Transfers - Again

I think we say it each week that the week of transfers is one of the most painful, yet happy weeks of a mission president's and wife's life.  We say farewell to some and welcome others. It doesn't matter the size of the departing group there are gallons of tears shed.  This week only three left.  Two returned to their home in the Philippines and the third returned to his home in Canada.  We had a wonderful last evening sharing stories and testimonies and a meal while shedding those tears.

 

 

However, we also had the joy of welcoming four new elders, five sisters and a couple from Kansas who were born and raised in Korea, but wanted to come home to serve after nearly 40 years in the US.  What a great trip to the airport we had.  We took extra elders and sisters to the airport with us to escort the missionaries back to the mission home via the subway.  They had their first opportunity to talk to other travelers about the message that brought them to this wonderful country.  The loved it!

The next day we were able to interview and then match them to their trainer or first companion.  We oriented them to the mission rules and expectations and sent them off.  Lots of smiles!

They are a handsome group when you put them together with their trainers!  They literally are spread to the corners of the mission.  We'll have more pictures next month as well have nine elders and five sisters joining us!

We finished up a few last interviews this past week as well.  The office elders are like the cobbler's children who have no shoes.  They seem to get left to the last.  These two are the supply manager and the mission recorder. The mission could not function without them.  They help the missionaries get what they need.

These two are our two assistants.  Between translation, training, teaching, and guiding us, they are so valuable to our daily lives with the missionaries.

As for fun things seen on our travels during the week, we have a few to add.  This first one is a giant blue bear with a little yellow bear on his head.  It can be seen on the highway along the Han River on the road to or from the airport.  We have yet to learn what it represents. It's a good fifty or sixty feet tall.

While traveling through the big city, we saw this motor scooter with eight or nine 20 Kg bags of rice on it.  He was moving pretty slowly with that extra weight.  It was about 400 pounds of rice.

We had the opportunity to stop by the Seoul Mission office to pick up some things.  We visited with President Sonksen, the mission president and his wife.  This picture was with his two assistants to the president.  The one next to me is the brother of one of our sister missionaries.

While driving we also had the opportunity to drive past the Blue House.  It is Korea's equivalent of the White House where the president of the country resides.  Loads of security here to!

The weather is cooling and missionaries appreciate that.  Fall is in the air. Two-thirds of the year has passed and it seems like we just celebrated New Years!  We are starting the next cycle and looking forward to being with our missionaries in zone conferences and interviews again. 
Things seem noisy to the north of us, but things really haven't changed.  North Korea has been testing nuclear bombs and firing rockets for years.  We are focused on the work we've been called to do.  We find joy in every day and hope you do as well.  Know of our love and appreciation for your support to Terri and I and to all our wonderful missionaries.

Hello, Goodbye, and.... That's Interesting!

Transfer weeks are always the busiest weeks.  We start the week shopping for food to feed the coming and going.  We had 17 coming in (#18 will come in next week) and 15 who have finished their service and are headed home.    I did the 15 departure interviews over four days. I spend about 45 minutes with each missionary discussing how they've grown, what they've learned and how they've seen the gospel and atonement of Jesus Christ change lives.  Many times it's their own lives that have been forever changed.  Here's the outgoing group.  You'll see 16 missionaries, one went home a few weeks ago and wanted to come back and visit her group.

Here's a comment from one Elder he sent in his final email to me:
"I'm happy because I'm always happy, but honestly my heart is torn. It's been so bittersweet saying goodbye to members, investigators and others that we've been working with here and in other areas. I've been thanking them and they've been thanking me, but in the end we are all just thanking our savior.
I've come to realize how much of an effect service and love have on a people. Every missionary who comes to Korea or who goes anywhere puts so much love and care into the people and the Korean people know that legacy. I feel that the love that in turn comes back to us is also meant for those who come before us and those who come afterwards still putting their love into this people.
Last week sometime I was thinking about going home and mostly about what Heavenly Father has thought about my service here. I believe that I have gotten part of my answer. During the last week about everyone I've talked to during proselyting has ended saying just about the same thing. All of them expressed their thanks for me for helping the Korean people. I know that people don't always accept our message, but they know that we are helping others and helping their country. Heavenly Father was speaking to me saying, "Thank you for serving my children." I think of the scripture, Matthew 25:40 "Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren ye have done it unto me."

