It did get cold pretty quick -- November 16, 2014

Good day to all from 쌀쌀해진 Korea. I love you all and hope that all goes well.

We are doing well. We are happy and healthy and loving every day. There are tough times and tough things, but other times would have no meaning without them. We've had a very fun week, with several exchanges {with other missonaries}, and I feel that every day as we give our all we are growing and learning and stretching.

As we did exchanges particularly with the assistants {assistants to the president, the top two missionary leaders who work with the senior, experienced adult mission president} this week we discussed working hard and seeing the big picture and trying to instill that desire, certainly in ourselves, but in others as well, missionaries and others alike, and it was enlightening as we discussed that we can work hard, and we can make people work hard, but the biggest thing that we can do, the biggest change that we can make, is to help ourselves and others realize why we work hard. We don't work hard because we send in stats at the end of the week or because our district leader tells us to, we work hard because we are accountable individually to God for what we can do, and we want to give our selves and all of our selves to Him to spread that with which He has blessed us with. And as we go to God, we realize that what He wants us to do and what we can do through him is on a bigger scale than we could ever imagine on our own.

It's a beautiful world! "And God saw every thing that he had made, and, behold, it was very good." Beautiful leaves still greet us every time we go outside and from our window every day, but it did get pretty cold pretty quick.

We have fun experiences and stories every day. As we were taking the subway this week I saw a foreigner across who looked like he did not want to be disturbed. When you don't feel like talking, that's when you open your mouth.

"Hello!"

"Ah, come on, man, seriously? Why can't you just leave us alone? Why do you gotta do this?"

It turns out he was from Minnesota- probably misses home. We talked about happiness a little bit, and he said

"Other people are happy too, okay? Just, go. . . *breath* It's cool that you're speaking Korean, though, I like that."

As we talked with another investigator over lunch, we were talking about his sister's job, and how he didn't have a job yet. I tried to ask what the age gap was with an expression commonly used for the purpose, but it literally means "What's the difference?" He looked at me like I had no idea what was going on in the world for a moment, then said "She makes money, and I don't."

We had dinner (thick baconㅋㅋ) this past Saturday at the lady's house that we met when we were doing calligraphy. It was fantastic, even if we almost perished from overeating, and we met her entire family and a friend, and were able to share about the plan of salvation. We are hoping to have a chance to go back again soon.

We work hard. We do everything we can. We're tired, and sometimes, it is easy to get frustrated because I just want to see more people's lives being changed by this message. As I was feeling this way earlier this week, not that we're not making a difference, but wondering if it really will matter, I came across the following passage in Third Nephi {from the Book of Mormon}:

"Ye have said: It is vain to serve God, and what doth it profit that we have kept his ordinances and that we have walked mournfully before the Lord of Hosts?

 And now we call the proud happy; yea, they that work wickedness are set up; yea, they that tempt God are even delivered.

 Then they that feared the Lord spake often one to another, and the Lord hearkened and heard; and a book of remembrance was written before him for them that feared the Lord, and that thought upon his name.

 And they shall be mine, saith the Lord of Hosts, in that day when I make up my jewels; and I will spare them as a man spareth his own son that serveth him."

He knows and He cares about each of us. I love this time, which is going so, so fast, and am so grateful to be here. This is the right place.

All my love from Seoul~