The Worth of Seoul: Week 57

Dearest fam, friends and loved ones..

I have an announcement to make.. I have overcome a fear that I have had my whole mission here in Korea... I experienced a mokyoktang for the first time today. Yes, that does infact mean public bathhouse. And my life is changed! Literally it was awesome. I feel like I can conquer the world now haha!! I LOVE KOREA!!!!

Anyways, hat a great week it as been! We saw a lot of awesome miracles and worked really hard! We went on exchanges with the Donghae Sisters, and this time I was with Sister Ju Hyeyon in Taebaek. We had so much fun together.. we came to the conclusion that there was only one way to describe our exchange, and that is "extreme adventure" haha. It was the coldest day that day (thursday). Literally I have never been so cold in my life! We did a lot of jundo because all of our appointments canceled.. and it was deathly cold! So that was quite an adventure. It was so much fun. Working with a korean was so great.. it reminded me of my happy times with Sister Lee Hyewon (I miss her so much.. she goes home this transfer, I can't believe it!). It is quite a different experience serving with another foreigner than it is serving with a korean. At times I felt like a greenie again, not going to lie, but it has helped me see how far I've come in the korean language and missionary work, but also how much I still need to improve and learn. It was so much fun.I love our zone out here so much! Today we are in Donghae spending p-day with Sister Jackson for the last time. She has been such a great stl and I am so grateful for the opportunity I've had to serve with her!

Miracles this week: One big one. Sister Ju and I decided to go visit and old investigator on wed. night, and we ended up having such a wonderful lesson with her. She's been really hard to contact and meet but she wants us to start doing family english with her son! We did yesterday for the first time and it was great. We had an awesome lesson and I think expectations were established really well. I really feel like this family has a lot of potential. They say that they are technically Buddhist, but I don't think they are very strong in their beliefs, and they are very open to learning.

Teaching english to her son Hyon-u was the funnest thing ever. He is really smart and knows a lot, but he doesn't really understand what we're saying a lot of the time. We were teaching him the expression "social butterfly" and this is how he responded. "Well, I'm not a butterfly.. or a bee.. I'm a freedom alien." .... I have no idea, but it gave us the best laugh ever!

We also had a lot of really cool experiences talking to people on the street this week. Sister Stancliffe is starting to get more bold. Just some cool experiences that we wouldn't have had if we didn't follow the spirit. I'm learning a lot about listening to the voice of the spirit as I've been applying my zone commitments. It is really cool to see the spirit work through you. I truly can testify that if you have the spirit, you don't need to worry about anything else! Isn't that so great or what?

I love the book of mormon more and more the more I read it. This week we were meeting with Rose, one of our investigators that we've been having a bit of a hard time understanding, and we were talking about the book of mormon with her. I was talking to her about how much I love it. I told her it was my favorite thing in the world.. and she said "Really? Like more than icecream??".. and I felt confident as I said "Yes. I love the book of mormon more than icecream!" It was such a great feeling. I love icecream a whole lot. But I love the book of mormon 20 times more. The change I hoped my mission would bring has happened! I love the book of mormon more than icecream.. miracle. (that and I went to a bathhouse ahhhh)

This week I read Pres. Uchtdorf's talk from conference that he gave at the womens conference, and this quote brought me loads of happiness. So I want to share it:

"Yes, God loves you this very day and always. He is not waiting to love you until you have overcome your weaknesses and bad habits. He loves you today with a full understanding of you r struggles... He knows of your remorse for the times you have fallen short or failed. And He still loves you. And God knows of your successes; though they may seems small to you, He acknowledges them and cherishes each on of them. He loves you for extending yourself to others. He loves you for reaching out and helping others bear their heavy burdens- even when you are struggling with your own. He knows everything about you. He sees you clearly- He knows you as you really are. And He loves you- today and always!"

This quote really helped to pick me up from the lows I felt last week. It was a reminder to me of how involved Heavenly Father is in this work. He is so aware of me, my investigators, my efforts, and He is proud of me. As long as I'm doing my best and trusting in Him, I have nothing to fear. "All things have been done in the widsom of Him who knoweth all things." 2 Ne. 2:24. When we feel we lack understanding about why things are (or aren't) happening, remember this. God may know a thing or two that we don't. We can trust in Him. He loves us today and always.

I hope you all have a wonderful week of conquering trials, struggles and fears, just like I conquered my bathhouse fear. (sorry, but it is such a big deal you have no idea!)

Sister Holmes
홈스 자매