This last week was 설날 (The Chinese New Year), and it was SO FUN. So, 설날 is basically like three days of Christmas. The city basically shuts down, and everyone goes to Grandma's house for the holidays. As missionaries, there is not much we can do during this time. Everyone goes to Grandma's house, and Grandma's house is most often in Busan. A lot of the older Koreans live in Busan because during the Korean War, everyone moved south to stay away from the border. We don't like to bug people during the holidays, so we kind of got two days to have fun. :)
On Thursday, our entire zone met at the church in 안양. We played games and ate french toast. After lunch, we went on a hike.
I thought I had hiked mountains before...
But Korean mountains are not Utah mountains by any means. The mountains I hiked in Utah were big, but they had long trails with lots of switchbacks so that you didn't have to climb straight up. In Korea, you basically just go straight up the mountain. The trails are almost nonexistent. The hikes are so steep. We were seriously climbing straight up rock, using our hands and our feet to make it up. We weren't hiking, we were rock climbing. And the hike was like 2 hours of rock climbing mixed with flat trails here and there in between the walls of rock we climbed. It was a pretty intense hike, and an elder actually threw up at the top. But while all us foreign missionaries huffed and puffed our way to the top, elderly Korean men and women booked it past us without even breaking a sweat. Korean mountains are definitely mountains.
I truly had not hiked mountains before.
On our way down, we got to see some Buddhist temples that were kind of hidden in the mountains. And we got to see some Buddhists in the Buddhist temples. Buddhist temples are so beautiful and designed so full of detail. I will send some pictures. :)
Then on Friday we hiked another mountain, just as our district of 6 people. This hike wasn't as much rock climbing, but it was pretty steep. And again, elderly Koreans flew past us as we pushed our way to the top huffing and puffing. How they do it, I will never understand. It must be the kimchi or something. I was sore for quite some time after these two hikes. But I regret nothing, because the hikes were as beautiful as they were hard.
Later on Friday we went to a less actives house for lunch. She fed us a traditional Korean meal to celebrate 설날 . So I have to admit, my germaphobe side has been challenged here. You see, everyone shares food from the same plate. There are just many small plates on the table, and you use your chopsticks to grab food from all over the table. But besides your bowl of rice, you share everything with everyone, and you all eat off the same plates. This is how a traditional Korean meal works. We had kimchi, bulgogi, soup, and all sorts of other things that I don't know the names of. But it was all absolutely delicious. Korean food is SO GOOD. After that we played some traditional Korean games and... mafia. Yes, us 4 elders and 2 sisters played mafia with a 50 something year old korean woman to celebrate the Chinese New Year. And it was so fun. :)
After being around so many missionaries for about 4 months, I have realized that we are pretty much the least qualified people in the world to preach the gospel. But somehow, we do it. God qualifies the called, He doesn't call the qualified. In Korea, the members grow up with the missionaries being a huge part of their lives. In Utah, we had 2 or so missionaries to a stake. But in Korea, it is 6 missionaries to a ward. The children know each of us very well, and the members rely on us for a lot of things.Our responsibility here is HUGE. We definitely help the wards stay running, and they get to know each of us personally very, very well. They learn our faults, and they learn our strengths. There is no hiding anything here, because we are so very well known in our small wards. I remember when I was little, I thought that missionaries were these glorified beings chosen to work miracles. But really, we are just people that are set apart, relying on the Lord for guidance to help others. We are still young college-aged kids, confused in this world, but willing to give 2 years or 18 months of our lives to the Lord. We have moments of homesickness, we feel disappointment, we feel joy, we are just simply normal people. We are imperfect people called to preach a perfect gospel. But we could not do it alone. God knows each of us, and He knows who we are meant to help. I have learned to rely on Him more than ever these past 4 months. I don't know how He works miracles through us, I just know that He does. And I am so thankful that someone as simply human as me has this opportunity to preach the gospel. :)
I love you all so much and miss you as always! 사랑해요!
Love, Sister Maughan
Monday, February 23, 2015
Monday, February 16, 2015
Faith, Hope, and String cheese
So this last week has been the hardest week yet on the mission for me. But rather than dwell on the hard things, which benefits neither you or me, I want to write today about a lesson I have learned about faith and hope.
But first let me tell you about the string cheese part of this email. :) So as I said, this last week was hard for me. But I kept praying that somehow, something would make it better. I prayed that I would feel some peace and happiness to bring me back up to my happy self. :) Well, God answered my prayers with a bag of string cheese. Now, if you know me well, you know that I love string cheese. It is my addiction. Chewy and I would share it all the time at home. :) In Korea, cheese costs SO MUCH. Missionaries cannot afford it. String cheese costs about $1 for one stick of cheese. This member in our ward gave us a bag of about 30 string cheeses. There is no way we could possibly afford that much cheese, so I was SO happy. Though it is kind of silly, string cheese truly answered my prayers. And I cannot thank that ward member enough for the bag of string cheese that lightened my week and my mood. :)
So now I will tell you my story about faith. Last week I was sitting at my desk during personal study, pondering the difference between faith and hope. I kind of had this little epiphany moment when I started comparing faith and hope to a bridge.
Hope is the first plank of the bridge that we lay down, the very basis of faith itself. Before we can truly have faith, we must have hope. Once we have laid down the first plank of wood, we can start building our faith. As we grow in the gospel, as we study the scriptures and attend church, we can build a stronger bridge. We continue adding planks of wood and support to make the bridge stronger. But God will test our faith in a variety of ways, and it is not always easy to keep our bridge strong. Sometimes God allows someone to jump on our bridge, maybe a large truck drives across it... all these things test the strength of our bridge of faith, and it is our decision on how to deal with it. We can allow the bridge to break under the weight of the truck, or, we can add more planks of faith to our bridge to strengthen it. We can turn to God in times of trial, and rely on Him to help us through, or we can just give it all up and let our bridge crumble. It is up to us.
