Monday, August 18,2009
Hi Mom!
That's exciting that you got a new bishopric! That's random that the counselors have the same last name! I would LOVE to go to California next summer on vacation. I secretly hoped we could- serving in Pusan in the summer reminds me of California summers at the beach. I've heard someone describe it call it the California of Korea. And President Jennings is fine with parents picking up their missionaries- I've seen two cases recently when parents came to pick up their sons. I think he would understand if you came- especially because Dad served here! Just for your info :)Tell Brooke and Chris I wish them a great first day at school on Thursday! Brooke, that's so exciting that you're starting high school! You'll have to tell me all about it. And how does Chris like his uniform?? haha- I love you all so much!
This week we were blessed to be able to teach some new people in unexpected places. We went to visit an investigator (Jang Song-Young) whose friend happened to be there with her. Because we had two companionships there, the elders were able to teach her while we introduced the gospel to her friend. It was natural and worked out wonderfully! We left a Book of Mormon with Jang Song-Young's friend and should be able to meet with her again this week. We were able to take Jang Song-Young to church and met her afterwards to teach the first lesson. She had read the intro of the Book of Mormon and Joseph Smith's testimony and is excited about church! It's amazing to teach someone who seems to be so open to the principles of the gospel. I've seen how our companionship is really blessed when we're in tune with the Lord.
Serving in three branches is a challenge, but Sis. Musser, Sis. Beckstead, and I are figuring it out! We've been keeping busy with meeting investigators and building relationships with members of the branches. Sis. Musser, Sis. Beckstead and I have been talking about how much our missions are changing us for the rest of our lives. I have come to love the gospel in a way that I never felt before. As we continually teach the principles of the gospel, I realize that it really is the way we can find happiness. I am so thankful for the Atonement of Jesus Christ and that I can share our message of happiness with others. I know Heavenly Father loves us and wants us to make the most out of our lives- we can do that by following the Savior's example. I am learning so much about what is truly important in life- and especially about scheduling time! Sis. Beckstead mentioned that sometimes people say they don't have time for scripture study, but are their days filled to the brim with other really productive activities? Not usually... I have gained a STRONG testimony of using our time wisely. Wasting time is nonsensical! There is so much we can do with our lives. Why waste it with useless time on the internet or t.v.? I think the key phrase is "moderation in all things." We can live a healthy, balanced life as we continually strive to improve ourselves. Serving a mission really is a refining process. It's true! But our whole lives can be a refining process too. So make the most out of it!
Thanks everyone for your support! I hope you're all enjoying the end of the summer! Oh, and Mom, can you send me Sheri's address? I need to write her! Thanks! You should be able to contact her on Facebook, I think.
Love you!
Alyssa

Hi Mom!

I got some pictures of Bear Lake from Jenn. It looks like it was a lot of fun! Ruby is WAY cute. I miss you all! I'm sorry the Suncrest Book of Mormon Pageant isn't going to work out...funny story though!

First of all, I have to send out a HUGE apology to SHERI!!!! She said she reads this so- Sheri- I feel terrible. I got your birthday package- it was AMAZING! I wrote you a letter back but recycled the package before I had your address. (oops!) I forgot that I still hadn't sent you the letter until I moved to Busan. I feel TERRIBLE! Can you email my mom your address or something- (and maybe a note if you want)? I am so sorry. It takes mail forever to get home and now I can't even get anything to you! You're an awesome photographer. THANK YOU FOR EVERYTHING!!!! I LOVE YOU!!!!

Mom, can you try to contact Sheri on Facebook or something? She said she reads the blog- hence the note above. She sent a really cute package and I want to make sure she knows I appreciate it! And I want her address! All I know is Evansville, Indiana.

Anyway, I've been in Busan for a week now with my two companions- Sister Musser and Sister Beckstead. We serve in Gwaejong, Daeshin, and Youngdo branches. Youngdo is actually an island, but it has a bridge that connects it to the mainland. They're all small branches, but Daeshin is tiny! The five missionaries in the branch (us and two elders) made up a fifth of the people at sacrament. The areas I'm serving in now are in the older part of Busan- so, as you can imagine, almost everything around here is...old. At least one of the church buildings has been here since the 50's, when the church was first brought to Korea!
I'm excited to serve with Sis. Musser and Sis. Beckstead. We're all the same age! That's a big deal in Korea. We're cheenguder (friends- anyone born the same year as you). Sis. Musser is from Las Vegas and Sis. Beckstead is from Lehi, Utah- close to Alpine! They both like country music and Sis. Beckstead rodeos! I haven't been a fan of country music in the past, but maybe they'll rub off on me. Who knows? We're having a lot of fun together- we laugh a LOT! Especially when I'm fulfilling my status as a "blonde". Dang, I'm 22 and still haven't grown out of it! But it keeps us laughing and happy- so that's good!
Love you all! Hope everything is going well!
Sis. Alyssa Linford

