Hi Mom and Dad!
I love hearing from you! I am sending you a letter today with a few pictures. Let's see when you get it! Sounds like things are going well in Utah. It's starting to get really hot in Daegu, which means there are worse things to come (Daegu is the hottest city in Korea, and it's only May!) We did have a couple of days (a week apart) when it just poured rain all day. The weather was cool, but I think it was just setting us up for a lot of heat!
Mom, your family picture sounds like fun, and I'll try to have someone take a picture of me, but do you have to photoshop me in? I've never been a fan of the missionary photoshopped pictures. No matter what you do, it's not going to look right! I think it's okay for Christmas pictures, but are you planning to hang it over the fireplace? I was planning on sending you a CD anyway, so I'll put it on there.
It sounds like Chris had a great soccer season and Dad is having fun with his baseball team. You better save Casey's court appearance for me! Haha...that's funny.
Things are going well here. I can't believe another week went by! This transfer is going by really fast. My goal is to speak more Korean with my companion because (1) well, she's...Korean, (2) I'm IN Korea, and (3) That's what I'm called to do! It's not that I haven't been speaking Korean, it's just that Sister Lee speaks pretty good English so it's easy to lapse into English. Konglish is kind of fun, unfortunately, but I'm going to push the Korean. It's fun to learn new words and see it on a sign or hear it the same day. It makes me more motivated to learn other things! Especially so I can participate more in conversations and teaching people.
Yesterday Sister Lee and I had an interesing experience while kaka-hoho-ing. (That means tracting door-to-door.) A lot of times, people don't even open their front doors. They just yell who's there and open the door if they know you or want to hear what you have to say. So, we have to make the gospel sound as interesting as possible in 5 seconds. Ha! At one door, an artsy guy opened the door, listened to my companion's intro, then shut it. I wasn't surprised, and was turning around to leave, but my companion said he wanted to talk to us more. I was so surprised! I found out after our brief conversation with him that he told Sister Lee that he wanted to come to our church. He had researched the Mormon church online and was surprised to find out that we had churches in Daegu! We gave him a Book of Mormon and pamphlet about the Restoration. We were so happy! That almost never happens!
That reminded me that you never know who will be interested in the gospel. This guy seemed a little intimidating, but he had a sincere desire to know more about our message. I'm so grateful we went kaka-hoho-ing at his building. Who knows if anyone would have found him otherwise?
I love this gospel and find the strength to share it with others as I study it everyday. I am so thankful for experiences that make us excited about missionary work. After we met that man, my companion and I were so happy and talked to every person we ran into after that! (after we left the building). I know through focusing on others we can truly serve the Lord and find the happiness we seek. I am definitely learning that as I've been here! Life is not perfect, but we can make the most out of it anyway.
Well I love you all! I have to go!
Love,
Alyssa
Monday, May 25, 2009
Monday, May 18, 2009
Hi Mom!
It's so great to hear from you! Sounds like you're having a great spring in Utah! I do have one request to make: Could you PLEASE send me Alyse's mission address (you can find it on Facebook, or apparently from Sister Harlan), and grandparents' addresses? I lost everyone's addresses on the plane. Sad! And WOW! The Harlans live in Alpine now? Or Highland? Or where??? When did they move to that area? That's way exciting. Alyse and I talked about living together when we get back--that'll make it easy for going home on the weekends! And you have to ask Chelsea what she did in New Mexico. Because I have no idea what there is to do there! But there was an article about it on KOREAN Airlines- so if it's a Korean destination spot, there must be something cool about it, right? I thought that was funny. So why is Casey going to be on Judge Brown? I think I know of that show- or at least one like it. Oh dear. That would be something to see! I'm glad you mentioned how to handle crises- because we run into a couple of those here in Korea! Whether it be me losing things all the time (I chain my wallet to my backpack now!), a baptismal date getting canceled/pushed back (Sae-un), or just anything else, things just don't work out perfectly. But I can accept that because that's life! We do what we can but in the end, we can't always predict the outcome. That's when the real world comes in. As long as we make the best effort we can, it will all be okay in the end. This week was interesting. As it turns out, some of our investigators from last transfer were basically just interested in meeting with foreigners who could speak to them in Konglish. Now that my senior companion is Korean and we speak full-on Korean, the interest is gone. It's sad, but now we know who is REALLY interested in the gospel, and who was just going along with it for the timebeing. One lady Sister Lee and I found dropped us before we even really began teaching. But I was thankful because she realized she had a strong English interest and that she didn't really have much interest in the gospel. Many Koreans want to learn English, so I understand how it can be hard to let that go when in front of you there is a tall white girl with WAYGOOKEEN (foreigner) stamped on her forehead. I'm glad we teach English class (once a week), so we can recommend some way for investigators to learn more English. I'm not kidding. Korean families will put their kids in English Hoghwan (academy) for 4 hours daily after school. English is that important. Americans are so lucky! Speaking of English class, I get to take charge of that now since I'm the English-speaking companion. We don't have many students right now (in the