Dear family and friends,
Today we are going to go bike riding at a park for P day with a bunch of Sisters. We got a new missionary in our house who is Korean and she will only be here for one transfer, because she is waiting for her visa to go serve in the Temple Square Mission in Salt Lake. She is soooo funny and I just love her!!
We did a lot of music proselyting last week, and I got to sing modern music for the people and that was really fun. I was asked to sing at the mission conference for everyone this coming Friday. I am so excited for this opportunity and I'll tell you all later how it goes.:)
This week was rough when it came to teaching because everyone decided to cancel. We had a lot of members that wanted to feed us and we had four big meals within two days. Lets just say I don't want food for the rest of the week. haha. Anyways, despite the lack of teaching appointments we got to really give a lot of service. We were talking to this old lady who is 75 years old and can barely eat, when all of a sudden her friend that was 85 walked in and sat down next to us. I was thinking…."Wow, do people just really walk into other people's houses like this?" haha. She was so cute though and grabbed us and PULLED us over to HER house. She was like, "Please just talk to me….!" The member we were with stayed at the house of the 75 year old lady. We left our stuff and just quickly followed the 85 year old. She was the most ALIVE looking old lady I've ever seen, in spite of the fact she barely had teeth and talked a million miles per minute. YIKES!!! haha. She lives by herself and was just soooo happy to have us over, and then 10 minutes later she randomly said, "O.k. lets go back to help our friend.:) " I LOVE the old ladies here in Korea!! Thank goodness I have a Korean companion because I could barely understand her.
First things first. I have to say, I am SO THANKFUL to you mother and dad for ALWAYS having weekly family home evenings and scripture study, because I have REALLY come to realize the importance of them. It's so important to have that time spent with just our families and learning. I now understand why we have it, and I am seriously going to drill it into everyone when I get home. hahahahaha I remember hating waking up at 6:30 a.m. to read scriptures as a family, and would just open up the book and pretend I was following along and just sleep. Now I feel so differently! I would wake up that early any day to study with you all when I get home, and luckily we can study at night too right? :} It is sooooo important! The Gospel is SOOOO important, and I just can't explain to you that nothing else matters as much as understanding and striving to live the principles of the gospel that we are taught. I have found there is way more to life than music and sports.
There is one thing I want to say to everyone. My mission has changed my life forever!! I will never be the same again. There is one thing that I have learned on my mission and that is the importance of this Gospel. It's like I have had a big "ah ha" moment. I don't have the answers to everything but all I know is that the only way to truly be happy in this life, and to have a happy family, is to follow Jesus Christ. All these commandments of going to church, pondering and reading the scriptures daily, loving others, praying sincerely, staying clean and worthy……it makes so much sense now. I thought I was converted but I never realized how much I wasn't converted when I was younger. I LOVE THIS GOSPEL and my SAVIOR JESUS CHRIST!!!
So to answer your questions about the flat bed and the Korean people. I sometimes miss my bed at home…….but I really like the Korean beds here, because they actually are comfortable, even though I'm basically on the ground:) The Korean's are very short but once in awhile you will see a tall one. There is a HUGE problem here in Korea. EVERYONE smokes!!! I constantly smell smoke everywhere I go and see people smoking. Alcohol is another HUGE problem. They drink a lot here, and I'm not kidding it's a big thing.
I want to tell all of you that there was one time on my mission when I was laying in my bed at night and I just cried. I was exhausted, and felt like all the weight was on me to teach and train. I suddenly began to really miss my home. I didn't know how I was going to keep going! I felt like I had given everything I could ……..but still…..no baptisms. Then I realized that everything will be there when I get back, and that it doesn't matter if I come home with zero baptisms. It would have been all worth it, because I have been truly and personally converted over to the Gospel.
My departure date seems like it is so far away and will never happen, yet I also know that it WILL come before I know it. Five months is nothing. I love Korea more than I ever thought I would, and I don't want to leave. I especially don't want to finish my mission because there is a special spirit as a missionary, and I don't have to be around all the junk in the world. It's really nice and I'm on a spiritual high everyday.
President Morisse asked us all to set some goals and try to accomplish them. My 3 goals are 1. Always be worthy of the spirit. 2. Have less fear 3. Always be positive and avoid negative speaking. These past few weeks the mission president has spent a lot of time responding to my emails with inspired thoughts to help me. I know he really cares and loves me, and he tells me that all the time.:) I love my mission president!!!!
About 40 percent of my clothes are from Korea, and I will be taking them home . Shantel Shaver is doing good and I heard she was made senior right after she was trained. She was talking to me a lot and asking for help, and I told her the best thing you can do is pray and rely on the Lord.
I love all of you so much and I can't wait to see the new house in Gilbert. I have to say that I am sad I can't live in the Mesa house anymore after 21 years, but life must go on I guess. Please take a lot of pictures of our old home and ask the buyers if I can just walk through it? I love you and can't wait to see you very soon.:)
Love Michelle
No comments:
Post a Comment