Apostolic Blessing

            We spent three days with the soldiers at Camp Boniface doing our best to help them complete their preparations for their promotion exam. The determination each soldier had to raise their score was evident in their commitment to focus in class and do homework between classes. We could share concepts and ideas, but how much effort they exerted to make that knowledge their own was a personal choice.

We had snow one day and the Korean soldiers came to sweep the snow from the walkways and the slush and water from the road. They were excited to take a break and pose for us to take their picture. We thought the Korean approach to snow removal a contrast to the one we see in Utah. We noted a direct correlation between the efforts with the brooms and the proximity of their sergeant.

As we finished our teaching Lt. Col. Farmer, the commander on post and CSM Joyce, senior enlisted officer on post insisted on making a formal presentation of certificates of appreciation.

The picture of the entrance sign reads, “United Nations Command Security Battalion: In Front of them All” the motto of the JSA.

We had a short turn around Friday evening before boarding an early train Saturday morning to Seoul for a special conference with Elder Jeffery R. Holland, his wife, and the area presidency. It was fun to see other missionaries and the senior couples, but the most fun was to see the joy in the young missionaries as they mixed with the missionaries from their own mission and from the Seoul South Mission. Many were in the MTC together and there are a couple of sets of twins in the separate missions. We finally met the senior couple who are in the eastern edge of the mission. They had a three-hour drive into the meeting. The couple from Humphrey got on the first train at 0600 and had two transfers. Sister Anderson in the office has broken her foot and is in a wheelchair. We have dedicated senior missionaries.

           

  

             Elder Holland asked to shake hands with all the missionaries so he did that before the meeting began. He was looking in our eyes to interview us. Elder Holland talked of his love for the Korean people and for the country. He said there would be two lines at the Pearly Gates: one long line with a lengthy wait and another that will look more like priority boarding. The fast line will have one question at the gate, “Were you a Korean missionary?” He did a bit of teaching on how to be an effective missionary and he bore his firm witness of Jesus Christ and the restoration of the priesthood. We were both glad to have sat at his feet for a little while and receive his apostolic blessing for our family. After the meeting, we joined three other senior couples for lunch at a Japanese restaurant.

Our neighbor came with the missionaries late Saturday afternoon for her English lesson and spiritual message. Earlier in the week when she met with the missionaries she bore her testimony that the Book of Mormon was true and accepted an invitation to be baptized. When they shifted to the spiritual message, she pulled out her scriptures. They were amazing! Not only has she read the Bible, Book of Mormon, and Doctrine and Covenants; but they are all marked with tabs that have her questions.

As the discussion came to an end, I noticed that it was past dinner time so I invited Victoria and the missionaries to join us for a bowl of chili. Elder Holland’s meeting with the Young Single Adults in Korea was broadcast so we all listened to his closing remarks. He left a wonderful, apostolic blessing on the people. He asked everyone to imagine the most wonderful day they had ever had, the most wonderful scene they had ever seen, the most wonderful music they had ever heard and then try to understand that what the Lord would bestow upon them because of their faithfulness would be one-hundred times more wonderful. “All that the Father hath,” is what has been promised. (D&C 84:38)

Sunday morning Elder Holland’s message was from 3 Nephi when Christ blessed the children. He spoke of the importance of the children today and the love that is felt for them. He asked the children to give to the Lord the ten years from twelve to twenty-two, the years when their decisions would shape the rest of their lives. He left a blessing on the children and their children and children’s children and on the country. He said that he loved his own children and grandchildren so deeply that he couldn’t imagine heaven without even one of them; then he said he was certain the Lord felt exactly the same way. I’m thankful there are so many mansions in the house of the Lord. (John 14:2)

Return to Camp Casey

                The sun came out and the temperature rose above freezing so we did a little exploring in the warm afternoons. We pushed to the summit in one of the draws across the river and found a little town and the sight of a retreating deer as it bounded up the hill. We don’t think it was one of the fanged deer because it was closer to the body size of a mule deer but more red in color. It was still pretty fun.

          

                Another day we wandered up the river toward Jihang and discovered some lovely interpretive signs to help us identify the birds, bugs, and flowers along the trail. They also include history on the signs of their economic progress since the war in 1950. It’s amazing to see the stark contrast and easy to admire a people dedicated to hard work and family.

                We spent a couple of days at the USO at the front desk and found a soldier who has been here ten months and has made the resolve to return to church. It’s nice just to be available to listen to the soldiers when they come into the USO. We encountered several of our BESEP students who had taken their promotion exam and were pleased to see their excitement in reporting scores that make them promotion eligible. It is gratifying to hear them chronicle their experiences with the exam and the usefulness of the tools they learned with us in answering questions that had been tough for them.

             

                In the middle of the week we joined the missionaries for zone training. Each time we meet with the mission president and his wife we are amazed at the responsibility they shoulder and their humility in trusting that this is the Lord’s work and he will direct them. The missionaries were challenged to work places in their areas where they usually don’t go so we may do some finding with our missionaries in sections where they are unable to access with public transportation.

                The highlight of the week for me was the English lesson and discussion with our neighbor, Victoria. She had come with some very important questions and it was given to me by the Spirit how to frame the answers in a way she could understand. Mind you, I’m speaking in as simple English as I can while the missionaries are translating into Korean and we all knew without doubt how much the Lord loves this sister. He wants her to resolve her honest questions and to find joy. The elders and I just took a moment after she left to appreciate the spiritual feast we had experienced and the sheer joy of being a missionary and sharing our witness of Jesus Christ.

     

                 Friday evening I spent  with Shin Youn Jung to help her with her English. She gave me a pretty in-depth history of the political intrigue, assassinations, corruption, and determination of the people to seek leaders who will serve them rather than use their office for personal gain. The checks and balances in their constitution have not worked as we are seeing them work in the United States. They hope for reunification with North Korea and wonder if they will be up to the sacrifice it will require to lift their former countrymen from the poverty and servitude they now endure.

