Radio guests

We were given the opportunity to advertise our tutoring classes to the Area I soldiers on their radio station. Our host was very professional and kind. Over an hour’s block he explored four questions giving us 2-4 minutes to respond each time. He played music and did news and weather between segments to keep the soldiers listening.

We were able to explain that we were here as missionaries for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints offering service to the military personnel in this Area. We talked about the classes and did our best to make them sound like something the soldiers would want to attend. The DJ said we could have the 9 am Friday slot every week if we wanted it. We’ll see if we think it makes a difference and we can think of new or interesting things to share.

The only new news is the crutches in the back. The arthritis in my right leg flared so that I am not able to put weight on my leg without extreme pain. I was able to see a doctor at Camp Casey and she thinks it will settle down again if I give it a bit of a rest. In the meantime, the ladies who bag groceries at the commissary were concerned that Wayne was doing our shopping alone Friday evening. How they even knew I was on crutches is a mystery, but they were kind to inquire.

The arthritis in my leg was just “pesky” when we came and I was able to run regularly with no problems. Why I went lame this week I can’t explain, but I will trust that there is a reason that we can work through. The Lord said, “…all these things shall give thee experience, and shall be for thy good.” (D&C 122:7) We will trust that the Lord knows what we need to do the work he has sent us here to do.

The Lord keeps his promises

                

Sundays are a busy day for missionaries. Our little twig has multiple callings that are not filled including music callings and youth leaders. That leaves opportunities for members to step up and fill in where needed. I taught a youth Sunday School class to one youth. We worked on learning how to do indexing to give him a way to work on family history. The goal was for him to go home and teach his parents, the smiling couple surrounding the food, and older brother. Wayne did a financial audit and learned more things about how the branch operates and compensates with minimal clerk staffing. Our Branch President, in the picture, really carries the branch on his shoulders. He will only be here another year.

The sister missionaries wanted to have a barbecue at the home of the branch president Sunday so he drove a van load of members to his house, 30 minutes from the base, and then drove them back again afterwards. His wife and mother-in-law prepared a lovely spread of food and those who came had a very relaxing time visiting together. The sister missionaries added a spiritual thought about following the prophets. Their apartment is about three times the size of our apartment and we thought we had a large one. The missionaries love all the space that doesn’t exist in other Korean dwellings.

                We put in lots of hours at the USO this week. They needed us two mornings at the front desk to keep the doors open and then we were there three evenings to teach. We love the teaching and keep getting queries about when and where we meet. Our numbers are still very small now and that works for me. My student, Bo, has been a wonderful Korean language coach this week. She has me studying hard. Wayne carried on a conversation in Korean with his friend in the park this week so he is doing well, too.

                We had good attendance at our FHE and fellowshipping night. The new elder in our branch is named Elder Anderson and his roots are from Bear River City so Wayne will see if they are relatives. This transfer they gave us back our elders full-time which should make them more effective.

           

     I learned this week that the Lord keeps his promise to “…bear you up.” (D&C 84:88) He really is a God of miracles and concerned about every detail in our lives. What a wonderful blessing to know that God is real; He lives; He loves us; He blesses us with the challenges and support we need to grow and return to Him. I’m also very thankful for the atonement of Jesus Christ and the hope of forgiveness. I wish I could say that I don’t need it every week. Wow! And then He has given us the sacrament to renew our covenants each week and walk away clean as we go with humble hearts. God is really amazing! King Benjamin reminded us that there is no way we can ever return enough thanks for all his blessings. (Mosiah 2:20-24) Service to others is a good way to start so Wayne and I do our best to serve every day in our remote corner of His vineyard. What a blessing to be His servants.

Students and Teachers

The biggest change this week was for us to begin tutoring soldiers at the USO. We had our first class on Tuesday with one female soldier, Korean by birth, who wanted to improve her English and a male soldier who wants both the math and reading comprehension so Wayne taught math to Reggie and I taught English to Bo and on Wednesday I taught reading comprehension to both of them. Wayne had a new student on Wednesday, Michelle, a female soldier who wants to learn math but may also want the reading comprehension as well. She has a much busier work schedule and may not be able to come every time we meet. Wayne and I are both having a great time. The students were very eager to learn and very positive about the help they received from us.

