6 months of being a missionary!

Well this week has been awesome, and also a little different. Thursday, Friday, and Saturday were 설날 or the Lunar Year celebration days. The city basically shuts down. All the stores are closed and everyone goes to visit their parents. So there is literally no one out in the streets, and trying to do visits is impossible unless you were invited. (It would be like missionaries from another church inviting themselves to your Thanksgiving or Christmas celebration) So we had a mission conference on Thursday which was awesome. They talked about Hastening the Work, and pointed out that it has been "hastened" many times in the past. When they announced that EVERY worthy young man SHOULD serve, and other times when talking about member missionary work, for example. The Lord doesn't think we have been lazy in the past, but he wants his work to speed up; to move even faster than it ever has. Hence the reason mission ages have been lowered and THOUSANDS of missionaries have responded. I think they said the mission force is over 85,000 now, but I don't remember the exact number. It's so amazing what the Lord is doing here on earth, and we are all a part of it in every part of the world! (Utah, Idaho, New Mexico, Korea, and soon to be FINLAND!)

 

Our investigators are doing well. However, with the holidays we weren't able to meet with many of them. The oh-so-very-good news is that Hwang Choon Cha isn't moving anymore! Something happened with her work so she will be staying! We are so happy! Our relief society president had a lunch on Wednesday for the missionaries, and any investigators we wanted to bring. Hwang Choon Cha came, which really suprised us but it was awesome! She loves the missionaries and really enjoyed talking to some of the members who were there. We were able to have a short lesson afterwards. She told us she is 66 years old, and is as vibrant as ever! We love her and are so happy she will stay. We met another woman this week, 김진희 or Kim Jean Hee. She invited her friend 김새롬 or Kim Seh Roam. We met them at a cafe, and they bought us coffee to be nice. So our conversation started with the Word of Wisdom. She is an incredible woman. She met the other sisters on a subway one day. She saw the Book of Mormon, and asked about it. She had seen some cartoons about it that were really inappropriate (I think it was South Park) and wanted to know what it really was. After they talked, she realized she had gotten on the wrong subway. They pointed out it wasn't coincidence she had gotten on the wrong subway that day. They referred her to us, and we LOVE her. She started by telling us that she had heard a lot about our church that was negative, and wanted to know the truth, so she came to the missionaries. After answering those questions, she said she had a lot of quesitons that no one else had been able to answer, so she wanted to see what we thought. She asked question after question, things like "where were we before this life?" "where will we go after?" "If Christ suffered for us, why is there still sin and trials?" "How can I make sure my life is happy and worthwhile?" and pretty much everything else a missionary wants to hear! Every answer we gave, they wanted to be backed up by scriptures in both the Bible and the Book of Mormon. So on the spot I was searching the Korean scriptures for her. Because I was struggling answering everything clearly in Korean, she told me to speak English when needed. I knew she wouldn't understand very well if I did that, but she seemed to care more that we had the answers rather than what they were at the time. We bore our testimonies about why we were missionaries, and they sat there silent for awhile. Then they asked if they could each have a Book of Mormon, and if we could meet again. She wants to write down all her questions, and then we will go through them and answer them one at a time with her. We were there almost 1 1/2 hours in the cafe, and it was one of the coolest experiences of my life. We cannot wait to meet her again, and help answer the questions of her soul. We also had dinner with a family in the English branch that we really love, the Jaquez family! They invited a nonmember family to come, and we had a really nice dinner and FHE with all of them. They have talked about the church with them before, and were able to talk more after we left. They aren't ready to meet with missionaries yet, but hopefully one day. We are so grateful for the member missionaries in this area!

 

As you were informed, we were able to have dinner with Barry Perkin and two of his kids. Unfortunately, Trisha wasn't able to come because their baby was sick, but they said that means we need to do it again so she can come. It was so great to see a familiar face in Korea, and it just shows how small this world is, especially when you have the church. We went to a buffet for dinner, and Barry introduced me to his friend. The first thing the man said was "You are a missionary right? I saw you getting food and said, 'She just looks like a missionary' but your tag is gone". (we aren't allowed to wear our nametags on base, because that is considered proselyting which is prohibited, unless in the home of a member) I said that I was indeed a missionary, and he got really excited, shook my hand, thanked me for the work we were doing, and ran to tell his family that missionaries were there. It was awesome. I used to be so excited to see missionaries at home, but actually being the missionary feels different. It's just cool that we are those missionaries now that are helping others get excited about this work. It was a really nice dinner, their family is doing really well and the kids are adorable.

 

Well Jan. 31 marked exactly 6 months since I entered the MTC. That is so crazy, I cannot believe it's been that long. Time has FLOWN by and it just keeps going. The time to serve the Lord full-time is short enough, and I only have a year left. NOO!! This has been the best 6 months of my life and I am so grateful for this opportunity the Lord has given me. Also, this week was transfer calls! Starting Thursday, my new companion will be Sister Thomas. Its a really interesting transfer. We have 4 sisters in our home, and Sister Thomas is one of them. So basically I am switching bedrooms, telephone numbers, and investigators, but my current companion will still be living in our home. It was super unexpected, but I am so happy to be staying in this area and am excited to serve with Sister Thomas. She has been here 9 weeks longer than I have so it should be really fun. Also, Sister Pickett sent me a "Nashville's tribute to missionaries" cd. We got President's permission to listen to it, and we have really enjoyed it. The church that I sang at for their Christmas party also sent me a flashdrive full of music to say thank you, which was really sweet. I think that just about sums up life for now. I love you all so much. I am sooo proud of you all and all that you are doing at home. Thank you, you are always in my prayers, and you are great. This gospel is true!

 

-Sister Seegmiller

 

A few quotes for your enjoyment!

 

If we were meant to “Pop out of Bed”, we’d all sleep in toasters!

Life has no remote.
Get up and change it yourself!

Holding a grudge is like letting someone live rent-free in your head.

Home is where the brownies are.

I would give up chocolate, but I’m no quitter!
       ... and finally...

Take The Napkinometer Test (as seen at the Gwanghwamun Burger King)

0 napkins                      A Confident Eater
1-5 napkins                   A Just In Caser
6-9 napkins                   A Big Spiller
10+ napkins                  A Thief