Only One Month Left

Hello family!

Well, I've officially passed my "less than one month" mark!!!  So that means exactly 4 weeks from today I will be on a plane headed towards KOREA!!! eeek!

This past week was lots of fun.  After long anticipation, the new missionaries finally arrived!  It was so much fun being able to talk with them and welcome them to the MTC.  I think the strangest part about it was seeing the look of terror on their faces and realizing that I looked the EXACT SAME WAY! haha But don't worry, we are super nice to them.  My companions and I have made it a goal, that whenever we get a free chance we go into their room and see if there is anything we can help with.  Needless to say, the younger district is learning everything we wish we learned those first couple of weeks at the MTC. 

Ready for a cool story about one of the new missionaries??  I believe I mentioned last week that one of the new missionaries coming in was a Cambodian; his name is Elder Hem.  Elder Hem is the first known native Cambodian serving in Korea.  His English is ok, so they've had a Cambodian teacher translate some Cambodian to English and then the Korean teachers match that with the English to Korean translation, just so he can have some sense of the harder things that he will be learning.  The greatest thing that happened occurred this morning.  Being from Cambodia, Elder Hem has never had the opportunity to SEE a Temple in person, let alone go inside.  So this morning, as a Branch, we all went with Elder Hem to the Temple for his first time.  It was a wonderful opportunity to see him draw closer to the Lord in His House. The icing on the cake was the fact that it was snowing like crazy outside, and Elder Hem had never seen snow before either!!  (I was praying that it would do that just to make his special day even that much more special!!)

Classes went well this past week!  I FINALLY finished memorizing the First Vision and I've actually already used it in a lesson.  There is a very special spirit present when you used the exact words of Joseph Smith, no matter what language it is in.  Now, the next class goal in Doctrine and Covenants 4! I'm a bit nervous for this one!  haha I think my favorite part about learning a new language would have to be all mistakes you make, sometimes without even realizing you made them until your investigator starts laughing!... A few of those this week included one Elder, instead of saying "when Christ and His Apostles died" he said "When Christ Killed His Apostles".... yeah oops... Another one I did when I tried to say "Through God's instruction Christ created the Earth" instead I said "Through God's instruction Christ cleaned the Earth".  Another one was from a sister in another district, instead of saying "we this..." or "in order to, we..." she kept saying "duck this..." or "in order to duck...".  Hahaha oh the joys of Korean! lol 

Another Missionary "Funny" happened while we were studying from Preach My Gospel.  On page 133, at the top of the page is gives a scenario and activity to prove how difficult it can be not only learning a language but also learning a new culture.  The opening line states "imagine yourself serving a mission in Asia!" haha Well; we don't have to imagine too far I guess!  I love the challenge, and I love this mission.

So this week in the TRC we had a really special experience!  The Teaching Resource Center is a place we go to teach members a lesson.  This week was our first time going from doing 2, 20 min lessons, to one 40 min lesson.  My companions and I were super excited and we prepared a great lesson about the Doctrine of Christ.  We go down to the TRC prepped and ready to go, when 2 min before we go and meet whom we are going to teach, our teacher informs us that there is a real investigator there that day... and we get to teach her! (At this moment is when both excitement and nervousness hit my instantly!!)  He explained that she was an exchange student here living with an LDS host family and she wanted to learn a little bit more about the Church.  Our teacher has us kneel in prayer before we go teach and I can honestly say I don't remember anything that was said.  I just remember squeezing my companions hand and pleading with the Lord to help me be guided by His Spirit so that I may know what to say.  My companions and I left and before we went into the room we prayed again for the Lord's strength and comfort. 

As soon as we walked into the room and saw who we had the privilege to teach, each of us felt at peace.  There was no fear, there was no nervousness, and there was anxiety. We could simply get to know this young lady and share the message we had prepared for her.  The entire lesson went over perfectly!  We had to change some things that we had originally planned to teach to a member, so Mary (the investigator's English name) wouldn't be lost or confused.  But again, with the Lord's help and blessing our Korean has never been spoken with more ease.  Though we weren't able to understand all of Mary's words, through the Spirit we were able to understand her needs and her questions.  What should have been a 40-minute lesson in Korean turned into almost an hour of us teaching, talking and listening in Korean.  When we asked Mary to pray to ask Heavenly Father to help her with something in her life she readily accepted. 

