Down the Drain

DADDY! Happy Fathers' Day! If I were there at home today I hope we'd eat barbecue ribs in the backyard, play badminton, and listen to that Regina Spektor CD over and over and over again. I love you and I hope you had a happy day and that you didn't miss Nicky and me too much. Don't worry, we'll be home soon.

Good Stuff

Great news! We found some investigators this week! YAYAYAYAYAY. I knew they couldn't hide from us forever. It all started when we found this really old investigator in our Area Book (see! looking through the area book worked!) and then one thing led to another and we started teaching her and her sister English and her sister's two daughters English as well! And the gospel of course, but this week we didn't get much farther than, "Do you have a religion?" No. "Do you believe in God?" Also no. But it's not like I haven't heard that one before so I'll tell you how it goes! I'm so excited to teach them! The first lady we met (the one who was sort of an investigator in the past) used to attend English class at our church and meet with the elders back in the 90s. When we met with her this week she pulled out all these pictures of her, her kids, and the elders from, like, 1997. Ha. Fun fact. 1997 elders look exactly the same as 2014 elders. But the great part was that she remembered all their names and when they transferred and where they were from. It made me hopeful that since we were the first sister missionaries she'd ever met, she would one day feel the same way about us. And that one day when she talked about the missionaries from the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, she would be a member! ^^

Fun Stuff

I learned some New Zealand slang! Since one of the elders in my ward is from New Zealand, he's been teaching me so slang and how to talk like a real New Zealander. And now I'll teach you!

New Zealand Slang: A List

skux - cool. And if you add another "x" and make it "skuxx" it's even cooler. or so i'm told.

hucks - dollars. Just like "bucks" but with an "h."

hardcase - funny

hard - I agree

honest - for sure

hoof - It stands for "honest over our friendship," but it means "Really for sure" or "Really?" Like one person could say to his friend, "I just found a million dollars!" And the friend would say, "Hoof?" "Hoof." I don't understand it either.

"She'll be all right." - "Everything will turn out okay."

Wow. They almost all start with "h." That's kind of weird. Must be a New Zealand thing.

Gross Stuff

I unclogged the drain! Momma, you would be so proud of me. I noticed that the drain in our bathroom wasn't working very well and as a result our entire bathroom kept flooding with water (remember, in Korea, the whole bathroom is the shower), so I set out to investigate! I began by removing the layer of soap and hair that covered the lid of drain. I thought that might be the problem, but I was still kneeling in an inch of water, so I delved a bit further. Within the drain, there was...another drain! Drain-ception! This drain had a lid too, so I again scraped off the layer of soap and hair in the hopes that at last the flood in our bathroom would decrease. But it didn't. Intrigued, I removed the lid from the second drain and found...another drain!  And do you know was was clogging the final drain? The biggest wad of soap and hair that I've ever had the misfortune to find. It was honestly the size of a large mouse (maybe it once was a large mouse), but I scooped it out like it was nothing. The bathroom flood receded, the drain gurgled happily, and I knelt on the tile floor clutching my soapy hairball, beaming and victorious.

As I was trying to get to sleep last night I began thinking, "How can I compare my drain experience with missionary work? After all, I need to end my email with something spiritual." And I figured it out! Are you ready? Here's my analogy.

Before I left home, I had only one desire for my mission--to help other people and to bring them the good news of the gospel. A good desire right? Kind of like my initial desire to unclog our drain. But as I got further and further into my mission, I realized that there is so much more to missionary work than I orginally thought. At least for me, it's not just teaching the gospel, but teaching English. It's not just learning Korean, but learning compassion. I wanted to help people, but sometimes I can't--I have to let them help me. Like my discovery of the second level of our drain, missionary work is far more complex than I ever imagined. Which is hard sometimes, but also good. And I know that my mission has even more in store for me--more challenges and more blessings than I haven't even considered yet. So I look forward to the day when I can look back on my mission and all the good it's brought me and clutch the metaphorical soap-scum hairball that is my mission, at last understanding how much I've learned and how much I've accomplished.

Did you like my analogy? I'm pretty happy with it. Someone should give me a Pulitzer.

Kay, I love you all!

Till next week,

아바 자매

Oh the Places We'll Go

Korean Fun Fact #8: Places to Go!

문구

Momma, you would love these places. It's like every craft-related thing you could possibly imagine all crammed into one store. Stickers, stationery, hair accessories, photo albums, inexplicably adorable smart phone cases. I remember the first time I stepped foot inside a 문구 I was like, "Oh. I get it now. This is why I was called to Korea."

