A Korean Christmas Tree Looks Almost the Same...

Mom wanted to see some Christmas decorations, which are pretty rare but we found this tree in a subway station. And Stuart's birthday picture!

Transfer #2- almost complete

Well this has been a really good week. Sister Gu was really not doing well, so we were at home most of the time. She was basically put on house arrest for three days. While we weren't thrilled about this, it allowed for many hours of wonderful study time. I was able to work on teaching the lessons, vocabulary, read scriptures and the conference ensign. (which is absolutely incredible! If you haven't started reading it, I highly recommend it. So good!) Having time like that to just study for hours and hours really never happens on a mission. So it was almost like a blessing in disguise. Thankfully Sister Gu is doing much better now so we can really go out and work hard, but I am grateful for those hours of study where the Lord was able to help guide me and strengthen my testimony that He really is there.

 

We had a really neat experience this week. We were invited to come sing at another religion's Christmas party. They had a little show where many of there members went up and sang. They had some very talented performers, and everyone was so nice. Their church is more of the "STAND UP AND PRAISE THE LORD!" kind of church, so even the hymns they sang were a little more upbeat than usual. Everyone clapped and cheered when the song was done and it was great. As it came closer to our turn, I said a prayer. I didn't want to compete with their talent, I didn't want them to think how great we were or how much fun we had on stage. I asked Heavenly Father that as we sang, simply that they would be able to feel the spirit. I just wanted them to know that we had something different about us and for them to feel and know that as we sang. We chose to sing Silent Night, which had already been performed ealier. I started out by myself and the elders came in a little later. Sister Gu started playing and people were chatting a little in the audience. I sang the first few words, and instantly a hush filled the room. Everyone was silent, and a few were in tears. The Spirit filled the room stronger than I have felt yet on my mission. It was difficult to finish the song but we were able to without getting choked up with emotion. As we finished, a few people clapped but it just didn't feel right. There was a reverance there, and they didn't want to disturb it. The host stood up and said "As you sang, I could feel something. And it felt really warm, and really good." He then turned to everyone, a little confused, and asked if they felt it to. They all said that they had. Then he turned to me in the audience and said, "Sister Seegmiller, I think that you have a gift." I wanted so badly to stand up and say, "Yes you're right, and if you give me a few minutes I can teach you all about how you can have it too!!" But that would have been highly disrespectful in their faith's service meeting so I just said thank you. It was an incredible experience and I am so grateful for the spirit that we have in our church, the true church. They loved Christ and followed Him in the way that they knew how. However, it was heartbreaking because we know exactly how to do it if they would just listen. It was a wonderful meeting, they were wonderful people. And while we weren't able to bear our testimonies in words, they could defnitely feel it through song.

 

In other news, I will be transferred on Wednesday to 신당 and I will have another Korean companion which I am so happy about! She came to Korea the same time I did, so we will be co-senior companions. We are opening the area as a second set of sisters. It is the area where President, the AP's, and the office elders all work so that should be really fun! I'm super excited, and a little nervous but mostly excited. Other missionaries have said that it is within their 3rd and 4th transfer where they start understanding people, so fingers crossed!! This means I will be leaving our investigator, but I know she is in great hands with Sister Gu and her new companion.

 

That's about it. Life has been going so good, I love it here in Korea. We have had a lot of snow and it's super cold, but thanks to our winter gear it hasn't been bad. I am so thankful for the opportunity to serve here. The people are so wonderful, members and nonmembers. I love them and am trying my best to help invite them to follow Christ. The Lord answers our prayers, I know that with all my heart. The church is true! I love you all! Have a great week!

 

-Sister Seegmiller

A New 'Do!!

A week of miracles!

So this week was really amazing. We did exchanges so I was able to serve in a different area for 24 hours! It was really good to see how other missionaries spend their day, and the area was super different so that was fun to see as well. We were able to teach a lady who is doing the Family English Program. We teach English for 30 min and then do a gospel lesson for 30 min. She is so determined to learn English. She has no fear speaking and making mistakes, and has progressed remarkably fast. Her gospel interest is also growing, and we were able to have a really good discussion. I hope she continues to progress in every area.

