11 months!

Holy cow. exactly 11 months ago today I was set apart to be a missionary. It is absolutely incredible how fast time has gone. This is has been absolute best time of my life and I am so grateful for this opportunity to serve and share the gospel in Korea. There was a baptismal service yesterday, and Sandy was able to attend. She has never been to one before, and she is seriously considering being baptized herself. Another less active came to church, and told us she has been studying both the english and Korean Book of Mormon for an hour everyday for the past few weeks. Incredible. We had two less actives and one investigator at church, and were trying to figure out how to be with each of them. But as we walked into Sacrament meeting, each of them were already surrounded by ward members, and we didn't have to worry. I love this ward so much. Just being a friend to others is spreading this gospel more than we realize. This week we had a testimony builder of how our efforts are never wasted. We have been meeting with one less-active since February. She is great, and loves meeting. We make a lot of progress but it never sticks and it has been the same cycle for months. We were a little frustrated and lost about what to talk about with her. But we decided to talk about perspective, and seeing commandments from God as blessings. We compared 1 Nephi 17:2-3 with 1 Nephi 17:20-21, and planned to explain that things are only hard if we think of them in that way. Well, she walked in the room and was glowing. She had an incredible light about her and was so happy. She could barely contain herself as she explained how she had been keeping the Word of Wisdom for the past month. She said she now understands why we were given that commandment, and she has no desire to turn back. I was shocked, amazed, and SOOO grateful as she talked. Months and months of working with her really was making a difference. And now she is taking very big, wonderful steps to come closer to Christ. It's amazing. Never give up on anyone. They all have the light of Christ, and the ability to recognize goodness in their lives.

 

We had a guest speaker come to our mission this week named P.J. Rogers. He served a mission here years ago, and talked to us about how to become a part of this culture in order to be most effective. It was amazing. But the reason it was so amazing, the night before I asked in my prayer to know some very specific things. Things I felt like I struggled with, things I was lacking in action or understand. etc. Well, Brother Rogers started out his talk with my first bullet point and then went on to answer every bullet point on my list. It was incredible to once again see the Lord so quickly and obviously answer my prayers. It doesn't always happen like that, but I was so grateful and it was very needed. Specific prayers get specific answers, general prayers generally don't. I am a firm believer of that, and know that it has proven to be true in my life time and time again. Well that about sums up life for this week. I am so grateful for all of you and your examples of strength at home. Thank you for your prayers, support, and love! It is the greatest help I could ask for. I love you all, the church is true!

 

-Sister Shanelle Seegmiller :)

 

 “[To have Faith in Christ] means, of course, trying to do all that He says. There would be no sense in saying you trusted a person if you would not take his advice. Thus if you have really handed yourself over to Him, it must follow that you are trying to obey Him. But trying in a new way, a less worried way. Not doing these things in order to be saved, but because He has begun to save you already. Not hoping to get to Heaven as a reward for your actions, but inevitably wanting to act in a certain way because a first faint gleam of Heaven is already inside you.”
― C.S. Lewis, Mere Christianity

 

 The following are actual church bulletin board bloopers found in churches across the United States:

-Scouts are saving aluminum cans, bottles, and other items to be recycled. Proceeds will be used to cripple children.
-The outreach committee has enlisted 25 visitors to make calls on people who are not afflicted with any church.
-For those of you who have children and don't know it, we have a nursery downstairs.
-Remember in prayer the many who are sick of our church and community.
-Don't let worry kill you off - let the church help.