But more than I could ever give to our Savior are the blessings that I've received. I was looking through quotes I liked this morning and Emerson said this "It is one of the most beautiful compensations of this life that no man can sincerely try to help another without helping himself."
There is also another quote that I will use to describe a mission. "The joy of living comes from immersion in something that we know to be bigger, better, more enduring and worthier than we are." Being a part of this mission and this gospel has humbly opened up my eyes to the glory of God and I feel very blessed that I could've taken a part of it; when it is so much bigger and worthier than me.
I'm excited for where this mission is headed. I wish I could be a part of it all. I know that miracles are going to happen in so much abundance. But my part of this mission's story has come to an end, and I wouldn't give up any of what I experienced for anything." 
As you can see, these are deep thinking, considerate young men and young women! 

On  this evening we have a nice dinner and final meeting that is incredible.  Here's a cool picture of the pre-dinner table for about 10 of the missionaries.  They were busy helping us get ready:

I know we've

shown departure pictures before, but they are so interesting.  The three or four block walk over the hill to the bus stop is a sight for the local neighbors.  We go over the hill with a bunch and come back normally just the two of us.  Some times we make the trip two or three times. Interesting that this bus taking them to the airport said it was heading to Paradise... Some would agree!  Some went to California, Texas, Utah, Colorado, Idaho, Korea, and one to Australia.  The one from Australia had a twin sister serving in the Seoul Mission that was meeting her at the airport to fly home together.

We met the 17 at the airport on Tuesday evening. Talk about energy!  This group was wanting to go to work. I interviewed all of them in the morning the next day in advance of assigning their companion.  What a wonderful experience.  One little sister is from the Philippines (another is coming next week from Manila), and one is from Thailand.  The rest are from the US.  Similar to departing missionaries, they are from all over the US.  We put them on the subway with four other experienced elders and two experienced sisters.  The rest of us drive the luggage back to the mission office/home.  We meet them about two hours later for dinner.  They are hungry and tired, but still happy to be here.  The nine weeks in the MTC really teaches them a lot, but it also gets them hungry to get here and put the language they have learned to work.

After interviewing, we have lunch and announce companionships.  This group has so many and not enough trainers we have some in threesomes.  They all get along very well and during the orientation we ask them to introduce each other to the larger group.  We have some pretty neat groups.

In the area of interesting findings recently, we were able to visit with a good friend from the US and from our departure home in Indiana.  Dave Kinard and I worked together at Eli Lilly and Company.  He brought some treats and a note from my great and loving friends in Global Mobility at Lilly.  We had a nice breakfast and shared stories and experiences.  Given his periodic travels into the region, I hope to see him again.  Thanks, Dave!

For those who enjoy Pixar flicks, you might recognize this fellow on the stairs:

We work our missionaries pretty hard.  Sometimes they need a break.  They always have to be with a companion.  This elder wasn't feeling so good.  He had received a slight concussion hitting a door when he turned around.  He was resting while his companion worked in the office.  It's a great picture! The light bothered his eyes and Terri instructed him to sleep.

From a food standpoint, there is always an adventure waiting.  Terri went off with one of the young missionaries to the Garak Market which is basically sea food.  However, this woman was selling chicken feet.  If you check out the goodies behind them you'll identify them.  Of course, one of my favorites is the first meal I ate with my companion in 1978 when I arrived the first time.  It's called JJamPong (짬퐁).  It is a spicy noodle soup with sea food.  As you can see, I found a tasty little guy with eight legs (only four of the octopus's eight are showing)!

