The Lord is guiding His work

            We shifted our teaching schedule again this week to provide the soldiers extra practice with the words and reading. We’ve worked hard and now we wait for them to take their tests and see if we made a difference in their scores.  At least they have positive things to say to the director about our class.

          

            I had a tender mercy with our sergeant. Before our last day of class I prayed that I might have the opportunity to share the gospel with the soldiers and this sergeant in particular. Just before he left class he asked me the name of our church, where our church is located, and what denomination we are? It opened the door for me to share a number of things about the church and answered my prayer.

            
                On Saturday we joined the young missionaries in a mission conference. It is the Lunar New Year so all of Korea is celebrating in their homes. The streets of Seoul were all but deserted when we arrived in the morning and there was a woman sleeping in the bank entry way with the ATM machines when we stopped for cash. There were a few protesters out and the center of Seoul was bustling with families when we returned to the train.

                We learned more about the Korean culture and the Lunar New Year. The missionaries played a Korean game with sticks they throw and did group jump rope competitions. The other sister missionaries plus one elder and I mended clothing for missionaries. Mostly we sewed buttons on coats and repaired busted pant seams. We had training from Salt Lake City via video and the changes to the missionary schedules and key indicators were announced. The missionaries are very excited about the time added to their preparation day.

I met with two Korean women who want to learn English this week. One lives in our apartment complex and asked the elders for English lessons. They can’t teach her alone in her apartment so they brought her here. She was easy to connect with and giggled almost to the point of tears when I substituted Korean words in the scripted conversation we were practicing. The second is a soldier with a doctoral degree in acupuncture medicine licensed to practice in California. She joined the Army as a medic to gain U. S. citizenship and be able to work in the U.S. when she finishes her tour of duty.  I fell in love with her. It was so hard not to invite her to attend church with us and share the gospel with her. I guess it is okay for me to want to share the gospel with everyone I meet and I can dream that they will love it one day as much as I love it.

The Wonder of Hope

                The soldiers had a holiday on Monday; we worked to create learning materials for them and then held a Family Home Evening for the soldiers from our church group. It was an institute night so we had the opportunity to explore the topic of personal revelation. It’s pretty amazing to know that knowledge comes directly from heaven in addition to the knowledge we are able to discern and glean in this physical world. There is a peace in knowing God is in charge and He will guide us as we ask in faith.

                I documented Wayne’s teaching a bit this week. Our day begins as he sets up the electronics, aerial acrobatics on the ladder included. I see that our handouts are copied and materials are ready for the students on their tables.

Wayne teaches math for an hour and we give them a break. I review vocabulary and reading comprehension for an hour; another break; and Wayne teaches a second hour of math.

                One thing I have come to appreciate about the soldiers is their respect for Wayne’s understanding of the math concepts they need to learn. One of the soldiers has gone from avoiding even simple multiplication problems to tackling more complex algebra and stopping Wayne so he can ask a question to clarify a concept. Another soldier feigned sleeping in his seat on the first days; he is now one of the first with the answer to the problem.

                Wayne is very patient as he works through the problem slowly, asking for their ideas as he moves forward, clarifying misunderstandings. Then he gives them a problem to work on their own and circulates to answer individual or group questions as they work. These are difficult problems that brought real fear to these tough soldiers who have seen multiple deployments to areas of the world where live rounds exploded around them. They have also begun to do more cooperative learning as they share their thinking with other soldiers in their table group seeking to discover the appropriate operations to use to arrive at the correct solution.

                The attitude in the class changed dramatically on Friday. Several of the soldiers took a BESEP predictor exam on Thursday and had scores that predicted how they will score on the actual test if they take it right now. They were excited about those scores and they still have another week to study and practice. Several soldiers wanted the lecture slides to practice with over the weekend. It’s amazing what a little hope will do to our motivation.

                We have had a bit of snow this week and lots of cold air and wind. The outer walls in the storage closets are black with frozen mold. Isn’t that an oxymoron?

                Our language study is now at 6 a.m. on Saturday mornings. No, you couldn’t pay me to keep this schedule, but the energy of the young people around us keeps us going. We love our soldiers, our Africans, the Koreans who meet with us, and the civilian employees who serve the soldiers with us. There is a joy in being on the Lord’s errand and knowing He will provide a way for us to do anything He needs us to do. 

Teaching and Learning

                Our week is pretty much summed up in this picture. We started teaching a BSEP review class to soldiers here at Camp Casey and it has been a full week of learning on both sides. Discovering how these soldiers learn best has been key as we have made adjustments daily to our intended plans to adapt to the responses of the soldiers.