Daemyong ward my student was Sister Lee, my companion), but the new trimester is supposed to start in a week or two. The Sangin English class this week was a lot of fun. Sister Lee and I invited Hyun-ah (our investigator who went to church again this week! it's her third time to church) and her brother Daehyun (recent convert). I asked what they wanted to learn and Daehyun asked to learn about Utah. (He's going to BYU next winter). We started by talking about the seasons and what sports you can do, and then he asked about Utah's history. As I started teaching, I realized how Utah became a state is actually the history of the Church (duh), so we talked about that for a while. It was so cool! At one point I had to laugh because there I was in Korea, teaching about Utah to three Koreans who were captivated by its history. I talked about the pioneers and what they sacrificed to come to Utah- and that I have ancestors among them, so it means a lot to me. They understood that because heritage is so important to Koreans. Their country has such a long history! Not at all like America. I really felt the spirit at that class. I know the early Saints made that sacrifice so their children could grow up with the knowledge of the gospel. Now Sister Lee and I want to watch Legacy with Daehyun and Hyun-a so they can see the roots of the restored Church. I'm so grateful for that discussion. And I didn't even see it coming! I'm excited for this transfer and what new things can come. Sister Lee and I are scouting out new investigators (but aren't we always!). I love the people in the Daemyong and Sangin wards. They are so kind to us. I know the Lord is helping us every step of the way. Thank you so much for all your support!
It's so great to hear from you! Sounds like you're having a great spring in Utah! I do have one request to make: Could you PLEASE send me Alyse's mission address (you can find it on Facebook, or apparently from Sister Harlan), and grandparents' addresses? I lost everyone's addresses on the plane. Sad! And WOW! The Harlans live in Alpine now? Or Highland? Or where??? When did they move to that area? That's way exciting. Alyse and I talked about living together when we get back--that'll make it easy for going home on the weekends! And you have to ask Chelsea what she did in New Mexico. Because I have no idea what there is to do there! But there was an article about it on KOREAN Airlines- so if it's a Korean destination spot, there must be something cool about it, right? I thought that was funny. So why is Casey going to be on Judge Brown? I think I know of that show- or at least one like it. Oh dear. That would be something to see! I'm glad you mentioned how to handle crises- because we run into a couple of those here in Korea! Whether it be me losing things all the time (I chain my wallet to my backpack now!), a baptismal date getting canceled/pushed back (Sae-un), or just anything else, things just don't work out perfectly. But I can accept that because that's life! We do what we can but in the end, we can't always predict the outcome. That's when the real world comes in. As long as we make the best effort we can, it will all be okay in the end. This week was interesting. As it turns out, some of our investigators from last transfer were basically just interested in meeting with foreigners who could speak to them in Konglish. Now that my senior companion is Korean and we speak full-on Korean, the interest is gone. It's sad, but now we know who is REALLY interested in the gospel, and who was just going along with it for the timebeing. One lady Sister Lee and I found dropped us before we even really began teaching. But I was thankful because she realized she had a strong English interest and that she didn't really have much interest in the gospel. Many Koreans want to learn English, so I understand how it can be hard to let that go when in front of you there is a tall white girl with WAYGOOKEEN (foreigner) stamped on her forehead. I'm glad we teach English class (once a week), so we can recommend some way for investigators to learn more English. I'm not kidding. Korean families will put their kids in English Hoghwan (academy) for 4 hours daily after school. English is that important. Americans are so lucky! Speaking of English class, I get to take charge of that now since I'm the English-speaking companion. We don't have many students right now (in the Daemyong ward my student was Sister Lee, my companion), but the new trimester is supposed to start in a week or two. The Sangin English class this week was a lot of fun. Sister Lee and I invited Hyun-ah (our investigator who went to church again this week! it's her third time to church) and her brother Daehyun (recent convert). I asked what they wanted to learn and Daehyun asked to learn about Utah. (He's going to BYU next winter). We started by talking about the seasons and what sports you can do, and then he asked about Utah's history. As I started teaching, I realized how Utah became a state is actually the history of the Church (duh), so we talked about that for a while. It was so cool! At one point I had to laugh because there I was in Korea, teaching about Utah to three Koreans who were captivated by its history. I talked about the pioneers and what they sacrificed to come to Utah- and that I have ancestors among them, so it means a lot to me. They understood that because heritage is so important to Koreans. Their country has such a long history! Not at all like America. I really felt the spirit at that class. I know the early Saints made that sacrifice so their children could grow up with the knowledge of the gospel. Now Sister Lee and I want to watch Legacy with Daehyun and Hyun-a so they can see the roots of the restored Church. I'm so grateful for that discussion. And I didn't even see it coming! I'm excited for this transfer and what new things can come. Sister Lee and I are scouting out new investigators (but aren't we always!). I love the people in the Daemyong and Sangin wards. They are so kind to us. I know the Lord is helping us every step of the way. Thank you so much for all your support!