Dear everyone,
Mom, I'm really sorry to hear about Teddy. That was really "cahpjahgi" (Korean for "suddenly"). I know we all will miss him. He was such a cute dog. I'm sorry :( But anyway.. I'm glad you had a good time at the family reunion. Was Chelsea unable to go? I wish I could have been there to honor Grandma and Grandpa Linford but I know Jordan and I are where we need to be- serving the Lord. Big things happened this week- I had my first transfer! I was in Daemyong and Sangin wards in Daegu for 4 months. It was sad to leave my greenie area, but I'm excited to serve in a new area. Don't worry, I definitely cried at my goodbye talk. It was more due to nerves than sadness, but still. And besides, sisters are just more prone to cry anyway :) Chamaeneemder ! (sisters) So now I will be serving in Pusan in 3 branches! Youngdo, Daeshin, Gwaejeon. And I will be in a threesome- with Sister Beckstead and Sister Musser. I know Sis. Musser from the MTC (she's in the group above me), and I talked to Sis. Beckstead a couple of times before. We're excited to serve together. Luckily, I was in a threesome at the MTC (Hadden and Copeland!), so I have an idea of how things will go. If we try to stick together, we can accomplish anything! We're serving in the older part of Pusan, apparently, by the ocean. That's about all I know about it so far! I'll tell you more next week! That's funny that Brooke thinks I look like "Missionary Barbie" because people often tell me I look like a doll. It's funny. Sometimes I want to be Korean, so I can finally see what it's REALLY like to be living in Korea without the big red flag that I'm NOT Korean. But it's a good way to start a conversation with people...and that's what missionaries want, right?? I'm excited for what this new transfer has in store, even though it was sad to leave Daegu. It had to happen sometime! I love you all! Remember what's really important in life- family! Love, Sister Alyssa Linford

Hi Mom!
Wow, you all seem to be really enjoying summer back home! I bet you're really happy that you put the pool in! You're definitely getting a lot of use out of it! Sometimes I wish I could enjoy the pool right about now, but I know missionary work is MORE than the humid heat of Korea! Now I know why people have trouble describing humidity. It's like walking around with a big weight on your shoulders. The air is heavy!!
This past week, Hae-meen and Meen-joon got baptized by their uncle! Sister Lee and I were excited to see them take this step in their lives. They are kind of shy though, so their uncle had to drag them up to introduce themselves at the baptism. I am happy that their uncle's family can be such a good example for them. Even though their parents aren't interested in the gospel right now, I hope later their hearts can be opened to it through their children and brother. The next day, after lunch at the church (that's fairly regular), I taught Sae-un, another young investigator with a split (ward missionary) Sister Ma Uhee-jeen. We were able to finish teaching her everything she needs before baptism! Sae-un is really smart and remembers just about everything anyone teaches her- missionaries, primary teachers, etc. She is excited to finally be baptized later. She comes to church with her great-uncle's family. On Saturday night, we had the opportunity to go to a choir concert with a choir (from our church) from Seoul. The Daegu stake choir sang too, with many people from our Sangin ward. It was really cool! Hyun-a came with her whole family because Dae-hyun (her brother, a member) played in a special Daegu stake music ensemble. He is an awesome clarinet player! I got to sit with Hyun-a's family and chat with her and her sister Hyun-ju. Almost all of Hyun-a's family comes to church now but her brother is the only one that is a member! It makes me so happy to see the blessings that can come as a family grows together in the knowledge of the gospel. I am excited for the last two weeks of the transfer! Thank you everyone for your love and support. I love you so much!

