A Special Day

I love being a missionary!

This week has been so amazing. On Tuesday, our sweet investigator invited Sister Gu and I, as well as President and Sister Christensen over for dinner. It was so great to spend time with all of them and we were able to get to know her better. Her son and daughter were both there, and I practiced teaching the 10 Commandments. it was just a great night.

 

Then on Friday, the elders had a baptism for their investigator 박정호 (pak jong ho). He decided pretty suddenly to get baptized, so we helped them make preparations for everything. I was able to pass off lesson 4 while we waited for the font to fill up! Woohoo! Members were really sweet and we had a pretty good turn out for such short notice. Even President Christensen came with his wife. They are such amazing people. I sang the song "Baptism" from the children's songbook but in Korean. And after practicing it almost once, it actually went surprisingly well. The bishop took us all to dinner afterwards, which made us late coming home but President said it was okay since he was sitting next to us as we ate. We had a seafood soup (that's the best description I can think of). The first thing I noticed was the tentacles sitting on top. But it was really good, and I found out afterwards that there was also oyster and squid in there with the octopus. But besides the chewy texture I really liked it.

 

Saturday was AMAZING! We spent a long time at the church making sure things were going well. The ward was so amazing. They helped fill up the font, they made a huge dinner for afterwards, and so many people came to support. When she arrived with her family, she was really nervous but so excited. Her daughter introduced us to her uncle and aunt who are members. Then we met our investigators husband and we were so happy! He isn't a member and said he wouldn't be able to come because he works really far away. But the night before he came home and surprised his family. He told her he couldn't miss her baptism. It was so sweet. He hasn't been taught by the missionaries but has started reading the Book of Mormon so we have really high hopes for him. The missionaries did a special musical number for her, and then she was baptized by her son. We made sure her husband had a front row seat. They are the sweetest people alive. I love them all so much. The spirit was so strong, and we were so happy. Afterwards, we all went upstairs where they had more food than any human could ever eat. We also got her a cheesecake and flowers, and brought them out complete with candles while we sang "Happy Baptism to you". She started crying as she blew out the candles and said she was so grateful for the love and support of the members. Both she and the elders investigator were confirmned on Sunday. Her husband came to church with her as well. Her testimony is so strong. She has such a desire to follow Christ and do what is right. I love her so much and she is such an example to me and other ward members already. Holy cow it has been such an incredible week.

 

We have been trying to visit a lot of less active members this week. It's been really fun to see them start opening up to us. One man asked us to stop inviting him to church but he still wanted us to come over. So we came, and he asked us to sing hymns while he played along with his harmonica. It was a really sweet way to invite the spirit into his home without making him feel too pressured. Another sister didn't want us in her home at all. But her husband invited us in. She brought us food but didn't really seem interested in talking. I asked if I could practice teaching her a short message, and taught her about eternal families. She slowly opened up and eventually came and sat by us on the couch. We ended up staying and talking for over an hour. Her husband had me translate the 4th verse of I am a Child of God into English for him. It was a really sweet visit.

 

I love it here in Korea. Life is so good. There are definitely challenges and hard days, but it doesn't matter as long as I am relying on the Lord. He loves his children no matter who they are. I am so grateful for this opportunity to teach and bring the gospel to the wonderful people here in Korea, Thank you for all the birthday wishes again. I love you all and Happy Thanksgiving!

 

-Sister Seegmiller

It really does look like a fish!

Picures- This is a fish snack, it's bread filled with red bean paste. Here is Elder Bennett, here are the cookies and a sweet member of our ward!

Another wonderful week

This week has been truly amazing. So to clarify, our investigators name is Son Hyuong Yon. That's the best I can do in English, even though Shawn's spelling came pretty close. She is progressing amazingly. And she is still on course to be baptized on Saturday. She is really excited. She has given up coffee which has made her a little alienated at work. It's been difficult for her to remain strong. So we decided to get her a tumbler (mug) and some of the good kind of tea so she can drink that instead. She started crying when she saw it and told us we were angels sent to her. We told her we thought the same thing about her. It was a really sweet experience. Her son was baptized in May and will be performing the baptism. He was able to go do baptisms for the dead last week which was really special. We could not be more excited and we will keep you posted.