Monday, May 11, 2009
Dear Mom and Dad,
Sorry this has to be super short but I get to call tomorrow! HAPPY MOTHER's DAY MOM!!!!Today has been a BIG day. It was my first transfer day! My trainer, Sister Jensen, is going home, so we got to move her stuff to Busan. It was so much fun to see all the missionaries at the Bu! (that's Korean church slang for the mission house). I've been on splits in Busan and Ulsan, so I had already met several other sisters and a few elders. And I got to see people from my dongie (people that came to Korea same time). Everyone had a good time catching up and eating at Outback together. I met a lot of people I'd only heard stories about and seen in pictures. The sad part was saying goodbye to Sis. Jensen. I can't believe this day came so soon! She is going back to Hawaii- (yeah, all the members, investigators, and missionaries are jealous :) She taught me a lot. I'll really miss her. My new companion is Sister Lee (Young-Bin is her first name). We are already housemates, so we were way excited to serve together! Sister Matthews will be serving with another Sister Lee (I went on splits with her once in Ulsan). I'm excited about this transfer. And...I'm the only American now! In other news, Sae-un, our 11 year old investigator, will get baptized this Saturday! She was supposed to get baptized this past Saturday but her grandmother said she needed more time (she lives with her Catholic grandmother). But I think the ward mission leader talked to her LDS family members and straightened it out. Sae-un is very excited. It'll be amazing!
Well I have to go! Love you!
Sorry this has to be super short but I get to call tomorrow! HAPPY MOTHER's DAY MOM!!!!Today has been a BIG day. It was my first transfer day! My trainer, Sister Jensen, is going home, so we got to move her stuff to Busan. It was so much fun to see all the missionaries at the Bu! (that's Korean church slang for the mission house). I've been on splits in Busan and Ulsan, so I had already met several other sisters and a few elders. And I got to see people from my dongie (people that came to Korea same time). Everyone had a good time catching up and eating at Outback together. I met a lot of people I'd only heard stories about and seen in pictures. The sad part was saying goodbye to Sis. Jensen. I can't believe this day came so soon! She is going back to Hawaii- (yeah, all the members, investigators, and missionaries are jealous :) She taught me a lot. I'll really miss her. My new companion is Sister Lee (Young-Bin is her first name). We are already housemates, so we were way excited to serve together! Sister Matthews will be serving with another Sister Lee (I went on splits with her once in Ulsan). I'm excited about this transfer. And...I'm the only American now! In other news, Sae-un, our 11 year old investigator, will get baptized this Saturday! She was supposed to get baptized this past Saturday but her grandmother said she needed more time (she lives with her Catholic grandmother). But I think the ward mission leader talked to her LDS family members and straightened it out. Sae-un is very excited. It'll be amazing!
Well I have to go! Love you!
Hi Mom!
It sounds like the family is having a lot of fun at home. I can't believe you and Dad got pedicures together! That's so cute!