Love,
Alyssa

Hi everyone!
Another week has come and gone. Wow, so fast! So every morning when we wake up my companion and I sing a hymn together before companion prayer. We go through the hymns one by one so right now it really is like Christmas in July! It's fun...ish. I like the Christmas part but the reading Korean (or anything for that matter) right when I wake up isn't always the easiest! My companion and I are excited because two of our investigators, Hae-meen and Meen-joon, will be baptized this Saturday! They are elementary/middle school students that come to church with their uncle's family. We're excited to see them take this step. I'm so proud of how far they've come. They are happy about getting baptized and especially because the day has finally come! (We had to push it back a couple of times).Tomorrow marks my 6 month mark of being a missionary. Wow, time flies! I can't believe it has been that long already! I'm a third of the way done, and yet I've only been in Korea for 3 1/2 months. That's sister missionary work for you! Sometimes, honestly, it's hard being a sister missionary because there are so many elders and so few of us, but I know we all can make a difference if we work together. Working together, elders and sisters, missionaries and members, is so important, but it requires a lot of effort. But I know how well things can be if we are positive, work with everyone, and try to do the best that we ourselves can do. If we love each other and build each other up, we can all grow so much together. Unity is so important, and yet so hard to attain sometimes!I am learning a lot and trying to take it one day at a time, learning something from every experience. I know that as missionaries, we need to BE the kind of people we are trying to help people become. We're NOT perfect, but we can always make progress, always come closer to Christ.Recently, we visited the stake president of Daegu and shared a message about 1 Nephi 8 with him (Lehi's vision about the tree of life). I know that by following the iron rod and sharing the fruit of the gospel of Christ with others, we can truly become as He is. I am grateful to be serving Him and am especially grateful for your wonderful love and support. It really makes a huge difference!Have a great week!

Love,
Sister Alyssa Linford

Oh yes, and I do have a Korean name:린포드If you can't read that, (it's in Korean letters), it says Leen-poh-duh.And my Korean companion/investigator said Dad probably got Im-Bong-Do because it "sounds" similar to Linford. You would have to know something about Korean to understand that!
Goodbye!
Oh and that's cool that Casey met up with Wesley. And that Brooke has her driver's permit. I can't believe she'll start driving next year!

Hi Mom!

It sounds like you and Chris are having a fun time at Grandma and Pete's! Dad said he, Chelsea, Casey, and Brooke had a good 4th of July at home. I did indeed receive your birthday card and package! Thank you SO much! My companion and I LOVED the cookies- we're big fans of Mrs. Fields now! And I love the cards- they're really useful! The toys are cute. It's a random mix of dinosaurs, cars, finger puppets, a rhino, and duck. My companion and I had a good laugh over that. It's a slightly random mix of things, but I'm sure the kids will love it!
Thank you EVERYONE for all your birthday wishes! And I think it's Grandpa Linford's birthday today (right? July 6th? ) Happy birthday! The fourth of July in Korea, as you can imagine, was no big deal. I asked my companion if we could eat American food for lunch instead of the regular shikdang (restaurant) fare, so we had bagel sandwiches and smoothies. It was cute. But we just had Subway a couple days before, so it wasn't a completely unique experience. Not that we go to Subway all the time or anything (I've been twice!). After that, I taught English class at Daemyong, but I totally forgot to talk about the fourth of July! Oh well. We had a good time talking about opposites and playing Hang-man instead. The English class is down to 4 regulars- 15 year old boys who don't have the best attention spans in the world (go figure!). They're really smart and know a lot of English though!
That evening, we visited two members in our Sangin ward. One of them is the one who asked the question about happiness. We learned a lot from her testimony of her first experience with the gospel and missionaries. I know she really appreciates the missionaries and the work that we do. As we met with her, I realized that I want to have as much respect for my calling as she does! People realize that missionaries aren't perfect, but they see them as an example to follow. If we respect our callings the same way that these people do, we can be so much better at serving others. I know that is true. If my companion and I are happy, other people can be happy too! My companion and I were SO happy after we met with this member. On our way to the subway, we talked about how much we want to truly fulfill our roles as missionaries. We were so excited to talk to a girl on the subway- she, in turn, responded positively to our message about the plan of Salvation. She was honestly interested in what we had to say! I know that is because we were so happy to share it with her. We could share the message through the Spirit. After she left, a lady jumped up and sat in her seat. She said she wanted her daughter to find religion and she had a good feeling about us and what we were saying to the other girl. I am so thankful for that experience. We truly felt blessed by the Lord that night. Honestly, it's hard to always have that happiness, but I've seen how it can truly make a difference as we proselyte each day. When we have these experiences, we get more excited about who we can share the gospel with next! I just wish it felt like that all the time :)
I am truly grateful for the Lord's blessings. I don't know how I could be here teaching others (in KOREAN) his gospel without his assistance. It wouldn't be possible! Yet we are here. I feel so blessed to know that we can live with our families forever in the presence of Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ. I know that following them is what brings TRUE happiness.

I love all of you! Thank you so much for your love and support. You're amazing! I hope all is going well.

Sincerely,
Sister Alyssa Linford