September 22, 2014

September 22, 2014

 

Hey Family!!

 

Today we receive transfer calls and next week I will only have two transfers left!! So crazy!!

 

We had a good week this week, nothing too special but a good week.

 

This week we were reading the Book of Mormon with one of our investigators and we read 2 Nephi 2 because we also taught her about the Plan of Salvation a few days earlier.  After reading it she started saying how it is really similar to Genesis and so we explained that it is the same exact story as in the Bible; the Bible and Book of Mormon are books that took place in two different lands but it is the same God and the same history.  She was really able to finally understand this.  So many people look at our church and the Book of Mormon as being so different but it is cause they don't really understand.  We are Christian and the Book of Mormon is an inspired book from God.

 

We have a new investigator named Kim cho-ah, who we met for the second time yesterday.  She is 25 and just the sweetest girl ever.  One of the Elders met her on the bus and her purpose is to learn English but she is super open to learning the Gospel.  We taught her yesterday about God, families, prophets, and prayer.  She really was listening to what we said and I really felt the spirit there more than I have with other investigators lately.  It made me realize how big of a difference the spirit makes.  I think she has so much potential so I am so excited to see  how things go:)

  

It will be a busy week this week with transfers and Sunday is ward conference so we have lots of work to do to get as many invetigators and less-actives there as possible.  Love you all and hope you have a great week!! 

 

Love,

 

Sister Jacklin

 Pictures:
1.  Enjoying lots of good food at our Grape Harvest activity a few weeks ago.
2.  Our new Investigators

September 15, 2014 Technical Difficulties

Last week we had issues emailing so here is last week's email:)

 

September 15, 2014

 

Hey Family!!

 

We spent a great Chuseok Holiday here in Mokpo.  The members made sure we were taken care of so we had a delicious meal with members for four days straight:)  Lots of delicious food and of course the traditional Chuseok rice cakes!!  Monday night we visited Brother Lee's family with the Elders for Chuseok dinner.  When we all arrived he was excited to tell us and his two kids that he had secretly planned to do family home evening.   They had not done family home evening in 10 years and he wanted to show his kids what it is like.  We all made an attempt to sing Love At Home, the Elders gave a short lesson, and we played a hysterical game of signs!  It was just so fun to see how excited he was to be doing family home evening.  I really have seen the importance of family home evening on my mission.  FHE is an inspired program and though we may not always feel it, it really helps our families stay anchored together.

 

On Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday it was almost impossible to meet anybody because of the holiday but Thursday and Friday we were running around town like crazy so we could meet all of our investigators and less-active appointments.  I love the feeling of going to bed at the end of a busy day:)  Friday we taught we taught our new investigator about the Restoration.  She is a strong personality and boy did she have a lot of questions.  Explaining the difference between faith and belief, and then really random questions like how big the Salt Lake Temple is and how many people can fit inside!!  My brain was hurting after that appointment but it went well.  She is English interest but totally open to learn about our church.

 

Saturday was the speech contest in Gwangju and our investigator, Yang Hansor participated.  But we cut it close and were almost not able to go.  We usually go to Gwangju on the weekdays so we never have trouble getting tickets...little did we know all of Mokpo goes to Gwangju on the weekends and there were no buses available to get us there in time!!  So next we had to hurry to catch a bus across town to the train station, buy tickets on our investigators phone, and literally sprint through the train station!!  But we made the train and got there on time!  The speech contest was really fun and our investigator did so great!!  She talked about her hobby of traveling.  I have to say I was proud watching her after all the time me and her put into it:) haha!!

 

I love you all.

 

Sister Jacklin

 

September 8, 2014 Happy Chuseok!!

September 8, 2014
Happy Chuseok

Hey Family!!

Happy Chuseok!!  Today is thanksgiving in Korea!!  We are going to a members house tonight for dinner and to celebrate!^^  On this holiday people usually visit the husband's parents so yesterday a bunch of our members were gone and replaced by people visiting from other parts of Korea.  It was fun to meet some new members and I got to see one sister I served with as a greenie and she has now gone home.

 

There is going to be an English speech contest this coming Saturday hosted by an American member who is famous here in Korea.  We have an investigator who is going to be participating so we spent time with her this week helping her make her speech and answering her other questions! I thought my brain was going to explode!!  English!!  Teaching English in Korean is no easy task, I am learning all the words for verb, noun, etc.  Also we met a new English interest investigator this week and guess what?!...she is fluent in  English!!  This is my first investigator in Mokpo who is fluent so I was really relieved we can just talk instead of trying to teach.  She also has lots of questions about our church and is not scared to learn about our beliefs.

 

Friday was my English night!!  It was our Canadian member, Courtney's Birthday so she invited us to go out with her and a couple friends to dinner!!  We went to a steak house and ate pizza, pasta, and steak!!  First time I have eaten American style  steak in over a year so I was in seventh heaven!!  I am still dreaming of Dad's steaks for when I come home!  It was so fun to hangout with English speakers (they are Canadian) and be able to express everything I wanted to.  We also met her friend, a man from Sri Lanka, who could have some potential interest.

 

We didn't have any huge progression this week with our investigators because of the holiday but our goal this week is to give some big commitments to really see where they are at in regards to the Gospel personally.

Here is my favorite scripture of the day:

D&C 78:19

And he who receiveth all things with thankfulness shall be made glorious; and the things of this earth shall be added unto him, even an hundred fold, yea, more.

 

There are so many hard things in life but if we remember our blessings and how much God has given us we will be so happy even in our trials.

 

I love you all and hope you have a wonderful week!!

 

Love,

Sister Jacklin

Pictures:

-Celebrating Courtney's Birthday

 

September 1, 2014 Week of Travel

September 1, 2104

Week of Travel
 

Hey Family!!