Though we weren't prepared to teach an investigator that day, my companions and I still had made preparations to teach.  And as you prepare, even if the unexpected happens, the Lord will always be there to make up the difference.

I was scared to go to Korea.  It is a foreign land, with a foreign language and a foreign culture, but now I am not afraid.  I am nervous and excited, but I'm no longer afraid because I know that as I continue to prepare with diligence everyday, the Lord will make up for everything I lack. 

This week was wonderful and I'm so grateful to everyone who sent me a letter and note.  My dad always said that I would have a cheering section while I was on my mission, I just didn't realize it would be so loud! =] Thanks again to all!
Till next week!!!

Kiss, Love, Hugs Family!!

PS To clarify, last week I said they changed the missionary tags because the meaning meant apocalypse... wrong! My bad, it meant Armageddon

PPS A HUGE THANKS TO THE YOUTH OF THE LAKELAND WARD!! Y’ALL ARE THE ABSOLUTE GREATEST!! The missionaries LOVED their letters!  A thank you note is coming soon, but I couldn't wait to tell y’all thank you!!!!!  I miss all y’all!

Another week has passed! Can you believe it has already been 7 weeks?!

HELLLLOOOO FAMILY!

How are y'all doing!?!

Are y’all ready for a story? So once upon a time... Ok, not really... but we did have a bit of an adventure!  So after laundry is when my companions and I email home.  Well, when we went into the computer lab we realized that the Internet isn't working.  So then we go to another... and another.. and 4 others.  FINALLY we found some computers that worked so we could talk to our families! YEAH!!  Oh man, we were worried there for a minute for sure! haha

So this week was wonderful! Remember how I told you that we are memorizing the First Vision? Well things are going really well.  Most of my district has it, and there are a few of us that are still working hard.  Nothing seemed to be sticking for me last week, but now the Korean is flowing.  I find that when I put things to songs I memorize them SO MUCH EASIER!  So for the First Vision, I've put the words to the "All Creatures of Our God and King" tune haha.  Because of that song I have memorized nearly half in two days.  hahah Thank goodness.  

Another exciting thing in my Korean world, is all of my companions and I have completely taken away all the notes for our lessons.  I used to take a small index card with some of the vocab words I was having a hard time with.  Yep, NO MORE!  Needless to say before our first lesson without any notes all of us were kind of stressed, but it went really well, and I think it has to be in my top five favorite lessons.  Heavenly Father most certainly blessed with a clear and calm mind.  

This week one of our investigators had to go back to Korea, so we now have a new investigator!  His name is Beh Gun Sheen.  He is buddist.  And yes, teaching him is hard!! He's super nice, but it's hard to think of how to teach when he doesn't even believe in God (yet...).  Our first lesson we were able to establish some common ground by talking about families and good works and such.  So that was really good.  BUT I know that I will be teaching many people of this faith when I get to Korea so I was wondering if y’all could send me some background of their faith.  I can't teach someone if I don't know his or her needs.  Along with teaching lessons, our teacher has assigned our companionship to Elders in our district and we will now be teaching each other in Korean as if we were progressing investigators.  I'm excited to teach my peers, but preparing for two lessons every day in Korean is going to be challenging!

Something else new happened this week: we got 3 new roommates!! They are three sisters that are going state side, English speaking.  I think they were a little shocked when we walked into the room at night just speaking Korean. hahah We've now taught them "hello" "goodbye" and "I love you".  I even put all their names in Korean!  They absolutely loved that haha   They are super cute, but it's strange to think that they will be leaving before us! lol

I am super excited for this coming week!!! We are FINALLY getting the new district!  There are 8 Elders and one Sister Chase coming .  Sister Chase is going to Busan!!  So fun!  I am really surprised at how many sisters have been called there.  It's so great.  Because I'm the Coordinating Sister I get to give them orientation on Thursday with the Zone Leaders.  I'm way excited to get to know them.  As a kind of "welcome!" the entire zone will be speaking only Korean on Thursday! haha I hope they are ready for the madness. 

