December 1: "Go Out With Joy"

This week flew by. I can't believe how quickly this transfer has gone, and time in general. It's December. I remember the first of December a couple of years ago, as I was finishing up high school and wondering where life would take me. So much has changed since then. I've been in Korea for longer than I was in China now, and I've actually been surprised at how much these respective countries differ culturally. Of course, I have been in a very different role here, and perhaps if I were studying here and saw more cultural and historical sites, I may feel differently, but China, to me at least, just felt older. There is without a doubt a similar underlying economic drive and push for modernization, but it seems that Seoul and Beijing are perhaps at different steps along that path.  What was interesting to me  in China, and certainly true to a certain extent here too, is the differing ideals and drive between the younger and the older generations. On one side there is that desire to be at the forefront of global production and economy, and on the other almost a longing at times for the culture and history of times past that is sometimes swallowed up in the push forward. Anyway, I don't know. I'm just a young guy in Seoul, and I sure love it.

Elders South and Grimshaw sharing a joke...
or the effects of some strong kimchi?

I don't know where I'll be, of course, but next transfer, change is coming to Imun. We went out with one of the senior office elders this past Wednesday to look for a new house in our area, as we've been living in Dongdaemun and commuting to Imun every day. That will be nice, as we do spend quite a bit on transportation. We looked at a nice, currently unoccupied apartment, decided it was what we needed, and went to the real estate office to sign papers. Whoever will be in Imun next transfer will move in on the 16th of this month, and, in other exciting news, there will be two more elders in Imun next transfer, for which we are very excited! It really is an amazing area, and there is work enough to do.

Korean is still difficult, but we're trying to not let it be a barrier. As long as we feel comfortable, those with whom we're speaking usually do, too, and it is just fun. One would hope that we will never again on our missions be as bad at Korean as we are now, and the more mistakes we make as we open our mouth now, the less we will later. The road to Korean mastery, or even basic ability, will be a long one to climb, and I don't know if I'll ever get there, but fortunately, if we do our best and live as we need to be, Korean isn't the most important language for those we're teaching to hear anyway.

We met some wonderful, wonderful people this week, and were very blessed. On Tuesday, we met with Jinuk for the first time. (진욱, Korean looks super weird in romanization) He is a graduate student in our area in his late 20s, and has been in Seoul from the countryside for about three years. He is not attending church here, but did when he was younger, and misses it. We talked about the Gospel of Jesus Christ, and he was really interested: we will continue to meet with him, and he wants to be baptized on the 29th of this month. Jinsu, tragically, did not attend church this week, and unless we can meet with him soon, we may need to move his baptism to the 29th. We met with Jackie again, and also talked about the Gospel of Jesus Christ with him. He readily accepted everything, but feels that he needs more time before he is baptized, and we will continue to speak with him concerning the power of repentance and demonstrating faith to act on the will of God.

The always-thoughtful Elder South organized a bilingual
group celebration on his dad's birthday.

Jaehyeon showed up to English class this week, one of the friends of a regular. He enjoyed the class, and the sisters gave a really powerful message about eternal families for gospel time. Afterwards, he expressed interest in meeting with us personally and learning more about families. His wife recently passed away, and showing love for her and for his kids is very important to him. He is wonderful, and we look forward to sharing more about what we know about the eternal nature of families and what a blessing that is. Shakai is a Chinese student studying in Imun who came to church yesterday. He is a lot of fun, from Shanghai, and like most Chinese people we meet, loves to talk in Chinese and about his home. He met with Ga Dong, our super cool Chinese ward member, and she helped to teach him. He came with us to a meal last night with a bunch of young adults, and had a great time! I hope that he can continue to meet and make friends with the branch!

We have been getting closer and closer to the members of our branch {the local congregation smaller than the "ward" where he was previously}, and they are so crucial. Our branch is small but strong, and the members have introduced us to several friends that now have a sincere interest in what we have to say. member involvement is so important and so valuable in making people feel welcome.

For Thanksgiving this week, the office and Sister Christensen exerted an extraordinary effort and organized meals for almost all the missionaries in our mission with member families from the states, mostly from the English branch in Yeongdeungpo. We were with a Brother Jensen, who has been in Korea for 15 years, and works in global human relations at SK. He was a lot of fun to talk with, as was his family, and his home was welcoming and the food very good. We had butter, for the first time in quite a while, whipped cream, root beer, and creole seasoning, which I miss but never expected to see here. I certainly am grateful for the chance that we had to spend time with his family, and more than that, just for the opportunity to be in such a beautiful place with such amazing people doing something that I love so much. I hope that you had a wonderful time as well, and think about all that God has given us. It is fall break, I think, for many of my friends. Enjoy family, life, and time, and may your studies be fruitful as the semester comes to a close.

Isaiah declares, in chapters 54 and 55, the following:

"Seek the Lord while He may be found, call ye upon Him while He is near: for ye shall go out with joy, and be led forth with peace . . . with everlasting kindness will I have mercy on thee, for the mountains shall depart, and the hills shall be removed, but my kindness shall not depart from thee, neither shall the covenant of my peace be removed, saith the Lord."

All my love,

Elder South