Mom and Dad,
Today is Kids day in Korea. Found out from our new
Korean roomate about this! Will elaborate more in a little.
SO this week had its ups and downs as always, Monday was fun
after email as we had dinner soon after and then some 전도 for a couple of
hours before heading home.
Tuesday was better. Temple day!!!! It was so nice to
be able to go to the temple again for the first time in weeks!!!! And
some crazy stuff happened there! First, they asked if anyone wanted to do
initiatories, as they were running behind on the number they needed to do.
So no one volunteered at first, but then elder Rhodes and Jang from my zone
rose their hands to do it. Soon after President Christensen said he would
do it, and then I scratched my nose and he thought I rose my hand too so I went
to do them! I was actually able to talk to my mission president just one
on one casually for a couple minutes about the temple and my area and my
family. Super cool! Afterwards, we were to go to the
celestial room, but elder rhodes and jang were told not to go in yet. I
didnt know that and walked into a pitch black celestial room! How
crazy!!! I turned on all the lights to both the room and the sealing room, and
then was able to pray in the sealing room for 15 minutes by myself! It
was such an awesome experience to be there by myself. A little while
later president Christensen came in and we talked for a little bit about
calling home and such. Definitely fun to talk to him so often in one day!
After we left the temple we went to the korea war museum which was
MASSIVE!!!!! I took so many pictures! And WE didnt even see everything
fully! We just did osme of the bigger stuff! Sooo much fun! Afterwards we
got home and then met with this cool couple where the girl was from utah!
We had some fun, but she couldnt speak english at all! hahah. It was a
really nice cafe that kind of just looked like an artsy family room haha.
Wednesday we waved good bye to Elder Chisholm as we dropped
him off at the train station with some other elders to go into seoul to pick up
his new companion. He came back several hours later with our new
housemate and companion, Elder Jeong. Cool kid, but hes 27 and already
finished with Military service and college. Caused some small problems
that first day, but they smoothed over a bit. Elder Smith and I while
jundoing met a couple of office people and started talking to them. soon
after a police car pulled up and started yelling some stuff over the intercom
at all of us. Turns out they were police officers and it was their friend
in the car. They then invited us in for some water, and gave us milk haha.
Definitely a random experience! We then went and had Jajangmyon
with the whole district at night as a kind of initiatory for the new
missionary.
Thursday: Mine and Elder Smiths first day alone again!
Very weird! We had our first day of all Jundo for the first time in
forever!!!!! It wasnt very fun, but it has to be done! Afterwards we ate
dinner which was nice since we had been out in the sun for 5 hour. During
jundo we had gone down to the flower festival and elder smith had said
something to me, and I was already stressed out and I kind of snapped at him
and walked away. It took us a while but we worked things over and figured
out a better way to relay information between each other. We really want
to do even better this transfer, espeically me! Then we had a mini
district meeting to talk about our district unity and how we can do better as a
district. We are really determined to be one of the best districts and
zones in the mission this transfer!
Friaday: Not to good not to bad, weekly planning until
3 and then we jundoed. I realized I have gotten in a rut of jundo and
havent been able to do well because of it, I am determined in these coming
weeks to fix it! although this day I got my first street lesson with
someone! Taught him about the book of mormon and planned to meet him this
coming saturday at 1! Excited!!!!
Saturday: Nothing much happned on Saturday. We
met with a kid that I talked to named Daniel. I taught him the
restoration and then we commited him to read and pray about the book of mormon,
hopefully he will do it. He seems like he has a lot of potential.
Then later at english class they had me give the spiritual message!
I did it on temples (the first of its kind) and it was awesome.
Gave out pictures, watched a video called strength beyond my own, and
talked a lot about them. Super powerful!
Sunday: Just a normal church time, afterwards we had a
meal with a member of Kimchi Bulgogi and it was sooo good! But after
fasting for close to 24 hours, it destroyd our stomachs today haha.
Definitely had fun with them.
Also this week I realized the difference between faitth and
belief. Belief is knowing something exists. Faith as defined in the
dictionary is trusting in something or someones goodness or actions. If
we have belief in Christ, we feel that he exists. If we have faith in him
than we know that through his atoning sacrifice and his resurrection that we
will be able to live forever with him and Heavenly Father for time and all
eternity. We know that through Him our families can be together forever!
Definitely a great blessing to have that all important, infinite, eternal
sacrifice that redeems us from all sin!
I love this gospel and the opportunities that it brings us.
I hope all of you at home realize the immense blessings it brings us and
thank our Heavenly Father for them each and every day! I pray for
everyone back at home and hope everyone is doing well!
Love you!
Elder Yamagata
Temple Day!
Temple Day!
The Temple!
Statue at the war museum
War Museum, Its gigantic!
Planes of Korea!
Checking if the gun works!
Korea!!!
50 cal machine gun!
Anti Aircraft Cannon!
War Drum!
Comps for life!
A memorial for the fallen soldiers of Korea the books have
the names of every single one!
The sign of the chicken from the chinese Zodiac! A
Warrior!
Close up of the Chicken!
The monsters come out at night!
Statue commemorating the Different Branches of the Military!
A model of the Little boy that bombed Japan and a map of
what would happen if the same bomb went off in Seoul!
Me elder Chisholm Smith and Pace
The gang of goers to the war museum!
Elder ross Sister Atwater and I
Front of the Museum!
A guard telling me I cant take a picture of the building
Korean Iron Man! hahah
The front of the flower festival! going today!
Some of the flowers around the park!
Lions!!!!
Octopus in our food!!!! Sick!!!!
How I study during personal Study!
Machine Gunnin!!!!
Language study getting a little crazy with Chinese!!!
