Today I will obey; tomorrow I will understand

                We had reason to go to Seoul twice this week. On Thursday our Area Authority Elder Choi and his wife met with our missionaries at the same chapel where they grew up as children. Sister Choi quoted Sister Hinckley as saying, “Today I will obey; tomorrow I will understand.” That was a different way of looking at President Hinckley’s frequent reminder, “In the end it will be all right.”

                As missionaries we pray each morning that the Spirit will guide us in our service. When we first arrived in Donducheon we had no idea why we were here or what we might do to strengthen the Lord’s Kingdom in this corner of his vineyard. We knew a little Korean, the phrase they use to greet one another and the one they use to thank one another. As we walk the streets, I stop in front of every grandmother I pass, bow, and say the greeting. They almost always smile, bow, and return my greeting. I also greet the grandfathers and any younger person who will acknowledge me. The charge we were given was to open our mouth. Each day I obey and it may be many tomorrows before I understand why. I do know that the Korean’s in our dong (neighborhood) expect the greeting and always smile.

                I have been teaching English to Shin Youn Jung since February. This week she wrote a letter to me to thank me for my tutoring so I could use it to correct her English. Next week she will leave for her new assignment in El Paso, Texas, and I will miss her. I have been underlining passages in an English Book of Mormon to share with her because we often talk of her love for reading the Bible. I wanted her to have a second witness of Jesus Christ to complement her study of the Bible so my gift to her was two Books of Mormon, the one in English and the other in Korean. She had some concerns because she has been told that we are not Christians. I did my best to answer her questions. I did my best today to obey my purpose to invite others to come unto Christ. I hope there will be a tomorrow when I understand and know if she accepts that invitation. She will always be close to my heart.

                Another soldier we have been tutoring since May, Gabe Broady has started attending our sacrament meetings on post in the Casey Chapel and joining us for Family Home Evening that is also being held on post. He is doing well with his math and making good progress with the number of vocabulary words he can recognize quickly. He is still working to improve his ability to read quickly with a high level of comprehension. He is an artist with a wonderful portfolio and an MFA from a university in North Dakota. His goal is to retake his promotion exam before he leaves the country in August so our clock is ticking in helping him achieve his goal to be able to shift to a position that uses his mind and skills and not just his body. Today we do our best to help him learn, and we will trust that his tomorrows will be as bright as his dreams.

                We attend the temple each month when they conduct sessions in the English language. It is a joy to feel the peace inside the Lord’s House, to learn, and to pray. This week we met several senior missionaries who are also serving here in Korea, the District President who was seeking some advice and guidance from us concerning our little branch, and Sister Rix and her beautiful daughter. After our visit with the District President we joined with Sister Rix, her daughter and other Korean sisters in eating some lunch in a snack room we didn’t know existed in the lower level of the temple. They were very kind in sharing their Korean food. Often, when I leave the temple I am aware of a new insight about the atonement of Jesus Christ or have an idea to answer a question I had been pondering. I have some understanding of my service in the temple, but I believe there is another level of understanding that will come in another tomorrow.

                This week our missionaries asked for some help in building a relationship of teamwork in our district. It was an especially busy day, but I stopped to share a few things I know work and gave them an opportunity to talk through some bad feelings and set goals to improve their effectiveness as missionaries. Last night that same district of missionaries came together to plan a super fun Family Home Evening that would share a gospel and patriotic message and be appropriate for our member and our nonmember soldiers. While I am excited to be part of the activity myself, the most important outcome for me was to see these young adults use basic counsel, humbly set goals and make changes. They were willing to obey and then enjoy the synergy.

“If any man will do his will, he shall know of the doctrine, whether it be of God…” (John 7:17) Our missionary service is a witness to this truth.