Fail.

Well, I typed a really great email... and then the computer ate it.
ㅠㅠ
Time is up and I have to go, so I'll fill y’all in next week.
highlights
*Singing American pop songs with Korean ladies in the car
*Being told I have Jesus hair
*Spending the day on a farm
***and now having an investigator with a baptismal date!!

I love y’all!
sorry...

Merry Christmas

AHHHH!!! I GET TO TALK TO YOU TOMORROW! I GET TO TALK TO YOU TOMORROW!! I GET TO TALK TO YOU TOMORROW!!!!! yeah!!!!  Hehehe

I'm so so so excited!

Sounds like y’all have been having a fun week! i'm excited to tell you about MINE! WITH MY OWN VOICE!!! Hehe

First, Grandpa, CONGRATULATIONS!! BJ is soo stinkin cute!!
Second, I’M SO JEALOUS y’all got to see Bomi!  I miss her soo much!  She's amazing isn't she?? I’m glad y’all got her help with cooking Korean and I also laughed when y’all added salt to the curry...I actually hadn't thought about that.  I'm glad you were there for her. I hope you gave her a big hug from me!
Third, thanks to everyone who sent me the "Merry Christmas" messages.  Especially Sister Hatfield!! I LOVED your message. It just made me laugh and laugh and laugh.  Good times and fun stories.

So like everyone else, I will save most of my stories for tomorrow (EEK!!)  But there is one highlight that I want to share.

Yesterday, our investigator Yoon Ji  was baptized!!!  It was her dream to get baptized before Christmas, and after a busy week we were able to make it happen. Since I'm the new missionary in the area I didn't know very much about Yoon Ji; so, during our last meeting before her interview I asked her why she wanted to get baptized. Her answer really surprised me. I was expecting what most other 14 year old girls might say: they like the people, because of friends, church is fun... or the other more serious answers of: she enjoys what she feels at church, she feels it's right, etc. 

But Yoon Ji's answer was completely unique. She said told me with a twinkle in her eye that she want to go to the Temple. And she knew she needed to first be baptized. What a special moment to realize that this young girl already had a grand eternal perspective. Then at the baptism, after the ordinance, she got changed into her dry clothes. I had a minute to take her aside and ask her how she felt. She had no words, but again the twinkle in her eyes returned and a smile filled her face. We again talked about the Temple and what awaited her there when she goes at the beginning of the New Year with all the youth. I'm so excited for her! And I'm excited to continue to see her learn and grow.

My other stories I’ll save for tomorrow...like our Missionary Christmas Party, watching KungFu Panda 2 and then spiritually analyzing it (which is awesome) and all those fun things!!

I AM SO SO SO EXCITED!!!

I love y’all!!! AND I'LL TALK TO YOU TOMORROW!!

Becoming Korean

FAMILY!!!! Hello!!!

It was SOO FUN to open up my email today and see all the lovin from family and friends! I miss all y’all so very much! Thanks for all the birthday wishes =]!! It was a good one! We had President Interviews 2 days before and, because President's bday is on the 9th, the District surprised us with a delicious cake and candles at the meeting. Then me and my house of sisters went out to eat and had Baskin Robbins. I admit that the food was really really gross, so on my actual birthday we ordered in DELICIOUS Korean chicken and I was satisfied ^__^ 

The morning of my b-day, the sisters all sang to me and gave me small little, hand-made gifts, and then I opened up the box from Dad and found the beautiful new scarves and gloves and opened up the skirt and shirt!!! Thank you thank you!! OH and the new orthotics!?!! I. Have. Happy. Feet! Thank you!

That night after dinner we all sat around laughing and talking and doing more of the crafts Mom and Dad sent. It was a fun day. That night it really hit me that I was 22 years old and that was a little strange (especially because now I have to say I'm 24 in Korean!! lol)  But it ended up being a good day!

OH YEAH!! hahah That night, when our District Leader called, I decided to give him a hard time lol  That day I had gotten calls from President, the ZL's, and my old district leader... yet I didn't receive a call from my DL!  So Elder Han (he's Korean, but he's from New Zealand...yes his accent is awesome) called to apologize to me from not calling earlier. He got out his guitar and their 4 missionary house all sang Happy Birthday to me! haha best way to end the day!

The rest of the week went really well. We are trying to find the balance of things here in Sangin. Ever since I was a new missionary, this has been my first area that I came to a new area with my companion already having been there...it's be a strange adjustment. I'm used to knowing the area, the people, everything that's going on, and because I feel so far behind this week has been a little hard. I'm ready to know these people!!! They are so wonderful!  Well, the previous missionaries in this area did a good job with meeting with the people who were in need, but the schedule they made has been the schedule of things ever since...to the point that we have NO time to visit ANYONE else. 

My companion expressed her equal desire to visit other members, and really start contacting the LA. So this week has been a week of a lot of thinking and re-evaluating. After Christmas we'll be making some changes, and I hope that it will allows to give our attention to more people who are in need of support and love from the missionaries. Luckily the members are always willing to help so I think it will be good.

Dad's email title was "White Christmas". Well it looks like we will be having a white Christmas here in Daegu as well!!!! Of course the weather is cold, and there will most likely be snow, but our White Christmas will be the White of Baptismal clothes!!!  We get to have an investigator baptism! =] I am so excited. Though I have only taught this cute girl once, the other missionaries have taught her well and her desire to be baptized is HUGE. She is a young woman and she loves coming to church. Her family has given their permission, but they don't really make things easy for her. But, she has been coming out on her own and participates in everything that she can. Her baptism will either be at the ward christmas party on Saturday the 22nd or Sunday morning the 23rd.  Either way, her dream of getting baptized before Christmas will come true. I'm excited for her to have another special reason to really remember Christ, this and every Christmas.

Overall this week was fun. I've been praying hard to be able to recognize why I am in this area and with my companion. I want to be able to accomplish the work that is needed of me. And little by little the vision is opening up to me. It's always so neat to have the opportunity to do the Lord's errand.

Something really fun this past week!!! haha On Sunday I made another step towards becoming a Korean! Are you ready... I MADE KIMCHI!!!  It was fun!!! Though I smelled like Kimchi for the rest of the day lol

They call it "Kimchi Jang"  and it's a big get together. We have all the cabbage and the spicy pepper paste and we go at it coating everything. While people took turns making the Kimchi, there was games and food and just chatting. It was a really fun get together!! 

