One year. 멘붕.

This has been a really good week. We have been focusing a lot on less actives here as well (seriously my favorite thing!) and have been visiting a lot of homes. We have met two adorable girls, one who is about 16 and the other who is 24. They both have similar stories. They are the only members of their family and their parents aren't super supportive. One of them can't read the Book of Mormon in her home, so she has downloaded it and reads it on her phone. She also loves English hymns, and listens to them frequently. They come to church when they can, but it's hard for them. It is the same story with almost every less active. They are the only member, or their member family stopped supporting the church and fell away. The influence of family members is so powerful. On the other hand, a young man bore his testimony on Sunday about the spirit he felt while at Youth Conference this past week. He is less active but his mother is a faithful member, and his heart is slowly softening once again. The Lord knew what he was doing when he centered this life, this gospel, and our very existence on families. They truly are the center of everything that we do. That quote: "Missionaries: leaving our family for 2 years (18 months) so others can be with theirs for eternity" is SOO true. I thought it was a cute little saying before but it has become reality. Being away from home, you realize just how important our family relationships really are. And seeing the gospel change the lives of entire families, you realize more and more that we really are all brothers and sisters, children of God.

 

We have an adorable investigator named Pok Jee Hyun. She is about 28 years old and ADORABLE! We meet her normally once a week, but this week we met her twice plus she came to english class. The reason we met twice, were looking for less actives and took a wrong turn. And by wrong turn, we walked about 20 minutes in the wrong direction. So we turned around and headed back the way we came, and we hear someone call out "자매님!" Which means sister. We turned and there she was. Her classes had ended early and she was just headed home. She said she had time and wanted to meet right then. So we headed to the church and had an awesome lesson with her. She understands well and loves learning about the gospel. She attends another church, but we are trying to help her realize the importance of making time on Sundays to attend sacrament meeting. She loves to sing and dance, and showed us a song she has been learning. I told her about Sephonnie being a Zumba instructor, and she wants to meet you (Seph) one day. It's amazing how the Lord puts us exactly where he needs us. Mistakes rarely actually turn out to be mistakes, but just show us that we are truly part of a work much bigger than we are. And he is placing those prepared souls right in our path if we are ready.

 

This work is so incredible. There are tender mercies happening everyday. Like the tender mercy of air conditioning. I have been very fortunate to live in two apartments that both had AC, a HUGE rarety here in Korea. It's very expensive and most people do without, including missionaries. This past week has been in the 80-90 degree range with about 75% humidity. So you could say it's been a little on the warm side. But we have a cool home, and are able to sleep well through the night, and I am so very grateful. This is such an incredible work and the Lord is just too good to me. He is truly the head of this church and guides us in every stage, including visiting teaching and parenting at home! I love being a missionary and for this wonderful opportunity. Thank you for all of you! I love you!

 

-세그밀러 자매^^

 

A few more things:

In President Uchtdorf's talk"Of Regrets and Resolutions"he said "It’s not a race; it’s a journey. Enjoy the moment. Sometimes in life we become so focused on the finish line that we fail to find joy in the journey."

 

A joke you may have heard, but it's really funny :)

 

A new bishop was visiting the homes in the ward. At one house it seemed obvious that someone was at home, but no answer came to his repeated knocks.

Therefore, he took out a business card and wrote “Revelation 3:20” on the back and stuck it in the door.

The following Sunday he found that his card had been returned under his office door. Added to it was this cryptic message, “Genesis 3:10”.

Reaching for his Bible to check out the verse, he broke into laughter. Scripture Power! 

Shinee New Friends

Some of the English class members in Sindang.  Shinee is the one wearing the hat on my right side! :)

Last photo before Elder Bennett headed home

My new companion and I celebrating with some delicious dinner!

One year already???

Well, Here I am in Jungrang! It's totally different but I love it. I haven't met a lot of our investigators yet, but I am really excited to work in this area. We have a service project that we do in this area. We go to a work place for those with special needs. As far as I can tell, they are employed by larger companies to package and prepare items such as rubberbands and other simple items, and then send them to the stores to be sold. It's a really cool system, and we just help them with whatever they need. Oh my goodness, they are so adorable! They are seriously the sweetest, purest souls ever and working with them is such a blessing. We are giving service, but it blesses us FAR more to just be near them and soak in their spirits. Oh my goodness, I am SOO excited to continue this service project while here in this area!

