Konichiwa! Just kidding. Annyeong-Haseyo! Missionary work is as awesome as ever. It’s funny because I really didn’t experience too much culture shock when I got to Korea. I was really tired and I remember thinking, “Wow! Everyone is Asian here and everything is written in Korean.”
But that was pretty much it. I just felt like it didn’t really matter much where I was because the Lord’s work is the same everywhere. With that said, however, everything in Korea seems to be different. I’ll give you a few examples:
- garbage – has to be separated into piles of plastic, paper, glass, and food (all wasted food needs to be put in its own pile).
- masks – people wear those doctor masks when they’re sick. It’s kind of scary actually because it looks like there might be a plague-outbreak or something, but really, sick Koreans just don’t want to get anyone else sick…so I guess it’s nice. It’s ridiculously hard to understand people though when I can’t see their mouth!
- rice cooker – everyone has one. I eat rice every day! You have to wash the rice here a little before you cook it—that’s why it’s so yummy is what someone told me.
We got to go to the Seoul temple this week! It was beautiful. It’s crazy because you really can be a block away from it and not be able to see it. I love how they keep up the grounds. They’re gorgeous! It was such a beautiful day when we went there, too. Perfect!
(Click on any picture below to see full size pics)
This week, Sister Linda K. Burton and Sister Bonnie L. Oscarson from the General Relief Society Presidency also came and spoke to us. They were amazing. They talked about a scripture in 3 Nephi 5:13 that says:
“Behold, I am a disciple of Jesus Christ, the Son of God. I have been called of him to declare his word among his people, that they might have everlasting life.”
I love it so much! I think I say that a lot, but oh my goodness there are just so many things I love about the Gospel, and Korea, and missionary work that I can’t help it. I still don’t really know the word for hate in Korean because I just don’t use it, ever.
Story for the week is about Family History Missionary Work. Woohh! Sounds super boring right? Wrong! We really wanted to start using family history work to get to know people so we asked a member about his family this week and we learned that most Koreans have a written genealogical record.
The member we met with was from China, and he was so excited to show a bunch of foreigners his history. He even had ancient scrolls from Kings that mentioned some of his ancestors on them!
We asked him after he had shared with us his family records what some of his ideas were for how we could better use family history work in our missionary work, but we must have asked him how he can do missionary work for his family because he started talking about those who had no religion in his family and how he would be a better missionary to them. Well neato! If we help motivate members in any way to do missionary work than we are successful!
As a missionary, the members who find people for us to teach help the most. If my mission has done anything for me, it’s made me realize I want to be a better member missionary when I get back.
There are a couple people in our ward that do so much for the Lord’s work. I’ll tell you about one lady in particular. She prays everyday for missionary opportunities, but she also does the work for it. One of the things they taught us in the MTC is that “If you want to teach people, you need to talk to people.”
This is probably one of the hardest things I’ve had to learn to do. It’s scary talking to random people, but it’s something we must do. Just talk to people because you love them and believe that God loves them even more! Most of the time, people are courteous enough to carry on a conversation if you start it.
So this woman in our ward talks to everyone, everywhere she goes. She just gets to know about them and their family. From this, she met a woman who’s daughter is going to BYU (and who isn’t LDS). She shared with her that she is LDS, too, and established a friendship that let this lady know she loved her for who she was, but she told her that she would love if she met the missionaries.
We were invited to this lunch that was really chill and relaxed and friendly and got to know a little more about this lady. At the end, the member asked her friend if she wanted to do more with us and she said yes. And then, (I don’t know how things work in Korea, but this woman was so bold) she told her frankly that she was going to be an investigator of our church, and that she would have to search and do the work required to really know if our church was true.
Then she started teaching her friend how the Gospel blesses families. It was amazing! She was the missionary and we were just there to bear another testimony and witness that what she was saying was true. That’s how I want missionary work to be always. When we met with our new investigator to teach the first lesson, she was ready to receive it. It was amazing!
Have a good week. Hoorah for Israel!
❤ Sister Stastny
Seoul Sister 