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

A Special Day

I love being a missionary!

This week has been so amazing. On Tuesday, our sweet investigator invited Sister Gu and I, as well as President and Sister Christensen over for dinner. It was so great to spend time with all of them and we were able to get to know her better. Her son and daughter were both there, and I practiced teaching the 10 Commandments. it was just a great night.

 

Then on Friday, the elders had a baptism for their investigator 박정호 (pak jong ho). He decided pretty suddenly to get baptized, so we helped them make preparations for everything. I was able to pass off lesson 4 while we waited for the font to fill up! Woohoo! Members were really sweet and we had a pretty good turn out for such short notice. Even President Christensen came with his wife. They are such amazing people. I sang the song "Baptism" from the children's songbook but in Korean. And after practicing it almost once, it actually went surprisingly well. The bishop took us all to dinner afterwards, which made us late coming home but President said it was okay since he was sitting next to us as we ate. We had a seafood soup (that's the best description I can think of). The first thing I noticed was the tentacles sitting on top. But it was really good, and I found out afterwards that there was also oyster and squid in there with the octopus. But besides the chewy texture I really liked it.

 

Saturday was AMAZING! We spent a long time at the church making sure things were going well. The ward was so amazing. They helped fill up the font, they made a huge dinner for afterwards, and so many people came to support. When she arrived with her family, she was really nervous but so excited. Her daughter introduced us to her uncle and aunt who are members. Then we met our investigators husband and we were so happy! He isn't a member and said he wouldn't be able to come because he works really far away. But the night before he came home and surprised his family. He told her he couldn't miss her baptism. It was so sweet. He hasn't been taught by the missionaries but has started reading the Book of Mormon so we have really high hopes for him. The missionaries did a special musical number for her, and then she was baptized by her son. We made sure her husband had a front row seat. They are the sweetest people alive. I love them all so much. The spirit was so strong, and we were so happy. Afterwards, we all went upstairs where they had more food than any human could ever eat. We also got her a cheesecake and flowers, and brought them out complete with candles while we sang "Happy Baptism to you". She started crying as she blew out the candles and said she was so grateful for the love and support of the members. Both she and the elders investigator were confirmned on Sunday. Her husband came to church with her as well. Her testimony is so strong. She has such a desire to follow Christ and do what is right. I love her so much and she is such an example to me and other ward members already. Holy cow it has been such an incredible week.

 

We have been trying to visit a lot of less active members this week. It's been really fun to see them start opening up to us. One man asked us to stop inviting him to church but he still wanted us to come over. So we came, and he asked us to sing hymns while he played along with his harmonica. It was a really sweet way to invite the spirit into his home without making him feel too pressured. Another sister didn't want us in her home at all. But her husband invited us in. She brought us food but didn't really seem interested in talking. I asked if I could practice teaching her a short message, and taught her about eternal families. She slowly opened up and eventually came and sat by us on the couch. We ended up staying and talking for over an hour. Her husband had me translate the 4th verse of I am a Child of God into English for him. It was a really sweet visit.

 

I love it here in Korea. Life is so good. There are definitely challenges and hard days, but it doesn't matter as long as I am relying on the Lord. He loves his children no matter who they are. I am so grateful for this opportunity to teach and bring the gospel to the wonderful people here in Korea, Thank you for all the birthday wishes again. I love you all and Happy Thanksgiving!

 

-Sister Seegmiller

It really does look like a fish!

Picures- This is a fish snack, it's bread filled with red bean paste. Here is Elder Bennett, here are the cookies and a sweet member of our ward!

Another wonderful week

This week has been truly amazing. So to clarify, our investigators name is Son Hyuong Yon. That's the best I can do in English, even though Shawn's spelling came pretty close. She is progressing amazingly. And she is still on course to be baptized on Saturday. She is really excited. She has given up coffee which has made her a little alienated at work. It's been difficult for her to remain strong. So we decided to get her a tumbler (mug) and some of the good kind of tea so she can drink that instead. She started crying when she saw it and told us we were angels sent to her. We told her we thought the same thing about her. It was a really sweet experience. Her son was baptized in May and will be performing the baptism. He was able to go do baptisms for the dead last week which was really special. We could not be more excited and we will keep you posted.

