Week 15

This last week we were really focusing on trusting the goals the mission president set for us as a mission. We were striving to hit 150 contacts, and in doing so we were searching for our 3 new investigators for that week.

This last week we got 105. Which was a real success, because we have usually gotten under 70. And as we were doing this, Elder Lowe and I were able to push ourselves to talk to more people. And, after speaking with these people we were able to Plan, Check and Adjust for the next time. We ended up with goals such as; testifying to everyone we meet and share a truth of the gospel, trying to learn what is important to them and then use the energy they have for it and attach it to the gospel so that they have a desire and drive to go to action on our invitations. I love serving and getting to know people if they let me. A lot of the time, they let their "experience" or walls get in the way of us teaching them. We are just here to love, serve, and help the people improve their lives by coming closer to Christ.

I have seen miracles in trying to improve myself as a disciple and representative of Christ. I am trying new methods, or in other words, learning what to focus on by reading Preach My Gospel, our guide to being a successful missionary, and hearkening to the Spirit!!! I want to give all I can to the 교문 area!!!

Tomorrow we will have our actual P-day, and we are going to the TEMPLE!!! I'm sorry I didn't have time to reply to any emails this week. I love to hear from you all. Here is what I sent as a response to my mom. This is what took all my time today.

She asked: Are you happy? Any hard things in life? Frustrations?

Yes!!!!  I love being a Missionary.

Um. hard yes, but I like hard things, like when I decided to change my life back home. (Here are the turning points that made me who I am now)

 ~Millennial Choirs and Orchestra - beginning my freshman year - The birth of my own personal testimony of the gospel. I gained this through the STRONG Spirit I felt there and through the music and direction given. This gave me a chance to then testify of that truth through song with great power. (It just gave me the chills thinking about it.)

 ~ Landmark- August and September of my junior year- This opened my view of the possibilities in life and how there are so many things that I didn't know I didn't know. (There some things we know that we don't know, and there are things we don't know that we don't know. Things we are completely blind to.) I learned how to clear up all the negative and false perspectives I had and to open my eyes to more. I gained a hope for better things to come, even if all my questions and struggles were not resolved by this program it was the start of striving for a better, changed way of living.

~ Trip to DC-  summer in between junior and senior year- I learned how great my love was for my family. I soaked in every second of Grammy time! I love everything about her!!! I learned that we can do things differently than what we are used to, I learned how to DREAM. I loved all of the life changing books that we read and listened to, introduced to us by Sam. The Magic of Thinking BIG (dream), Personality Plus, How to Win Friends and Influence People, etc. It opened my mind to all the many things that I can achieve and become when I let go of mind limitations and accepting what the devil wants me to think.

~ My Patriarchal blessing - beginning of senior year- It showed me so many different things. The main ones being God KNOWS me!!! How I really can accomplish anything I want to, from education, mission, career and anything else! It reassured me that I am doing good things and that I am on the right path. And many, many other amazing promises as I keep my covenants with the Lord. I have no doubt of the truthfulness of the Gospel! This further strengthened my testimony.

~ New Year's Resolutions 2017- I was asked to give a talk about this in church. I know that the assignment was given to me so that I could start reaching and stretching for more! Because of the many tiny turning points and things I learned while preparing for this talk,  I actually set goals that I would be willing to do anything to achieve. I was going to have integrity and be diligent to my word because I know that with God I can accomplish all things.  My goals were to be prepared for my mission by reading the Bible, Book of Mormon, Doctrine and Covenants and Pearl of Great Price, beginning to end, between then and my mission report date, and to learn to play all of the hymns in our hymnbook, as well as many, many other goals. I wanted more for life and I had hope!

~ LIFE Leadership- Because of joining LIFE, I was able to keep myself committed to these goals. LIFE opened my eyes to more, and more, and more. There was so much to learn! The only reason I joined was because I SAW the change in Sam from before to now; and I wanted to have that too. I had no clue what it's details were, but I saw the results I wanted. And, there was so much more that I didn't realize was there. It is truly a company made to help you achieve your dreams and to improve yourself and life in infinite ways. If I hadn't learned all of these principles and skills before my mission, I would have been in shock!! And, blown away!!! Because of LIFE, I was able to get ahead of the game and learn things that I see other missionaries learning right now. I was even able to begin learning Korean through their program!

~ Going to Aaronic Priesthood Camp- before and after senior year- This really opened my eyes to acting on and experiencing the Gospel in all aspects of my life.

~MY MISSION- Thousands of Turning Points!!!!! So far, I am realizing that it is through relying on the Atonement of Jesus Christ that we truly become more and achieve! I have had too many more breakthroughs and realizations to say in this email!

The thing is, before these things happened, I hardly had opposition, trials, or hard things in my life. Having grown up in such a loving family and having a home built on gospel principles, kept me safe. I am Eternally grateful that I was born into a family like that because I was SO blessed!!!!! I was a good kid because of the Gospel, but, I had no huge opposition to push me, so God blessed me with these experiences and turning points to challenge me to reach for more and learn to be comfortable being uncomfortable. It is the only way we grow. The Plan of Salvation says it clearly in 2 Nephi 2: 11-13 and Mosiah 3 19. There needs to be opposition for anything to come about, and it is through the Atonement that we can have all of the good things.

I love Hardship!

I didn't have time to make captions for the pictures, so good luck guessing. It is so beautiful here!

If you want to see short video clips from Elder Timmy, you can see them here on his youtube channel:
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCa34Oh8fFsdtLSun6OfxhYA

Week 14

This last week was busy!!! It is honestly hard to remember this last week because it is all a blur!
All is well though.

