Contrasts

One of our major focuses this week was doing missionary apartment checks. The missionaries are good about meeting us at a train station and walking us to their apartment. There are two apartments in each area—one for elders and one for sisters. That means that we need to find our way between apartments and this week it was in Seoul. These are two of the sisters we visited. One is from the
Philippines so she had a little more English than the one from Korea. The other two sisters were both from Korea so communication is just part of the adventure.

This is a picture of the mountains beyond the busy streets at the end of the Seoul subway line to the northeast. The haze is pollution and humidity. This section of the city was nestled between these granite mountains.

The most beautiful sight in the city was the autumn leaves. We do lots of walking and most of the time we only have an approximate idea where we are, but we trust the GPS on our Google Maps, ask a Korean where to go or call with an SOS for someone to come find us. Being lost in Seoul is no longer a novelty. The good news is that we feel pretty comfortable once we find a train station. We only went the wrong direction once this week, but we figured it out before the next stop. Once we were on a train
so packed that it could qualify as a New York elevator and then more people pushed themselves into the train car. BUT, we were on a train and headed home. The train is almost always mostly empty when it reaches our station so we just wait for a seat to open.

I am usually successful in finding someone to talk with on a train. Sometimes it’s just practicing my memorized Korean phrases and sometimes they speak some English. I am learning a few more phrases to extend the conversation. One fun exchange was with an infant about 9 months old. Her
mother put her on the seat beside me and I taught her some English.

We decided to walk west today to see what lies nestled in the low mountains there. We found it a complete contrast from the busy streets of Seoul. First of all, we discovered these mound burial plots nestled right up against the trees and not very far from the summit. They are well kept with beautiful granite stones.

This one had a stone structure that could be a tomb. It probably contains the remains of a more prominent citizen because there were other stone statues (carved monoliths) on the same site. One of the monoliths had a dragon with a ball (probably the world) in its mouth and another had a cat of some kind climbing its side.

There were small plots of farmland all cultivated and harvested by hand. The road was just one lane and the dwellings and their people looked like they stepped out of another century. Huge machinery is right next to the road building a new elevated road or railway line. There is already a tunnel cut into the mountain for it to pass through. A very large middle school sits next to the river and just behind in these mountain dwellings everything is done by hand. It’s no wonder food is so expensive here.

We did encounter our very first local wildlife besides the birds. This lovely bull snake was trying to warm itself in the roadway. It was lethargic enough that it didn’t move when we passed but it was gone when we returned.

In every hidden pocket we seem to find a Buddhist temple and sanctuary. These two very large stone statues are twice the size of a man with so many smaller statues near them that I didn’t begin to count them. There was a bronze laughing Buddha at the entrance of the area and two very noisy dogs that were chained. We didn’t ever see a person.

We had a wonderful Family Home Evening this week taught by a recent member. He is determined to use this time without children hanging on him to learn as much as he can about the history of the church and its doctrine. We had our largest attendance ever, but two of the soldiers leave for gunnery field practice so we won’t see them for a month. This battalion will rotate out to the field over the next few months which will give is a variation in the soldiers we see.

I think one of my favorite times of the day is the language and scripture study with Wayne. This week we finished reading Mormon. It’s amazing how Moroni can have hope when he has just witnessed the
destruction of his whole civilization. He is all alone; his life is in peril every moment; yet he has hope in Jesus Christ and shares it with those who will come after.

The U.S. election doesn’t quite count as the end of our civilization although it seems like it to many people. We can follow the example of Moroni and put our faith in Jesus Christ. He has power to save and stands with his arms outstretched. In Christ we can find peace and hope and joy. What a blessing it is to be a missionary and share that wonderful message.

If I listen with my heart

Elder Carmen, Elder Anderson, Sister Anderson, Elder Anderson, Sister Rix

We fasted last Sunday and I bore my testimony that when we listen with our heart we really do hear the Savior’s voice whether it is in reading the scriptures or listening for answers to prayers. I shared some of our answered prayers this week.

This is what a typical Korean table looks like. There is a main dish cooking in front of me, rice, lettuce to wrap the rice and meat and condiments in at the very end of the table, and dozens of other side dishes. There were four kinds of kimchi, bean soup, tiny sardines, a brine of shrimp and dozens of different types of green vegetables fermented, cooked, and spiced plus regular boiled.