 

A tender mercy this morning. Our alarm clock went off 30 min early. I reset it and said a prayer that I could wake up at 6:25 am in case the alarm didn't work. Well my companion said something in her sleep that woke me up. I had the impression to look at my watch and it said 6:25:02. Holy cow. It was a sweet testimony builder that the Lord does answer our prayers no matter how small. Also while writing this email, I found the earring that was lost last week. The Lord is truly looking out for me and it is so humbling!

 

The ward continues to be amazing. They feed us so well! We had dinner with five members this week, and our fridge is packed full of side dishes they continually prepare for us. Also,after almost 22 years of trying, 1 1/2 months in Korea has made me love onions. They are so delicious and we eat them pretty much in everything. We went to one restaurant where they provide you with aprons as you eat. Afterwards, the member looked at me and laughed while she said "You really needed that." Sigh. Some things never change. But it was really fun. Last night we ate with some members. We give out cookies to our ward members a lot, so they bought all the ingredients and asked me to make some at their home. Only they didn't have measuring cups or an oven. After dinner, they all gathered around to watch me mix everything together, as I through some stuff in a bowl and prayed they turned out semi-cookie like. They had a little portable oven type thing which worked pretty well. The tops got cooked while the middle was gooey but they loved it. I am sending a picture of them gathered around the stove. No one really bakes in Korea so they were fascinated by watching them go from dough to cookies. I found out another sweet ward member has the same birthday as me, and she worked as a physical therapist for years! We had a lot in common and it was just a really cool connection.

 

I was able to share the spiritual thought at English class this week. I showed a mormon message about expressions of love and then told them about eternal families. I said some words wrong, but the spirit was there. it was really cool. I still get nervous everytime I am asked to share my thoughts in Korean, but the Lord has blessed me so much. The Gift of tongues isn't always saying the right thing, but helping them feel the right thing. It's so cool to see. My Korean is slowly, SO SLOWLY improving. People are understanding slightly more of what I attempt to say. Understanding them still doesn't happen but that hasn't really mattered. Several times I've had confersations start because some older ladies walk up and start rubbing my jacket. (this has happened on different occassions, in different jackets, and I can't really understand why but it's been working) Another woman didn't want to speak to us and walked away. My companion and I began talking in English and she immediately ran back and asked to know more about who we were. At the grocery store, I taught a worker how to say Delicous in English, so she gave me a free orange and we were able to share a message. This happened about two minutes later with the lady giving out grape samples. The Lord is placing people in our path, and all we have to do is open our mouths. This week I decided to ask everyone for their numbers, if they wanted a Book of Mormon, and if we could meet again. You know those hundred scriptures that say "Ask and ye shall receive"? Well in about an hour we had given out 4 Book of Mormons, had one return appointment and 2 phone numbers. It was amazing! We also had a young boy come over and tell us his sister is a member of our church and he wanted to learn more. The Lord is preparing people, and it's amazing what they will do if we just invite them.

 

This week we also had a combined mission conference with the Seoul South mission. Elder Evans and Elder Whiting (spelling?) were both their. It was absolutely amazing. When our mission split in July, there were about 133 missionaries. Now there are about 150 in each mission. There are now over 83,000 missionaries all over the world. This work is progressing! In Jacob 5, they keep asking for more time for the vineyard. But in Jacob 5:61, they ask for more laborers. This missionary force is truly astounding. When Stuart goes on his mission there are going to be some incredible things going on, even more than now. I am so excited! It was an amazing conference and we were all so ready to get back out and preach the gospel.

