A Day in the Life :) (of a missionary)

So, it was a holiday yesterday so we're emailing today!  Can I just start by saying that I LOVE being a missionary!!!!!

 

Ok, Evan (and everyone else) here's a story...it might not be super exciting to you all, but it has a special place in my heart. 

 

One day on my mission (it was actually this past Saturday) my companion and I were having a usual Saturday where we were behind on our 전도s (contacts) and putting our trust in the Lord that if we put in the necessary effort he'd help us meet our goal.  Well, it was night time and it was kind of cold and neither of us had jackets, but it was okay, because we were walking around Korea during the night, when it's all lit up and feels super like we're in Korea, and we were talking to everyone without fear and without hesitation because the Lord was on our side!  Well, we first ran into these three 15 year old (in Korean age, 14 in American) girls who were getting 떡뽁기 (not sure on the spelling but it's this super Korean food that is way spicy and super delicious) and we started talking to them and it was great.  They responded the way Korean teenagers usually respond, by first being astounded that we spoke Korean and second, being transfixed by the size of my eyes (it's really embarrassing and I'm pretty sure that my eyes scare little kids). Well, anyway we got their phone numbers and they wanted to meet with us the next day (really weird, THEY usually never make the appointments and it's ALWAYS exciting when they do!!!)  Well, we went on our way and we met this man who kept giving us free food while we talked to him (dumplings and the sweet bean pastries which are now actually one of my favorite foods...they are amazing fresh, but still, go figure!)  I was super wanting to give him a Book of Mormon because he was so nice and seemed a little interested in it, but he was blind in one eye and couldn't rea\d very well.  I still really wanted to give it to him but I didn't know how or what to say.  I told Sister Seipel this and we decided that we'd tell him that if he called us we would come to his little cart and read the Book of Mormon to him because we thought he was awesome.  He hesitantly agreed and tried to give us more food, but we didn't let him and we went on our way.  The next day (Sunday) came and our girls came!!!!!  Well, two of them and they brought three friends.  It was so much fun.  We spent the first half hour doing English and the second teaching the first lesson.  They were all really into it and all committed to read the Book of Mormon Introduction and pray about it and they wanted to meet the next day (Monday...yesterday) so we invited them to the ward dinner that was going on on account of our new bishopric and said we'd do some English and some gospel after.  Last night at the dinner they felt a little awkward and out of place with the other young women in the ward, but the Young Women's president came to our lesson and they LOVED her!  We got to watch the Restoration DVD with them and they got super into it and then we talked about meaningful scripture study and prayer...and they all committed to daily prayer and scripture study!  We love our girls!!!!!  We're meeting them again tomorrow (because we were busy tonight...they want to meet everyday) and we're so excited!

 

So there's your story Evan!  I hope you like it.

 

We are so excited for this week.  Our zone had a special fast this Sunday for new investigators and that day we got 5...the Lord truly loves and blesses His missionaries!!!!!  We have 4 people committed to coming to Conference (which is this weekend...and I will be able to see all of the sessions and in English...our mission president likes us to go to all of it and all in our own language...it's great!)...this work is too cool!!!!!

 

I love you all and hope you are all doing well.  I am so grateful for all your love and support and prayers!  Stay awesome!

 

~Mac 자매

I LOVE KOREA!!!!!!!

So, it's been a great week.  We got our email time moved due to 추석 (I think that's how you spell it) It's the Korean equivalent of Thanksgiving and it was Sunday, Monday, and Tuesday.  So, we had to wait till Wednesday for things to be opened again.

We had Zone Conference/추석 party yesterday...it was awesome!!!!  I got to sing (Army of Helaman) and speak (New missionary testimony)...both in English.  It was awesome to see people I was in the MTC with.  It was also awesome to get to meet so many amazing missionaries.  It was so uplifting and so wonderful.

So, my companion is fantastic!  Her name is Seipel 자매님.  She's from Orem, went to Mountain View, (and knows Ruthie).  Her birthday is a couple weeks after mine, she's half Korean, super humble, likes pushing me in missionary work, and is probably one of the most grateful people I've ever met!  Every night after we go through key indicators and make goals she and I count the miracles we've seen.  Our goal is to have five a day.  It's amazing how great doing that is...makes even the worst days end happy!

I love our area and our investigators!  방예은 didn't end up giving cookies to a neighbor, she ended up giving nectarines to the apartment security guy.  She was super cute and it was so hard for her, but she was so so happy, it was perfect!  One of our new investigators this week, Ahra, is just about the cutest thing I've ever met!  She spent about a year in Jacksonville, Florida (and her English is amazing...hence her giving us her name in English and not Korean.)  She is so excited about the gospel and she's been online doing some research on our church (especially the Book of Mormon) and all she can say about the Anti-Mormon stuff she's found is that it's all lies, because she knows that the Book of Mormon is a good book and the people who write those things just don't understand.  She's amazing!  She loves learning about the gospel and wants to come to church and wants to read the Book of Mormon...it's great!!!!!

I am understanding SO much more than I thought I would.  I can pretty much follow what goes on in lessons and even though I can't say much and what I can say is really simple and slowly said, my companion always has me teach and bear testimony.  I get a little discouraged at times because I can understand SOOO much more than I can say and I can't think of things very quickly and I'm basically constantly struggling, but then I see what I know and remember how fast I've learned it and recognize God's hand in all of it, and those bad thoughts just melt away...it's great being a missionary!!!!

We're doing our kids English class again tonight...we're excited, we're going to teach them how to write really basic letters and emails in English and how to address an envelope in America.  The mom's will probably enjoy it a little more than the kids (especially considering we talked about American Thanksgiving last week and they each made little Indian headdresses...it was fun!).  I think it's pretty cool getting to teach English to people.  It makes me a little sad when they don't want to progress in the gospel though.  That's where it gets difficult.  But it's great!

Well, I hope you're all doing well.  I wish I could see Evan and Danny on the football field!  Mom, I hope your new calling goes well (I love that calling!!!!!) and Dad, hope your breakthrough stays awesome! (Ok, I don't know what to say to a scientist, it's ok though :) Oh well)  Korea is great, and the work is even greater!!!  Mom and Dad, you'll have some letters coming your way soon...as soon as I can get to a post office :).  Stay awesome everyone!  The Church is true!!!!  2 Nephi 5:27

~맼랠란 자매