I love you all dearly! and I'm SO SO SOOO excited to talk to y’all next week!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
kiss love hugs!!

Oh HAPPY DAY!!! 항복해요!

Family Family Family!!! HI!!!

How is everyone doing this week??  I think everyone had a pretty busy one from the emptiness of my inbox, but that's all good...less time to read things and more time to write; for this week that works out perfectly!!

I'll have to go in order of the events of the week...So this past week we had a combined Zone Conference.  I have mentioned before, and will continue to say so, that I LOVE getting together with other missionaries.  Though this round was a little strange because there was a lot of missionaries that I didn't recognize!  It's fun to have new missionaries in the field, and I love how nearly all of my group that I came out with is training, fun times.

This conference was great and we were able to talk about Elder Bednar and Elder Holland's conference addresses. This time is always my favorite. This discussion is led by Sister Gilbert and we all get to learn from each other and from the Spirit as we share the things we studied.

The MOST exciting part about the Conference, though, was the announcement by President Gilbert. Currently in our mission we have a complement (the amount of missionaries we are allotted from headquarters) of about 85 missionaries with about 20 of those being sisters. Currently we have a full complement. But with the new and amazing announcement from General Conference, we have received news of changes that will be coming to Busan, South Korea.

Our Sister's complement will go from 20 to 38, and our TOTAL missionary complement will rise to about 140!!!!!!!! This means that every branch and every ward in our mission will have 2 sets of missionaries!! When President and Sister Gilbert came to Korea there were only 72 missionaries...by the time their service is finished they will have doubled in number!!!!!!!! When I heard this news I just started to cry, and even now I can hardly hold back the tears of gratitude!!! We are about to get a force of missionaries that is needed and will be essential in helping our mission rise to where it needs to be.  Our hope is to have a Temple here is Busan, and now I can see it even clearer on the horizon!

The BEST part is, I may still be here for the first wave of new missionaries. I AM SO EXCITED!! But... there are some other changes that accompany this one...because of the new year and all the new missionaries coming, the transfer schedule will be changing.  Currently I'm scheduled (FAR TOO SOON) to come home July 2nd, right? Well, now I'll most likely be coming home July 29th.  (President had originally said June 19th and that literally sent me balling my eyes out...but then he realized he miscalculated!) So... yeah...I don't know if that will affect anything, and I'll keep you posted on what the official outcome will be, but for now it looks like I'll be home more around the end of July. (Sorry mom...)

NOW!!! THE REALLY EXCITING NEWS!!
On Sunday, November 11th, (11/11) Koreans celebrated 빼빼로 (peh peh ro) Day (they give each other chocolate covered prezel sticks because they look like an 11.. it's one of their 4 valentine-ish day's lol) But, on that day, Shin Jeong Branch had a different celebration. This Sunday, 이주희 (JuHee), 오세진(seh jeen) 오세민 (seh meen) ((brothers)), were baptized and confirmed members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints!!!  It was AMAZING!! We had 3 baptisms in one day, and then in 2 weeks the Elders will be having another one. It was really fun because me and Sister Yeon (my last companion) where the ones who first starting meeting with and talking with the brothers SehJeen And SehMeen. 

That day JuHee looked so beautiful in her white dress.  They were all smiles.  I was given the opportunity to sing a solo at the service and I sang "I Feel My Savior's Love." Then, the youth sang "I believe in Christ".  This was especially special for JuHee, because that was the first song she sang, the first Sunday she came to church a couple of weeks ago.  She remembered that song and asked if it could be sung at the baptism.

The Saturday before, we had our last lesson with JuHee before she was baptized. Her excitement was contagious.  At the end of the lesson she asked us if she could tell US everything that she learned.  Her testimony is so strong and so sweet.  She already has a love for the Gospel of Jesus Christ.  And then to see her with the other youth later that day, it was as if she had been there all along. That was definitely a comforting moment when I realized that she would be taken care of.  She is going to bless so many lives with the light that she shines forth.

After such an amazing week, we definitely have our work cut out for us. This is always a hard moment.  You go from having people you are teaching, who are progressing really well, to starting again and finding more people.  But that means that this week I really get to show Heavenly Father my love and gratitude and my faith in Him.  And when you look at it that way, this week is going to be good!!

Things are winding down as being a trainer and my poor companion is having a hard time.  She is realizing that she is about to be put with another companion. I remember when that thought struck me as a trainee...it's always hard leaving that zone of comfort you've worked so hard to make. But I know that she will be able to learn so many other things from the other sisters in the mission!! I'm excited for her to experience more.

Hmm.. what else...
OH!! It was the GREATEST thing the other night!! We were walking back home from a members house at night and we passed the Hyundai Department Stores and the little kid inside of me just got giddy!! THEY HAD CHRISTMAS LIGHTS UP!!!!  It looks SOOO beautiful!  Instantly Christmas songs popped in my head and I couldn’t keep the giggle from rising to the smile on my face! I LOVE CHRISTMAS!! ^___^  (Speaking of Christmas, I've been shopping for y’all!! I'm excited to send everything soon!!)

This week I have been studying the Beatitudes and the Lord's Intercessory prayer! The Beatitudes are neat.  I take them as the beginning and the end results, and then have Alma 5 be the self-evaluation in-between.  It's also neat to see the progression of the Beatitudes from the physical to the spiritual until we are prepared to meet God again.

As for the Intercessory prayer, I have been studying John 17 for a week now and have yet to finish the chapter! It's SO AMAZING!! I really like verse 17, follow the footnotes, especially to 2 Samuel and then follow the footnotes from there.  It's really neat to see what "truth" really is!

Well I love y’all!! Thank you for everything!! For the love and prayers and just greatness!!

kiss love hugs!

No Words

Darling family,
Sorry this is coming to y’all so late, and it will have to be a short one too...

Today we went to an Amusement Park! haha Gyeong Ju World! It was a blast!  I love my district, though it's strange being only 1 of 2 Americans in it; good language practice though, right??

This week was full of some ups and downs.  We were excited this week to have a lesson with our other investigator JeeHee (she is the daughter of our recent convert).  Lessons with her have been going wonderfully!  Her faith has grown so much and, as always, I'm blessed to have the privilege to be able to see it happen. 