노래방

Korean to the rest of the world as a karaoke room. Fun fact: Koreans love to sing! (This is made especially apparent at baptisms during that awkward period between the baptism and the closing remarks while the recent convert is drying her hair. While other people may plan a special musical number or video presentation, Koreans like to get up at random and sing a solo or a duet of their favorite hymns. It's just karaoke, but more spiritual.

Anyway back to 노래방s. Missionaries aren't allowed to go into them, but I imagine them as sound-proof rooms filled with brightly colored couches, disco lights, and a karaoke machine. You just go with your friends and sing and dance to your heart's content. I realize that this is exactly what my friends and I used to do in high school (okay, and maybe college too), but we would just sing and dance down in the basement. But since Koreans don't have basements, I suppose this is the next best alternative.

PC방

Where I am right now! Technically missionaries aren't allowed to go here either, but President gave us special permission because there's literally nowhere else to email in this town. They're exactly what you'd think--rooms filled with computers (and enormous monitors) where students and creepy middle-aged men come to play hours upon hours of World of Warcraft. They smell like stale sweatshirts and broken dreams.

As for the week, still no investigators. We have been trying though and we're not gonna stop! In an effort to find new people to teach we...

1. Did a street survey activity with our district. Basically just questions about people's views on family and religion. Ha. But only sweet 할머니s and 할아버지s would talk to us because they're kind and old and slightly confused.
2. Held a game night activity for the youth in the ward in the hopes that they would invite their non-member friends. But they didn't. ㅠㅠ
3. Spent many a lunch and dinner hour reading through the area book in search of old investigators we could start teaching again.

SIDE NOTE:

The Area Book - (n) A huge binder filled with the names and records of people the missionaries in an area are teaching or have taught in the past.

In every record there are three major parts: how they met the missionaries, how they progressed during the lessons, and, if they stopped meeting with the missionaries, why.

Also keep in mind that these are handwritten records, most of them kept by 19 year old boys.

Can you here the exasperated tone in my typing?

Just to give you an idea of what reading through the area book is like, I've recorded a few of the gems I've come across this week.

How Did the Investigator Meet the Missionaries?

Most of it's here, yo. We 가가호호'd. he was gonna close the door. I said English. he said come in.

How Did the Investigator Accept the Message of the Gospel?

They asked good questions about ghosts.

Why Did the Investigator Stop Meeting with the Missionaries?

They wanted to drop the lessons. They said that they

I'm assuming this elder got a little distracted. Or maybe all the investigator said really was just, "                                                               ."

Anyway, reading the area book makes me feel a little like, "ASDFJKL;ALSDKFJOAIWEF" But then I read entries like this and I laugh:

He said the hard part about coming to church is his son. He said he'd feel bad if his son started to cry in the middle of sacrament meeting. I wish I could explain to him that no sacrament meeting is complete without a baby crying in the middle of it.

Area book nonsense aside, I know everything will work out soon. I promise, parents, I have learned a great deal about faith and patience on this mission of mine. And I think I'm also starting to trust more in the promises of the Lord. I found this scripture in my personal study this week:

D&C 75:2-5

"Hearken, O ye who have given your names to go forth to proclaim my gospel, and to prune my vineyard. Behold, I say unto you that it is my will that you should go forth and not tarry, neither be idle but labor with your might--lifting up your voices as with the sound of a trump, proclaiming the truth according to the revelations and commandments which I have given you. And thus, if ye are faithful ye shall be laden with many sheaves, and crowned with honor, and glory, and immortality, and eternal life."

I feel as though I have given my name in order to be a missionary. For these 18 months, I'm no longer Sydney or Syd or even Sister Arvanitas, but 아바 자매. But I also know that in exchange for my name, I have gained one much better--the name of Jesus Christ that I wear on my name tag every day--and surely that's a name worth wearing. I know that as long as I am diligent, as long as I am obedient, and as long as I am faithful, the Lord will keep His promises and all difficult things will work out in the end.

I love you dearly.

아바 자매

He Lives!

Sydney asked me to wish her cousin, Collin, a Happy Birthday, so   HAPPY BIRTHDAY COLLIN!

I literally cannot organize my thoughts today. Forgive me as I just throw information about my week at you at random.

 

Missionary Work

Recent Converts: lots! Before I came, two new young women were baptized into the ward and they are lovely.