            

                We learned on Tuesday that the biggest deficit of the majority of the soldiers was in math so we adjusted the amount of time we devoted to math extending it to two-thirds instead of one-half. We’ve used the two-teacher model to monitor and answer questions of individual students. It is rough to see tough soldiers cower in fear when faced with a word problem. On the other hand, the smile of accomplishment after they push through the solution is awesome! Wayne is working them hard, pushing them beyond what they think they can do, and then they do it and we see their confidence grow.

                Only about a third of the soldiers have low scores in the reading and word recognition so I often face the challenge of selling why they want to follow along with my tutoring and participate in the drills. We’ve managed to keep them awake and engaged for three hours each day. That is no small feat when the Army tells them they only need four-hours of sleep and one meal a day in a combat situation. I don’t think they miss many meals, but they often are low on sleep. It’s amazing how much we love each of our soldiers and how much we want for them to really work at the drills we know can help them be successful. It seems like a bit of a parable or parallel with our Heavenly Father. I feel His coaching when I’m faced with a daunting challenge. He is the perfect tutor.

                We had three awesome stories in church that focused on being a light to others. My favorite was from our sister from Uganda. She recently took her children to see their grandparents and other family in Uganda. Her family are all Christians but had never heard of our church. On their way to church on the Sunday she was there, she passed a building she recognized as one of our chapels. There in her city in Uganda she found her church. Her family dropped her off so she could partake of the sacrament and worship with others of her nation. She is the only member of our church from Uganda in South Korea that she knows besides her husband and children. It felt good to her to know others from her country had also found the same happiness she has found in the restored Church of Jesus Christ.

Post Traumatic Growth

                There was a crisis at the USO on Tuesday. Jieun found three of Suk’s fish floating belly up when she came in. Her stress was so serious and she was so distracted that she let the biscuits and cinnamon rolls for the soldier’s breakfast bake to a deep shade of brown. She didn’t put out any syrup for the waffles. She was certain Suk would kill her when she returned from Georgia. I assessed the situation. The fish were out of air. I fished out the two fish that were not moving and definitely dead and flushed them. Then I replaced the water with water poured from high above to add more oxygen to the water. The third distressed fish began to move around a bit more and was quite perky by the time I left the USO. The breakfast for the soldiers was still pretty crisp and didn’t have many takers.

                The chaplain’s office at Camp Red Cloud sent us a couple of papers to sign, scan, and fax back and now we are officially recognized as the representatives for our church in Area 1. Six months and we are now approved to volunteer and conduct church services and without providing a new set of fingerprints for the background check.

                Our class at Camp Casey for January filled to 22. The education office director couldn’t turn down the appeal of the extra two soldiers whose sergeants had been slow in signing their approval. Our February classes at the JSA are also scheduled and we will teach all 15 soldiers who are eligible for the class there on two separate weeks. We scrambled all week to pull together loose ends and find materials. The office manager said that all the students need is a pencil and paper. Wayne didn’t rest until he had the Smartboard in our room up and operating. It has NEVER been used in the five years it has hung on the wall. We will use it. I need markers, post-its, scissors, glue, large paper, tape, and notebooks so we can “play” with words.

                In the meantime, our Branch President and his family are leaving today and we wanted to honor their service in some way. Wayne used a couple of pictures we took of the branch on Christmas Day and created one where all the people’s faces could be seen. We had it professionally framed with a mat that branch members could sign as a gift. I planned a party for the Army or at least enough food to feed all of our soldiers, Africans and Koreans. In the end, only one African family came, one Korean, and two missionaries plus the Rix family. We ate, we visited, we ate, and the families went home. The missionaries and our Korean stayed to clean up. All the soldiers who are regular attenders pulled duty or were too far away to come so we’ll take the leftovers to our Family Home Evening on Monday.

                Saturday was our temple day and we had two soldiers and one African join us. Sunday, when they called a new branch presidency, the two soldiers who had been with us at the temple were called as branch president and first counselor. We now have an elder’s quorum president and an assistant clerk as well. Our Primary teacher was released, but our only Primary child is leaving. Leaving the parking lot required leaving in the reverse order of arriving so there’s no rushing off after the meeting. The rule in South Korea is that “No Parking Lot is EVER Full.”