I don't think that anyone in this gospel can say that they have never had doubts. We all have doubts here and there. Those of us that choose to turn to God in times of doubt can feel the strength He gives us as our faith bridge becomes stronger, and somehow we come away with a more sure knowledge than we had before we even doubted the truth. But some of us also turn away from God and succumb to those doubts, letting our bridge of faith crumble beneath us. Then we find ourselves lost in the void beneath our once strong bridge, and we must start building again or stay lost and confused.
But then there is also hope. Hope, as I said, is the very basis of faith. Before I personally knew this gospel was true, I hoped that I was true. I hoped that my family could truly be together forever, and I hoped that there was life after death, and I hoped that God was there always listening. I hoped that everything the gospel is about is actually true. But as I began to hope, I also began to believe. I decided that if I was going to invest my entire life believing something, this gospel is what I want to believe. This gospel is happier than any other gospel on this earth. I would not want to spend my life believing in something that is sad or depressing.
And that is where my very own testimony began. I hoped that the gospel was true. And I put that hope into action. Now I have faith that this gospel is true, and I know that it is true. I love this gospel so much and without it I would seriously be lost in the void. My faith bridge is getting stronger every day, and that bridge is what is bringing me closer to God. :) I just want others to feel this happiness more than anything else in the world. I love you all and I hope this email made sense haha. Sometimes things are hard to put into words! :)
LOVE YOU ALL! MISS YOU! :)
Love, Sister Maughan
NOTICE: This email message is for the sole use of the intended recipient(s) and may contain confidential and privileged information. Any unauthorized review, use, disclosure or distribution is prohibited. If you are not the intended recipient, please contact the sender by reply email and destroy all copies of the original message.
But first let me tell you about the string cheese part of this email. :) So as I said, this last week was hard for me. But I kept praying that somehow, something would make it better. I prayed that I would feel some peace and happiness to bring me back up to my happy self. :) Well, God answered my prayers with a bag of string cheese. Now, if you know me well, you know that I love string cheese. It is my addiction. Chewy and I would share it all the time at home. :) In Korea, cheese costs SO MUCH. Missionaries cannot afford it. String cheese costs about $1 for one stick of cheese. This member in our ward gave us a bag of about 30 string cheeses. There is no way we could possibly afford that much cheese, so I was SO happy. Though it is kind of silly, string cheese truly answered my prayers. And I cannot thank that ward member enough for the bag of string cheese that lightened my week and my mood. :)
So now I will tell you my story about faith. Last week I was sitting at my desk during personal study, pondering the difference between faith and hope. I kind of had this little epiphany moment when I started comparing faith and hope to a bridge.
Hope is the first plank of the bridge that we lay down, the very basis of faith itself. Before we can truly have faith, we must have hope. Once we have laid down the first plank of wood, we can start building our faith. As we grow in the gospel, as we study the scriptures and attend church, we can build a stronger bridge. We continue adding planks of wood and support to make the bridge stronger. But God will test our faith in a variety of ways, and it is not always easy to keep our bridge strong. Sometimes God allows someone to jump on our bridge, maybe a large truck drives across it... all these things test the strength of our bridge of faith, and it is our decision on how to deal with it. We can allow the bridge to break under the weight of the truck, or, we can add more planks of faith to our bridge to strengthen it. We can turn to God in times of trial, and rely on Him to help us through, or we can just give it all up and let our bridge crumble. It is up to us.
I don't think that anyone in this gospel can say that they have never had doubts. We all have doubts here and there. Those of us that choose to turn to God in times of doubt can feel the strength He gives us as our faith bridge becomes stronger, and somehow we come away with a more sure knowledge than we had before we even doubted the truth. But some of us also turn away from God and succumb to those doubts, letting our bridge of faith crumble beneath us. Then we find ourselves lost in the void beneath our once strong bridge, and we must start building again or stay lost and confused.
But then there is also hope. Hope, as I said, is the very basis of faith. Before I personally knew this gospel was true, I hoped that I was true. I hoped that my family could truly be together forever, and I hoped that there was life after death, and I hoped that God was there always listening. I hoped that everything the gospel is about is actually true. But as I began to hope, I also began to believe. I decided that if I was going to invest my entire life believing something, this gospel is what I want to believe. This gospel is happier than any other gospel on this earth. I would not want to spend my life believing in something that is sad or depressing.
And that is where my very own testimony began. I hoped that the gospel was true. And I put that hope into action. Now I have faith that this gospel is true, and I know that it is true. I love this gospel so much and without it I would seriously be lost in the void. My faith bridge is getting stronger every day, and that bridge is what is bringing me closer to God. :) I just want others to feel this happiness more than anything else in the world. I love you all and I hope this email made sense haha. Sometimes things are hard to put into words! :)
LOVE YOU ALL! MISS YOU! :)
Love, Sister Maughan
NOTICE: This email message is for the sole use of the intended recipient(s) and may contain confidential and privileged information. Any unauthorized review, use, disclosure or distribution is prohibited. If you are not the intended recipient, please contact the sender by reply email and destroy all copies of the original message.
Monday, February 9, 2015
I have finally conquered them.....
Chopsticks. I think I have finally conquered them. My first couple of weeks here... I chased my food around the table. Koreans would laugh at me but enjoyed watching me struggle... in a very loving way of course. :) The slippery ramen noodles would fall through my metal chopsticks... the kimchi would plop onto the table, splashing me with red kimchi juice... only about half the rice would actually make the journey to my mouth.... but now... now I am winning! I have even eaten whole bowls of ramen noodle soup with only chopsticks. The fork is no longer of use to me.