Less Actives: Sooooo many. Which is how it usually is, but the difference between here and my others areas is that the missionaries are actually able to frequently meet with the less-actives--great! But they still don't want to come to church--boo.

Investigators: Um. Zero. Like not even crappy investigators that you only count sometimes. We literally have no one new to teach. Please pray for us, it's hot outside.

 

A Suprise!

Elder Christoffersen came to Daejeon!(For those who don't know, Elder Christofferson is one of the 12 apostles to our Prophet.  It's a pretty big deal)  It was just like Mulan. He came riding in on this black horse and when he got to the front gate of the mission home, he jumped off the horse, threw his hands up, and with straw sticking out of his hair,and cried, "I'm here!"

Okay, that's not how it happened (but you can see it, right?^^). We've actually known he was coming since November, I've just completely forgotten to mention it in these emails all the weeks since then. But it was amazing (obviously) and he's really nice (again obviously); he actually kind of reminded me of Bishop Wahlstrom, so that was weird. Elder and Sister Maynes spoke as well, as did Sister Christoffersen. I'll give you a quick summary of what they each talked about because I can't think of any other way to explain the meeting.

 

Sister Maynes  - The progression desired and the personal progression acheived on a mission are between only the missionary and the Lord. Always remember that those who win are those who persist.

 

Elder Maynes - How to teach people who don't have a Christian background aka most of Korea. Start with the basics--God is our loving Heavenly Father. Even in the earliest days of the church, this is what the apostles taught. He spoke a lot about Acts 17 and Paul preaching about the Unknown God. Also Romans 8:16-17 and Alma 18:24. In order for anyone to understand the gospel, they need to understand the fundamentals--God is our Father in Heaven. He loves us because we are His children. He mentioned that it was interesting the Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ appeared directly to Joseph Smith, instead of sending a messenger. Even Joseph needed to first understand the true nature of God and His Son, Jesus Christ--separate beings, with glorified bodies of flesh and bone. Once we know the true nature of God and Jesus Christ, we can begin to understand Their purposes.

 

Sister Christoffersen - 2 Kings 4:1-7 the Lord gives us what we're prepared to receive. We need to have the humility to acknowledge that we cannot do this with the divine help of the Lord. We need to have gratitude for every little thing in our missions and we need to pay attention to the miracles, because they are many. And then she bore her simple testimony in the best Korean she could muster and it was beautiful.

 

Elder Christoffersen - He basically just answered our questions. Three cheers for my mission for asking good questions.

1. How can we overcome the challenges and trials in our lives? We must rely on the Savior and His Atonement because we will have nothing else to rely on. He will help us through one day at a time.
2. What must we do to love all men, especially our enemies? We come to love what, and whom, we serve. We must ask for the spiritual gift of charity and at all times remember the perfect example of Jesus Christ.
3. How can we comfort them? (This question was in regard to the ferry) Weep with them. As it says in D&C 42:45, "Thou shalt live together in love, insomuch that thou shalt weep for the loss of them that die." It's okay to grieve, but always remember that death is never the end. In fact, without death we would be stranded forever in mortality, unable to return to God and our heavenly home. And sometimes, there is a need in the spirit world for a member of each family to aid in the redemption of those still living on the other side of the veil (I thought of you at this part, Daddy). As missionaries we bring the message of the Plan of Salvation--hope to replace anguish, peace to replace despair.
4. Will you bear your testimony of the Book of Mormon? "For behold the field is white already to harvest; and lo, he that thrusteth in his sickle with his might, the same layeth up in store that he perisheth not, but bringeth salvation to his soul." The Book of Mormon is the sickle. If our investigators would only read and earnestly pray about the Book of Mormon, every one of them would know. They may not choose to act, but they would know.
5. What is the most important thing you learned on your mission? There were many things, but what I got from it was, "If we are diligent, we will obtain the blessings."
6. How can we use our personal study time the most effectively? Focus on the time, not on the amount.

And then, as apostles do, he pronounced a blessing upon us that we would be able to receive light and knowledge from the scriptures, teach with convincing power, and most of all, understand that we are good enough. And that we should know that the Lord had accepted the work we were doing. As our time together came to a close, Elder Christoffersen bore his powerful testimony of the Savior. He said that we would never be all togehter like this ever again in this life, but that we would always remember this day and that, "you will remember that you heard me say,  in person, that He lives."

 

And He does.

