Keep Your Tents Turned Towards the Temple

Hiii, I love Korea!! It was such an amazing week :) First, the weather is SO nice now. It was the hottest I've ever experienced in life 2 weeks ago and now I actually freeze at night with 3 blankets... changed so fast. This week we had Stake Conference and the Asia area President, President Whiting came and spoke. I don't have much time, but his talk was really great. One part I really liked was when he contrasted King Benjamin's people, facing their tents towards the temple to hear his words, with Lot's family in Genesis, who left Sodom before it was destroyed but then on a hill faced their tents back towards the wicked city (the world). King Benjamin's people were converted and joyful... but then 20 years later, their kids didn't believe or follow. What happened? Are our tents constantly facing the temple... or slowly turning more and more towards the world? We first have to check our own tents, faith and conversion.

This week we met our investigator who has such strong faith… and really sassy. She asked about what we do in the temples and as we were explaining about the plan of salvation and those who couldn't learn about Christ on earth getting a second chance she quickly said, "No! No second chance. If you don't learn about Christ on earth, too bad. That's it. Uh oh." I thought about that and realized what kind of loving God would we have if he didn't provide the opportunity to learn about Christ, and for forgiveness and second chances when we fall short or make mistakes. I realized that He loves us all equally. Those who follow Him and those who don't. But I think that as He watches those who follow Him and obey... He knows that that person loves Him back. Those who don't obey... He still loves, wants to help, would accept at ANY moment that they turn back to Him... but He is sad because they don't have the opportunity to receive His full blessings and He cannot feel that they love Him back.

Funny story this week! Sister Kim and I were taking the bus to an appointment, I was talking to someone on the bus and it was our stop to get off. Sister Kim yelled my name and I got up so fast to leave, but the door shuts... she had gotten off... with the phone. The bus started moving and normally they really don't want to stop again. So my first instinct was just to pretend and yell, "Help. I have to go! From America. No Korean!!" They all wanted to help me and let me off... Actually another lady got off with us and we ended up laughing and having a really good conversation.

Ok so novel, I'm so sorry and not even 1/8 of everything that happened this week. Have a good week!

Love,

Park Dobby

She is amazing at art!! Drew me out of chocolate from a chocolate fountain... ㅎㅎㅎ

Our girls!

Goodbye Doris...For the REAL last time

Hiiiii!! This week I saw Doris (성희) for the REAL last time - I promise… she's in America!!! I think our 5th or 6th "final goodbye" ...but she arrived, went to temple square and ate Cup Bop! I feel sooo lucky to have met her my first day in Seoul, Korea. She was baptized 4 days before I came and was the strongest convert on planet earth. In 3 months she became my best friend and I learned so so much from her testimony and desire to help the missionaries. My heart was just a little happy (Best ever!) when she sent me her pictures in front of Salt Lake temple this week!! 

This week I was thinking about in 3 Nephi where Christ talks about knowing His church by their fruits. 3 Ne. 14: 18 "A corrupt tree cannot bring forth good fruit." Being on a mission, I've really come to recognize how our lives, our happiness are evidence that this Church is true. I have never seen anything negative from following the Savior and striving to live His gospel... but I have personally experienced it improve lives, bring hope, change priorities, strengthen families, heal... bring so many blessings to enrich our lives and lead us to real happiness. It is ONLY "good fruit." Before my mission, I was so focused on all the wrong priorities... which I thought would make me happy. But then would always leave me thinking, "Ok. What's next?!" The joy was so temporary and I felt like I was always, almost searching for happiness. I can promise that the only way to find true and lasting happiness is from learning of Jesus Christ, applying His Atonement and following Him. As we focus on the Savior, our lives will work out as they are supposed to, our priorities will change, our families will be stronger and united, and we will be able to say we are truly happy. 

Love you all! Have a happy week!!!