 

This week was also stake conference. We sang with the YSA group in the Saturday session, and then attended theSunday session. We watched a broadcast made just for the saints of Korea. They turned off the sound and played the Korean translation (it was the General Relief society president, Elder Cook, and Elder Ballard so they all spoke English) but it was still really cool. They talked alot about families and how important it is to raise our children in the gospel. They said FHE, family prayer, and family scripture can make all the difference in the life of a child and the future of the family. (Shalisse- I loved hearing about your FHE stories!)  Thank you for the strength that you continue to give me! I love my family and am SOOO happy we can be together forever.

 

Life is so good here in Korea. I love being a missionary!! There are so many AMAZING people out there. Everyone we pass on the street is a child of God, and He wants them to return to Him. Seeing them like that definitely helps give us motivation to talk to everyone and give each of them our very best effort. I love this gospel with all my heart! The church is true. There is so much power in prayer, scripture study, attending church, and serving others. They seem so small but that's how the Lord brings about great things. have a wonderful week!

 

Love, Sister Seegmiller

Pretty Things

The pictures are me with Sister Lee, and then the beautiful view from our window!

Blessings & Miracles

So this week has been so amazing! It was transfers, but I am still in the same area with my trainer so not a lot has changed. We did get two more elders in our ward though so we now have 6 missionaries here. I was able to finish my midway language pass off on Monday, and then pass off teaching Lesson 3 on Saturday. So I am really happy. Sister Gu did some pass off with the AP's this week, so I was able to spend some time in the office. I saw Elder Bennett and he says hello. It's always fun to see a fellow St. Georgian.

 

We were able to attend the temple on Tuesday which was incredible!! So spiritual and such a nice reminder of what is truly important and why we are out here preaching the gospel in Korea. Sister Gu's mother was there on a temple trip so we saw her there as well which was really fun. Also, the sweet lady that tucked us in our first night we stayed in Korea was also there so it was fun to see her again. We had lunch with them, and then her mom helped me find some warm leggings and gloves. It was really sweet. Two sisters in our area received a winter coat that didn't fit them. So they gave it to me to try. Another miracle, it fits perfect. It is almost as if they had made it for me. It is black and long and super warm. I am so happy and very blessed. There was also a coat that was only $15 at a store nearby our home. So I had two winter coats purchased and dry cleaned for only $30. It was amazing. The weather became freezing overnight and will only be colder. But no worries mom, there are no problems. I am so sad to hear about the Philippines though! They will be in my prayers.

 

Our stake had a music night which was really fun. They have some incredible talent. They had people on the piano, the guitar, singing, and even a beat boxer which was probably my favorite. A sister from our ward and her husband who is not a member performed two traditional Korean songs. That was really cool to hear! He participates more in church activities and attends church more frequently than most of the members! She believes he will get baptized on his own time, and he is in our prayers.

 

So more miracles which have occured here. We decided that we wanted to go out and street contact because we hadn't talked to as many people as we wanted yet that week. Well it turns out that in the area we decided to go to, there were hundreds of students! They had a sort of field trip, and we were able to talk to almost 30 of them and pass out 4 Book of Mormons! The Lord truly blessed us and guided us where we needed to be. We had dinner with a bishopric member that night at a delicious restaurant. Afterwards we went to their home with a less active member. I was asked to give the spiritual thought. Afterwards Sister Gu came over and told me she was shocked! She said my Korean sounded fluent and it brought the spirit so strong, They all bore testimony and promised us they would pray and share the gospel with those around us. I had no clue that's what they were saying, but it was truly amazing. The gift of tongues doesn't always mean we speak perfectly, but they heard exactly what the spirit needed to tell them.

 

And for the greatest miracle of all, our investigator committed to be baptized on Nov. 23!!! Her name is 손홍연. She is so sweet but really busy and is only able to come to church on occassion. We decided to fast and pray for her to be able to attend church, be taught the lessons, and commit to baptism. The Lord answered our prayers in the best way! We were able to teach her with her daughter there. Her daughter is a member and she was able to testify of what we were teaching. The mother feels like baptism is right and started preparing herself long before she met us. She is exactly what the scriptures explain as those who the Lord has prepared. We are so incredibly happy for her and want to help her every step of the way. Oh my goodness this has been such an amazing week.

