December 8 Goodbye to Transfer 3

December 8, 2013

Goodbye to Transfer 3

Hey Family!!

Well, I ended up staying in my same area with my same companion:)  I am still in my first area and now on my fourth transfer here.  By the time I leave it will have been six months.  I love this area but am getting a bit anxious to experience some other areas.  But we have lots of work to do here in Cheongju so I am glad I can stay.

Last Monday we had an awesome last p-day with the Elders in our ward before two of them transferred to new areas.  I am attaching a couple pictures.  We went to a delicious buffet and then headed bowling. We did Koreans vs. Americans and unfortunately we got shown up by the Koreans mostly thanks to me.  I still need the bumpers and apparently those don't exist in Korea.

This week I realized the difference the spirit can make in teaching.  We had a couple messages and lessons that I was REALLY nervous to teach so as we went in I prayed very strongly to have help in teaching.  And my prayers were answered.  As soon as I started talking my fears went away and I was able to communicate what I was saying and not stumble around with my Korean.  The spirit made all the difference and it made me realize how much power the spirit has to help me teach well and also to touch the hearts of those we are teaching.

I also had a cool experience on Friday night.  We were out in one of our small towns and I was having a hard time trying to get myself over the fear of talking to people on the streets and was really down about it.  And then just a few minutes later as we were waiting a man came up to my companion and started asking if "the person beside her was a college student." (and yes, I was able to understand him, yay.  haha)  We were then able to talk to him about us being missionaries and tell him about our English class and he was so excited and it put a big smile on my face.  I felt it was a blessing from the Lord but also him saying, "I gave you one now, you need to go to work."  That gave me the re-motivation to go out and do my best.

We are officially starting our fourth transfer here and excited to see what the next six weeks holds for us and our investigators.  I would really appreciate prayers, especially with learning the language cause I am really trying to step up my language ability right now.

I love you all and hope you are having a wonderful Christmas season:)

Love,

Sister Jacklin

December 1, 2013 Merry Christmas

December 1, 2013

Merry Christmas :)

 

Hello Family!!

Well, I have officially diagnosed myself with the symptoms of rice face...it happens when you move to an Asian country and eat rice 24/7.  I'm still trying to come to terms with it, and resigning the fact that I can't do much about it until I return to the US...

Last week for P-day our investigator, Judy, took us six missionaries to this Korean artists house that has now been turned into a museum. They had a special exhibit of a Korean Christian artist who did paintings of Christ but depicted in a Korean style.  It was really cool and we all enjoyed having the cultural experience.  We also visited a natural spring with naturally carbonated water it was so hysterical to watch everyone's faces as they tried it.  All we needed was a little sugar and we could have made sprite.

 

Snow, boy has it been coming down.  We are still trying to adjust to the winter weather and strategize ways to do missionary work without completely freezing.

Happy Late Thanskgiving to everyone:)  I don't think anyone else in Korea knew it was Thanksgiving though.  I couldn't have a turkey dinner but I did make myself some cabbage and onions to celebrate the holiday and it tasted like home.

So, Saturday after English class all the missionaries were working on a project and a guy from English class stayed and was just hanging out.  We were all laughing and having fun, and then he said, "This is fun, and I didn't know you could have fun without drinking."  haha, it was so funny!!  We just said that is what the gospel can do:)

Sunday, our recent convert couple invited us and the bishop's family (6 kids) over for dinner and it was just the greatest night ever.  They have been so sweet to me and I love them so much.  She made a delicious dinner, salad, and  a rice dish, and we all had great conversation and I was able to pick out about half of what was happening:)  Their daughter hasn't gotten baptized yet (hopefully this month) so we taught about the first principles of the gospel, it was one of those moments where I really felt the spirit helping me speak and know what to say because usually I am really stressed but this time I was able to say everything I wanted to.

Just another great week and it is just been so great to really see things start happening, miracles everyday.  I love this area so much and the people are what make it so great.  Sitting here awaiting transfer calls and the nerves are crazy!!  This transfer is really unkwown.

Love you all and hope you are enjoying the Christmas season.  I miss the all-out festivities in America!!

Love,

Sister Jacklin

P.S. Chloe received word from the Mission office and she and Sister Son will stay together for one more transfer.  Wahoo!!!  She is super excited.

Pictures:

Sister Son and I preparing to go out in the freezing cold.
And dinner last night with our recent converts and the bishops family:)

 

November 24, 2013 The Constant Miracles

Hello Family!!

Hope everyone had a wonderful week and is gearing up for all that yummy thanksgiving food I am dreaming of. We are going to an American style buffet next week to celebrate thanksgiving.  

This week was really great, always full of random adventures.  Friday, after weekly planning we decided to head out to one of our little towns an hour away.  As we were putting up our first English class sign we had a young mom approach us and wants us to teach her young daughter English.   She was totally okay with us doing the 30/30 program with them and we are going to visit twice a week.  We were so excited and it was such a miracle.  We knew we were meant to go there that day.  These are the moments that make missionary work so amazing!!

We are really working, praying, and fasting for our investigators that they can get their questions answered through pray and accept this gospel.  They are all such wonderful women and I want them to have the blessings of the gospel.  we have discovered that the hardest thing is to actually get investigators to church.  Our mission is doing a program to all give a gift to Christ for Christmas of one baptism.  We have some amazing investigators and I really think that we will at least have one baptism before Christmas:)

this week our ward had the primary program, and it was so cute and full of laughs.  The primary is about half the size of our Utah ward but I think they sang twice as loud (Koreans LOVE to sing).  Not sure how I ended up in a country where they love to sing since I have the worst voice ever!!

One other random story of the week;  Last week was mushrooms this week it was tomato juice...but my companion is a genius, she poured a little in my glass swished it around and poured the rest in her glass so it looked like I drank it, haha!!  We are getting pretty creative at avoiding these things.

We are approaching the last couple weeks of our transfer and I am getting anxious to find out next Monday if I will change areas.  I am still in my first area and would be happy to stay but would also love to see another area.  I just don't want to leave my companion.  We are the perfect pair and I think the other sisters think we are insane sometimes!!  We'll see what happens.

Love you all!!  Happy Thanksgiving!!!

Love, 

Sister Jacklin

 Picture:  I found a random lake out in one of our small towns, I was quite excited.  And the apartments right next to it are the epitome of Korea.