 

Love

Sister Arvanitas

When Heewon and I started serving in Sejong back in December, we looked at that fountain and said to each other, "we will never be here long enough to see that fountain turned on." and you know what happened on my last day in Sejong, six months later--the fountain turned on.^^

Last day with her English class

Last day with "Modern Day Mulan"

Last day with Heewon

Last day with Gongu sisters

"Sunny's" baptism

Wanna know why I don't have a Book a Mormon? because I gave it away! 아싸!

Me and my new companion, EeYeJin.

Guess who's in my zone now?   It's Pappa!

New City, New Companion, Same Sydney

In a surprise twist, I'm in 정읍! Jeongeup

I honestly thought my companion would be the one to be transferred, but she's set to stay in 공주 for one more transfer. It was hard to leave, but I was ready. Plus, yesterday I got to go back for 현지's (Sunny's) baptism say a proper goodbye to all my Gongju family members. I will miss them dearly, but I think we all knew that it wasn't going to to be forever. I'll go back to Gongju again someday. ^^

 

But enough about the past, let's talk about 정읍!

 

1. It's small and 시골. in the countryside Like really small and 시골. Ha. In fact, if I were to rank my three areas on a scale from one to ten on their overall level of "small and 시골"ness, it would look a little like:

충주: 2.5Chungju

Honestly, 충주Chungju had a McDonald's. Not that 시골.

공주: 4Gongju

Sure there were a fair amount of mountains, trees, and 할머니s (grandmas)growing cabbage, but there were also historical sites, museums, and a few college campuses.

정읍: Ha. Um, 8? Jeongeup

If you're wondering how Korea's rice crop is going this summer, just let me know. I've got a front row seat. ^^

 

But, all that aside, I really, really love it here. It's small, quaint, and really quite beautiful. I'm pretty sure every time I've been transferred, my mission president has looked at my picture and been like, "Oh yeah, this girl's from western Pennsylvania. Let's put in her in the 시골 (countryside) again. She'll do just fine." And thus far, I have! 

 

2. If you were to Wikipedia it, you would find that 정읍 has only one claim to fame: maple leaves! Which means that are maple leaf symbols everywhere--on the light posts, on the fences, even maple leaf mascots! (I'll have to take a picture of them. They're only slightly creepy.) Anyway, it's rather exciting. Sometimes I feel like I'm in Canada.

 

3. The buses here have faces! But only for a month. The city started this special event for Children's Day and made all the city buses look like cartoon characters and then while you ride it plays a continuous loop of Korean children's songs and "Let It Go". I think the natives of 정읍 are a little embarrassed by it (especially the high school students), but I like it!

 

4. My companion is 이예진 자매님! We were actually in the MTC together, but only for ten days, so we didn't really know each other. She's so cool and she speaks English really well since she learned it while living in Hong Kong when she was little (approximately the same time we were living in Japan. Weird, right?) and then perfected it while at BYU-Idaho last year. It's weird to speak so much English again, but I try to still speak what little Korean I can so I don't lose the small amount of "Korean language" ground I've fought so hard to gain. There are a set of elders serving here as well and since one of them is from New Zealand, they sang me a New Zealand Welcome Song on my first night here. It was quite the experience.

 

5. And finally, the ward! The ward is wonderful as they always are. This ward is actually really famous in our mission for how many Young Men and Young Women there are in it. It also started when this one girl was baptized a couple years ago and then she referred, like, all of her friends and family members to the missionaries. And then seven people got baptized! Amazing, right? So we have a lot of recent converts to teach and keep active. Ha. I've spent the last six months teaching mostly 10 year-olds and now my primary teaching demographic has switched to primarily 16 year-olds. And you know something I learned about teenagers--they speak way faster than children do and use way more slang. Please continue to pray for my Korean understanding. It's hard to keep up. :L

 

But let's go back to Sunny's baptism. It was so, so good. Her parents weren't able to make it (ㅠㅠ) but her best friend 가연 did (^^)! Sunny was just so ready to be baptized. Before she went down into the water, 이희원 and I said a prayer with her just like we had with 홍정혜. And then with a quick kiss on the head and a, "Good luck, we love you!" she was baptized just like she had known it was something she needed to do for her whole life. When she came up out of the water 이희워 자매님 and I were there for her just like we'd been there for the past six months, only this time we were laughing and clapping (and maybe even crying a little), saying, "You're the cleanest person in the world! You're the cleanest person in the world!"

 

And that's how I'll always remember her--my adorable, kind, reverent, little ten-year old friend 현지--as the cleanest person in the world.

Love you all.

