Good day to all, and thank you all for so much love and your support. Every week goes far too quickly, but we are just having such a good time and I am amazed every week by the miracles that are possible in the work. It's always a good day.
This week we were happy to have a couple of days to do traditional missionary work, but had big zone conferences every day from Wednesday to Saturday that we attended around the mission in the mornings and then met with new missionaries for a progress program that we have in the afternoon, before going home and preparing a video for the next day's conference. It was essentially an opportunity for President to give rousing closing remarks, and he never disappoints. Each day was inspiring and powerful, and Sister Christensen gave great talks as well. We will be doing similar conferences soon after President Sonksen comes, to introduce the missionaries. It's going to be a crazy transition, that's for sure. We're not really sure what our duties will be, we'll just do our best.
My new companion is Elder Miller, and he is just solid gold. He graduated the same year as I did from Orem High, although we didn't really know each other. It's going to be a fun transfer! It's hard to contemplate President going home- he spoke at a fireside yesterday, and is just booked every day, but still makes time to support and help us, and has his whole time here. President Sonksen will go into the MTC this coming Wednesday, and President Christensen will leave on the 1st. After that, we have no idea what will happen. The work will move forward, and the righteous will be gathered.
Happy Father's day to many wonderful men, and to the righteous support of women without whom fatherhood is nothing at all, and especially to dad- thanks for all that you have done and do. It will be hard to send Elder Perry {current companion} off this week, and a lot of other fabulous missionaries that I have learned so much from- Elder Killpack, Elder Gee, Sister Ahn, and more. But time continues to move forward, and we will pick up 8 new idealistic and tired but hardworking missionaries from the airport tomorrow.
We said hello to someone who we thought was an older grandmother this week as she was weeding in a garden with her hat covering her face, and a young lady sprang up and started chatting our ear off. She said, "I only know one thing about your church: you elders don't talk to women."
Someone walked into our office this week and just opened his life up to us of how his wife passed away from stomach cancer, and how his little brother took his own life a couple years ago, and how although he opposed his wife's involvement in church, he wants now to see what she saw in religion, and wants that for himself. It was a tragic story, but we felt so strongly that God loved this brother, and that through the Atonement of Christ somehow everything will all be okay in the end.
I met a Japanese guy on the street this week that didn't speak a word of English or Korean. I was able to communicate "church," Christ," "elder," "jjambbong," "thank you," and "goodbye." Good thing other missionaries study Japanese, because I sure didn't get very far. A shirt casually screamed "New Nork." A Jewish family from California marvelled that we had made it all the way out here (see subject line). Someone said," This is illegal, following people is illegal. If you don't stop right now I'm going to call the police." All we're here to do is to give people a chance, and with not as much time left as I want, we need to make sure that people get as much of a chance as we can give them. After a long one sided conversation with someone ignoring us, he took out his headphones and said, "I'm not Korean." Our investigator texted us to "have a nice day, bro."
Several investigators are progressing well. Damon came with us to the fireside yesterday, and during the closing hymn, "Abide with Me, "Tis Eventide," the Spirit was incredibly strong. When we're doing all that we can, we get those assurances, those little packets of light that testify and let us know that God is there. We just need to grab onto those and go from witness to witness until everything becomes brighter and finally we will break through barriers of human imperfections and unbelief into a more sure existence.
Abide with me; 'tis eventide.
Thy walk today with me
Has made my heart within me burn,
As I communed with thee.
Thy earnest words have filled my soul
And kept me near thy side.
O Savior, stay this night with me;
Behold, 'tis eventide.
O Savior, stay this night with me;
Behold, 'tis eventide.
Much love to all and prayers for your well-being.
All the best,
Elder South
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