This week was absolutely wonderful.
First off, there was a HUGE thunderstorm on Thursday
that was so amazing. Luckily (coincidence?) it happened through our
dinner time, which was cool, because we sat out on the balcony and
watched lightning strike the apartments around us. It was super intense,
but very refreshing. After dinner we went out, got soaked, and met a
new investigator that we will continue to be meeting with. He is an
interesting person, but definitely needs the Gospel of Jesus Christ in
his life (everyone does!). The miracle with this story is that we were
in a completely wrong area looking for the address (I would comment
about the address system in Korea, but you would get lost (pun most
certainly intended)) and could not find it...in a thunderstorm...with
limited time available to meet with him. Well, as it went, we called him
a couple times, and could not find his place, so we ended up going to a
local restaurant and asking them to talk to him so that we could
understand more clearly where we needed to go (language barrier...). So,
we do so, and of course, being in Korea (people just love to help) the
restaurant owner, during open working hours, takes us in his van to the
address where we would be meeting the investigator. What wonderful
people!!! Well, as it turns out, we decided to go eat there the next day
to say thank you, and now we have some new investigators. They are not
completely interested in the Gospel, but with enough interactions with
missionaries, they soon will be (like the couple that we are teaching
now--was efforts of many missionaries before). Yep, that was a great
night, although I was soaked from the knees down to the bone. Hey, great
things happen when you do the Lord's work despite external
circumstances.
So much else happened throughout this past week. So
much that I wish that I could tell you all about it, but there isn't
time. With all the crazy weather, it is now a lot cooler in Korea, which
is a nice break from the killer heat. It is a very warm, yet refreshing
temperature outside now, and we have to use blanket when we sleep or we
will be cold!
We talked to a lot of people this past week. The man
on the moped met with us at a restaurant and we talked for a little
while about many different things. It seems that he was at church in the
other area mainly for the social aspect of things and for the
relationship with members/missionaries. We are working on getting him to
church, but for now he has little interest and doesn't really see a
need to go to church. However, there is a seed planted and we have to
find out how to nourish it.
The owners of the restaurant were busy this week, so
there was not much of an opportunity to visit with them much about the
gospel. We stepped in for maybe ten minutes and talked to the mother for
a little bit, but there was no formal lesson. We found out that her
eyesight is not good enough to read the Book of Mormon and that it hurts
her eyes to read, so we are going to navigate that barrier through
getting her the Book of Mormon audio on her phone. (which then inspired
us to get it on everyone that we are teaching's phone--so much easier
access!) They didn't come to church again and the situation has gotten a
little bit more complicated. We found out that they have been covering
up their daughter's affiliation with the church from their family;
saying that she is in America on some sort of other business. We also
found out that we cannot teach them at their home because they live with
their parents (in Korea the older adults oftentimes just live with
their kids and their kids take care of them). We will find a way to
teach them and bring them to Christ because we know that they really do
want it, we just have to help them see how much they really want
it....if that makes sense. Sad week there, but this week will hopefully
produce better fruits.
Another of our investigators came across completely
differently than we ever knew. This was only my second time meeting with
him and he seems to be one of those investigators that understands
everything intellectually, but is not willing to keep commitments. That
is what we thought. And then, on Tuesday,
we learned that he actually doesn't attend church because he commutes
to Seoul for his job. We found out that he even called the church in
Seoul to find out when they met to see if he could go up there, but the
church service ends at the time that he stops working. He really has a
ton of faith, but if something doesn't change, then he won't be able to
progress. We are trying to figure how to best help him--this lesson he
came in kind of down and a little sad--but then, I watched beaming as
the spirit slowly worked on him and at the end of the lesson he left all
smiles. It was wonderful to see the change in his countenance. We
realized that Monday
and Tuesdays are like his weekends, and that he takes the precious time
to meet with us every week. He pretty much only gets the Spirit when he
meets with us, so for now it is kind of like church for him. We will
help him as best we can through the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
Next, there is someone very special that I need to
mention. His name is Samuel. He was a referral from a member who teaches
English here in Gwang Ju and has recently returned from his mission in
England. We had a meeting with him and it went absolutely wonderful. He
is so prepared and ready to accept the Gospel. We set a baptismal date
with him for September 22!
At church the next day my companion and I noted that we could not even
tell that he was an investigator. He came to testimony meeting and as he
heard the testimonies he sat there and nodded through the whole thing.
He is so great and so prepared! I am so excited to continue to teach
him. He will be a strong member of the church and contribute greatly to
the ward that we are currently serving in! I have a feeling he is the
first of many...
This week I have had the absolute thrill of
realizing the reality and the magnitude of what I am doing here in
Korea. I have the wonderful opportunity and privilege to tell people on
the streets that "Jesus Christ's originally established church has again
been restored". I absolutely love spreading that great news to everyone
that I meet, wherever I am. I have truly felt that I am a mouthpiece of
the Lord as I spread His message to my fellow men.
Remember this as a thought throughout the week--it
is in Lehi's dream and it is an interesting pattern that I think
illustrates missionary work very nicely. Lehi goes and partakes of the
fruit of the tree of life. Then, it says that as soon as he had
partaken, he looked around to spy his family, so that they could also
partake. This takes on a different meaning when the word family is put
into context as our "eternal family" or everyone. Next he goes on and
says that he looks for specific people. That is something that we must
also do. If we just look at missionary work as missionary work, then we
will never have the opportunity for a specific missionary opportunity.
We must be looking for the specific opportunity in order for it to come
to fruition. He sees Nephi, Sam, and Sariah. He identifies them and sees
where they are. Then, he beckons to them--he invites them to come to
the tree of life. Sam, Nephi, and Sariah come and then they partake as
well. Then, Lehi looks for Laman and Lemuel, sees them, also beckons to
them, but they do not hearken and do not partake of the tree of life.
There are many important lessons in this section of the dream. After
looking for specific people, then we must beckon to them. This does not
mean that we force it on them, but that we show them the opportunity and
give them a clear way to exercise their agency. Then, they have their
agency as both halves of the family had, to choose whether or not to
partake of the fruit. Remember, you have partaken of the fruit already!
You have the joy, and now you can look, specifically invite, and give
others the opportunity to enjoy what you have! We can do this until our
entire family has been invited and have chosen their ways, whether to
partake or not to partake. In the end, always remember that there is no
limit to the fruit on the tree. There is no limit. The Atonement of
Jesus Christ has no limits--it is for everyone and for eternity. So
invite!
I wish you the best of the week! Do good things, do
your best in everything, love the Lord, and look for opportunities to
share the amazing gospel. We have been reminded this week by our
president that missionaries are "helpers". It is the members that should
lead and guide this work and that is the way that it is headed in my
ward in Korea! Have a wonderful week, I love you all, and am so excited
for all of the things that you are doing, accomplishing and
experiencing!
With lots of love,
William Strahl
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