 

아바 자매

The Good, the Bad, and the Beautiful

Korean Fun Fact #7: Being a 외국인 in Korea

Okay so sometimes being a foreign is the best and sometimes it's the worst. Here's why--

When it's the best...

people give you free food, discounts on clothes, and everyone tells you you're beautiful. But really. Korea has done wonders for my self-esteem. There was even this one time in my first area that my companion and I were walking down the sidewalk and a group of students were walking in the other direction, on the other side of the road, and they still yelled to me across two lanes of traffic, "BEAUTIFUL! YOU ARE SO BEAUTIFUL!" And then I turned to my trainer and was like, "I love Korea!"

Anyway, it's going to be super weird when I return to America and random people don't tell me I'm beautiful anymore. ㅠㅠ 

In other good things, the Korean people are really nice about complimenting foreigners who try to speak Korean. Even when I was a greenie and could manage only an awkward, "안녕하세요," kindly grandmas would still pat me on the back and say, "You speak Korean so well!" Once I didn't even say anything, and some called back to me, "You speak Korean so well!!" And that's when I realized they probably weren't praising me for my Korean skills. Koreans are just super nice.

On the flip side, when being a foreigner is the worst...

small children are afraid of you, creepy men notice you a lot faster, and groups of students whisper about you when you get on the bus. And then you add the whole, "I'm a missionary" issue into the mix and things get a whole lot more complex. It's a good time. ^^

The week!

1. We met this guy on the street who had met the elders a couple years before for English interest. When we asked him for his contact information, he replied, "Don't worry, the elders will know it. The name's Bond. James Bond." And then he ran off. Ah, missions are so weird.

2. On Monday, we had the funnest Ward FHE ever. I can't explain it all right now, but just know that it involved competing for the different ingredients in 김밥 and we're definitely doing it when I get back.

3. Our investigator invited us over for her son's birthday. We sang and ate cake and gave him the sweet Spiderman card we made him. But guess what movie her kids were watching? That's right. Frozen. Her little five-year old son would not let us get away without watching Elsa sing "Let It Go." Every few seconds he would look up at us to make sure we were watching. If we looked away for even a second, he would say, "NO! You have to watch her sing!" 아이고. I swear I'm going to see the entire movie before my mission's even over.

4.I bought a new skirt and then this happened. I'm sorry, I'm not sorry.

 

5. And finally, transfer day! I don't actually know what's going to happen yet, so you might have to wait for next week to find out, but I know I'll definitely be getting a new companion. And I know that I haven't written about my companion nearly as much as I should have, but please know that I really really love her. We made it six months of non-stop togetherness, as two people who can't really even speak the same language, and we're still friends. Um, yeah, we definitely deserve some sort of medal. As hard as it is sometimes, I'm so grateful to always have a companion through this crazy, confusing, sometimes heart-breaking mission. And I know that 이희원 자매님 and I were truly always meant to be companions. The six months we've spent laboring together have been well-worth the miracles we've seen and the friendship we've formed.

I'm going to miss her so dearly. Parents, prepare for Korean visitors when I get home. ^^

I love you all! Wish me luck with the week!

아바 자매

Sydney sent me a quick note after sending her letter and informed us that she is getting transferred and her new companion will be another Korean sister.  

Chim-Yay!

Hi! Hi! Hi!

A quick email this week, since I literally just talked to my family like two hours ago. Isn't the time difference in Asia weird?

Yesterday our Pretty Investigator got baptized! And after her baptism, she was more radiant than ever. Ah, it was such a happy day, I had no idea baptisms could be so wonderful. Her friend in the ward gave a beautiful talk about enduring to the end and the young adults (along with the missionaries) sang the EFY Medley to her. The Spirit was so strong. Before she stepped down into the water, we said a quick prayer together and once she came back out I felt just like a proud parent. It was a really, really good day.

Here's a YouTube video so you can hear the song they sang.  I wish Sydney could have sent a video of them singing it but this will have to do.  Grab a tissue!

