Au revoir au Français and Other Lessons Learned. 1 June 2014.

Good day to all! Today I must apologize- I am quite pressed for time, and in spite of quite a full week, I must be very brief.

We had several exchanges this week {trading off with other missionaries}. The first, on Wednesday, I went to Dongdaemun with Elder Smith, and we had a great time. We focused on raising our visions and how to do that for others, and how to know when giving correction is necessary as opposed to teaching correct principles and allowing agency. We talked specifically on desire, as it seems that all of our thoughts, our choices, and eventually who and what kind of missionary we become ultimately depends on what we desire, for ourself and for others. We met some great potentials while proselyting, and met a Chinese investigator later that evening. I certainly appreciate Elder Smith's example, and it was nice to be with the other elders as well, learning and growing from their strengths.

The following day I went to Imun 2 {another area near theirs} with Elder Osborne, and again we talked a lot concerning desire and our purpose as a missionary. He worked very hard and did an incredible job proselyting. I was very impressed by his asking Faleh, with whom we had a very interesting lesson and who is a loyal Muslim, to be baptized. We discussed as we ended the exchange much about doing as much as we can, but not going faster than we have strength- about staying focused on the Savior, staying happy, and getting the most that we possibly can out of our experience here while serving the Lord with all of our abilities. It was a pleasure to work with him, and we will continue to discuss these principles in the coming weeks.

 

Several miracles this week came in Isaak from Ethiopia, Samie from Tajikastan, and several new friends in Senegal, although I struggled HARD with the French. Just about gone.

 

The temple was incredible on Tuesday, and I really had several witnesses this week that we are where we are supposed to be, doing what we're doing, and that the Lord is there and that he loves us. Elder Cook of the Quorum of the Twelve visited us this week for a mission conference, and we went to a fireside with him that evening. In spite of the 5 hours of travel time that day, we had a GREAT time, really felt his spiritual power, and learned much.

 

One guy that we met on the street accepted a Book of Mormon and then promptly bought us ten yellow melons in exchange. We met Chad and Jason again last night, and it went really well. They have obvious desire to know these things, and Jason prayed for the first time ever, which is one of my favorite experiences as a missionary.

 

I hope that be able to fill in more from this week in the future, but we are happy and healthy and loving life and the work.

 

All my love, prayers, and best wishes from Imun~

 

Elder South

Llewelyn? 25 May 2014.

A beautiful day to all. Unfortunately, once more I must be more brief today, but it has certainly been a rewarding week. I was thinking about change earlier this week, and how being out here changes who you are. I'm still thinking a lot about that. I was feeling that I was largely the same, just maybe my desires have changed in large measure, but as I thought more, it really does change you. To trust, to open up, to turn out, it does change you. In the past I have certainly been more closed at times, maybe sometimes a bit stubborn, willing to listen but not always to change, but change is definitely a choice. Desire, righteousness, obedience, it's a choice, and when you make that choice, you can be changed, but only if you let it happen. I want to let it happen. When all is said and done, I want to be a missionary that was changed through Christ.

We were at Insa Dong this past week, a charming little village in central Seoul with beautiful traditional architecture along with the new, the modern. It's a quaint little place that I really like, though to me it feels more like walking down a street in Boulder {Colorado} than anything else. As we were there, we met a 74 year old Welsh reporter named Paul, and he was just one of the most humorous guys I've ran into for quite a while. Interspersed among his social and political commentary about everything from the role of religion to affirmative action, he had several gems such as "Hello, what do you know about the Mormon church and would you like to know more? HA! Beat you to it." "I was quite a popular DJ in the day, in the era of the Rolling Stones and the Beatles. I made it big. They don't make 'em like us anymore." He asked if we had any nice friends over in Utah that would be "willing to marry an old crazy Welsh man," and just so much more. On my inquiry of whether he could pronounce the capital of Wales for us, he said "No one can."

Zack {recent convert} is through the Book of Mormon and into the Doctrine and Covenants {another book of LDS scripture}. He taught with us this past week, and is just so incredible. Seriously like Three Nephite incredible {Mormon story of super-human angels}. He helped us to teach Ziyong, from China, who is also great and accepting things quite well. Though we're not quite sure why, his English name is "Amir." We also met Chad and Jason this week, two great guys from China who showed a lot of interest. Actually, Chad was met on the subway by the assistants {to the Mission President} as they headed back from district meeting, so it's fun how that worked out. On Saturday as we prepared for another Chinese lesson, Sister Gu commented "Agh, I feel like I'm in China."

There was a conference this past Thursday that was enlightening and spiritually powerful, and left me with certainly a lot to think about. I spent the night before in Dongdaemun, at my old house, which is always fun. Going home. The other elders in the district were scheduled to help someone in our branch move the following morning, and the next day after the conference President Christensen slipped in that my companions had made it into the Seoul South mission that morning. It turns out that after some confusion and an hour of truck-riding later, one elder had indeed made it past the boundaries of our mission as he rode with a member. Exciting times when Elder South is gone.