So last Tuesday the devotional was given by Elder Don R. Clarke of the Quorum of the 70.  My favorite thing he said was that we determine NOW how our mission will be.  He gave a story of a young missionary that was companions with some Elders that were not being strictly obedient.  While the 3 other missionaries in the apartment would sleep in, this young elder would obediently woke up at 6:30, studied and prepared for the day as he was told.  When asked how it was, he said it was SO HARD!! But he decided way before that companionship that he would be obedient.  I remember learning that lesson in Young Women’s; that if we decide today what kind of missionary, member or person we want to be, then in the moment when we are asked to do something against what we know is true, the decision is easy and our conviction is set.  While we were discussing this talk, Elder Allen in my district said that "nothing bad can come of being too good".  I love that!  But hard times will come. And there will be moments when we feel we don't have enough strength, but I love the words of hymn # 85 "How Firm a Foundation" especially the end of verse 2 and all of 3.  Whenever it seems too hard, remember that we are never alone. Whenever we think that it would be easier to give in to those around us remember that the Lord is there to give us the strength that we need.  Helaman 5:12 explains the same things. 

I love this gospel and I love the strength and comfort it constantly gives to those who are willing to receive it.  The Lord is waiting to bless each of us.  And I know He is waiting to bless the people of Korea.  I'm excited to bring this message to all those who are waiting for it!

I love you all!! Till next week....

Ps: Random Fact: So you mentioned that Brother Hatfield noticed that the tags were different.  The reason the church re-did them was because on the tags, the translation of "latter-days" in Korean meant more like the apocalypse... not exactly what we want to get across.  So they re-translated it a little more correctly haha

OH!  So you remember Sis Kent?  The sister that left for Busan last week? Well she wrote us all about the fun times, but the coolest was she is assigned to the island of Dejoo (spelling I have no idea... but that's how you say it! haha) Sisters haven't been sent to the island in 2 years! I think it's soo awesome that she is there!  I really hope that I get to go to the island on my mission! haha

Love all y’all!!

PiCtUrEs!!

She sent us a letter with some pictures inside...so we scanned them for everyone to enjoy!! The Captions were included by her!!

This is how you say it:
"yeh-soo guh-ree-suh-do hoo-gee sohng-do gyo-weh"

"So....Korean's don't just do 'peace' they do this heart thingy. It's like Justin Bieber x150!! Sister Baker is in the Old Navy shirt, and Sister Kersey is in the black shirt"

"The Great Night of the Mustache Pillow Fight!"

"In Korean, the verb is everything! You add/stack everything on the verb to change the tense"

"No, not my snowman. Yes, I'm practicing the Asian Peace!"

Sitting in her classroom!

One Month ALREADY!

(She refers to a lot of things that are very missionary lingo'ish so I have included as many links as possible for you to understand what she is talking about!!)

Another week of adventures has already passed by.  I know its going super fast for me, how is it going by for y’all?? haha

This week has been so much fun, very spiritual and lots of laughs!

So this past week had to say good-bye to our older district and the native Koreans.  I can hardly believe that WE are the older district!  It feels so very strange.  Especially because next week we are getting 9 new Korean missionaries in and only a few weeks after that will we get 7 new native Koreans. (Which means 3 weeks after the new natives come I will be leaving to Korea!!)  Ready for some more mind-blowing news?? This past Friday was our official one-month (side note! We had a party to celebrate such a momentous occasion... Ever wondered what missionaries in the MTC do for parties??... Well, we watch Mormon Messages, eat cookies {thanks mom!} and play travel sized mini ping pong.  Yep, we're awesome!)  Since being in the MTC and then this Friday is our HALF WAY mark till we LEAVE the MTC!! (The celebration for this occasion will include blowing bubbles... yep, be jealous!) Though I still need to learn lots with the language, I am so excited that my time to be going to Korea is coming so quickly.  Oh man... Time is already going by way too quickly.  I don't want the 18-month mark to come tooo fast.