The week was full of missionary work, too. I took the Family History pamphlets with me to the branch and sat with different members explaining how to fill them out and encouraging them to also think of stories they could record to save. One African who just arrived this week seemed very excited that I would type his stories for him to preserve his history. Andrew began his new member lessons at our home this week and worked more on his family history. We attended zone conference again. These are two of the five zone leaders who do such a beautiful job of training us. The Korean sister teaches in Korean, but she is also in our district and very eager to help me with my Korean in those smaller meetings.  I’m very pleased with our Family Home Evenings. They finally have a pattern of coming together, prayer, spiritual message, fun games, and refreshments. There is a great spirit there even though there are only a few soldiers who join us.

 Wayne had a breakthrough in the park this week. The old people who come to clean the park were there and doing their best to pick up the debris. Two old women, bent and hobbling had filled a large garbage bag and were trying to move it from one end of the park to the other so it could be picked up. It was heavy, about 50 lbs., so all they could do was pull it along. He stopped and picked it up and did his best to communicate he was willing to carry it where they were going. They tried to tell him they were fine, but he insisted and they led the way. He followed and put the bag where it needed to be. They were so thankful they couldn’t tell him enough times. All the other old people in the park saw what he did and as he passed them they told him thank you, too. His phrase this morning for his friend was, “You are my friend.” His friend bowed and repeated the word, friend, in English so he seemed to understand.

I have made flash cards with the Korean words and phrases and we take them with us to pass the time on the long train rides. Today I had harvested some words from a book that I hoped to use, but I was pretty unsure exactly how they were said in Korean. So, I asked the Korean lady sitting next to us. She was kind and read several words to me and was patient while I tried to mimic her sounds. Later, while we waited in a very hot train station another Korean man was kind enough to help me with a phrase I hoped to say and then we talked about his brother who lives in California now. He showed me pictures on his phone and I showed him pictures of Southern Utah on my phone. It seems to make the Koreans happy to see us trying to learn their language.

I decided to check out the local beauty shop to see if I could get a haircut. The lady spoke some English so I decided to give her a try. She wanted to leave it longer so I didn’t look like a man, but she kept cutting. We tried to communicate with her limited English and my limited Korean. She figured out I am a Mormon and she said she was a Christian. I couldn’t remember any of the vocabulary I studied yesterday and the phrases I tried to say she didn’t seem to understand. Bo helps me with my Korean for a few minutes after each class. I’ll keep trying. Elder Holland said the Lord will bless us even if we are trying to do what’s right. I’m thankful the Lord is so merciful because most days trying is the very best I can do. (8/12/2016)

Little Things

                We are no longer the new kids on the block here in the Northern Branch or Area 1. There is a bit of a routine to our days and weeks. We recognize by sight and know something about our soldiers and now they are beginning to return to their families in the U.S. The first one leaves this week. New soldiers will be sent as replacements. I helped our Relief Society president organize visiting teaching for the twelve sisters in our branch. Almost all of them need to be visited at the church building because of distance and work schedules. There is a 2.5 hour distance between two of our sisters.

I spent a chunk of time constructing this family for our new member so he will have family names to take to the temple and know his roots in the gospel. One generation back and he ties into a tree in Family Search with cousins who are members. All he knew about this grandmother was her married name, a nickname, her death date, and where she lived and died. Family Search is amazing with ten sources to document and cross reference these relationships. I love working with the dead because they always help me and never cancel an appointment.

Wayne is amazing in his interactions with the old men who exercise early in the park. He practices his Korean and they practice their English. Each day they have more questions. Every week there are more men (couples) who see him as someone to smile, greet, and talk with. He is already trying to explain his role as a missionary. He is on the District Council; their meetings are held online using Skype and work well. He helps the soldiers with their copy, printing and fax needs at the USO and does everything from blessing the sacrament to saying prayers to fill in at meetings. He is our permanent high council speaker because we are so far away.

These are sesame leaves that I plucked from the stems with a Korean grandmother. She was working at the task and accepted my offer to help. She seemed pretty friendly and tried to talk with my limited Korean. Some of the words I thought I knew she couldn’t understand, but I think we communicated that we are both old; I don’t think either of us understood just how old the other is. We tried to share numbers in our family but she didn’t understand my pronunciation of grandchildren. I think we established that both of us live in these apartment buildings. She seems to have visited Los Angeles. There were lots of dead spaces in the conversation. I kept at the job even though it was hot and the rock I was sitting upon was not very comfy. As we finished she thanked me and insisted on giving me a whole bunch of the leaves. I tried to convince her to give me less, but decided that it probably would be rude if I did not take any. I was told that Koreans like to put these leaves inside their lettuce wraps so Wayne and I tried them on our sandwich and they have quite a delightful taste of mint.