Also, my companion and I are related! Haha okay so for part of my new missionary training, we got to check out FamilySearch.org. We were both determined to trace our lines back to Adam... so we clicked through reading all the crazy names from the past. We traced back my line first through the Maughan side. We made it back to Adam through Levi. Then we traced Sister Carter's back. We noticed a weird name that was in common with both of our lines. "Harald 'The Blue Tooth' de Crepon King of Denmark." Then we traced back from that guy to the closest relative we have in common. Somehow we are related to her great grandfather... though I am not exactly sure how. But that is my cool story for the week. :)
So we had a bit of a miracle with a less active this last week. Last Monday, we had a lunch appointment with this sweet lady who has been less active for a while. She was super nice, but when we first got there you could feel the awkwardness in the room. She set some food on the table but didn't really say a whole lot. She was running all over the house to get things ready... we are pretty sure she forgot about the appointment. But somehow we helped the awkwardness disappear. We talked to her for a long time, and ended up staying there for 3 hours. By the end of the appointment we were painting our nails together on the kitchen floor. :) We shared a message with her about Christ's love. The spirit was so so strong! Somehow we ended up talking about trials and she asked me if I had any trials in our home growing up. I shared about how I grew up in the church, knowing that families could be together forever, but knowing that my own family wasn't sealed. All my friends would talk about their families being sealed, but mine wasn't. I told her about our journey to the temple and how we eventually made it there and how happy we were when we were sealed. My Korean for this was so limited that my trainer translated pretty much all of it. But sharing this experience... I could feel the spirit so strong. Our less active could as well. She was the sweetest person, and invited us back for So-Lar (I have no idea how to romanize this so that is just how the holiday is pronounced) next Thursday. She also offered to give me all of her daughter's warm clothes when we go there. (Her daughter is too big for them now.) It was the most successful less active appointment we could have! :)
There are so many people out in the world who find the truth of the gospel and then fall away. That is how it is in Korea. There are so many less actives. But we are working to remind them of the truth for the second time. You see, everyone in this world has already learned the gospel. They just don't remember it. When we convert investigators, they are reminded of the truth for the first time. But when we bring back less actives, they are reminded of the truth for the second time. It is not an easy task to break the walls people may put up when they leave the church, but that is where God comes in. :) God prepares those who need reminded of the gospel the first time. And He will help us remind those less actives of the gospel again. I have a true testimony that God plays a major part of this work, and He is always preparing people for us to bring the truth to. I love this gospel!
Sorry my email is sort of short this week! Love you all so much and miss you always! 사랑합니다! :)
Also, my companion and I are related! Haha okay so for part of my new missionary training, we got to check out FamilySearch.org. We were both determined to trace our lines back to Adam... so we clicked through reading all the crazy names from the past. We traced back my line first through the Maughan side. We made it back to Adam through Levi. Then we traced Sister Carter's back. We noticed a weird name that was in common with both of our lines. "Harald 'The Blue Tooth' de Crepon King of Denmark." Then we traced back from that guy to the closest relative we have in common. Somehow we are related to her great grandfather... though I am not exactly sure how. But that is my cool story for the week. :)
So we had a bit of a miracle with a less active this last week. Last Monday, we had a lunch appointment with this sweet lady who has been less active for a while. She was super nice, but when we first got there you could feel the awkwardness in the room. She set some food on the table but didn't really say a whole lot. She was running all over the house to get things ready... we are pretty sure she forgot about the appointment. But somehow we helped the awkwardness disappear. We talked to her for a long time, and ended up staying there for 3 hours. By the end of the appointment we were painting our nails together on the kitchen floor. :) We shared a message with her about Christ's love. The spirit was so so strong! Somehow we ended up talking about trials and she asked me if I had any trials in our home growing up. I shared about how I grew up in the church, knowing that families could be together forever, but knowing that my own family wasn't sealed. All my friends would talk about their families being sealed, but mine wasn't. I told her about our journey to the temple and how we eventually made it there and how happy we were when we were sealed. My Korean for this was so limited that my trainer translated pretty much all of it. But sharing this experience... I could feel the spirit so strong. Our less active could as well. She was the sweetest person, and invited us back for So-Lar (I have no idea how to romanize this so that is just how the holiday is pronounced) next Thursday. She also offered to give me all of her daughter's warm clothes when we go there. (Her daughter is too big for them now.) It was the most successful less active appointment we could have! :)
There are so many people out in the world who find the truth of the gospel and then fall away. That is how it is in Korea. There are so many less actives. But we are working to remind them of the truth for the second time. You see, everyone in this world has already learned the gospel. They just don't remember it. When we convert investigators, they are reminded of the truth for the first time. But when we bring back less actives, they are reminded of the truth for the second time. It is not an easy task to break the walls people may put up when they leave the church, but that is where God comes in. :) God prepares those who need reminded of the gospel the first time. And He will help us remind those less actives of the gospel again. I have a true testimony that God plays a major part of this work, and He is always preparing people for us to bring the truth to. I love this gospel!
Sorry my email is sort of short this week! Love you all so much and miss you always! 사랑합니다! :)
Monday, February 2, 2015
I Love Korea!
I can't even tell you how many times a day I say that. "I love Korea." I love how cheesy their music is. I love when we go to restaurants and a Korean drama is on because Korean dramas are way too addicting. I love the food. I love the people. I love how you can buy clothes and shoes on the street for super cheap. I love Korean style. I love the culture. I love the old people that smile at me more than any of the Koreans. I love the funny things people do that just throw me off. I just love Korea.
This week we got to go to the Seoul temple. It was so amazing to be inside a temple again! One of the other sister missionaries came up to me and said, "This is your first time at the temple since you came to Korea right?" So I said yes. She said, "It kind of feels like coming home again, doesn't it?" There is literally no better way to describe it. We are so lucky that we get to go to the temple once every transfer (transfers are every 6 weeks). Very few missions are this lucky. I didn't realize how badly I needed the temple this week until I was sitting down inside, waiting for the session to start. My life has been crazy the past four weeks. I am surrounded by people speaking a language that I hardly know, in a country that I am unfamiliar with, learning how to live in a new culture. I have been pretty chill about it this whole time, accepting things as they come, going with the flow. I haven't felt super stressed or anything at all. But I felt the peace of the temple more than usual this time, because I hadn't realized how crazy my life really was. I truly needed that peace. This temple trip was more appreciated than any other temple trip I have gone on. The session was in English, though all the temple workers had accents that were very Korean and kind of hard to understand. The temple really did feel like coming home though. Temples are one thing that remain the same every where you go. Even though I am in a foreign country, the feeling inside the temple is the same as it is in Logan or Provo. It was finally something I was familiar with. It was the first time I have experienced a sense of familiarity and comfort since arriving in Korea. I am so thankful that we had the opportunity to attend the temple this last week. :)
Also, I bought a 한복 this week! (That is the Korean traditional clothing.) The Korean culture is beautiful, and the dress I bought is beautiful as well. I am so proud to be serving a mission in this wonderful country! Korea has had a crazy history. Every one has tried to take them over at some point or another. It took them a long time to be their own country because everyone was fighting over them. Once they were free though, they modernized very rapidly. Now Korea is covered in city and people. I see Korea, and I see strength that I cannot even describe. The people here, especially the elderly, have gone through a lot to get here. They are all so strong.
