It is great to be a missionary here in Korea more than ever!!!!
http://englishconnect.helpinghands.center/ (You can't understand all of it because it is in Korean, but I guess you can admire the visual and professional style of it. And if you look through the teachers you will see Elder Wirth from Goodyear Arizona!!! He is famous now! The Smith family should know him!)
Our mission has been blowing up with the English Connect program under the umbrella of Helping Hands!!!!!! It is getting more and more views in Seoul, so many that President is opening it up to other areas in the mission for those who want to bring this amazing program into their area. Now it is under the process of coming to the rural parts of country 강원도 (Gangwon Province), my zone!!! Starting with 원주 (Won-ju), 강릉 (Kang-neug), and Elder Torres and my area, 동해 (Dong-hae). We are excited to see how we can help to bring that effort over to 강원도!!!!
It is going so well in our mission now that the other missions are asking to join us in our efforts! It will soon be a national effort, starting with going to the South - South Korea Mission.
"Through service, you and those who are prepared for the restored gospel
come together in a powerful, inspiring way. Your good works will help people recognize you as a
servant of God and will lead to opportunities to teach the restored gospel." (PMG 168)
We are following the example of Ammon and serving the people of another land with all our might. The people will see that there is something to us, because there is no hiding it!"
Anyways! I am a Trainer now!!!!!!! That's new! Elder Torres is doing great!!! He is from the Philippines! 22 years old! And, is a 4 year convert. He was converted through the power of the Book of Mormon. His friend simply saw that he wasn't reading anything at the moment and was looking for another good book to read and just grabbed a Book of Mormon and said "HERE! Read this one." So he thought why not, I don't have anything else to read. And, from there he fell in love with it's pure doctrines and clarity.
He is the only member right now. And, after college, getting the highest grades in the class, he went to his father and said "I want to serve the one who made this all possible for me." Hinting at the fact he wanted to go on a mission.
Once he told his parents he wanted to go, they were very hesitant, not even quite sure what a mission would mean for him or them. And, when they were about to decline, he said, "I have worked my guts out and gotten the highest grades in the class, I think I deserve a break from all my hard work. I need to go out." He said it in a way that his parents would allow him to go, though knowing that it wasn't going to be just traveling and going around the world to see things, but he was going to repay the Lord for all He had done for him, and to help others have the same type of blessings. His parents then allowed him to go and take his so called "break" from school and work.
He turned in his papers. And, once they were sent he got a request from the big university to become a Professor. It was then that his parents really started to doubt his decision, and thought him foolish to make such a choice. Satan sure didn't want this powerhouse of a man to go out to help others learn of the truth that he found and holds so dearly.
But, never the less he pushed forward. He was told that he has 3 more months until his mission, because of visa problems. But, one morning the president of the mission where he lived, the Naga mission, told him that he was to report to the MTC in 2 days. Which meant that he would only have 24 hrs to go back and gather all the things he needed and head off to the area's port.
Though a little racked by the suddenness of the departure, he moved forward in faith. He arrived 3 days after the rest of his district did. So, he had to play the game of catch up in learning a language that defies all of the language rules he had ever learned.
Just like every other Filipino, he started learning English and Tagalog when he was in 1st grade, because they are the national languages. This is how they unit the 49 languages they have in the country.
He loved English and so he read every book he could get a hold of and the later on decided he wanted to become an English teacher. He loves teaching! But, in order to teach to every one English, he then had to learn 7 more tribal languages. This way he could explain the rules of grammar and why they are the way they are. He thought of picking up languages as easy, but when he started to learn Korean in the MTC, it was a beast!!
Now he is with me!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I am so inspired by my greeny!!! Especially his love for the gospel. He has a strong spirit and is a great teacher! When we taught in English, he and I went back and forth very fluently and the Spirit was strong. It has already made a big impact on those we teach. What a great missionary!
Though, I think if there is one thing he is struggling with it is the language. I am helping him with that and he has improved a lot! He is doing great. I am teaching him things that I wish I had known when I was a young missionary. It is weird being on the flip side of things. He calls me old...... haha
Personally, the first couple days in Seoul, after all the changes, I was having some anxiety. I went from one moment being companions with a fully experienced missionary, to a greeny. And, the next day going to the Mission Leadership Counsel without the companion with whom I had worked so hard to build up the zone. It really opened my eyes to the fact that it all rests on me now, in guiding the Kang-Neung Zone. I also realized that the old wise missionaries I used to work with have all gone home, and that it is now up to my generation of missionaries to pick up the mantle. It was just a time period of feeling overwhelmed.
But, once we arrived home to our area, that feeling of being overloaded went away, with back to back discussions with those we teach!!! It was great! Elder Torres loved it too!
I tried that whole to time to take the eyes off of my own worries and focus more on how this is Elder Torres' first week in the country and that he is experiencing a more drastic change than I am.
Speaking of more responsibility, I am now the branch clerk! And, this last Sunday, I had to give a 20 min. talk in Korean, because one of the planned speakers couldn't make it. I didn't think I could even give a 20 min long talk in English... but I guess that having to give talks almost every week in my previous area really prepared me.
It was a miracle! I was praying so hard and I was putting my faith in the Lord. And, I know it was inspired because after saying all that I had said, I was prompted to read the first principle we teach in Preach My Gospel, God is our loving Heavenly Father. And, as I read it the Spirit was overwhelming and undeniable. I started reading and as I did I realized that I had been talking about those very things and that this was wrapping it all together. Once I realized that, tears filled my eyes and stopped me in my words. I felt everyone looking at me. And then, the Spirit rushed over everyone in the room. I continued reading knowing that I was acting as the mouth piece of the Lord at that moment.
I know that God lives!!!!! He is our Father in Heaven and that we all have the potential to become as He is, full of joy. The plan God made for that purpose is made possible because of His Son, Jesus Christ, the Savior of the World. I know that you can learn of Christ's true divinity for yourself through the book that God has provided and protected for our day. It is the word of God! This book is called the Book of Mormon and it IS the most clarifying book and has the most pure doctrine enveloped in its pages pertaining to Redeemer and His gospel! I know that Joseph Smith was a prophet of God and that he was called to restore those precious truths that once were lost. We are all forever blessed by it!
Greatest Love from Elder Alger in Korea!
화이팅!
Love from over in 강원도 (Gangwon Province)!
My new greeney has hidden talents and one of them is the voice of an angel!
Members provide us with KimChee!!
Pig Skin! YUM!