Elder Cook {a prominent church leader} will be coming to address us this coming Saturday, for which we are quite excited, and we are making our way to the temple tomorrow, which is of course always wonderful. All my love and prayers from Seoul-

Elder South

Umm. A Cryptic Letter. 18 May 2014

{Note from the editors. Sam sends his letters to many people, some who know more about the LDS church than others. In the beginning he was very aware of this and wrote more generally. Now, for better or worse, he's working very deeply in that singular church context, and his letters are increasingly more steeped in such terminology. We've included many explanations to place his letters in context. We love his good cheer!}

Good day, suoai de ren, my beloved friends-

We are really enjoying the focus of this month as a district {Sam is the district leader of 6 missionaries), on discipleship, and are seeking to apply it in our teaching, but also just in all of our actions as we seek to turn outwards and serve as the Savior did rather than look in. Perfect discipleship is an intensely personal decision of faith, of obedience, and love, and it is difficult. I am frustrated at times by how much improvement there is, but we are trying to see that discrepancy between us and the Savior not as an unconquerable gap, but a staircase upward of personal progression and service opportunities. President Faust {a senior church leader} gave a beautiful address on discipleship in conference a couple of years ago that I found this week in an old Ensign {a monthly church magazine}, with wonderful points on the seemingly paradoxical simplicity of always following our Redeemer. ("I'm trying to be like Jesus.")

We are seeking to minister and to love, to create a celestial atmosphere for missionary service in Imun {the area of Seoul where Sam is currently assigned}. We're all pretty young, at least among the Elders, but we're trying to help each other grow in the Lord. I do not have much experience at all with other districts, but it seems that teaching and communication is very integrated, with many common investigators, lessons, and such, and that has been fun. {We presume this means that his district all works together. They all live close and see each other often. Not always the case for missionaries.}

The district had six investigators at church yesterday, which was wonderful. It was quite a scramble to figure out lessons and such, but it all worked out in the end. The Chinese scene continues to progress, with two new Chinese investigators showing up yesterday, and a growing Gospel Principles class {in Chinese}. We also ate with Sister Po and Zack {two new members} at our branch President's home last night, and they are integrating very well into the branch, faithfully studying the scriptures, and have their eye toward the temple. Zack is inviting his girlfriend to church every week, and received the Aaronic Priesthood yesterday.

A wonderful high school student showed up to church yesterday saying that he and his parents were atheist, but he wanted to attend church or at least learn more, and found our church online. He stayed for all three hours, and committed to coming back next week.

We met an Anna Stritsbjarna (sp.? "fighting mountain") last preparation day, from Sweden. She was a member of the church for 30 years, and only recently said that she stopped believing. Although it was sad to hear that, it was enlightening to hear her story, and the effect that the church has had on her life. She said it's always like coming home to talk about the church, and the rest of her family are active members. The Assistants favored us with a surprise stop by district meeting on Wednesday {these are the missionaries who assist the adult mission president , and were as powerful and supportive as always, providing a much-needed and wonderful example to our district. 

We got confused on directions a couple weeks back and ended up on the top of a hill overlooking Kyunghee University, and there we met a woman named Sister Byeon. We went to her home this week to teach, and it was quite an experience. She, but especially her daughters, one of which was there, are professional kayageum players, the traditional Korean harp. She requested a schedule wherein we talk about who we are, and about religion as we are there, and she also teaches us the tenets of kayageum with the eventual goal of us performing with her daughter on the radio, as she performs frequently on a station, and recently was chosen along with the singer Rain to perform for President Obama as well (casual Presidential performance 4 lyf). {?? I don't know what that means} In describing her eventual goal, Sister Byeon said that she would like us to introduce who we are on the radio, why we are in Korea, talk a little bit about ourselves, and play a traditional song to show that although foreigners, we have a love for the culture of Korea. She gave us a kayageum to practice with at home, with a case bearing the name of the most famous kayageum player in Korea.

Other fun things from this week include Jongseong committing to a baptismal date, Jinsu coming to church at long last, very, very loaded octopus stir fry and subsequent illness {!}, and Somer, who we ran into on Monday visiting from Hong Kong. Also reminiscing about Thoreau and living deliberately. Because I didn't have time, here are Elder Jones' words on Somer, the swordsman and a dear new friend: "After that, we tried to go back to the historic area because the museum is closed Mondays... We ran into a recent convert from Hong Kong who only spoke in a thick, stereotypical English accent. His name is Somer and is a swordsman. He said Elder South's flamboyantly red and pick tie "gave him the impression that [Elder South] is a bit of an Anglophile" while my plain orange tie "reflects the electric K-pop atmosphere". We met him while wandering down a back alley. After we said hello to him in Korean, he stopped, turned slowly, and said, "Are you Mo-o-rmons?" You have to imaginne all this things with the thickest English accent ever. His parting words were "I will see you again. If not through prayer, then in the Terrestrial Kingdom." He might have a little bit more to learn from the missionaries in Hong Kong..." Side note: the tie was banjjak banjjjak (a bit sparkly), but very much conservative.

Thank you for your support. Our goal for this week was to "bring the Spirit to their home," and it is our new goal for every meeting- to help others feel that peace, security, and love.

All our love and prayers, off to edit part of a Ph.D. thesis- again? {no idea what that is about, either}

Elder South