I already asked Elder Asay if he is related to our Asays, but he said no. And I don't think he's related to Sister Asay...who I've seen pictures of, but haven't met. So this week was exciting. It went by so fast! On Monday night we had a shiksa with the stake president's family. He just got called as an area seventy! We had Stake Conference on Saturday and Sunday and got a new stake presidency. A younger man in the Daemyong ward was called as stake president! Everyone was surprised, but the members seemed excited. They all really like him. Elder Evans (an area seventy) and our mission president (Jennings) spoke. Pres. Jennings's Korean is amazing! Elder Evans talked about spending wisely especially with the current economic situation. It's crazy how the crisis which started in American in September has had a huge effect worldwide...that continues on even months later. Sometimes I wish I knew more of what is going on, but I know that would just take my concentration away from missionary work! I would like to hear more about this swine disease, though. We heard that 100 people died in Mexico.. .that's scary..
On Tuesday we had zone conference. I had to give an intro talk. I started out in Korean, but spoke in Korean and English for the rest. But it was great because the other new missionaries had to start out in Korean too! (No problem for Sister Jung!) After zone conference I went on my first split to Ulsan. I spent Wednesday with Sister Lee, (the first whole day with a Korean companion). It was hard to understand each other (each other's Korean, each other's English), but it was a really good experience. Half the sisters are foreign, half are Korean, so I'll definitely have a Korean companion at least once. So that was good prep! We met with a 19 year old Filipino girl who got married to an older Korean man. She doesn't know Korean- she and her husband communicate in English (but he knows very little). Sister Lee and I taught her Korean (I use "I" lightly). It was fun to see how we could make it work- especially when we were writing out pronunciations! Sister Lee would say the word, ask me how I would write the pronunciation, and our student and I would write it together. And let me tell you, romanizing Korean (English letters) is not easy! This week was not terribly lucky. I managed to erase all the pictures on my camera. Ay-yi-yi! Don't mess with camera options, that's all I can say. So I will get pictures to you eventually, but I have to wait until I can get them from my companion! Oh and today I went hiking! It was fun. And interesting. I'll have to write more about it next time.
Love you all!
Dad, I don't know anything about Gumi but I'll ask around about it.
I love you!
Alyssa
It sounds like the family is having a lot of fun at home. I can't believe you and Dad got pedicures together! That's so cute!
I already asked Elder Asay if he is related to our Asays, but he said no. And I don't think he's related to Sister Asay...who I've seen pictures of, but haven't met. So this week was exciting. It went by so fast! On Monday night we had a shiksa with the stake president's family. He just got called as an area seventy! We had Stake Conference on Saturday and Sunday and got a new stake presidency. A younger man in the Daemyong ward was called as stake president! Everyone was surprised, but the members seemed excited. They all really like him. Elder Evans (an area seventy) and our mission president (Jennings) spoke. Pres. Jennings's Korean is amazing! Elder Evans talked about spending wisely especially with the current economic situation. It's crazy how the crisis which started in American in September has had a huge effect worldwide...that continues on even months later. Sometimes I wish I knew more of what is going on, but I know that would just take my concentration away from missionary work! I would like to hear more about this swine disease, though. We heard that 100 people died in Mexico.. .that's scary..
On Tuesday we had zone conference. I had to give an intro talk. I started out in Korean, but spoke in Korean and English for the rest. But it was great because the other new missionaries had to start out in Korean too! (No problem for Sister Jung!) After zone conference I went on my first split to Ulsan. I spent Wednesday with Sister Lee, (the first whole day with a Korean companion). It was hard to understand each other (each other's Korean, each other's English), but it was a really good experience. Half the sisters are foreign, half are Korean, so I'll definitely have a Korean companion at least once. So that was good prep! We met with a 19 year old Filipino girl who got married to an older Korean man. She doesn't know Korean- she and her husband communicate in English (but he knows very little). Sister Lee and I taught her Korean (I use "I" lightly). It was fun to see how we could make it work- especially when we were writing out pronunciations! Sister Lee would say the word, ask me how I would write the pronunciation, and our student and I would write it together. And let me tell you, romanizing Korean (English letters) is not easy! This week was not terribly lucky. I managed to erase all the pictures on my camera. Ay-yi-yi! Don't mess with camera options, that's all I can say. So I will get pictures to you eventually, but I have to wait until I can get them from my companion! Oh and today I went hiking! It was fun. And interesting. I'll have to write more about it next time.
Love you all!
Dad, I don't know anything about Gumi but I'll ask around about it.
I love you!
Alyssa
Monday, April 27, 2009
Hi Everyone!
I realize that I talked about shiksas last night- you might want to know that shiksa means meal- they're exciting! It's nice to get to know the members and...we always love food!
