Hi Mom, Dad, and everyone!
That's so cool that the whole family could see and talk to Grandma through Oovoo for her birthday! I don't think I can use Oovoo to call you for Mother's day (or Christmas for that matter!) because we don't write on our own computers. I write either at the post office or a picture developing place. So sorry! I'll ask someone about it though.

I got your package. Thank you SO much! I really appreciate it. You're the best! I understand how you feel about packages, but I really love when the packages come from you, because it feels like home. But whatever you do for Christmas will be great!

The Halloween party was great! We had a blast hitting the pinata with the singles (six girls). Then we played pin the wart on the witch! Sister Beckstead got Halloween candy from her mom, so we got to hand that out as prizes. The singles loved it!

This week, we were able to find two new investigators! They are both referrals. One is not really interested in the church right now, but her sister referred her. She wants to meet with us again, though, so we want to teach her what we can! The other seems to be interested in the church, and we were able to teach her with two member friends. It was great! We're really excited about both of them.

Sue-hyun wasn't able to get baptized this Sunday because her parents suddenly withdrew their permission. We were so sad! She is a trooper though, and sang at the baptismal service for twin investigators of the elders in Goejong branch. She can still come to church and all the activities, and we're just continuing to pray that someday her parents' hearts will be softened.

On Saturday, the Goejong branch had a party outside the church. It was a lot of fun! We sat on the ground and had sahm-gyop-sahr (a really popular pork/bacon dish)- you eat it with lettuce. I didn't have it (because of the meat), but everyone else loved it! Then, the elders in our district (Goejong/Youngdo/Daeshin) did the upside-down hokey pokey dance....AGAIN! Goejong branch hadn't seen the dance yet, though. Sister Beckstead and I sat out that time. We decided it would be best if we just helped. :) It was cool because the brother of a man in the branch came from America. He is Korean but lives in America now with his American wife and family. He came back to Korea to visit with his 9 year old son Josh who doesn't know any English. Sister Beckstead took him under her wing and he hung out with the missionaries during the party so he could speak English to someone! He was really smart and told us a ton about Greek mythology! He reminded me a lot of Chris.
I have to go now, but I love you all!
Have a great week! Thank you for your prayers. It means a lot!
Alyssa

Monday, No, 2, 2009
Hi everyone!
I'm SO excited to meet Puujee's cousin when she comes in January. Do you know her name? I knew that two sister missionaries were coming in January but I thought they were American. They don't have Halloween in Korea, but because of English academies, some children at least get some exposure to the idea of it. A member in the Youngdo branch runs an academy, so we helped her students trick or treat at some stores one night last week. It was really cute to see all the kids dressed up! On October 31, the Youngdo branch had a party, but it was just a coincidence that it happened to be the same day. It was a lot of fun! They wanted us, the missionaries, to prepare a really fun activity to show everyone. We got an idea from Elder (June-Woo) Jung to dress up like we were doing headstands and dance to the hokey-pokey. So we wore pants over our heads and sweatshirts on our legs with shoes on our hands and toe socks on our feet. We blew up balloons to stick in the hoods and be our "heads". Sounds confusing, right? It definitely was! With pants over our heads, we couldn't really tell what we were doing, and the members didn't understand the English in "hokey-pokey", so I'm sure they were bewildered by us. But it was fun because now we're just those crazy American missionaries (plus Elder Chun-Joon Lee)!! We're having a Halloween party in the Goejong branch tonight for their Family Home Evening group they have, so we're excited about that. The elders tried to make a pinata for the random candy we got, so I'm a little worried that the members are really going to get confused about Halloween! One of the Korean elders asked if they needed to buy Halloween presents for the party! We told them no, but just imagine. We could make it whatever want!
Anyway, I have to go, but I'm excited about this week! Sister Beckstead and I have lined up some appointments with less active members and potential investigators. And hopefully Su-hyun can get baptized on Sunday! It'll be a good week.
I love you all! Have a great week!
Alyssa