Speaking of heading out to Korea... remember how there were rumors about a new language/ training program for new missionaries when they go into the field?  Well, since I am one of the first to be a part of the new language program in the MTC, I will be one of the first for the new program in the field.  The goal of the new program is to have all missionaries, by their 12-week mark, or second transfer in the field, to be ready and able to be a senior companion or a trainer.  (This is were you can picture my jaw dropping!!)  That's right! After only 12 weeks in Korea I need to be proficient enough in the language, by knowledge of the areas and my confidence in teaching to be able to train another missionary!! CRAZY!  One of the things they are doing to allow this to happen is, as the junior and greenie companion, I will be given assignments throughout the week to take the lead on contacting, and appointment making and so forth...no more just following my senior companion around and letting them do all the work for the first couple of weeks hahaha Darn!  JK, I am excited about the new program, but I don't know if I will be ready for it!

So, my district is awesome!  I love working with all of the Elders and my companions and we really push each other!  One cool thing that happened this week is we all learned how to say the missionary purpose [The Standard of truth has been erected; No unhallowed hand can stop the work from progressing; Persecutions may rage, mobs may combine, armies may assemble, calumny may defame, but the truth of God will go forth boldly, nobly, and independent, till it has penetrated every continent, visited every clime, swept every country, and sounded in every ear, till the purposes of God shall be accomplished and the Great Jehovah shall say the work is done.— The Prophet Joseph Smith, Jr.in Korean!!]  It was wonderful to see how much each of us helped each other so we could all make our goal by the end of the week.  Now, we are working on having the first vision (vs 17) memorized... we only have a week and a half left to do that!  (Our next goal is Doctrine and Covenants 4!)  As always, it’s tough, but also completely rewarding! I love it!

Ok, so like I said, this week was fun! (Obviously) But also incredibly spiritual, I really felt like I grew a lot this week.  My favorite day this past week was, of course, Sunday.  The Relief Society speaker was the first counselor in the General Young Women’s Presidency, Sister Mary N. Cook.  She talked about the YW's theme, D&C 115:5. And how we should not live our lives in flat light.  In skiing, when there is Flat Light, visibility is poor and you can neither see the small bumps in the trail, nor the greater potential dangers.  She taught that we need to live our life with brightness!  And as a standard to the nations, so that we can not only see the course ahead of us, but that we can lead others to the right path that they may also find the way.  It was a wonderful address about sanctifying ourselves, and being empowered by the Atonement; because it is through the Atonement that the redeeming and enabling powers of Christ and God can work in our lives.  I loved the scripture Joshua 3:5!  It was wonderful! 

But my spiritual feast did not end there.  Over Christmas break Elder Bednar came to the MTC and gave an address entitled "The Character of Christ", and on Sunday they rebroadcasted it for the entire MTC to see again.  He began by stating that in our lives we shouldn't just learn ABOUT Christ, but we should learn OF Him.  Elder Bednar then quoted Elder Neal A. Maxwell saying, “There would have been no atoning sacrifice without the character of Christ.”  But what is the Character of Christ?  Elder Bednar challenges us to find that out for ourselves, but he gave a few examples.  First example was when Christ was tempted by Satan in Matt 4:2-11, (you MUST look at the JST for those verses), next was right after Christ was finished in the Garden and then betrayed, and the last example was when Christ was upon the cross.  In every one of those instances, when Christ had just suffered, or was in the process of suffering great affliction, He TURNED OUT!  When we would naturally turn IN and worry about ourselves, Christ would turn OUT! 