If you remember in my last email, I talked about weekly planning and setting up 2 baptismal dates for the two girls, and then we switched them. This led to the miracle of JuHee being able to accept the date of the 11th, the day before her birthday. Well, this lesson with JeeHee we were going to give her the date for the 18th.

As we were walking to the bus terminal to head to her house I had mixed feelings.  Part of me was excited to go, but the other part was telling me that it wasn’t the right time for the invitation.  I brought the concern up with my companion to see what she felt. She was skeptical. She didn't feel like there was any problem, and so I decided to trust her and we would keep to our plan.

The lesson with JeeHee was amazing!! The Spirit was so strong as we talked about Heavenly Father's Plan for us.  At the end of the lesson it was time for my companion to  give the commitment. When we told JeeHee the date that we had been thinking and praying about, her eyes went big.... "my birthday?" she said. At that moment I couldn't keep the tears from coming to my eyes.  We had no idea, but Heavenly Father did.  Heavenly Father knew that it was JeeHee's birthday, just as He knew that it was JuHee's birthday.  So amazing.

That moment I thought that the bad feeling I had early must have been a mistake.

After the lesson we are heading out when we run into our recent convert, her mom, Sister Yang.  We tell her the exciting news about her daughter preparing to be baptized.  Her eyes get big... "OH, I hadn't realized it was going so well..." Hmm... I realized with dread that we hadn't been involving the busy mother as much as we should have.  Sister Yang explained that it was good, but that she wanted to talk to JeeHee for herself. 

The phone cal that we got the next day wasn't very encouraging.  Sister Yang explained that after talking to JeeHee, she felt that JeeHee wasn't ready; that she wasn't taking things too seriously.  I am grateful for the mother's concern. Baptism is a big thing, something that needs to be prepared for with a sincere heart. But a part of me is afraid that because it took Sister Yang nearly 3 years to decide she was ready to be baptized that she might make JeeHee go through the same process. 

My poor companion has had a rough time with all of this.  And I'm sad because I didn't listen to the promptings as well as I should have.

But we felt that the date needed to be extended, and so we did.  Through this we can now see how to help JeeHee and her mom work more closely together in building up one another. Now everyone realizes again, that as missionaries we have a purpose and we will work towards accomplishing that purpose through the promptings of the Spirit.  Right now the hardest thing is just knowing what to do next....

Other parts of the work are going great.  We are getting busier and busier every week and it is so much fun!!.

I love you all, and you are in my prayers. Thank you for keeping me updated on home, I'll make sure to keep a certain beloved family in my prayers this week. 

Emily: I love the house!! It looks super cute!!! More pictures please!!
Gwen: maybe I'll see if we can send Mallory your way again!! He's always willing to answer questions... I'm really really really sorry that you missed him.  Thanks for the updates on your life!
Mom and Dad. I love you both!!! Thanks for being great!!
M&K... are y’all alive ^_^ ㅋㅋ(korean haha)

kiss love hugs! 

MIRACULOUS!

Family!!
Hey y’all!! So last week I wrote in the title of the email that it was a "week of wonders".  Well, if last week was a week of wonders, then this week has been truly miraculous! Where do I even begin!?!?!

The week began as any other. We were finding old members, and trying to see why they weren't coming out to church.  We had some amazing meetings with a few of them and it was good in being able to finally put a face to a name on a list.

Thursday rolls around and it is time for our weekly planning!  I LOVE weekly planning!  Though it lasts FOREVER it is wonderful to be able to really sit down and think about the area, to think about their needs and the people we are teaching.  It is fun to pull out the teaching records and, with a prayer in our heart, plan what we are going to teach and when. I love being about to think about all the people individually and really think about what Heavenly Father wants for them.

This session we were doing just that for our newest investigator JuHee. (Bomi's friend).  She came to church again that Sunday and she is just drinking everything up! She is so beautiful, inside and out. During weekly planning we got out her teaching record and we began to see what she had been taught and what we wanted to teach her that night for our appointment.

We decided that we would finish the first lesson, but that we would also extend her a baptismal date.  (A specific day that she could prepare for to make the sacred covenant of Baptism.)  We had done this process for one of our other investigators and made her date for Nov 11th.  For JuHee we decided to make her's for the next week, on the 18th.  After we made that plan, I had a prompting from the Spirit that I needed to change the weeks around.  I sat there looking at the calendar and I kept feeling that the weeks needed to be switched. JuHee needed to be baptized on the 11th.  I expressed my feeling to my companion and we decided to make the switch.

That night was a fun lesson. We met JuHee and Bomi at the church where we made pancakes and then had the lesson.  The lesson was wonderful!! The Spirit that was there was so strong and tender. We talked a lot about prayers and what the answer to prayers are like for individuals. I was again SO grateful for Bomi to be there as she bore her testimony about the answers to prayers.  The Branch President even joined us at the end of the lesson and bore his testimony as well. It's fun to have all this support.

The time came during the lesson that we were to extend the commitment to prepare to be baptized on the 11th.  My companion asked her if she would be baptized and she agreed.  Expressing that is was what she really wanted to do.  Then, I told JuHee that we had been thinking and praying about her a lot that day and during that week.  I explained that we felt that she could be prepared to enter the waters of baptism on November 11th.  When I said the date, JuHee's eyes lit up and a smile spread across her face.  "How did you know?" She asked. Confused, she then explained that her birthday was the next day and the 11th sounded like the perfect day!!!

I am so grateful to know and recognize that Heavenly Father truly knows each of His children individually.  He knew when Juhee's birthday was, and He knew that she would be ready to enter into that sacred covenant the day before.  I am grateful that He told us and that we were ready to listen.

The next miracle, came the next day.  And I will never forget that morning.  Like any other Friday morning, we were at home doing study. At 9am we get a call from President that we were not expecting.... OK... Let's back up... If y’all remember a few months ago, after Sister Yang got baptized, Sister Yun and I were preparing for another investigator to be baptized as well, the darling grandmother, Sister Kim HwaSoon. The date was set {Sept 9}, but after the interviews we were informed that we would have to wait a little bit longer.  For whatever reason, we needed permission from the First Presidency before she could be baptized. Then, because of General Conference and other things, we had been waiting 6 weeks.  Being able to continue to teach her and see her testimony grow and grow was amazing. The phone call Friday morning was from President telling us that the permission had been received and Kim HwaSoon could be baptized as SOON as was possible!!

