Wednesday, February 25, 2015

Oh Man!!!! 12/14/14

We had an awesome week this week but Im gonna cut the least awesome stuff and just talk about saturday and maybe sunday.

So actually friday night, had to go to bedearly pack a bag and everything because the next morning we had to go to seoul with our branch!  So exciting! (let me just preface this by saying lots of stress and stuff!)

We woke up super early to get ready and as we headed out the door and called our branch president who was picking us up to go to the bus terminal, we found out he was running late and wouldnt be able to.  Its 5:35.... bus leaves at 5:50.... we are 20 minutes away.... Called a taxi, gonna take 5 minutes.  We quickly said personal and companion prayers that everything would work out.  AS the taxi pulled up, we told him to hit it, the drive normally takes about 5 minutes, he took 1.  Arrived at the bus terminal at 5:41 a.m.!!!! What a blessing from the Lord!  Got the tickets and met our branch, except branch president, at the terminal.  Prayed now for our branch president who got there with his family and our resident HarAboji Brother Lee Chang who quickly rushed in and got on the bus!  Finally, problems over, right?  WRONG!!!! One, couldnt sleep on the bus, so 3 hours of study later, we arrive in Seoul.  Now not everyone has transit cards so we have to buy tickets for the Subway.  Get to the Temple finally and two of our branch members still havent arrived, and Lee chang has lost his walking stick.  So rush to fiind out everything thats going on, saying a prayer that everyone arrives soon and to find the walking stick.  Find it almost after praying, and then walk to the front desk, our Reservation to do baptisms for the dead was 1 hour ago.... Another ward is here doing theres and then its lunch for the temple workers...  Oh man heres another prayer God!  (At this point, Im pretty sure I just never stopped praying!!!)  But the Blessings keep coming right???  The Temple workers running the baptistry are missionaries that Elder Garfff knew in Shinchon and so they decide to give up their lunch to let us do the work of the Lord!  After starting the baptisms and confirmations, they asked me and elder Garff to do confirmations.  Easy right, not in Korean!  In the temple!  부담 왔다!!!  ㅠㅠ  Again, prayer becomes a useful tool as I sit down and put my hands on a young mans head.  Then something beautiful happened.  As I read the paper, the words started coming out fluidly, faster than I was reading them.  Eventually I came to the realization that I was NOT speaking the words, the Spirit was, and as I tried to speak them I would stumble and give up and let the Spirit take back over.  It was a wonderful experience, even the recorder was astounded as both me and Elder Garff fluidly spoke the words of the ordinance.  After the confirmations we left the temple to go eat lunch with everyone, we waited for a while for the adults, but our branch president wanted the kids to eat so we took them and went to a buffett.  At the buffett we got a call informing us that one) no more trains home tonight, have to take a bus.  2) He was doing an endowment now!  What the heck!  We were supposed to leave in a little bit but we ended up staying really long while waiting for them!  At the buffett Elder Garff had a strange prompting so we got up and followed it to a less active member who had just come back from her mission and went less active.  We committed her to go to church and to teach with the sister missionaries!  She accepted!  Awesome!!! So much work getting done, and then turn around to find the youth watching us at work, they were floored to see that we were still working at a restaurant!  After we finally met up with our branch and started heading home, at one busy interesection in downtown seoul we almost watched Lee Chang get hit by 6 cars as he tried to cross the street during a green light!  Finally we get inside to where we think the stress ends, what more could happen?  we are at the terminal tickets in hand when.... Lee Chang lost his ticket.... oh man, more prayers up to heaven!  Might as well as had a cell phone with God on speed dial that day!  Finally 1 minute before the bus leaves he finds the ticket and we all get on!  Done

The Stress
The Tiredness
The everything
finally done

Speaking korean all day, studying, doing the lords work, and yet he still bears us up, as me and Elder Garff stayed up the whole bus ride home talking about the day.  Got home and passed out hard.


So as you can tell my testimony of prayer has been strengthed and I have seen sooo many miracles just on that oneday.  I wish I could share more with you the experiences and the miracles we have been having but I have no time left!!! Suffice it to say that serving a mission is worth it.  All of you in the family I would suggest you start studying daily and working in preach my gospel!  Ask your cousins, friends, family how a mission was and how best to prepare!  Its not just spiritual, its mental, emotional, physical, everything-al!  

Love all of you!

Elder Yamagata


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