We went with Sister Rix to take the elders to lunch. She took us to a restaurant tucked away in the hills across the river not too far from our apartment. I wouldn’t have known to look for it, but everyone in Korea seems to know it’s there by the number of people there at lunch time on a Monday. It was traditional Korean food and she had a good time introducing us to a variety of tastes and textures. I admit that I didn’t try all of them.  We ate more kimchi and hot stuff than we usually do and I ate lots of tofu that was made fresh today. I usually avoid tofu. Sister Rix was careful not to let us waste any rice. Her mother taught her never to waste rice. She is a woman full of charity and kindness. The elders were very appreciative of the food and a chance to celebrate Elder Anderson’s birthday and transfer.

An answered prayer for guidance in our missionary assignment came with an exchange with a young high school student. The story really began last week when we went south for our District Meeting. On our way home, we had just missed the train giving us 30 minutes so we walked along the station platform. We were greeted by a cheerful old gentleman who was a safety guard. He spoke someEnglish and we talked with him until the train arrived. We had a special connection and knew we hadn't missed the train by accident.

Then this week we went back to the same city because a sister missionary there was ill. Our charge was to go cheer her up. The sisters were both Koreans and speak about as much English as we speak Korean so we had them help us with our Korean language which made them giggle.

When we to the train station (You guessed it!), our train had just left. Our friend the safety guard was delighted to see us again. A high school boy came by and the gentleman then told us that he was a boy he talks to at the station and tries to encourage. The love the older gentleman had for the boy was very apparent and the boy reciprocated his love with respect.

The older gentleman goaded the boy into practicing his English with us. At first, the boy was very shy and didn't want to open his mouth. The old man wouldn't accept excuses. Soon we were having a fine conversation with a mix of English and Korean. The train came and the boy stood by me for the 30 minutes to his station. He continued to talk with me about anything we could figure out to say that either I could say in Korean or he could say in English.

The older woman sitting next to me spoke a bit of English, too, so she joined in trying to help us understand one another. The Spirit was there telling that boy that I truly cared about him. He was so happy. When he left the train, I tried to explain to the woman how much I loved that boy and that is why I wanted to help him with his English to make him feel good about himself. I told her that is why I had come to Korea. She could read my name badge. She knew I was a missionary and she felt the Spirit. 

I don't know why the Lord wanted me to talk to those people this week, but I do know that He gave me the opportunity. The boy never would have talked to us if the old man hadn’t introduced us. The old man wouldn’t have trusted us to speak to the boy if he hadn’t already checked us out. We wouldn’t have met either of them if we had caught our trains. We wouldn’t have been on the train at all if the sisters hadn’t needed cheering.

Our other big adventure this week was a visit to the temple and attendance at the adult session of our district conference. We went to lunch with Pres. And Sister Rix and April Harward between the temple and district meeting. Sister Rix ordered for us what we thought was some of the same food we ate on Monday, but it looked quite different and had different side dishes. We are learning.

There was a conference at the Buddhist meeting house just down the street from the temple so they had strung paper lanterns between the light poles all along the street.

                We learned that the stroke Elder Bastian (another senior missionary) had at the DMZ was a very serious one. As the helicopter headed for the hospital in Seoul the medical crew reported him as unresponsive and said they were ventilating him. The Seoul hospital waved them on and had the helicopter take him on to another hospital where he could receive the care he needed. At that hospital they went in through a vein in his leg and removed a blood clot a full centimeter in length from his brain. That is an operation considered experimental in the United States but one that saved his life. The Lord knew he needed to be in Korea and at the DMZ so he could be at the hospital that could do the procedure he would need to extend his life. He is now able to walk, but his speech has yet to return. They will transport him back to the United States as soon as he is stable enough to travel.

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.

Words of an apostle

This week we were blessed to have Elder Bednar and his wife with us here in Korea. The notes I took on their counsel take up pages in my journal so I’ll give you the main ideas.