That phone call was sooo special to me!! Sister Kim had been waiting anxiously for 6 weeks. She wanted to be baptized soo bad!! She was ready to make that step, but not just for herself, but so she could help her family members as well.  She knew that she had found the truth and she was ready to join in with all of her heart.

As soon as the phone call ended with squeals of delight, I remember just sitting there for a moment, and then falling to my knees in tears as my companion and I offered up our deep thanks to Heavenly Father for granting Kim HwaSoon the chance to be baptized.  As soon as the prayer was over we called her up to tell her the news!! The tears were renewed as we combined our joy with hers. 40 minutes later, after countless phone calls, the date and the time of the baptism were set=Sunday Morning at 8:30am!!!!!!!!!!!

Our last lesson with Kim HwaSoon as an investigator was a sweet one. We talked again about the covenant of baptism and she was just so excited.  And then, in her tender, simple prayer she thanked Heavenly Father to have finally been able to find the truth, after a long life of 73 years. 

Sunday morning my companion and I were at the church at 6am to fill up the font.  The Baptismal service was wonderful.  Sister Kim truly looked like an angel dressed in white, and you could feel the presence of countless other angels gathering in around her as she entered into her new life.  Her grandsons played a piano and violin musical number and my companion and I were able to talk about her grabbing onto the Iron Rod as now she draws even closer to Heaven and Home.  We then gave her a new Triple Combination with a picture of Lehi's dream in front and her name, baptismal date, and a note from us on the inside.

My joy is truly full!! It was wonderful to have JuHee at the baptism that morning and now she is even more excited for the 11th to come!! I am excited for her.  She is going to be, and already is, an incredible strength to the youth in this Branch.

The miracles continue in ShinJeong and I'm excited to see what this next transfer holds! With the spirit, and the ever growing companionship unity, I'm excited to be able to bless more and more lives with this wonderful gospel.

My study time this week only added to these spiritual experiences. This week I recorded 15 pages worth of what can be called my "Conversion Story".  It was wonderful to be able to look back on the years of my life and the months of this mission and to see how I have changed and grown.  In a personal letter I wrote to Emily I said that since I have been here in Korea I have felt more like "me". I'm not the same person I was before, or have ever been in my life.  I am learning and growing and changing, but in that change I feel like I am coming closer to my Heavenly Father, and in this journey heavenwards I am becoming whom I was created to be, I am becoming "me". 

I love this glorious work.  I love the change it brings to people's lives and I love the happiness it can, and does fill you with.  I am humbled that Heavenly Father has trusted me to teach these wonderful people.

Thank you for your constant prayers! I love you all and I miss you like crazy!!

kiss love hugs!

September

Hi Family!!
Oh man!! Can y’all believe that it is already September!?!?!  Soooo crazy!! Though, the weather these past couple of days has been absolutely amazing; so really there is no complaining on my part!  It's nice to have the weather cooling off.  But with another new month, it means that another month has passed by! Currently I have been a missionary for 8 months, and in Korea for 5 months!! Then, this Thursday we will be getting transfer calls and I'll then be on my 5 transfer in Korea!  So far we are thinking that I will be staying and my companion is going.  Rumors are circling that I might be made a Trainer, but there is NO way I feel ready for that.... sigh... we'll see.  With time going by so quickly it also means that next month I will be hitting my half way mark... yeah...I know...I don't like it either! {her "hump day" is October 11. Feel free to send her anything that will make that day better for her!}

Well,  the work in 신정 is moving along wonderfully!! This last week we were able to have the last couple of lessons with our sweet 72 year old grandmother in preparation for her BAPTISM! This Saturday!!!  The lessons we have been having with her are very tender.  Before I explain why, I want to share with you something that I was studying this past week. 

In preparation to do the workshop (<-- almost forgot that word, it took me a minute lol)  in the District Meeting, I was studying in PMG about Recognizing the Spirit.  In my studies it lead me to think about the Gifts of the Spirit and the way that people feel the spirit.  (Some good scriptures include : Galatians 5:22-23(fruits of the spirit), Moroni 10:8-17 & 1 Corinthians 12 (gifts of the spirit) and John 15:26(testifies of truth) )   Through studying I was really able to look at my life, and the things that I have been blessed with.  It made me realize that as individuals, Heavenly Father knows us individually.  And He has prepared each of us with special gifts that will allow us to find, understand and recognize truth.  After some introspective thinking I started to think about my investigators.  How do they feel the spirit?  How do they recognize when something is true?  And how can I use that understanding to better teach them?  These questions are still a work in progress, but while teaching sweet Grandma Kim, I was able to notice how she has been recognizing the truth that we have been teaching her.

Grandma Kim is a very sensitive person.  She is very in tune with her feelings.  For the first moment that she came  to church, with tears in her eyes she said that she just felt something different and that she felt good.  My favorite lesson this last week with her was the Plan of Salvation (and it's my favorite lesson to teach anyways...)   After we went through the lesson, again tears just streamed down her face.  Sounding nearly heartbroken she inquired why she didn't know about this before! "Why couldn't I have found this earlier in my life?"  Again, the special spirit within her, the special gift of readily recognizing the truth, testified to her that after her 72 years of searching she finally found the way back to her Father in Heaven.  

And that is what spiritual gifts do.  They are given to us so that we, and those that we are meant to help through using our gifts, may return to live with our loving Heavenly Father.  Things of Spiritual nature do not limit themselves to this time and this place on earth.  A truth is eternal, and the Spirit testifies of truth.
I think the only hard thing for this sweet little lady is her poor memory is a little.. well, old. haha  She wants to understand the truth that she already feels, but it's a bit hard to do that when you can't remember everything very easily.  So, my wonderful companion had this awesome idea and we ended up making her a "map of the gospel" in a sense.  It's a picture that depicts the Restoration, the Plan of Salvation and the Gospel of Jesus Christ all in one.  It is SO COOL!!!  I'll be sending y’all the picture for sure.  But she was so grateful for that.  Aww the sweet and tender experiences we have had with her could just go on and on!!  I'm excited to see her dressed in white on Saturday. 

In other news, we survived all the storms here, and truth be told I was a little disappointed with how wimpy they were...I miss the good thunderstorms of Tennessee.  Other parts of Korea didn't fare as well, but overall, all the missionaries in Busan are safe and sound. 

