Hello, all! I hope that all goes well. I am incredibly blessed to spend time in such a wonderful place, and am very happy. I was going around cleaning classrooms this morning, and it was just fascinating to see the different flags, books, and tchotchkas from around the world. There are opportunities to speak in any language we desire at every turn, and it is uniting in that we are all going out for the same purpose and striving for the same spirit. I cleaned some Swedish classrooms, and I couldn't help but linger for a moment, almost smelling the cool sea breeze and the resplendent flowers of southern Sweden. Someone had written some greetings on the board, and I had to respond. I am happy, and I hope that all of you are as well.
These buildings are dedicated second only to a temple, and the Spirit is certainly prevalent. I have enjoyed this Spirit, and the time that we have for gospel study and meditation. I have, at least for the past few years, been a busybody, dashing and prancing and running, but not sitting enough, thinking enough, or reading enough. The time that we have to do so here is hugely beneficial, and has, even in such a short time, made a big difference in my life.
This past week has been quite the ride, with so much going on. Starting last Friday evening, we have been teaching an "investigator" in Korean. Although we don't have a lot of flexibility in the language, and rely heavily on set phrases, it has actually been going quite well, and is very enjoyable. During our last lesson, in particular, the Spirit felt very near, and we look forward to more teaching opportunities and learning and growing as we focus our studies and prayers on those who we are teaching.
Because Sunday was "Fast Sunday," wherein we skip a couple of meals, and fast with a purpose in order to demonstrate that our spirits are stronger than our bodies, I worked very hard to be able to bear my testimony beforehand (church is entirely in Korean). I got up after some sisters who had been here for six weeks, and I was quite nervous. I just started talking, though, and although my legs may not have stopped shaking, the words just kept coming. it seemed that everything that I had studied was readily available to me, and the experience was a real testament to me of God's promise to fill our mouths if we open them in His name, and of the power of fasting. After the meeting, I was able to speak in broken Konglish for a while with Sister Lee, from North Korea, and met her and her husband again at dinner. They are wonderful, and very friendly. I have much more to say concerning Korean, but I will continue that later on.
That morning, we also attended a mission conference, wherein all of the elders and sistered gathered together. It was a great conference, and at the end, the president of the MTC invited up a Korean woman who had just been baptized the past week by the Korean missionaries three weeks above us. She bore her testimony, with a translator, and it was a very, very special moment. I was very touched, and really felt a great love for the Korean people. There's nowhere else in the world that I would rather be serving. That evening, another devotional was held with Jenny Oaks Baker, a renowned violinist. It was nice to hear her play, and she was very good, though, of course, I'm a little bit biased due to Lindsey Stirling. ^^ (Korean smiley)
Afterwards, several companionships from our district stayed to watch a movie about the prophet Joseph Smith. This was another very powerful moment for me, and I am so in awe of the events of his life and all that he did. His story is so powerful, and I really want to share it as I go out into the field. After we finished, I was left with an incredible desire to dive into the Book of Mormon and study. I have been, but have also been reading "Our Heritage," about our church's early history in this dispensation in order to more fully know this story.
KOREAN IS WONDERFUL. I love it. It is a fascinating language, and has proved a beautiful challenge. It is difficult, but if we focus on the people and our purpose, to invite others to come unto Christ, I am confident that the language will come. It is much more logical than other languages with which I am familiar, and the alphabet is wonderful. Sadly, after about a day here I was far more proficient at reading and writing Korean than I will ever be in Chinese. (Sorry Elder Sanford, we can say that Chinese has an alphabet too, if you want, just with, well, a lot more letters.) Rest assured, however, Korean comes with its own set of challenges.
All I ever want to do is study Korean, and read our reference books. I've been worried, because we have in theory six hours of classroom instruction a day, but only thirty minutes to an hour of that is actually language instruction. I am getting less worried, though, not because it is coming any more easily, but because I am starting to learn to trust in the Lord as we focus on our investigators. I suppose that this undertaking is as Nephi's, in the Book of Mormon, where the Lord commands him to build a boat, though he does not know how. As he does things in the Lord's way, however, the boat is built and they are able to make their way. Learning Korean can feel at times like crossing the Atlantic, but as I do things the Lord's way, and trust in his promised blessings, I am confident that he will allow me to learn what I need to learn so that I may touch those whom I need to touch with His glad message.
That being said, we're still working hard! Funnily enough, I think that my favorite Korean drama [Boys Over Flowers] was massively helpful to watch, in that it helped me with pronunciation, inflection, culture, levels of politeness, etc. Still, I will need to listen well, when we arrive, to the natives in order to try to imitate them. Some Korean missionaries actually just arrived this week, and they'll only be here for two weeks, but they are delightful to talk with, and are loving their time here, "except for the food. We need kimchi," said a sister with whom I sat at lunch today. I am certainly looking forward to the delicious Korean cuisine in store for us.
I was able to sing in the choir for our Tuesday devotional, which was a lot of fun. At the devotional, Elder Jay Jensen addressed us, and gave us lots of good, concrete advice about the role of music in our spiritual growth, and how to better study the scriptures. I really appreciated these points, and have been trying to implement them. While walking back to campus, we bumped into Sister [Glorianna] Tillemann-Dick, with whom I attended school this past year, and it was wonderful to be able to speak with her for a while. She will be a wonderful missionary. I just ran into her again, actually, while going to change our laundry.
After we parted ways, Elder Sanford and I ran into each other and had a good chat. It is always a pleasure to bump into him, and our schedules allow us to meet fairly regularly. He is such an example of leadership, love, and diligence, and I certainly look to him as an example. I have run into many people that I know here, whether it be friends from high school, junior high, and even a few from elementary school, which is a lot of fun. Sister [Sydney] Horne, with whom I attended fourth and fifth grade, left for Sapporo, Japan, this past Monday, and I was glad to meet up before she took off!
I would like to do a little Korean cultural note each week, and although difficult while in the MTC, I hope that I can remember enough until we make our way to the land of morning calm. For this week, in Korea, as in China, it is utterly disrespectful to stick your chopsticks straight up in rice and leave them as you eat (mostly sitting down), as it represents an offering to dead ancestors.
Life is great. Our district (a group of twelve missionaries with whom I attend class and other functions) is wonderful. The best. The elders are great and build off of each other, and the sisters add so much with their spirit and clarity of insight. There is so, so much more to say, but alas, I am limited. I love you all. Eat lots of kimchi. God bless.
Love,
South Chang-no
No comments:
Post a Comment