Letter from 21 Oct. 2009

Hello!!!!!

I finally have a little more time to write this week! Hooray!

Things have been pretty busy! Which is absolutely wonderful! Last Friday was Pak Na ra's baptism. Sister Buford was so anxious to make it an event to remember. We turned on the heater in the bathroom about two hours early. We got a gift--a plant with pretty flowers and a notebook and (can you picture Sister Buford in the store?) a pretty candle and almost a little plastic bear keychain with the date on its belly and a pretty green coordinating gift bag to put it all in.

We were at the church early to try to get photos worked out for the Sister Buford fireside that next day. The elders were there too, it turned out, trying to get the baptismal font filled up. The boiler wasn't working, so we put water on the stove and in the rice cooker to start heating up. It ended up really not making a difference, though--poor Pak Na ra. She was a good sport about it, though.

The ward mission leader also requested that Sister Buford and I do a musical number, so we practiced singing a hymn in harmony. And then, as people were getting ready for the service, one of the women of the ward asked--if I could play the piano, they could play "I Am a Child of God" on the ocarina.

Have you ever heard of an ocarina? They look kind of like little submarines--kind of like a recorder in submarine form. They kind of seem to be a trend here. I had never seen them before. There's a mid-week ocarina class at church, and a lot of the ward members are learning it. I thought it was just kind of a way-to-make-music-accessible kind of instrument--inexpensive, pretty simple--but then I saw a big banner at an arts center for an ocarina concert.

Anyway.

So I accompanied the ocarina choir for "I Am a Child of God." I don't play much piano. I played the right hand and the bottom note and it worked out okay. I don't think anyone knew the difference. (Right??)

That was Friday; Saturday was Sister Buford's fireside. She had a translator--who I sent a text message to confirm with that morning, then turned around and called her and asked if she could teach a lesson with us that same day. I didn't put together that they were the same people. Oops. She was gracious, though, and did both for us.

Sister Buford showed pictures from filming the movie, getting her makeup done, practicing action scenes, with famous Korean actors. She got to the last picture--at her baptism. Dressed in white.

And I thought, "*this* is real."

After did "sign," as the Koreans say, and took pictures with people. I think it was a success. We'll do it again this Sunday at a different ward.

Sunday was Pak Na ra's confirmation. I opened my eyes after the blessing and looked at Pak Na ra...and she was different. After church that day we hurried over to a different ward building for an appointment, and happened to run into Byun Shin jeong, who got baptized a couple months ago. She was there asking another member for help with her family history. And this week, we met and taught a lesson to Byun Shin jeong's mom. Pak Na ra, and then Byun Shin jeong and how much she loves the church, how she's been changing and growing...they're helping me start to get it. I feel like I am finally starting to get missionary work. That people change with the church. That there's a difference when they are baptized and confirmed. That we don't just need it, but that it makes people happier. And that it's possible! I feel like I am starting to light up inside. I am finally starting to understand. And if it took me this long and this much work to start to get it, well, then how much more precious that knowledge is.

Also on Sunday, there were five other girls who attended church--investigators. And Monday and Tuesday, we went out to Ansan to meet some member high school students friends. There are a group of four members--three boys and a girl--who attend the same high school. The girl--Jeong Ee sul-- did some street contacting with us and is a better missionary than us! What wonderful people. And last night, the bishop of another ward went to a hair salon with us to introduce us to someone another member had met and wanted to introduce to us (confused yet?). I just feel privlidged to work with these people, be around them, learn from these members and their testimonies.

I hope you all have a wonderful week! I love you dearly!

--Carrie

Letter from 15 October 2009

Hello hello! The leaves are changing, the weather is nice--a lovely time to be a missionary.

This week we were teaching a lesson to Hong Kyung sook. We were talking about the Ten Commandments, and I was explaining what we did on the sabbath day. Midway through what I was saying, my companion, Sister Buford, burst out laughing. When she started laughing, so did Hong Kyung sook, but the member teaching with us, O Mi jeong, was good enough to retain her composure as she calmly explained that the word I was looking for was "shee da."

It turns out the word I thought meant "to rest"--"shee ha da"--actually means, roughly, to piss. Sister Buford (who didn't originally learn Korean as a missionary), explained this to me later. As she did so, all the situations I've used this word in started flashing through my mind. Teaching investigators that we rest on the sabbath day. Talking to people on the bus about why we attend church. When we've visited members in their home and telling them they need a rest.

Goodness. At least someone finally told me.

Other news this week: we have a baptism tomorrow! Hooray! Pak Na ra is a high school student, her friend is a member and they started attending church together. We're excited!

Time's about up--I send my love.

All my best,

Carrie

Photos of Carrie

Carrie sent some photos to her sister, and they can be viewed here, here, here, and here. She looks great!