 

A tender mercy this morning. Our alarm clock went off 30 min early. I reset it and said a prayer that I could wake up at 6:25 am in case the alarm didn't work. Well my companion said something in her sleep that woke me up. I had the impression to look at my watch and it said 6:25:02. Holy cow. It was a sweet testimony builder that the Lord does answer our prayers no matter how small. Also while writing this email, I found the earring that was lost last week. The Lord is truly looking out for me and it is so humbling!

 

The ward continues to be amazing. They feed us so well! We had dinner with five members this week, and our fridge is packed full of side dishes they continually prepare for us. Also,after almost 22 years of trying, 1 1/2 months in Korea has made me love onions. They are so delicious and we eat them pretty much in everything. We went to one restaurant where they provide you with aprons as you eat. Afterwards, the member looked at me and laughed while she said "You really needed that." Sigh. Some things never change. But it was really fun. Last night we ate with some members. We give out cookies to our ward members a lot, so they bought all the ingredients and asked me to make some at their home. Only they didn't have measuring cups or an oven. After dinner, they all gathered around to watch me mix everything together, as I through some stuff in a bowl and prayed they turned out semi-cookie like. They had a little portable oven type thing which worked pretty well. The tops got cooked while the middle was gooey but they loved it. I am sending a picture of them gathered around the stove. No one really bakes in Korea so they were fascinated by watching them go from dough to cookies. I found out another sweet ward member has the same birthday as me, and she worked as a physical therapist for years! We had a lot in common and it was just a really cool connection.

 

I was able to share the spiritual thought at English class this week. I showed a mormon message about expressions of love and then told them about eternal families. I said some words wrong, but the spirit was there. it was really cool. I still get nervous everytime I am asked to share my thoughts in Korean, but the Lord has blessed me so much. The Gift of tongues isn't always saying the right thing, but helping them feel the right thing. It's so cool to see. My Korean is slowly, SO SLOWLY improving. People are understanding slightly more of what I attempt to say. Understanding them still doesn't happen but that hasn't really mattered. Several times I've had confersations start because some older ladies walk up and start rubbing my jacket. (this has happened on different occassions, in different jackets, and I can't really understand why but it's been working) Another woman didn't want to speak to us and walked away. My companion and I began talking in English and she immediately ran back and asked to know more about who we were. At the grocery store, I taught a worker how to say Delicous in English, so she gave me a free orange and we were able to share a message. This happened about two minutes later with the lady giving out grape samples. The Lord is placing people in our path, and all we have to do is open our mouths. This week I decided to ask everyone for their numbers, if they wanted a Book of Mormon, and if we could meet again. You know those hundred scriptures that say "Ask and ye shall receive"? Well in about an hour we had given out 4 Book of Mormons, had one return appointment and 2 phone numbers. It was amazing! We also had a young boy come over and tell us his sister is a member of our church and he wanted to learn more. The Lord is preparing people, and it's amazing what they will do if we just invite them.

 

This week we also had a combined mission conference with the Seoul South mission. Elder Evans and Elder Whiting (spelling?) were both their. It was absolutely amazing. When our mission split in July, there were about 133 missionaries. Now there are about 150 in each mission. There are now over 83,000 missionaries all over the world. This work is progressing! In Jacob 5, they keep asking for more time for the vineyard. But in Jacob 5:61, they ask for more laborers. This missionary force is truly astounding. When Stuart goes on his mission there are going to be some incredible things going on, even more than now. I am so excited! It was an amazing conference and we were all so ready to get back out and preach the gospel.

 

This week was also stake conference. We sang with the YSA group in the Saturday session, and then attended theSunday session. We watched a broadcast made just for the saints of Korea. They turned off the sound and played the Korean translation (it was the General Relief society president, Elder Cook, and Elder Ballard so they all spoke English) but it was still really cool. They talked alot about families and how important it is to raise our children in the gospel. They said FHE, family prayer, and family scripture can make all the difference in the life of a child and the future of the family. (Shalisse- I loved hearing about your FHE stories!)  Thank you for the strength that you continue to give me! I love my family and am SOOO happy we can be together forever.

 

Life is so good here in Korea. I love being a missionary!! There are so many AMAZING people out there. Everyone we pass on the street is a child of God, and He wants them to return to Him. Seeing them like that definitely helps give us motivation to talk to everyone and give each of them our very best effort. I love this gospel with all my heart! The church is true. There is so much power in prayer, scripture study, attending church, and serving others. They seem so small but that's how the Lord brings about great things. have a wonderful week!