So of the highlights from this last week is,
- Elder Lowe and I will be teaching our neighbors English! They are really nice and we can see their family gaining interest in the church in the future.
- The people that we find to speak to and that we have better connections with are those that we find as we are busy going about 교문 helping members, or going to some meeting with someone. This last week we have gotten good at being able to get more interest from other people this way. "Contacting with (another) Purpose (in mind)" is what we call it. We are always looking for people as we go from here to there. And, I can see how God blesses those who really try to be doing everything they can to accomplish His work.
- I really loved Zone Conference!!!!!!!!!! It re-motivated me to give more and gave me new insights. One of these is, as a companionship, we have to put trust in the Lord that the standards of excellence (Stats wise) are something that we can hit (even though my comp hasn't been able to reach them before). We are relying on Him that as we push ourselves more, the results will follow. It is exciting to reach new heights!
- We got to teach 한동호, our investigator that has a Baptismal Date with his wife. His wife has been in Vietnam for about 2 weeks now for business, so we haven't been able to teach her. But, the cool part is, 한동호 will be a completely different man by the time she gets back, and it is a possiblity that 한동호 could be able to recieve the Preisthood and Baptise his own wife. (That could be awesome, if it works out this way)
- I love the Keystone Project! Right now the Scriptures, feel almost like story with a plot (TV show). And, everyday I am more and more interested in what I am going to learn out of it the next day.

There is no way to upload my pics this week. I got a bad computer.

Love you all!

Week 13

We have 2 new Investigators!!!! And, it is such blessing for me to be able to teach them, because the only reason I can understand what they are feeling, saying, or need to hear is because of the Spirit!!! 

Before my mission, I would have never thought that I would be able to understand the workings of the Spirit as much as I do now! I am so grateful for the words of our modern prophets. Because of them, I have been able to invite the Spirit into my heart~ as one of my first big promptings in the mission~ to start a study of the Book of Mormon in order to know the voice of the Spirit. 
Right now,  I am at the point where I hear it's voice clearly and I can know what I am supposed to do. I also can feel when the moments of opportunity have left and whether my actions are aligned with the will of God. It truly is indescribable!! 

Everyday out on the mission is a blessing. The more I am out here, the more I want to give!!!! I love being in Korea and I just want to keep getting better every second, so that I can be a better tool in the hand of the Lord. I want to be as Enos.

"...after I had prayed and labored with all diligence, the Lord said unto me: I will grant unto thee according to thy desires, because of thy faith..."

I want to give my all spiritually and physically and learn how to refine my skills to me more effective and successful as I put in the work, I know that as I give my all daily the Lord will show me what I can do to better myself in the work. It will be perfect from the get go. 

( 한동호 in our last lesson told us that he really wants to have the joy that we have and to be baptized! He is so ready. And, he wants to meet with us every single day and be taught. And, we will!)

Just like with our investigator 한동호, he struggles with how to get something out of the scriptures. But, the Lord doesn't ask anyone to be perfect, only to be giving their all and 촉음 식 촉음 식, He will bless you with better understanding and how to improve. It is when show Him that we "labored with all diligence" and consecrated our actions through prayer, that the Lord will bless his children with blessings unimaginable. And, through Christ we all can be made whole! And, more than we can think of!

Oh what a blessing a mission is!!!

Loads of 사랑 from 알거 장로!!!!!!!!

Here is my mailing address:

Korea Seoul Mission
Jahamun-ro 152 
Jongno-gu
seoul-si 03046

South Korea

International Forever stamps are only $1.10. You know you want to send me a letter.  

My mom asked what it looks like to be a missionary in Korea. The answer is: It looks like a bunch of White (Americans) getting weird looks because we are a rarity! They always say " Foreigners!!!!!!!!" They love to practice their English, if they are confident enough. Most people here are  too shy to show off how good they are at it. And, for the most part they are all very respectful

Lol it was too sugary!!!!! And, I have to go where they want me to go.

From our new Smart Phone!!!! 

My study area

This is a joke between us and the Sisters in the area! It is a little scary.

  

 In Korea when they say hotdog they normally mean corn dog, and so my companion and I had to get some of these. They literally were the best hotdogs that I have ever had in my life!!!

 Ancient spiritual place, I am actually not totally sure what it is, but it is Epic looking

Traditional Clothes in front of the greatest Warrior in Korea!... Whose name... I forgot

King Sageon! The one who started the creation of the Korean Language. It is actually a fairly new language compared to many others. 

Because I am in the sun I have slit eyes... lol

An Epic store we went to with some great and crafty things.

We are still in Seoul and it is coming to the end of P-day (I love Seoul because they have more trees than in my area)

 Playing with Butterflies at the Subway station

You have options here in Korea!!!!! And, I have yet to choose the other option.

Also, the toothpaste here is no good and the deodorant is expensive and rare in Korea.

 Lol, this is just after my first time going to a meeting where the other person didn't show up, but it is alright! We met a lady who was interest in English (We teach English. It helps people learn about the church, and it is great service) and the railways are so detailed, we stood there in enjoying the cool weather while waiting from a train

The leaves are gorgeous right now so let's take a pic!

This is a 1st!!!!!!!!! A Korean asked a foreigner for directions in her own country. And she could have asked a Korean. I do know why I enjoy this so much!

The SUNRISE from my apartment window

A stake sports activity with many cool Korean games that would be fun to teach the Fam when I get back.

Ending pretty