We caught a ride to the Seoul Temple with our Branch President this morning and enjoyed a wonderful morning doing ordinance work there. We decided to take the train home and took this picture in one of the train stations. I have made flash cards with the Korean words and phrases and we take them with us to pass the time on the long ride. Today I had harvested some words that I hoped to use from a book, but I was pretty unsure exactly how they were said in Korean. So, I asked the Korean lady sitting next to us. She was kind and read several words to me and was patient while I tried to mimic her sounds. Later, while we waited in a very hot train station another Korean man was kind enough to help me with a phrase I hoped to say and then we talked about his brother who lives in California now. He showed me pictures on his phone and I showed him pictures of Southern Utah on my phone. It seems to make the Koreans happy to see us trying to learn their language.

We met more of the senior missionaries who are serving here in Korea and they were eager to share the things they do to support the soldiers. It reminded me of Pres. Uckdorf’s counsel to “Lift where you stand.” Each of us in a unique position to support others and each is equally important. Jesus Christ is our example and our eternal destination. He seeks to draw all men to him. We each do our little part to help those in our path. He lives. He loves us. He wants us to return.

Angels Watching Over Us

Our family held our annual family reunion at Snowbird this week without us. We were able to connect with them a bit using Messenger. My reaction: “It would be good to be in the middle of them, under the pile, surrounded by their laughter. At least there is laughter and piles and games and good food.” They took family names to the Salt Lake Temple so the young people could do baptisms. They hiked and swam and made time to share testimony together. At least we have pictures, notes, Messenger, and the phone to keep us connected.

Wayne had a very fun morning run. His regular Korean buddy stopped to try out his new English phrase and Wayne asked him in Korean, “How are you doing?” His friend acted as though he didn’t understand so Wayne repeated the phrase in his best Korean. Still no recognition so he tried a third time. Then the man’s face lit up with a big smile and he said, “Oh, you are speaking Korean.” There was one younger man who ran a loop with Wayne before he was tuckered out and Wayne tried to use his Korean to communicate with him, too. There were others who greeted him with the standard greeting and Wayne came home beaming with success.

I learned the difference between an umbrella and a parasol. I went out in the rain with a parasol and learned that they do not repel rain. They are made only to look pretty and shade from the sun. Thankfully, it was only a light rain, and now I know I have a parasol to take with me on sunny days so I can be culturally appropriate.

This is a picture I’ve been waiting to share. Our neighbors are moving and they use this ladder with a platform that can be raised and lowered from a truck outside the apartment to move household goods into and out of the apartments through the windows. Pretty fun to watch.

We were able to see Wayne’s niece at the mission conference on Friday. It was wonderful to see her happy, humble, and comfortable in her role now as a missionary.

The conference was full of history of the church in Korea and ideas for sharing the message of Jesus Christ with the Korean people.

These are some of the missionaries from the mission as we wait for a bus to return to our own areas. Wayne is peaking out near the back. We do have elders but they missed being in the picture.  

Sister Kelly on the left is in the office. She and her husband who is behind sisters in the other picture have been a great help to us in our transition. Sister Cannon is our mission nurse. Brother Cannon on the right drove the car from Seoul to Dongducheon in the rain after dark to deliver us to our apartment. Then he drove back the next day to deliver our car to us. Their friend was the only non-missionary at our meeting.

Our trip to Seoul was full of tender mercies: finding the rail schedule on the cell phone (We left without a map.), help when we were lost (We confused two stops with the same name but different numbers and got off too soon.), a heavy rain that fizzled as soon as we left the train station, seats on the train both directions, finding our way onto our train home by ourselves, guidance to move forward in doing the work we have been sent to do. Those were just in one day. The Lord truly watches over us and sends angels to be round about us when we need them. He watches over you, too. Look for Him.​

Exploring the new neighborhood

We ended up doing quite a bit of traveling this week so we took some pictures to share. This is pretty typical of a Korean market street. The things you miss with these pictures are the smells. There is always a very strong smell of garlic and frying oil. Old women sit on the streets and peel garlic that is sold in the shops. You also miss the sounds. The markets employ sales people who try to invite buyers by calling out loudly. The produce beside me is garlic as they pull it from the ground.

