Hello dearest family!! Can you believe it? I am finally here!
Ok, dad
said y'all wanted details, so here you go.
The plane ride over here
wasn't as tragic as I was expecting. I slept for a couple of
hours, which was nice, but technically I was only in the air for about 9
hours. Dad! I tried to look out the windows for the ice caps, but it was
pretty much cloudy the entire time. At one point I thought I saw them,
but then again, it could've just been clouds.... Hahaha I don't know,
at that point I was getting a little loopy.
When we landed in Japan I
was doing really well at first. Me and Sister Kersey had lots of
fun walking around the airport. It definitely started to sink in that we
were in a foreign country lol.
I think the hardest plane
ride came going from Japan to Busan. At that point it was about 4 or 5 in
the morning our time and my body was NOT happy!!! I tried REALLY hard to stay
awake that flight, knowing that a bed was waiting for me... yeah, that
lasted like 5 minutes haha. Luckily I woke up at we were passing over
Busan. WOW!!! The city is unlike anything I have ever seen! IT IS
HUGE!! Take downtown Memphis, multiply the buildings by 100 for
the quantity, 10 for the height and then squish them all
together and you have a pretty good idea of Busan haha.
Driving from
the airport to the mission home at night was so amazing! At one point
we were driving over a bridge and to see the sky scrapers climbing up
the mountains with all their neon lights was amazing.
That night at President Gilbert's house we gathering in the dining room, eyes glazed over and feeling
like death, and we had jam and honey with home made rolls! Yumm…Needless
to say I slept
WONDERFULLY! And…As
all y'all know, what happens when Longshore women are really
really really tired? THEY TALK IN THEIR SLEEP OF COURSE! Haha I was sharing a
room with Sister Baker and apparently I started yelling at
her. Truth be told, I think I have talked every night while being in
Korea!! lol
The next day started a
fun day of training!! We began the day with administrative things and
breakfast. Breakfast was like a wannabe strata, but at that point
anything was delicious. My favorite part was the tangerines. People
weren't lying when they said Korea has the best fruit! IT'S SO
TRUE. They are sweet and juicy and I think I have been ruined for life
lol.
Our first outing for the
day was going to the bank. We exchanged money, set up an account and got
everything squared away. The drive over was sooo cool. It was my first
time seeing Korea in the daytime. I couldn't help but try to read
everything I could see. Some things I could understand, others it was
hopeless. My favorite has been the businesses that are English words put
into Korean…like "dry cleaners" and "sale" they sound
really close…you just have to say them with a Korean accent.
After the bank we
came back and I was able to have my first interview with President
Gilbert. He is such an amazing person. I already have such a love
and respect for him and his wife. Heavenly Father knew what he was doing in
sending me to this mission to be under their stewardship. The interview
wasn't anything formal; we just sat there swapping stories. I am excited
to continue working with him and his wonderful wife in this mission.
Sister Gilbert is fantastic!! Her knowledge and love for the scriptures
is profound, I could sit and listen to her stories all day long. Again, I
am excited to work with them! For what I have heard, they have completely
turned this mission around! Baptisms are up and temple attendance is
booming. They believe that miracles can happen, they are striving to make
them happen, and Heavenly Father is rewarding their faith and the faith of the
missionaries. I can hardly wait to share some of my own experiences that
I know will happen.
OK, back to training day.
After my meeting with President, he brought in all trainers. For those who
don't understand the process, President Gilbert
explained that out of all the missionaries he chooses the trainers’ first, all
other leadership positions could be filled in afterwards. But, when he
chooses the trainers he does not assign them automatically to a new
missionary. In fact, he doesn't know who will be paired up until the end
of the training days. So, as part of training we are assigning to
different trainers throughout the day to see who works well with whom.
Our first activity with
the trainers was to get to Lunch!!
My first trainer was
Sister Lee Ye Jeong. We headed from the President's house to the
Subway and we talked to everyone we saw. Though I can't say very much, I at
least know "hi" and "we're Missionaries" and
things like that. My favorite part had to be the Subway ride!! SO
COOL! Ready for some funny stories?? Lol
So one of the first
people I talk to was this sweet old grandmother. She has me sit next to
her and then she all of a sudden grabs my hand! She's holding my hand and
patting my arm and then she puts my hand to her face, all the while telling me
how pretty I am, Hahaha so sweet. (I didn't get creeped out at
all because it's all a part of the culture; she was just being kind). The
rest of the day was sort of the same. I was stared at and called cute and
pretty all day haha. Oh the advantages of being tall and American! Lol
Also that day we were
able to go to a park on top of a big hill, it was beautiful and there was
a temple on top. By the end of the day I placed a Book of Mormon, got number
and handed out numerous pamphlets and pass along cards. I don't know what
will come of it, but at least I gave a few people the opportunity to learn
about Jesus Christ.