Hi everyone!
So today was transfer day! Sis. Beckstead and I were sad to say goodbye to Sis. Musser at the mission home, but we're excited to start another transfer together! Sister Musser is going to serve with an amazing sister, Sister Min-hee Jung, who was my roommate at the MTC. Sister Jung and I came to the Korea at the same time- which means we're in the same "dongie". And just to clarify- transfer day is every 6 weeks- but every missionary doesn't usually transfer every 6 weeks. It varies, but many missionaries stay in an area for 2-4 "transfers", which means 12-16 weeks. I hope that makes sense!
Anyway, I'm starting my 3rd "transfer" serving in the Goejong/Daeshin/Yeongdo areas of Busan. I love it here! And guess what- Su-hyun got permission from her mom to be baptized! We set her baptismal date for 11/8 and her mom plans to come! We are excited for her. She has been waiting for a long time! Thank you for your prayers. I also found out from my last companion, Sister Young-bin Lee, that Hyun-ju Kim in Daegu got baptized! When I was there, we taught her younger sister Hyun-a, and she got baptized the week before I left. Their brother Dae-hyun got baptized in March, and their mom got baptized after Hyun-a. So now everyone except the dad has joined the church- and he is now the sister missionaries' investigator! I was so excited to hear that. It's amazing to see a family growing closer together as they accept the gospel of Jesus Christ. I know that families truly can find happiness through the gospel because then they can all have the same goal of living together for eternity.
I wasn't able to see the Yoga lady again because I only met her while I was on splits in Changwan. I hope she is still meeting with the missionaries over there. She had a lot of questions about our church, and seemed to have a little interest.
We asked Soon-Young Yong to bee baptized on Saturday, but she said her heart isn't ready yet to make that commitment. When she joins, she wants to be a faithful member of the church, so she said she wants to wait until she feels that she has developed the faith she needs. But we made a goal to keep working towards being prepared for baptism. She wants to find answers to her prayers and is really learning a lot from the scriptures. We pray everyday that she will be able to strengthen her faith as she learns about the gospel of Jesus Christ.
On Thursday, we met a waygookeen (foreigner) on the bus who was...guess what....teaching English in Korea. (That's what a lot of Americans do in Korea). She said she served in the Peace Corps for 2 1/2 years and was in Morocco where she learned Arabic. She had to be covered from head to toe- her face too! I was amazed at what she experienced in Morocco. I decided that if she could learn Arabic as the ONLY English speaker in her village, then I CAN conquer (or at least learn more of) Korean! It's possible! AND we can make eye contact with whoever we want, male or female alike. That's a plus! It's really safe in Korea...except for the whole North Korea situation, but no one here is too worried about that, so I'm okay!
I'm glad to hear everything is going well at home. That's awesome that Chris is making a computer game! I hope Chelsea enjoys Spanish! I'm glad your concert went well Mom! And San Diego sounded awesome! Dad, I'm glad you didn't get attacked by bears while you were camping! I love you all!
Have a great week!
Love,Alyssa