 

This market at Uijeonbu was the first we have encountered. Our area is too small for a street market. We only have one small grocery store. The price of a watermelon in our store is $24. The same one you pay five or six dollars for in Costco. We could have purchased a watermelon in the market for $9 but we had a very long bus ride and no way to carry it so we settled for some nectarines, small, yellow melons that taste a little like honey dew, and two very large apples the sales person promised were VERY sweet.

After our zone conference a local mission leader arrived as the meeting ended with three Korean pizzas and three liters of lemon-lime soda. Wayne had a piece of each of the pizzas. One pizza looked like cheese, another, had yellow squash, and the other had something that looked pepperoni. I did see corn on them. Wayne said they tasted like potato and squash. The cheese wasn’t really cheese and there was no hint of tomato sauce. They were not spicy and were a cultural experience that I missed because the gentleman knew they had wheat in the crust.

On Friday we had lots of adventures. Much of the day felt like we were in a mystery book looking for clues to find secreted treasures. I held the map; Wayne the GPS; and we did our best to ask for clues from passing Koreans. We were able to ride the shuttle from Camp Casey to Yongson AFB. Our route took us along a river that was very beautiful with the tall egrets and herons fishing its banks and ducks and cormorants as well. There were parks along both shores as well as a lovely bicycle and walking pathway. The seats were very comfortable and the bus air conditioned. We even managed to do a bit of practice with vocabulary using my new flash cards.

This is one of the bridges across the Hun River. Pvt. Eggers told us his commander said these bridges are expected to be the first targets North Korea will hit if the cease-fire fails and he is to be on the other side of the river before they blow. Lots of seasonal saber rattling goes on here and life goes on. It is a pattern and has been this way for decades.  “…if ye are prepared, ye shall not fear.” (D&C 38:29) It still keeps many of our soldiers on 10-minute battle alert and unable to attend sacrament meeting. While our sacrament meeting attendance has been very low the past two weeks, we have been able to visit with many members as they wander through the food court during our fellowshipping activity on Thursdays. The Lord knows what is happening in Area 1 in South Korea and He is in charge. We just do our small part each day and know that “…by small and simple things are great things brought to pass.” (1 Nep 37:4).​

Joy and Gladness

The big explore this week was a trip to northern Seoul for our first zone conference. Wow! We were so impressed with the elders and sisters who prepared and presented the meeting that we’re excited for the future of the church. It is a zone of about 35 missionaries so it was a good sized group and the missionaries directing the meeting were utilizing almost to perfection the principles of teaching they learned in the MTC. They switched off teaching in English and Korean so it gave us experience listening to the language. Wayne’s niece, Maren Young, just arrived in the mission last Wednesday so this was her first zone conference, too. We have the apartment the farthest north in the zone and hers is the apartment at the very south end of the zone, about an hour by train, but we hope to see her at other zone activities.

The rest of the week was a mixture of activities. We are now in charge of the Monday Family Home Evening at the base chapel and Wayne told a fun story to get the soldiers thinking about choices. We started volunteering at the USO greeting soldiers as they enter and dispensing game controllers and DVDs. The director plans to have us tutoring soldiers in math and reading to boost their score on the military entrance exam so they qualify for more opportunities.

We did more exploring in our neighborhood between rains. We found factories to the north, some with horrible smells of decaying flesh so we’re thankful the wind blows north. The mountains are very close on both the east and west so there is a little housing and some older shops on those sides. Some of the housing is modern and very nice; next to them are small, older and often decaying homes and businesses that speak of a minimal standard of living.

We’ve met most of our soldiers now and finally have a list to contact the others. Wayne gave his first District Council talk today and we went to our first Ward Council. We’ll do what we can to teach the branch members how to build their family tree on Family Search and find their own names to take to the temple. There are lots of great opportunities to serve.

One evening this week when I wrote in my journal, these are the feelings I expressed: I am feeling very happy this evening. I feel the mantle of a missionary and it is very sweet. It is nice to focus on serving and to have so much time to work as a team with my favorite person. In speaking about missionaries in D&C 75:21 the Lord promises, “And you shall be filled with joy and gladness…” Wayne and I are thankful to be recipients of this wonderful blessing.