 

Love, Sister Seegmiller

Pretty Things

The pictures are me with Sister Lee, and then the beautiful view from our window!

Blessings & Miracles

So this week has been so amazing! It was transfers, but I am still in the same area with my trainer so not a lot has changed. We did get two more elders in our ward though so we now have 6 missionaries here. I was able to finish my midway language pass off on Monday, and then pass off teaching Lesson 3 on Saturday. So I am really happy. Sister Gu did some pass off with the AP's this week, so I was able to spend some time in the office. I saw Elder Bennett and he says hello. It's always fun to see a fellow St. Georgian.

 

We were able to attend the temple on Tuesday which was incredible!! So spiritual and such a nice reminder of what is truly important and why we are out here preaching the gospel in Korea. Sister Gu's mother was there on a temple trip so we saw her there as well which was really fun. Also, the sweet lady that tucked us in our first night we stayed in Korea was also there so it was fun to see her again. We had lunch with them, and then her mom helped me find some warm leggings and gloves. It was really sweet. Two sisters in our area received a winter coat that didn't fit them. So they gave it to me to try. Another miracle, it fits perfect. It is almost as if they had made it for me. It is black and long and super warm. I am so happy and very blessed. There was also a coat that was only $15 at a store nearby our home. So I had two winter coats purchased and dry cleaned for only $30. It was amazing. The weather became freezing overnight and will only be colder. But no worries mom, there are no problems. I am so sad to hear about the Philippines though! They will be in my prayers.

 

Our stake had a music night which was really fun. They have some incredible talent. They had people on the piano, the guitar, singing, and even a beat boxer which was probably my favorite. A sister from our ward and her husband who is not a member performed two traditional Korean songs. That was really cool to hear! He participates more in church activities and attends church more frequently than most of the members! She believes he will get baptized on his own time, and he is in our prayers.

 

So more miracles which have occured here. We decided that we wanted to go out and street contact because we hadn't talked to as many people as we wanted yet that week. Well it turns out that in the area we decided to go to, there were hundreds of students! They had a sort of field trip, and we were able to talk to almost 30 of them and pass out 4 Book of Mormons! The Lord truly blessed us and guided us where we needed to be. We had dinner with a bishopric member that night at a delicious restaurant. Afterwards we went to their home with a less active member. I was asked to give the spiritual thought. Afterwards Sister Gu came over and told me she was shocked! She said my Korean sounded fluent and it brought the spirit so strong, They all bore testimony and promised us they would pray and share the gospel with those around us. I had no clue that's what they were saying, but it was truly amazing. The gift of tongues doesn't always mean we speak perfectly, but they heard exactly what the spirit needed to tell them.

 

And for the greatest miracle of all, our investigator committed to be baptized on Nov. 23!!! Her name is 손홍연. She is so sweet but really busy and is only able to come to church on occassion. We decided to fast and pray for her to be able to attend church, be taught the lessons, and commit to baptism. The Lord answered our prayers in the best way! We were able to teach her with her daughter there. Her daughter is a member and she was able to testify of what we were teaching. The mother feels like baptism is right and started preparing herself long before she met us. She is exactly what the scriptures explain as those who the Lord has prepared. We are so incredibly happy for her and want to help her every step of the way. Oh my goodness this has been such an amazing week.

 

The Lord has blessed us so much and so frequently. It is incredibly humbling and yet empowering to see Him work through us to touch the lives of others. It is so true that we really don't do anything. The Lord does everything as long as we get out of the way and let Him do it. I love the people here in Korea! The ward is amazing and are becoming stronger everyday. The people on the street are so sweet. Even if they don't want to listen we are giving them the opportunity that they may accept in the future. Being a missionary is so incredible. It really isn't something you can explain. But I know that this is the true church of God on this earth. He loves everyone of His children and is preparing a way for every single one of them to hear the message of the restoration. I am so grateful for all he has done for me. I hope to repay it even in the smallest amount by serving with my whole heart. Oh my goodness the church is true! I love you all!

 

-Sister Seegmiller

Holy cow, one transfer almost complete! And I haven't even had to eat dog yet.

Time has seriously flown by! I cannot believe it has already been over a month in Korea. We have transfer calls on Wednesday and my first transfer will be Saturday! So crazy! I have no clue what will happen, but I love this area, my trainer, and our ward so I am hoping to stay at least another transfer. We shall see.

