A LONG AWAITED BAPTISM!!!!

Hey Mom and others!!!

Sounds like Conference was great! I am excited to watch :)

This past week Shashika got baptized!!! He is awesome. He wants to share the Gospel to his Sri Lankan friends... :) He is a great person, and he mentioned to us how wonderful he felt after he was baptized...on Easter (which isn't celebrated here other than a mention here or there...)

This week we had another lesson with our investigator who is on the edge of his death bed...and we were able to just talk really boldly with him that right he isn't happy, if he doesn't change anything, then he will never be happy, until he dies, and if he learns about the church and participates he will not only have the opportunity to change, but he will also have a immediate support group and family. He seemed to be really cheered up by the prospect and hopefully he will meet with us and change his life!

We are also teaching a Korean who has been to Canada on an exchange and who likes to practice his english with us, but also listens to the Gospel. We are working to help him to internalize the Gospel instead of just listening to it. He is great though, and did accept an invitation to be baptized. His name is Louis (english name)

There's also our Chinese friends Jo un and 94 (yes that is his name). They are great! Jo un went to church in China for a little while, but right before he was to be baptized in his church in China, he came to Korea for school. So we met him on the street and he was more than overjoyed to start coming to church again. He was able to meet president and have a lesson with him which was good, and we are excited at the prospects of bringing him to Christ. He then the next week (Easter) brought his friend 94 to church who had already been baptized in another church. Both of them were able to see Shashika's baptism. We are excited for them and will help them. They are attending a shipping school, and will be riding the boat from 4/13-5/13 but afterward will come back to Mokpo and come to church :) 

There is also a person named Kim Dong Hee. He is a great guy, who has a lot of interest in the church. We met him on the street, and then started teaching him the lessons and he is trying to develop belief. He has committed to read the Book of Mormon every day (1 chapter). However, he is facing some pretty hard things in his life. He quit his job last week, and doesn't really know what he is going to do with the rest of his life. He is taking a trip to Europe and there will think and ponder where he is going. This is bad because it is a very big dilemma for him, but it is good, because he will have time to come to church and to read and pray, which he really wants to rely on God to get through the trial. He is a great guy!

This week was a really good week! Shashika was able to make a covenant with God and we were able to see the hand of God in His work!

This week I thought a lot about the importance of belief. In Alma we read that the people of Alma were converted through belief on the words of God. In Romans we read that people must have the word of God preached to them in order to believe. So simple, but the truth is so poignant. If you don't believe, you don't receive. Which was stated a little bit more...scripturally and precisely by the ancient scriptorian Mormon's son Moroni,  24 And now I speak unto all the ends of the earth-that if the day cometh that the power and gifts of God shall be done away among you, it shall be because of unbelief." 

I know that Moroni penned the truth!

I hope that you have a wonderful week!!!

Love you so much!

Elder William Strahl

SCARED OF CHURCHES

Hello Mother and Family!!!

 Life in Korea is great, last week spring came, so it is not as cold as it used to be. It is amazing how the 21st of March seems to be that magic switch (which is really the earth tilting and completing its revolution around the sun...) that turns winter to spring. 

This last week went well. Our Sri Lankan investigator didn't get baptized because he had work, but one of the people in our ward is a manager where he works, so he is going to check the situation out and get back to us. This past week we were able to meet 7 new investigators, which is always a happy thing. We met with a couple at a shoe store, as well as an english interest investigator, as well as a few others. 

We met one guy who is a little bit scared of churches. He went to church on Sunday because he wanted to start coming to church. The church took him in, forcefully baptized him. Then, he decided after so much force that he didn't want to be a part of the religion, they called and texted him everyday for 3 months. Then, finally, they left him alone. So, he has a bad view of some churches, but at the same time, he has good recollections of our church. We explained to him that baptism is a choice in our church and not forced on anyone. We also told him that in order to get baptized you have to come to church 3 times and receive the missionary discussions. He is really open about learning about the church and so we are excited to teach him the gospel and help him develop his faith in Jesus Christ.