Monday, October 19, 2009
Hi everyone! So this begins the last week of my 5th transfer!
Thanks for giving me the update on Jeni's family, Dad. Wow, the last time I saw Vivian she was a year old. I can't believe she is 3 now! I'm glad that things are going well in Jeni and Nate's family in San Diego. That's awesome that Nate is specializing in radiology- I bet he is really busy though! And I guess Peregrine Falcons are popular birds with the boys these days? I thought Jake and Christopher's argument about them was funny. I can see Chris working with animals when he grows up- he knows so much about them already!
By the way, We just had interviews with Pres. Jennings, and we all have a feeling that Sis. Musser is going to become senior and get transferred somewhere else. And then it will just be me and Sister Beckstead here in Daeshin/Goejong/Youngdo. If that happens, Sis. Beckstead will be sad to see Sis. Musser go- we love being the Three Amigos!
This week we had a fireside at the Daeshin branch church (the first LDS chapel in Busan!) honoring the longest-time member, Brother Yeong-Cheon Bae. He lives in the Haeoondae branch now (still in Busan, but Busan is HUGE), and is the sweetest man. He was also the president of the Seoul temple at one time. The only people invited to the fireside were people over the age 65 in the Busan stake and the missionaries to help run things. When we arrived to help out, as soon as the man in charge found out I could play the piano, he assigned me to practice a song they would all sing together and play the opening/closing hymns. The other missionaries worked on putting the dinner together. It was all thrown together in a couple of hours, but it managed to work out! When it was time to eat (before the presentation), the man in charge pulled me to the table in front of everyone to eat with Bro. Yeong-Cheon Bae and the other oldest members in the Busan stake. Talk about pressure! The other missionaries sat at another table in the back. It turned out well though- Brother Bae knows perfect English. Every time I asked him a question in Korean, he answered in English! He told me about how he met the missionaries (walking by the meetinghouse during priesthood meeting). He said he met with Pres. Hinckley when he came to Korea in 1966 to find a location for the first church building in Busan- the Daeshin branch that we were sitting in!
Later on, we watched a slideshow of pictures while Bro. Bae explained them. He has met many prophets and leaders of the church over the years when they came to Korea! (Lee, Kimball, Benson, Hinckley, Monson, Eyring). He has visited Salt Lake a few times as well. He is a very kind man and loves to sing. He even sang a few songs for everyone! The best part was when the entire room sang an old-time song together. I had to accompany it, but I had just seen the music for the first time an hour before. I tried my best, but the piano accompaniment doesn't go along with the voices and they weren't singing in the same key anyway! When we finally got through (I didn't do a great job), I was so relieved. But I was mortified when the man said we were going to sing it one more time because I hadn't had time to practice much! That time, I decided to just play the voice part and then it was okay. Oh my goodness. That was definitely an experience to remember! It was amazing to see the roots of the Church in Korea. It made me realize how important the missionary work we are doing right now is. Without the first 18 missionaries that came to Korea in the 50's (one which we met two weeks ago), the Church wouldn't even have a presence in Korea!
I love the people of Korea and want to serve them the best I can with help from the Lord.I love you all! Have a great week!

Hi everyone!I had a great week- it was the week of conferences! On Wednesday we had zone conference at the mission home, and on Saturday and Sunday we watched the conference sessions! Zone conference was really good. Pres. Jennings extended a challenge to read the Book of Mormon cover-to-cover by Christmas. You can join me if you want! We have softcover copies and are highlighting references to Christ, the principles of the gospel, and missionary work. It's been wonderful so far, even though I'm just three days into it! On Thursday I went on splits in Changwan with Sister Corrigan. It was amazing! We went to lunch with the elders and a lady in the ward- she brought a friend from her yoga class who is looking for religion. It was perfect! She referred her to us (the sisters) right there. After that, we met with a less-active woman in the ward and had a really good conversation with her. She was really kind, and I felt like we were able to begin building a good relationship with her. Then, we met with a 15 year-old girl in the ward and her friend. Her friend had expressed interest in the gospel, so we taught her the first lesson before dinner and made a return appointment! That night, while we were kaka-hoho-ing (going door to door), we met a woman who wants her daughter to start going to a church. We got her phone number and made a return appointment too! Just so you know, I have never been able to make a return appointment at the door before- so that was incredible! It helped that Sister Corrigan lived in the building, so we were able to tell people that as we went from door to door. That day showed me how much the Lord can bless missionaries as we strive to share the gospel. I wish every day could be like Tuesday, but having those special experiences makes us more motivated when we're having a not-so-successful day. It's amazing how a good attitude can change your outlook as a missionary. I need to work on that more- I'm so grateful for Sister Corrigan's example! We saw conference over the weekend and were really motivated by the talks from our leaders. I LOVED Pres. Ucthdorf's talk. I noticed that love and service were the main themes of many of the talks. I realize as a missionary that those are the two most important things we can develop in our lifetime. Without love for others, we can't experience true happiness. We are meeting with some new people this week, so cross your fingers! Hopefully they will become new investigators. We are also excited to watch part of conference with our investigator Yong Soon-Young. She has appreciated a few talks we have shown her from other conferences, so I hope she enjoys this one too! Plus, we should be finally meeting with Su-hyun's mom to get permission for baptism. We're (still) praying that her heart will be softened. The colors are starting to change in Busan, but I have to think really hard about exactly WHERE I saw the leaves changing. So I guess not really. I love fall though- the weather is amazing!I love you all and am grateful for your support! Have a great week!Love,Alyssa

