Summer Has Come...

Hello darling family!!!

Sorry this email is coming to y’all early! (especially to you daddy! It must kill you that I keep having to switch up the times! lol)  But we have a fun day planned for P-day, so we got permission to get a little bit of an early start.  Today we are going to a members work place, he owns a pottery shop!  We get to go make some clay things. I haven't decided what I am going to mold yet, but it'll be fun, I'm sure. (and if I was having a conversation with you dad, I know that we would have a long talk building up an analogy! Don't worry, I've already begun and I'll share that with you next time =] )  OH!  And hopefully today I will be getting my haircut!!! Yeah!! I haven't decided how short yet, all I know is that I need a change! And with the humidity of summer finally showing up here, the long, thick hair has GOT TO GO! 

What a wonderful week it has been here in Korea!  Have I mentioned that I love everything about being here, because I do!  Like the week before we have been spending a lot of time meeting our branch members and building relationships of trust (BRT) with them.  I think they are really starting to see that my companion and I mean business and we are trying to work really hard.  Especially the Relief Society president and the Young Men's president; you can tell that they are trusting in our work because we have been getting a LOT of referrals from them for people that we need to visit.  It's amazing to see that in three short weeks how many people we now know about that we can help.  I love missionary work!  Though those two leaders are starting to trust in our abilities, I'm afraid the branch as a whole doesn't have the highest of hopes where missionaries are concerned.  I don't know what has happened in the past, and I'm sure past missionaries have worked their hardest, but I do know what we need the trust of the members in order to do the grand work of the Lord.  Without the support of the members, this work can not progress.  All we can do right now is work our hardest, be 100% obedient and trust in the Lord.  If we do that, I know the Spirit will prepare the hearts of the people of Shin Jeong to receive the gospel.  I am humbled to be a part of such a great cause. 

Speaking of 100% Obedient, that was the main topic of President and Sister Gilbert at Zone Conference (where all the missionaries in a decent sized are get together and have a spiritually uplifting meeting to learn about the Mission goals. There are usually 50-100 in attendance) this past week.  I LOVE when missionaries gather together!  It's seriously so much fun and the spirit that is present is nearly tangible.  President and Sis Gilbert keep reminding us that Heavenly Father is anxiously waiting to bless the people of Busan.  He is ready and waiting, He just needs us to catch up.  With conviction in their words they told us that this mission needs to rise, and it needs to rise quickly.  I can't help but think that a Temple is on the dawning horizon of Busan.  The Lord wants all of His children to come unto the House of the Lord and He is ready to make those blessings more easily acceptable to the people of Busan.  But now i need to do my part of the work.  As a servant of the Lord I need to prepare hearts, by inviting everyone to come unto Christ through faith, repentance, baptism, receiving the gift of the Holy Ghost and enduring to the end.  That is my purpose.  I love how my purpose isn't to make people "Mormon" or to invite them to learn about our church, but we invite others to come closer to Christ.  Christ is my purpose, and it's through the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints that people are able to draw nearer unto Him than they could anywhere else.  With such an important purpose I need all the help I can get, and I know that I can only receive that strength through obedience. 

Sister Gilbert said something at the conference that reminded me a lot about you mom.  She told us that if we could glimpse even a small portion of our eternal potential, if we could see ourselves as God sees us, then we would be an unstoppable force for good in the world.  Mom, you always taught me that I am a Daughter of God and that I am precious; thank you for that.  In D&C 4 we are told that we need to keep our "eye single to the glory of God".  We learn in Moses that God's work and glory is to bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of men.  We are God's glorious creations.  And all of His work is to bring us safely home; home to heaven, home to eternity.  That needs to be our focus.  We need to remember that we are children of God.  We have a divine heritage. 

This week we were able to meet with all the people that we found last week.  They are doing great.  One of our English class students, "Eric", is doing great and told us again that he wants to learn more about our religion.  We're planning on meeting him and his wife this week!!  I'm excited to teach him more about Christ and Christ's Restored Gospel. 

There isn't enough room to talk about all the people we have met, talked with and visited, but I am humbled to see how much the Lord is helping us help the people of Shin Jeong.  I LOVE MISSIONARY WORK!!! But really though, I do. 

In the MTC, Elder Holland said something along the lines of "This is Glory Work.  Prepare to Astonish People".  It's amazing to see that I have been one of the astonished ones as I have witnessed the love God has for His children and as He, through His servants, is actively searching them out and calling them back into the fold of His Son, Jesus Christ.

I'm excited for what this week holds and I can't wait to tell all y’all about it!!

I love you!! Kiss Love Hugs!!

**Food scare for the week hahah!! We were out to eat with our Ward Missionary Leader, and i was trying one of the side dishes.  He asked me how i liked it, and i said it was good.  Come to find out the name of that delicious side dish is "Mouse Jerky".... luckily it was only fish... but he then goes on to promise that next time he'll feed me real mouse...that'll be interesting....