Thanksgiving Celebration

                We only met with soldiers three days this week because of Thanksgiving. We did our best to work them hard and encourage them to study during their break. Our Russian receptionist at the Education Center cooked Cajun-Korean chicken and SPICED vegetables on Wednesday. Then we moved on to the USO to a more traditional Thanksgiving meal. There were extra turkey bones and stock so we came home with the base for turkey soup.

                On Thursday we had a big crowd at the soldier’s dining hall for an American Thanksgiving meal. Our fellow senior missionaries, the Robinsons, came up from Seoul because there is no Thanksgiving this week there and they missed Thanksgiving last year. They will be on our flight home with us. Our sister missionaries invited all the soldiers who have been attending their Korean language class and four of them joined us for the meal. Only one of our student soldiers was there and she was scheduled for three Thanksgiving meals. Our district leader brought his greenie companion up from Uijeonbu and they ate like they hadn’t seen food since they left their mother’s kitchen.

                As we ate, a soldier who said he had just come from praying that he could find the church recognized our name tags and was so excited to have such a quick answer to his prayer. He was in church on Sunday in time to partake of the sacred sacrament.

                Two mobile missile launchers stopped by so a celebrity they were escorting could shake hands with the soldiers. 

             After we stuffed ourselves with American food we seldom see in Korea, we went to the chapel annex where we have Family Home Evening.  A few of the soldiers who wanted to escape their barracks and be with others on a family day joined us. Sister Bowman brought a music video to remind us we were celebrating Thanksgiving and game that was similar to Apples to Apples. After the video we played the game around a large table for about an hour with lots of giggling and fun.

               Friday was chilly but sunny so we decided to finish our Christmas shopping in Seoul. The market is at the East Gate of the old city wall of Seoul. We have ridden past it often but we took time to take pictures and walk along the remnants of the ancient wall. We even stopped to order a custom suit for Wayne on our way home.

              Saturday is the day we get ready for Sunday. The Korean sisters trusted us not only to bring sugary, American cake, but also the carrots and cucumbers for the Bibimbop.   

Sunday was a Korean language day so all the talks were spoken in Korean and translated into English. Wayne and I did our best to understand the Korean before we heard the ideas in English. Our African sister was here with her boys hoping we were having Relief Society. We found a little room we could heat with a space heater and she agreed to choose the lesson and lead the discussion. Her topic was testimony. She holds fast to her testimony through economic trials and isolation from extended family and her own culture.

               The Korean sisters laid out the table for the Bibimbop. Everything has its precise place on the table. Notice how we use our hands to communicate. The great thing about Bibimbop is that you build it yourself with rice and lots of vegetables, a little meat and a soft fried egg. You also have control over the amount of red sauce you add for flavor. Wayne was accused of not adding enough for him to even taste. After eating the leftovers are shared so everyone goes home with ingredients for a full meal.