 

We went to church on Sunday and met with our new bishop and ward mission leader. They are wonderful, and are very involved with what we are doing. They want to help in anyway possible. The ward mission leader has 9 children, which is large anywhere but in Korea is practically unheard of. Yet he is so willing to offer up his home and any other resources to help us in this work! It's incredible. There are three of us who came new into this area this transfer; Sister LeBlanc, Elder Murdock (from St. George, Shalynne's friend. Small world) and I. Our first Sunday in a ward, we have to give a brief talk introducing ourselves to the members. They usually want us to keep this under 2 minutes or so. So we prepared for that. But at our missionary coordination meeting that morning, the bishop informed us that only one speaker was on the program and we were expected to fill the rest. So 5-10 minute talks would be good. Well, with a good few minutes of preparation, we were able to fulfill the Bishop's request and it was really cool to feel the spirit during those messages. My new companion is awesome! She speaks very little english, so everything we do, we do it in Korean. Planning, prayers, teaching, conversations with each other, etc. It has definitely been a huge struggle and blessing! I am often hard on myself and my abiility to communicate effectively in Korean. But at the end of the day, I will look back and realize how much was accomplished, all in Korean. Sometimes it takes those moments of reflection to realize just how far I've come. And more importantly, how much the Lord is magnifying my ability far beyond my own capacity. I am so grateful for my Savior, and also my new companion, Hong Son Heh. She is great at helping me learn to say things correctly, and I am teaching her english as well so we have a lot of fun.

 

It's been another great week here in Seoul Korea. I cannot believe that on the 31st, I will have been a missionary for a whole year. Where has the time gone!? This is the greatest work in the world, and I am so grateful to be a part of it. I love all of you, and pray that all is well. Have a great week!

 

-Sister Shanelle Seegmiller :)

Real Friends do Handstands and Let You Steal Their Skirts and Stuff

I just love Sister Ahn.

Elder Bennett's final day at the temple

Sister Song has 4 of the same skirts, so we all decided to rock them on the same day.

Ha Hee Un

Kim Soon Eh

selfy with Ein Bo Nah

Sandy

Sometimes we do handstands at night, so we had to take a picture.

Last Days in 신당

This week has been so good. First off, we received transfer calls and I will be serving in 중랑 (Jungrang if you look it up, but that's totally not how it's pronounced) with a Korean companion so I am super excited!! I am really sad to be leaving this area. I have been serving here since December and it is truly my home. But the Lord needs me elsewhere, so it's time for a new adventure. It's been so fun serving with Sister McCloskey and six weeks together just isn't long enough! She is great and is such a wonderful missionary. There is however, a Costco in my new area so there is always a bonus ;) The ward was so great on my last Sunday there. One woman came over, and asked why they were making me leave. I had been there so long, she just thought of me as part of the ward. It was really sweet and I am SOOO grateful for the wonderful people that I have been so blessed to serve with.

 

On Saturday, we met with a woman named Kim Young Sook. She met us once on the street, met us once again to give back the Book of Mormon, and then wanted to meet again. So we went not really sure what to expect. She started asking a bunch of questions about the Book of Mormon, our church, our beliefs, just everything. As we talked, we kept turning back to the Book of Mormon for her answers. (Mom- in response to your comment, we are certainly not scriptorians. Every morning we have a lot of time to study and prepare, so that when we meet people the spirit can bring things back to our rememberance. It's incredible how it works, but the spirit knows what verse they need and helps us know what to share.) We would ask her to read a verse, and she would read the whole chapter instead. After about 45 minutes of this we offered her the book again. She was very excited, and asked where our church building is so she can attend. Holy cow, it was a miracle. On the way to visit her, we were on the Subway. That morning I had a thought to grab a Chinese Book of Mormon and bring it. On the subway I met a Chinese woman. She was not Christian, but had just met a new friend who invited her to church. The next day she met us on the subway. We were holding a Korean Book of Mormon at first, but when I pulled out the Chinese her eyes got huge. She couldn't believe it was in her language. She told us that she was never had a lot of association with Christianity, but feels like God may be trying to tell her something. Um, Yes He sure is!! She hugged the book to her chest, and told us she could feel that it was very special. As she left, she said she would try to find the church near her home. The Book of Mormon is true!!! I cannot say that enough. The Book of Mormon is true, it has real power, and the truths contained in it can and will and continues to change lives everyday. Oh my goodness, I love it so much!  Pretty much everything this week has happened because of the Book of Mormon. We have really tried to make it our focus this week, and were able to give away 38 copies. 38 people now hold in their hands the answers to the universe. The key to their happiness is so close and they now have the opportunity to come unto Christ in the purest, fullest, perfect way. It is far more than a book. It is a way of life, it is truth, and it testifies of Christ. The Book of Mormon is true.

 

Well, that just about sums up missionary life here in Korea for now. I could not be happier, and I LOVE this work. Everything in missionary work is about serving other people, but we are always the ones who benefit more. We can never repay the Lord for what he has done for us. Like King Benjamin says, simply being able to wake up and breath is a blessing from God. Then we keep his commandments and he blesses us more. Then we bless the life of someone else, so he pours blessings out upon our on. He has given us everything. He is so good to us, and I want to use all my time trying to help others recognize those blessings in their lives. The church is true. I love you all, thank you for all your prayers. You are in my prayers as well, and have a wonderful week!