Sorry I don't have very many fun stories this week... other than the one of a less active lady that we found who claims that she is possessed by an evil spirit.... but the work is moving right along and everything is going well!!

Today will be a fun adventure!! They just opened up a Costco in my area!! WHOOT WHOOT! So we are going with the Elders to go get some groceries!  I am so excited! =]

I love y’all dearly! Thanks for all the love and prayers and uplifting messages!!  I always feel extra strength from email time. 

Matty, have a HAPPY BIRTHDAY this week!!! I hope you like your present from Korea!! And make mom give you an extra hug from me mmk??

I'll let y’all know what happens with transfers next week, the email will probably be later than normal too fyi

Love ya, mean it!!
kiss love hugs!

BAPTISM!

Hello darling family!! 

As always, this is my favorite part of the week.  Not only do I get to read all the emails from y'all, but I FINALLY get to share what has been happening this week.  It's still hard not to be able to just call y'all up at any moment and tell you the exciting news or funny story.  But, it's all good, because now you get to have it all jammed packed into one letter. 

Something that Gwen reminded me of in her letter to me (yes Gwendel, I got it! ALLLL of it! bahah) was that when good things are about to happen, that's when Satan tries to get you down.  And though I know that truth, in the moment I completely forget that the "something good" part is about to come.  This week was wonderful, full of progression and new beginnings, but it was also a draining week; full of some disappointments and frustrations.  But if it wasn't for the bad we could never see the sparkling and bright contrast of the good, and I don't think we would appreciate it nearly as much either. 

So, first big thing that happened this week... SISTER YANG RECEIVED BAPTISM!!!!!!!!!!!!!! hehe YEAH!!!!!! It was soo amazing and wonderful.  But before we get to Saturday, let's back up a day. So, Sister Yang moved this past week.  Sad, I know.  She won't be able to come to our particular branch anymore, but in her new area she already has many friends.  We knew that this move was tough for her; new apartment, and new area far from the city and things familiar.  So, my companion and I decided to pay her a surprise visit!!  

Sister Gilbert had asked us to give Sister Yang a picture of the temple for her home, and sing to her as well.  On Friday we went and visited her and it was wonderful!!  We may or may not have had to lie to her to get her new address from her (it was for a good cause...) but the look of gratitude on her face when she opened the door to see us made the total of 4 hours travel there and back ALL worth it!!  We were able to give her a picture of the Salt Lake Temple with the words "Come Unto Me" written on it, and we sang her "Families Can Be Together Forever".  It was a wonderful message to share with her on the eve of her making a sacred covenant with our Heavenly Father, a covenant that has brought her one step closer to her Father in Heaven and the Savior Jesus Christ. 

Now, Saturday.  To see her dressed in white was a special moment for me, but to have her family there to see her in white was an answer to prayers.  She was nervous and excited, but everything went smoothly.  I think from the entire night, the moment that will hopefully remain with me forever is when we sang the closing song, "I Believe in Christ".  She didn't sing along, she just sat there.  She sat there with her eyes closed and a personal smile pulling at the corners of her mouth as she slightly swayed the the music; as if her whole being was in agreement with the words of the song: "I believe in Christ, He is my King!  With all my heart, to Him I'll sing".  It was a tender moment and tears came to my mind as I recognized that my heart sang along with hers.  I have no doubt that Heavenly Father has prepared her to bless the lives of many people.  We have asked her to write down her conversion story and we'll send into the Korean Liahona; I'm excited for her to share her faith with even more people. 

With one baptism over with, a missionary's heart can't help but look forward to the next opportunity to help someone else make that sacred covenant with our Father in Heaven.  And it's a huge blessing that I can now say that I won't have to wait that long!! My companion and I are hopeful and planning on baptizing our other investigator September 9th!!!!!!!  

So, her name is Kim HwaSoon, she is the grandmother of some members in our branch.  She is about 76 years old and so kind and sweet.  We started meeting with her a couple of weeks ago and things have progressed quickly!  Her background is interesting; her mother was Buddhist, and so she was also raised in that faith, but throughout her years she has gone to other churches to try and find which one was right for her.  Whenever she would go into a new church she was listen closely to the things taught and the feelings within her heart, if she didn't like either one of those she would get up and leave.  But, the first Sunday she came to church with her family she explained that she felt something different.  She felt good, she felt comfort, she felt at peace, so much so she couldn't keep the tears from flowing. 

This past Saturday she attended Sister Yang's baptism and she couldn't tell us enough times that she wanted to be baptized too!!  We have taught her two out of the three lessons necessary before baptism, and though she understands, her old mind has a hard time remembering.  But her heart is pure, and she is wanting to accept what we teach her with everything that she has.  We meet with her again this wednesday and then we will set the baptismal date for sure. 

I think the funny part about teaching her is when I talk!! haha She is old, and I think because I am American, and talk kinda like an American when I speak Korean, she just gets confused and doesn't understand ANYTHING that I say!! haha My darling companion is now translating for me in the lessons... not from English to Korean, but from Korean to Korean... yeah, it's a little disheartening, but she's such a cute lady that I can't really be that mad. 

A couple of weeks ago, in a package from mom and dad, y'all sent me stuff to make s'mores and those Reese's bars.  Well, this past saturday for our youth english program I decided to share!! We were talking about stores and shopping, so in the kitchen I decided to set up the "missionary cafe".  At the end of the lessons, they came up to the cafe window, and I gave them a Reese's bar and a cookie if they could tell me two things that they learned from PMG class and English Class.  It was lots of fun; but when the kids would come up for seconds, they only wanted another cookie... they all explained that the Reese's bars were WAY TOO SWEET!! hahah Poor things.  It's funny to see the different taste buds of Americans and Koreans... well more like Americans and everyone else... we really do like our sweet stuff!! Same with the people I have taught how to make s'mores; they can only eat like one because it is sooo sweet! hehe (though I did share some with Sister Kim (mom you got an email from her) and because she lived in America and served a mission there, she was SO EXCITED to have a s'more again... really though, her excitement was ridiculous hehe)  So thanks for all the packages of treats that y'all send here, they are being shared and 'experienced' by lots of people. 

