Tyler's Mission in Seoul: Gift of the Holy Ghost

Hello! Sounds like everyone is doing pretty great. Is a flash flood just a normal thing where Brittney lives?

Korean is going great. There's a lot I don't understand, but when people are talking about gospel or church things I usually understand them and can say what I want to say. Besides that, it's just lots of studying and SYLing (Speak Your Language). The mission uses a program called LPP (Language Progression Program), which I've not sure if I've told you about. There are certified teacher, master teacher, and King Saejong achievements. I got certified a month or so ago, and am working on Master Teacher now. This week, I'm getting a talk ready for next Sunday about Easter.

We do teach English class on Tuesday and Friday. We have a couple less actives we are working with regularly, and a whole ton more that we try to find throughout the week. Most phone numbers don't work, and all the addresses are the old system that has absolutely no logic or organization to it, even when looking at a map. So, we end up searching for houses as best we can to try to see whether or not they still exist. Most of the time, the house is gone or the member has moved. Besides that, we just got a new investigator this week with lots of interest, and have a few more that aren't progressing right now.

Oh yea - answering Dad's question, we've eaten curry, raman, kimchi, intestine soup, rice cake, Kimchi stew, fatback (kinda like thick bacon, and that's actually what it translates to according to the dictionary), and dumplings. This things are often mixed together with vegetables and spices. We eat rice with every meal. In Korea, if you eat anything without rice, it is not considered a meal. A common polite greeting is to ask someone if they have eaten a meal. You can literally ask if they ate a meal or if they ate rice and it is synonymous.

Anyway, sounds like everyone has something fun coming up. Thanks for the pictures!

Love you!

This has been a great week! We were blessed to have an investigator led to us who wants to hear our message and shared some very powerful life experiences that have drawn him closer to God.

I've seen a lot of personal growth this week as I've sought to be more humble, loving, sincere, and bold. I've always struggled and felt like I haven't done well enough with opening my mouth. I felt like I was always prompted to talk with lots of people during the day, but often didn't do it. During my exchange with Elder Barr, that's what I told him I wanted to improve on. His commitment was very simple, but very helpful and inspired: to pray for the Holy Ghost in every single prayer. I thought about how related that is to living the gospel of Christ - we are to continually to repent and change, which change is enabled by Christ and His Atonement. The way we receive the knowledge, strength, and purification we need to change is given by the gift of the Spirit, and we are commanded to receive the Holy Ghost in our confirmation after baptism. I've thought about the promise that weaknesses, which are given for our humility, can become strong. The desire to make this weakness strong has really driven me this week to do better, and because of the exchange I realized (again) that I can't do it on my own. I need the Spirit to strengthen and uphold me. One of the greatest feeling of joy we can receive is that of having done our Heavenly Father's will, and it is through the Spirit that we can do this.

One frequent concern we receive as missionaries about the necessity of having more scripture or revelation than the Bible. I've thought a lot about that this week. Some people actually struggle to understand that the Book of Mormon is something different from the Bible. People will call it the "Mormon Bible" or just the "Bible." They often think it is just another translation of the Bible. In many cases, people have grown up with the belief that has been held for about the last 2000 years - that the Bible is the perfect and only word of God, and that anything more is unnecessary. As I thought about this, I reflected on the fact that from the very beginning and all throughout history, Christ has been our light, guide, rock, and Savior. From the very fall of Adam, which brought about our time to face temptation and sorrow, He was there to call all unto Him. He did so through Adam and prophets after him - Enoch, Noah, and on. He sent prophets and gave them power and authority to preach His word unto all. He did so even until He came. He suffered and died to pay the price for our shortcomings and mistakes, and every other effect of the Fall. Then, in what may be the most powerful and important event in history, He rose from the dead. His sacrifice provides us all with a way to be lifted from the carnal and evil of the world to return to a loving Heavenly Father above. He is our Savior and Redeemer from the beginning to the end, and His work did not end there. He continued to guide His church through apostles and prophets, even appearing unto Saul, so that His word and gospel could be proclaimed and all would come unto Him. He did so until people used their agency to reject His prophets and apostles again. They changed truths and ordinances of His gospel, and His power and authority was taken from the Earth. The fountain of truth and light of His word was gone.

When the time was right, our Savior again restored His gospel to the Earth, and once again His light and guidance was poured across the Earth. He again blessed His people through His power and authority of the Priesthood. He called apostles and prophets again to establish His church and bring it and the message of repentance to all the world. Like He Himself, Christ's church is living. It is an ever-flowing fountain of knowledge and truth. While the Bible truly testifies of Him, we need to be guided by the actual source of light and Salvation, which is the Living Christ. As Elder Jackman put it, "I know that because He loves us, He has not left us alone. He has provided us with a beacon or light-house so that we may sail with guidance in the midst of the storms. A prophet who can receive that revelation to direct our ways." Our course is straight and narrow. The plan established for our happiness and progression is Christ, and there is no other. So, why isn't the Bible enough? Think of Christ as our compass - our light and guide - on a journey through storms and darkness. We are safe if we go where the compass points. But, what if the compass only guided us partway through our journey, then ceased? We would immediately be lost and know not where to go. We need our compass - Christ - to constantly be with us, constantly guiding, constantly calling us back to Him by His word and power. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints is His Living Church, led by His endless power and authority. It is only through the Living Christ that we can obtain salvation, and thus it is only through His church founded on His true gospel, blessed with His Priesthood, that can bring salvation through Him to His children.

Thank you all, love you, and have a great week!

Elder Tyler Crisp