 

-Sister Shanelle Seegmiller :)

 

 

Amazing quote:

“History provides us a vivid example of the importance of the Lord's servants being in tune with the Spirit. The young Prophet Joseph Smith could not translate when he was angry or upset.”
                                                      Dallin H. Oaks  Two Lines of Communication, Oct 2010

Joke:

Real things said in Court:

Q: Doctor, before you signed the death certificate, did you check for a pulse?
A: No.
Q: Did you check for blood pressure?
A: No.
Q: Did you check for breathing?
A: No.
Q: So, then it is possible that the patient was alive when you signed the certificate?
A: No.
Q: How can you be so sure, Doctor?
A: Because his brain was sitting on my desk in a jar. But now that you mention it, it is possible that he could have been alive and practicing law somewhere.


Q: What is your date of birth?
A: July fifteenth.
Q: What year?
A: Every year.

Never Forget to Do A Peace Sign

A district hike on Pday, oh how I love this city!

 At the temple with beautiful Sister Wen and the Ulvestads.

And this is Sister Ellis, who's dad set apart our dad.

 And the cute sisters that I serve with!

They really are looking for the truth!

This week has been so good and so full I'm not entirely sure what to share. One tender mercy is that we had President interviews!! I love them so much. I probably talk too much, but President Christensen is an incredibly inspired man and it's great to seek his advice and counsel. I was definitely sent here partly because I needed President and Sister Christensen, and I am SOOO grateful for them and their examples. We went to see the outside of the temple with Sister Wen this week as well. We also went to the family history center to teach her how to take names to the temple. And holy cow, it's so easy!! They used my account as the example, and I was fascinated as we looked into family stories and pictures. We read a little about Uncle Morris since he was a soldier, and that was really special. Sister Wen was also touched since she is a soldier as well. She is really excited to get things started for her family! We had zone meeting this week, and the focus was on 'How to Begin Teaching'. *see PMG chapter 10 They first talked about how to use this while doing less active work, which I LOVED! It's been so cool to see. Sister Thomas and I decided to get a district less-active project going, and it has continued for months. The elders in our district have been amazing, and we have found a lot of people. It's given a lot more direction to the work. We have a pretty cool system set up to get everyone found, and other areas have been calling to see how to set it up there as well. As a result, less-active work in this area has exploded! Oh my goodness, it's so exciting! These precious souls are being brought back into the fold! And as we seek out the lost souls, the Lord puts the most incredibly prepared people into our path. On the subway I met a man who asked to meet with missionaries. We all met at the church, and it turns out he was baptized years ago because of the example of his soldier friend. He has been trying to find the church since, and came to church on Sunday. Wow. Kim Soon Eh also came to church, and she got there about 15 minutes before we did. We tried to hurry and get there, but shouldn't have worried. When we arrived, she was sitting down surrounded by relief society sisters friendshipping her and making her feel welcome. That is the reason missionary work explodes in this area. The ward loves everyone who comes through those doors, and it's the greatest blessing. Mom, Kim Soon Eh started meeting with us several months ago but couldn't meet for a  while. Now we are meeting again, so she's had most of the lessons- to answer your question.

 

But this week we had the coolest, coolest teaching experience ever. After church we met with Thomas and Leanne (both Koreans). We LOVE them. They are the most honest, sincere seekers of truth I have ever met. We started with them asking lots of questions. It was fascinating, because they were asking some of the deepest, hardest questions in the universe for people to find answers to. But because of the Book of Mormon, we could answer every single one. He would start a question, and we couldn't help it, we would just start to smile. He said, "You honestly have the answer to that one too??" He also asked other questions, like "Is there anywhere in the Book of Mormon that teaches the exact same thing as the Bible?" (sermon on the mount) and "I would really like to know about how the government was before Christ appeared to the people in America. Do you know anything about that?" (see chapter headings of 3 Nephi) It really strengthened my testimony of the Book of Mormon, as I really realized in a very real way that two 20-something year old girls can answer the questions of the universe. All because we have been blessed with the incredible knowledge of this gospel. We then taught the Plan of Salvation. It was a really intense lesson. He is a devout Christian, and she was raised Buddhist. He believes that all good people who believe in Christ will be saved. She believes in reincarnation. When we talked about needing to be baptized to enter the Celestial Kingdom, it hit home. They sat quietly for a moment, and then he said. "If what you are saying is true, my world just got  rocked. This shakes the foundation of my faith that I have been taught since I was little." They asked to have time to read and pray, because we had given them A LOT to think about. But holy cow. It was incredible. It truly did rock their world, because they just heard about the plan they've already accepted once. We are just helping them remember what they already know. THIS GOSPEL IS SOOO COOL, OH MY GOODNESS!!!!!!

 

I love this work with all my heart. Those who are searching for the truth are really out there, and the Lord is helping us find them each and everyday. I love Korea and these incredible people I am so blessed to be serving. I love you all, and hope you have a great week!! Shalynne- Keep it up! There are people waiting for you, and the preparation you are doing now is exactly what they need! This church is true!

 

-Sister Shanelle Seegmiller

 

Quote of the week-

“If you think you are too small to make a difference,
 you haven’t spent the night with a mosquito.”
                                                ~African proverb.