Week 13

My dearest loved ones,

Holy cow. I know I say this in every stinking letter home.. but I seriously can't fathom time. It makes zero sense. Sometimes I feel like I've been in korea my whole life and its barely been a month, and other times I feel like I just barely left on my mission like a week ago.. and its been 3 months. Its just nuts. We do so much every day.. the weeks just fly by! I feel like it was just p-day yesterday! Oh goly. I will never understand time. ANYWAYS, technically its not even p-day today, but we still email. tomorrow is TEMPLE DAY!!! I'm so excited. We only get to go the temple one time in each transfer (even though I live 2 seconds away from it dang it). So I'm super stoked. It will be an experience to go through a Korean session haha.. Hopefully the last time I go to the temple for my last transfer, I will be able to understand it :)

Well, I'd be lying if I didn't say this week was a hard one. And I'd also be lying if I said it wasn't amazing! Holy cow. Long but GREAT week! So many wonderful things happened. Tuesday was such a fun day, Sis. Lawrence had a leadership training meeting, so I got to go on splits with Sis. Haynie!! One of my mtc besties (pics to come). It was great. I was so nervous because she came to Shinchon.. so I had to be the smart one who got us around places. and guess what we actually survived! I'm starting to actually know my way around this crazy place! I'm still trying to figure out the subway system.. I don't know if that will ever happen haha. But yeah it was way fun! That night (when sis. lawrence came back) we had our plan of salvation lesson with Jong Tai Young at the temple. We taught her in the little waiting room area. It could not have gone any better. She is honestly an angel. She hasn't had the gospel in her life simple because she "knew not where to find it". One of those people. She is so ready for baptism. We even taught her the word of wisdom, and committed her to live it! She drinks tea and coffee, and sometimes alcohol socially with friends, but she willingly wanted to give it all up. She is amazing. Yesterday she came to church, right before sacrament started but she made it thank goodness! After church we had a ward lunch thing, and she was off on her own, making a bunch of new friends in the ward already.. things could not be any better with her! I am so blessed to have an investigator like her.. in my first transfer! She's setting the bar pretty high haha.. they better all be like this.. ;) We have another lesson with her tonight about more commandments at a member's house! I can't wait!

Wednesday was zone conference, which was dang awesome. I seriously love all the missionaries here in Korea! And the craziest thing, like 90 percent of them go to byu haha. Crazy right? so we're gonna all be hanging out speaking korean together when we're home. Its great. Most of all I love President and Sister Christensen. They are so amazing. So caring, pure and hard working. They love each of us here and you can see that in all they do. I'm so grateful for them. As a zone, we have a goal to hand out 1,500 copies of the Book of Mormon this month.. We did the math and that's about 100 per companionship. a minimum of 4-5 books a day. How nuts is that haha? But we're all trying our best to accomplish that goal! At first I was like oh man there is NO way.. but since then I've been trying to have the mindset of trying to give a book of mormon to every person I talk to. It is so much better than just a pass along card because you are giving them solid truth and evidence to know for themselves! Even though most people don't accept it, when you find someone who will, it is the most amazing feeling. I love the book of mormon, and I'm growing to love it more and more.. each time I give away a book of mormon, my testimony grows. I love being a missionary :) I love having this one purpose.

Kim dong hee was confirmed yesterday :) It was so wonderful and the spirit was so strong. We started meeting with her sister, Kim Tae Hee, this week as well.. She is amazing and has a desire to be baptized, but she just isn't really sure yet. we haven't set a date, but she wants to be baptized before Sis. Lawrence leaves on feb. 6th!! So lets pray that a miracle happens and she gets baptized soon!! I think she will as she learns more about the gospel. Yesterday we had a lesson with her after church. It was actually a huge lesson.. Kim dong hee came, 3 members were present and our other investigator Shin song hee was there haha. It was like a whole class of people but it was such an amazing experience. At the end I bore my testimony, and I talked about how much I love my family and how hard it is to be away from them, but God has given me strength! I was crying.. and then everyone started crying haha. and Kim tae hee was like "Okay okay I'll be baptized! stop crying!" hahahaha it was hilarious. But so spiritual. I love these people so much. When times get hard I just think about my amazing investigators and how sad I would be if I never came here and met them. There are some days when you would rather be deathly ill than get out of bed haha (like literally..) but when I think of these people I have the strength to get going. I feel that same strength thinking of all the love and support I have from home. :) I am truly so so blessed.