Letter from 30 September 2009

Hello! Today isn't preparation day--just email only. This weekend is a big giant holiday, Choo sok. So prep. day is getting moved to Saturday, the main day of the holiday. I've been asking people what they do for it. The women all kind of moan. Then make mounds of food, clean the house for visitors. A lot of people call it "Korean Thanksgiving," but it sounds like it's even bigger. Traditionally held at the parent's house, and the oldest son's wife gets to do a lot of the cooking.

Other things we've been up to: We're working on planning a special fireside meeting with Sister Buford. We've been talking to people at the different wards we serve at, and one of the bishops really latched on to the idea. Sister Buford will talk about being in the movie, show some behind-the-scenes pictures, do a Q and A, and then talk about how, during and after working on the movie, she found the Church. She'll tell about her past attending a different church and studying religion, about getting a Book of Mormon, meeting the missionaries by chance, etc...and about her conversion.

We had a meeting last night with the bishop and his councelors working on some of the plans. We also met on Sunday. I walk out of these meetings feeling like a diplomat. I get to negotiate what people are saying, and translate--Sister Buford speaks some Korean, but I speak a little more. It was fun to look through some of her pictures last night, too, and the people at the ward were enammored (sp??)--someone handed us a bag of corn-pop like snacks. We really didn't need them--an investigator had just bought us a huge dinner (I think it was an entire duck that we ate), and so I tried to hand the bag off to someone as we were leaving, and the bishop said, no, they're for Sister Buford.

A member had also given us a flat of pears for Choo sok that we took home on the bus last night. I carried it on my head on the way back like the old women here, and Sister Buford laughed, and made me laugh. Things are good:)

Much love!

--Carrie

Letter from 24 Septemer 2009

Hello from Gunpo, Korea! It was a great week. We worked hard. We saw miracles.

We went to church on Sunday, not sure about being able to teach any lessons that day, but with a few possibilities, and a goal to teach three with members. And at church, a high school student, Un jeong, brought her friend, Na ra, who we had met with once. Also, another member brought an old neighbor, Sister Han--two of Sister Han's three kids had been baptized, but the family had moved and they hadn't been attending church. So the member called them up, and Sister Han said she could bring them to church. So after church, we ended up being able to teach Na ra with her friend Un jeong, and Sister Han and her daughter with her former neighbor, Kim Jeong sook.

Two lessons. We needed one more.

We called Jeong Hee sook. Didn't answer. We had planned on visiting a member, Nam Un joo, and hoped to maybe find someone to bring with us. Didn't happen. We tried going door to door in an apartment complex, and actually found someone who said come back in a half hour. We were still in the same area, so we called Nam Un joo up again, asked her to come, and she met us. We went back up to the apartment and...the person said, "never mind." So, we tried on the street, with the member coming along. And we found two sisters who stopped, listened to a lesson with the member, Nam Un joo, accepted a Book of Mormon, and gave their phone number.

Three lessons. Whew.

Sister Buford is willing to WORK! I have a hard time keeping up with her;)

Have a wonderful week,

Carrie

New Transfer--Letter from 17 September 2009

Well, it's a new transfer! Yay!

And I have a new companion.

Transfer calls now come on Tuesday instead of Saturday, and the change took place today--Thursday. Sister Lee gets to serve with another Korean sister (which I think she'll enjoy), and I get to serve with...Sister Buford!

I wrote about Sister Buford a couple weeks ago. She's American but has lived in Korea for the last 20 months or so. I heard more of her story on the ride home today: she did some acting in high school, studied finance at university. Spent a summer working for Paramount. After she graduated, she got a job in finance, but decided to follow an urge she's long had to live abroad, and to try out a dream to be a film actress.

Her mom's Korean, Asia is good for business things, she had been to China and didn't like it...anyway, she moved to Korea. She got a job teaching English and sent out resumes and auditioned for movie roles. And she got the main part in a Korean movie. She was working on it this time last year.

And...she had been religious during her whole life, though a bit disillusioned with religion during college. A friend sent her a Book of Mormon, though. And one day on the subway she talked to the missionaries. Event after event happened, and she met with the missionaries. Meeting with them, she just wanted to learn. She didn't want to pray, because she knew what it would mean if she learned for herself if the message was true. But she did pray. And she got baptized last Feb.

Originally when she met with the sister missionaries, it was a threesome--three sisters together. She eventually ended up meeting our mission president, I think, and said if that situation would arrise again, she was willing to help out.

And so that's what she's doing! She's serving for just a short time: this transfer. Just six weeks. She says hello to everyone she sees, she has worked to study the missionary lessons, she is so excited, so ready to go. I am so excited to serve with her--her faith is enormous, and her desire to share the gospel is amazing. Such a reward to be able to work with her.