 

The Lord has blessed us so much and so frequently. It is incredibly humbling and yet empowering to see Him work through us to touch the lives of others. It is so true that we really don't do anything. The Lord does everything as long as we get out of the way and let Him do it. I love the people here in Korea! The ward is amazing and are becoming stronger everyday. The people on the street are so sweet. Even if they don't want to listen we are giving them the opportunity that they may accept in the future. Being a missionary is so incredible. It really isn't something you can explain. But I know that this is the true church of God on this earth. He loves everyone of His children and is preparing a way for every single one of them to hear the message of the restoration. I am so grateful for all he has done for me. I hope to repay it even in the smallest amount by serving with my whole heart. Oh my goodness the church is true! I love you all!

 

-Sister Seegmiller

Holy cow, one transfer almost complete! And I haven't even had to eat dog yet.

Time has seriously flown by! I cannot believe it has already been over a month in Korea. We have transfer calls on Wednesday and my first transfer will be Saturday! So crazy! I have no clue what will happen, but I love this area, my trainer, and our ward so I am hoping to stay at least another transfer. We shall see.

 

Last week was so great. We were able to do some grocery shopping at the biggest Costco I have ever seen. We went in and couldn't find food anywhere in the giant building. We asked and all the food was downstairs! It was HUGE!! Lots of the food is Korean style but there is also a lot of American food as well. I felt almost like I was back at home, which was really fun. We bought lots of food including muffins, crossaints, peanut butter, cereal.. Basically the essentials! :) Afterwards we ate a slice of the best pizza ever, which was made with Korean beef. Then we decided to head back to the Subway. We hadn't really thought that part through and since Costco was pretty far from our home, we had a long walk to the subway station, and then another long walk from the subway to our home. My arms were so sore afterwards. I even resorted to carrying the box on my head for awhile, which I'm sure gave a pretty good show. But we made it! We had a lot of comments afterwards from people in our neighborhood, so if nothing else we were able to peak there interest.

 

We had a 12 week follow-up meeting on Thursday. All of us new missionaries are in a 12 week program right now, which is basically a planned companionship study during your first 12 weeks. They focus on the fundamentals of missionary work and it's a really helpful program. It was really fun to see everyone from my MTC district again, especially Sister Ahn! President Christensen showed us a video about Christ and the lady at the well. He compared it to our 전 도 (street contacting) approach. It was really cool. He also said he knows how hard it is to meet people on the street. But never stop looking. He gave this comparison that was too good not to share. "It is a little boys birthday. A manure truck accidentally backs up and dumps pounds of manure all over his living room. When the little boy comes in, instead of being upset, he yells "With all this manure, there must be a pony around here somewhere!"' Don't worry, he isn't comparing the people to manure and ponies. But we really need to just stay positive and believe that someone out there is ready to listen and we just need to find them. Keeping an eternal perspective is critical.

 

We have started to street contact seperately on occasion in order to reach more people. We are always near eachother of course, but at stoplights and things we are able to talk to more people if we split up. Those poor people that have to listen to me. However, I have had some really extensive conversations on the street with people about their families and the Book of Mormon. I talked to 3 people in the time my companion talked to 11, but it was so cool! I honestly probably understood 5 words they said during our conversation, but apparently faked it well enough to keep them talking. It's been really fun and slowly but surely a few more words are starting to make sense. There was a missionary for another church on the corner. I didn't realize she was from another church until we started talking. She handed me the wipes they had with their church name on it, and I gave her a mormon.org card. It was actually a really fun conversation and exchange. I was able to meet an American who is here teaching English. She is about to go back to the states. I told her about the Book of Mormon. She has heard of our church before. So I gave her the pass-along cards from the states with the phone number to call for a free Book of Mormon. She seemed really interested, so hopefully she follows through with that when she gets home. There are so many tender mercies out here. Even though many of the people aren't ready to learn yet, we are definitely making an impression and softening hearts.