I love you with all my heart. Hope this week brings happiness for all of you! Peace out! 

Holmes 자매

:)

This is a pic from the plane ride over, right before we landed in Korea! (sis. Jacobson and Haynie) I love them so much. 

Not a very good pic haha but whateva. We went to dinner with one of our less active/recent converts, Ca Jin Young. She is hilarious, I love her so much. She's going to BYU in the fall to study english! Anyways, this food, I don't remember what it is called...this chicken noodle stir fry stuff...HOTTEST THING I'VE EVER EATEN. I literally though there were fireworks going off inside of me. I thought I was gonna die. After I was talking to Sis. Lawrence about it and she's like, "umm that is not even hot...you're gonna die." Well shoot.

Just me in the middle of the road haha. That red building behind me is the church building! My comp took this pic I don't know why. Enjoy.

 the huge hill we walk up each day (can you tell?)

a Buddhist church that looks like a car wash 

Just a little pic of the city that's all

Yup this is an ice-cream cone. How cool is that? haha

This is the reason why I'm not gonna lose weight in Korea. 

Splits with Sister Haynie! love her

Splits with Sister Haynie! love her

Just some pics from Sister Lawrence! Baptism, and our apartment :) we're too much fun

Week 12

Best week yet.

Holy cow. It was a crazy busy week. Between a few companion exchanges, getting sick, and planning a baptism I almost lost my mind! But I managed to survive somehow! Because here I am writing another email home, another week gone by! So crazy..

Okay. So I'll start from the beginning. So I had to go on a couple exchanges with other missionaries this week (and I have to a LOT more, because Sis. Lawrence is the sister training leader). It was actually way fun! It was fun to be with other sisters and see their teaching/speaking styles! So that was great fun. Now to the good stuff. I told you in my email last week about the girl we met who texted us wanting to learn more about mormons right? Well we had our first lesson with her on wednesday, Jan 1. Her name is 정 다 영 (jong dai young). She's 21, she's a student. She's studying art history and she's the most amazing person. Well we taught the first lesson, we watched the restoration video with her. As watched it I was literally praying the whole time that she would feel the spirit and know the truth of this message. After watching, we asked her how she felt. It can't be described very well in english but she said that she felt special, she felt her heart throbbing! (I kind of got emotional when she said that haha) The whole lesson she was so engaged, and agreeing and nodding to everything that was being said. We committed her to baptism. She accepted. Willingly and excitedly. She's getting baptized on the 25th of this month. I can't believe it. Like am I on The District or something?? Haha this never happens. Especially in Korea. But it did. Miracles are really real. Best new years day of my life! She is incredible. She came to church yesterday and loved it. We have another lesson with her tonight! We're teaching her the plan of salvation.. at the temple. It will be amazing. Meeting her has given me a new excitement in being here. I know I was supposed to come to Korea, even if it was just to find this girl :)

김 동 희's (kim dong hee) baptism yesterday was beautiful. We were so scared that it wouldn't actually happen.. While planning the baptism this week, we found out that there was a possibility that she wouldn't be able to get baptized without the permission of her husband.. who she hasn't talked to in several months and refuses to talk to him. When we told her this she said that she would not get his permission. If she had to get his permission she wouldn't be baptized. I was actually on exchanges with another sister when all of this happened but Sister Lawrence said that it was so crazy.... After talking with Sister Lawrence for a while she finally softened her heart and said that she would consider asking him if she needed to. Then we soon found out that she didn't need his permission. It was definitely a test of her faith! But everything worked out and she was baptized yesterday.. There is nothing like seeing one of God's children enter the waters of baptism! It is truly so amazing :) 

More miracles.. Kim dong hee brought her sister to the baptism, 김 태 희 Kim Tay hee! (I'm struggling with these dang korean names haha oh man). Kim dong hee has tried to talk with her about the gospel before and she never really showed any care or interest. Well yesterday that changed! After the baptism we all went out to dinner and we talked with her after (she speaks great english so I could understand everything, score). She told us she was wanting to come to church every week and be baptized, and feel the happiness that her sister feels. What. stop. okay sista we can hook you up. We gave her a book of mormon and we're meeting with her this week!!!! Also our other investigator 신 성 희 (shin song hee) who hasn't been progressing much, came to the baptism and now she's really interested in baptism.. and yeah.. so that's cool I guess. That's way cool.. I'm just at a loss for words. I'm so grateful to be here in Korea. I love these people so much.

