YOLO

Darling Family,

HI!! All is well by the news that trickled in!

This week was one of those weeks that shows me that missionary work is not only the greatest work ever...But it's also FUN TOO! Seriously, Sister Scott and I had way too many chances to giggle this past week. It was a blast.

Sister Scott has taken it upon herself to fill me in, occasionally, on some key phrases that I should know when I go home.  This past week was "YOLO". (For those of you who don’t know...YOLO means “You Only Live Once”. It’s kinda like Carpe Diem) She said it...I looked at her like she was strange... She said it again... still strange look... and she just shook her head while mumbling "wow, you are old".  Haha

Some other fun adventures with Sister Scott this past week, took place yesterday.  With our busy schedules, we tend to forget to schedule in meal times... and the meal times that we do have are with members and they feed you so much food that it makes you not want to have any other meal for the day! When we go shopping every p-day, we tend to get nothing more than what is needed to survive at breakfast time, and for the past 7 weeks that has been perfect!! Well...Sunday night found us without an appointment... and without any food in the house... Well, no...that's not true. There was food. This is what we had to work with: 2 slices of bread.  Eggs. 1 lemon. and a little bit of baking goods. What did we have for dinner, you ask??? We had french toast, pancake like "biscuits" ((we didn't have enough of.. well everything.. so we just kinda winged it!)), and lemonade! It was a dinner for champions! Now we REALLY don't have ANY food in our house! haha Luckily we are going to Costco today! whoot.

Fun moment #3.  I am convinced we have the worlds coolest Ward Missionary Leader. EVER. He works for the Department of Defense in the US gov.  He is the one that signs off on any operations that go on in the military.  In his words "things that you never will know about and never should. And things that you will never know about and probably should".   That night we were supposed to have MCM, but it turned into a question and answer session! haha Though some of the answers were cut short with "that's classified" or "I can't officially say".  Needless to say it was the coolest entertainment we missionaries have had since reading Alma 52 this morning! Other highlights of the night were going to the meeting at his home on the 53 floor of the tallest and nice apartments in the area and seeing Haeundae at night! Yeah, I could wake up to those 180 views every morning.  This man in his 30's has a pretty interesting life!

On the other facets of missionary work, this week was really neat.  We were able to meet with our progressing investigator and had some pretty key lessons on the commandments this past week. The spirit was there as we sat by the beach talking and teaching of the Word of Wisdom and The Law of Chastity.  To contrast the eternal laws we were teaching, to the world around us at the time, was powerful.  She knew that she too wanted to change and luckily there isn't anything standing in her way for living them from that point on. We might have to push back her date because school and work makes meeting during the week hard, but every time we meet, I am amazed at her pure and humble heart.

This last week was lots of fun, but it wasn't without some tears. This past week we had a zone meeting... it was my last zone meeting as a missionary. There are still zone conferences (2 zones combined) but in this smaller setting the Zone Leader, Elder Gomez, and I gave our 'good bye' testimonies... It gave me a neat time to begin to reflect a little bit about what has happened and what has been learned over the past year and a half.  So many things really, it's hard to put into words.  But as I was thinking about it, I kept thinking about Stairs. In our mission, with the teachings of Sister Gilbert, we have talked a lot about Stairs. There are the steps of life, the steps of progression, of moving forward and going heavenward.  Each step takes our efforts in the pursuit of knowledge, understanding and intelligence, but we can never rise to the next step without the Atonement of Jesus Christ. Then, at the landing of the next step is the refiner’s fire. Think of it as a bucket, sitting there waiting for you to empty out whatever would be there keeping you from going through the same progress and rising again to the next level.

These steps are in each of our lives, yet we cannot and we are not meant to take them by ourselves. We need our companions, our leaders, our family, and our Savior. These steps have taken me closer to my purpose, closer to my call, closer to my Savior, and closer to who I am. People may ask me how I feel like I have changed while I have been on my mission, and my answer will simply be "I have become more ME". I am different then I was before, but I just feel more like me.  The Me that Heavenly Father created me to be.

I still have more steps to climb these last couple weeks and MANY more to climb after this time is over, but I know that with every step we take, we draw closer to Heaven and closer to Home!

I love you family!! Thank you for all that you have done!

Be safe, Be good, and Behave!!

kiss love hugs!!!

