Week 82

It is weird to see and interact so much more often with Pres and Sis Taylor. I love them. They are like my 3rd pair of grandparents. We are never just following them around doing little chores for them. They consider me and Elder White as their companions in the mission.

Let me just say this.... Dong-Hae is extremely different from this area!!!!

After leaving the beautiful East Sea I arrived in the the big, busy city! There are always so many people to talk to!!! I forgot how much fun it is to talk with Koreans all the time. You just couldn't do that in the streets of Dong-Hae. I can't tell you how easy it is to get student's Facebook info in Seoul subways as we go about. We have already set up an appointment with one of them. I am hoping that as I put up posts and continue Facebook messaging the students, that they too will have a spark of interest. And, it has only been half a week. Can't wait to see what results will come with time, if we can do this much in a 1/2 week!!

I am sooo grateful that my first day here in Nok-bun we got to teach a young man named Dragon who referred to us from the Seoul Stake President, it was his first in-counter with our church. We met in an auxiliary part of the temple. I can't tell you how long it as been since I have been in the temple. I still haven't had a session since the new year. The spirit was great in the temple, and Dragon is so prepared to receive the restored gospel! He soaked it all in! He said he feels that it is the start of a new beginning for him. He is reading the Book of Mormon and is excited to meet again this Tuesday before he goes back to Japan for schooling!

I love being here!!! Did I say that already?

When I first got here though I was really confused about what I should and should not do. That was because it was the beginning of the transfer, and I don't want to mess up Elder White's groove. There are a lot more office things like helping people fix their Area Book Planner apps, and updating the District Leader Guidelines for their training, and refining a more official, mission language, progression check up book for printing. I had some opinions with the Korean phrasing and tips, and with more of Sister Cutler's input we think that it is ready to go out to the mission!

We have had a good amount of teaching appointments and the Cutler's are a huge help! Did you know that Elder White is a MASTER TEACHER! I love every word that comes out his mouth as he shares the Gospel! Such a wise and converted man. He has amazing vision!! I have a lot to learn from him as the Junior Assistant to the President, I am going to soak it all in and I hope that I can be with him for a good while, but the Lord's will be done! It is really refreshing to have to people pushing with full force and never giving in!

I am now less confused about what I am doing here. Elder White and I have even sacrificed some meals for the work. Haha, Elder White strongly feels that eating is a burden sort of in a joking way but I know he is also serious as well. I somewhat feel that way too, funny to say. The work must be done!

Elder White said this coming week will be like normal proselyting schedule and he was sorry that it was hectic last week.  I am now living with 4 other missionaries, other than my teams, so that will take a little of adjustments to find out other ways to fit in times for pondering and my bonus language study (I look forward to those). I will also clean the whole house before next week!!! A clean house is a house of the Lord, where the Spirit can reside!!

President has directly told us to put a lot of focus on establishing Nok-bun ward, and  I am planning helping in getting more converts over here in Nok-bun. I have heard that Bishop has got the vibe that we are too busy to help him in the ward because of other projects, but my goal and determination is to break that false idea. I have lots of plans with the ward. The recent convert's families have great potential and they even want us to help them! I love the members, but it will be a whole lot more difficult to memorize their names compared to a 20 people attendance in Dong-hae branch.  Good luck to me, maybe that is where I can see some help from the promised gift of tongues!! Haha, we will see.

I am excited to give my all here!!! And, I want to be exactly obedient!!
Elder Timmy Alger!




My last day in Dong-Hae! Guess what! When I first got to Dong-Hae we made a open group chat on a Korean Social media app and this guy entered it and said that he would like to learn English with us. At the time we hadn't started up our English Connect classes, and so we had him meet up for a 30/30 program. 30 mins of English discussion and 30 mins of Gospel discussion. He started freaked out with church and missionaries and wouldn't keep any commitments, but from fall until now, he has slowly progressed by reading out of B of M and then downloading the Gospel Library app. It has been really slow. And then when it came to my final say, we were determined to get him to try church just one time. And, after discussing it he said. "Alright." And, coincidentally we had a last dinner appointment with Brianne the recent convert and Oliver and so we invited him to join us. And they got along well! Never in my wildest dream did I imagine him coming from where he was at the beginning and then going to church yesterday! I left Dong-Hae with a bang I feel.

I am in the city now!

My last night in Dong-Hae was a smooth transition with the new elder taking my place and they have great plans for expanding what Elder Torres and I started at the Library with English Connect.