전도!!

안녕하세요!

This week we got to go on exchanges with the STLs and it was great! We tried out a lot of different 전도 because that's the hardest thing in Gangnam and we learned a lot of new things that we can try. We're super excited about it.

We've started eating lunch at the church...this is pretty typical.

On exchanges, we 전도'ed at Gangnam Square, the busiest place in all of Korea! We talked a lot in English because everyone we talked to was actually foreign. But it was great and some of them were very interested. Hopefully they'll look up the church back in the Netherlands.

Lunch with Sister Lee MeeOk

We also met with my companion's RC this week and she is so cute. After we ate lunch, she wanted to go 전도 with us so we gave her some pass along cards and she went on the street and just started trying to hand them out to people. We had actually planned a district stickerboarding activity and the other missionaries were still doing it so she got to join in and talk to people with us. She was so excited and said she could feel Jesus' love so strong! It just reminded me that missionary work can sometimes seem overwhelming but we're doing it because we love Jesus. And anyone can do missionary work!

사랑해요!

토블러 자매

More Missionary Work! Now, if only we knew where we were. ;)

This week has been crazy. Everyday we are working so hard and everyday there's more missionary work to do. I love it.

This week we finally got an area map. Sort of. Because our area is combining in August, President didn't want to buy a map until then. But we have no idea where we are. So one of the missionaries suggested going to the GuCheon which is like a city office. When we got there though, they had maps organized by dong (Which is kind of like New York City and how it has smaller areas like the Bronx/Manhattan sorta thing) Except our area has 22 dongs. So we just casually took 20 maps and carried them around all day. No big deal.

Our 20 maps

Cut and Paste-Retro Fashion

The maps are all super big so we couldn't connect them all. Our room is mostly map now.

More map. There's 4 sections still not on the wall.

We also got 2 investigators this week! One of our investigators is a grandma that we're doing the English program with. But she's also super prepared. To start the gospel lesson, we asked her if she attended church a lot. And she just started bearing testimony about how God loves all of us and we're all his children and pretty much just everything we believe. We just gotta teach her about the restoration now.

This is where we keep all our things. We have so many records we're trying to sort through and they're all out of date.

Our other investigator is someone the Elders have been teaching but are referring over to us because it's just easier for us to teach Sisters. She has so much real intent!! We teach her in English which is super fun and we met with the Elders to finish up teaching the Restoration/take over teaching her and she just told us about how she wants to know it's true like we do and all four of us got to share our first time really knowing it was true and reading the Book of Mormon and she's super excited to read it herself.

The Book of Mormon is true and you can find guidance for yourself when you read it!

사랑해요!

토블러 자매

(An MTC picture--but she didn't send any of her this week.)

GANGNAM!

Well folks, this has been a crazy week and I am loving Gangnam. The first half of the week was spent saying a lot of goodbyes to Ansan. We also had someone we gave a Book of Mormon to find our number in the book and call to give it back. But she also gave us doughnuts and bananas with it so I guess that's okay???

My new companion, Sister Eversole and I

We got to Gangnam on Wednesday and we had 0 records. Absolutely nothing. However, the Elders were a blessing and went through their area book to give us all the former investigators that were sisters and we looked through their ward book. However, Elders aren't always the best at keeping records and it looks like Gangnam gets closed every few years. And we're still working on getting a map so we know where we are. We've got a lot to do but we're super excited.

Stickerboarding

We also went stickerboarding at Gangnam Square, the home of "G​​​​angnam style" Oh boy is Ansan different. So it's definitely gonna require some adjusting in 전도 style. (Gangnam style.) Our Ward Mission Leader is super awesome and I'm super excited to work with him. He's way involved and even went stickerboarding with us.

Our ward building

Our ward combines with the Seocho ward in August which will be nice because right now we actually live outside of our area.

One of our last meals together. I think this was transfer call day.

사랑해요! Look for blessings and miracles in your lives because they're there!

토블러 자매​

Gangnam Square

I'm a real Korean missionary now that I sleep on the floor

Elders Bratt and Abrao, 고유정s, 송유진s, me, 이수기s

Goodbye, Ansan!

This week are transfers and I'm leaving Ansan! 이수기s is staying in Ansan and training again and I'm heading to 강남 to open again! For those that can't read Korean, that's Gangnam, home of "Gangnam Style" Super excited and a little nervous but it'll be great!

Me, 이금희s 박재항s 안소민s

Last P-day we went to Daebudo with our zone and a RC (recent convert). She is the best member missionary. On the way, she just started talking to random people so we were able to give out a Book of Mormon and talk to a few people about why so many of us foreigners are here in Korea.

