There is so much to say and so little time! First off, sorry I forgot my to bring my camera to write emails so pictures will have to wait. Second, it was harder to leave the MTC than we expected. Three of our elders are serving in Australia, so we had a few tearful goodbyes our last night. We packed and got no sleep because I was helping Sister Berry get her luggage down to the right weight. But that's okay, service is the best! We met at the travel office at 3:30 am and left for the airport! I was able to call home for a short time, and it was fun to talk to all of you. The flight to Detroit was amazing! I sat by the sweetest lady named Lisa. We talked about her life and her family and she really didn't seem interested in the gospel. Then after about an hour, she asked if she could show me her Bible. We looked through it, and then I asked if I could show her mine. She read the Intro to the Book of Mormon, and also Moroni 10:3-5. She told me her favorite book in the Bible was James because it seemed to speak to her personally. It was the PERFECT intro to Joseph Smith and the first vision. I was able to teach her all about eternal families, our modern day prophet, Joseph Smith, our beliefs, and all about the Book of Mormon. She said she wanted to check one out from her library, so I gave her a pass-along card and told her she could have one of her own. We talked until we had to go to different terminals. It was incredible!!! The Lord was absolutely there helping me along. He prompted me to say things that never would have come into my head otherwise. I really hope she decides to join. Holy cow, this church is true!
We were able to call home in Detroit and that was really fun talking to all of you. It's weird, because I thought I would get super emotional when I heard your voices. But instead it was as if the spirit was telling me that even though I love you, I know Korea is where the Lord needs me right now. I loved hearing all your stories and you are all so great. Missionary work on the plane didn't go quite as well. I was excited to sit next to the man that I though was Korean. I sat down, said, "Hello!" (in Korean) He just looked at me and said "Nee-how!" Which is hello in Japanese. Needless to say, there wasn't much talking. But I did help him plug in some headphones, and he shared some of his nuts that he was snacking on. So it was good. Korean Air treats you so well, and the food was delicious! Russia looks really cool from the air! We landed safely in Korea, and our mission president was there to pick us up. Dad, Elder Kafusi was also there and is impossible to miss. He towers above everyone and is the nicest elder. I told him hello just for you. We rode to the Seoul temple in the coolest bus I've ever seen, and then stayed the night at the housing there. They gave us a few snacks, and I was able to see Elder Bennett. That was super fun to see a familiar face in a foreign country. Our first full-day there, they had us go out and proselyte in an area they compared to Time Square in New York. It was really big and super busy. They gave us about 2 1/2 hours and 2 BOM and 20 pass-along cards. We really have to clue what we are saying, but we were able to give everything away and also got three phone numbers for return visits. It was SOOOO amazing! Before giving away our last Book of Mormon, we prayed that the Lord would provide us with someone to give it to. About 5 minutes later, a man came over asking about our tags. He wanted to practice English and spoke to us for a long time. He asked if he could have the Book of Mormon and gave us his number. He knew all about Joseph Smith from some friends. It will be interesting to see what happens with him. In the streets, we are not allowed to talk to men unless they talk to us first. (that is a mission rule, not a culture thing. I think it's more for safety than anything) We will pretty much only teach sisters.
I have now taken the Subway, rode in a taxi, and rode on the public bus. Pretty much everywhere is just city, and they have a wonderful public transportation system. Sephonnie, I think you would like it here alot. We were assigned our new companions, and mine is Sister Goo-Soo-Mi (that's how you would pronounce it in English). She is from Pusan and I was SOO happy to get a Korean companion. She is studying English education so we can communicate really well. We are serving in the Do-Bong area, and we are opening the area to sisters so there is a lot of work to do. A member fed us on our first night here and the food was delicious! We met the ward mission leader yesterday and he is going to be such a great help. He challenged us to pass off everything in our books, and memorize all the members names as soon as possible. Building a relationship with members is KEY in missionary work. We bore our testimonies in Sacrament meeting and introduced ourselves. (next week will be general conference because it takes a week to get everything translated) The ward was really welcoming and talked to us a lot, even though I have no clue what they said. They all wrote down their names for me, since that's pretty much the only thing I knew how to say. The ward is pretty small, and about 80% is inactive. There is a lot to do but we are excited for the challenge! Yesterday, a ward member passed away so we went later that day to help make dinner. They served us black noodles, which are noodles with a black sauce on it. I made the mistake of asking what was in the sauce, and the best description they could come up with was slimy sea creature, who is sometimes on spongebob. I think its best not to ask anymore and just eat. But the food is all delicious and the members want us to eat all that we can.
We live on the 12th floor in our apartment building, which is pretty common around here. All the buildings are super tall and not very big at the base. Today, we went to get our foreigner cards and were able to see a lot of the other missionaries which was really fun. We don't have any investigators since the area is new to sisters, but we are trying hard to build relationships with the ward and get referrals. Proselyting is hard, especially with the language barrier, but it shows the Lord that we are trying. I am trying hard to learn the language so I can help with conversations and lessons when we are able to teach. But I know that I must be patient and just keep doing my best. The Lord wants me to learn humility and I have never needed it more than right now. This work is truly incredible. My mission president and his wife, all the missionaries, and the ward members are so incredible!! They all have the desire to see this work progress and I am so grateful for the opportunity to help with that. The Lord is looking out for us here. He loves his children, and we are trying hard to find those that he has prepared. I love you all. Wish me luck! You are always in my prayers, and keep looking for your own missionary experiences everyday.
-Sister Seegmiller
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