 

A huge, unexpected, and wonderful miracle this week is that we have a new investigator. And not only a new investigator, but she wants to be baptized on Dec. 29!!! We are so excited. Her name is 임지혜. She is so sweet and she is a student, probably around 15-16 years old. We were invited to a member's home for dinner on Saturday. They are not really strong in the church, so we planned to share a gospel message with them. When we arrived, their daughter had invited her nonmember friend to eat with us. Then we asked if I could practice my Korean and teach her a lesson. This turned into a teaching in unity practice, and at the end she agreed to be baptized!! They came to church yesterday and we were able to teach her lesson 2. She agreed to read the Book of Mormon and pray about it. It's honestly a miracle, and we are so grateful for the members! It has strengthened my testimony so much in the power of member referrals. When missionaries can teach a lesson with a member friend by their side, it adds so much power. It is an added witness, and they are able to have support when the missionaries leave. It is incredible to see the difference between lessons with and without members there. There really is no comparison. If you ever have the opportunity (and pray for opportunities!! they will come) refer your friends to the missionaries and then be there to help with lessons. Oh my goodness, it's so amazing when members are able to do that.

 

I had another very tender moment this week where the Lord confirmed to me that I was exactly where He wanted me to be. Occasionally I find myself getting frustrated with the language, and think "If I could just do this in English I would know exactly what to do. I could discern their needs, I could say the right things, I could explain better, etc." But this week my companion and I were doing a role play of inviting someone to be baptized, and helping them resolve their concerns. I did it in English first, and my companion said it seemed like I was knowledgeable but not totally sincere. The spirit just wasn't there. So then we tried in Korean. I had to think very hard of what to say, and really tried to understand what she was saying to me. I started to bear my testimony that God loves us, and my companion started to cry. The spirit filled the room and we just sat there staring at each other in tears. The Lord confirmed that I was called to preach His gospel in Korean in HIS way, not mine. I realized in my thoughts about English, I knew what to say, I knew what to do, I, I, I, I... However, I was not called to preach my gospel. I am called to preach His gospel. And it became more clear than ever that  He knows me perfectly and He called me here for a reason. I am totally dependant on Him, and if I can remember that we will continue to see miracles. It was amazing.

 

In other news, and since several of you mentioned my hair...for the first time since 4th grade... I CUT MY HAIR!! It wasn't planned, but we were visiting our relief society president at work. She is a hair stylist and was really busy. But then everyone left and she had a break, so my head was the next target! I was terrified but excited at the same time. I generally still pull it back, and it's usually curly and crazy, but the day she did it it was smooth and straight. So here is a picture of your new missionary! The Relief society president told me I walked in looking like a little girl, and left looking like a woman. So I think thats good. My plan is to grow it out for the rest of my mission, so we'll see how that goes.

 

That just about sums up my week, It has been amazing, and filled with tender mercies and also major miracles. I am so grateful to be serving here in Korea! This is a wonderful place, with wonderful people. And the Lord is working miracles here as well as at home. The church is true! It is changing lives. I know that with all my heart. I love you all! Have a wonderful week!

 

-Love, Sister Seegmiller

Happy Birthdaysgiving!

2 months in Korea!

I can't believe I have already been in Korea for 2 months. Where has the time gone?? It's crazy. Sister Gu has been feeling really sick this week, so we haven't been able to do a lot of street contacting. But we did a lot at home and got things ready that we needed. We were able to go to the temple on Tuesday. This was absolutely amazing as always. And in this small world, I saw my MTC companions brother there! He was there to meet his girlfriend's family. It was really fun.

 

The big focus this week was pass-off, or language progression program. I passed off with the zone leaders, and was able to meet with the AP's on Thursday. I passed off with Elder Kaufusi and thank goodness, he signed my book and I am officially a certified teacher in Korean! I wish my understanding followed my speaking, but that's okay. I am able to teach the lessons simply and that's what matters. The picture included is our celebration photo for pass off! The Elders in the office were super nice and prepared a birthday gift for me. They gave me candy, pass along cards, a "buy 9 dozen donuts get 1 dozen free" card, and a mini Korean Preach My Gospel, which I love!! I also got a unicorn that says 4 phrases so that was a nice touch. Because I met the ward mission leaders challenge to pass off in two months, I showed him the book on Sunday and asked if he had referrals for us. I think it caught him off guard, but he said he will work on it so we are happy.

