DILLIGENCE

Diligence seems to have been the theme for this week and lasts. Lately I feel like I have been dragging because of the routine of missionary life. I have a tendacy to get bored of routines very quickly. {My mother will defianlty know what I mean by this.} But in district meeting we talked about consecrating our missionary work, by being diligent, not getting distracting about things at home, the furture, etc. Really good for me.

I haven't been lazy, don't think that, but definalty distracted and bored.  And while I thought about all these things I remebered a quote in "Preach My Gospel". It says something unto this, "Work, work, work. There is nothing more statisfactory in missionary work, than work." Looking back on my mission the happiest days have been when I am running around from appointment to appointment and returning home just barely at 9pm and collasping to my bed at 10:30. Then the hardest days have been when all appointments cancel and we just proselyte all day. Which I feel like that is what most of my days have been like lately.

So I have made goals to keep me working hard and moving. This week I went on exchagnes with a girl from Mongolia. She shared with me how her and her companion each day set goals to get a lesson, visit a member, visit a less active, and contact an old investigator. That really inspired me and is something I want to implement. 

I will work harder on getting lessons on the street, visiting members, less actives, and calling potentials each day. Maybe my problem these past few weeks have been very bad planning. I think the perfect remedy to get over the feel of routine missionary life and a little depression about the slowness of the work, is by working harder, pushing myself more, showing God I will do whatever it takes and setting good daily goals I can stive to get. That is where the statisfaction will come from and the feeling of a dull routine will go away.  

Even though missionary work has slowed down in my area the past couple weeks, I have seen blessings. Just yesterday we got a call at 8:30am from the Elders telling us about how a lady came into the church and wants to learn english. So we meet her yesterday around 9:30am. She is 58years old and divorced. Just two weeks ago her mom died and she found her son who she had given away for adoption 27 years ago. He lives in Texas and just last week she meet him. The only problem is they don't speak the same language.

So we are going to teach her english along with gospel. She was so sad when we met her. She seems tired with life. It hasn't been easy for her. So I'am excited to share with her the gospel and the power of the Atonement. I know these things can bring her peace and happiness, which she seems to desperatly need in life.

Seeing the changes this message can make in people's life is my favorite part about missionary work. That is why I love it, even if some days drag and are hard. Meeting people and sharing this message is what brings me such great happiness and confirms to me over and over again the truthfulness of this gospel. I love it!

FOLLOWING IMPRESSIONS

This week has been rather difficult. School started agian in Korea after a long break, so all but three of our investigators canceled on us this past week. Hopefully, this week schedules will be figured out and we will be back into a routine soon. Me and my compaion have had alot of proseltying time. But our numbers don't show how much we've actually done. We have been trying new things to improve our proselyting and are slowly improving on those things we've been focusing on.

Regardless of the slow week, we have three progressing investigators.

O Jung Hee came to church yesterday for the second time. We teach english and gospel with her and her daughter. Last week she came to sacrament meeting and the baptism. She enyjoyed it and really liked yesterdays sacrament meeting too. She clapped at the end of the last talk! LOL. Not loudly, just quietly to hersefl. So cute.

Earlier in the week, on Thursday, she invited us to her house for the first time. She fed us dinner and we talked with her for two hours about missionary work and asked about how she felt about getting baptized. She said she is not ready right now, but sees herself getting baptized in the future. Super exciting. She really enjoys gospel time and our church. Yeah!

Then Sunday Sister McClellan called to confirm an appointment later that day, but they canceled because of a Birthday party. About an hour later, we get a phone call from the person who cancled asking "Are you coming?" My companion had called the wrong person! We are not even sure who she had called. Thankfully, they were only a 5 minuted walk away.

We meet these two sisters, Na Ray and Na Kyung. They are 18 and 16 years old. We teach english and gospel with them. For an hour we did english and played BS. They loved the game and were really good at it.

Then we started gospel time and had such a good lesson. It was definatly directed by the Spirit. Which was a huge blessing becasue on Sunday's we don't have time to practice and plan well for our investigators.

It was cool, because we when first came in they told us they read the Book of Mormon introduction page. This is so awesome, because they don't feel like english sucks. They really want to know about our message. In the beginning of the lesson they asked us questions they had about the introduction. They said they didn't understand well, but they understood alot. It just hard to read the korean Book of Mormon because they use alot of chinese characters and they just don't know what the word means. I think it is harder then english.

Their questions lead right into the lesson on the restoration. In the lesson I taught the great apostasy and did the demonstration with the pyramid of cups representing the church of Jesus christ. Then you push a bottom cup that represents Priesthood and it all falls down. While I taught this I had the impresssion to share the scripture that says "One Faith, One God, One Baptism." They totally understood the scripture and realized how a restoration of Christ Church was needed.

We related the story of Joseph Smith and both liked it.

We talked about how they could know if this message is true or not and taught them how they can know. We explained the feelings of the Holy Ghost and Na kyung said she feels the Holy Ghost every night when she prays. Yeah! Then towards the end of the lesson I got the impression to invite them to baptism. The impression was clear. I thought "I have to ask them." There was no doubt and God gave me the courage to ask.

This was only the second time meeting them. I gave them a soft baptismal comittment; "If you found out this message to be true will you get baptized?" They said "yes." And then we invited them to come to church next week. The younger one seemed especially excited about it. So I hope they will come!

After the lesson my companion shared how she two got the impression to ask about baptism. The Spirit truly was guiding that lesson. And after teaching them I thought about how those who are ready to hear this message will understand, no matter how horrible the korean, and will want to hear more. So cool. The highlight of the week.

A GOOD WEEK

The transfer is half-way over and the Lord has been blessing us all week. On Monday we picked up a new investigator. She wants to learn english. But they way we introduce our program is telling then, rather boldly, she you have no gospel interest and you don't keep your committments, we won't be able to meet. She agreed. And after our lesson, she said she felt happy. She use to go to church but stopped going because alot of the people she met at churches where two-faced and just wanted your money. So she believes in God, just doesn't like church. It was really nice after our lesson, because members where doing an activity upstairs and she was able to meet some of them. She has potential.

Then Sunday, during sacrament meeting we got a text from one of our investigators saying she was here. We looked to the back and there she was. It was her first time to our church. We teach her and her daughter. Afterward they even stayed for the baptism. The boys had two boys get baptized. It was awesome, so many members attended, it was perfect.

Also, a inactive came to the baptism. She is autistic, really sweet, we meet her  every week, but her mom and sisters won't let her come to church. And she always randomly ask if we can meet like 30minutes before. Sunday worked out really well. A couple of the members saw her and recoginzed her and immeditaly started talking with her. It was so perfect. And she ate with us after the baptism. She texted us later and told us she really liked it.

Then later that day we picked up two new investigators. Two girls, one is 15 and the other 17 years old. We are doing 30/30 program with them, but I think they have interest and potential. Told them if they don't keep committments they will be dropped and we don't want to do that to them. They understood. The oldest stopped going to church, but her younger sister and dad are very active in their church. It was a wonderful, blessed week!