I proselyted hard core on the streets for the first time this week! For me, this is a HUGE challenge. I don't like to bug people or make them feel uncomfortable, and in order to proselyte, you kind of have to. I have to keep reminding myself that we are giving all these people the chance to have salvation, and that they already know the gospel, they just need to have someone bring it to their remembrance. But I have such a hard time approaching people, knowing that we will probably be bugging them. Often, the people we talked to would be very friendly at first. They were impressed with our Korean, and loved that they got to talk to foreigners. But as soon as the gospel was brought up, they would pick up their pace and try to escape. You could tell that they wanted nothing to do with it. Like I said, this is such a challenge for me. I am kind of a people pleaser I guess, and bugging people on the streets is just not my thing. I know that if I were a Korean and a foreigner tried to talk to me about religion, I would be kind of weirded out. I know that these people feel the same way. But I just have to remember that our message isn't a burden, and that these people have the agency to choose. We hold the knowledge that will lead them to salvation. We shouldn't be ashamed to share salvation. It is a challenge that I hope to overcome.
Well, that is all I have to say for this week. I love you all and pray for you daily! LOVE YOU! BYE! :)
Love, Sister Maughan :)
This week we got to go to the Seoul temple. It was so amazing to be inside a temple again! One of the other sister missionaries came up to me and said, "This is your first time at the temple since you came to Korea right?" So I said yes. She said, "It kind of feels like coming home again, doesn't it?" There is literally no better way to describe it. We are so lucky that we get to go to the temple once every transfer (transfers are every 6 weeks). Very few missions are this lucky. I didn't realize how badly I needed the temple this week until I was sitting down inside, waiting for the session to start. My life has been crazy the past four weeks. I am surrounded by people speaking a language that I hardly know, in a country that I am unfamiliar with, learning how to live in a new culture. I have been pretty chill about it this whole time, accepting things as they come, going with the flow. I haven't felt super stressed or anything at all. But I felt the peace of the temple more than usual this time, because I hadn't realized how crazy my life really was. I truly needed that peace. This temple trip was more appreciated than any other temple trip I have gone on. The session was in English, though all the temple workers had accents that were very Korean and kind of hard to understand. The temple really did feel like coming home though. Temples are one thing that remain the same every where you go. Even though I am in a foreign country, the feeling inside the temple is the same as it is in Logan or Provo. It was finally something I was familiar with. It was the first time I have experienced a sense of familiarity and comfort since arriving in Korea. I am so thankful that we had the opportunity to attend the temple this last week. :)
Also, I bought a 한복 this week! (That is the Korean traditional clothing.) The Korean culture is beautiful, and the dress I bought is beautiful as well. I am so proud to be serving a mission in this wonderful country! Korea has had a crazy history. Every one has tried to take them over at some point or another. It took them a long time to be their own country because everyone was fighting over them. Once they were free though, they modernized very rapidly. Now Korea is covered in city and people. I see Korea, and I see strength that I cannot even describe. The people here, especially the elderly, have gone through a lot to get here. They are all so strong.
I proselyted hard core on the streets for the first time this week! For me, this is a HUGE challenge. I don't like to bug people or make them feel uncomfortable, and in order to proselyte, you kind of have to. I have to keep reminding myself that we are giving all these people the chance to have salvation, and that they already know the gospel, they just need to have someone bring it to their remembrance. But I have such a hard time approaching people, knowing that we will probably be bugging them. Often, the people we talked to would be very friendly at first. They were impressed with our Korean, and loved that they got to talk to foreigners. But as soon as the gospel was brought up, they would pick up their pace and try to escape. You could tell that they wanted nothing to do with it. Like I said, this is such a challenge for me. I am kind of a people pleaser I guess, and bugging people on the streets is just not my thing. I know that if I were a Korean and a foreigner tried to talk to me about religion, I would be kind of weirded out. I know that these people feel the same way. But I just have to remember that our message isn't a burden, and that these people have the agency to choose. We hold the knowledge that will lead them to salvation. We shouldn't be ashamed to share salvation. It is a challenge that I hope to overcome.
Well, that is all I have to say for this week. I love you all and pray for you daily! LOVE YOU! BYE! :)
Love, Sister Maughan :)
Monday, January 26, 2015
Korean pizza is the best!!!!
So I ate my first Korean pizza last week. And let me just say... America, you are doing it wrong. I love you, but you are doing it so wrong. Here in Korea, they put everything you could think of on pizza. But the thing that I fell in love with was the sweet potato pizza. Yes, it sounds strange.. but you have no clue how amazing it is. They put these strips of sweet potato that has been whipped with sweet cream of some sort and lay it across the pizza. Then they put these puffs of cheese on it and fried squid and chicken and... yes it sounds so weird. But like really... It is absolutely incredible. I can't even explain how my love for pizza has blossomed here. They even turn the crust into dessert and stuff it with apple pie filling or cream cheese and cranberry raisins. But... Korean pizza is also super expensive. You get like 3 pizzas for $100... we definitely save it for special occasions. ;)
Guess what? I sang in church yesterday! I don't even sing... but I sang in church yesterday! Me and four other missionaries sang "More Holiness Give Me" in Korean for our ward's special musical number yesterday. (one of the elders played the piano) I was the soprano... but it was actually super fun! We have a great district right now. :) We are all total dorks but we get along really well and we work hard. I love my area, 안산, so much. It is a hard area... missionaries in our mission often say, "Don't ask the Ansan missionaries about their investigators... because they don't have any." But we are going to change that.