This week in preparation for the baptism I was able to clean the font with one of the little primary girls in the branch.  As we were cleaning we were able to talk about the importance of baptism and following Jesus Christ.  She gets to be baptized next year and she is SO excited.  We talked about how she felt when ever she had to decided to "choose the right" and follow Christ's example; said that she felt good and happy.  I loved her simple and excited answer.  And I have to agree.  When we choose to follow the Savior, we will ALWAYS feel good and happy.  To quote our dear Prophet, President Monson: "Nothing good can come from doing bad and nothing bad can come from doing good."  And I think of the scripture that says that all good things come from God.  I know that days are hard, and somethings things don't work out, or people get annoying or whatever, but I know that if we choose to do good, if we choose to do as the Savior would do, not matter what the world would have us do otherwise, then we WILL ALWAYS be happy and feel good. 

I love y'all.  Thanks for everything that you do!! Thanks for the letters.  I love just hearing about your days. I hope you know that you are in my prayers.  There seems to be some rough days happening at home, but I know that there is a bright future just around the corner, hold on, choose good, and you will be happy.
Kiss Love Hugs!! 

Hi! It's Me!

FAMILY!!! HI! How's it going?? Good, me too. 

I am slightly worried that August is almost over with...time goes by sooo fast! (though I have to admit I am extremely excited for fall and cooler weather!!) I have actually been having nightmares about it!  This past week I have had a couple dreams about me being home.  I don't know why I had to go home early, and no one knew either, all I knew is that I was there and I was heartbroken.  I knew that I needed to still be in Korea and that I needed to finish my mission!! Really though, I was devastated in my dream! But luckily I would wake up and realized I was still in Korea, still in the country that has taken my heart completely.

This past week was the first time I realized how much the Korean culture has affected me...if I come back weird, I'm sorry! haha This last week my companion and I had a dinner appointment with the American family that lives in our ward.  The dad works for Exxon and is working in Ulsan with Hyundai.  Anyhow, we got the invite and my companion and I were SO excited!!  First, when we walked into their apartment I was greeted with a strange smell... it smelled like America! haha That night for dinner Sister Priedman cooked lasagna!!  It. Was. So. Good.  So we SAT at a table with a table cloth and we had napkins!  The table was set with forks and knifes and the food consisted of ONLY the main dish, salad, and bread.  SO STRANGE!! haha THEN on top of that I struggled with trying not to speak Konglish (KOR-ENG) and I had completely forgotten the words "will you please pass" (sorry mom, I know you must be in shock right now).  I am rather glad that is wasn't spaghetti, so I didn't have to show off my nearly perfected slurping skills.  haha 

I hadn't realized how much i have changed... It was rather funny.  I am so used to sitting on floors with short tables that are jammed packed with side dishes that you just reach for with your chopsticks to add to the only thing that is personal, your rice bowl.  The dinner was delicious though, and they really spoiled us with the American cuisine. 

This week my companion and I were able to find 2 more investigators. One is the mother-in-law of a lady in our branch, and the other is the guard of the apartment complex of a Less Active member we have been visiting.  I am extremely excited to continue teaching the both of them.  The grandmother is so kind.  When we taught her we began teaching her about God being her Heavenly Father, but she stopped us mid sentence and said that she wanted to learn how to pray!! She has little to no religious background, but she knows the beliefs of her son and his family (they are in our ward) and she is finally ready to see for herself if these things are true.  She has always heard their prayers and she wanted to be able to pray on her own.

The Guard is a sweet older man. We pass by and talk to him every time we go and visit our LA and he is always grateful to have someone to talk to for a bit. After trying to meet the LA this past week, we stopped by and talked to him again.  Soon the conversation turned to the gospel.  What started as a simple conversation turned into us teaching him about our purpose, the purpose of life (Alma 34:32) and the Gospel of Jesus Christ.  During our conversation we found out that he has been looking for a church to join since his wife passed away.  Today we are going to go see him again and we will be teaching him the Plan of Salvation.  I am SO excited to be able to testify to him that God has a plan for all of His children, and that he will be able to see his darling wife again.  I definitely have a good feeling about this next meeting. 

Overall this week was really great!! We taught our last lesson to Sister Yang in preparation for her baptism THIS SATURDAY!!! I am soooo thrilled for her.  It’s kind of a bummer because she is moving to another branch (same district) but she'll be baptized in our area and then she'll officially be theirs.  Because she has been investigating for so long, she will already have friends in that area and they are soo excited to welcome her into the branch. 

This past Sunday was District Conference and we had our own General Authority visit. Elder Yamashita (spelling? Again, I only know it in Korean) come and spoke with us and it was wonderful!! His English was wonderful, so instead of going from Japanese to Korean to English he just had a Korean translator.  His talk was wonderful though.  He shared the story about Lambert the Sheepish Lion, explaining that this lion cub had grown up amongst the sheep and he thought of himself as one of them.  One night, as the howls of the enemy wolf drew closer to the flock, the lion cub felt something stir within him.  He started running towards the foe, and as he ran to save those he loved and stop this dreaded enemy, he realized who he was and who he could become.  He was a lion and he was stronger then his enemy.  Then Elder Yamashita asked a question of all of us.  He asked us if we were the lion or the sheep in this story.  I hope that we can be the lion in our lives.  I hope that we can recognize within ourselves the roaring lion of courage that can defeat it's enemy and protect those he loves.  I also think that because the lion had love is his heart, love for those who he thought to be his family, he was able to recognize the potential within himself.  Love truly conquers all; yeah it's a little cliché, but I still think it's correct =]

Thanks for all the love and letters!!
From the past emails, people seem to be curious if I have had any more bath house experiences... I'm sad to say that nothing outrageous has happened.  I still get stares (especially if someone new comes in that hasn't seen me before hehe) but its great because I am making LOTS of friends hahah  I did get a nice compliment for a sweet grandma the other day as she was glad to see that I was embracing the culture soo well haha!

I LOVE MISSIONARY WORK!! And I love y'all!!

**Happy Anniversary Mom and Dad!! 

Miracles

Hello family!!

Another week gone by! So, y’all may be wondering why this email is coming to you a bit later... Well, today WAS transfer day... but don't worry!  I'm not leaving Shin Jeong! We get to stay another 6 weeks which makes me SUPER happy!  I love it here and it's great to be able to stay and see how things continue to develop and change.  The only change to our area is that we are getting an Elder team!!! So now Shin Jeong has both Elders and Sisters! The branch is small, but I think this is Heavenly Father's way of hinting that Shin Jeong is about to see many many miracles... So much that He needs two teams to handle all of them. 

