Hello Mother and family,
Sounds like things
are going very well in MN. Reid is great! I love that idea of missionary
week for the youth. That takes a lot of faith--it's cool that they went to all that
effort to promote the church at school. I am so glad that he was able to
participate in such an experience.
This past week went by very quickly, but very well. The
last few days with my trainer were very good. We said goodbye to the
restaurant owners and to the area where my companion had diligently
served. He was truly a great trainer. My new companion arrived...his
name is Elder Tolman and the rumors that he is a Christlike missionary
were true! He is great and very solid. I am so excited to be serving
with him and to work with the people in our area! It will be a great
transfer!
There are now 8 missionaries serving in our ward (4
sisters, 4 elders) and Sister Naatjes was one of them assigned to our
ward. She is basically in my position 3 months ago--what a great are to
be a new missionary in! I don't really want to leave....
Our investigators are doing well and some have been dropped.
We
had an intense lesson with Kong this past week that ended in him
blankly telling to our faces that he would not read the Book of Mormon
or pray, so we told him that we could not meat with him until he was
willing to read the Book of Mormon and to pray. He was sad about not
meeting anymore, but it's what had to be done. We had the member that
was just baptized come into the lesson and bear his testimony, I bore
him as straightforward and heartfelt a testimony that I could and so did
Elder Evans. And still, even though he has told us at least 3 times
that he has felt the spirit, he would not read or pray. So there ends
that road until later. Luckily our Ward Mission leader was there
afterward for comfort. He told us that he took 7 years of meeting with
the missinaries before he became a member. So, hopefully down the road
he will meet the missionaries again and this time be prepared to receive
the Gospel.
We didn't meet with the intellectual investigatr. but
this week we will and hopefully we will be able to talk to him in a way
that will help him see that making a promise with Heavenly Father is
really what he needs to do, not learn all of the details about the
Priesthood line through the Catholic and other churches. We will meet
and see if we can help him progress.
The restaurant owners are doing sooo well. Oh my goodness! This week they showed up 15 minutes early to church in Sunday
clothes, absolutely all smiles because of the surprise that they new
that they would give. We taught them a lesson in their restaurant for
the first time in history! Oh I am so excited for them! The first week
that I was here we shared the first spiritual message, and now they are
preparing for baptism on November 23rd!
They are so wonderful!!! We have a meeting with President this week
with them, which will be absolutely wonderful! I am so excited for our
President to meet such wonderful people!
Another miracle happened on Sunday.
This week was the Primary Program (and if you think that American
children are cute, well then you haven't met a baby Korean yet)! The
program was so wonderful as I heard all of the little angels singing
familiar primary songs in Korean. So amazing. And then I looked back at
one part and Samuel was there in the back! I felt like I was in heaven.
The restaurant owners were sitting at my right, we were watching the
primary program, and Samuel, who I love so much came to church after 4
weeks of not coming to church and almost 2 months of not taking lessons.
Afterwards he seemed to show some further interest in the church. I am
so glad that he felt the Holy Ghost in our first lesson--I know that is
what brought him back to church even after being so remote for so long. I
cannot wait (that is an enormous understatement) to meet with him and
to teach him more. He is amazing and will be a very strong member in the
church, So excited.
We also had a call today from a member that we will
have a meeting with a referral with the member tomorrow at 1:00pm. We
hear that he has really great potential and are very excited to be able
to meet with him and to also teach him. Although we don't have a lot of
investigators right now, the investigators that we have are wonderful!!!
Yesterday we had a baptism! The person who is baptized
is a friend and a wonderful person (he came into our lesson with Kong
and bore his testimony). What I didn't tell you about that testimony is
that while he was giving it (this is 마준오 mah-june-oh) Elder Paskett (the
missionary who taught him) and I could not stop smiling because he
basically acted as if he was a 10 year old member. The baptism was
wonderful and I am so impressed at the faith of this new investigator.
He has already referred 5 people to the missionaries and is going to
refer his aunt who lives where Elder Evans went. He is 33 and looks like
he's 20. He has a light in his eyes that is undeniable to anyone who
sees it.
And next week...the sisters have a baptism! So things
are getting going in the area and we are super excited for the upcoming
transfer for all of the investigators that the Lord has in mind for the
area of 충장 (btw, if I don't add a pronounciation key just make something
up and go with it!!!)
This week I have been studying the Sermon on the Mount
quite a lot. I love it! To me, it seems as if it sums up all of this
life in one interconnected relationship between us and God, and how our
interaction with others in this life affects the relationship that we
have with God and vice versa. Ultimately, however, it really boils down
to two people: the natural man and the Lord. No man can serve two
masters, so we must choose, everyday, every moment, every hour, whether
we want to wear the mast of the carnal man inside of us or the mask of
the saint. Remember that throughout this life...eventually the mask that
you wear most will becme your true face. Remember this!
I love you.
No comments:
Post a Comment