We had a district meeting last week and all agreed that we had the same goal, a burning desire to change the views of others on the Ansan Ward. We will do all that it takes to totally flip this area around. We have already planned various ward activities to strengthen the ward and the few youth that attend. We figure that if we can get the youth to be strong, then that will mean less less actives for later. We have to strengthen the ward before we can truly bring investigators into it. We all want to change 안산 with all our hearts. Missionaries here in the past have worked hard too, but we want to be the ones to completely change this place. All six of us are working to do all that we can to make this ward strong. We have this desire that is unexplainable, and we are acting on it. One of the elders brought up the thought, "The place with the most dead trees has the most fertile ground." Ansan used to be very strong, but they are down to about 50 active members. Well, its time to plant some seeds. We can't bring every less active back, or keep every youth in the ward from falling away. But we will do what we can, with the time we have. The Lord is giving us the strength and desire to change Ansan. And before we forget about that desire, we are acting on it. I can't even explain to you how badly I want to help these people. I am representing the Lord, and His desires are now becoming mine.
Also, I have learned how much I love the Korean people this week. The love for them kind of crept up on me. I didn't realize how much I loved them until I had a simple experience on one of the subways. So we were just sitting on the subway, and I was playing a game in my head to help pass the time. My game is that I look around and try to figure out what people are thinking/feeling. Everyone is quiet on the trains, so its kind of fun to just see what people could be thinking. Well, I was playing that little game when I saw a Korean man, probably a few years older than me or about my age, look at his phone. All the sudden, tears started streaming down his face. My heart pretty much burst inside. It surprised me how bad I felt for this man. I just wanted to run up to him and promise him that everything would be okay, that no matter what was happening, everything would be okay. Whether it was the stress of college, a girlfriend being difficult, parents, life in general... whatever was making this man sad, I wanted to help him. I wanted him to know that there are better things ahead. I didn't get the chance to talk to him because he got off at the next stop, but it seriously surprised me how much my heart snapped. The name tag I wear comes with power that I didn't expect.
Because I am a missionary, I feel what Christ feels. I feel the love his has for God's children. I feel the heartache that happens when a recent convert admits that she doesn't believe in God (which did happen this week). I feel the desire for a simple place like Ansan in South Korea, to become strong and rely on the gospel. I feel the desire to bring others to Christ. There is so much I want to do on this mission, so many people I want to help. It won't be easy, but I am representing our Lord. He will help me every step of the way, and through Him I truly can change lives. My Korean is limited, but I know that through Christ I can find other ways to touch lives until I learn the language. My countenance and my example means so much. I can uplift others and bring them to the truth.
I love you all so much and miss you as always! 사랑합니다!
Guess what? I sang in church yesterday! I don't even sing... but I sang in church yesterday! Me and four other missionaries sang "More Holiness Give Me" in Korean for our ward's special musical number yesterday. (one of the elders played the piano) I was the soprano... but it was actually super fun! We have a great district right now. :) We are all total dorks but we get along really well and we work hard. I love my area, 안산, so much. It is a hard area... missionaries in our mission often say, "Don't ask the Ansan missionaries about their investigators... because they don't have any." But we are going to change that.
We had a district meeting last week and all agreed that we had the same goal, a burning desire to change the views of others on the Ansan Ward. We will do all that it takes to totally flip this area around. We have already planned various ward activities to strengthen the ward and the few youth that attend. We figure that if we can get the youth to be strong, then that will mean less less actives for later. We have to strengthen the ward before we can truly bring investigators into it. We all want to change 안산 with all our hearts. Missionaries here in the past have worked hard too, but we want to be the ones to completely change this place. All six of us are working to do all that we can to make this ward strong. We have this desire that is unexplainable, and we are acting on it. One of the elders brought up the thought, "The place with the most dead trees has the most fertile ground." Ansan used to be very strong, but they are down to about 50 active members. Well, its time to plant some seeds. We can't bring every less active back, or keep every youth in the ward from falling away. But we will do what we can, with the time we have. The Lord is giving us the strength and desire to change Ansan. And before we forget about that desire, we are acting on it. I can't even explain to you how badly I want to help these people. I am representing the Lord, and His desires are now becoming mine.
Also, I have learned how much I love the Korean people this week. The love for them kind of crept up on me. I didn't realize how much I loved them until I had a simple experience on one of the subways. So we were just sitting on the subway, and I was playing a game in my head to help pass the time. My game is that I look around and try to figure out what people are thinking/feeling. Everyone is quiet on the trains, so its kind of fun to just see what people could be thinking. Well, I was playing that little game when I saw a Korean man, probably a few years older than me or about my age, look at his phone. All the sudden, tears started streaming down his face. My heart pretty much burst inside. It surprised me how bad I felt for this man. I just wanted to run up to him and promise him that everything would be okay, that no matter what was happening, everything would be okay. Whether it was the stress of college, a girlfriend being difficult, parents, life in general... whatever was making this man sad, I wanted to help him. I wanted him to know that there are better things ahead. I didn't get the chance to talk to him because he got off at the next stop, but it seriously surprised me how much my heart snapped. The name tag I wear comes with power that I didn't expect.
Because I am a missionary, I feel what Christ feels. I feel the love his has for God's children. I feel the heartache that happens when a recent convert admits that she doesn't believe in God (which did happen this week). I feel the desire for a simple place like Ansan in South Korea, to become strong and rely on the gospel. I feel the desire to bring others to Christ. There is so much I want to do on this mission, so many people I want to help. It won't be easy, but I am representing our Lord. He will help me every step of the way, and through Him I truly can change lives. My Korean is limited, but I know that through Christ I can find other ways to touch lives until I learn the language. My countenance and my example means so much. I can uplift others and bring them to the truth.
I love you all so much and miss you as always! 사랑합니다!