There was another person who we happened to meet this week. He met missionaries a while ago and had played ping pong with them. We played some ping pong with him and then proceeded to teach him a lesson. We talked and he said that he liked videos, about anything, if they were about church...then go for it...and so we showed him the Restoration. After we showed him the video we took some time to talk about what we had watched. As he felt the spirit he opened up and told us that he had felt a lot of the similar feelings that Joseph Smith had. In Korea there are TONS of churches, and Mokpo is a little different than the coastal towns of America. There are the artsy crafts and everything, but Mokpo has sooo many churches it is crazy. Mokpo is a little more laid back than the city, and a lot of people go there for the good air.  Anyways, we continued to talk to him and share our testimony that he could know that the Book Of Mormon is true and that this is God's Restored church. He told us that he would read the Book of Mormon and pray.

we also met another person on Wednesday who was really great as well. He attended the Catholic Church for a year (which you have to in order to get baptized) and did the study program that they have, and then after baptism he attended for another year. Well, he didn't feel any belief emerge...so he quit. He decided to go to church on his own, and he also quit going to church on his own. We met him on the street and told him that he could truly believe in God. He accepted the invitation to meet again, and so we commenced to meet again. He told us that he learned all about science as a boy, and because of that his view of religion was coming from science. So he asked questions about the creation and other scientific things, and we helped him realize that just studying scriptures is not enough, we also need to humble ourselves and ask God. He said that he would read the Book of Mormon.

Last we met our investigator that teaches English at the academy. He had a little bit of time, so we watched the Restoration with him and the "phrase of the day" was "ask and you shall receive". We committed him to ask for something that he needs (he is going to ask for the knowledge of how to have a peaceful life) and then look for the answer. He said he would and we will follow up to help build his faith in the Savior.

This week was pretty busy, and next week is going to be just as busy! We are excited to be working in Mokpo for the Lord. 

This past week in Sunday School, we learned about Christ as the Bread of  Life. Christ told the people that if they partook of the Bread of life they would never hunger, neither would they thirst. How can we continually partake of the bread of life? Yes, through reading our scriptures and praying, but also through partaking of the Sacrament each week. The sacrament is such an important ordinance that helps us to become like the Savior one week at a time as we partake of His Atonement. I know that the Sacrament is a really important part of every person's life and that it is through the Atonement of our Savior and Lord Jesus Christ that we can be happiest in this life and eternally happy in the life to come. I know that it is through asking that we receive, searching that we find, and knocking that the door is opened. If we don't ask, we won't receive, if we don't seek, we won't find, if we don't knock, the door will never open. 

I love you all so very much! I hope that you have a wonderful week in all of your endeavors!!! I love you!

Elder William Strahl

GOALS AND A POSTPONED BAPTISM

 Glad that everyone is doing well!!!

No, our Sri Lankan investigator did not get baptized this week because he got called into work on Sunday (and found out Saturday)...so he is on a when he can come to church he will get baptized basis....

The old man has not been able to meet...unfortunately.

We met a semi-mentally deficient person on the street that we have started teaching. He is great. We also met another guy that is rather fun. He is in his 30s and pretty much is so decided about everything in his mind that he is totally open (think about it...). So, we have only met once, but were able to talk about God, and faith, and truth, and other things that are all leading up to the crucial moment of...sincere prayer. He also referred us to one of his friends who can meet during the afternoon which is one of the lesser effective times to do missionary work. 

We also met some people on the street, and went through the phone and found some people from before that should have some potential to meet. 

Things are going well in Mokpo. With the transfer, there are now 4 sisters and 4 elders, which is very big for the mission right now (many sisters have left). So, we are excited to roll our sleeves up and get to work in the vineyard of the Lord! I am excited to serve my last few months in this area!

The thoughts that I have had this week have been mostly about the importance of goals. Thinking about a goal, or what we also call a target, the object of a sharpshooter is to be able to hit something very small amidst a very big world. In life there are so many things that compete for our attention. However, as we set goals and work towards them, our focus shifts. We start to see opportunities to accomplish our goals and do better. Goals are really really really important. In reality, everyone has their own goals already set, even if not consciously. Goals reflect our desires and as Elder Oaks says, a lot of time we talk of desires in terms of what we seek. Whatever you naturally find yourself seeking is where your heart is...that is where your goals are...so, pay attention the things that you seek, set goals and appropriately seek, and as the Lord has promised, seek, and ye shall find!

I love you!!!

MIRACLES and DOG SOUP (Boshintag)

So we were going to businesses and advertising the English class that we teach and giving out Restoration pamphlets. We walked into one of the shops and the lady looked at us and recognized that we were Mormon Missionaries...and so she told us that she had been dear friends with an LDS person who had then gone to America some years before. She told us that she had lost contact with this member, but wanted to talk to her. My companion asked her what the friend's name was...and she said the name of our mission President's wife. So we called her and connected them. She was basically crying at the mercy of the Lord. Her friend came in a little bit after and she told the whole story to her friend (there were a lot more "coincidences" than just above) and then they both agreed that there is a God in Heaven who loves them. Sis Shin made her give us her phone number and we plan to introduce her to the sisters this week. 

Love you mother!