That night we had a
DELICIOUS Korean dinner at the Gilbert's house. I really do love this
food. Some Kimchi still kind of freaks me out, but at least I can stomach
it. So far my favorite is Kim Pop. It's like the sushi rolls at home
with vegetables or tuna inside. yummm! Sooo good! I think
the hardest part about the food is the chopsticks. Korean's are the only ones
that use flat, metal chopsticks, so they are a little different then what I've
practiced with. But the good thing is, I'm not starving, so don't worry
mom!
Day 2 of training was the
big exciting day when we got to know who our companions are!!!! SOO nerve
wracking! (Which is silly, because Heavenly Father wouldn't tell Pres. Gilbert
to put us with someone who wouldn't love and help us.
As y'all already realized I am with a Native Korean!!
(Insert happy dance here*) She was the first trainer I was paired up with
and her name is Sister Lee Ye Jeong 이 예 정
She is the oldest of 4 kids, her younger sister and brother are
serving in Dajeon and her youngest sister is still at home. I think that
hardest thing for her is that her dad passed away a couple of months ago.
She and her siblings were able to go home to Seoul for a visit, which is
good. Though I know she's had a hard time, her love and determination for
this work is profound, especially since it was her father that encouraged her
to go.
After a final lunch (hamburgers!!!) at the mission home we
headed out to our new areas!! It all went really quickly actually. Lol My
companion and I are serving in an area called Geum Jeong. It's only like
30 min from the mission home and we are in the same area at the AP's and the
other office missionaries. The ward is so fantastic and we have a
BEAUTIFUL building that we meet in. (seriously, it's better than at home even.
crazy right?) Sister Lee has done a fantastic job of building love and trust
with these members and they are so willing to help us with the work.
That first night we didn't waste any time letting me get settled
in, but we jumped straight into the work and had our first lesson with an
investigator. Her name is Kim Jok Sook (PS it's really hard to
Romanize names Hahaha). It was a great lesson and my
companion is sooo nice to include me in the lessons, she always leads me into
them, and lets me say the small, slow sentences that I can say. But every
day it gets a little better. I'm actually surprise with how much I can
understand. I find that I can pick out a few words and I do pretty well with
getting an idea of what they are saying. My companion is pretty grateful
with how much I can understand especially because her English isn't very good.
There are so many other things that have happened already with
people I've met and lessons that we've taught, but there isn't time to talk
about them all. haha
Some other things that I have enjoyed about Korea:
1. The weather reminds me of home!! We are a little
behind y'all temperature wise, but it's still beautiful
2. Heated floors!!! Oh man it's wonderful!! Our mattresses are
on the floor, so when we turn on the heated floors at night it's perfect and cozy.
Mom you would LOVE it!
3. I LOVE it when Koreans speak English to me!! Not only is it
kind that they try and include me that way, but it's actually really funny! The
phrases they know are pretty great. Like, they'll say hi and nice to meet
you all at the same time. One man asked me "do you say you're
welcome, don't mention it, or no problem man?" haha so great
4. The little kids are adorable here! Though, whenever I try to
speak Korean to them, they just laugh at me! Lol at least I am trying!
(Things I don't like…Brother Hatfield was right!! The smell here
is pretty gross lol especially the fridge! Since you keep the kimchi in the fridge everything
starts to have a slight kimchi taste to it...kind of ruins a bowl of cereal in
the morning lol)
I love it here though! I hardly think about how I am in another country
halfway across the world!! It's so much fun and the people are so kind. I
know that this is where I am supposed to be and I can't wait until I can
talk to everyone as much as I would like. But until then, I'll still try really
hard.
My mission is amazing! I love the focus the Gilbert's have
brought to the mission. Our motto, if you can call it that, is
"United in Christ, Together We Rise" coupled with 3 Nephi 3:15.
We also have a mission picture (sort of). It is entitled "Yes sir,
all are present and accounted for" (I think that's the title....) It
is a depiction of the 2000 warriors after their battle. They may be
wounded, but because of their faith all were accounted for. It is a
beautiful picture showing each of the young men holding up the other. That's
how the Gilbert's want this mission to be. But our overall goal and outlook
is to have a Temple in Busan!! We are sooo close!! The numbers are close, we
just need to strengthen each and rise to the opportunity. The saints of
Busan need the blessings a Temple nearby can give them.
Again, I'm excited for all the wonderful things that are
happening here. It is a blessing and privilege to be apart of
it and I’m glad I can share it with y'all.
Kiss Love Hugs from Korea!!
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| Map of where she is in Comparison to Busan! |
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