Epic 200 m Sprint

8-19-2013

It was a good one. We had a fun, if a little weird, day.  Monday is usually P=day but we are going to the temple tomorrow so we had a normal day today except we emailed. Super funky. Anyway, me and Elder Van are trying to plan more efficiently so we studied that section of PMG. There are some good guidelines in there for life goals like "Goals reflect the desires of our hearts." that helps me set good ones. For life too. Also when we were going to the church a bunch of old guys called us over and made us tell them about the Book fo Mormon and the Restoration. Super cool. They were really into it. Also If eel super blessed. I think God has realized my shortcomings and poured out the gift of tongues on me. it's really easy to understand people. Also we had a fun time trying to get a less active member's house and also placed and exceptionally loving one on someone's random door. Hope they feel the love. :)  I really love the BoM. It's provided me with a lot of strength lately. I really do know it's true and it feels like an old friend to me. It's awesome. Work hard and be happy. The Gospel of Jesus Christ is so amazing. Those of you who have it, thank God, and those of you who don't, ask about it! I would love a letter. :)

8/26

So I accidentally wrote tons on a random piece of paper and I feel like it needs to be at least partially filled. We've had a great couple days and a good last week. We just went biking with the district and it was super fun.  It was weird to be on a bike again. It feels pretty natural as always. i'm kinda thinking that I won't drive a car for a long as I can and put it off and just bike places. The vagabond wanderer of Provo. With a huge mustache. But that's not for a while, so I won't think about it. Today we teach Bro Kim and we're stoked. He just got back from Japan and it was pretty cool. it sounds like.  We're stoked to see him. It's been a little while. i'm pretty tired but pretty happy. We have lots of popsicles. what more could I ask for?  Well, tiredness and all it's been a good day. Stay happy, work hard. Now's the time to do it.

8/20

Temple day! We had a super fun day today. We met a guy on the train who friended me on facebook right there and wanted to eat with me. Super crazy.  We had an awesome time at the temple. The peace and eternal perspective I experience there is like nothing else.  It's such a wonderful feeling. Also today we went to Dongdemun or East Gate market and bought ties and a new backpack for Elder Van. I got a tie that I think is about 2 cm across. So skinny. It can fit 4 times on some of my other ties. then we ran around looking for guitar strings but couldn't find them. So we bought 35 popsicles instead, a decent trade.  Then we had a rockin lesson on the Plan of Salvation with Bro Jeung. he really gets the purpose of life it seems. it went a little long but was good. he committed to be baptized if he knows its true. So cool. So I've been trying to be more comfortable with life Korean lately. Like speak their way and be able to be natural. It's hard. And fun. It's helped me to listen and to work though. Also after w finished teaching we went out to find people to be baptized and this old guy yelled at us a bunch. People are usually OK nice. It's stuff like that that makes me want to work hard to be able to understand people. Well, bed calls.

8/21 Wednesday

Fun day. We had a good district meeting butI'm kinda cranky after I just spent 45 minutes restringing a guitar. And then the neck was warped and a string broke. So that kinda was aggravating. Maybe I'm not supposed to have a guitar. Well, we had a good district meeting and I got to spend some time contacting with one of the zone leaders. then we taught english class and came home. We did spend our lunch time teaching the ladies at the restaurant we ate at. Super funny. They think it's really funny that we speak Korean.

8/22

It's been a good couple days. But kinda rough. I feel like I'm missing some of the beginning fire I had. I really hate it. I need my fire! So I've been trying to get it back and it works little by little. I'll get there. Tonight I want to tell you about a game Elder Van and I play. The streets in Korean "suburbs" are super narrow so cars get really close to you. We have this game where we try to touch them nonchalantly as they pass and if we do, we get a point. However! If you ever drop your Book fo Mormon, you go down to Zero and your future wife gains 10 pounds.