Elder Bednar explained that when we begin to Turn Out we begin our journey from Testimony to Conversion.  A Testimony is a foundation and not a final destination.  In Alma 23:5-7 it talks of how first, the people gained a Testimony, but as they continued to LIVE the knowledge they had gained, then that is when they were truly converted and they never did fall away.  "A testimony is what you know to be true through the Holy Ghost, Conversion is constantly being true to what you know."  It is the action. Conversion is the path that leads to Enduring to the End. We need to turn OUT.  We need to focus on others.  If we try to become converted by focusing on ourselves, it will never happen.  We become converted by forgetting ourselves and serving the Lord.  Elder Bednar constantly kept referring to Mosiah 3:19 where it talks about how "the natural man is an enemy of God".  The Natural Man is the side of us that wants to turn IN.  I loved it when he said that as we are patient with ourselves and we begin to focus on others we will have an increased capacity to do good and be better.  And that means not just NOT doing bad stuff, but doing better good stuff.  When we turn OUT is when we are truly following Christ's example. 

It was a wonderful address, and one that I will be revisiting constantly!  But I hope each of us can begin to do what Christ would do and focus a little less on ourselves, but focus more on TURNING OUT.  It won't happen over night, but that doesn't mean we can't start with the baby steps. 

I love being a missionary!  I love learning more and more what the Lord would have me do.  And I love you all!!

An.yang.ha.say.oh!

Hello my darling family!! I hope everyone is doing well.  Things are absolutely fabulous on this side of things.

So nothing really new happening this week, but I DID learn some new things!

Well...there IS ONE thing that was new that happened this week.  So, the older district officially got their travel plans this past week and they will be leaving next Monday.  It is so strange to think that we will now be the older district! Haha I remember coming in and thinking that I would never know as much Korean as they did!  Well, because they are all leaving, that means there are positions of leadership that are needing to be filled.  Our dear District Leaders became the Zone Leaders (which we all guessed was going to happen, they are amazing!) And then I became the new Coordinating Sister!!!!!  Crazy huh!?! I AM SO EXCITED!  So I get to pretty much be the RA of my branch hahaha.  I make sure that everything is good to go when the old sisters leave, and I get to make sure everything is prepared when the new sisters come into the branch.  I check-up on cleaning checks, health issues, companionship communication, and all around well-being. I am so excited for this opportunity to be able to get closer the sisters in this branch, and to be able to serve them.  They are all so wonderful and kind.  Because of this new calling I was able to go to a leadership training meeting on Sunday were I met the MTC President's wife, Sister Brown.  It was fun talking with her and the other new coordinating sisters.  I feel honored and humbled at this new calling, and I am excited to get to work!! 

Ok, so you remember the rumors about the language program changing?  Well, little did I know that I am about the 3rd group of missionaries that has been a part of that change!!  Talking to my teacher, who got home from Busan this past summer, I found out it used to be that they hardly used the Korean language until about half way through the MTC.  Unlike us, who teach, pray, talk, etc all in Korean.  Already I see how more beneficial this way of doing it is.  Another interesting thing about the languages is they are changing the amount of time some missionaries stay in the MTC.  Like the Japanese Missionaries will go from a 12-week program to a 10-week; and Russian in being cut down to 9 weeks.  I've even heard rumors about the Spanish missionaries only being here for 6 weeks.  Rumors circulate quickly around the MTC so who knows what's true and what isn't. haha!!

Speaking of rumors…remember how the rumor mill was turning about the Prophet coming?? Well.... It wasn't true.  Sad, yes.  But! Instead of the Prophet we got two Apostles, Elder Russell M. Nelson and Elder Jeffrey R. Holland. It was still incredibly fun to sing for them, they estimated about 550 missionaries were in the choir.  The really nice thing was since Tuesday is P-Day, we were able to get in line pretty early to be able to sing. I was bummed because Elder Holland didn't speak for very long, but Elder Nelson's address was awesome.  He talked about the missionaries throughout this dispensation and the impact they have made. My favorite was the special shout out to the sister missionaries.  It is true that we serve more out a burning desire then a sense of duty and he reminded us of how invaluable we are to the work.  What a wonderful encouragement from an Apostle of the Lord. (But that's not saying that the Elders aren't invaluable either!! Because they are wonderful!)   He ended the fireside with the dedication of the 5 new or renovated buildings on the MTC campus. 