 

We had a Halloween party on Saturday. It was a combined ward activity. We decorated our room with spiders made out of straws, trash bags, and newspaper. We were worried our room would be lame, but it ended up looking really cool. We got some really strange looks while we carried those spiders across town to get to the church though. There were lots of little kids who came, and we had a haunted house and also some games for them. I was in charge of one game. It isn't easy to be a referee while little kids are running around and you have no idea how to tell them to line up, they keep coming over to complain but you don't understand a single word, and sneaky kids keep trying to steal the supplies. But I managed somehow and had so much fun! The kids are absolutely adorable! Oh man I just love them.

 

Cool story, today we are actually meeting with Jenny Lee, a woman Shalynne met back in Utah and referred to us. I will have more information about it in my next email, but this world really is so small. Especially where the church is concerned. The Lord knows exactly where His children are, and where we need to be. We are also going to be able to attend the Seoul Temple tomorrow morning. I am so excited!

 

The work is moving forward here in Korea. Sometimes we don't realize it but it definitely is. My companion often points out progression in my language that I don't always realize, which is really nice. The Lord is looking out for us. We must learn patience and humility. This work cannot progress without His help. But with His help, it can't be stopped!!! I know without a doubt that this is His true church. He is our loving Heavenly Father and wants ALL His children to return to Him. I am so grateful to be a part of this work. Keep doing the great things at home as well. I love you all so much!

 

-Love, Sister Seegmiller

Oh, and I have never eaten or been offered dog, just so you all know.

Cereal is Amazing

I love Korea!!

Let's see, where to start. This week I had my first companion exchange of the mission. I was companions with our sister training leader, Sister Smith. She is from Provo Utah and is just about the sweetest person on the planet. We met her at the subway and then took a taxi to get to English class. English class happens once a week and we always teach. It is held at the church and is a great way to get people inside the church in a non-threatening situation. We always begin and end with a prayer, and a spiritual thought. The sweet ward member fed us an amazing pork dinner. She is great. We have a beginner, intermediate, and advanced class. We teach the beginner class because Sister Gu can communicate with them in Korean when they don't understand what I am saying. It's really fun and I think it will work well in finding people to teach. It was really nice being with Sister Smith for a day, because I could ask her all about language learning ideas, parts of speech, vocab, culture differences, and just all kinds of things that I can't really ask my companion because she isn't from America. My companion is amazing, but asking her why they put a marker here and a word there doesn't make sense, they just do. So Americans understand how my brain works a little better.

 

The bread that our neighbors gave us, that we weren't able to eat because it was greet tea and coffee.. We gave one to the security guard for our apartment building, and another to the lady that sells fish snacks on the side of the road. She seemed confused but appreciated the offer. I told her in English that we see her all the time and wanted to give her a present, and Sister Gu translated. Well, a few days later we decided to buy some snacks from her which are normally 5 for a dollar. She put 6 in the bag with a big smile and told us that way we could each have 3! It was awesome! It was a small thing but we have started to build a relationship with her. It makes me so happy! There is another lady who sells vegetables near our house. We say hi everyday. One day she told us that she saw someone who she thought was us and said hi. It turns out it wasn't, so she was very glad to see us come by. Yay!! We are trying hard to make friends with the people we see all the time. They are all so sweet.

 

I was able to pass off teaching lesson 2 from preach my gospel. WOO HOO! it took about 2 hours because my district leader helped me a lot with memorizing techniques and how to apply things I learned during the day. It helped so much and motivated me to try even harder.

