If there is one thing that being a missionary in Korea has taught me, it is to appreciate the little things. I remember hearing about all sorts of huge miracle stories from returned missionaries... miracles with the Gift of Tongues, miracles with people on the street, miracles with investigators and miracles with the Spirit. These things happen in every mission, all over the world. But I guess I just came out here expecting the miracles to be a little bigger and brighter and easier to see, like the ones I had heard about seemed to be. But the thing is... the miracles I have experienced so far on my mission have not been huge ones. In fact I cannot think of one huge miracle that has happened. I haven't had an investigator be baptized. I haven't even had an investigator accept the baptismal commitment. I haven't taught past the 3rd lesson. BUT... that doesn't mean that there are not miracles that happen every day. I have learned to not only see the hand of God in my life, but to SEEK and SEARCH for the hand of God in my life. And the more I have focused on seeing the small miracles, the more of them I have noticed, and the more my heart fills with appreciation towards my Heavenly Father.
Let me give some examples of small miracles that I have seen on my mission. Just yesterday, a member came up to me and started talking to me. When she began talking to me, I got nervous because 2 months ago, I slaughtered a conversation in Korean with this member and I thought that she had lost trust in me. But this time, I was able to hold a full conversation with her, and I understood everything that she said. She complimented me on my piano playing, telling me that the sound of my piano playing was beautiful. Then she asked me how long I had been serving in Incheon. It was a small conversation, taking probably only about 2 minutes. But after this conversation, I walked away and felt this sense of success. I mean I didn't know that I had come that far in 2 months, but that right there is a miracle with the Gift of Tongues.
On Friday, we went sticker boarding with our district. Some college girls came up and stuck a sticker on the board. I then started talking to them, and I found out that they were the same age as me, born in the same year. In Korea, if you are born in the same year as someone else, you automatically become friends. I ended up talking to like 4 groups of college students, and became friends with all of them. I walked away from that experience feeling super successful, and it was SO FUN. The night was ended with high five from the elders who told me I totally killed it out there proselyting on the streets that day. It was a small miracle on the streets, but I felt God working through me, giving me courage to talk to the college students. :)
On Saturday during personal study, I was saying a prayer when I had a thought come to my mind. "Ask 김인국s if she wants to meet us with 문정조s." These two are investigators that are friends, but have stopped meeting with us because they are busy and felt pressure from members to be baptized. But we have never met them together. So that day, I asked them if they would be willing to meet with us next week, together, and study English for 30 minutes and the gospel for 30 minutes. They agreed, and we have an appointment with them on Wednesday. :) That in itself was a miracle with investigators, and a miracle that came from me following the spirit.
Sometimes the miracles we see here in Korea, and probably all over the world as missionaries, are small. They are not huge or necessarily life changing. But when you really look for them, they are there, and they are amazing gifts given to us by the hand of our loving Father in Heaven.
I am excited to watch conference this upcoming weekend! I will tell you about it next week! :) Oh, and happy 11 months to me today! :)
Love, Sister Maughan
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