Hello!
Today was temple day. I always think about family in the temple. The next time I go I will be there with my parents--I'm so excited! The last week or so I've felt a longing for my family like I've never felt on my mission--even at the beginning. It makes me think about our heavenly home, also. How after this life, we return to our Heavely Father. This last weekend, Elder Oaks of the Quorum of the Twelve visited Seoul. We went with some less active members to a fireside where he spoke. His wife spoke before him. And Sister Oaks said something I really liked. She said sometimes we feel longings for closeness, for goodness; feelings of sadness or similar feelings. She said those things help us remember that we don't belong here. They help us remember that we are celestial beings, living in a fallen world. This isn't our home.
There were more church members than I have ever seen in one place gathered at the fireside. It was a neat experience. And there were members from every area I've served in. One especially neat experience: I saw Jae hyun. She's a young woman from my first area. My...maybe third or forth month in Korea, my companion, Sister Bang, and I would meet with her. She was preparing to take the big high school graduation exam, and to take the TOFEL English test to be able to go study abroad. She's the only church member in her family. Sister Bang offered that we could do the 30-30 program with her--help her with English, and then share a gospel message.
I remember that Sister Bang and I often walked away from those appointments a little disappointed. Jae hyun had been spending her time studying comic books instead of for the exams she wanted to pass so badly. And then she got a part time job that meant she would have to work on Sunday--making going to church difficult. She talked about how she wanted her testimony of the gospel to grow. I talked about how God doesn't move--but we can get closer or farther away from Him, holding up my fingers to show the variable distance--and asked her, for one week, to pray and read the scriptures every day. The next week we met, and she hadn't done it.
That was a year ago. Then, on Sunday night, in the crowd of people, there was a familiar face. "Sister Gold! Guess what! I'm going to college!" She was so excited she could hardly stand it. She got in to a school just outside of Seoul. She'll live in the dorms. Maybe go to church twice a month there, and twice a month at her home ward in Seoul. She talked to me, gave me her address, and then held her fingers just like I had when I told her about how we can be nearer or farther from God. I had forgotten that I had done that. All of a sudden I remembered how urgently I had wanted her to understand that, how I had so little Korean to communicate it, how I wanted her to know and to make choices that would make her happy.
I had forgotten, but she remembered. It was so amazing to see her.
And always more amazing experiences ahead.
With lots of love,
Carrie
Today was temple day. I always think about family in the temple. The next time I go I will be there with my parents--I'm so excited! The last week or so I've felt a longing for my family like I've never felt on my mission--even at the beginning. It makes me think about our heavenly home, also. How after this life, we return to our Heavely Father. This last weekend, Elder Oaks of the Quorum of the Twelve visited Seoul. We went with some less active members to a fireside where he spoke. His wife spoke before him. And Sister Oaks said something I really liked. She said sometimes we feel longings for closeness, for goodness; feelings of sadness or similar feelings. She said those things help us remember that we don't belong here. They help us remember that we are celestial beings, living in a fallen world. This isn't our home.
There were more church members than I have ever seen in one place gathered at the fireside. It was a neat experience. And there were members from every area I've served in. One especially neat experience: I saw Jae hyun. She's a young woman from my first area. My...maybe third or forth month in Korea, my companion, Sister Bang, and I would meet with her. She was preparing to take the big high school graduation exam, and to take the TOFEL English test to be able to go study abroad. She's the only church member in her family. Sister Bang offered that we could do the 30-30 program with her--help her with English, and then share a gospel message.
I remember that Sister Bang and I often walked away from those appointments a little disappointed. Jae hyun had been spending her time studying comic books instead of for the exams she wanted to pass so badly. And then she got a part time job that meant she would have to work on Sunday--making going to church difficult. She talked about how she wanted her testimony of the gospel to grow. I talked about how God doesn't move--but we can get closer or farther away from Him, holding up my fingers to show the variable distance--and asked her, for one week, to pray and read the scriptures every day. The next week we met, and she hadn't done it.
That was a year ago. Then, on Sunday night, in the crowd of people, there was a familiar face. "Sister Gold! Guess what! I'm going to college!" She was so excited she could hardly stand it. She got in to a school just outside of Seoul. She'll live in the dorms. Maybe go to church twice a month there, and twice a month at her home ward in Seoul. She talked to me, gave me her address, and then held her fingers just like I had when I told her about how we can be nearer or farther from God. I had forgotten that I had done that. All of a sudden I remembered how urgently I had wanted her to understand that, how I had so little Korean to communicate it, how I wanted her to know and to make choices that would make her happy.
I had forgotten, but she remembered. It was so amazing to see her.
And always more amazing experiences ahead.
With lots of love,
Carrie
No comments:
Post a Comment