 

This week was Sister Gu's birthday. The elders had a little surprise lunch for her at a members house. We went over and helped cook. She asked if I knew how to cook meat in a pan. I said yes. So she handed me a big pair of chopsticks and a chunk of meat that is kind of a mix between shredded beef and hamburger. And guess what. It actually worked really well! I don't know how awkward it looked but the food tasted delicious. It was so fun in fact that I tried cooking meat with chopsticks again at our home. Practice makes perfect! I need lots of practice but it was so fun. The ward members are so sweet and feed us more food in one sitting than I have ever had probably ever. You eat until you might die, and then you find out that they have seconds and thirds of everything! And somehow it works and everyone is happy. I love it! They end every meal with fruit and that really helps your stomach settle. One ward member also insisted that we try her massage chair, which was wonderful! I love this area and the people here.

 

Yesterday at church we were able to go to ward council! This was very exciting because they hadn't held one yet since we've been here. We were able to talk about missionary needs and how the ward can help. It was a huge step in the right direction. I took notes during the meeting, which meant I wrote down all the words that I understood and spelled them in English and Korean. Not super helpful, but it was a start. We are also singing with the YSA group in a stake conference meeting soon. I'm not sure how that happened but we are. The song is in English so they love having me and the elders to help with pronunciation. The song is beautiful! It's called Homeward Bound by Marta Keens.

 

This week I was reading in D&C 31. In vs 10 it talks about being called to be a physician to the church. I feel like that is a huge part of our mission. Obviously we are called to teach and baptize. But here so many people are recently baptized, and the church members really need help to strengthen the ward they already have. It's hard to explain, but that verse really hit home. I feel like it was written for Korean missionaries. My sister training leader told me this during our exchange, "People are called to America to teach, South America to baptize, foreign lands to learn another language, and Korea to be humbled." Truer words were never spoken. This mission isn't easy. The language is ridiculous and the people don't want to listen. But there are wonderful things happening here. The church is growing stronger and I know things will progress. I am so excited to be a part of it! This week I tried to do street contacts without my trainers help. And I actually had a conversation with a lady on the street! She told me she was Buddhist and I understood!!! Holy cow it was the coolest thing ever!! I only understood a few words, but our mission president says "If you don't know what they said, answer the question they should have asked!" So I did and it was awesome. Baby steps but I am seeing progress.

 

I love Korea so much! Missionary work is hard. It's tiring and it tests every part of who we are. But it is so worth it!! This next week will be amazing, and I hope it is for all of you as well. I love you so much! Thank you for everything! The church is true!

 

-Sister Seegmiller

 

p.s. I have developed a slight cereal obsession. This bag lasted a week

He's Super Tall. Also, Ice Cream is the Universal Language.

You're Number 1!

If anyone has yummy recipes for food or desserts, that wouldn't hurt either. But by mail would be the best way to send them. Also, Emily Bennett says hello! And does anyone have any finding ideas? We are trying to be creative with how we find investigators, but its a little tricky. Any ideas would be great. And, we have a pull up bar at our house. I can finally do two legit pull-ups in a row, no cheating or anything! Small accomplishment but I was so happy!

 

This week has been so good. We had a new family move in next door. They brought us over bread to be friends, so we are going to try to reach them and possibly start teaching the family! We had an interview with President Christensen on Wednesday. Apparently these are scheduled to last about 20 min. each. Mine went about an hour but it was so amazing. We just talked about everything, and he is absolutely the perfect mission president for me. I am so blessed, and he is an amazing man. The Lord has put me in good hands. I told him about Grandpa since he is a surgeon. He said that treatments have become so good for that kind of cancer, and he has seen people live for years after treatments. He has high hopes for his arm and all around health, so that gave me a lot of hope.