A while ago, my companion started talking to a girl next to her on the subway- the girl said she recognized us as missionaries and said she saw sister missionaries the day before. She pointed to our Book of Mormon copies and name tags and said they had that, and that one was Korean. We knew they were our housemates, Sister Matthews and Sister Lee, and told her that we lived with them. There are several elders in Daegu, but only 4 sisters! She was excited that we lived with them. I thought it was amazing that she saw them and we sat next to her the day after! She said her grandmother went to church regularly (she passed away) and she is looking for that in her life. We met with her and her boyfriend the other night and will refer her to the other sisters (she is in their area). I'm not sure how interested she is in the church yet, but that experience showed me how the Lord can guide us to those who need to hear our message. We don't often run into people who say they'd love to meet with us again, so that was a great experience! I'm so thankful for the Lord's help.
This weekend we had a lot going on. Saturday, our investigator Yay-jeen got baptized! Yay-jeen is in high school and was introduced to the church by her sister, who was baptized last year. I can see how her faith is growing as she learns about the gospel. She wants to do the right thing and has gained a strong testimony about prayer to our Heavenly Father. I know that prayer can help us in any part of our lives. Our Heavenly Father will always let us know that He loves us. One of the elders in the Dae-myong ward, Elder Nyholm, (one of our two wards) baptized her and her sister came down from Seoul! I was excited to meet her and found out that she knows an elder in Seoul that I knew at the MTC (Elder Verhagan- he was my ZL for the first 6 weeks). It is such a small world! We were also excited because Yay-jeen's friend Jong-meen, who we also teach, was able to come to the baptism. She wasn't sure if she could because she was studying for the TOEIC the next day (BIG English test), so it means a lot that she took time from her day to come.
I don't have to worry about not using the piano here! At the baptism, I was pianist and Sister Jensen and I sang A Child's Prayer together. I loved hearing Yay-jeen's testimony, even though I didn't understand everything. It was a great experience.
Right after that, we had a Ward Friendship Night for the Daemyong ward. The ward mission leader organized it, so it had a lot of missionary involvement! Daehyun, a recent convert of the elders, played the clarinet and I accompanied him on the piano. Sister Jensen and I teach his sister Hyun-a. We first met and became friends with her when we went to the Buddhist temple on my first P-day! After that, Sister Jensen taught everyone the Hula (she is from Hawaii). It was really funny to see everyone try to sway their hips and follow her- the bishop, ward mission leader, all the kids, everyone! It was a lot of fun. They made the elders (Nyholm & Asay) and me do the dance in front of everyone while Sister Jensen played the ukelele! You can imagine how that went! I definitely do not have that talent, but it was fun to just do it anyway. Everyone had a great time (the kids loved the hula!) and they printed pictures of it in the ward letter the next day-
Sunday was great- Hyun-a came to church for the second time in a row! She saw Yay-jeen get confirmed and I tried to explain to her what that meant. Sister Jensen and I then went over to the Sahng-een ward (our other ward) to practice with the ward choir. Stake conference is next week and we're performing! So it was definitely an exciting weekend.
I wish I could write about everything, but there is just too much! I am so thankful for blessings from the Lord. Yes, things don't always go perfectly, but if we try to do the best we can, He has promised He will bless us. Don't forget that! We can always turn to Him in prayer- He knows everything you're going through. Things don't always go according to plan, but you can always try to make the best out of the situation! I'm trying to have that outlook- it makes life so much brighter!
Love you all!
Sister Linford
I realize that I talked about shiksas last night- you might want to know that shiksa means meal- they're exciting! It's nice to get to know the members and...we always love food!
A while ago, my companion started talking to a girl next to her on the subway- the girl said she recognized us as missionaries and said she saw sister missionaries the day before. She pointed to our Book of Mormon copies and name tags and said they had that, and that one was Korean. We knew they were our housemates, Sister Matthews and Sister Lee, and told her that we lived with them. There are several elders in Daegu, but only 4 sisters! She was excited that we lived with them. I thought it was amazing that she saw them and we sat next to her the day after! She said her grandmother went to church regularly (she passed away) and she is looking for that in her life. We met with her and her boyfriend the other night and will refer her to the other sisters (she is in their area). I'm not sure how interested she is in the church yet, but that experience showed me how the Lord can guide us to those who need to hear our message. We don't often run into people who say they'd love to meet with us again, so that was a great experience! I'm so thankful for the Lord's help.