Monday, January 19, 2015
I look like Michael Jackson! not really!
So... I hope you are laughing at the subject of this email. There is a story behind it, and I hope you want to hear it because here it goes. So a few days ago we were teaching one of our recent converts. The lessons with her are always a little crazy because she brings her daughter, her niece, and a super cute older lady who is probably going to get baptized soon. But anyway, she was shocked at my hair (like most Koreans) because it is naturally curly. Everyone asks when I permed it... and my answer is always "never, its natural." They don't believe me so I show them little kid pictures of me and they are always shocked. Its the best. But here in Korea... my curly hair has gone haywire. It curls about 10x as much I swear. They call it Ramen Hair. (yes, like the noodles). So she was talking about my hair, when she decided I look like Michael Jackson. She told me from the nose up, I look just like Michael Jackson. I am pale, have dark super curly hair, and my nose points up (most Korean noses are flatter than mine). Then she started singing Billy Jean. Sister Carter and I were definitely laughing at this comment. Personally, I don't think I look like Michael Jackson, but you can be the judge of that. :)
Last Monday after I emailed home, we went to look for some warm clothes for me. The shopping trip was a crazy success. I bought some boots and some lined leggings that make all the difference in the world. But thats not the only reason the trip was a success. We were in this cute little thrift store just looking around, when this Korean girl came up and started talking to us. She looked like she was about my age. We found out she's 21, which in American age is 19. She randomly just threw out that her aunt is a member of a church, and that she went to church with her for a little while. And then after some more conversation, she brings up the fact that she was actually baptized when she was younger. We found a less active in a thrift store. It was crazy! So we invited her to English class (we teach English class every Wednesday night) and she was super eager to go. She showed up at English class and we became friends very quickly. At English class, she asked us to go to McDonald's with her on Friday. Of course we said yes. So Friday rolls around and we meet her at McDonald's for lunch. She shows up, and we quickly find out that she woke up at noon that day. Sister Carter asked why she woke up so late (her hair was a mess and she just looked a little rough) and soon enough we find out that she was drinking the night before, and she was hung over. So we went to McDonald's with our less active friend who was hung over. It was disappointing of course, because we thought she had potential to come back to the church. But it was also obvious that she was having so much fun with her friends away from church that it would be hard to convince her otherwise. We still plan on being her friend and inviting her to things. The McDonald's experience was definitely disappointing for us, but hope never runs out when you are a missionary. :)
Coming into the country, I thought that I would finally be eating food that was good for me, not huge portions, and just all around better than American food. I thought that since Koreans are so small, they probably don't eat that much. It makes sense right? Haha boy was I wrong. Koreans eat SO MUCH FOOD!!! Every time a member feeds us, halfway through the meal I am stuffed to the bone, but I still have to eat more. They think you don't like their food if you stop eating. I truly love Korean food, but it is so hard to keep eating sometimes! My companion tells me that I am going to have to learn to eat a lot, and while I like food, I also like not stuffing myself every meal, too. I don't like overeating but... I also don't like offending members haha. Also, they don't drink any water. Their cups are half the size of ours... they are more like shot glasses than cups. And sometimes you don't even get drinks at meals. They tend to drink hebal teas more than water as well, so we get a lot of those. A few days ago a member gave us an herbal tea drink thing that definitely surprised me. It was... probably the only thing I have tried here that I don't like. It was some kind of barley tea or something... but I just had to drink it fast because it was not good. Korean food tends to surprise me more often than anything, because the way it looks is not the way it tastes. But all the food I have eaten is amazing, and I am excited to try more.
I wish I had more to say this week, but really I am still getting over culture shock and the craziness of being a brand new missionary in a foreign country. I am studying hard to learn the language and while there are times I get frustrated that I can't communicate with anyone, I try my best to remain optimistic and postive. Positivity is so important in learning a language! Especially a language as hard as Korean. While I may not really be able to talk to people, my example is very important in this work. Being a foreigner, I am always being watched. When I am polite and give up my seat on buses or trains, smile at others when I make eye contact with them, and thank every one I can for even the smallest things, at least I am sending a positive message. Kindness is so important as a missionary. Jesus Christ was the perfect example of kindness, and while I am representing him I must do my best to be kind always. I love you all so much and miss you! You are all sons and daughters of a loving Heavenly Father and you must never forget that. :) 사랑합니다!
Last Monday after I emailed home, we went to look for some warm clothes for me. The shopping trip was a crazy success. I bought some boots and some lined leggings that make all the difference in the world. But thats not the only reason the trip was a success. We were in this cute little thrift store just looking around, when this Korean girl came up and started talking to us. She looked like she was about my age. We found out she's 21, which in American age is 19. She randomly just threw out that her aunt is a member of a church, and that she went to church with her for a little while. And then after some more conversation, she brings up the fact that she was actually baptized when she was younger. We found a less active in a thrift store. It was crazy! So we invited her to English class (we teach English class every Wednesday night) and she was super eager to go. She showed up at English class and we became friends very quickly. At English class, she asked us to go to McDonald's with her on Friday. Of course we said yes. So Friday rolls around and we meet her at McDonald's for lunch. She shows up, and we quickly find out that she woke up at noon that day. Sister Carter asked why she woke up so late (her hair was a mess and she just looked a little rough) and soon enough we find out that she was drinking the night before, and she was hung over. So we went to McDonald's with our less active friend who was hung over. It was disappointing of course, because we thought she had potential to come back to the church. But it was also obvious that she was having so much fun with her friends away from church that it would be hard to convince her otherwise. We still plan on being her friend and inviting her to things. The McDonald's experience was definitely disappointing for us, but hope never runs out when you are a missionary. :)
Coming into the country, I thought that I would finally be eating food that was good for me, not huge portions, and just all around better than American food. I thought that since Koreans are so small, they probably don't eat that much. It makes sense right? Haha boy was I wrong. Koreans eat SO MUCH FOOD!!! Every time a member feeds us, halfway through the meal I am stuffed to the bone, but I still have to eat more. They think you don't like their food if you stop eating. I truly love Korean food, but it is so hard to keep eating sometimes! My companion tells me that I am going to have to learn to eat a lot, and while I like food, I also like not stuffing myself every meal, too. I don't like overeating but... I also don't like offending members haha. Also, they don't drink any water. Their cups are half the size of ours... they are more like shot glasses than cups. And sometimes you don't even get drinks at meals. They tend to drink hebal teas more than water as well, so we get a lot of those. A few days ago a member gave us an herbal tea drink thing that definitely surprised me. It was... probably the only thing I have tried here that I don't like. It was some kind of barley tea or something... but I just had to drink it fast because it was not good. Korean food tends to surprise me more often than anything, because the way it looks is not the way it tastes. But all the food I have eaten is amazing, and I am excited to try more.