Oh yeah, I sang at the baptism... Not alone thankfully haha. All the missionaries sang "when I am baptised" together in Korean.. I sang a solo in the middle (the first verse in english). It was pretty dang bad haha because I have a cold.. and also I may have started crying. But its fine and no one judged me because I was crying right? It doesn't matter that I sounded like a 12 year old boy going through puberty with my voice cracking.

This week, fasting had a new meaning for me! We started our fast saturday afternoon (so we could eat with kim dong hee Sunday afternoon after the baptism). It was actuallly the hardest fast I've ever done.. I went to bed starving and woke up feeling so sick! I wanted to give up! But I pushed through. I read a talk yesterday morning from a general authority whose name is currently escaping my mind... called "purification". He talked about using the power of fasting as a missionary.. and not just physical fasting, spiritual fasting. It is important to show God our commitment by striving to give up those things that distract us from missionary work, whether it be sleeping in 5 minutes late or thinking about things that distract you and detract from your purpose. So yesterday I started a 40 day spiritual fast. I'm fasting from negative thoughts! I have struggled with negative self destructive thinking ever since I've come out on my mission.. and I have finally realized that these thoughts get you no where. It is toxic. I don't have time to think about not being good enough. I have to just push forward and trust that the Lord will qualify me for the work as a exercise my faith, by being an obedient missionary, talking to as many people as I can every day, and having courage. I have already seen blessings in my life come from this decision, example.. yesterday being a day of miracles out the wazoo.. Ah man its crazy.

That's all I can ever say..

I am so grateful to be here. I love it more and more every day.

I love you all!! 사랑해요!!! Until next week!

홈스 자매 

Sista Hormes :)

my first pic on my new camera yaaaay (even though they found my old one...)

Me and Sister Lawrence! :)

Jong Tai Young, our new miracle investigator :) she's the best

Kim Dong Hee's Baptism!

Week 11

Helloooooo from the other side of the world!!!!!!!

I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas! And happy new year! I'll be
turning 21 in korean age this week haha! Koreans count the year you were
born as your age. Weird right? So if you were born on december 31, you
would be 2 years old on your second day of life! Not super logical but hey!
Koreans do what they want. No arguments haha.

Oh man... it was such a loooooonnng crazy week.. My companion has been sick
and with christmas and everything we didn't have to many lessons because
everyone was too busy! But slowly each day I am adjusting to living in this
crazy place.. This week I think I finally became okay with and accepting of
the fact that I just can't understand anyone.. and that's okay! People talk
to me and I just nod my head. "Smile and wave boys, smile and wave" is
seriously my motto haha. Its all good. My trainer said one of the first
steps in learning Korean is to acknowledge that you don't understand
anyone, and to accept it! So I've accepted it! Soo.. gift of tongues can
hit me any second now..

Exciting news!! We have a baptism on Sunday!! Our investigator 김덩희 (Kim
Dong Hee) is getting baptized! She is the greatest. She's in her late
thirties. She has 2 kids. She's currently separated from her kids and
husband because she wanted to join the church and they don't. Kind of
sad actually. But she's awesome. Yesterday we had a lesson with her
and committed her to live all of the commandments! Even though I
couldn't contribute much to the lesson.. I bore my testimony about how
keeping the commandments brings happiness and blessings.. (I can't
wait til I can actually teach a lesson dangit!) She's set for baptism.
I am so SO excited. Also for some reason I got volunteered to sing at
the baptism! So yeah, I'll be singing "When I am baptized"... In
Korean.. pray for me.

