So close!!

Well, this week has been awesome. I received a dearelder from Mike and Joy which was a really nice suprise. A few things, does anyone have Jade Schaefer's (she's married now and I can't remember her last name) contact info? I would love to write to her. My p-day will probably by on Monday in the field, so please don't worry if you do not receive an email before that. Also, with calling home, I can call from Salt Lake or from Detroit. One will be very early (between 4-7 am) and the other would be sometime in the afternoon (1:01- 3:55 pm Detroit time). I can't make very many calls, and was just planning on calling the home phone and then maybe using speaker or 3-way somehow. But it uses minutes just to dial so I need someone to answer when I call. I am planning on probably calling in the afternoon, but am not sure yet. If there is a time or a phone that would work better, or a time that will not work at all, please write me a dearelder early today so I know. Otherwise, PLEASE answer and I look forward to hearing from you! Also, if you all would like to look for missionary moments during your week, and share those each email that would be awesome. Teaching children and changing diapers count. But I encourage everyone to look for those moments to share the gospel in any way, and then share.

As far as the broadcast goes, we will be singing tomorrow!! AAH I'm so excited. Rehearsals are amazing. It is so spiritual, and we have members of the general relief society board there every day. Just so you know, I will be wearing a purple shirt and I will be the only sister with her hair up. It was far more of a process than I expected, and I had to get approval from the MTC Relief society presidency and the general relief society board, but they finally agreed. So I will be up there sporting my famous bun for the world! I'm actually happy about it, because there are so many girls out there who may not fit the 'ideal' form of beauty. They think they aren't skinny enough, tall enough, short enough, don't have enough hair, etc. But I'm happy to say that none of that matters and the Lord loves us all despite what we see as imperfections. He made us, and we are all perfect to Hime! I also have a request for the females (and males if they so desire) that while the choir is singing, please listen to the words of the songs that we sing. They have brought me to tears more than a few times, and they are really powerful. So If you could, please listen close and let the spirit touch your hearts as it has mine. 

So many wonderful things have happened this week. We listened to a talk by Elder Holland called "A Time Such As This". He talked about the prophets of the past who all saw our day. They also saw their day and knew that the gospel would be taken, yet they were righteous and kept records anyway. The difference from then and now, is that the gospel willl never again be taken. This is not an uphill battle. The kingdom of God will roll forth with power and great glory and everything we do can help build that kingdom. And our efforts will never, EVER go to waste even if they seem small. It was incredible! Then on Tuesday, Don R. Clarke of the Seventy spoke to us about effective missionary work. He talked about finding families, and making that a constant goal in our efforts. We want to see families sealed in the temples so they can be together forever! He also stressed becoming a missionary and not just going on a mission. It would be so easy to serve a mission. To sit in class, to give half-hearted respsonses, and then serve the Lord with part of your heart. But that is not what the Lord wants. As a missionary, every second is devoted to Him. The word "I" cannot exist. A scripture which I absolutely love is Alma 26:12. It is so true!! Through the Lord, all things are possible, even learning Korean and using chopsticks. It isn't always easy, in fact this is already the hardest thing I've ever done- emotionally and spiritually, but also the most rewarding and we haven't made it to the field yet. 

I love everyone in my zone, and especially my district. They are all so giving and loving and we have become so close. Most of us are going to be serving in Seoul, but with a few of the elders there will some tearful goodbyes on Sunday night. It's crazy how close we have all become in the past few months and I know we will be friends forever. In our zone we have people who go to Harvard, Yale, Stanford, and MIT. Many of them already speak at least one other language if not more. One had a dad who was a spy who has now retired. Another earned a perfect score on his ACT and received the Monson Scholarship at BYU! I could go on and on, but you get the picture. I don't say this to brag, but to show how incredible the people I am serving with are. They have said many times that the Lord often calls his finest to Korea. I see that so much in those around me. It is so humbling to see all the things they have accomplished, and the humility and spirit that they have with them. I am still trying to figure out how in the world I am fortunate enough to be here with all of them, but the Lord has truly blessed me. There is so much to learn and I cannot wait to continue figuring out what the Lord has in store. 

Another awesome scripture passage I was reading is 1 Nephi 13:12-19, talking about the colonizing of America. It says several times that the Lord was on their side. I was thinking about history class in high school, and they always said that by all accounts America should not have won the war. They were out manned, out armed, out skilled, they had absolutely nothing going for them except their faith in God and determination to fight for a good cause. That is EXACTLY what we are doing now! The members of the church are far outnumbered, we may seem out matched or unskilled at times, but they Lord is on our side. And with God on our side, WE CANNOT FAIL!! Even if it seems like things are so hard we cannot make it another day. If it seems like only failure lies in our future. When it seems like all our resources are gone and we have nothing left to give. When it seems like there is no way out, There is ALWAYS a way out. The Lord will move mountains for us if necessary. All we have to do is remain faithful to Him and keep fighting the fight! I promise that this is true. He loves us soooo much and wants to bless us. He also wants us to bless those around us, and then it is just a huge blessing feast!! 

I love being a missionary. It is so surreal that we leave in three days for Korea, and that this time next week I will be immersed in the work of the Lord in a way that I have not yet had the opportunity. I know it will be hard, I know that I will struggle and frustrations will come. But I just want to stand up and yell BRING IT ON!! I know that this is exactly what the Lord wants me to be doing. I know that he loves me and is watching out for His missionaries, and their families. The adversary is always there, but he only has the power I allow Him to have. The Lord is my strength. If I lean on Him, I cannot fail. He has promised this many times in the scriptures. He loves His children, so much so that He is sending thousands of people just like me to preach the word. We are all unqualified, but thankfully none of that matters. He does not call the qualified, he qualifies the ones he calls. There is so much comfort in this. He knows me personally. He loves me, and is sending me to succeed in Korea. Whatever that 'success' is will be determined on His terms. This is the true gospel of Jesus Christ!! We can return to live with Him again. How incredible is that?? I love you all so much! Thank you for everything, and wish me luck! 

-Sister Seegmiller

p.s. this will be my new address for my mission. Please do not send anything else to the MTC or I will not receive it. Thanks so much!

Packages

Sister Shanelle Seegmiller

The Church of Jesus Crhist of Latter Day Saints

Korea Seoul Mission

Samcheong-no 9 gil 45

Jongno-gu

Seoul-si

South Korea   110-230

Letters

Sister Shanelle Seegmiller

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints

Korea Seoul Mission

Gwanghwamun PO Box 210

Seoul-si

South Korea   110-602