What made this week really fun were just all the little things that happened.  I learned that my Branch President, President Shin, is a legend in Korea because he was the VP of Samsung AND a Mormon. (Comparable to Mitt Romney I guess…).  I learned that his first counselor, Brother Jennings, is the father of the LDS guy that won jeopardy a while back. 

My favorite things I learned this past week were some songs!! The Korean Sisters came up to us and asked about the little kid song about a spider... haha! They wanted to learn the "Itsy Bitsy Spider"! It was SO much fun teaching them.  In turn, we asked to be taught a song.  This week we learned "Head, Shoulders, Knees and Toes".  The tune is SUPER catchy and my entire district was singing it every day! (During gym time and volleyball we would be singing from the sidelines haha).  Our teachers also taught us "Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star" and "Happy Birthday".  I love being able to sing those simple songs.  They remind me of all the fun time I had in primary. 

Though I said this week we lots of fun, of course there were some growing moments.  My teachers, Pendley and Cho Hyung.jay.neem, decided that when we teach them, they want things to be difficult for us. Because if things are difficult now, then when they are difficult in the field we will be better prepared.  I love that train of thought, but it would have been nice to know before they made me cry in a lesson! Haha jk... kind of.  As a class we were becoming too dependent on our notes.  We would translate our lessons into Korean, and they take those written sentences in with us and simply read from the page, occasionally looking up.  Yes, we were able to say all that we wanted to, but because there was no eye contact and sincerity, we weren't able to connect with them as our investigators.  (The reason I got upset, it I was doing JUST THAT, and when I looked up after asking a question my "investigator" was looking off in la-la land.  Frustrating, but I got the message).  So after that experience we made a goal as a companionship= NO MORE NOTEBOOKS! We know enough grammar and vocabulary that we can make our own sentences in our head and on the spot.  If there are vocab words that we absolutely don't know, then we can bring in a note card with that word or two. Can I just tell you the AMAZING improvement there has been in our lessons with the spirit, with understanding the needs of the investigator, with EVERYTHING!  We are no longer just talking AT the investigator; we are having a lesson and conversation.  Yes, it's still hard, especially teaching everyday... but I am getting much more comfortable with the language and with retaining vocabulary.  Don't you just love it when teachers are right!? hahaha 

This week was also pretty fun because of all the PACKAGES I received!!  Oh my heavens, I think I'm the most loved missionary in the history of the MTC!  I now have the District record for most packages received in a week, the grand total coming out to 7!  A big thanks to everyone who thought about me this week!! What a blessing it is to be reminded of, as my dad puts it, the Home Crowd cheering for me every step of the way. I am grateful, and I know that my district is grateful for all the sharing I get to do!  Be looking for individual thank you notes in the mail, I truly am blessed to have such wonderful friends and family who will always rally to support me.  THANK YOU!

So at the end of this week marks exactly ONE MONTH since I have been in the MTC.  My, how fast time has flown by.  Just think only 17 more months! And 16 fast Sundays! Haha 

I love you family!! Thanks for all the letters and packages and words of encouragement. 

So, some scriptures this week are found in D&C 121.  The last several verses are what were taught in my leadership meeting, but the whole thing is wonderful.  When it describes a good leader I think of 1 Nephi 5 & 6. I believe in all the patience and concern and love he had for his brothers even when they were being wicked. 

Well, till next week my family! Love you all! WHOLE BUNCHES!

Kiss, Love, Hugs

Week 3 - The Natives have Arrived

Here is her letter from week three! She seems to be getting a hang on the language more! You can hear the excitement in her voice. 

Hi again my wonderful family!! This is your favorite missionary of course!! =]

Again, I'd like to begin with some "Thank You"s.  Thanks Aunt DeAnn for your email.  I love just the little updates of how everyone is doing!  Thanks Aunt Mary Lynn for setting grandpa up on DearElder.  I haven't gotten anything for him yet, but I'm excited with the prospect.  And Mommy, thanks for those delicious cookies!! They are so good! Everyone I've shared them with loves them!

