Letter from 22 April 2009

Hello!

It's been a good week. Maybe I'll work backwards.

Yesterday we had a zone conference--a long meeting, filled with good things and lots of things to do better. Life is a work in progress. Goodness. A member took us out to dinner, and we had a lesson with Song Bo mi, the middle school student who just got baptized. We talked about the temples, and she listened so closely, looked at pictures, asked questions. It is amazing meeting with her. On the subway on the way home, we ended up talking with a woman who attended the Church and read the Book of Mormon when she was in college--fifty years ago. It was really extraordinary. The Church had just come to Korea fifty years ago--it was so small. She must have seen a really neat time.

Meeting with her, I wondered what I usually wonder seeing or meeting with older people--what they have seen. Korea has changed so dramatically in the last fifty years since the war. I want to hear their stories, their memories. See what they can see when they think back.

Tuesday we jumped rope for exercise and met with Kwak Kyon Jin, who lives upstairs in a two level house, and has to wave an umbrella in front of the dog chained at the bottom of the stairs to distract him so we can go up.

Monday an investigator fed us bi bim bap and her husband figured out his friend knows my companion, Sister Bang. His friend is a stake president.

Sunday we did a companion exchange, and I went to Kangdong ward for the first time. A woman who showed up at English class on Saturday asked me to correct an essay for her, and said she'd come to church so we could look it over on Sunday. She came and sat in another room during the meeting, working on her essay.

Saturday there were only two people at English class. We met a member--a high school student--and practiced English and did a gospel lesson at the church. There was a ward activity going on later that night, and half the ward primary children came in in a herd, and we talked to all of them about how Joseph Smith restored Christ's gospel.

Friday I didn't write in my journal.

Thrusday--preparation day--Sister Bang and I found an art museum on a map. We went, and it turned out they had a special Gustav Klimpt exhibit. I had wanted to see it--I had seen it advertized--so I was really excited. We also got hearded into some opening event where they were serving a buffet. A nice buffet. Catered. Sister Bang asked a few times--are you sure we can eat?

Yes, yes, they said. Enjoy.

I love you all!

--Carrie

Letter from 15 April 2009

A few lessons this week.

Last week I had met with a new investigator along with a member--Sister Bang was busy helping get ready for the baptism service. We met, I introduced the 30/30 English program, we introduced ourselves in English, introduced the Book of Mormon, and set a next appointment.

Especially with the English program, I've felt like in the first meeting, we need to do what we say we're offering. We say we'll do English then teach about our church. I've felt like, when we first meet people, if we don't do English and teach about our church (what's promised), they will feel like we're wasting their time.

This investigator, though, dropped by the next week. Sister Bang was making phonecalls the day of the drop, and when she hung up, she looked at me and said, "you didn't do anything to build the relationship, did you?"

We had talked about it before--we had had a dinner appointment, and practiced a lesson for it, then practiced asking the people if they knew anyone else we could teach. At the appointment, though, there were lots of people, we weren't sure when we would leave because someone was giving us a ride...and the gospel message ended up just a card with a scripture on it Sister Bang slipped to the hostess and a "thank you."

After the two experiences--especially the "you didn't..." experience, I'm thinking my idea of meeting expectations and showing people they can trust us is maybe culturally different. I'll keep working on figuring it out. But I wish I had a Korean mind--things would be more effective, I think.

Another lesson from Sister Bang this week: eye cream. It started the day I looked in the mirror and said, "well, that one's new," looking at some of the lines around my eyes. Sister Bang found out I didn't use eye cream. She let me borrow hers (and followed up nightly to see that I used it) until the two of us could go to the store and I could get my own. Eye cream is expensive. I wondered what on earth I was doing, but then told myself the price was in won, it must not really be that much...

Have a wonderful week!

--Carrie

Letter from 8 April 2009

Hello!!

We had a baptism this week! Shin Dong oon, her neice and nephew Hyun jeong and Su hyun, and the family friend, Song Bo mi all got baptized and confirmed last weekend.

Two of the baptisimal interviews were done earlier, and then the two girls, Hyun jeong and Bo mi, got interviewed just the night before (Korean students are super, super busy--always at school or hak won--a private academy--studying). The girls went in one at a time, and as we waited, we did a short lesson with the one not being interviewed.

And then we just talked. Hyun jeong told me about the founding story of Korea. A bear and a tiger wanted to become human, so they talked to the son of heaven (I think), who told them to go to a cave and eat only garlic and mugroot for one hundred days. They tiger gave up on the ninety-ninth day. But the bear became a woman, and married the son of heaven. And that's how Korea was begun.

Later in the week, we were leaving one of the huge apartment buildings after meeting with a woman for English practice then a gospel lesson. A church member, Pak Yeong mi, had come with us, and as we were leaving, she pointed to some of the plants that are beginning to sprout with spring. She bent down and picked a green leaf and handed it to me, explaining that you could eat it. It was mugroot--쑥.

The baptism was on Saturday. The four are the first ones I have seen from the first lesson to baptism. That night Sister Bang and I did a companion exchange so she could help them get ready and a member--Kim Jeong sook--and I met with a new investigator. When Kim Jeong sook and I finished, we went into the hall and I saw Su hyeon dressed in white...it was a really impressive feeling.

I had a lot of feelings that night--I didn't quite expect to. I was happy and excited for them. And relieved. And really worried. Worried about them understanding what we taught, what they were promising with baptism.

They were confirmed the following Sunday in church. Shin Dong oon lead the line of four up to the front of the chapel, and sat down first to be confirmed. She looked really resolute as she walked up. She is in her thirties, really small, and each time we meet with her I think she is more beautiful. I was just impressed with her. And her courage.

I hope you all have a wonderful week!

Love,

Carrie

Letter from 2 April 2009

Hello!

Another good week--I hope for all of you, too.

On Saturday, we had a marathon lesson with Shin Dong oon and her neice and nephew. We've been meeting them for maybe two months now, but had a good chunk of material to cover in one night so that they could be interviewed for baptism on Sunday. Sunday we went to their house with two of the elders, and waited as Shin Dong oon and her nephew were interviewed (her neice will be later this week).

I worry a bit about how much they understand about what we taught. I worry that maybe they don't understand with baptism, they're making a promise about how they are going to live...that it's not just an action that happens once and is over. I have been learning a lot about baptism over the past few years and especially past few months, and I guess...realizing I understand it a bit better I'm also realizing there's a lot I don't understand. And that not understanding is okay as long as we keep learning.

We had a similar lesson on Friday with Song Bo mi (not Song Bom ee like we thought), who is going with this group to Fiji, and also anxious to get baptized. We met along with a church member, Kim Hyon jin. She's two years younger than I am and thinking about going on a mission. She is beautiful, studies law at university, always brings bread or a treat when she comes and teaches with us. She wants to serve at Temple Square in Salt Lake if she goes--but if she goes or not, she's a missionary.

A wonderful one. Sunday we had an activity with the ward and some members came and talked to people on the street with us. I grabbed her and got her to come with me. Her enthusiasm was a lot of fun--handing pamphlet after pamphlet to people who would stand still long enough for her to talk to them. And on Friday after that lesson, Sister Bang and I were walking back to the subway, Kim Hyon Jin to the bus. Chatting--mostly her and Sister Bang. And when we were parting ways, she grabbed my arm and said something about getting some dok to eat. We had to get back to our apartment by 9:30.

But I would have liked to.