What a fun week we had as we spent three full days in 19 different missionary homes. We decided to interview them in their apartments this transfer. We have two more weeks of interviews ahead of us. We are very proud of how well they keep their places of abode. There are a few tweaks to be made, but all in all, moms and dads can be very proud. We took pictures in each home with something that may have been unique to them.
We are still trying to learn how two missionaries would have a pitch fork in their home...
Two elders from the US
These sisters had a huge bunch of bananas. One sister is from Korea, the other the Philippines
These elders made Korean Hoddoek (호떡) . One is from Canada, the other from the US
Terri had made everyone little bear suckers. Watermelon, Butterscotch, Root Beer and Cinnamon were their choices. You'll see them throughout the pictures. One sister is from the US and the other from the Philippines
Some of the homes are really nicely decorated with fun backgrounds. These sisters gave Terri a celadon watering pot they were not using for their few plastic plants... One sister is from England, the other from the US
Some of the apartments are in high rises, some are in small villas. This one was on about the 18th floor. There is quite the view. One elder is from Hawaii, the other from Idaho.
We received a nice welcome to this home. Four missionaries live in this apartment. Nice photo bomb!
They even offered some of their dinner for us. ..
They wanted Sister Turner to have a queen's hat for the evening... One elder from Korea, three from the US
These elders had something to keep them busy in their free time (which there is little of). None of us are very good at magnetic darts (or any other darts for that matter!). Both are from the US
You'll remember that last week Terri gave them health guidance that included cutting back on Nae Nae Chicken, the favorite franchise of the missionaries. We encountered three different homes with evidence! They all claimed they hadn't been taken out to the trash quite yet from before conference... One sister is from Thailand, the other from the Cook Islands, currently living in Australia.
There are five missionaries in this home. They had these turkeys all over the house. Someone not knowing the US traditions thought they were peacocks... This group has three elders from the US, one from Hong Kong and one from Korea.
Somehow these two elders had a huge speaker system in their apartment. It's funny because the only thing they have to operate the speakers is a small DVD player to listen to missionary training and the Mormon Tabernacle Choir. These speakers have been in the house for many companionships. One elder is from the Philippines and the other from the US.
They also have an interesting design on their wall...
These sisters didn't want to damage the walls so they tied their huge area map to the door hinge and a book shelf. Pretty smart. One sister is from Korea, the other from the Philippines.
These two elders had ventured near the military base on preparation day. One had a huge bag of one of Sister Turner's favorite candies, Swedish Fish. The other is a colorful wall scroll. One elder is from Korea, the other from the US.
These two elders found a nearby store selling $1 boxes of cereal. As you can see, they like cereal. Both of these fine elders are from the US.
They also have a fabulous view from the roof of their home we had to capture in a panoramic shot.
This home still had a little Christmas left on it. What a light, bright apartment. One sister is from the US and the other from Korea.
These sisters had a large Penguin Piñata they were working on for a church activity. One sister from Korea, the other from the US.
Four elders in this house. They had taken a door off the hinges, made a large Book of Mormon to take out on the street meeting people. Three elders from the US and one from the Philippines.
Terri put on the slipper from one of the elders. She could put both her feet in and still have room!
Two more elders caught with the chicken evidence...The one elder is from Cheju Island. They shared some of the oranges from Cheju. They are better than what we find in Florida! One elder from the US, the other from Korea.
The weekend was a truly wonderful experience. Elder Jeffrey R. Holland of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles came to Korea for a few days of teaching and training. On Friday, he met with all our missionaries. We didn't get a picture with all the missionaries with Elder Holland, whom they adore, but they did get to shake hands with him. We had a few minutes with all our missionaries and the missionaries from the Seoul Mission before the session.
The missionaries in each mission know someone from the other mission. Boy, did they ever have a good time the hour before visiting with their friends.
On Saturday and on Sunday, the women of the church made wonderful dinners for the Asia North Area Presidency, their wives and other guests like the two mission presidents. Here's a picture of the good women from Saturday evening. That did so much. Another group did it on Sunday, but we don't have a picture yet.
We had a group photo before they got on the plane. We had been with nearly 2,000 saints over the three days and broadcast to thousands more across the peninsula. What a treat it was.
On a less serious note, we found someone at a nearby store carving an ice sculpture. He has about the same amount of hair...
We continue to have fun here. We hope families are seeing their loved ones. Next week we have about 19 more homes and 46 more missionaries to visit and then a few dozen more the next week. We hope you find your loved one. They are all such a delight!
