March 6, 2012
안냥하세요!(Hey everyone!)
How are you all doing? How's you're week been? What's new going on?
Well this week has been great! :) I am so happy, and I am loving the language! I love my teachers too! we got our new teacher yesterday, and he's really great! He was the master at mastering dano, so I am very excited to learn from him.
Also last week Tuesday, we got visited by Elder Jeffery R. Holland! :) I LOVED his talk! It made me want to change, and be a better missionary! He made it clear to us that we are missionaries who are grabbing hold of the torch of missionary work that has been passed down from generation to generation of 200 years. So we have the responsibility to uphold the reputation our fathers have built up and continue it and make it stronger for the next generation of missionaries to grab hold of the missionary torch and do as we are doing now. It was amazing!
He also said that in order for our investigators to truly be converted to the gospel and not fall away, we must be converted first. He also mentioned that if we find ourselves wanting our investigator to be doing better in keeping their commitments, we must also do the same and work harder at it as well, because we are also God's investigators, and we are also leading our investigators by example. I thought that was neat :).
Another thing I learned from Jeffrey R. Holland's talk was that our mission is does not end after 2 years of 18 months. Our mission is the beginning to our life's mission. After our mission, we should NOT become the person that we were before our mission. We should continue to better ourselves, and move forward.
Also in order for us to have the Spirit with us at ALL times we must strive to teach AFTER the manner of the Spirit. What does that mean to you?
Jeffery R. Holland said there are two things that Spirit does if we are in tune with the Spirit, and if we are teaching after the manner of the Spirit.
- It is Provocative. Trust that feeling. (ie. In testimony meeting, you plan not to go up, but the Spirit prompts you and you Have to get up and bear your testimony...that is the Spirit being provocative...FOLLOW that feeling).
- ALWAYS and forevermore CLEAN
In order for us to be messengers we must be worthy of the Spirit so we can teach BY the Spirit. And when we teach BY the Spirit, the Spirt can work miracles in other people's lives.
There are the majority of what I have learnt from his talk. I really LOVED his talk, and was very privileged to be able to be there to hear it! :)
Saturday was another AWESOME day for me and my district! I told you about our new and real investigator, and guess what?! WE got to meet her for the first time on Saturday!!! :) SOOO happy!! She truly is an amazing girl, and I am so happy that she is so dedicated in learning the gospel! :) We also found out that there are many other Korean students that are going to Church, but because of the language barrier, it's hard for them. So we are excited to meet them and teach with them in TRC! It makes me soo happy to see people so excited to hear about the gospel! :)
And it's amazing that I'll be going to Korea in 3 WEEKS!!! CRAZY!!
Our new district of Koreans came in yesterday, and we get to meet them soon!!! I am sooo excited. I am so scared and excited at the same time. I feel like I don't know anything in the language, and that I don't know enough dano to be able to teach people. But I know that if I put my full effort into preparing myself now, the Lord will bless me and help me to remember the things I have studied to prepare myself. Also seeing the new missionaries come in last or last last week, helped me to see how far we have all come together as a Zone. I can't wait for our new district to feel like they are progressing.
I also had my meeting with my teacher yesterday, and she helped me to feel more calm, and a little more confident that I am learning this language. And the best thing to do, if I feel discouraged, rely and pray to Heavenly Father. I have seen this work in my life, especially while I was at the MTC. Through the lessons that my dung-pan-ja and I prepare and teach each day, I have found the hand of The Lord and the Spirit work with us.
I am so excited to go to Korea!!! to find the people who are ready to hear the gospel, and to change their life and turn it towards Christ. These three weeks will go by quickly, and that is really scary and exciting at the same time! :)
I have seen the progression from Week 1 to Week 9. It's amazing how much I have been able to learn about the language in such a short period of time. For sure, with out a doubt, I know that the Lord has helped and blessed me in learning this language. Because He has helped me, I am willingly taking the responsibility to continue to learn the language, and never forget it. Because when I am out in the field, I don't have a teacher helping me learn the language, and need to continuously learn more to be able to communicate with the Korean people! :)
I am SO glad I chose to serve a mission. This is one of THE best decisions I have made in my life. It has blessed me in my life, and it will bless the lives of the Korean people! :) I know this is where I need to be and where the Lord wants me.
Today at the temple, a sweet little lady encouraged me and my dung-pan-ja-dur (companions) to always remember that the Lord is pleased with us, and she thanked us for going to serve. She also reminded us to always remember to pray for the angels to go with us, because they will indeed help and guide us when we go on our mission. Her encouragement to us was an answer to a prayer to me. It made me feel more calm, and it helped me know that I am not doing this work alone. Heavenly Father, the Spirit, and Angels are helping us. :)
Anyways, I am so so happy today, and I feel SO great! The Lord loves each and every one of us! He knows us all by name, and knows each and every one of us! I have a testimony of that! I know that this gospel IS true, and that it will FOREVER stand true. If you want to have a better understand of the gospel's truth, I encourage you to TRULY study the Book of Mormon! NOT just read it, but REALLY study it, and dissect it, and apply it into your life. Because through doing that, we will be able to understand the truthfulness of the gospel, and know for ourselves that this gospel is true, because the Spirit will testify it to you. :) I am currently doing this, and it has already blessed my life, and my testimony of this gospel is growing.
I really love this gospel with all my heart, and I am so glad I can serve the Lord for these next 13months in Korea! :)
I LOVE YOU ALL VERY MUCH! and hope you all have a wonderful day! :) Till next week,Take care! Hope to hear from you soon!! LOVE Love! :)
-Love,
곽자매
