Faith, Hope, Charity, and Hard Work

FAMILY!!
Oh! It was so much fun talking to y’all last week! I think the greatest part about those phone calls is how familiar y’alls voices still sound, even though I haven't heard them in months.  I loved it!  Glad this round worked A LOT better than Christmas. I think my favorite part was just all the giggles and laughing. I love that about our family. Yes, we are excited to hear and talk to each other; yes, we want to share all the good experiences; but at the same time we can have fun and laugh and be ourselves!!  I'm excited for the day-that-shall-not-be-named that we can do all of that around the kitchen table.  I miss y’all, but I am not so sad because I'll be seeing y’all in due time.

WELL!! I'm sure y’all are ready to hear about my fabulous new companion right?!? Ok, So, she is from San Diego (Temecula), California.  She is 20 years old and "awesome" haha ccording to her introduction! Her name is Sister Alexandria Scott. She is the middle sister of the 5 girls in her family.  She loves obedience, she loves hard work and she is not afraid to just go, go, go!  (Which, being over 2 areas, comes in REALLY handy!) She is a little shy to begin with, but her dry and slightly sarcastic humor keeps us going strong! With so many new sisters that just came (14) we didn't actually talk to each other or really interact during the training activities, but Heavenly Father knew that we needed each other and it was a fun surprise on Thursday morning. (Fun side note, I worked with Sister Ellingson for a little bit and fell absolutely in love with her!  She's in Daeshin and will do fantastic!  She'll be an amazing missionary!)

Since the end of Thursday training activities we have been going like crazy! Every night we can barely make it through planning for the next day because we are so blissfully tired. Going between both areas has been an adventure for sure. Thankfully the Elders haven't been too bothered with our constant cascade of questions. Really, they are just excited that there are finally sisters here, and for that I am extra grateful.

With only a few days under our belts in this area, we are doing pretty good.  The Area Books are nearly organized, we finally got a map book so we know (slightly) where we are going, and our we have been able to meet some amazing people throughout the days that seem to have a lot of potential to have their hearts opened to the gospel. One person I'm really excited about, came on our first day together in the areas.  We were with the Haeundae elders headed over to visit a LA lady.  On the bus ride over, Elder Gomez started talking to this mother.  After a bus ride conversation she gave us her contact information and we have set up a time to meet with her in her home this next Thursday!!  I'm so excited.  We actually have a couple more of those stories so we'll let y’all know how they turn out.

We had one round of our 3 English classes ((all in different areas.. we have to help out the SuJeong Elders too...)) on Saturday and my companion was excited for that one. Being a new missionary is rough.  Sometimes I nearly forget.  One of the things that I am most grateful for about Sister Scott is her love for the Korean people already.  She, kind of like when I first came, just wants to talk with them!  She loves them already, now she just wants to be able to express that and share the gospel that she loves so much. But English class was a good de-stresser for her.  There we are able to talk in both English and Korean AND be able to fulfill our purpose.

My favorite day of the week was SUNDAY!! Oh my heavens...I am in LOVE with this ward!!!! We went to Haeundae ward for the first Sunday because one of our investigators was present.  It was so much fun to great everyone, ask their names (we made a list of all the sisters there and wrote a small description of each one's outfits or qualities, so we could start memorizing and using names!) and then introduce ourselves as the Sister Missionaries now in that area. I think the most humbling part was their overwhelming excitement to FINALLY have sister missionaries back in this area!  They were all SO SO excited to see us and great us. It gave us the motivation to want to work even harder.  Not that we weren't going to, but now we want to live up to, not only the Lord's expectations and Trust, but also theirs.  Though we are working hard, the Lord seems to have spoiled us with the best ward in the mission.  I have never felt so instantly welcomed. It was amazing!!

After Church we were able to set up some appointments for that week and now we have an entire week with only about 5 hours of time left unplanned at the moment. Whew! 

Sunday afternoon and night we headed over to our other area and met with those sets of Elders and began planning a fireside that we want to have in a couple weeks.  We are talking about Faith, Hope and Charity, and it’s a fireside that is going to be focused on doing missionary work, especially through Family Home Evening.  When thinking about the member's needs we realized that they want to do missionary work, they just don't know quite how; and two, if there is any program that is not living up to its potential it's FHE.  This fireside is going to be really focused on teaching the members how to do missionary work within the walls of their own homes and inviting others through their hope, their faith and their charity to learn more about and partake of the gospel.  I'm excited for how it will turn out!

The night ended with a wonderful dinner at the couple missionary's house in our 2nd area Gwangan.  They are amazing and so full of fire. It was amazing to see the work they have been doing with LA's and others in the area.  I'm excited to work closely with them and use them to our advantage!  Their house is a place of the spirit.

Wow! So much has happened and so much more is about to happen! It's amazing to be here and I am loving every minute of it!! Thank you all for your love and support. Thank you for the prayers and for sharing with me your missionary experiences.  The next step in your sharing is the invitation to act.  As Elder Nelson said, if you ever need ideas or help "Ask the Missionaries!!"

I love you all!! thanks for everything! you are in my prayers!!
kiss love hugs!

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!!!

Surprises

FAMILY!!!

HI! How's it going??  Good. Me too! 

This week was full of surprises and unexpected moments.  But they were moments to be grateful for, for sure.

This past week started with a call from President saying that there would be a change in my companionship! YEAH! SURPRISE!!  It wasn't because of us, just some changes needed to happen...well my companion started packing and then the call came again about an hour later saying that we weren't going to be changing after all! (yeah...We don't really understand either...) Though that call was peculiar, I am VERY grateful that it came. When that phone call came and I heard what was going to happen my heart sank and I couldn't hold back the tears.

