The busy calm before the storm

This is known as our planning week where we prepare for four very intense weeks of zone conferences and interviews. This time we will have six individual zone conferences.  It will feel like Ground Hog Day as we do the same thing every day except in different locations.

For this week, even though it is supposed to be a quiet week of preparation, we had plenty to keep us busy.  Though it wasn't at the first of the week, the highlight of the week was Terri's birthday.  The office staff provided a cake and sang to her.  Later in the week, on her actual birthday, the four elders and sisters serving here in our area brought her a cake and balloons.  You can't tell in the pictures, but the balloons had a little lights in then that were really delightful in the dark.

We had the opportunity to be with our twelve zone leaders and sister training leaders from each zone.  We reviewed the important activities of the mission and how to be better servant leaders.  They are full of young adult energy, enthusiasm and humor.

 

 They definitely like to be the ones to taste Sister Turner's tasty treats.  This week was fruit pizza which most had never tasted.  Nice sweet dough with cream cheese frosting topped with different fruits.  There's always a volunteer to help...

They were very focused on learning how to build better relationships with their companions and the church wards they serve.  It was a great discussion of which they will now train their zones during the upcoming zone conferences.



 This week we welcomed a new military relations couple to handle the U.S. Army and Air Force bases in the south of our mission.  Elder and Sister Gentry come from Illinois and have served faithfully at the Nauvoo temple for many years. He's retired Navy.  They are a warm, welcoming couple to will do great.  They will be replacing Elder and Sister Hawk who have been with us for  a year. How we love them, and recognize again how quickly the time goes.  They have touched so many lives, and we are a better mission for having had the opportunity to serve with them.    We look forward to seeing them in Utah.

 I had the opportunity to run through and around Olympic Park again his week.  The air was clear and colors were great.  As you can see, there are so many wonderful flowers, trees, shrubs, lakes, etc. in the middle of a large city that are really worth the time to wander through.

It was a Saturday morning and even at 7 AM there is a league for older men soccer players.

Here is a fun sign that basically says Songpa, the city that represents happiness in Korea.  The little bubble next to the man says I could live 100 happy years in Songpa.  It's a sign on the walking, running, biking path near us.  It is very well kept.

During a drive we got a good picture on a fairly clear day of the Lotte World Tower and two of the Olympic stadiums.  Terri is great with the phone camera!

 

We expect there will be lots of pictures next week as we are with about half our missionaries this week.  It will be another great adventure for us.  We are having so much fun with all we are doing. 
We want to share one experience a missionary shared with us in a recent email.  As you can guess, as difficult as the Korean language is for foreigners to learn, the stress felt by all the missionaries (us included) about their abilities never goes away.  Newer missionaries especially have concerns.  However, experiences like this remind them the ability is less important than the desire to try, to open the mouth and just talk:

One miracle happened the day before transfers. I was feeling disappointed after my T.I.P(teaching improvement program) assessment didn't go as well as I thought it would. In my mind I kept thinking, "My Korean is so bad. How will I be able to communicate with people?"

As I was sitting on the bus, an older lady sat next to me. I just said to her something like, "It's hot today isn't it?" this lead to a long conversation about her life (her work, hobbies, family, travel etc.) My Korean wasn't perfect, but the spirit was powerful. By the time she had to hop off the bus, I had made a new friend. She gave me her number and some bread too. This experience helped me to understand that it isn't about the language, it's about the Spirit. The Spirit testifies and the Spirit softens hearts.

On that note, we leave you with our love and appreciation for your support.  Until next week...