Happy Chuseok 추석 !!! Korean Thanksgiving

Hi, hiii sorry I didn't email last week and have almost noooo time again this week... but I will talk about last week!! 추석!! Last week was Korea's big Thanksgiving Holiday. First, to celebrate we went to Seoul, Namsan tower with Kim Min Su from Sinchon ward. To be honest I thought we could do more at the top... but it was beautiful overlooking all of Seoul and so cute with a million, couple love lock trees and bridges. We won the teeter totter and Korean game competition (By we, I mean Sister Kim and Min su... I just was in the pictures J) and got to write a letter and hang it on a traditional Korean bag on this bridge. Ohhh!!  Quite the prize, but it was really cute - I'll send pictures!! On Thursday all the missionaries came together at the mission home, hiked up to the top of the mountain, ate Traditional Korean food (subway sandwiches), played games and watched the Joseph Smith movie. Also news! Elder Bednar is coming next month to Korea and we will have a combined conference with Seoul South mission! 

This week! We started Personal Progress with our 13 year old girls we meet with every week. Our two girls who are less active have really been opening up the past few weeks and were excited to start... although the motives vary among the group. One of the girls is so sincere, takes notes and sets goals... while the other girl says to me, "the necklace is real gold?!" *then to herself* "Oh. I wonder how much you can sell that for..." Hahaha!  So far they somehow manage to come every week and stay to the closing prayer of the 3rd hour of sacrament meeting... we are working on it! 

I loved the testimony of one of our members we met this week. She told us about when she came to BYU and for the first time learned of all the crazy things people think about our church. She started to doubt and have questions, but then realized she has a testimony of 4 things and nothing else matters. 1) God lives. 2) Jesus Christ is our Savior. 3) Heavenly Father and Christ know and love her. 4) When she reads the Book of Mormon she is happier. So simple but so true. She says those 4 principles have carried her throughout her entire life… anytime she has trials or stress. She can always trusts God and moves forward because she knows with her whole heart those 4 things are true. 

Have a good week!! 

Sister Davis

Heart shaped chairs with leaning edges to help you sit closer together

I thought they were the cutest couple & asked to take a picture of them

In front of the Love Lock Trees  <3

Sister Kim & I with a pair of Korean Wedding Ducks 원앙세트

The Teeter Totter Contest… Kim Min Su was awesome at it!

Namsan tower - N서울타워  is the highest tower in Seoul.

Sushi buffet = so sick 

Happy Birthday Mom!!

To start Happy birthday to my amazing mom!!! I am so SO lucky to be blessed with her example (realizing what a blessing this is even more as I have been serving), and hope to become more like her. Side note: everyone in Korea who sees her picture asks if she is Miss America or a movie star ㅋㅋ Demi's the best! Also birthday shout out to my best friend Allie, serving in Paris!!

This week started with our trip to 경복궁 Palace in our Korean traditional dresses. Sooooo amazing…and huge!! We needed 4 days to really experience it...and had under 2 hours...but beautiful. Also funny story: Park Dobby's 10 min. of fame. We were walking and a lady came and asked me to do an interview in my dress (foreigner power). They gave me this "instrument" - a round, flat circle with a wooden stick - and asked me to guess how to use it. At first I thought maybe music so started tapping it and dancing...no. Then maybe cooking so I started stirring it....anyway! It's a Korean circus toy that you spin on the stick!! I will try to send video :) 

This week's miracles!! First our Korean Investigator who learns English with us. She is the cutest! When we first started 30/30 English gospel program...she focused during English and then would almost sleep during lessons. But as we have continued to meet her and show her love...practicing ABC song, showing pictures of family, teaching me an old Korean song and learning together, pulling out her iPhone and SO slowly typing abc and sending to random people....she became someone we really loved and she gradually opened her heart to accept the gospel. This week we invited her again to be baptized...she said no because another church (only goes bc they allow her to exercise there....). We felt to ask her about her personal prayers and relationship with Heavenly Father...and she has never prayed on her own before. We promised that God knows her, she is His daughter and will answer her prayer about baptism. She was tired and wanted to quickly leave but agreed to say a "short" closing prayer. She started out just briefly thanking for the opportunity to learn English...then paused for a minute. Then she started to cry and gave the most humble, sincere prayer. She closed the prayer, paused, then started a second prayer. The spirit enveloped the room and we were all crying together. 뿌듯해요!! 

Oh my there were so many this week and I have no time :/ But all I can say is this work is amazing and I am so lucky to be a part of it. Heavenly Father knows and loves His children and is a part of every little detail of our lives. He knows to place us on a subway at a certain time, knows how to lead us to a specific members home, and knows the person who will find our card with our number (the 3 cards I accidentally dropped on the street bc I didn't want to carry a bag...), call, come to church and find the hope he was looking for his whole life. When we put Heavenly Father first and serve with Him and for Him in everything we do, He will bless us and we will see miracles. 

Love you all!

Sister Davis