The Lord’s timing

One of the top items on the list of things we were charged to do when we arrived in Korea was to meet with the chaplains. We’ve been here almost five months and our efforts to find a way to do that have unsuccessful until this week. It happened when we were doing an extra shift at the USO. Our post chaplain stepped into the USO so the soldier with him could use the restroom. While he was standing there staring at us he saw our name badges, recognized us as LDS and said, “You are the representatives for the LDS Church. I’ve been looking for you.” He is a wonderful man and has been so kind and welcoming. We are truly thankful to be working with him. He gave us introduction to the garrison chaplain at Camp Red Cloud and we were able to meet with him on Wednesday. Chaplain Lee was equally kind and inclusive. He promised to help us with the necessary paperwork and we volunteered to return on Saturday to help him with a Family Fun Day.

There were lots of children dressed in their costumes to participate in the games with prizes and candy.

                

Brenda and her son, Gabrielle, were there as well as her husband Jerry. Jerry works at the CRC on Red Cloud so he works every Sunday but we see them regularly on Thursday evenings.

Sister Rix is the wife of our Branch President and has fed us Korean food so many times. She has a heart of gold. She brought her daughter. Her husband also works at Camp Red Cloud.

There was also a fun clown who made fun shapes for the children with his balloons. His costume helped him stand out in the crowd.

We had a bit of a breakthrough with our language this week. In our exchange with our Korean neighbor, we actually understood what he asked us and his answers to our questions. He also seemed to understand our Korean. It wasn’t a very long conversation, but it was a beginning.

Early in the week a Korean grandmother met two of her friends in the park. They were peeling very small boiled sweet potatoes and eating them like candy. She invited me and then Wayne to join them. Then she gave us the uneaten potatoes when she left. I consider her a friend, but I haven’t understood a word she has said yet. The next time I passed her I tried to tell her thank you for the sweet potatoes and I think she thought I was thanking her for giving her a nose. I’ll work on my pronunciation of sweet potato.

We learned three phrases to use in greeting the Korean soldiers when they came to the USO and used them repeatedly this week. I would make the soldiers stand and wait until I could make the whole phrase come out of my mouth. Then they would repeat it in about one second and smile. I’m trying to say to them that they matter enough to me for me to learn how to speak to them in their own language.

           

     While we were on Camp Red Cloud, our first visit there, a car stopped; the window rolled down. Inside, a man identified himself as a former member of our church and expressed a desire to come back. He said he had gone through a messy divorce and needed to be back in church. We gave him the time and place of our meetings and a warm invitation to join us when he was ready. Standing at that spot at that time was not a coincidence.  

President and Sister Sonksen stopped by for a visit after interviewing missionaries near here. We were able to talk about this area and our role in strengthening it. We were not aware that there are Korean members who live in this area and attend at far distances. There was once a Korean ward in this area. This year two stakes in our mission will be combined to make one stake. The population of church members in Korea is shrinking. As we visited it was very clear how much they love each missionary. Their number one priority is their missionaries. Missionary work is the vehicle for strengthening the missionaries. Baptisms that result from the work of the missionaries are a sweet fruit but the increased measured of conversion in each missionary is the sweetest fruit for the mission president.

This is the work of the Lord, fulfilling the command to take the gospel to the whole world. He is doing His work. We simply follow His directions, watch His work unfold and marvel at His love for each of His children as we share His invitation to come or to come back. We are so thankful for this season to be part of His work here in our little corner of South Korea.