This week I overcame my fear of 잔도 (pronounced jundo-
prosiliting/street contacting)! We talked to 150 people this week. I
had no idea that I would be doing so much of this in my mission.. but
it is really a good chunck of what Korean missionaries do! I actually
really love it! Although I can't say much, and over half the time the
people are rude and don't want to talk to you.. but its worth it,
because yesterday a miracle happened! I had been praying that we would
be able to find a new investigator on the street yesterday. I talked
to a girl for literally 1 minute, gave her our card with our number on
it, and she had to run to catch the bus! Later that night we got a
text from some number saying "Are these the missionaries I met today?
Where can I meet with you again? I want to learn about this whole
mormon thing!" That never happens.. no one actually calls us! Sis.
Lawrence and I did a victory dance for a few minutes haha. It was such
an awesome feeling.. So worth being in the cold and getting rejected
by tons of people. I know God answers prayers.

I need to remember moments like this when I am having hard times..
which unfortunately come a lot right now.. Like I've said a million
times before.. The mission for me is just such a roller coaster! I'll
be doing great one day (or even hour) and then the next second I feel
so crappy and homesick, wondering what in the world I'm doing on the
other side of the world in a strange country that smells bad and
speaks the craziest language that I feel I can never learn. But these
negative feelings are coming less and less as I remember the good. The
fact that I finally got an investigator from street contact. The fact
that we have a baptism on saturday. The fact that I serve in such a
wonderful ward.. the fact that I have a Father in Heaven who loves me
and is aware of me. I have so many things to be grateful for!

This morning I read "Look Ahead and Believe" given by Elder Edward
Dube of the seventy at this last general conference. It was exactly
what I needed to hear. He says that God doesn't look at us by what
we've done or where we've been but more by where we're willing to go.
Its easy to get down on myself and feel discouraged when I think about
things I shoud've and shouldn't have done in the past.. But I know
that I have a savior who died for me. And because of this I can push
foward with faith, knowing that "by small and simple things are great
things brought to pass!" D&C 64:33

I love being a missionary! Even though its the hardest thing ever! I
love Korea! Even if it smells like dead animals! I love Koreans! Even
though I don't understand them!
And I LOVE THIS GOSPEL. Even though nothing. I just love it.
I love you all so much and thank the Lord every day for the emense
love and support I feel from home. Happy New years everyone! Have a
wonderful week!

Holmes 자매

Christmas in Seoul!

It's pretty common for missionaries to get homesick for the first few weeks after arriving in the field. It's also pretty common for them to get homesick around Christmastime. Hannah (that lucky duck) got to experience them both at the same time...

However, this unfortunate timing is still a blessing in the life of our dear Sister Holmes. Christmas is about Christ, our loving Savior who died so that we might live. He atoned for our sins and weaknesses. He knows each of us individually, and longs for us to put our faith in Him so that He can be our advocate with the Father. This year Hannah is spending Christmas spreading this message. It's truly a blessing that she is able to jump into the field during a time when the love of Christ is so present.

Talking on the phone with Hannah on Christmas Day was amazing for everyone in our family. You could just hear it in her voice that she knew that Christ's message to each of us is true. She knows that there is nothing more important in this world than spreading that message. She bore her testimony to us, and although it was in Korean and we didn't understand her, we all felt the power behind it. 

This Christmas Hannah is sacrificing her time, energy, comfort, and everything else to bless the lives of others. And that, my dear friends, is the true spirit of Christmas.

-Ally

p.s. Want to see Hannah singing Christmas Carols in Korean? (who wouldn't) A sweet American family living in Korea filmed all of the missionaries singing and posted it on their blog:

http://www.thensingsmyseoul.blogspot.com/2013/12/shinchon-ward-christmas-party.html

The mom also sent us these pictures!

Week 10

I honestly don't even know where to start.

I guess I'll start by saying, this has been thee single most crazy, emotional, hard, exciting, CRAZY week of my life haha! I am in Korea. I still don't believe it. Its crazy here. Literally crazy. I don't know how else to describe it except crazy. Everyone is asian.. obviously.. so that's been weird, being the one that looks totally different than everyone else.. Everyone is so busy and is moving a million miles an hour so its hard to talk to people.. and everyone speaks this weird language that I've never heard before... Its great! Its nothing like I thought it would be. at all. I couldn't tell you what I thought it would be like.. but its just crazy. CRAZY. 

