"Sister S: it has begun!" New mission president--July 5, 2015

If this week has taught me anything it is that being a Mission President would be very, very hard. Also, though, that Mission presidents are able to take on the mantle of God and guide in a way that could only come through the Spirit. We said a sad farewell to the wonderful Christensens on Wednesday, and suddenly realized that we had a very big job ahead of us. 

This is a crazy transfer week. We have interviews with everyone, so we're visiting just about every area, we had "Meet the President" conferences this week, for one day of which we drove out to Wonju in Kangwon-Do, we have eight exchanges to do, but will probably only be able to do 3 or so, and transfers to plan and just helping everyone get adjusted and comfortable. In short, it's a fun time to be here and a good chance to have lots of unique learning experiences. I'm feeling a lot more comfortable driving around Seoul, now, at least.

It's a busy time, but we can look back and see just how many miracles fell into place this week with new investigators, people at church, people calling us and wanting to meet, and just having some time to get out there and work. We've been showered in blessings. We had some really good lessons with Brother Lee this week, some real talks, where we discussed baptism, and he's ready to go. He'll be baptized this Saturday. The Lusvardis, just a wonderful, wonderful family who live in our area, had us over again yesterday, and Brother Lee and his mother were both able to attend. They felt loved and cared for. Damon is also getting close and continues to progress well. We wish we had more time for "regular missionary work," but we all want more time in our lives and we just need to do the best that we can with what we have, and we'll do our best to do that.

President and Sister Sonksen are wonderful. They are fun to be around, have a wealth of experiences to draw on, and are very in tune spiritually. We have our first MLC {mission leadership conference} tomorrow, and we're excited to hear more from them. MLC is always an enlightening experience, and I'm excited to see another style of leadership and see what I can learn. I was just realizing that not a single person in attendance tomorrow will be the same as the first time I attended MLC, including the Mission President- time just goes so fast.

We're excited for this week and beyond. The good news is that we're floating and the work continues to move forward. Hopefully we'll start to learn how to swim here pretty soon.

1. I need thee ev'ry hour,
   Most gracious Lord.
   No tender voice like thine
   Can peace afford.

I need thee, oh, I need thee;

Ev'ry hour I need thee!

Oh, bless me now, my Savior;

I come to thee!

May you have rain and shade this summer. I hope you had a fun Independence Day, and that you continue to find joy in the journey.

All love,

Elder South