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
https://plus.google.com/u/0/photos/117955201172198470717/albums/6092887344414527521
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