                The joy of being gathered in a body of saints was so thick in our morning meeting that people left slowly. In the afternoon we held sacrament service for one soldier although a second one came about half-way into the meeting. We felt the love the Savior has for “the one” and then we began sharing our testimonies. You share differently in an intimate group than you do in a large gathering and those who stood shared their deepest trials and the faith that pulled them through and helped them stand. Your heart melts when a strong soldier weeps under the burden of anger swirling continually around him. 

                Our young elder from the Philippines shared his fears as a boy that his mother didn’t love him because he wasn’t as smart as his older sister. He had been left to be raised by his grandmother when he was too young to remember living with his mother. She was able to return from Japan occasionally, but not often. When his grandmother died he was twelve. He and his sister did their best to take care of each other and then she went on a mission and he was alone. This young man has found such faith and trust in the Lord, Jesus Christ through his trials. He speaks three languages and is the brightest smile in any room. His faith carries us, but I admit to giving him a big hug when the meeting ended. Sometimes a young man can use a “Grandma Hug.” 

Be not afraid

                 We had a quiet week with a couple of days at the USO, an expanded group of soldiers at our Family Home Evening activity and a trip to Seoul for mission training and one more Christmas celebration. Wayne had a soldier to tutor in math and I worked hours trying to prepare two sets of daily lesson plans for three weeks.  It was still good to have some open time to prepare and rest.

                With the help of a Korean we figured out how to catch the fast train to Seoul. We learned that it leaves from the east side of the platform and not the west and that it has an extra word on the sign. We had time to withdraw won from the Worri Bank that has a great exchange rate plus we think its name is comical for a bank. We walked the mile up the hill to the mission home because the air was mild and we wanted the steps.

                We enjoyed the association of the other senior missionaries and the training provided by President and Sister Sonksen. The Spirit is always strong at the meetings. We learned that Elder Holland will visit us in February. I don’t know why we are being so blessed. Sister Cannon made GF pancakes for me and made sure that one of the breakfast casseroles was gluten-free. I felt extremely pampered. Sister Sonksen had Christmas gifts for all of us. Someone delivered long-Johns for both elders and sisters to every mission in Korea. They want the missionaries to be warm.

                I was the speaker for sacrament meeting so I used scriptures around the theme of choosing faith over fear and trusting that all will work out in the end. I shared stories about my ancestors whose faith and dedication to their testimony of Jesus Christ and his restored gospel were forged as they weathered some pretty difficult hardships in the early days of the restoration of the church. They were eye witness to angels round about them as they consistently chose to act in faith in spite of very real dangers and fear. In the end, they knew that it would be all right. With the sealing ordinances of the temple, they had hope of everlasting life with God, Jesus Christ, and with their family.

The one surprise was about twenty Korean members who joined our sacrament meeting for the first time. They will meet with us and then hold their own extended meetings in Korean. The plan was for them to bring ear phones and a translator, but that didn’t happen today. I wanted them to be happy they had come today and happy to meet with us so I asked our elder to translate the talk standing beside me. He was quickly replaced by one of the Koreans who had been educated at BYU-Hawaii. It was a first for me to speak with translation, but it was the right choice today.

We had two African women who stayed for Relief Society. I was the Relief Society teacher today, too, so I had the opportunity to introduce President Hinckley to these two women who are both recent converts and share the message of the restoration.

We had one soldier at our meeting on post. Since I was the only speaker I decided to read the full talk. I think it is amazing that partaking of the sacrament is so important that in the Lord’s Church we hold a meeting for one person. What a wonderful way to being a New Year.

Christmas far from home

We took advantage of the one clear day to explore the mountains across the river. We ended up at the top of this hill with a nice view into the valley below. You can tell a couple of things from the picture: Even on a clear day the humidity and pollution give you a hazy view; and, there are lots of people living in a small space. I think you can see the high rises and population density. You are also able to see the river I keep referring to as it meanders to the north before it empties into the sea to the west. All the hiking here is pretty straight up and then straight down. We did figure out the hours of our fitness center for the apartments so we have been doing some of our exercise there this week due to rain and snow and cold.

We have had a house guest(s) most of the week. One of the young soldiers’ wives, Amanda, was able to get a buddy pass to Seoul so she has stayed in our extra bedroom. The soldier, Kenny Peterson, was given a five-day pass so he has been here, too, since Friday. The have been able to go to Seoul a couple of times, do some tourist things, go to the temple, and make some memories together. They have only been married a few months and most of those Kenny has been here.  They did their best to begin to create some family traditions.

I made enchiladas for Christmas Eve and invited our elders. Our Fillipino elder is used to eating mostly rice so he was okay with the Spanish rice. You don’t see Mexican food here in Korea so I figured our American elder would be happy for a little Mexican.