I wish I had more to say this week, but really I am still getting over culture shock and the craziness of being a brand new missionary in a foreign country. I am studying hard to learn the language and while there are times I get frustrated that I can't communicate with anyone, I try my best to remain optimistic and postive. Positivity is so important in learning a language! Especially a language as hard as Korean. While I may not really be able to talk to people, my example is very important in this work. Being a foreigner, I am always being watched. When I am polite and give up my seat on buses or trains, smile at others when I make eye contact with them, and thank every one I can for even the smallest things, at least I am sending a positive message. Kindness is so important as a missionary. Jesus Christ was the perfect example of kindness, and while I am representing him I must do my best to be kind always. I love you all so much and miss you! You are all sons and daughters of a loving Heavenly Father and you must never forget that. :) 사랑합니다!
Sunday, January 11, 2015
I made it to Korea!!!!!!
I made it to Korea!!! And I am definitely in Korea. It is a whole new world out here. My trainer is Sister Carter. She is super nice and funny and absolutely incredible at the language. Thank goodness, because I can't understand anything yet. I am such a greenie. My first area is An San. This is a bit of a challenging area. When I first got here, we had no progressing investigators. The ward is struggling really really bad. Lots of inactives. But its all good, because that just means there's lots of opportunities to help.
So on my way to An San, I experienced rush hour in Seoul. Now this... this is insanity. And not only rush hour in Seoul, but rush hour in Seoul carrying 3 suitcases onto trains stuffed to the walls with Koreans. And I am a foreigner so automatically I am watched from every directions. On one of the escalators at the train stations, one of my suitcases got caught on a step and fell over. A Korean man caught it for me and gave it to me. I said thank you in Korean, but lets just say, he was not impressed. He blew right past me after that saying some not so kind things in Korean. I didn't understand any of it. But Sister Carter told me he said some things about stupid foreigners and that was all she would tell me. Haha off to a good start right? :) Oh rush hour Seoul... what an adventure.
Our service project on Wednesday (I think it was Wednesday?) was to visit a nursing home. I was in HEAVEN!!! Korean elderly people are the cutest! I was back at home being a CNA again. We colored pictures with them and helped them eat. They also asked me to sing a song for them, so I sang "Once there was a Snowman." Their smiles were the cutest things! Ahh I loved it so much! And let me just say... if you want a confidence boost, be a foreigner in a Korean nursing home. All the old ladies kept telling me I was so beautiful over and over again. Their smiles warmed my heart. It was my favorite part of being here so far. So amazing! :)
I introduced myself in sacrament meeting on Sunday, all in Korean. I just said my name, where I was from, how many people were in my family etc. I also bore my testimony in Korean. But the best part was when I told them I had only been there five days, the congregation gasped. One man even said "But how?" So... apparently even if I can't say much in Korean, what I can say is near perfect pronunciation. According to the Koreans, I sound like I have been here for a long time. But its pretty obvious I haven't when they try to talk to me haha. You know on A Christmas Story how they go out to eat on Christmas and the Asians cant say "Fa la la la?" Well... thats how it is when Americans try to speak Korean. Two elders spoke before me that have been here way longer than me, but I guess I was the easiest to understand and used the most correct grammar. The gift of tongues is real. I cannot deny it. People have complimented my pronunciation the whole time I've been here, and when my trainer heard me speak Korean she was shocked. I had no clue that I spoke so well. But I cannot even tell you how thankful I am for it. Miracles happen. Even if I can't say much, if what I can say is clear and makes sense, then I am on the right path. Heavenly Father is definitely blessing me. :)
So since being in Korea, I have learned a lot. I am still getting over a bit of culture shock, but I love it anyway. Some things I have learned about Korea:
-Koreans are CRAZY drivers. Lines are merely a suggestion. Drive in the middle of the road if you want!
-Korean food is amazing. Even if its raw squid, it still tastes amazing.
-Koreans don't talk to each other on the bus or train. Generally, Americans make conversation with the person sitting next to them. There could be a ton of Koreans on one train or bus, but it is silent. They are obsessed with their phones and earphones.
-I stand out more than you would ever believe. I get stared at a lot. I am definitely a foreigner, and there is no hiding it.
-Most Korean girls have had plastic surgery to make their eyes bigger. They see me, and they get jealous. But they are so beautiful without the surgery! I wish I could tell them that.
-Heated floors are amazing. But no central heating system means when you walk into buildings, they are just as cold inside as the outside.
-Korea has a bit of a vanity problem. I have seen only super nice expensive cars. No cheap "college kid" cars exist.
-Korea has a smell... kimchi... my clothes smell like fish and kimchi.
-Korean men drink a lot... the women do too but I have already seen my fair share of men zombie walking down the streets as drunk as can be. Plus tons of people smoke.
-Korea is COLD.