So the other day Elder Van was up 42 - 26 and he totally flubbed his BoM and dropped it. So he went down to zero.  Heretofore he had been pretty cocky so I rubbed it in maybe a little much and he whacked my Book of Mormon out of my hands. So. We decided that was pretty bad and could never happen again so we agreed to play nicely after that. Now I'm up 42-3. Elder Van has been really clumsy lately.  Also, it's two points if you touch a food delivery scooter, but it's really awkward cause they can feel it, so they look around to see who did it. Luckily two big white guys aren't much fer suspects. Anyway, we walk a lot so that's our game, It passes the time if we have a really long walk, no one is out, and we have no idea where we are.  In the way of actual work, we met this super nice old guy tonight who bought us food and we taught about prayer. He just loves us so much it's hard to believe. I feel like I have another grandpa.  Then Elder Van and I had a somewhat intense discussion on 2 Nephi 29.  Super cool. Bed!

8/23

Shoot! 7 months to the day I checked into the MTC. Time flies. A thousand years in a day is what it feels like. We had a fun day today. Elder Van really stepped up his game so it's 51-14.  Not bad. We had a good study session and planned for the week. I really do think that PMG is just a compilation of everything the best missionaries have done over the years. A weekly planning session is awesome. I want to live this way for the rest of my life! Also today I realized that I feel like I'm a part of Korea. Like I see a foreigner and think "what is he doing here?" I feel pretty comfy doing whatever I need to do. Elder Van taught this random guy who was smoking outside the little mart the whole first lesson. Well done. He's such a go-getter. I love it. I really hope I can get him ready to train next transfer. Another 30 missionaries are coming so he's gotta be ready! Also today we went bowling with an almost investigator. He is way cool. we're super good friends. But it finished a little late so we had to take a taxi and did an epic 200 m sprint home to be on time. We barely squeaked it. All those years of middle school track are paying off. :) Well love you guys. I feel your prayers when I reach deep. Thank you.

8/24

We had a super good day today. Every so often we just have these days when we have nothing going on. A fat chunk of 5 hours stretching into eternity. Those are my favorite. We get to go on awesome adventures. So we left today at 1 and I decided to visit a less active member about 3 miles away. So we walked there and stopped at a potential investigator's house and snagged some water. She's so nice, and we invited them to church tomorrow. Then while we were trying to find the less active member's home this crazy girl who was like 15 or 16 ran up to us and spoke a bunch of crazy English and kept trying to hold my hand. Freaky. This less active member was not home so we walked over to Bro Yoon's house and invited him back to church, also with the ploy for some water. That worked good, so we just started asking everyone for water. Somebody bought us a soda. Just kidding about the asking, but a random guy really did buy us soda. Then we went home and realized that we had basically waked the entire square footage of our area. And we found a raven painting and stuck it on the wall. Then this awesome guy made us dinner and we taught him about the BoM. he's super crazy smart. Then we planned. We have a hope for 8 people at church tomorrow. Stoked!

8/25
We had a fund one today. our awesome family came to church today! And I spent a little bit of time teaching the story of Jonah to the "friend" who's my age. If someone is your age in Korea you have the "friend" relationship. So we're friends. Super good. Also Sister >>> is getting ready to be baptized!She's waiting until she's ready to, but she loves the Book of Mormon and the church so here's hoping. The members of our ward are awesome. Sister Oh and Bro Choi are so kind. Unbelievably so. Then also today we had a great time at a big district finding activity. We didn't find tons of people but we found a couple of people to refer to the missionaries of that area, and a guy stopped us randomly and asked if he could come to church. He said he's fed up with the Catholics and wants to give the Mormons a try. So! We'll see how he likes it.  Lately I've been trying to make my prayers more meaningful so I pray after we plan, while I'm still dressed. It makes it easier to really focus. i really love the opportunity to pray so much. The opportunity to communicate personally with the most powerful being ever, that is our loving Father. What a privilege. Don't take it for granted.