Friday, December 18, 2015

기대됩니다!! ("To be excited" - present form)

I'm alive! Sorry the computers were down yesterday so we are emailing today...but hello, hi! I have the best news ever. Legendary!! Wait for it...I CAN CALL FOR 30 MIN. ON CHRISTMAS!!! We found out on Sunday and I've being dyinnng to tell you guys all week. I will call between 4 and 4:30 on Christmas day, so be ready because I can't wait to hear your voices! So hi..what! First month down already and I'm almost halfway through the MTC. I don't know how time is going so fast! 

This week was great! Starting with seeing Brittface at the temple on Sunday. We're walking up, I see her car and then her head poked out the window = happiest moment of my life. Love you Britt!! Also that night BYU Men's Choir gave our Sunday devotional. The Elders in my district have had their version of "Savior, Redeemer of my Soul" on repeat in the classroom every day since. That and David Archuletta's video of "The Prayer" (my favorite Christmas song)...go watch it. Funny story this week! So we have TRC every Friday night, which is when we teach members or RMs a lesson in Korean. This week we taught about having faith/hope through trials with the scripture Romans 5:3-5 (read it - it's a good one!). Anyway, during our SECOND lesson, I gave her the scripture and asked what she learned from it. She gave me the most confused look, started laughing and said she had no idea! Then of course I realized I gave the wrong scripture...IN BOTH LESSONS. It was supposed to be about developing Christ like attributes through afflictions and instead it said something like "Every man is a liar"...I'm just smiling like, "what did you learn about hope from this verse?" Even better that the RM in the first lesson had just silently gone along with it probably SO confused. Ahhh Korean scriptures (not the first time)

Language news: we can finally form/conjugate sentences without staring at the blueprints in the book! There are sooo many verb conjugations through tenses (past, future), forms (negative, command, indirect question...), and linking forms to connect phrases. While it's slightly overwhelming, putting sentences together is actually really fun! I was really excited to learn how to testify this week (which is weird because two verbs in one sentence). My one sentence: "I know that through Jesus Christ's Atonement we can return to God." Which in Korean grammar reads like, "I Jesus Christ's Atonement through God to we return can know." It's kinda like an "I know" sandwich and then you try to make everything fit in the middle (math equation...ish). Also we learned how to count and tell time - which uses Chinese numbers for the hour and Korean numbers for the minutes…crazy stuff. You can pretty much always count on Korean to hurt your brain, but it's the best. It has also been so evident this week that the Spirit doesn't teach through words/lang. but through feelings. There are some lessons when my investigator will say something and I will listen so SO hard and have absolutely no idea what he said. Then I will get a feeling to share a scripture, have him read a hymn, or just start talking and somehow answer his question. There are still MANY times where we don't understand, say "yes, good!" and move on...but it is an amazing feeling when you recognize the spirit guiding a lesson and making up for our language barrier. 

This week I learned a lesson about charity. On Saturday I was having a hard time because I felt like ALL my study time was getting eaten up in preparing lessons for our investigators. I wanted to study the scriptures where I was at in Alma, or study the language where I felt I needed to learn (wow, noticing all the "I"s in this story as we speak). One of the Elders told me to read 1 Cor. ch. 13 (amazing - read it). Straight from the beginning it hits you with even if we have the spirit of prophecy, tongues of angels, or faith to MOVE MOUNTAINS, if you have not charity you are nothing. Charity is turning outward with Christ like love, charity "Seeketh not her own." Even if I have the strongest faith, the most powerful lesson and speak Korean fluently...it will mean nothing if I don't selflessly love and serve the people. This mission isn't about me. We had a devotional on Tuesday by Lynn G. Robbins where he said the question shouldn't be "what would Jesus do?" but "what kind of person would Jesus be?" The Savior's greatest sermon wasn't on a mount, temple or synagogue, it was His life. As we study the Savior's life and apply those principles we can become more like Him. I' love that I have the opportunity this Christmas to really focus on the Savior, who showed the greatest example of Charity and love through His sacrifice for us. We can feel this strength every day as we remember Jesus Christ and what He suffered for us so we won't ever have to be alone.

Thank you to everyone for all the letters, emails and packages this week! Jujee and Pompa: The peppermint pretzels were devoured by the missionaries literally in 3 days and the cinnamon bears reminded me of dominos (just needed my lucky ice). Sam, Aaron and Alex: My favorite cookies (all the teachers want the recipe)! So good to hear from you guys I miss you. Johnson family: I probably cried when I saw the cinnamon rolls and ate 3 right then and there in the mailroom (maybe half joking). So happy thank you! Cousin Brittany: LaDuree macaroons from Paris are you joking? I'm so spoiled thank you and also for the Almond/hazelnut butter with my bananas. Family: We love all the Christmas decorations (feels like my favorite holiday!) and chocolate!!

I think I have "Pday" on Christmas Eve but I'm not for sure. So excited to talk to you on Christmas!!! Saranhamnida!!! 

Davis Chamae

Best “surprise” ever seeing Brittface on our temple walk!!!

Cute Britt making the Korean heart symbol.

Our trio!  Sister Mulitalo and Sister Feinga.

The Chamaenymder

My FAVORITE cookies from Alex, Sam and Aaron!!  Thank youuuuu!!!!

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Macaroons from Laduree!  Thank you Cousin Brittany! I miss you and New York!

Always nice to bump into one of my ward bros - Drew Callister!