 

We had a good week this week!!  Lots of travel and literally traveled to the bottom of Korea!!

Wednesday all of our plans fell through so we decided to go visit another town in our area called Haenam.  It is about an hour bus ride out there and it is so pretty.  It is famous because it is the bottom edge of Korea.  We first found and visited a less active and her adorable baby.  She is a returned missionary and knows she needs to come out to church but her husband isn't a member, and with her little kids it is hard to make the one and a half hour trip to church.  We are working with our mission leader's family who lives there to try and help her get to church.  I think that day we walked through the whole town it was so small.  But I loved the quaint little feeling of the town!  It might take some time adjusting back to America after living in cities for a year and a half!!

Friday we had interviews with President Shin so we headed to a different area in a city called Naju.  That city is famous for asian pears!  I was in shock at how big they are!  I tried to take a picture but it just didn't do it justice.  For lunch we all made kimbap together which was a first for me.  And let’s just say I didn't do the best job and President and Sister Shin were watching the whole time!! 

Saturday we had a ward activity out on Wan-Do which is an island about an hour and a half drive from Mokpo.  We went and visited a members home/farm to have a picnic and pick grapes.  It was absolutely beautiful out there!!  It may have been the prettiest place I have visited so far in Korea.  Right next to the house there was a really beautiful mountain and river, and you could see the ocean from the house.  It actually reminded me a lot of Gig Harbor.  It was wonderful to get out of the city and enjoy the peace and beauty of being outside.  Plus the grapes were amazing!!  We had one investigator attend and I think she had such a great time despite riding in a car with six loud children!!

Right now our ward is focusing a lot on less-active visits because ward conference is coming up this month.  So after church yesterday we went to visit a less-active sister with the Bishop and his wife and let’s just say it was quite the adventure.  She is friends with the Bishop's wife so from the time we walked in until the time we left she didn't stop talking.  She talks insanely fast, even my companion and Bishop could hardly understand.  And I am pretty sure she does not like missionaries because she did not acknowledge our presence.   The entire time, she had her back to us.  Bishop lied for me saying I was allergic to tomatoes so I didn't have to drink the tomato juice and then there was her crazy whirlwind 2 year old son.  He was all over the place!!  First he was eating so many snacks that were out and running around like crazy and next thing you know he had thrown up all over the house.  But it didn't even phase him, he kept right at it.  Running all over the house, attempting to eat more snacks, and pounding on the piano with his feet.  We tried to stop him but it didn't work.  All in all, it was a very...interesting visit.  We were exhausted by the time we walked out of there.  Now we know why Bishop did not want to visit there, haha!!

It turned out to be a really good week and hopefully this week will be even better.  Korean Thanksgiving is next  Monday so lots of people are heading out of town or busy so we are going to have to be creative with what to do this week but plan on working just as hard.  At our District Meeting last week President asked who the next missionary in our district was to go home.  It was terrifying when I had to raise my hand.  In my interview President kept repeating it to me that I need to give it my best these last few transfers.  There are hard days in life and hard days as a missionary but if we don't stop and just keep going we will see miracles and be able to accomplish all that we want to.

Love you all and hope you have a wonderful week!!

Sister Jacklin

 

August 24, 2014 안영하세요^^

안영하세요^^

August 24, 2014

Hey family!!

 

Another week come and gone...what happened this week?...it is honestly all a blur but I'll try and remember the important things!!

Our investigator, May-Hee. I talked a bit about her last week. She is a 25 year old student from China. She went to the dessert party with us and had a great time, even though we had to convince her to come with us. We planned to meet her on Thursday but when I woke up in the morning there was a text waiting from her saying her professor called saying she needs to go back to China early...meaning immediately!! NOOO!!!  We still have to teach her the Gospel before she goes to China!!  We were able to meet her one last time that day and she made us a delicious Chinese lunch!!  I loved it.  Some of the tastes were similar to the stuff I ate in Xian. We are really excited that she can go back and see her family but sad to see her go so soon.  We made sure to give her all the church materials we had in Chinese before she left^^

Tuesday night we had a dessert party with missionaries, members, and investigators.  It turned out to be super fun.  We did a relay game where you had to wear gloves and use chopsticks at the same time.  Not the easiest thing in the world!!  I was talking with one of the Elders investigators and he was telling me all about the missionaries he originally met in Seoul and how great they are and then he showed me a picture and it turned out to be my friend Riley Hale! It is a small world even here in Korea.

Wednesday we went to Gwangju for a meeting with our Zone. It was a great boost to start the transfer!! One thing I loved was something our Zone Leader, Elder Khan, gave a training on.  He taught us about finding our own Sacred Grove to talk with the Lord and receive guidance.  First he focused on the importance of preparing so for us as missionaries that is waking up, exercising, and getting ready. Then we find a quiet place alone and pray to our Heavenly Father and then spend some time thinking and being able to receive revelation from God. This should be our morning devotional with our Father in Heaven. I really loved this!! It is important to really take some quiet time to talk with our Father in Heaven and really feel how close He is.  As I am trying to do this I am already seeing myself open up to learn more and be guided by Heavenly Father.

Yesterday I gave my first try at translating church into English...hardest thing ever!!  During sacrament meeting there was one older man in the ward who gave a talk and I didn't even try to translate!! We have a Canadian member who just moved here last week so I think that me and Elder Driggs are going to get some good translating practice in the next few months! I just realized how much more I need to study Korean!!

Sorry, not much exciting to share this week! love you all and hope you are enjoying the end of summer vacation:)

Love,

Sister Jacklin

 

-May-Hee before she left for China