Sister Davis

Also this week:

---I love Korea!!! In Seoul they have these places called Board Game Cafes. You sit down in comfy, couches/booths and receive a menu full of all the board games you can order! Seriously! The lighting is dim, can order food, everyone is so intense... so funny. We went for DORIS's last Pday in Korea and played Clue - I won. :)

---Also.... our rotten egg experience!!!!!! Traumatized. When I first came to Korea… I was SO surprised when my companions kept our eggs outside of the refrigerator (it was January)... but just accepted it and thought it was Korean culture. Soooo. Now it is a million degrees and we don't have air conditioning in our apartment. We went to make eggs this week and it was BLACK! I think I went blind and cried. Literally traumatizing experience. I will never eat eggs again.

Sister Lee!!  Reunited

The district!

For real last time!!  She left for America!!!!

Clue / Board Game Café

I won!!!!  But what’s new  ~^^

Rotten egg – real picture.

Johnsons in Korea...What?!!!

Hiii Amazing week!! First shout out to my best friend Brittface and my grandpa DD for birthdays this week!! I love you!! Also this Sunday I had a surprise visit from some of my favorite people, Paige, Katelyn and Drew Johnson!! I can't even explain how excited I was to see them and it definitely made my week!!!

This week we received our transfer calls and Sister Kim and I are staying in Seoul together woo!! We met a new Chinese investigator this week and had an amazing lesson together. So prepared. She grew up Buddhist but a year ago started to believe a God exists. Her grandma was really sick with cancer and at that time her Professor (who attends another Christian church) taught her how to pray for her grandma. After a few weeks her grandma was miraculously healed… from cancer!!  She says, "I know there is a God and He answers prayers." She came to Korea in June and went to a Catholic church for the first time. She said she felt an overwhelming spirit, like a hug, embracing her and she almost wanted to cry. We taught her about the restoration up until the first vision. I was so sooo terrified… I always teach the Joseph Smith first vision lesson in Korean and didn't want to mess it up.  But I prayed to be able to share it and that our investigator could recognize that spirit and power again... then I said it for the first time in English!! She just said "wow," was speechless, and Sister Kim and I felt the Spirit embracing us too. It was such an amazing moment with her. She came to church this Sunday, loved the different feeling of peace in our sacrament meeting and wants to be baptized. We love her so much and are so so happy to have met her!!

Alsoooo not important side note buttt: she is studying at Korea University and we met her for the first time in the Business school there. Unreal. The entire campus is built like a castle...looks like Hogwarts!!! I'm going to go there. Transferring!! 

Have an amazing week!! I love you!

Sister Davis

My Johnson Sisters!!!  <3

So SO hot here... but happy :)

Sunday, August 7, 2016

Hiii from Korea! It is so SO hot here. We are literally going blind and dying!!....but happy. :) One story this week: Every week we do Family Home Evening just with three elementary school aged, less actives in our ward. One was baptized 3 years ago, always comes but doesn't like to focus or listen when we share the spiritual message. This week, she listened and was so sincere. She told us that she believed in God when she was baptized, but she is the only member of her family and lately has been questioning if God exists. She wants to go to heaven, but says she needs to become a better person to go there. Now that she is starting Junior High next week...her mistakes seem real and more serious to her. She was so cute and asked, "Before I start middle school, can I please be baptized again?" We had a really amazing conversation about repentance and our loving Heavenly Father. 

Also amazing miracle! Our investigator I talked about last week...so amazing. Moved to Malaysia yesterday with her son :/ But! Read the Book of Mormon (in 5 days) up to Alma 24 and said she finally found the hope she was looking for her entire life. She wants to stay in contact and find a ward there. It was such a short, random week but I feel so so lucky to have been able to meet her in Korea just in the moment she needed the gospel. 

This week

---Found Jamba Juice and California Pizza Chicken....may or may not have cried

---We have an investigator we are teaching English and the gospel to. She wanted to practice her pronunciation at home and decided to take a video of me reading this Spongebob book. BUT she cut the video so all you can see is my mouth speaking the words. She sent it to our phone when we were on splits. So my companion opened it from a random number, just a mouth speaking "good morning Spongebob!!" *No idea who the video is from* You had to be there...but so funny!!

Have a good week!!!

Sister Davis

Park Dobby and Doris