December 8, 2014 Final Week

December 8, 2014

Final Week
 

Hey Family,

Next week on Monday I will be traveling up to the Mission Office so since there will probably not be much time to email, this is basically my last week of email.  I can't believe my mission is coming to an end.  Near the end of Sacrament meeting yesterday the Bishop stood up and asked me to come bear my testimony because I go home in a week but yet somehow I still have to give my final talk next week!!  It made me realize how soon I go home!

 

We had a good week this week.  We have an investigator named Sister Kim, who has begun to progress and have interest in the things we are teaching her.  She had no religion but has began to be curious about religion and if there really is a God.  Plus her two little boys are the cutest, when we go to their house they want to show us all of their toys and everything.  Constantly hearing, "JACKLIN!! come here!!"  They are the best!

We also had a mission tour in Gwangju with Elder Aoyagi of the Seventy.  It was a really good meeting and really interesting because he spoke in Japanese which was then translated into Korean for us and then one missionary translated it into English for the younger missionaries.  There were so many languages going on there!!  Elder Aoyagi spoke to us about spiritual self-reliance and I realized how important this really is.  If we rely on others for our testimonies and to keep us strong, when the trials come we won't have a strong foundation to protect us.  We must make the decision and through, prayer, study, and church we can come closer to our Savior and build habits and a testimony that can help protect us our whole lives.  I hope to take the things I have learned on my mission and really apply them as I come home and go back to college life.  I have really been able to see that if we put the Gospel first everything works out.

The funny part of the meeting was his wife's talk.  She doesn't speak much English but did the whole talk in English.  At one point she was teaching us to "push" so she had everyone get up and while singing put your shoulder to the wheel she had us all doing this pushing motion with our hands while bending our knees up and down, basically dancing!!  It was the most hysterical thing and all of us missionaries were laughing so hard!!

I feel so grateful for the opportunity I have had to serve as a missionary in Korea.  It has been a once in a lifetime experience and I have learned so many things I would have never learned if I didn't come on a mission.  I have had some very trying times but those experiences have caused me to learn to rely on my Savior and know that he understands and loves me more than anyone.  I have also had the opportunity to share the gospel and see the blessings that come to people when they accept it and are baptized.  It has brought me so much happiness and helped me deepen my testimony.  God loves all his children and that is why as blessed members of the true church of God we have the responsibility to share it with others so they can feel God's love and receive the same blessings as us.

I know that Joseph Smith is a prophet of God and am so grateful for all that he suffered and endured to restore this gospel.  I also know that the Book of Mormon is the word of God and that if we sincerely read and search the scriptures we can learn so much and find answers to our questions.  Before my mission I read the scriptures but never realized the real power they contain.  Over the past year and a half I have received answers over and over through the Book of Mormon.  I am so grateful for our loving Father in Heaven, our Savior Jesus Christ, and his Atonement.  The power of the Atonement is real and if we humble ourselves and reach out to Him He can help us overcome our mistakes and our hard times.

I feel so blessed to have had this experience and feel more blessed to have had the opportunity of meeting so many wonderful people in Korea; missionaries, members, and investigators.  And I am so grateful for all of my wonderful family and friends who have supported me through this and I have really felt your love and prayers.

Love you all so much and can't wait to see you in a week and a half:)

Love,

Sister Jacklin

 

-Got a ton of snow this week!! me and my companion are just figuring out how to stay warm enough!!