• ·         Don’t hesitate to stand and let the inspiration come in the moment.
• ·         As we keep our eye on the goal (Jesus Christ) we can do all things that He has asked us to do.
• ·         The way to put off the natural man is to get married and raise a family. Living in a family gives us a mirror into who we really are.
• ·         To inherit the Telestial Kingdom there are just a few things you cannot do; to inherit the Terrestrial Kingdom there are some things you need to do; but to inherit the Celestial Kingdom you need to be changed by the things you do.
• ·         Sometimes, because the Spirit is always there as a constant, quiet peace, we fail to recognize it.  Most important is to recognize and know when the Spirit leaves and turn around.
• ·         In response to how to counter the barrage of anti-Mormon literature some missionaries read after they return from their mission, Elder Bednar counseled to give equal time to Book of Mormon study.
• ·         Elder Bednar shared his pattern of reading the Book of Mormon start to finish searching for the answer to one question.
• ·         He reinforced the reason to learn English is because English is the language of the restoration.
• ·         Our purpose is to find, teach, and baptized but the measure of our success is not in the choices of those to whom we seek to share.
• ·         Elder Bednar told the missionaries that there is no such thing as sacrifice because all we have is the Lord’s. He said that we can make an offering to the Lord and used as an example the senior sisters who were separated from their grandchildren.
• ·         Elder Bednar counseled, “Seek ye first the kingdom of heaven.”
• ·         He referred to the repeated counsel from the apostles on the subject of Sabbath Day observance. He said the reminders will not go away until they are heeded. It is NOT your day. It is the Lord’s Day. What we do on that day reflects what we think of our Savior. He was very direct in counseling NOT to study on Sunday which is the norm in Korean culture.

To illustrate he understands academic pressures to succeed he shared a story of his graduate school experience. Of four students accepted into the elite program at a very prestigious university he was the only one with a wife, two children, and a calling to teach early morning seminary. The other four did nothing but study and do research. At the end of the program, only one student completed the program. His success he attributed to the fulfillment of the promise of the Lord to bless those who choose Him first. He left an apostolic blessing upon those who would heed his warning and his sure witness that this is the Lord’s church directed by Jesus Christ.

On the train ride home I gave my seat on a busy train to an older grandma and she was so happy that she took both of her hands in hers and hugged them. That's as close as Koreans get to hugging; they usually don't touch. She had such a big smile and talked to me in Korean. My understanding of her Korean was zero! So, I pulled out my one ace and that is my phone with pictures of Snowbird and our trip to Capitol Reef. I tell them that this is what Utah looks like and then point out the daughters, son, granddaughters and grandsons in the pictures. They are amazed to see one of our big family pictures at Snowbird.

One of my favorite grandmothers was in the park one day and she wanted to tell me something about two. She was counting and showed two fingers, her thumb and index finger in an L-shape. On the next loop of the park there were two friends sitting with her and it looked like she was pouring them something to drink and they were having a little tea party together. Then she motioned me to join them. She had boiled some very small sweet potatoes and they were peeling them with their fingers and eating them. They were a little warm and she wanted me to eat one, too. I patiently peeled a potato and enjoyed eating it with them. I tried to say delicious in Korean but I’m not sure she understood. She just wanted me to eat another one and then she insisted I have Wayne join us and he sat and ate, too. When she left she insisted I take the rest of the uneaten potatoes. 

On Saturday we headed for Soyosan Mt. with most of Seoul from the number of people who exited the train and were everywhere on the mountain. There was a flower festival there and the Fall leaves were ablaze in color, a delight to the eye. We decided to try the right fork today to see something new. It looked to be the steep ascent to the summit but we enjoyed the view and put one foot in front of the other. As we crossed the stream we saw three soldiers sitting on a rock resting. Wayne recognized one of our soldiers, Austin. Some of the sergeants wanted to hike so they brought the soldiers with them and they were enjoying a bit of freedom from the confines of the base. I didn’t push to reach the summit but Wayne reached the top and took pictures of our apartment complex from the top. Now he has bragging rights as he talks to soldiers who make this ascent regularly.

Stories

As I listened to the soldiers sharing stories with one another I thought you might be interested in some of their chatter. The cavalry drive tanks but they have the insignia of a horse on their uniform. These tanks seem to have as much a mind of their own as a horse. Some of them randomly catch fire. While that would terrify me, the soldiers laugh at their equipment. There is flame retardant that automatically deploys when a fire is detected. All they have to do is remember to close their eyes and cover their mouth and nose for about ten seconds until everything is “good.” They were laughing about one tank fire that happened spontaneously in the middle of a field. The soldiers evacuated the tank, did a count, and discovered the driver was still inside. When they found him, he was asleep. He was in his own compartment and totally missed all the excitement. Mule skinners no longer have mules to transport supplies. They move troops, equipment, and supplies by helicopter, but they still call themselves mule skinners.