Daebudo

Glass floor from 25 stories up

Our Chinese investigator who we originally started to do the 30/30 Program with is progressing! 이수기s asked me to lead the lesson this last week and it went super well! She learns really slowly but that's okay because she didn't even know who God was when we started. Every time we meet, we ask her to pray and this week we got a text that was her prayer she'd typed out. So cute.

Yulia Shin. She's from Russia but is Korean

I also finished my 12 weeks of training this week so I am no longer a greenie!

사랑해요! (I love you!)

토블러 자매

Our hats from 최오복s

Seek, Not Strive

안녕하세요! (Good morning!)

This has been a good week! We got two new investigators and it was a miracle! While going home last week, my companion started a conversation with someone on the bus who was interested because we said we were missionaries and she thought missionaries were only old. So we got her phone number and we were able to meet with her this week. When we met her, she brought her friend too who just so happened to be someone that works at the same service center where we go every week! We didn't really try to teach her before because she had told us about the other church she attends and normally that turns into Bible bashing but when we met with them, we had an awesome discussion about how they want to find the true church. So we asked if we could meet again and tell them about our church!

Missionary Work is Hard Work

We have also 전도ed (proselyted) at the river path almost every day this week, and a lady stopped us and said she wanted to give us a present because she'd seen us talking with other people on the path! Dish scrubbers that she made herself! We tried to give her a Book of Mormon, but she wouldn't take it. But it showed me that as we're trying our hardest to talk to people, other people will notice, too.

Dish Scrubbers

Dish Scrubbers as Hats ;)

My last thought is something my companion said that really stuck out to me this week. She asked why the Lord wants us to seek instead of strive. That was something she thought a lot about and came to the conclusion that it's like our parents. Our parents can definitely ask us to do the dishes or clean or something and we can strive to be obedient. But ideally, we will become aware enough that we will no longer need to be asked to clean. We will seek to do things before because we know it's what we should do.

사랑해요! (I love you!)

토블러 자매

A week full of 전도

This week we've done so much 전도. One day, we talked to two different grandmas and then while walking home, we ran into both of them again! Guess they really needed the gospel.

We got to go to the temple this week. My pictures are from that day.

We also met a college student that said we could share our message right then so we sat down and started talking to her. While we were sitting there, some man walked up and asked me where I was from and what school I was going to. He was doing some sort of live video broadcast so he would ask me questions and then translated my broken Korean into Chinese. Sort of odd. Maybe some Chinese people will learn about Jesus now.

With so much 전도, my companion decided to mix it up and 전도 like Elders. So she would walk up to people and start talking to them in English and I would translate into Korean. We started a lot of conversations but we're still working on finding new investigators.

We were visiting a LA member this week, and when we got to her apartment, you needed a code to get in. Which we didn't have. And she didn't answer her phone. So as we walked back out to the street contemplating what to do, another ward member walked out of the apartment! Her parents lived there and she knew which apartment the LA lived in which was amazing because we had the wrong #. Miracle!

사랑해요!

토블러 자매

Bonus Pictures

Sarah and her companion were able to meet up with Bro. and Sis. Shin,

who own a home in her home ward. They live in Seoul.

Water to Tea??

안녕하세요!!

This week has had its ups and downs but missionary work is always great! This week we turned on our air conditioning for the first time and the humidity is only going to get worse. It's great.

Open your mouth!

We 전도'ed a whole lot this week, including stickerboarding, bus and subway 전도, and even knocking doors! We knocked a whole 15 floor building, which was fun.

Me with my Korean snocone. I'll never eat an American snocone again.
(Nice photo bomber.)

We had mission tour this past week with Elder Yamashita and it was super great! On the subway there, we talked with a man about missionary work a little bit and he told me I look like Jesus. Then he offered us some weight loss tea samples and was even kind enough to put it straight into my water bottle for me. Elder Yamashita talked about how every rejection is a step closer to finding someone who's ready to hear the gospel. So we just need to be rejected more and faster.

Do I really look like Jesus?
My now useless water bottle. ;)

This week as I've been reading the New Testament, I was reading in John 5 and verse 6 really stood out to me where Jesus says "Wilt thou be made whole?" I think we know everything we need to do to be made whole and we know the faith it takes. But even after that, we still must make a choice to act on that. At mission conference, Sister Turner really emphasized that. Even after we learn all that we need, it does us no good if we don't act on it.

"Thanks for the banana bread recipe, Mom." ;)

Love you all! Remember to act on what you know!

토블러 자매