So this morning Sister Lee met her new companion at the subway station, then I travelled with the mission president to the mission office with other "trainers"--companions of new missionaries. It felt like coming full circle. When I came here, just like that, there were a couple little meetings, and the new and training missionaries got together and bore testimonies and the president assigned who would go with who. Being there today on the other side was an interesting sensation. I'm grateful for as far as I've come. I didn't realize a mission is just one big learning curve! I'm grateful for what I've experienced and learned, and it's fun to be able to look back and look forward.

I send my love!

--Carrie

Ha, there's one more thing I wanted to share this week.

Sister Lee and I visited with a less active member this week. We happened to visit when the bishop was already there--neat to see him in action (encouraging to act, do things, to forgive and to repent), but also kind of awkward.

Anyway, the bishop finished his visit and left, and the member (Sister Kim) and her daughter talked to us for awhile. I guess Sister Kim knows medical things well...I don't know what all she does...but Sister Lee asked her about her skin and how to take care of it, which lead to a long discussion I didn't quite understand. And anyway, Sister Kim offered to do accupressure on Sister Lee's ears--sticking tiny bead-like balls on parts of her ear with skin-colored tape that you then squeeze.

And then she asked me if I would like her to do it to me. I said yes... because, well, I've never had anyone do accupressure on my ears before. She asked me if anywhere hurt, and Sister Lee piped up "her ankles!" which was true--they've been sore lately.

So Sister Kim pulled out a big book and opened it to a diagram of an ear with dots on it, found the one for "ankle," and stuck it on that place at the top of my ear. She squeezed it so it hurt, and said if I kept doing that, my ankle would be better.

And the incredible thing is...it worked. My ankle stopped hurting.

When I tell this to Americans, they say things like "really?!?" When I tell this to Koreans they say, "of course."

Anyway, have a great week!

Letter from 9 September 2009

Hello! Today might be in two parts...long story.

I don't have any emails to respond to this week--maybe it's just technical difficulties;) I can (I think--not sure how much time we have) spend some more time writing a longer group email, then.

It was an interesting week. On Monday night, we went to dinner with some members in one of the wards we serve in. Elder Choi and Sister Goo. Elder Choi was called last Conference to the first quorum of the Seventy (for those of you who knows what that is). We invited Byun Shin jeong, who just got baptized, and another member and her son--Darima. She was baptized a few years ago now, she's from Mongolia. We meet her and help her and her son with English and teach a gospel lesson.

The appointment was good--after dinner, we sat on the floor and talked about the priesthood. We carefully planned a lesson, starting whith asking Elder Choi to define the priesthood. I asked him to do so, and he took the question and ran with it, asking his wife, Sister Goo, to explain about it as well. I added my testimony to what they said--I talked about the priesthood, after it was lost after New Testament times and the death of the apostles being restored again in modern times when a new prophet--when Joseph Smith was called. And I added my testimony to what they said.

I am growing in appreciation for the priesthood, and for the blessings that come from it. And I told those new members during the lesson (in my broken Korean) that whenever they need help, to ask for it. That Christ loves us, and one way he shows that love is through worthy priesthood holders.

Also this week on Tuesday, we set a baptisimal date with O Ha na. Yay! She attended church on Sunday--couldn't take the bus because of her hurt foot. I called some members and, bless them, one picked her up Sunday morning and drove her to church, where we met her. She is scheduled to get baptized on the twentieth.

On Tuesday, we had originally scheduled an appointment with O Ha ha for that evening, but that afternoon she called us and said she was starting university again, so couldn't meet in the evening, but could we come that afternoon? We went, and in the meantime she decided her foot was still too bad for her to go back to school. (So in the future her schedule will be the same--available in evenings. Just a one-day fluke) During the appointment, the bishop called us, and told us how one of the young single adult women in the ward, her father had just passed away, and the funeral was that day. He asked us to go that evening. Because of the schedule changes, we went.

Sister Lee was wearing a white shirt and light checked skirt, and said maybe she would have to change to go to a funeral. And she was right--everyone was in all black--except the mourning family. Sister Im and her sister and mother were dressed in bright white simple traditional Korean dresses. The contrast was striking. A picture of her father was set out, surrounded by white flowers, insence, fruit. Guests would face the picture, and bow deeply--kneeling, and touching their heads to their hands to the floor. Then they turned to the family, and each bowed like that to each other.

We talked to Sister Im briefly. Sister Lee and I were both nervous to go--not sure what we could say or do. We said a few words, and she had to excuse herself to bow with her family. Other church members also attended--I hope she will find strength in the gospel right now.

Transfer calls are next Tuesday--I find out if I change companions, if I change areas. I don't think I'll move areas. Any changes that happen will take place next Thursday. So I'll let you know then.

Have a wonderful week!

--Carrie