I FOUND ELVIS!

OK, it's just a statue of Elvis, but he lives in Korea too!! I'll send the picture in the next package. Needless to say it brought a huge smile to my face!! =D


Well, as both Gwen and Dad said, Another week gone by... This week I have enjoyed some of the amenities that come with living in an 'established' (aka OLD) missionary house. For instance, this morning we cleaned to house singing along to the invigorating Christmas Tunes of Andrea Bocelli; in the depths of the junk closet we also found Amy Grant Christmas and a Josh Groban mix. Other treasures we have discovered are 2 broken fans, a chess set, an instrument that it like the mix between a keyboard and a bagpipe (Gwen: sounds like an accordion...LOL) and about 15 umbrellas! haha The umbrellas came in handy during the rainy days (we left our umbrellas at a members house). 


(Don't worry mom, the rain hasn't been too bad during our proselyting hours, and I can't really wear my boots right now. Yes, they would keep my feet dry, but the wool lining would just KILL me! Though it's raining, it's as hot as a southern summer over here.  But like I said, we haven't had to do much walking during the heavy rainfall (thankfully!). )


Another funny story of last week occurred on Monday.  After the P-day hours we had planned to go visit a LA (less active member) who lives about 40 min away by bus.  There are several buses that go in that direction, and because we barely missed the one we usually take, we had to hop on another. They go to the same place, but the bus we chose that day seemed to stop at EVERY station!! So what should have been a 40 min ride at most, turned into almost 2 hours...Then when we got to the general area we missed the stopped we needed, so we got off at the next and then walked 15 minutes through rice fields and farm lands haha. By the time we got to the right apartment complex it was 8:15pm; and because we have to be at home by 9pm we had to hop right back on the bus to head back home.  Yep, it was an Epic Fail!  haha But at least it was a fun one!! The sad thing was, the buses were nearly empty so we didn't even get to talk to that many people... I love missionary work haha (don't worry we were able to go back the next day and the visit was amazing! Worth every minute! And i think if we were able to have met with her and her family on Monday, the visit would not have been the same. Heavenly Father was definitely in control of that situation.)


Saturday was a neat day. It's amazing to see the strength of the Youth of this church.  On Saturdays is seminary and mutual day. But the leaders have recently added other programs to the Sat schedule. Now, every Saturday, the youth's schedule goes like this: 6:30 Breakfast, 7-8 Seminary, 8-9 PMG Mission Prep, 9-10 English Class and then Lunch. After Lunch they then have Mutual and an activity.  It is SOO much fun to see the youth at the church all day long.  The Church is their place of refuge.  It is where they gather together and they enjoy the company of their friends. They learn and grow from each other and their leaders and overall they just have a great time. I think back on growing up and i don't know if i would have willingly given up my Saturdays to spend all day at church, but as i look at them, and the joy they have just being with each other makes me so grateful that i had seminary every day and mutual every week.  We need the support of each other, whether you are in Korea or America.


My next favorite day this week was Sunday! We helped out our District Leader and his companion in their branch's music night.  It was lots of fun.  They had songs, slide shows and narrations for each point in PMG's Lesson 2, The Plan of Salvation.  The spirit was sweet that night. I love the joy and peace that music brings!!  The last part of the program, we watched the end scenes from The Testaments video, when Christ comes to the Americas. To close, us four missionaries sang Come Thou Fount and had half the people in tears. Like I said, the Spirit was sweet there.


So, speaking of singing...I have a surprise for y’all.  President said that he would send it to y’all, so i haven't said anything, but with the busy life as a missionary, he just put it up on Facebook.  So.... Way back when, we had the Sisters Conference here in the mission. For the conference Sister Gilbert asked me to help her make the scarves, but she also asked me to sing the song Virtue.  Well!  The Gilbert’s actually recorded that song! =]  It's up on Facebook.  I asked them to tag me, but i don't know when that will happen. (they tagged her, it is on her page!)  So Gwendel, if you go on my FB I am friends with Pres. Lynn Gilbert and you should find that video on the page. I hope y’all like it!  Sister Gilbert said she'd also put up the videos from this music night too. There also should be pictures from all the missionary gatherings and such. So enjoy!!!  My favorite one is the Virtue song. That one was a blast to sing! Elder Innis, the pianist, did the arrangement and it was just fun!


I learned something really cool this morning during personal study. Last night, during planning i thought about the Less Active sister that we are planning on visiting today. i started thinking about what message we should send to her when two words came into my mind: "mother's courage".  I have been reading Daughter's in My Kingdom, the book about the Relief Society and I have been so humbled to see the courage and strength of the woman of this church. The RS motto is “Charity Never Faileth.”  It has been through the woman's and mother's small, day to day choices and examples that have been the greatest influence of good in this Church and in the world. When i think of exemplary mothers i think of the 2000 Stripling Warriors. These young men went to the battle field with "exceedingly valiant courage" (Alma 53:20), with complete trust in the Lord and with faith unshaken. How where they able to do that?   They were taught by their mothers. Alma 56:47-48. I don't imagine their mothers standing at the head of the dinner table giving them a long sermon, or making the young men read their scriptures for hours on end, i see the young mothers, like my mom, teaching them through their example.  Through fulfilling their church callings, and visiting teaching, through small acts of Charity throughout their lives. I see the mothers living their testimonies, and in their living of it, they are sharing and teaching.  Again in Alma 56:45 Helaman says that he has never seen such great courage.  It takes courage to live your life with charity.  In a selfish world, it takes courage to turn out when the natural man wants us to turn in.  It was through the mother's charitable courage that the young warriors were able to have courage. To sum it all up I thought: It Takes Courage to Live Charity.


I love you all! Thank you for all the love and support!! Thanks for all the prayers and emails!  Remember that I love you and that I miss you.


Til Next week!  Kiss Love Hugs!!