 

The wonderful people here worked hard to make my birthday special. Sister Gu woke me up to a kimbab cake (which is kind of like sushi, only a lot better). Then the elders gave me my gift at pass off. Then a ward member took us out to get pizza, and she got us the best kind. Meaning it had squid, shrimp, crab, oyster, and all sorts of sea creatures. She also gave me a beautiful pearl necklace with matching bracelet. She is the sweetest lady ever. Then another ward member invited us over for dinner. His wife and I have the same birthday, so I bought her some fuzzy socks as a gift. We had dinner with her brother and sister-in-law, who are not members. They bought us a cake and we were able to blow out the candles together. We had so much fun and were able to share a gospel message with the family. When we returned home, a sister in our ward delivered a cake from the elders in my district. They texted the ward members to let them know it was my birthday, and I got sweet phone calls and messages throughout the day from the sweet members and missionaries. It was really an amazing day, and I felt so loved.

 

Thanksgiving isn't a holiday in Korea, but my zone was able to go to Camp Casey, the US Army Base, on Friday for a Thanksgiving feast. I have never been to a base before, so that was really fun. It felt like I was back in America which was super weird. I recognized all the businesses, and I understood every word that was said! They were speaking English of course, but it was still nice. We aren't allowed on the base without a host, and our host was a sweet lady named Lisa. She is a newlywed, and recent convert to the change. She was so fun to talk to and just a great person all around. The dinner was amazing!! It was weird stuffing ourselves with American food again, but all the Korean missionaries loved it too. They gave us tons of food to take home, including an entire pumpkin pie which we have thoroughly enjoyed. We were able to talk to the soldiers there and hear all their stories. The man next to us had been there for a year. His family is back in the US, but he was able to go home for good in 11 days and couldn't have been more excited to see his family. They were all amazing, and I have so much respect for the people there. They were really kind to invite us to their dinner. The ward there is awesome, and does member missionary work better than most wards anywhere. They are constantly inviting friends, and the church is growing really quickly. It's super cool to see.

 

Well as always, learning a new language is fun. At least for everyone listening to me learn it. Here are a few examples. After one dinner, I turned to bishop and insisted several times how delicious it was. Finally he started laughing and corrected my pronunciation. It turns out I was actually insisting on how handsome he was, but thankfully he was a good sport and helped me out. During pass-off, I accidentally mixed up the word for "God" and "Hippo". They are very similar, and can make for a very different lesson if you do not watch out. One of the best may have been while teaching the Law of Chastity to my district leader. It was already a little uncomfortable, but then I mixed up the words for "wife" with "older sister". I will not go into detail, but that is a very important distinction that I did not make, and I'm pretty sure he is still laughing about it. While on the subway I tried to be concerned about the lady next to me who had a cold. I meant to ask her if she had a cold. But I used the wrong word and asked her if she was "sick and afflicted with disease". Sister Gu laughed super hard and told me I probably should not to use that word in conversations.Another fun mix up was with scriptures. For district meeting, our District leader assigned each of us scriptures to read and talk about. The topic was desire, and we were suppose to talk about their desires and the actions that followed. One of the scriptures I was assigned was Mosiah 20:4. After reading this, I asked if there was a mistake. He read the scripture and quickly realized I was suppose to read Alma 20:4, not Mosiah. It was too funny, especially since Desire was the topic.

 

A few awesome scriptures that I have come across lately are D&C 101:16 (for anyone who is having a hard time), D&C 38:40 (EVERY member a missionary), and Eph. 5:25 and 3 Nephi 18:21 (talking about love in families, and the importance of having the father there for family prayer). They all touched my heart so I wanted to share. Yesterday was fast Sunday, which is always a wonderful time for reflection and change. A sweet tender mercy this morning- Sister Gu couldn't find her credit card. We searched the house and then said a prayer. A few minutes later the card was found. I know the Lord is looking out for us.

 

Things are going great here in Korea. I love it so much, And despite the difficulties, the Lord is helping us to be the missionaries he has called us to be. Hopefully Sister Gu will be healed soon so we can do more proselyting and visits this week. But everything is so good. I love being the Lord's hands here. I can feel Him work through me when I am able to get out of His way and do His will. I love being a missionary, and keep being missionaries at home! I love you all! Happy late Thanksgiving!! I love you all and have a great week!

 

-Sister Seegmiller