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
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