 

Last week was so great. We were able to do some grocery shopping at the biggest Costco I have ever seen. We went in and couldn't find food anywhere in the giant building. We asked and all the food was downstairs! It was HUGE!! Lots of the food is Korean style but there is also a lot of American food as well. I felt almost like I was back at home, which was really fun. We bought lots of food including muffins, crossaints, peanut butter, cereal.. Basically the essentials! :) Afterwards we ate a slice of the best pizza ever, which was made with Korean beef. Then we decided to head back to the Subway. We hadn't really thought that part through and since Costco was pretty far from our home, we had a long walk to the subway station, and then another long walk from the subway to our home. My arms were so sore afterwards. I even resorted to carrying the box on my head for awhile, which I'm sure gave a pretty good show. But we made it! We had a lot of comments afterwards from people in our neighborhood, so if nothing else we were able to peak there interest.

 

We had a 12 week follow-up meeting on Thursday. All of us new missionaries are in a 12 week program right now, which is basically a planned companionship study during your first 12 weeks. They focus on the fundamentals of missionary work and it's a really helpful program. It was really fun to see everyone from my MTC district again, especially Sister Ahn! President Christensen showed us a video about Christ and the lady at the well. He compared it to our 전 도 (street contacting) approach. It was really cool. He also said he knows how hard it is to meet people on the street. But never stop looking. He gave this comparison that was too good not to share. "It is a little boys birthday. A manure truck accidentally backs up and dumps pounds of manure all over his living room. When the little boy comes in, instead of being upset, he yells "With all this manure, there must be a pony around here somewhere!"' Don't worry, he isn't comparing the people to manure and ponies. But we really need to just stay positive and believe that someone out there is ready to listen and we just need to find them. Keeping an eternal perspective is critical.

 

We have started to street contact seperately on occasion in order to reach more people. We are always near eachother of course, but at stoplights and things we are able to talk to more people if we split up. Those poor people that have to listen to me. However, I have had some really extensive conversations on the street with people about their families and the Book of Mormon. I talked to 3 people in the time my companion talked to 11, but it was so cool! I honestly probably understood 5 words they said during our conversation, but apparently faked it well enough to keep them talking. It's been really fun and slowly but surely a few more words are starting to make sense. There was a missionary for another church on the corner. I didn't realize she was from another church until we started talking. She handed me the wipes they had with their church name on it, and I gave her a mormon.org card. It was actually a really fun conversation and exchange. I was able to meet an American who is here teaching English. She is about to go back to the states. I told her about the Book of Mormon. She has heard of our church before. So I gave her the pass-along cards from the states with the phone number to call for a free Book of Mormon. She seemed really interested, so hopefully she follows through with that when she gets home. There are so many tender mercies out here. Even though many of the people aren't ready to learn yet, we are definitely making an impression and softening hearts.

 

We had a Halloween party on Saturday. It was a combined ward activity. We decorated our room with spiders made out of straws, trash bags, and newspaper. We were worried our room would be lame, but it ended up looking really cool. We got some really strange looks while we carried those spiders across town to get to the church though. There were lots of little kids who came, and we had a haunted house and also some games for them. I was in charge of one game. It isn't easy to be a referee while little kids are running around and you have no idea how to tell them to line up, they keep coming over to complain but you don't understand a single word, and sneaky kids keep trying to steal the supplies. But I managed somehow and had so much fun! The kids are absolutely adorable! Oh man I just love them.

 

Cool story, today we are actually meeting with Jenny Lee, a woman Shalynne met back in Utah and referred to us. I will have more information about it in my next email, but this world really is so small. Especially where the church is concerned. The Lord knows exactly where His children are, and where we need to be. We are also going to be able to attend the Seoul Temple tomorrow morning. I am so excited!

 

The work is moving forward here in Korea. Sometimes we don't realize it but it definitely is. My companion often points out progression in my language that I don't always realize, which is really nice. The Lord is looking out for us. We must learn patience and humility. This work cannot progress without His help. But with His help, it can't be stopped!!! I know without a doubt that this is His true church. He is our loving Heavenly Father and wants ALL His children to return to Him. I am so grateful to be a part of this work. Keep doing the great things at home as well. I love you all so much!

 

-Love, Sister Seegmiller

Oh, and I have never eaten or been offered dog, just so you all know.