The elders were here early Christmas morning to talk with their families. The broad smiles on their faces witness that this was their best Christmas present. 

We met with our little branch for a Christmas program with the story and music of Christmas. This picture gives you a pretty good feel for the mix of soldiers, Koreans, and Africans who attend with us each week.  What a blessing to be able to partake of the sacrament and remember the incredible gift of God’s Son to the world.

Most of the afternoon we spent with our family via Skype. Mary and Connie’s families were together having a Christmas Eve party so we sang carols together, were entertained by the grandchildren, watch the enactment of the Christmas Story, and then watched as they sang Karaoke with Christmas songs. It was not quite as good as being there but pretty close considering the miles. Then we were able to connect with Debbie’s family an hour later in the time zones. They had finished their activities for the evening and took time to visit and share with us. We hope to be able to connect with our other children tomorrow which will be Christmas Day for them. We are thankful for technology to allow us to both see and hear our family while we are so far away.

We pulled together some gifts and stockings for the elders to open because the packages from America arrived mostly empty and the one from the Philippines didn’t arrive until Christmas. When the missionaries came over to open their gifts they stayed to play Bang with the Petersons. While they were playing, Wayne and I attended a Christmas dinner hosted by the director of the BOSS program here at Camp Casey. Mr. Fred. He is the man in the white shirt and red apron on the left. You can tell by the spread in front of Wayne that there was a wide variety of food to choose from. Two of the soldiers from our group were there because they volunteer with Mr. Fred. They said that they are regulars at his parties and this one was a small party. We visited with the other people who volunteer around the base and work with the soldiers.

It seems like Christmas started here early in the month with a series of activities for our soldiers; now it has come and gone. We are thankful for the military community and our church group to help bring the spirit of Christmas to Korea. We were not able to observe any changes in our neighborhood in anticipation of this important celebration. Everyone doesn’t celebrate Christ’s birth.

How thankful I am to know the importance of the birth of this child born in a stable in Bethlehem so long ago. How thankful I am to know that he is God’s Son who broke the bonds of death and offered himself as a sacrifice that we can repent of our sins and have hope. We hope to be forgiven; we hope to live again. We hope to return to our Father in Heaven; we hope to be together forever with our families. How thankful I am for faith and hope as I pray for the gift of charity; to be like Him, to know Him, to be with Him.

The Joy of Serving

We were busy missionaries this week. Suk Harper cooked a whole hog to feed our Camp Casey soldiers as an early Christmas celebration. I peeled 50 pounds of potatoes and diced five pounds of onions plus cutting carrots, shredding four huge cabbages, and peeling five dozen eggs as the cook’s helper. The potato salad and coleslaw were wonderful, made in the true southern style. We served over 200 soldiers on Wednesday.

On Friday we went back to the JSA to do an early Christmas for the soldiers there. We put up more decorations and dressed up a Santa. We set up a table to print photos of the soldiers with Santa and then put them in a small frame they could take to their rooms. There were stockings stuffed with fun things and small canvas bags with more goodies for every soldier. The car dealership gave some kind of swag to every soldier and then there were a host of other gifts that went to almost every soldier. The four largest gifts were 40” and 50” televisions, a laptop computer, and an iPad. The soldiers had a great time as the gifts were raffled. It was just fun to be with them.

Wayne has a soldier who has meet three times with him this week to see if he can improve his score on the math section of the promotion exam. He started foggy on basic multiplication and division and is ready to tackle the tougher story problems. You can tell that it is the teacher having the most fun, but the soldier works for over an hour each time which demonstrates his determination to tackle this barrier to his career.

We now have a schedule for teaching the soldiers as a class. We will have 20 soldiers for three weeks here at Camp Casey in January and again in March and will spend two weeks at the JSA in February working with 15 soldiers there. We’re really looking forward to being back in a classroom again and helping these soldiers move forward in their careers.

We finally turned on our heat to warm our apartment. Our neighbors have kept their units warm enough to keep us warm until now. We have the wife of one of our soldiers coming to stay through the holiday so she can afford to visit her husband. We may not see much of her, but it will give me the incentive to decorate our apartment.

It is wonderful this time of year to not only serve, but watch the joy others feel as they serve. Christ lived his life for us and then he gave up his life for us. It seems only fitting that we find a little time to give to others, too. Our hope to all our friends and family is a very Merry Christmas as we all remember the joy of our Savior’s birth.