Are y'all ready for my miracle for the week?!?! OK!  So, when we first got to the area there were NO updated records. So, to get a feel for the area and its potential we started studying the Area Book.  In there it contains all the previous teaching records from past investigators.  As we were looking through the book, there were about 7 pages of records all about one lady, 양선옥 (Yang Seon Oak).  When we saw how much she was taught, and how much she had progressed we were really curious as to what had happened to her.  3 phone calls, and 6 weeks later we were FINALLY able to meet with her!  And she is AMAZING!! She had explained to us on the phone about her story.  She has already read the Book of Mormon through 2 times and knows it to be true.  She has also been keeping the Word of Wisdom and has been free of coffee for about 60 days.  She explained that she felt good about the church and she felt that she knew it was true, but she wanted to have a True, Firm Conviction before she committed to be baptized.  Well, last week an Elder, who is heading home this week, went and visited with her.  She was his favorite investigator and he wanted to meet again before he headed back to America.  After their meeting we called her the next day to see how it went.  She said that she finally got her answer.  As she was sharing her experiences with this Elder she finally realized that she already has a true conviction for the truthfulness of this gospel.  (It’s amazing to see how your testimony grows when you share it!).  After that call we set up an appointment to FINALLY meet her in person. 

The next day, at her home, after we talked and she shared what now can be called her conversion story she asked us how she can be baptized!!!  (*insert big smile here)

SOOO!! We now have a baptism!! ON the 25th of August!! (Happy Anniversary Mom and Dad!)  There is even a neat thing about that date... On the 21st of August is the 100 day mark of being free of coffee. Sister Yang made a promise with the Lord, she asked Him that if this church was true, if this church was the church she was supposed to join and the gospel she was supposed to follow, then she wanted her answer by the 21st of August... and now she will be a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints on the 25th. 

There are so many other facets to her story; so many other miracles that have taken place, but that is the condensed version.  I don't consider this as "my" baptism in any way. It's never really that way.  It is the Lord’s, and all the missionaries and members that have given their love and support and have shown their examples.  I am humbled to just be a part of her story. 

These next couple weeks are going to be hard for her I’m sure as she makes the final preparations to enter into this covenant and I know that Satan will not be happy that another Child of God is entering in the Fold, but I know that because of her testimony that she has been searching for and praying for and studying for the past 2 years will support her through the darkest of times and trials.  I know that, because that is what my testimony has done for me.

I love missionary work!! Sorry this week is a short email, we are pressed for time because we went to the Boo to say good bye to the missionaries going home, but know that I love y’all!!

OH! And I’m jealous y’all get to watch the Olympics!! I miss those!! Korea is really rooting for the Korean Swimmer.  It's like the Korean Michael Phelps, Park Teh Whan. 

I love you!! Kiss Love Hugs!! 

안녕하세요!!!

안녕하세요!!!

Hello dearest family!  I hope this finds everyone well.  This week has been SUPER exciting... so I can hardly wait to tell all y’all about it. 

First, (and most importantly) I GET TO CALL HOME NEXT WEEK!!!! AHHHHHH!!!! (Can you feel my excitement yet!?!?! ahhhhh!!!) So daddy, you were exactly correct in your predictions.  I will be calling Monday morning my time, so that's Sunday night, Mother's Day, for y’all.  I will call about 9am, so for TN that makes it 7pm I believe.  =] I’ll be getting a calling card and I'll call either from the Church or the Boo (mission office).  But either way I get to hear all y’alls voices!!!!!!!  I can hardly wait.  Gwen, I hope I get to hear yours and Emily's voice this time too.  And of COURSE Matt and Kaylani!  (I realized that after next Monday, the next time I call y’all at Christmas I'll only have 6 1/2 months left! weird....)

So Monday to Tuesday was a pretty special day! I went of my first Exchange!! So for 24 hours I got a new companion!  Not gonna lie, I was super nervous before hand.  I don't know many of the sisters, and I am still a new missionary! Not to mention that she was going to be coming to my area which means I had to be able to take us to all the appointments without getting hopelessly lost.  Needless to say, during Sunday night planning I had my companion go over all the maps and we chose to visit people in the places that I actually knew where to go. It was a pretty funny planning session. lol  But Monday came and the exchange happened!! I was with 이가희 자매님. (Ee GaHee)  She is from Seoul and she is a convert of 4 years. IT WAS SERISOULY SOOO MUCH FUN!!! I loved all of it.  She was definitely different from my companion, but we are still missionaries with the same purpose and desires.  So though the personalities were different, the work is still the same. 

I know that the exchanges happened at that time with that person for a specific reason, it was all inspiration for sure.  On Tuesday we met with 김수진s (Kim Su Cheen).  We have been teaching her for a couple weeks now and she is amazing.   I swear I learn more from her then I actually teach.  Well, it just so happened that on the day of exchanges, during the lesson we had planned with a member, we prepared to extend the invitation to be baptized.  After an amazing lesson, I asked her if she would follow Christ's example to be baptized.  At first she was hesitant, as I’m sure most people would be when they make a life changing choice.  But this is where 이가희 자매님 was heaven sent.  She was able to share her conversion story, and her hesitation to get baptized so quickly after starting the lessons.  But she explained the need to exercise our faith, and all the blessings that have come to her because of it.  The spirit that filled that little apartment was wonderful.  And with confidence 김수진s accepted!!!!!! We will be having her baptism on MAY 19th!!!!!!!!!  I am sooo excited!!

Other exciting things this week were SISTER'S TRAINING!!  After weeks of planning with Sister Gilbert we finally got together with all the sisters for this fun meeting.  It was awesome to be able to meet all the other sisters in the mission!! There are some really really amazing Sisters serving here!! I love them all already!  A fun meeting was between me and a fellow Tennessean!!! A MEMPHIAN even!! Sister Foy is from the Collierville ward!! Small world for sure huh!?! We started talking and I asked her where she was from... needless to say I was a little surprise when her response was "Memphis, TN" lol.  We were friends instantly.  As usual it was a blast seeing and catching up with Sister Kersey, and Sister Baker is doing great, the Korean people are softening her heart little by little. 