This weekend we had a lot going on. Saturday, our investigator Yay-jeen got baptized! Yay-jeen is in high school and was introduced to the church by her sister, who was baptized last year. I can see how her faith is growing as she learns about the gospel. She wants to do the right thing and has gained a strong testimony about prayer to our Heavenly Father. I know that prayer can help us in any part of our lives. Our Heavenly Father will always let us know that He loves us. One of the elders in the Dae-myong ward, Elder Nyholm, (one of our two wards) baptized her and her sister came down from Seoul! I was excited to meet her and found out that she knows an elder in Seoul that I knew at the MTC (Elder Verhagan- he was my ZL for the first 6 weeks). It is such a small world! We were also excited because Yay-jeen's friend Jong-meen, who we also teach, was able to come to the baptism. She wasn't sure if she could because she was studying for the TOEIC the next day (BIG English test), so it means a lot that she took time from her day to come.
I don't have to worry about not using the piano here! At the baptism, I was pianist and Sister Jensen and I sang A Child's Prayer together. I loved hearing Yay-jeen's testimony, even though I didn't understand everything. It was a great experience.
Right after that, we had a Ward Friendship Night for the Daemyong ward. The ward mission leader organized it, so it had a lot of missionary involvement! Daehyun, a recent convert of the elders, played the clarinet and I accompanied him on the piano. Sister Jensen and I teach his sister Hyun-a. We first met and became friends with her when we went to the Buddhist temple on my first P-day! After that, Sister Jensen taught everyone the Hula (she is from Hawaii). It was really funny to see everyone try to sway their hips and follow her- the bishop, ward mission leader, all the kids, everyone! It was a lot of fun. They made the elders (Nyholm & Asay) and me do the dance in front of everyone while Sister Jensen played the ukelele! You can imagine how that went! I definitely do not have that talent, but it was fun to just do it anyway. Everyone had a great time (the kids loved the hula!) and they printed pictures of it in the ward letter the next day-
Sunday was great- Hyun-a came to church for the second time in a row! She saw Yay-jeen get confirmed and I tried to explain to her what that meant. Sister Jensen and I then went over to the Sahng-een ward (our other ward) to practice with the ward choir. Stake conference is next week and we're performing! So it was definitely an exciting weekend.
I wish I could write about everything, but there is just too much! I am so thankful for blessings from the Lord. Yes, things don't always go perfectly, but if we try to do the best we can, He has promised He will bless us. Don't forget that! We can always turn to Him in prayer- He knows everything you're going through. Things don't always go according to plan, but you can always try to make the best out of the situation! I'm trying to have that outlook- it makes life so much brighter!
Love you all!
Sister Linford
Hi Everyone!
It's nice to be writing again. This was a pretty good week. Shiksas (meals) and teaching were plentiful. It was great! This P-day we decided to take it easy. I took a nap and then we went to a stationery store- there was so much! It was really hard to choose and I ended up with a standard notebook for Korean (so it's STIll hard for me to make decisions!) My companion, Sister Jensen, is Sister Representative for our zone so we had our first split on Thursday. Sister Hawkins came to Daegu for the day with me. I was FINALLY able to get money out of the bank (you have no idea how hard it is to go without passport, waygookeen (foreigner) card, or access to missionary funds). But fortunately, this week I got my passport, waygookeen card back from the government AND debit card from the mission president. My companion was able to lend me enough money until I could get sufficient ID to get money from the bank.
Sister Hawkins and I taught two lessons on Thursday- one to an investigator, and one to a recent convert (we call her Harmoni [grandmother]). Harmoni is SO funny. She's the one who gave us spam and fruit. On Thursday we scoopped apples out with spoons. It tasted like applesauce! And we managed to finish the Plan of Salvation with her- the last part IS the important part! Everyone should know that they can live with God again! So that night we had a shiksa with...the mission president! He called me to say that he was in town with my mission debit card. Sister Hawkins and I went out with him and his wife, and her houseguests. It was delicious- I wish I could remember the name- but you cook the meat yourself, stick it in a leaf of lettuce with some other yummy things, and stick the WHOLE thing in your mouth. The next day we had a shiksa with a young couple in the Sangeen ward- and I found out the husband served with my friend Keith Gonzales in the Seoul mission! Craziness! He was telling a story about an old companion, Elder Gonzales, Mexican-American, from California, serving in Seoul. All of a sudden, I thought "Duh!" THat's my old roommate Lynzy's husband! It was REALLY funny. I love those kinds of connections.