Hi Mom, Dad, and everyone!
Yet another week has gone by. Wow, it's always fast! I'm writing in the afternoon again, but sometimes we have to check in the morning (after 10:30 am in Korea on Mondays), so yeah. I don't know what happens between when you write and I get it, but just leave plenty of room for me to get it! Thanks!!!Anyway, this week, on Wednesday, we had zone conference in Kimhae. It was really good. Our zone leaders, Sprosty and Shumway, initiated a round table discussion (minus the table, as they pointed out :) ) about how we visit the members in our areas. A big part of the missionary work we do is building up our areas, especially now that we serve in branches that range from small to mid-size. That means we spend time each week visiting less active members. We talked about how important it is to work with the branch presidencies, members in the ward, and the people we meet, so that everyone can build good relationships with each other.

The next day, we spent a few hours in Sheenpyung (an area in the Gwaejong branch)trying to visit members. (we love saying that name because it sounds Chinese to us. Sheenpyung! Sheenpyung!) I say "trying to" because it was so hard to find the addresses! The area is full of alley markets with people selling seafood, fruit, and other things, coupled with alleys filled to the brim with apartments. Needless to say, it's not the easiest place to get around. We were able to leave message cards at a few apartments though, because no one was home. Or else, in one case, the member had moved. Sad day!

We still haven't been able to get permission from Su-hyun's mother for baptism, but the member who knows her mom thinks everything will be okay. She is going to talk to her about it. Yong Soon-Young came to church in Daesheen yesterday! It worked out well because I gave a talk on prayer that day in the Daesheen branch. She stayed the whole time and for lunch afterwards. I'm excited for her lesson on Tuesday to see how she felt about church. She has been a couple of times, but as yet she hasn't felt ready to commit to coming every week. Maybe that will change this week!

I love you all and am so grateful for your support! I hope all is going well at home. Enjoy conference! I'm excited to see it in two weeks here (we watch it in English).I love you!Love,Alyssa

Monday, September 21, 2009
This week we were able to meet with Kim Su-hyun's friend Jo Min-Jung after English class on Saturday. We were excited because Jo Min-Jung has started coming to church and mutual with Su-hyun every Sat/Sun. Hopefully she'll want to continue the lessons with us! We taught Yong-Soon Young some of the commandments on Friday and it went well! We were nervous because one of the commandments was...chastity. Osekheyo! (Awkward) But she took the lesson very well. Thank goodness! We committed her to coming to church next week because I have to give a talk in the Daeshin branch! It's on prayer, so that shouldn't be toooo hard to prepare. I'm still nervous though! In the Youngdo branch last Monday we had the BEST activity for Family Home Evening. (They hold a Family Home Evening at the church every Monday). We wrote the names of people from the scriptures on post-its and stuck them to their foreheads. Then we had to figure out who we were by asking yes/no questions. It was hilarious! There was one member who had "Emma Smith" stuck to his forehead. No one could look at him without laughing! I loved watching the branch president try to help one of the elders figure out he was "Laban." He finally pretended to cut his throat, and then Elder Ballam shouted, "Laban!" It was a lot of fun. I'm excited for this next week. We just keep moving forward! I love you all! Have a great week- and remember, every little thing you do to change your life can make a difference.
The Lord is mindful of everyone, and He will always listen to your prayers and help you find your way.
Love you!
Love,Alyssa