As it so happens, Sister Gilbert discovered my love of singing and it didn't take her too long to enlist me!!  So at Sister's Training I sang a song called "Virtue".  It is seriously an amazing, powerful song.  The chorus reads, "I didn't come to earth to compromise.  I came here to hold up my light.  No matter what the world may do, I'm a Daughter of God, and I'm holding on to Virtue." I had Elder Innis from my district play! OH man is he amazing on the piano!!! After our first practice I said that it was a little hard singing so low, so he said! "OK! Let's transpose it! What Key would you like?" Who does that!?! (Elder Innis).  He also loves putting his own twist on songs, so we jazzed it up a little bit.  It was so much fun to sing.  I even got President to Cry! 

After the talks from President and Sister Gilbert we were able to watch the YW General Broadcast.  What an amazing meeting.  I hope all the Young Woman took lots of notes! I know I did!!!  I loved the part when they quoted a Prophet of the Lord, saying that the Young Woman are like Sleeping Giants, waited to be awakened to their full potential.  I agree with that, and I hope that I, and the rest of the woman of the world, arise!  Arise and Shine Forth as the theme states.  I think of the Lakeland Ward girls and how wonderful each of you are.  I hope that when you look at yourself you see the miracles that you can perform.  Even the small things that you do can bring light into someone’s day: a smile, a kind word, and a compliment.  I hope that we all can awaken the sleeping Giant within ourselves and astonish the world with all the goodness we have within us.  I look forward to getting the Conference Ensign issue and rereading all those talks... aww so amazing. 

Of Course, time is going by WAY too quickly Transfers happened this last week!!!  I am now on my 2nd transfer in Korea.  (For those who may not know, in a mission you work in 6-week increments called transfers.  After 6 weeks you can change areas and companions) Anyhow, Transfer calls were on Thursday.  Apparently it is a Mission tradition that you eat chicken on transfer call days!  Yumm.  Like everything else the chicken is delicious, they do a great job with the fried crispy chicken and all of the spices.  So on Thursday we bought the chicken and ate it while discussing who might be going where, and who might be training and so on.  We didn't expect a phone call because typically trainers and trainees stay together for 2 transfers.  At 9:30p the transfer calls would begin.  After planning we were finishing up our chicken when our phone rang.... dun dun dunnn.... When we first saw who it was we thought nothing of it because the AP's are apart of our district, but then we looked at the phone again... looked at the clock... back to the phone...and then to each other.... My companion answered with a "무슨??" (what??)  Out of both surprise and nearly contempt that they would be calling us!! 

This was NOT supposed to be happening!!  Next I hear my name being said and my companion hands me the phone.  Before I even say hello all I can say is "why are you calling me?!" You are NOT supposed to be calling me!!!"... Next I hear that I'm moving... WITH MY COMPANION!! haha We are still in the same ward, we just got a new house!!! Yeah! =] They are adding Elders to our ward (the AP's were in our ward but they got switched) and the new Elders get our old house and we got a SUPER cute apartment!!  It’s so new and clean and wonderful and TINY!  I love it!  Seriously though before he told me that I was staying with my companion I almost started to cry.  I didn't want a new one yet! I still need to learn so much more from 이예정 자매님!!  So thank goodness that we are staying together.  The only down side to the move is it takes 30-40 min of subway or bus travel time now rather than a 5 minute walk to get to church, but that also means we get a LOT more time to talk to people during travel! I'm excited. 

Saturday brought an adventure in and of itself.  So my companion hadn't been feeling too well over the past couple of days.  And then coupled with the stress and business of moving and cleaning, her body just didn't have the stamina to keep going.  After several dizzy spells and absolutely NO energy, we decided to head to the doctor.  Well, Saturday was a holiday so everything was closed besides the ER.  SO I got to see inside a Korean hospital!!! It was interesting.... haha I prefer American ones FOR SURE!!  Everything in the ER seemed so outdated.  When we got taken back to our bed for the doctor to come take a look and it was just in a big room with about 20 other beds. Anyhow, after they took some blood for test and hooked her up to an IV (which, PS they were NOT nice AT ALL with needle!! They were wiggling it around and I don't think they even put it in right because nothing form the IV bag actually went into her systems...and the bruise on her arm is huge!! THANK YOU American nurses!! I'll never complain again!)  Well, while waiting for the doctor with my companion knocked out, I needed to find something to do... Luckily entertainment was just on the next bed over!! =D A man came in with a broken arm and it was to my delight (seriously though!!) that I got to watch the doctors set it!! awww sooo coooool!! It was like tug-of-war with body parts, and the doctors were putting their entire weight into it! I was completely enthralled! haha Terrible? Maybe... but it was soo cool!!

Sunday was a fun day.  I love hearing the testimonies of our members.  We were invited over for a dinner appointment where we had homemade pizza! So, in Korea they don't have ovens, so this pizza was completely made in a pan! It was delicious.  I think my favorite moment was when we arrived.  The member gave us BIG hugs, and told us that for the night she was our mom cooking us dinner at home.  When we left we got another round of big hugs.  Really made me miss you Mom.  I miss your hugs.  But don't worry; I'm being taken care of!

President and Sister Gilbert have been talking to us a lot about Knowledge, Understanding and Intelligence, especially with excerpts from Elder Bednar's book.  (from the sounds of it mom and dad, y'all would LOVE IT!  I'm planning on reading it when I get home).  Anyhow, a part of Knowledge, Understanding and Intelligence is the place that each of those things works within us.  Knowledge in the mind, Understanding in the heart, and intelligence in the application and the doing.  I realized this week as we were reciting D&C 4 that we are called to serve with all our "heart (Understanding), might (intelligence), mind (knowledge) and strength (intelligence)".   I love that it takes twice as much action to get things accomplished!  But the basis of the K. U. I. is that understanding is the keystone built on the foundations of knowledge that leads to intelligence.  So cool.  SO much to still study and learn about it though.

I love you all!! And I can't wait to call y’all next week!!!!!!!!!!!! YEAH!!!

PS Matty, thank you thank you thank you for the email! and the picture was AWESOME!!!

Emily: It took me a minute to remember the song but then I just laughed!!

Gwen, it takes about 10 days for a letter to arrive so I’ll count down with anticipation!!

M&D I’m super stoked for the package!! Our new house is in need of some goodies!!

Thanks again for all the letters!! I wish I could reply to all of them individual but there is just no time! Sad day.  But don't forget that I love you all!!!