I'll start from the beginning. After the longest flight of my life, we finally landed in Korea last monday around 5 pm. We met Pres. and Sister Christensen at the airport. They are AWESOME, I love them so much! Then immediately after they got our luggage all packed up, gave us all book of mormons and put us on the subway and said go talk to people! .. Monday night is such a blur, I honestly don't remember it very much. Being on the subway was like a bad nightmare.. wandering around trying to talk to people. Every single person, I kid you not, was on their smart phone. If you tried to talk to them they would ignore you. It was horrible. Not to mention I don't know how to speak korean.. and it didn't help that I was jet lagged to the max and dead tired haha but I was like 'nope. can't do this. i'm going home.' .. Well luckily they didn't make us do too much after that.. we had dinner and did a few other things. We stayed the first few nights in these dorms they have at the temple. The second my head hit the pillow I was out. I woke up the next day feeling much better, with a new resolve to embrace Korea!! I've tried to have this mindset ever since.. and it has helped me be happy here, as crazy as it is haha. I'm still in culture shock a bit, but I'm trying to embrace it all.

My trainer is Sister Lawrence! She is from St. George Utah. She's 26 years old.. she is going to law school at byu, and this is her last transfer. She goes home in February.. so when she leaves I'll get a new trainer. She is awesome.. she speaks the language, she knows how to get everywhere, she knows everything. She's basically my mom its great. I hope she doesn't kick my butt too hard haha.. Anyways, she is great. We live in an apartment (that is SUPER nice, I'm so lucky) with 2 other sisters, Sister White and Sister Thomas. They are also so great.

My first area... SHINCHON! 신천 (<- yeah that's right.)

I live 5 minutes away from the temple! its in our area! Our church is right next to the temple.. so pretty much I have the ideal area. I love it so much. Our ward is amazing. Everyone is so nice and they love the missionaries so much. They love practicing English on us :) This is what I get a lot "Oh! Sister Hormes! Sherlock Hormes! Great name!" haha also they're always telling me how good my Korean is. Even though I hardly say anything.. pretty much yes and no and thank you and nice to meet you haha. So if I ever need a confidence boost I just talk to a Korean and they tell me I'm amazing. I love it. I love Koreans. (even the mean ones who won't talk to me dangit.)

Yesterday at church I had to get up and introduce myself.. I got up and said (in korean) something like "Hello everyone! Im sister Holmes, I'm from utah. Nice to meet you! I don't speak Korean very well, but I know the gospel is true! I know christ is my savior and I know that through joseph smith God restored the true church. I love this ward! Amen!" Haha even with that simple statement everyone was so impressed haha. People are so so nice. 

Saturday was the ward christmas party and that was so much fun. Koreans are hilarious haha. They are just so bold and so crazy. I can't even explain it

I'm running out of time ahhhhh.. I still have so much to say. But just know that I am doing great here! As hard as it is to adjust and everything.. I'm taking it one day at a time! 

MERRY CHRISTMAS EVERYONE!! I LOVE YOU SO MUCH!

xoxoxoxo

Holmes 자매

Week 9

OH

MY

GOODNESS.

In less than 2 days I will be on an airplane... flying to Korea. I can't believe it. I am so scared! I am so nervous! I am feeling every single emotion all the time and my heart is beating so fast all the time! But I am so excited. As scared, worried, and freaking out as I am... I am so excited. Even if all I can say to the Koreans is "Hello! I'm a missionary from the church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.. and God is our Father! The book of mormon is true!" haha. Hopefully I can pick it up fast!! My teacher Sister Allen told us that sisters pick up the language waaay faster than elders.. so that gave me a small glimmer of hope haha..

This week has been crazy though... I think I actually realized how much I love the mtc! This last sunday I was heartbroken that it was my last sunday at the mtc. (if I haven't already said this a ton of times I LOVE SUNDAYS AT THE MTC). I don't know if I even talked about this in any of my emails before (i'm literally losing my mind haha) but every sunday in sacrament meeting, its like the hunger games. You don't know if you're going to get called on to speak until you are there. So everyone has to prepare a talk. In Korean. I escaped the mtc without being called on, it was a miracle haha. But I'm still so sad.. And tuesday night devotionals were my favorite thing ever. This last week Elder Quinton L. Cook came (general authorities every week for the rest of the year.. awesome right). He gave such an amazing talk about the importance of being a happy and positive missionary. I truly hope that when I get to Korea I can stay positive and happy despite my lack of Korean speaking skills and despite the fact that I'm on the other side of the world and despite the fact that I'll probably smell like Kimchi for the next 16 months haha. I know this will be the most amazing experience of my life :) Now could I just get there and stop feeling all this anxiety anticipating it?? Sheeeesh 

Yesterday was infield training... ALL DAY. It was the longest day ever.. but so cool! I got to meet one of the missionaries from the district, Elder Christensen! He works here at the mtc. So pretty much he's like super famous here haha.