 

We were able to teach an English class on Wednesday as well. This is a weekly event but this was my first time teaching. It's interesting, because we try to teach English to people who don't speak English. But my explanations are in English so I really don't know how much they are understanding. But that's okay! They all seem to enjoy it. A sweet lady in the ward made us dinner and said she will bring dinner every wednesday before class. The ward takes such good care of us. We have been fed by them many times, and they are constantly bringing over food or giving us food on Sunday and other meetings. It is great and we feel so loved! We have been able to eat with a few less actives as well, and we tell them that I need to practice teaching the first lesson. So they participate without feeling like a project and it has been really effective! We were going to teach one of the member's mother last night, but she didn't show up. So we practiced with the family anyway. They give really good advice and pointers on how to teach more effectively. One family asked me if there were any Koreans in our family because my pronunciation sounds so good. They also said even though the pronunciation is good, I need to work on saying the correct words so I can make sense. But hey, It's progress!! Another sweet lady made us dinner and then gave me a winter coat that used to be her daughters! I am not sure why since I didn't follow the conversation, but it saved me a lot of money! They are amazing. I have been asked if I'm an islander a few times which is pretty fun. I just love the ward. We did a project where we gave out a Book of Mormon to every single ward member, including the children. We included every pamphlet, pass-along cards, and pretty much everything we use as missionaries. We gave them a scripture calendar with scriptures to read each day and to pray with people in mind. We also made them cookies. They really enjoyed that and I think it may start to get them going. I am excited to see what happens.While we were passing them out, the Lord blessed us so much. A lady ran over and asked us if we taught English, and wants to start the 30/30 program in two weeks. Other people just came over and said we looked different from other people in a good way. And we were able to pass out several Book of Mormons. Just being able to find apartments was a blessing. It was amazing!

 

Some people on the street don't like us a lot, but some love me so much just because I am American. Yesterday I said hello to a lady who looked at me with a huge smile and yelled, "Foreigner!" I wasn't sure what to do, but then she grabbed my hand and yelled several times, "You're number 1!!" And then she walked away. A lady on the subway gave us candy because I reminded her of her son who is living in America. We also saw a gravesite for an American war leader during the Korean war. It's randomly on the sidewalk in the middle of town, but they have honored his site of death so people have to walk around it. I thought that was super cool. We were able to teach an investigator yesterday during gospel principles class. She has a testimony but wants to be baptized by her son, who is currently inactive. So we are trying to figure that out. But it was awesome and she thanked us with tears in her eyes after the lesson. Our ward mission leader also asked me to bear my testimony during sacrament about a scripture that he was explaining during his talk. He asked about 20 min before sacrament meeting and said to just to it in English and my companion would translate. That's what we did and it was awesome! The spirit was so strong and our ward is just amazing.

 

I love it here in Korea so much. It's hard and the people are difficult to reach. I can't understand a word of what people are saying. Yet the Lord has called me here to do a great work for Him. I am doing my best to progress in the language and the gospel so I can be effective for Him. He loves His children and will help us to find them if we are trying our best. I love this gospel. I KNOW that it's true and that God lives. We can return to Him someday if we are faithful! I am so grateful for that knowledge.

 

-Sister Seegmiller

A Whole Bunch of Pictures

Korea Continues!

We were able to eat with members twice this week. Once was a service project where we helped them cook and package food for some of the less fortunate around the area. It took awhile but was really fun. The people were all super nice (at least I think, still can't tell a word they say) and we had fun. They served us some vegetables that no one could seem to identify and fish with the skin and tail still attached, but it was delicious. However, everything they eat here is so spicy. My tongue is still getting used to that. One lady was watching me eat and started laughing at the tears forming in my eyes. She brought me over steaming hot ginger water which didn't really help much. She and her family are the ones who fed us later that week, and as we sat down she pointed at the food and said "Not spicy". I was very appreciative and the food was sooo good! The father is less active, and I was able to practice teaching Lesson 1 to them. It was really cool, and they all participated. I still have a lot of work to do but it was good practice.

