Already Busy!

FAMILY!!!
WE GET TO TALK TOMORROW WE GET TO TALK TOMORROW WE GET TO TALK TOMORROW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I don't know if y’all realized, but we get to actually hear each other's voices tomorrow!!! EEEP!!! I AM SO EXCITED!! Like, for reals. I don't have to imagine your voices as I read the emails, because I get to hear them tomorrow!! YEAH!! So this past week in Daegu was a busy one, and one full of surprises.

So not to get confused, last week I talked about transfers right? Well that was a special case, emergency transfer, and not the regular, end of the 6 weeks, transfer. THOSE transfer calls came this Thursday!!

Y’all ready??!?! SO After 5 months and 4 transfers in Daegu, experiencing both the winter and the beginning of summer, I finally got a transfer call this past Thursday! Now it looks like I'll be spending the rest of my mission back down in the Busan area at the Beautiful Hae.un.dae!!! (I don't know how you spell it in konglish!) But it is the richest city in Korea, next to Seoul. There are beautiful beaches and right now the work is booming!! 

Well, that's not all!! Not only will I be over Haeundae, but I'll also be in charge of the neighboring Gwangan! 

That's not the end...I'm opening up both areas to sisters. Yep, I'm the first and only sister there. OHH!! 

And then I should probably mention that will be doing all of this with a brand new missionary!!!!!

YEP! WHITEWASH/ OPENING TRAINING!!

I.AM. SO. EXCITED!!!!

Fun thing, as missionaries, in our last district meeting of the transfer we always do transfer predictions on who is going where. Yep, I TOTALLY guessed it! I had been feeling for awhile that I would be headed back down south and I'm really excited that it came true. The 8 elders (2 sets in each area) I get to work with are absolutely amazing! From the Haeundae side of things, I am inheriting 3 investigators and from the Gwangan side of things, I have 2 really good potentials. ((One, thanks to Sister Kersey who met a lady, became really close and they have been in contact with each other for months!! She referred me over and I'm excited to meet her!!))  I also already have a couple of referrals to contact that I received from missionary family members and an English class member from Daegu!  She already called her friend and told them I was coming. It's amazing to see how ready Heavenly Father is to have the work go forward there and I'm excited for the challenge!! I prayed really hard to be busy my last 2 transfers and now I have no doubt that I will be. Now i'm just praying to get a companion that will be able to keep up!!

As for my 3rd 'daughter' Sister Choi Hanna, she got her own surprise on Thursday when, after only 6 weeks, she too will be training!!!!! Crazy huh!?!  There are so many Sisters coming that Heavenly Father is needing all of us at this time.  It'll be fun for her to have the growing experiences of training, and I know that things will go well (at least I am praying that they will =] )

Sunday, of course, was a sad day as I said good bye to the people that I have grown to love. They were all so sweet and kind to me. I'll forever remember the missionary hearts of the people of Sangin ward. They loved missionary work, and though it was hard to do sometimes, they truly found joy in sharing the things that they loved.

In my goodbye testimony, I shared 2 Nephi 5:27, and told them that because of their desire to do work and to love those around them even more, I could tell that they were truly living after the manner of happiness.  True happiness comes when we are in the service of others and in the service of our God.

Sunday afternoon I was blessed to have a wonderful conversation with one of our potential investigators.  Currently she is looking for a religion.  Not just a religion, she is looking for God.  With all of her heart she wants to find what is true.  She admitted that while on her search, she is wanting to learn as much as possible from a variety of denominations so when she goes to Heavenly Father in prayer to know what is right, she will have, what she feels, is needed to understand what truly is true and what is not. 

As we were talking the tears could not be held back as she confessed that she felt like the one lost sheep that no one was willing to come after.  She wanted to find truth and God, and she was willing to go out searching for it.  But, any such endeavor can seem daunting. As she wept, I wept with her.  In that moment I felt and saw a piece of what Joseph Smith must have felt as he searched for the same thing. I cried to know the peace and truth and comfort that she was seeking was right in front of her, yet she could not yet recognize.  As we began to offer the comfort that we had, the comfort that she needed, she stopped us there, and the things she told us next were very significant.

With trust and hope in her eyes she explained that she wanted to save the "Mormon" church for last.  She wanted to go to these different churches and hear what they had to say, but she wanted to save the "Mormon" church for last "so the truth won't be mixed in and confused with the other things I may hear." In her own words she testified what I believe her heart already knows. She knows where the truth is and I know that when she goes to Heavenly Father in prayer, her heart will testify to her mind what she already knows to be true. It was a tender lesson, and I am grateful that it was my last lesson given in the Daegu area.  As if it was a final gift, before the lesson closed, Heavenly Father allowed me to see something in my minds eye. I say this precious Daughter of God standing in white in the Temple. She had a smile on her face and I knew in that moment that when she was ready she would accept this gospel with all of her heart.

Oh, I wish I could use words to tell you all how much I love this gospel! I love everything about it!! I love the joy it brings and the little confirmations of God's love. I love you all dearly and I am excited to talk to y’all tomorrow!!! I'm excited for this chance to go to Haeundae and Gwangan.  It a blessing and a responsibility to go there, but I'm ready to put my faith to the test and try the Lord... and then we'll wait and see the miracles that are in store!

Love y’all! Mean it!!!