Good day! I pray that all goes well and that all are healthy and enjoying this beautiful season as much as we are. It's been a good week for missionary work, but many are shaken and grieving at the tragedy earlier this week {the sinking of the Sewol ferry that killed so many young Korean students}. It is sad for such things to happen, but this week, as we have contemplated the miraculous resurrection of our Lord, we do know that after every Friday {the day of crucifixion}, Sunday {the day of resurrection} really does come, and because of Him, everything really will be okay.
This week we have been working a lot with Zack, who is preparing for baptism next week. He is excited and has an unquenchable desire to learn of the things of the Spirit and apply them in his life. Junhyeok, a former investigator whose mom opposes the church, agreed to meet with us as well, but due to tests was not able to this week. We are very excited to meet with him soon, and he seems to be very desirous as well. Brother Jinsol, a recent convert, we have been able to see a couple times this past week. He is preparing to leave everything he knows behind and make his way to BYU in the fall. We had a nice talk with him about many things under a beautiful green canopy at Kyunghee Dae.
We had a branch cleaning day this past Saturday, and our building is looking clean and inviting in preparation for a proselyting activity this coming Saturday. Concurrent was English class, and it was good for members to meet and talk with some investigators. Brother Ungsam brought his wife, who seemed to have a great time and got along really well with Sister Gu (who doesn't?), so I hope that she will be back! It has been more difficult to meet investigators this week with midterms being this week, and that unfortunately may continue into this week. It is at times like this when we realize how many of our investigators are college students. Elder Pons and I went on exchanges this past Thursday, and had a wonderful time. We had lot of proselyting time, and found some people very ready to hear what we need to say.
I am very impressed by the missionaries in the district {their local group of 6-8 missionaries. Sam is now the District Leader, it seems, at least according to a letter we received from the mission office}. Applying the mission focus for this month, and how as they think about how the Gospel of Jesus Christ blesses their lives, they are more able to share how it can bless the lives of others. They are inviting, testifying, and seeing people come closer to Christ, and it has been wonderful to work with them this transfer.
Particularly powerful to me this week has been personal study and prayer. This Gospel, and what is required of us, is so much deeper than what I have ever realized as we seek to come out of the world and build up Zion, but there is likewise so much more help available to us than I ever thought. This week I have thought a lot about what it is and what it means to have a personal relationship with God. When everything is gone, who are you? I want always to "treasure these things up in [my] heart, and let the solemnity of eternity rest upon [my] mind." It is absolutely amazing that we really can have that relationship. That we can pray and know that He answers. It changes everything.
We saw an absolute miracle at church yesterday. As were were out sweeping the front of the church, a jovial family was walking down the street. I thought that they didn't look very Korean, and the daughter asked if this was the church. We said that it sure was. It turns out that they were visiting from Hong Kong just for a few days, and looked up the nearest church online. They were more than pleased to join and help us out with Chinese classes and investigators (they all spoke fairly good Mandarin, and the daughter, a return missionary from a Mandarin mission, was entirely fluent and a massive aid), and were a huge source of strength and support. The father in particular bonded with Zack, and they stayed for all three hours of church. We were pretty stunned at the occurrence, considering its "random" nature, and are very grateful to God for willing hearts and promptings of the Spirit. Sister Deng just lit up, and is certainly now in contact with a new friend in the daughter. We were able to watch a movie the first hour, and as we finished not a dry eye was in the room. We were able to bear our testimonies of the reality of our Savior, of his literal appearance on the American continent, and of His glorious resurrection. The father bore his testimony during sacrament meeting, and a visiting brother shared from Moses that we are all children of God as we together testify of Christ. It was a beautiful time in Christ.
In the little time I have left, him bearing his testimony was quite an experience. ^^ Our first counselor asked me to help translate, from English, and I said that was fine, but when he started speaking it was not English, but a very heavily accented Cantonese Mandarin. He may have switched into Cantonese at some points, I'm not sure~^^ Soo, I ended up making up quite a bit. Fortunately the only person who could understand both languages was the very amused Sister Deng, as she sat by her new friend. Oh well. I did my best.
Good luck to my college friends! I was kind of hating my life at this time last year, so... 화이팅!
Sunday will come!
All my love,
Elder South
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