But the thing about Korea that has stuck out to me the most... is that these people are lost. They are lost in society's expectations. They are lost in vanity. They are lost in alcohol and smoking. They have lost peace. There is no peace here. Korea... more than anyone else I have ever met, needs the gospel. They need to know that this world is just a step in eternity. God doesn't place high value in fancy cars, high education that pushes you over the edge, partying with your friends, brand names, big eyes, or any of that. The few members of the church here are the happiest Koreans I have met. They know that Korea's expectations are just small things. But everyone else here... they are lost. They are stressed. I wish I could just convince all of them that there is a better way to live! But for one thing, my Korean is so limited. And also... they aren't too willing to change what they have grown up believing. But Korea needs the gospel. We are viewed as a cult here, so that kind of dampens things a bit. But I am going to hold on to my greenie dreams of changing lives while I am here. A lot of the missionaries seem to get down because (especially in An San) there is not much success. But I don't want to change my dreams yet. I still have faith that something good could happen.This is a hard mission but I was not sent here to fail. I am giving the gift of salvation... and I cannot forget that. I am bringing these people peace, and while I will be a little useless for a while as I learn the language, I will keep my end goals in mind. Even if I have changed one life, that is still one precious soul that has been found. Peace is needed here more than anything. The devil is here, but I have the power to bring Christ's love to these people and push out the bad. When you are fighting on the Lord's side, you always win. :) I have so much more to say but not enough time... anyway LOVE YOU ALLl! BYE! :)
Click here to Reply or Forward
So on my way to An San, I experienced rush hour in Seoul. Now this... this is insanity. And not only rush hour in Seoul, but rush hour in Seoul carrying 3 suitcases onto trains stuffed to the walls with Koreans. And I am a foreigner so automatically I am watched from every directions. On one of the escalators at the train stations, one of my suitcases got caught on a step and fell over. A Korean man caught it for me and gave it to me. I said thank you in Korean, but lets just say, he was not impressed. He blew right past me after that saying some not so kind things in Korean. I didn't understand any of it. But Sister Carter told me he said some things about stupid foreigners and that was all she would tell me. Haha off to a good start right? :) Oh rush hour Seoul... what an adventure.
Our service project on Wednesday (I think it was Wednesday?) was to visit a nursing home. I was in HEAVEN!!! Korean elderly people are the cutest! I was back at home being a CNA again. We colored pictures with them and helped them eat. They also asked me to sing a song for them, so I sang "Once there was a Snowman." Their smiles were the cutest things! Ahh I loved it so much! And let me just say... if you want a confidence boost, be a foreigner in a Korean nursing home. All the old ladies kept telling me I was so beautiful over and over again. Their smiles warmed my heart. It was my favorite part of being here so far. So amazing! :)
I introduced myself in sacrament meeting on Sunday, all in Korean. I just said my name, where I was from, how many people were in my family etc. I also bore my testimony in Korean. But the best part was when I told them I had only been there five days, the congregation gasped. One man even said "But how?" So... apparently even if I can't say much in Korean, what I can say is near perfect pronunciation. According to the Koreans, I sound like I have been here for a long time. But its pretty obvious I haven't when they try to talk to me haha. You know on A Christmas Story how they go out to eat on Christmas and the Asians cant say "Fa la la la?" Well... thats how it is when Americans try to speak Korean. Two elders spoke before me that have been here way longer than me, but I guess I was the easiest to understand and used the most correct grammar. The gift of tongues is real. I cannot deny it. People have complimented my pronunciation the whole time I've been here, and when my trainer heard me speak Korean she was shocked. I had no clue that I spoke so well. But I cannot even tell you how thankful I am for it. Miracles happen. Even if I can't say much, if what I can say is clear and makes sense, then I am on the right path. Heavenly Father is definitely blessing me. :)
So since being in Korea, I have learned a lot. I am still getting over a bit of culture shock, but I love it anyway. Some things I have learned about Korea:
-Koreans are CRAZY drivers. Lines are merely a suggestion. Drive in the middle of the road if you want!
-Korean food is amazing. Even if its raw squid, it still tastes amazing.
-Koreans don't talk to each other on the bus or train. Generally, Americans make conversation with the person sitting next to them. There could be a ton of Koreans on one train or bus, but it is silent. They are obsessed with their phones and earphones.
-I stand out more than you would ever believe. I get stared at a lot. I am definitely a foreigner, and there is no hiding it.
-Most Korean girls have had plastic surgery to make their eyes bigger. They see me, and they get jealous. But they are so beautiful without the surgery! I wish I could tell them that.
-Heated floors are amazing. But no central heating system means when you walk into buildings, they are just as cold inside as the outside.
-Korea has a bit of a vanity problem. I have seen only super nice expensive cars. No cheap "college kid" cars exist.
-Korea has a smell... kimchi... my clothes smell like fish and kimchi.
-Korean men drink a lot... the women do too but I have already seen my fair share of men zombie walking down the streets as drunk as can be. Plus tons of people smoke.
-Korea is COLD.
But the thing about Korea that has stuck out to me the most... is that these people are lost. They are lost in society's expectations. They are lost in vanity. They are lost in alcohol and smoking. They have lost peace. There is no peace here. Korea... more than anyone else I have ever met, needs the gospel. They need to know that this world is just a step in eternity. God doesn't place high value in fancy cars, high education that pushes you over the edge, partying with your friends, brand names, big eyes, or any of that. The few members of the church here are the happiest Koreans I have met. They know that Korea's expectations are just small things. But everyone else here... they are lost. They are stressed. I wish I could just convince all of them that there is a better way to live! But for one thing, my Korean is so limited. And also... they aren't too willing to change what they have grown up believing. But Korea needs the gospel. We are viewed as a cult here, so that kind of dampens things a bit. But I am going to hold on to my greenie dreams of changing lives while I am here. A lot of the missionaries seem to get down because (especially in An San) there is not much success. But I don't want to change my dreams yet. I still have faith that something good could happen.This is a hard mission but I was not sent here to fail. I am giving the gift of salvation... and I cannot forget that. I am bringing these people peace, and while I will be a little useless for a while as I learn the language, I will keep my end goals in mind. Even if I have changed one life, that is still one precious soul that has been found. Peace is needed here more than anything. The devil is here, but I have the power to bring Christ's love to these people and push out the bad. When you are fighting on the Lord's side, you always win. :) I have so much more to say but not enough time... anyway LOVE YOU ALLl! BYE! :)
Click here to Reply or Forward
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)