We were able to watch General Conference this week. We got permission for me to watch it in English downstairs with the Elders while the rest of the ward, including my companion, watched it in the chapel in Korean. It was AMAZING!! Holy cow, the most inspiring conference I've ever heard. We were all so sad when it was over. President Uchtdorf's talk on Saturday hit me so hard. I just want to print off a million copies and stick it on every door in Korea! There is a place in this gospel for everyone, if they would just give it a chance! I cannot wait until the printed ensign comes out so I can study the talks further. Shalynne and Stuart- The talk by Bonnie L. Oscarson was so good, it made me think of you! A huge theme this year was MEMBER MISSIONARY WORK! Being on a mission has given me so much more perspective on this, but seriously, this work cannot progress in the Lord's way without members and missionaries working together. We are opening this area so we literally have almost no information about anyone or anything. Our only resource is the ward members and trying to meet people on the street. Member referrals is WAY more effective. We are trying hard to get things going here in Korea. But please please please to all you can to help the missionaries in your area. They NEED your help! I can't remember which talk it was, but they asked every member to pray about someone receiving the gospel by Christmas. And if everyone does that, what a wonderful gift that would be to our Savior. I encourage you to take this challenge to heart and really pray and look for missionary opportunities no matter where you are. The Lord will help guide you to who you can help if we just ask. "Ask and ye shall receive, knock and it shall be opened unto you". You will be able to help accomplish miracles! I love all of you and know you will be great instruments in the hands of the Lord.

We were trying to do street contacting the other day and we met two high school aged students. We gave one a BOM but didn't have an extra for her friend. So we made a return appointment. The day we were suppose to meet she texted us and asked if she could move back our meeting by a few hours. We prayed and asked the Lord to soften her heart and have her really show up to meet us. (It is very common for street contacts to give wrong numbers or never show) We went to the meeting area and we were SOO happy to see her standing there. It was raining so I shared my umbrella with her while we gave her the Book of Mormon and walked her to her bus stop. She is so sweet and we have really high hopes for her. It is midterms right now and Korean schools are crazy hard! But we plan to meet with her again in a few weeks.

The ward members are all super sweet. My companion and I are able to communicate in English which is wonderful, because everywhere else I am so confused. Because I know how to say some phrases, people will come talk to me all the time. It's great and I love them, and usually a smile and nod keep the conversation going. But when they pause for a response or ask a question, they quickly realize I have no clue what is going on. Thankfully they are really understanding, and use lots of actions so I can get a better idea. They also have given us rice, 라 면, kimche, and some kind of melon. They laugh at my attempts to use chopsticks, and my other American quirks (often I don't know what I did that was so "American", I just turn to see people laughing.) But I am happy to make them happy and we have a lot of fun. We have been trying to heart attack ward members doors and build relationships. We accidentally did the wrong door and almost gave the poor lady a heart attack when she walked outside to see us hiding behind her door. It didn't help that I was holding scissors like a crazy killer. We quickly apologized, removed the decorations, and found the right house. We accidentally decorated another wrong door, but didn't realize until we were out of the elevator. We went back to correct our mistake, but we decided it was fate and left our phone number and a BOM by their door instead. We will see if anything comes from it.

Funny story. On Sunday, we met with the ward mission leader. He left to pick up his family and bring them back to church. When he came back he apologized to me for lying. I was confused and asked what he had lied about. He said that he went home and his son was still in bed. So he told him that there was an American model at the church, and his son got ready much quicker and they weren't late for church. It was so funny and I was happy to help out the family... I think.

Life is so good here. The work is hard. There are SOO many churches here in Korea. We are trying hard to help people realize in the 20 seconds we have to speak with them that we are different. It is definitely a process, but we are learning and are working hard to push the work forward. My companion is great and helps me so much. When we talk to people on the street, she is able to actually understand and respond when the anwer my questions. She understands the culture and is teaching me a lot. I have given her a few heart attacks when I forget to take off my shoes inside, but things are going really well. I love this work and cannot wait to see what this week has in store. I love all of you! This church is true!

-Sister Seegmiller