I didn't know if this would happen, I have survived 2 months in Korea! I'm not even dead! I've come close a few times haha, but I am alive and well! WOOHOO! Sometimes I forget that I ever lived in America. I've gotten so used to the way life is here.. And sometimes when I'm walking down the street with buses and cars zooming past, people in a hurry from place to place, I think to myself how crazy it would be if you could all experience my life right now! It couldn't be any more different than life at home. I think I might go through a bigger culture shock when I get home to the states than when I came here! (someday in 20 years when I come home)
Speaking of culture.. Oh man. Having a Korean companion has flipped my world upside down haha.. It is definitely a different experience to live with a native. I have gotten so used to life here with another foreigner.. it is a completely different experience to be with a Korean. This week was a little bit hard.. It felt a little bit like my first week all over again. I had gotten to the point with Sister Lawrence where I could understand a good portion of what she was saying to people. That has totally changed with Sister Lee! Koreans speak very differently with eachother.. 20 times faster. And using words I have never even heard before haha.. I'm lucky if I can understand 5 words in the lesson. I have been feeling a lot of stress about the language this week. But last night Sister Lee gave me a good reminder. I am still a greeny haha! I am not expected to know everything, I just need to take it day by day. I think sometimes I just think that I have more responsibility because I'm the one who knows Shinchon, the one who has connections with the members and our investigators and recent converts. But I realized that everything is okay. I can choose to be happy no matter what! The language will come with time. I have already done things I never thought I would be able to do or say, which is a miracle. If you told me on my first day in Korea that I would ever be able to talk to someone on the street about the Book of Mormon, I would've told you that you that you were a crackhead and that there was no way. Now I do it every day of my life, several times a day. It is so important to always be moving forward. But I think it is also important to look back sometimes so see how far you've come, and to see the Lord's hand in your life. There have been days where I don't know how I survived. I literally thought I would die, but somehow the Lord got me through it! He always does. :)
Anyways, things are really good. I love my companion haha. She says the funniest things every day. Her english is close to perfect but sometimes she's just too smart and things come out wrong. Here are a few of the highlights this week:
(talking about past investigators who don't want to meet with us) "We don't want to meet with you for our own personal thing.. It is about your salvation! So.. be salivated!"
(trying to send an encouraging text to our recent converts) "We are always in the back of you"
"You are not that fat" (do I need to explain this one)
Hahaha I love her so much.. every day is an adventure. On valentines day we decided to go "heart attack" Kim Tae Hee and Kim Dong Hee's apartment. We got lost and wandered around for a good hour and a half but it was so much fun. She is such a hoot. We get along so well, I am so grateful to have her as a companion. She has brought me so much happiness!
Well, our main gal these days is Shin Song Hee.. Oh man I love this girl I just don't know what to do with her.. This past week we were able to meet with her a couple times, which was such a miracle, she is always soooo busy. She came to dinner with us at a member's house on monday, an american family in our ward, the Evans. She has such a wonderful time.. She has already developed so many awesome relationships in the ward, sometimes I feel like she's already been baptized In fact, on the way home from dinner we were on the bus, and this girl sitting behind us started talking to us, she grew up in the States so she spoke english. She started asking questions about the church, and before I could even say anything, Shin Song Hee said "You should come! I am a recent convert! I love this church so much!" hahaha me and Sister Lee looked at eachother like, bingo. She honestly thinks she is already a member! This week we really tried to teach her the importance of baptism. We've been reading Alma 32 with her, trying to teach her about what faith really is, and how to recognized how much faith she already has.. she comes to church every week, she loves to study the book of mormon with us, she prays... she does so many wonderful things. She just doesn't want to commit yet. She says she doesn't want to regret anything. She said she is going to pray about it every day. She asked me after the lesson "Sister Holmes, will you pray about when I need to be baptized?" I was like yes, in fact I know already. Next week. Just kidding.. I said it in my mind.. if she coulda read my mind.. she would've been like.. what? (name that movie) Sorry that was dumb haha. Anyways, I love her so much. she really is progressing a lot.. and I think with a little bit more time and understanding, she will soon be ready for baptism. I hope and pray eeevery day!
Everyone else is doing great! All our recent converts are strong and amazing. Our ward is so wonderful and gives us so much help.. I really have nothing to complain about! Except for maybe the fact that I can't understand what is being said a good amount of my life. Yeah maybe that. Oh well. I got this haha. Slowly but surely.. I will speak this language dang it. Mark my words.
I think I've already talked about this before, but I'll say it again. One of my very favorite things to do is give away copies of the Book of Mormon. I realized that the reason that I love it so much is because... I love the Book of Mormon. So much. As I read it every day, my love and desire to share it grows so much. I have taken this book for granted my whole life.. I have never studied it and loved the stories and related it to my life like I do now. Every day I find something that I need to here. I am reading in Mosiah right now and I love it. Personal study is the best part of the day. Its what gets me out of bed in the morning (which is still the hardest thing about missionary life for me haha. That and going to bed because I know I have to wake up in like 1 minute. Oh and also carrying groceries back to our apartment..kill me now. ok i'm done complaining)
Well yeah. I love this gospel, I love this work. I am so grateful to be servant in the Lord's vineyard at this time. Have a wonderful week!! Until next time! xoxoxoxo. Much love from Koreaaaa!
ํ์ค ์๋งค
Sister Holmes
Last P-Day adventures at Seoul Tower!
More P-Day funnnnn
So happy together
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