Sister Chloe Jacklin: July 2014

July 20, 2014

Hey Family!!

This week's email will be really short cause we are in Gwangju, a big city about an hour from my area. It was a really hard week where I woke up every morning stressed because I don't know what to do with our day. I am just praying faithfully that we will start to find new investigators and get this area moving. Picking up an area is not easy but so rewarding in the end and that is what I keep reminding myself. We also had non-stop rain almost the whole week. But just so you all know, rain does not make the weather cool. It means hot weather with a lot of humidity!! Me and my hair don't handle it very well^^

We had zone conference this week and it was a super great meeting. Our mission is starting a new way of doing weekly planning and daily planning. We have already started and it is already helping us plan and prepare so much better. One thing I have learned on my mission is that if you don't plan well nothing works out. I was also able to go on a split with Sister Matsen, we were in the MTC together and came on our missions together but have been at opposite ends so I hardly ever see her. We talked non-stop and had a great time teaching together. It is always a much different experience when I am with another American. People walk up to us all the time and tell us how pretty we are and we get a million more stares. I still get it when I am with a Korean but so much more when with an American. We were making cookies to take to a member and let’s just say the box instructions were not right so they turned out to be a bit hard and brown on the bottom. We spent about half an hour scraping the bottom of the cookies with a knife, but then when we woke up the next morning the rock hard cookies had become completely soft!! The power of humidity, haha! Hopefully the members waited a day to eat them!!

Yesterday at church we had a miracle. A member brought his parents to church and we are now teaching them to help prepare them for Baptism. His parents are originally Buddhist but they are now living with their son's family and have decided to attend church and have the same religion as their family. I think they are literally 90 years old and I don't understand a thing they say but they are super sweet. We are teaching them in order for them to be Baptized but I don't think they remember or understand a thing we say. As long as they want to be Baptized and be with their family nothing else matters:)

Love you all and am so grateful for my amazing family and friends. You are all in my prayers!! Have a great week:)

Love,

Sister Jacklin

July 13, 2014 Mokpo Week 2

July 13, 2014

Mokpo Week 2

안녕하세요!!

It has already been over a week in Mokpo!! The expected typhoon never came but it still rained a lot, we got in it two nights ago and it looked like we had taken a shower in the rain!! Those rain shoes are coming in handy now Mom:) Things are going pretty well here, it is hard to leave a good area and awesome investigators to go re-build in a different area, but the Lord's work must be progressed in all areas and there is a lot to come here in Mokpo:)

This week I had the lovely experience of eating at a member's house(grandma & grandpa) and for some reason they decided that I wasn't digesting my food well...in all reality it is that I was forced to eat twice the amount of food my body can take in!! Anyways, There is this pressure point in your hand that Koreans always push on to help you digest, so the grandpa was doing that to me but it didn’t hurt so he was literally digging his fingers into my hand and the grandma starts wacking me on the back!! I did not know what to do but I just wanted to laugh out loud. But hey I didn't get sick or anything so I guess it worked...? haha!! But it was all worth it because they introduced us to their friend who is a potential investigator. One thing I have enjoyed here in Mokpo is that a lot of our investigators are Gospel interest instead of English interest first.

So here was our miracle of the week: We had been at the church and were on our way home but I was bringing a MASSIVE map home (borrowed from the Elders) so it was probably a sight to see. When we got on the bus this man made a comment about it and started talking to us. It turned out he knows a lot about our church. He works with members and his good friend is a Bishop; he attended church a few times in the past, attended the open house the month before for a new church nearby, and he said he has interest!! We were in shock, what are the chances of running into someone like him! It doesn't happen very often. We referred him to the Elders in Gwangju, a big city an hour away, because that is where he is most the time. We will see how things turn out. This was a huge testimony builder that there are people waiting for us to find them.

Not too many other things to share this week. Lots of trying to figure out the area and make things happen, wandering in the rain and sun through the city searching for less-actives (got the wet clothes and sunburn to prove it, haha), and then ended it all with a good Sunday.

Love you all and miss you so much!! Hope everyone is well!! Have a great week:) Sorry no pictures this week!

Love,

Sister Jacklin

July 6, 2014 Week one in Mokpo!

July 6, 2014

Week one in Mokpo!!

Hey Family!!

Where to begin this week... Well, I have officially moved halfway across Korea from the top of our mission down to the very southwest coast of Korea!! I am now serving in Mokpo!! This is somewhere I have always wanted to go so I may have jumped up and down a little when I got the transfer call^^ So sad to be leaving Cheonan but if I had to leave I am happy it was to Mokpo!! My MTC companion, Sister Livingston, took my place in Cheonan which I was happy it is someone I can trust but also sad because it means I won't be able to see her often cause we are once again at opposite ends of the mission.

The week was full of a lot of sad goodbyes to members and investigators. Everyone wanted to feed us before I left so basically I have never felt as full in my life as I did this week. But I won't complain, it was all my favorite food^^ We also had a huge miracle with our investigator. We have become very close with her and she is the investigator who came to church last week and has been progressing all on her own. Before I left she took us out for my favorite Korean meat and then we ate Bingsu(similar to shaved ice but WAY better). While we were eating Bingsu we ended up having a super spiritual conversation despite being in a noisy cafe. She started saying how much the Gospel has already started helping her change and how she feels a big difference. We were then able to set a Baptismal date with her for August 3rd with the promise that I can come back for it. She is one of the biggest miracles I have seen on my mission.

Mokpo!! It has been rainy the whole time I have been here and we are expecting a typhoon this week but it is beautiful. There are pretty green mountains (technically hills) and I love being able to see the water!! As close as I can get to Washington. It is much smaller than the cities I am used too, much more quaint and small town feeling. Our area is huge and we travel out to lots of islands so I am excited to start sending some really pretty pictures^^

We don't have too much going on in regards to investigators right now but we are already seeing miracles with current investigators and finding a few new investigators. My companion has also been super helpful so I am not too stressed YET....My companion is Sister Yoon, she will be starting her third transfer and somehow I am now starting my ninth even though I can hardly believe it.

Excited to see the adventures to come in my last six months here in Mokpo!! Love you all and hope you have a great week^^

Love,

Sister Jacklin

Pictures:

-Last Cheonan district picture!!
Awesome Investigators, Sunny, Yon, and Crystal