I have to go but I love you all!
Alyssa
It's nice to be writing again. This was a pretty good week. Shiksas (meals) and teaching were plentiful. It was great! This P-day we decided to take it easy. I took a nap and then we went to a stationery store- there was so much! It was really hard to choose and I ended up with a standard notebook for Korean (so it's STIll hard for me to make decisions!) My companion, Sister Jensen, is Sister Representative for our zone so we had our first split on Thursday. Sister Hawkins came to Daegu for the day with me. I was FINALLY able to get money out of the bank (you have no idea how hard it is to go without passport, waygookeen (foreigner) card, or access to missionary funds). But fortunately, this week I got my passport, waygookeen card back from the government AND debit card from the mission president. My companion was able to lend me enough money until I could get sufficient ID to get money from the bank.
Sister Hawkins and I taught two lessons on Thursday- one to an investigator, and one to a recent convert (we call her Harmoni [grandmother]). Harmoni is SO funny. She's the one who gave us spam and fruit. On Thursday we scoopped apples out with spoons. It tasted like applesauce! And we managed to finish the Plan of Salvation with her- the last part IS the important part! Everyone should know that they can live with God again! So that night we had a shiksa with...the mission president! He called me to say that he was in town with my mission debit card. Sister Hawkins and I went out with him and his wife, and her houseguests. It was delicious- I wish I could remember the name- but you cook the meat yourself, stick it in a leaf of lettuce with some other yummy things, and stick the WHOLE thing in your mouth. The next day we had a shiksa with a young couple in the Sangeen ward- and I found out the husband served with my friend Keith Gonzales in the Seoul mission! Craziness! He was telling a story about an old companion, Elder Gonzales, Mexican-American, from California, serving in Seoul. All of a sudden, I thought "Duh!" THat's my old roommate Lynzy's husband! It was REALLY funny. I love those kinds of connections.
I have to go but I love you all!
Alyssa
Hi Mom and Dad!Oh goodness. I have a lot to write and so little time! Yesterday was a great day. We watched General Conference at the Suesong ward with the whole Daegu stake. Dad, I don't know if Gumi is a ward now- I'll have to ask! A lot of people turned out, which was awesome. We watched conference in English upstairs in two rooms- one was mostly missionaries, and the other was mostly Waegookeens (that means foreigners). There is a military branch in our stake. At the break, all the wards split up into different places (the park, different classrooms), and had feasts! The nice thing about being sister missionaries is that we had TWO wards to visit- Sangin and Daemyong. We went to Sangin first and didn't have time for Daemyong. But we did still have time to swing by the military ward's layout (they invited us) and have delicious food (including the most delicious New Zealander cake ever). So that was great. The speakers were great too! I watched ALL the talks and only started to fall asleep once! I loved seeing the people speak I saw at the MTC- Elder Ballard, Elder Scott, the Portuguese elder in the seventy, etc. When he got up, I thought he looked familiar. Then he said he was from Portugal and it clicked! I remembered what he told us about his conversion story. What I learned at the MTC means so much to me. One of the brethren talked about the song "I love to See the Temple." That primary song means a lot to me now. At the MTC, every time we walked home from the temple on P-Day, my companions and I would sing that and look back and just...be happy. I love that memory. There was so much to learn at General Conference- and I especially felt that as we have a responsibility for our investigators. One of them is Say-un. She is so cute (11 years old) and smart. Her great-uncle is the stake president, and another is a Sunday school teacher, so she has a lot of the exposure to the Church. She kept sneaking up to the missionary room to be near us. I turned around once and saw her recreating the Plan of Salvation handout we had talked to her about. Every detail! She is very bright and I'm pretty sure she has a photographic memory. She is the one that knew about Oliver Cowdery. So I am so excited that we can teach her. We would like to teach her little brother too, but we'll see. He reminds me a lot of Christopher (he likes to play and climb around a lot- as most little boys do). Well I have to go now- we're going to Costco! I love you all and am so excited to be here doing the Lord's work. I can't say a lot (yet) but I am learning so much about what it means to be a missionary. I love the people here and have already made some good friends- investigators, missionaries, members, just a mix of everything! Goodbye!Love you!!Alyssa
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