Infiltrating the front lines

               

               We started the week in the wee hours of the morning at the ROD Range where the military practice firing their weapons. Wayne watched as they started charcoal in four large cookers where they cooked 1200 hamburgers and 1200 hot dogs. The military gave the men the day off to watch the Super Bowl that started at 0830. Wayne and I went with the USO to provide a party for the soldiers and marines who were at the gunnery range.

                It was cold but we had to serve the food outside because the marines and soldiers have separate eating facilities and the facility of the opposite branch is off limits to the other. The only neutral ground was outside with a cold breeze blowing. Keeping the meat hot after it was cooked was a trick. First, we stuffed the meat inside the bun and put them both back into the plastic bag and closed it. Then we put the waiting burgers and hot dogs on a tray that went underneath the hot cookers.

              

               Wayne separated almost all 1200 frozen burgers with a spatula. At least it was an inside job. I thought my fingers and toes might freeze right off they were so cold.

             

             The best part of the trip was seeing the smiles of the men and women as they came through the line for their food. They were very appreciative of a change in menu with familiar tastes and smells to remind them of home.

We had a pretty quick turn around after returning to Dongducheon before our escort came to drive us to  Camp Boniface which is the Joint Services Area (JSA) maintained by the United Nations. We settled into our barracks with the NCO’s.  We were given a choice of Wi-Fi passwords to find a signal we could use to be able to connect with our computer in Utah where all our files are stored. Our quarters are pretty basic with two single beds, one set of sheets, and two blankets. I was thankful I brought my pillow and a set of towels. It was clean, warm, hot shower, and an inside toilet.

On our path between our quarters and the Sanctuary where the food was served was a 1-hole golf course with this sign. There were actually a couple of places where you could tee off from the ledge above the hole. You can see the green behind me. There were plenty of balls and even clubs available if you wanted to give it a try. The commanders said when a wild pig stumbles on a mine they experience a rain of shredded pork.

Most of our week was spent in this classroom with about 15 soldiers. Their Sergeant Major personally took roll every morning and sent someone to find a missing student. He told them to pay attention and do their homework. Even the soldiers who had just come off 24-hours of duty stayed awake. On Thursday the four-hours of class were delayed until afternoon to accommodate security for a visiting dignitary. But, we were there living on the post and able to have the flexibility the Sergeant Major needed to both fulfill his mission and provide an opportunity for his soldiers to  improve their promotion opportunities.

These soldiers had the same wide span of skills as those on Camp Casey, but they came to class knowing one another and eager to sharing ideas and provide assistance to one another.

We loved our time with the soldiers both in the classroom and at meals. We were there for the Hanta Virus briefing so now we know that the only military deaths due to Hanta Virus worldwide occurred at Camp Boniface. We’ll be friendlier to the wild cats the soldiers feed. We ate dinner with Lt. Col. Farmer, the Camp Commander, two evenings. Most mornings we ate breakfast with Sgt. Maj. Joyce. In between, we ate with our soldiers. There are only 70 U.S. soldiers on the post serving with the Koreans and other nationalities from the United Nations forces.

In the afternoons we did lecture prep and took a walk around the post. It took three loops to register our 10,000 steps. We saw a few cranes in the rice fields, two types of magpie, geese, chickadee, ladder-back woodpecker, ravens, but no deer yet. The post is laced with trenches, pill boxes and command bunkers. We found a bunker dug inside a hill that looked pretty safe from fire if we need to take cover.

This was my favorite bunker under this beautiful tree, great camouflage.

             

              We did find this one restaurant open from 5-5:30 pm Mon. – Thurs.

We brought our Korean neighbor to church this morning. She has been taking English lessons at our home from the Elders. She had a great time with the Korean members. The Elders had another African investigator attend with them in the morning and a new soldier appeared at the chapel on post. I love the spirit in our meetings here. We share a testimony of Jesus Christ that binds us together.

Recover and Prepare

                This week we had a break from the daily teaching which gave us time to recover and work on tasks we put on hold. We each adjusted the content of our review course to fit into the compressed teaching schedule we will have at Camp Boniface next week. We prepared all our handouts to be printed here before we leave.

We shifted responsibility for the Monday and Thursday meetings with the soldiers since we will be gone. It was fun to watch the soldiers plan to meet at a favorite restaurant in Uijeonbu on Monday to treat the missionaries and take advantage of a rare day off. It will be Super Bowl “Monday” in Korea and the Army doesn’t pretend the soldiers will be working while the game is being played.

We spent a little extra time at the USO helping out with their USO 76^th anniversary party. Wayne added a new skill to his list by sharpening the dull cutting knives.

         

  

             We still did a bit of teaching. Wayne worked with one of our students with his math preparation to take his exam. I met with the Korean in the US Army and then with the missionaries with our neighbor. The one-on-one tutoring is my favorite because of the closeness with the student. Our neighbor asked me a question while she was practicing English conversation and I experienced the blessing of listening to the Holy Ghost answer her question through me. The missionaries followed with their spiritual message and my neighbor was able to articulate that she could feel the Spirit with the elders and with me. She left asking more questions about the church so I hope to see her again when we return from our week at the Demilitarized Zone.

                Saturday, we were blessed to make the trip to Seoul to visit the temple and enjoy the instruction and peace that are found there. Sunday Wayne taught a Temple Preparation class and I taught the Relief Society lesson. Wayne did the semi-annual financial audit for the branch and we were interviewed by a soldier for a class assignment. It’s a good thing it was fast Sunday and we weren’t trying to find time to eat. Now to prepare for our week at Camp Boniface.