Hello from a very wet Seoul! The rain comes and goes in droves, and so close to the mountains here in Northern Seoul the rain clouds, lightning, and accompanying thunder paint quite the picture. It won't be for another month or two until the rain really comes, though. One day in Beijing it started to rain, to really rain, and so we put on swimsuits and went outside to play soccer while buckets poured down. That's probably not going to be an option here, but I am looking forward to rainy season, perhaps alone among Korea- rain is not overly loved over here.
I hope that all goes well in studies, work, and merrymaking. The summer is a good time. All of the students over here are just facing the end of term test period now, which is always a pretty tough time to meet people! 열심히 공부하네. Students here really study unbelievably much.
It's been a great week. Elder Ahn and I are getting along very well, working as hard as we can, and are just having a great time. We're very, very excited to be here, and to be doing this. We're still struggling to meet with the investigators from before we got here, and it really has felt more like opening an area so far than anything, but we have faith and hope that we will be able to make that transition. Lots of street contacting, lots of numbers, and lots of asking to met after test time this week. It's been a blast. The missionaries here in Sangye are really just superstars- great example, hard workers, just incredible. It's a wonderful district with a lot of faith. The ward is great as well, really just the best it gets, and we've enjoyed meeting several members and less active members already.
Brother Seongdeok came to church yesterday, which we were really excited about! We met him last week. He was quite late in getting to the subway station, and we were in quite, quite a crunch to get to church in time for the sacrament, which naturally is a pretty big deal for us to be there for, especially as missionaries. We ran, which was definitely not ideal, the not insignificant distance to the church with him, but arrived just a bit too late. It was definitely a bit stressful, what with being new missionaries in the ward, and all, but in the end, he enjoyed church, said he'd like to keep coming, and we did the absolute best that we could. There was a baptismal service after church that we sang for, and enjoyed.
I got a few name tags in Chinese this week, just in time for leaving Imun^^ That was fun in any case.
I do my very best to share ideas and whatever needs to be done with Elder Ahn, but sometimes, it doesn't get through too clearly. As we were planning a lesson this week, I was trying to share what I had read in Elder Talmage's Jesus the Christ in Korean, which, for all those familiar with his beautiful but undoubtedly occasionally recondite style of writing, is only asking for trouble. While trying to translate Christ's "Labour not for meat which perisheth, but for that meat which endureth unto everlasting life," after some blubbering about animate and eternal meat, it was looking like the ideas didn't translate all too well, at least not mine. It's all right, we moved on. Kind of the life of a missionary, I guess. Move on and find what works better. The last few days have felt a little bit like things have been stacked against me in some regards, things aren't always sunshine and roses on the outside, and in fact when we just went out to give the sisters an umbrella, and one of them questioned where my necktie was, I looked down to no sight of a tie. It's all right. We deal and move on. It's a great life if you can laugh.
I read Elder Gong's article on perfectionism in the Liahona {church magazine} this week, and was pretty amazed to see just about everything I've ever struggled with as a student, a missionary, a friend, and just a human mentioned, so I'll continue to think about that and how I can improve. How Jesus Christ's sacrifice helps us to become perfect without us needing to be perfect... now.
We came to Korea "not to do [our] will, but the will of Him that sent [us]." We will continue to strive to improve and invite more effectively every day. We're loving our time, and I really dope hope and pray for all the best for you. A special congratulations to Juliana and Mizo this week- may the weather be perfect and the occasion magical.
Everything is beautiful, in God's hands, and happens for a wise purpose, even if it's a wise purpose of which we know not.
Be still my soul: Thy God doth undertake
To guide the future as He has the past
Thy hope, thy confidence let nothing shake;
All now mysterious shall be bright at last.
Be still, my soul: The waves and winds still know
His voice who ruled them while He dwelt below.
And from C.S. Lewis, on consecration:
"Give me all. I don't want so much of your time, so much of your talents and money. I want you. All of you. I have not come to torment or frustrate the natural man, but to kill it. No half measures will do. I don't want to only prune a branch here and another there; rather, I want the whole tree out. Hand it all over to me, the whole outfit, all of your desires, all of your wants wishes and dreams. Turn them all over to me, give yourself to me and I will make of you a new self in my image. Give me yourself and I will give you Myself. My will shall become your will. My heart shall become your heart." 
All my love,
Elder 南
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