New and Old come together

안녕 from 충장 (it's a rhyme, I promise)! Actually, to be more specific 안녕 from 풍향! This area is the most confusing thing of my life. I'll try to explain, but  you'll probably get bored so you can just go on ahead and skip to the next paragraph. So once upon a time there was Poonghyang, Choongjang, Nongseong, and Songjeung (I hate myself for romanizing them, but it's for the greater good). The were four separate wards with four separate church buildings. But then the Church decided to build a massive, wait no, MASSIVE, stake center right in the middle for all four wards to meet in and got rid of all the old buildings. Then they combined Poonghyang (my area) and Choongjang into one ward and Nongseong and Songjeung into another ward. And if that weren't confusing enough, both wards meet in the giant stake at the same time Sunday morning, except my ward has sacrament meeting first and the other ward has sacrament meeting last. Does that make sense? Let's just say yes and move on.

But hey, I'm back with 이예진 again! It's nice because we didn't have to go through the whole "New Companion Awkward Stage." It was just like, "Hey can I borrow your clothes?" "Yep. You know which ones you like." It's so easy. Since our companionship ended so lamely before with me being really, really sick, I'm kind of glad we get another chance to end things happily. We already worked well together before so here's hoping we can do it again!

Leaving 정읍 was really sad though. I love 정읍 so much. I think it'll probably be my favorite area and it was hard to say goodbye to all the members and the missionaries there, but I only cried three times! A new record! My favorite memories from 정읍 will be four-person district meetings, games with the youth, maple leaves, 신권 모임 (priesthood meeting), Sister M....., and 준호 of course, the little seven-year old boy who I love more than anyone. We ate dinner with his family the night before I left and then he called me and Sister M..... later that night and told us he loved us. It was cutest thing that's ever happened to me. We hung up the phone and burst into tears.

But this area will be good too! It's different in pretty much every way. I've taken the bus more these last few days than I ever have before. I'm definitely not a city girl, but I like it here all the same. Our house is cute and the members are nice, even if there are like two hundred of them...

I just want to share one scripture before I go! It's one of my favorites and it's the one I shared in my "Introduce Yourself to the Ward" talk yesterday. 

Thessalonians 5:16

"Rejoice evermore."

This has been how I have tried to serve my mission these past fifteen (?) months. With joy! This is such a happy message and it deserves to be shared with joy! I'm so thankful to be a missionary and to have this gospel in my life because it has made me so happy and I have seen firsthand how it makes other people happy as well. I love this message and the opportunity I have to share it. Missionary work is hard but it is so happy. I know that if we serve the Lord with joy, then we receive in return His promised blessings and surely those blessings give us every reason to "rejoice evermore."

I love you evermore!

Sister Sydney

Sydney forgot her camera cord, so she couldn't send pictures of the last week, so she sent more pictures from her pday excursion to see the fall leaves with Sister M..... and the two elders in her district.  

 Just this random boy we found throwing leaves. Not really. He just never wears his nametag

Red leaves and blue sky

There were just so many of them!

Korean jokes

Fallen  leaf heart without photobombing elder

Cute

You bet we climbed the mountain. We were tired, but the air was clean and the view was beautiful.

Of Mountains and Maple Trees

What a week.

First off, Madds HAPPY BIRTHDAY~

Wowowowow, you're fourteen. I never even got to see you when you were thirteen! I love you and I hope you had a great day! Send more pictures because the ones Mom and Dad take are always blurry. Guys, you have a camera. You should, like, use it or something.^^

The only things I can remember about this week are decorating for the Halloween party, having the Halloween party, and getting in with the Filipinos. I'm sure other things happened, but did they?

The Halloween party went really well! So many people came and brought their friends! I felt just like missionaries on The District except we were on a much smaller scale and I'm sure a whole lot more chaotic.(this is a series made for missionaries that lets them look into a day in the life of missionaries) But it was good and the church looked beautiful. Hopefully I can send you some pictures of the decorations because we spent forever on them. But it all paid off because members, less-actives, and a whole lot of potential investigators came. In fact, one of our members even brought the friends that came to the Halloween party to church the next day! One hundred points to Gryffindor!!

As for the Filipinos, our investigator F..... is friends with pretty much every other Filipino person in Jeongup and now so are we. It's awesome. There was this exclusive "Filipino Person Only Volleyball Tournament" this week and we totally got an invite. We were in Korea, but no one was Korean.

And then, last night, we went to another Filipino birthday party and we ate all the chicken adobo. All of it. Don't tell the Koreans, but I might like Filipino food better. It was quite freeing to understand none of what anyone was saying and not even care because guess what, I don't speak Tagalog! And that's okay! We ate well and bonded with the only other non-Tagalog speaking person, a Korean girl who turned out to be an old investigator! Miracle!

But all this "running with the Filipino crowd" will have to be left to Sister M..... now because I'm transferring! It's sad, but I knew it was coming. What I did not see coming was who my new companion is. It's 이예진! Also known as the girl I was just companions with before Sister Matsen. Hahaha oh, President Shin. There are no rules for transfers with him. I'm excited though because I'm finally serving in the city (충장) (This is an area in the city of Gwanju) and I already know and love 이예진! The members here in 정읍 are sure to find this hilarious.

Here's to the last two transfers of my mission!

What the what?!

I love you all!!!

Sister Sydney

Halloween party! We were dolls. It went really well, even though the kids were crazy. At the end of the night Kimyoungchan just said to me, "Oh Abba, why can't I control Jeongup?!" 

 Last p-day we bought selfie-sticks. Are these a thing in america? Because Korea loves them.

ㅋㅋㅋKorean jokes.

Weird camera setting and cute friends. I love it when 규태 pinches his eyes.

 My camera can do this thing where it puts makeup on your face, makes your eyes bigger, and your face smaller. It's so ugly I can't even...

 I wish I could show you now, the videos we filmed when we came home from the Halloween party, but you'll just have to wait three more months. Here are some screen shots to tide you over. ^^

The leaves are changing and the weather is crappy. Yay.

Our last time all together on 박유진's bed. I'm gonna miss both of them so much.

       Also we went to 내장산 today. I don't know if any of you have been to a mountain covered in maple trees                                            before, but it was SO BEAUTIFUL. SO BEAUTIFUL!