THE NATIVES ARE HERE!! Can I just tell you that this last week has been my absolute favorite!  11 Native Koreans arrived at the MTC last Tuesday and Wednesday!  There are 3 sisters and 8 elders. I am already madly in love with the sister missionaries.  Again, I have never met a kinder, happier, friendlier group of people in my life.  Seriously, the South has nothing on their hospitality!  It's been so nice to have 11 extra teachers with the language.  They are always willing to help and when you do something right or you understand them, you automatically get a big smile and a round of applause.  They are great for your self-esteem! haha!

It's been funny though explaining what we have been learning in class to them.  They hadn't realized their language was so hard to learn.  Once they saw how much work we were putting into it, they just started apologizing. haha!!

So, in the Korean culture you don't really do anything without using both hands.  Giving, receiving, waving... I've nearly perfected my two handed wave =]

With one of the Elders, him and I have been swapping English words. He'll say a word and ask me if I know what it means (like vex, or ergo) and then I'll give him one in return and see if he knows what it means (I stumped him with effervescent). 

Sacrament meeting was the best this past week.  When Koreans sing...THEY SING!  Think of the Longshore row at church... times 10!  I felt so at home! And it made singing in Korean lots of fun. 

I am seriously in love with all of them.  We'll be taking lots of pictures next week so hopefully I can send that home sometime.

While on LDS.org the other day I came upon a talk entitled "Encounter: The Korean Mind and the Gospel".  It was really neat. 
** Question! Speaking about Korea and Koreans, will someone look up the significance of this year being the year of the Black Dragon in Korea?  I know it is important and that it only happens every 60 years, but I just want to know some more about it... thanks! 

So this week we did some new stuff.  On Saturday it was our first trip to the TRC (teaching resource center).  There we taught two sets of members for 15 minutes...of course in Korean.  It was really nice to be able to just talk with members and share a message with them.  I'm excited to continue to go back there and practice more.  The two groups of girls we had were just from this area and their parents were from Korea. 

I FINALLY have my testimony and a more complex prayer memorized! (When I say more complex prayer, I mean now I can say more than just thank you for... and please bless... amen. Now I can say like, in order to learn Korean, please help us.  Or, because you helped my sister, I thank Thee.  It's great!)

This week we also learned numbers!  So, Koreans use both Korean and Chinese numbers.  Like in time, the hours are in Korean and the minutes are in Chinese.  To help us practice, our teacher made us count the stairs going up in Korean and going down in Chinese.  When you forget a number you have to think about it before you move on... Needless to say we've caused a couple of traffic jams already, haha!

My favorite new thing about this week is now, as a district, we are reading the Book of Mormon out loud together.  It'll only be on Monday nights, which I'm sad about, because I've never learned so much in just the first chapter and a half of the Book of Mormon.  Reading it from a missionary perspective is so neat.

My favorite thing I learned this week was from the MTC Fireside Monday night.  It was by the Director of Missionary Services, Clayton M. Christensen.  He talked about how we should never leave the mission field.  So to summarize: when you feel like after you've done everything you're supposed to, (from reading the scriptures, to praying, to keeping your standards and magnifying your calling), and there is still something is lacking, You need to share the gospel!!  Every member should be a missionary.  When we share the gospel we are not only serving the Lord, we are serving His children.  It's not a tactic, it's a principle!!!  A principle, with a promise.  The principle of serving and sharing the gospel comes with so many promised blessings! Such as Mosiah 2:24, immediately blessed, D&C 34:4-5,11, the Lord will be with you, D&C 88:84, perfected in ministry, 1 Nephi 14:14, power of God, and of course, D&C 4, especially v7.  Even when you smile you share the light Christ's gospel brings. 

I love you all!! And I hope you can feel the excitement and joy I have for missionary work in your own lives.  There is no greater joy!  Keep the letters coming!

PS THE PROPHET SHOULD BE COMING TONIGHT!! AND I'M SINGING IN THE CHOIR! I'M SO SO SOO EXCITED!!

Kiss, Love, Hugs!