On the way out of the restaurant Terri found these little guys in a place next to us.

Finally for this week. We have found this great advertisement on the side of a building.  Think of it similar to what they put on the side of the JWMarriott in Indianapolis when big things are happening in town.  The color and detail is pretty amazing!

We wanted you to see the traditional clothes Korean royalty wore in years past.  We had a little fun today in a hanbok.  Ah, the memories we are creating.

There is so much more, but it will have to wait until next week!  Too much to do to prepare for the next week.  The days and weeks and months fly by.  Thank you all for your emails and Facebook comments.  We appreciate your love and good wishes and support.

Happiness and Sadness

The week started out so quietly and easily.  After Sunday, which is supposed to be the "day of rest", when we seem more busy than any other day, we were able to start a quiet day on Monday.  The funnest part of Monday is being able to read the 100+ emails from the missionaries which they send me each Monday on their rest or preparation day.  They are full of hope, faith, miracles and challenges.  The heat continues to be a true challenge.  All week the heat index was over 100 with the very high humidity.  When the low for the day, even in the night is in the mid-70's and humidity at 100%, you know it's a challenge.  The missionaries seem to notice more the experiences.  Here's a flavor for the notes I get each week:

This week was really good. One amazing thing that happened for me personally is that we taught the First Vision to one of our investigators this week and I recited the First Vision. This is only my second time reciting the First Vision in Korean to an actual investigator. I have studied out the First Vision in Korean very thoroughly because I wanted to be able to understand all the grammar and vocabulary. Because of this, I know what I am saying when I recite it. As I recited it to her, the Spirit in the room grew so strong that I was unable to speak. I was so overcome with emotion. It was SUCH a special experience for me. It was a real moment in which I saw the gospel as just being the gospel-- not "the gospel in Korean" vs "the gospel in English". How amazing is it that the gospel is always the same, no matter what language we are giving it in!!

Monday evening we had dinner with a sweet sister leaving our mission to go to Salt Lake City Temple Square Mission.  She has been in our mission for more than 10 weeks while she awaited her visa interview.  That was approved and she was gone.  We will miss Sister Jeong and hope she'll visit us after she finishes her mission.  Her English has improved so much.  We can hardly wait to see her about 15 months.

Another missionary went home later in the week.  Sister Turner and I were able to spend time with him before he left.  Elder Rees was actually hit by a car while standing at a bus stop last fall.  He had to go home for several months to rehabilitate.  He worked hard to be able to return.  Unfortunately, lingering health issues resulted in his return home this week.  We will miss him and know the Lord will help him through the healing process.

We attended another baptismal ceremony this week.  It took us two hours to travel the 25 or so kilometers.  It was amazing.  We did get a few fun pictures while we waited in traffic.  Every direction you look you see tall apartment complexes.  The geography of the country of South Korea is roughly the size of Indiana (6 million people) or 45% of the state of Utah (three million people), but it has 50 Million people, the housing has to go up and not spread out.  There are so many mountains in the area that it presses the housing into a small area, hence all the cars.

And of course, every city has a lion, right?

We haven't seen a movie yet, but it looks like a familiar one is being advertised on busses here now.

The city has to have half the cranes on the planet in Seoul.  Every where you look you will see cranes building new apartments and new business sky rises.  They are very good with what they do!

When we did finally arrive at the event we found a happy bunch of church members who welcomed us warmly.  We had tried to visit this ward several weeks ago, but didn't anticipate the traffic and ended up arriving an hour late.  We felt bad so we left very early and still only arrived a few moments before!  Funny it only took us 30 minutes to get home!

Today was another full day.  Sadly, I have a week of exit interviews with a dozen missionaries who have reached their 18 or 24 month period of service.  The first one was today.  At the ward we attended they provided a wonderful meal afterwards to say farewell to the young lady serving there and to welcome Terri and I to their unit.  They treated us so well.  I asked that those that remained after cleaning up allow a picture.  They love being in pictures of which I am so glad!