While riding the train, I visited with a nun who studied business at the University of Oregon. Her parents were practicing Buddhists and she was raised going weekly to pray at a Buddhist temple. When I asked about Buddhists retreating to the mountains for safety she corrected me. She said that their faith is focused inward. They pray and focus on their own spiritual well-being so they need to be separated from others who are a distraction. She is part of a convent of nuns who also live separated with the exception that they care for old people as a way to support themselves. Her role for six-months is to pray. At the same time she was headed to a farm owned by the nuns to help with the harvest. I didn’t try to make sense of that one. She said she would call me in February when her time of prayers was finished. She was delightful so I hope to meet her again.

Whether we are with the soldiers, the Koreans, or the Africans, there is always something new to learn, an unexpected way to reach out and serve. This week much of our service was being a caring listener.

Celebrating

Elder and Sister Cannon serve in Seoul and used my birthday as a reason to come visit the country away for the horns and people.

We had a good rain over the weekend that swelled the rivers and streams. The last time Wayne and I were at Soyosan this waterfall was really just wet rock. Today the trail was dotted with waterfalls. It was delightful and even more fun to share it with someone who appreciated it.

Even though we stopped at all the cool places we had found on our previous hikes, we reached the point where we turned around the last time quickly. The next section of the trail was a series of steep but very short stairs. At the apex of two staircases was this fun arch and a bell to ring to celebrate your climb.

A little farther up the mountain we discovered this Buddhist temple inside the mountain. The sign indicated that when the Confucius religion gained dominance in Asia that the Buddhists fled into the mountains for safety. I could relate to that. Isn’t that exactly what our pioneer grandparents did?

In the more recent years the Buddhist priests have built this little shrine that is a bit of a tourist destination that provides a way for them to raise money to support their secluded lifestyle. It was a wonderful adventure for the four of us. We walked back along the river to see the change in the habitat with the additional water.

Elder and Sister Cannon baked me a gluten-free cake complete with candles at our Family Home Evening activity. We didn’t have any soldiers there so it was just three sets of missionaries sharing our testimonies with one another.

We spent most of our week at the USO. The rotational battalions are rotating so there are new soldiers coming in, learning their way around, and getting a Korean phone. The soldiers rotating out needed a place to hang out after they checked out of their barracks and while they waited for the bus to take them to the airport. We did our best to welcome the new soldiers and make the last few hours here in Korea pleasant for the soldiers so ready to be back with their families. We had a great turnout at our fellowshipping evening with a wonderful mix of new soldiers, soldiers soon to leave, and friends of our member soldiers happy to be a part of our activities.

On our trip to Seoul this week we figured out which trains to catch to bring us directly home, a first for us. The Korean grandmothers at the stations greet us warmly and chatter away. We love their smiling faces and dancing eyes as they try to help understand. We keep doing our best to increase our vocabulary and listen with our eyes and our ears so that we can understand and converse with these kind people.

We feel blessed to serve here as representatives of Jesus Christ in this beautiful country with so many kind people. 

Blog post: A week of transitions

We hosted our first branch party on Sunday to say farewell to three of our four missionaries. Sister Rix came with folding chairs, an extra table, plus all the yummy Korean food. We had a good mix of soldiers, Koreans, and Africans.

The most interesting people who came were invited by the elders. The African man thought he hired the Korean woman to clean his house. She thought he invited her to move in and thinks he is going to marry her. The African didn’t learn about the miscommunication until the elders translated her explanation of the relationship to him. Responding to the conversation of Korean’s with, “Yes, Yes,” isn’t always the best idea.

Brother Kim added to the festivities by playing his coronet for the missionaries. He was very honored to play in the Korean Navy Band at the White House to celebrate the 50^th anniversary of the end of the Korean conflict.

We did apartment cleaning checks for young missionaries and none of you mothers want to know what we saw.

 Most of our week was spent at the USO. It is a time of transition here with soldiers going home and others coming. Our USO is opening smaller facilities for two or the outposts on the DMZ so they needed help here while they were away.

We were able to meet one of the advance soldiers from the new brigade and he is LDS. He said he would stand on a street corner in Taiwan where he served his mission and the Chinese would come to touch his fire red hair. He never knocked a single door. We look forward to working with him.

We finished the week at the temple with our branch president and his wife. We love to be in the Lord’s Holy House and to remember that families can be together forever.