Preparing for Conference

FAMILY!!
Hello dearest family!! Sounds like everyone had a wonderful week! I'm jealous that y’all have already been able to watch General Conference! I have been fasting and praying in anticipation to hear the powerful words of the leaders of the church. It's strange to think that it will be my last conference here in Korea, but I am excited for the special messages I'll be able to hear and apply to both myself, and those I am serving.

This week.. well it has been hard. If I would have written y’all last weekend, I know my attitude and words would have been a lot different then what I will be writing to you today. 

With new beginnings and new transfers and companions, it is hard to make adjustments sometimes. There has been lots of frustrations, tears, misunderstandings, hurtful words, and long conversations. But I know that, without these experiences, we would not be given the opportunity to learn something new and grow.

This past week we have talked a lot about pride. What pride is, whether or not we can see it in others (if we can, it usually means that we have it as well), how we get rid of pride... these have been questions on my mind a lot.  Seeing weaknesses in yourself, or having others point them out to you, is never an enjoyable experience. Either way, it gives us a very special chance. It gives us the chance to do a self inventory and ask Heavenly Father how we can, and should, change.  (For truly, His opinion is the only one that matters).

This past week I realized that I was fighting off that conversation. I didn't want to have it because I was afraid of what I would feel. The moment that thought popped into my head, I realized how wrong it was. Change is good. Change brings us closer to Father in Heaven, and a prayer of repentance is what helps us feel more deeply the love of our Savior. Why wouldn't anyone want that experience? Pride is within all of us. I realize now, that I have let too much of it creep into my heart. If there is pride in my heart, that means there is part of my heart that is not full of the Love of Christ, and that part needs to go. I had an interesting thought the other night. We are the supreme creations of a loving Father in Heaven. Our bodies and spirit are sacred, they are our personal Temples. Just as we are to be worthy to enter into the House of the Lord, we must be worthy for the Lord to reside within us. And like the Celestial Room of the Temple, the place where we can feel closest to God, our hearts need to be the Celestial Room of our souls. Our hearts need to not only be a place where God can visit, but a place where He can reside forever.

I understand a little bit more of who I need to become, and what I need to change. I know that this change will take time, and there will probably be a few more nights of tears, but I am excited for the opportunity to fill another chamber of my heart with the bright love of Heavenly Father. I pray that this General Conference will help me understand what I need to do to be more and do better.

Other phases of the work went well this past week. We had the miracle of meeting an old investigator on the subway and we were able to meet with her last week. We have an appointment with her today again!! I met with her when I first came to this area, and then she stopped meeting with us in January. I can see such a difference in her now.  She seems more ready to accept the message, more hungry to know the truth. I'm excited to teach her again the beautiful message of the Restoration.  It will be amazing! 

My companion and I were working hard this last week calling old contacts, Less Actives, and members for appointments and such.  I'm grateful for her and her words.  Of course she can use Korean FAR better than I, but the way she uses her words, full of understanding and love, is a wonderful gift.  Makes me not want to say anything at all for fear that I'll ruin it all! Haha

Yesterday, we had Zone Conference and it was FILLED with new things to learn. Sister Gilbert had just a small meeting with all of the sisters and it was my favorite part. How grateful I am for her mother's heart. It is what we sisters need!! She shared a scripture with us and a new perspective that I really enjoyed.  D&C 42:6 - "Lifting up your voices as... like unto angels". What does an angels voice sound like? What words would proceed from their mouths?  What messages would they allow to pass through their thoughts and their words? We are the angels of the world, as missionaries and as members. We are to lift up our voices, declaring, as angels have before and will continue to do, the glorious Gospel!  We are to allow our voices, our conversations, our words and deeds, also reflect the Divinity we have within each of us.

It's been a week of deep thinking, and I have a feeling that it will only continue, especially after General Conference!  But I am thankful for the times in our lives that allow us to see us as we are now, how we need to change, and who we can become, with the Savior. I know this Gospel is true. I know people are not perfect, but I know that this gospel is. I know the Savior is full of perfect love and is Perfect to Save. And I know that both He, and the Father, know us perfectly, yet they love us unconditionally. For that I am truly thankful.

I love you family!! Thank you for everything that you do for me.
Thanks for the thoughts and the prayers!
LOVE YOU MEAN IT!!!

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!