Knowledge

When I was in the MTC, Sheri Dew came and spoke for one of the devotionals. One of the things she said was to never underestimate what it means to know something. I have seen the wisdom in that statement this week.

We have two investigators with a lot of potential right now. One is Jimmy, who we met again and talked more about baptism with. He seemed far more excited this time, and he asked all the perfect questions. When we talked about how Christ helps us with all we go through, he asked what he needed to do to obtain that help from him, which showed how sincerely he was looking for the blessings and the truth. Our other investigator talked about how he works from nine in the morning to eight at night, plus an hour and a half travel time each way. He expressed how he was tired and struggling to be happy, and repeatedly mentioned how he wanted our life because we are always happy. He is looking for greater meaning in his life and is his family life than just work.

A simple testimony can change a life. I know that we are children of Heavenly Father. He has a plan for us, which is to follow His Son, Jesus Christ. Knowing this, and even more importantly, living it, has brought light into my life. Others seek this light. The privilege and responsibility of sharing this simple knowledge, the simple truth of eternity, is so amazing. Though I fall short every day, knowing that we can talk with our Father in Heaven and obtain our Savior's aid always lift me back up.

I love you all! Have a great week!

Hello everyone! Looks like you are having a great week in Utah. I miss pageant season too! I actually didn't get the video of Michael, but I've been talking with him a lot over email. I am so happy for him! Utah missions are super unique from what I've heard. You cover so many wards and have so much leadership to work with. 

Sorry about short emails - I can't make them as long as they once were because we used to have 2 hours to email, but only have 1 now. Sometimes the weekly report to President Sonksen takes longer than others, too. I'll to say more and send more pictures, too! 

I love you all and pray for you all the time. Have fun in Utah! Email me, Nichole! 

Thanks! Love you! I'll send some pictures of our hike with a recent convert last week!

Elder Yamashita Mission tour

Elder Yamashita from our area 70 came for a mission tour on Wednesday. He gave a training about all kinds of parts of missionary work. It was such an incredible and uplifting experience, and afterward I felt so ready to change everything to be a better servant of the Lord. One of my favorite themes of the meeting was about attitude. He reminded us that our attitude and our thoughts should constantly be directed toward others. Daily planning, personal study, companion study, language study, and teaching should be focused on our investigators and others. On the street or any time in between, we should think of our investigators. Also, we should always smile. We should compliment and seek to uplift others. We should show kindness and impart of God's love through our actions, words, and character. What has helped me the most is to try to apply thinking of others more. Throughout any part of the day, rather than letting my mind wander or become centered on myself or what I'm doing, I've tried letting it rest upon my investigators, companion (our greatest and most important investigator), and members. It has made such a difference. Frustration, fatigue, heat, fear, or anything else leave when our thoughts and actions turn outward. Blessings flow in greater abundance when we become a channel for them to flow from God unto others. 

We are really excited for one of our investigators, a 20-year old with the English name Jimmy, who accepted a baptismal date! He is peculiarly good at English, because his only experience in an English-speaking country was 6 months in the Philippines. He has a lot of interest in the unique doctrines of our church, and we hope and pray he will find answers and see the significance of it in his life as he reads and prays about the Book of Mormon. 

Thanks for your messages! I love you all!

Seoul Tower

Views from Seoul Tower

Oh, by the way - all the city in the background is our area, Nokbeon!

This is the peak we climbed

​On the trail

Elder Yamashita Mission tour

Elder Yamashita from our area 70 came for a mission tour on Wednesday. He gave a training about all kinds of parts of missionary work. It was such an incredible and uplifting experience, and afterward I felt so ready to change everything to be a better servant of the Lord. One of my favorite themes of the meeting was about attitude. He reminded us that our attitude and our thoughts should constantly be directed toward others. Daily planning, personal study, companion study, language study, and teaching should be focused on our investigators and others. On the street or any time in between, we should think of our investigators. Also, we should always smile. We should compliment and seek to uplift others. We should show kindness and impart of God's love through our actions, words, and character. What has helped me the most is to try to apply thinking of others more. Throughout any part of the day, rather than letting my mind wander or become centered on myself or what I'm doing, I've tried letting it rest upon my investigators, companion (our greatest and most important investigator), and members. It has made such a difference. Frustration, fatigue, heat, fear, or anything else leave when our thoughts and actions turn outward. Blessings flow in greater abundance when we become a channel for them to flow from God unto others. 

We are really excited for one of our investigators, a 20-year old with the English name Jimmy, who accepted a baptismal date! He is peculiarly good at English, because his only experience in an English-speaking country was 6 months in the Philippines. He has a lot of interest in the unique doctrines of our church, and we hope and pray he will find answers and see the significance of it in his life as he reads and prays about the Book of Mormon. 

Thanks for your messages! I love you all!

Seoul Tower

Views from Seoul Tower

Oh, by the way - all the city in the background is our area, Nokbeon!

This is the peak we climbed

​On the trail

We have two new progressing investigators! Brother Jo came out of nowhere as a referral. He is 20 in Korean age (I am 21) and loves video games a lot. He initially came with English interest, but has also shown so much interest in the gospel too. Last time he asked us how our church was different from other churches, and we taught him the Restoration. He agreed to read and pray about the Book of Mormon. So excited for him!

The other is Brother Han, who is an old investigator who we called up. He is also English interest, but also is very interested in the Book of Mormon. He also agreed to read and pray about it. 

Thanks for your messages! Glad to hear everyone is doing well. Love you all!

`Ahh! I have 2 minutes left. Love you all! Have a great anniversary Mom and Dad! Do something fun! We visited zoo!

Korean Barbecue

This week to break the Sunday fast we went to a member's house and had Korean Barbecue, which was delicious! We stood around a table outside while the member barbecued Korean Bacon (which doesn't taste anything like American Bacon, but is super delicious). A normal way to eat that in Korea is to wrap it in a lettuce leaf with some rice and sauce and maybe kimchi. So good! Also, weirdly, there were mashed potatoes there. Never seen anyone have mashed potatoes here, but there were really good too. 

This week I've learned so much about the importance of humility when we are striving to improve. As I keep wondering how I can be a better teacher, finder, companion, and a more Christlike person in general, I often come back to humility. The scriptures and the Mormon Message that describe the Refiner's fire and Christ as our refiner have helped me a lot. All of the conditions of this life - freedom to chose, opposition, knowledge, mortality, trials, commandments, laws, the enticings of the Spirit and the enticings of Satan, and most importantly redemption through Christ - create the probationary state that we all came here to experience. We are all precious in the Lord's hands, and we are here to experience the heat of sorrow, trouble, and affliction so that we can be refined into more great and precious souls. We will experience the heat of the refiner's fire, but it is actually up to us to become soft and moldable. We have our agency to do so. Our hearts must be soft, and our willingness to submit to what the Lord wants will determine how greatly our Savior, who knows us perfectly, can shape us into what we care here to become. Last zone meeting, one of the zone leaders commented on something like this. The hotter and hotter the heat of affliction grows, the deeper Christ's name can be written in our hearts. 

As I've thought about this in context of the rest of the Plan of Salvation, and the more I see how great and perfect then plan our Father in Heaven has for us, the more I want to give back a broken heart and a contrite spirit so that His name can be written on it. It is the Savior, the refiner of our souls, who has the merits and the power to redeem us from our mistakes and make us a little better.

Thank you all! Love you!

Me and Elder Carmen