"Opening Your Mouth"

FAMILY!!!!  HI!!!

How wonderful it was to open up my email today and see emails from all y’all!!! THANK YOU SO MUCH!

Things are still a little bit on the chilly side here in Sangin, but we have had somewhat warmer days!  I have to say that I am SO ready for Spring to come! 

Oh man...I don't even know where to begin!?!  Hmm...How about with: I LOVE MY COMPANION!! Working with her is the biggest blessing ever! Yes, it is really really really different!  It's strange to speak so much English again (I don't think I have spoken this much English since September....) and it's funny when I just slip into Korean and then I realize she can't have Konglish conversations yet...but things are going well. Sister Taylor is picking up on things pretty quickly, so that's good. It's funny being the companion that talks the most in the lessons these days, but I know that Sister Taylor always has my back, and I try hard to keep her informed on what is going on in the conversation. She's a good sport and is always ready to bear her testimony and share the things we have practiced and prepared. Food is a little hard for her right now...She misses the "simplicity" of American food and some of the things still freak her out a bit; but again, give it some time and I think she'll warm up.

The fun part about serving with her (one of them) is that it makes me think about when I was a newer missionary and I thought everything was strange. Now, when she points something out, it's a bit odd to think that its foreign! I'm always like: "How is it in America??" Haha I don't really know what is odd and what's not; it all just seems normal. It has been fun sharing the things that I have picked up and learned. I like being able to share all the things that I have accumulated. I think Sister Taylor was rather relieved when her first meal at a members house was spaghetti hahaha!!

Well this week began with inspiration and was filled with miracles. Last week, as we were knocking doors, Sister Taylor just said: "You know what I think? I think there are some very special people waiting for us to find them, people who God has prepared, and I think that we need to search them out" As the Spirit also touched my heart, I couldn't help but smile and agree completely! And so it began!!!!!

Everyday we planned time to go out and proselyte, whether on the subway or bus stops, we even tried at a University (but it was closed because of vacations haha).  As we take a look back on the week we can see how much Heavenly Father has blessed us! PMG teaches that finding people is an act of faith. We don't know what is going to happen, we don't know where the conversation will go (if they talk at all), we don't know how they will accept our message, and things like that. But that doesn't matter, because we love God, we love our message, and we have the faith that He will lead us to those people who need to hear our message. And can I just say!?! My journal is FILLED with stories from talking to people.

We met one lady on the train that knew who we were because as a little girl she played with the missionaries at the church, which was across the street from her house.  To her, we gave a Book of Mormon.

As we were talking with someone else, a girl asked who we were and where we were from, she went on to talk to us in English because she was a English-Lit major and she gave us her number, really excited at the prospect of being about to meet again.

Another Christian family we met and they explained about their mother passing away and how that led them to search out God and beginning attending church. To them, we talked about God's love and the Plan of Salvation and we gave them a pamphlet and a Book of Mormon.

My companion and I took a bus we hadn't originally planned on, and I sat next to a woman. We began talking about her family and life and soon she asked for our number, texted us the next day and now we have an appointment with her this Friday.

As we were waiting for a subway, I saw a man reading a sign in English, and I went up and introduced ourselves and explained we teach free English classes.  After talking some, he said that he went to church as a little boy and always believed in God, but he wasn't going to any church now.  We got his information, referred him to our Elders, and now they have an appointment with him this next week.

We were out finding a house that we wanted to visit and we stopped into a market to ask for directions. The girl working recognized us because she said she had seen similar people walking around, but she had never talked to them, though they seemed nice. We had a great conversation with her, got her number, and we are planning to visit her again this week.

One day during pros. my companion was having a hard time, but was trying to talk to as many people as she had the courage to. At the end of the day, as we were about to say prayers, she shared with me something that she had just realized. She said that it was a hard day, but she was just praying for the faith and courage to be able to talk to people, and it ended up that EVERY person that she began to have a conversation with ended up speaking really really good English and she was able to do missionary work without any help.

I could go on and ON about the things that we experienced this week and the people we talked to. It was SO cool! By the end of the week we had received 15 contacts and given away 10 copies of the Book of Mormon.

Truly the Lord fills the mouths of His servants and He blesses us beyond measure as we put a little faith and trust in Him.

Of course my week has also been filled with funnies too (trying to figure out a sticker machine that is yelling at you in Korean, yet everything is in Japanese!, quoting movies and songs, having an old man whisper in my ear that I am beautiful and that he will miss me, and getting lost a couple of times and then having old grandmas argue about which is really the right direction, companion date night where we watch the Testaments movie while drinking banana milk....)  but those moments just add to the silver lining of missionary work.

We've taught lessons, and testified of Christ. We have shared our message with those people around us and we learned for the scriptures. We have the desire to continue to do so! I have a feeling that the miracles of Sangin are only just beginning to happen!! There is SO much more waiting to happen, we just have to continue to work hard towards them. I know that the Lord is mindful of everyone and there really is a quickening happening in the work, and I am humbled and excited to be apart of THIS work at THIS time!!

Thanks for all the love and support! I love you all dearly and I hope you know that I miss y’all, but Korea has my heart right now! (so much that I am STILL having nightmares of ending up at home when I KNOW that I am still supposed to be in Korea haha ((really though, they are NOT fun dreams! I just cry and cry and wonder why I am at home and NOT in Korea!)) )

Love y’all, mean it!
Oh...and I LOVE MISSIONARY WORK!