I told them that it seems like they have learned a lot from SMYC... Soooo, we invited them to take turns spending days with us (the missionaries) so we could learn from them. They loved the idea. ^^ The school hours and kids schedules here are crazy, so we had them write their names and numbers down so we could coordinate with them later this week. They are so adorable! I really hope I will have the opportunity to serve with all of them in the near future.

Once we made it to Relief Society, they were thanking all those who came to clean yesterday. They even told everyone they missed out on seeing the "fashion leader" (me) rock my 할머니 pants haha. It was pretty funny. As the lesson went on, I took a moment to step back and see where I was. Everyone was smiling, I was happy, and like I've said before- in this ward I feel so at home. I love these people and I love spending time with them. I know that I am a missionary in 곡반정 ward for a reason. I know that God has a perfect plan for every single person that has been on the earth, is on this earth, and will be on this earth. One of those people being me. I know that as I study His words and serve His children, my purpose and direction for my life is made clear. I am so grateful for this knowledge and the opportunity I have to share it.

I love you all. 사랑해요! Have a great week. ^^

PS, the pictures are as follows:
1. At the Seoul temple with both of my companions, Sister Kim and Sister Yoon.

2. 유 자매님, the grandmother who wants us to teach her husband- she is SO

CUTE!! He is by far the shortest lady I have every met and also so

sweet and giving. 

3. 선민, my favorite employee at the local fruit shop. He always give us
free fruit and vegetables and I always buy him ice cream haha. We
hardly talk except polite hellos as we walk passed everyday. He is
athiest but gladly accepting a Book of Mormon the other day. I love
him!