2 Nephi 31:5, 7-10

 "5 And now, if the Lamb of God, he being holy, should have need to be baptized by water, to fulfil all righteousness, O then, how much more need have we, being unholy, to be baptized, yea, even by water!
 7 Know ye not that he was holy? But notwithstanding he being holy, he showeth unto the children of men that, according to the flesh he humbleth himself before the Father, and witnesseth unto the Father that he would be obedient unto him in keeping his commandments.
 8 Wherefore, after he was baptized with water the Holy Ghost descended upon him in the form of a dove.
 9 And again, it showeth unto the children of men the straitness of the path, and the narrowness of the gate, by which they should enter, he having set the example before them.
 10 And he said unto the children of men: Follow thou me. Wherefore, my beloved brethren, can we follow Jesus save we shall be willing to keep the commandments of the Father?"
I know that baptism is a commandment from Heavenly Father and I know that if we are baptized as Christ was, by immersion and by the proper authority of the priesthood, we at last enter the gate and begin our way along the straight path to eternal life.
I love you all dearly.
Sister Abba.

An ancient school they came across

Sydney says this is made with wormwood and was all excited to have eaten it.  

Being goofy

She says there are azaleas everywhere

"the red light are the neon crosses of the many,many christian churches. from where we were standing we could see eight of them."

"You know you're going into the country when all the people on the bus are over the age of 80.  So many old-people hats!"

cute church

"Sunny" is holding Sydney's skirt because it was windy.  ha ha

A wonderful week!

Surprise!  Remember how I said Sydney wouldn't write until Tuesday?  Well, her mission President changed her P-day back so we got a surprise letter this evening with loads of pictures.  We get to talk to her in a week!  Yay!

First off, thanks this week to all the grandparents! Grandma Bonnie and Grandpa Gray, I got your birthday card--thank you so much! It's so sparkly! And Grandma and Grandma Arvanitas, I got your birthday card too! Also sparkly! And I loved the Bloch pictures you sent. In fact, I used them in my lesson the very next day! I love you all!!

And Mama Mousser, thank you for the birthday card too! I hope Katie has a wonderful wedding this week and that it's beautiful and not too stressful. I love you!

Also, Daddy happy birthday tomorrow! I admit, I have no idea how old you're turning, but I feel like it's old. I love you anyway and I'll be celebrating your birthday tomorrow, while everyone else is celebrating Buddha's birthday. I'll take lots of pictures for you. ^^

And here's a brief summary of my week.

1. We climbed a mountain! This past Saturday was our ward youth activity and we got special permission to go with our investigator, JungHe (the pretty one), who's getting baptized next Sunday! It was so fun and absolutely beautiful.  Kind of like being back in Pennsylvania, except in Pennsylvania you'd never see the trees decked out with pink lanterns, celebrating Buddha's birthday. It was just nice to be somewhere green and foresty and doing exercise that was more strenuous than my half-asleep sit-ups at 6:30 every morning. And the best part was our investigator had a great time and feels a lot closer to the members now. Win-win!

2. This week is a week of holidays! Children's Day today, Buddha's Birthday tomorrow, Parents' Day on Thursday. So many things! Hopefully I'll have some fun stories to tell next week and to my parents, have a happy Parents' Day! I love you!

3. We had an amazing lesson with HongChungYoung, our Chinese investigator. Even though she wasn't able to come to church yesterday (it wasn't raining ㅠㅠ) we were able to meet with her a coupe times this week and teach her the commandments. She absolutely loved them, especially the Ten Commandments. She was actually crying she loved them so much. She said that if everyone were to follow these commandments, the world would be a happy and peaceful place. In fact, before we even explained the Word of Wisdom beyond "We don't drink, smoke, drink coffee or tea," she said, "I'll keep them all. From today onward, I won't do anything of those things ever again." It was amazing! We were like, "We haven't even told you about the blessings yet..." But she didn't need to hear about the blessings. She knew these commandments were from God and that all things from God always come with blessings.

And I too know that the commandments come from God and I am so grateful for incredible investigators like HongChungYoung who strengthen my faith that all good things truly do come from him.

I love you all!

And family, I'll talk to you soon!

Love,

Abba Jameh.

Buddha's birthday lanterns

We sang "I'm trying to be like Jesus" and then split up the song lyrics and drew pictures to match

KaYun's was my favorite. She had "I'm trying to be like Jesus, I'm following in His ways."

And then she wrote a little story too. The words say, "One girl walked along the way in order to resemble Jesus Christ. She met Jesus Christ along the way. Because she followed Him she became like Him. And so she resembled Jesus Christ."

Except it's better in Korean.

Buddha's birthday lanterns while climbing the mountain

One of the young men started building a tower out of the Buddhist wishing rocks. Honestly this is kid is exactly like a Korean Christian Agle. It's hilarious.(The Agle's are friends of ours)

Sitting on a turtle with some members and our beautiful investigator.

At the top!

Sydney's companion's mom crocheted them some rings.