It has been a hard week. Realizing that I'm actually leaving this place, I'm actually going to Korea.. I'm actually going to teach real investigators.. I'm so scared. But I am going to do this. God will help me. God will carry me through my trials, and because of my trials, the joy I feel will be so incomprehensible, just as the sons of Mosiah experienced on their missions. This week Sis. Baek shared a quote with me from President Kimball (I don't remember the exact wording): "If you are doing the Lord's work you cannot fail." This is HIS work. As I strive to be the best missionary I can me, I cannot fail. Knowing this brings me so much comfort.

"...Be not afraid, only believe" Mark 5:36. This scripture has been my go-to this week! And will be for my whole mission haha :)

Well I better go now.. I gotta go pack some more! I don't know how I'm gonna fit everything ahhh and I REFUSE TO PAY A $200 FEE FOR MY BAGS... So ridiculous. ANYWAYS, I love this gospel. I am SO grateful for the opportunity I have to be on a mission, going to Seoul Korea. I am so grateful for the amazing experience I've had here at the mtc. I have met the most amazing people ever, and felt the most amazing spirit ever. I feel so close to my Heavenly Father and Savior. 

SALANGHAMNIDA!!! I love you all so much, truly. Thank you EVERYONE for your prayers, love and support. 

Holmes Chamae

ps. next time I email you.. it will be from KOREA AAAHHHHHH!!!!

 Okay so this is the cutest little Korean family we met at the temple last sunday :) I bore my testimony to them and they said I was so good at Korean! It made my whole week. I love Koreans!!!! YAY

MTC Christmas lights!!

oops its blurry. Sorry. I just love these girls! 

Okay. So this sweater vest is the best thing to happen to me at the MTC. We found it in a free stuff bin and stole it... Last week all the sisters going to Seoul wore it one day. This is the look I sported ;) best day ever haha 

TATUM!!!!!! Best day of my life

Week 8

ATTENTION EVERYONE

JUST GOT MY TRAVEL PLANS. I AM LEAVING SUNDAY, DECEMBER 15TH. I REPORT TO THE TRAVEL OFFICE AT 2:30 AM SUNDAY MORNING. I CAN'T EVEN BREATH RIGHT NOW. MY FLIGHT IS AT 6:16 AM. WE HAVE A LAYOVER IN SAN FRANSISCO.. THEN WE GET TO KOREA AT 4:15 ON THE 16TH. THIS IS REAL. I'M REALLY GOING TO KOREA.

I am so sorry, I have NO time to email right now. Pday ends at 6 and I have to go to dinner right now so this will be a really short email! I'm so sorry.

This week was good, but really hard. I studied hard.  It has hit all of us missonaries really hard that we're actually leaving to Korea in 9 days. Wait! I can't speak Korean yet haha! Seriously that's how I feel. I'm so scared. But my teacher sister baek gave us a little pep talk. She told us that if we have grown closer to Christ while being here, we have fulfilled our purpose at the mtc. If we have become more meek, submisive, willing.. we are doing the right thing, and God will qualify us for the work. I can't even explain how close I've grown to Christ in the past 8 weeks. I love my Savior. I can't wait to tell the people of Korea that Christ has atoned for their sins and through Him can receive the most happiness this life has to offer.

I really have to go now. I'm so sorry. Just know I'm so excited. So excited. Freaking our right now. My hands are shaking as I'm typing. I love you all so much! SO MUCH.

Holmes Chamae

P.S. quote of the week.. Sis. Telford: "So the missionary reference library.. that's a place right? Where is it?" HAHAHA my companion is a riot

P.S.S. Sister Frampton is here!!! :) I am so happy. Sorry I couldn't sent pics this week, i'll send lots next week!!!

XOOXOXOXOXOOOO