I wasn't ready to say good-bye to my companion.  I realized that I DID love her and I wanted and needed more time to learn from her and with her. That call had a similar effect on her as well. It was a moment of self-evaluation = if we were to split and one of us go to a different area would we be satisfied with our relationship? WIth our area?  With our efforts? If those questions could be answered in the affirmative, what was the strength of that reply? That phone call have us the chance to move into the next week with greater love, appreciation and determination.

The week that followed was one of wonderful missionary service!!  We had so many miracles! We were able to meet with a less-active that hasn't opened her doors to missionaries and members for nearly a year! We made cookies and talked and shared a message!... and she wants us to come again!

Another less-active, who left the church and is now attending another, gave us her new address and allowed us to visit her at her home! Besides her children, we are the ONLY people she has given her new address to! The conversation and lesson that followed was wonderful.

We had lessons with investigators and we were able to help members with their missionary work!  We had lessons with some new investigators and every day seemed to be packed with things to do.

My experiences with knocking doors in Korea as always been... eh ok. haha Nothing too huge, but it's still fun to be able to go door-to-door in apartments. On Sunday night my companion and I planned to visit a less-active, deliver cookies and a message card and then knock the doors of the complex.

Top floor (we work our way from top to bottom), First Door.. And a man answers!!  At first he is about to close the door on us but we strike up a conversation.  We get him talking about his family and a little about his life.  Though he claims to be buddhist all of his children are Christian. We asked them if his Christian children seemed happy...that made him think.  There we asked him if we could come back and share with him a message that would make him happier. He invited us in right them, but without another girl that was a no go. But he said that we could come back later. 

Next floor... Another woman answers and this time it is a family.  We talk about our message for families and that we teach free English. The conversation that we had with her and she was impressed with all that we were doing. We got her number and we are going to set up a time to go back and teach within her home.

Next floor.. a grandmother opens up. Poor lady can't hear very well, but she explains that she lives all alone. After some sweet talking from my companion, we were able to get her number and tell her will come back to keep her some company every now and then. She seemed excited about that. I'm just glad that we will be able to help her a little bit.

Next floor was the LA’s floor. She wasn't home but we were able to meet her mom, which was the first time for me. And things went great!! We had the mom smiling and the conversation with her was wonderful. I'm excited to see how that goes.  Hopefully by bringing the daughter back, we can bring her family with her.

Missionary work is an interesting thing. When we feel like we aren't doing good enough, or things just aren't working out... sometimes it just takes the effort of giving more love, showing a little more faith and relying on the Lord a little more completely.  We aren't perfect and there will always be hard times, but you can be much happier as you forget yourself and turn out to others.  Turn out in love, out in sharing this Gospel, out in sharing the friendship and blessings that the Savior has given you. I love missionary work and I'm grateful for all our your love and prayers!!!

I miss y’all!!

The next Tuesday, 10am time works PERFECTLY for me!!  EEEKKKKK!!! I get to hear your voices!! YEAH!!!! 

Get ready to tell me able some missionary experiences y’all have been having, some moments when you turned out, and some moments that you have felt God's love because I'll be asking!! Hehe

LOVE YOU!! MEAN IT!!!

New Year's Eve

Dear Family!
Can you believe that it was only a week ago that we were able to talk!?!  Seemed so strange to hear your voices and then just get back to work. But it was WONDERFUL to hear your voices. Like last Mother's Day, it was a relief to realize that you still sound so familiar. Silly I know, but it's true. I have to admit every time I read your emails I can hear y’alls voices.  Good times. Though the call was a little sketchy, it was still fantastic.

Well like I said, after the phone call, the work just moved on forward. We have been able to do more and more less active finding and 10 min member lessons and that makes me so happy! I feel like I'm slowly getting to know this area. I still don't know the members as well as I would want to, but we are working on that. On Friday, the Lovely Daegu decided to snow... a lot... like one foot a lot!!!! YEAH!! We had plans to take a bus out to visit a member, but seeing the buses out on the ice roads changes our plans REAL fast!! Instead we decided to walk...for 5 hours!  It was so fun though! Those are my favorite days, when we just go out and pound the pavement finding apartments and people. So that was really good. Mom and Dad, if I haven't thanked you for my FANTASTIC boots, then I really really need to!! THANK YOU!!  I love them so so sooo very much!  And my feet stay dry and warm. Really, thank you.

This week we got a new investigator!!! I'm in love with her already. Her sister is a recent convert and went to BYU. A long time ago the little sister would come to church with her sister, but lost interest. She decided to come back and try again. Her personality makes me laugh. She is a little bit of the cool girl, but she is so kind and sweet and we've become fast friends. I see a lot of potential in her and I'm excited to continue to teach her more and more. The only potentially bad thing is that she is going into the busiest school year for Korean students. It's called GoSam.Which means the third year in school.  It's their senior year and it is absolutely brutal!  Non stop studying and tests and preparations for university!  So meeting with her might be a bit difficult, but she seems to have a big desire to meet so that helps a lot.

The work is all going well. I love it here in Daegu, especially for the members. They love missionary work and they are always looking for chances to share this gospel. They are a good example to me.

Sorry this one is a short one...we have to finish early today.. But I'll fill y’all more in next week. kiss love hugs!

PS Benny and Kara~  Congratulations 축하합니다 
Emily and Gpa... no packages yet....
Matt and Kaylani - glad you liked your present!!
Everyone else!  LOVE YOU!!!