Meetings, meals, and missionary work

We had three great days of interviews and activities with the missionaries.  Hopefully, you can sense on their faces the happiness they find in being here and doing what they are doing.  We sure enjoy them!

First, our purpose for being here is to bring others to Christ through understanding the doctrine of Christ and making sacred covenants.  We had three more wonderful baptisms this week.  These missionaries are truly putting their hearts out there!

These are dedicated young people that not very long ago were pursuing more self-centered activities.  Now their time and energy is spent in bringing others to Christ.  They can also sing.  Only one sister in this choir because the other was playing the piano.

Like last week, we met in a district council and did interviews with each individual missionary and then had a meal with them.  We ended with a missionary activity on the streets.
Their favorite part is the meal, maybe.  They just enjoy being together.

 For the backdrop of our interviews this time, we used the sign out front of the restaurant in which we ate.  This is a chain favorite among missionaries because it's a buffet!

 They love working together.  We feel bad because two sisters were so anxious to go off to visit with people on the streets that they were gone when we stood to take this picture.

The next district we got a group picture at the park.  We ordered some "Mom's Touch" which is a chicken sandwich with fries and ate at the park.  It's hard to make out the detail, but we tried.  We then took pictures together.  We are using the local outdoor exercise equipment.

They always have fun while Sister Turner poses them...

 yes, she even poses me!

 They had a missionary activity with members of the local ward next to a subway station to chat with people about the wonderful Book of Mormon.  It turned out really well.  We were expecting heavy storms that night, but they didn't materialize.

 Then, the camera ran away again...

The south part of South Korea was hit hard by a typhoon , but when it started to head toward the Seoul area, it's path shifted and went south of all of us and instead of 60-70 mile an hour sustained winds and torrential rain, we had a light rain and slight breeze hit us.  We asked them to have an early curfew and hunker down.  It all ended up a very calm experience.  It lowered the temperatures.  They had a quiet day and then went back to work.  Really they were disappointed they couldn't tell everyone they had survived a typhoon. :}

We interviewed another district and had a great district council with them as well.  We had a nice meal and then together with another district did 'busking' which is singing in public.  Normally, you ask for money, but we just wanted to make people happy.  With 16 missionaries plus Sister Turner and me, we were all very busy at the local Suwon train and subway station talking to people by the bus stop.

We were all so busy talking to people that no one took a picture of those performing!  We have so much talent in this mission.  This zone is particularly loaded with singers and pianists.  The missionaries even captured us chatting with people.

 We missed one sister here because she was busy talking with a person about the possibility of learning more.  She waved us off so she could continue working!

Once again, the camera ran away...

Finally, a very nice church member gave some missionaries fresh peaches.  Just so you know, peaches are in the range of US$3 - US$5 each!  They shared two with us!  These are like gold.  We thanked the elders and asked that they thank the member.  We enjoyed them with our breakfast!

We are blessed by cooler temperatures and some additional rain this week.  We are very excited because the missionaries can be outside much more talking to the people they enjoy so much.  We will have a great mission tour with two members of the 1st Quorum of the Seventy and their wives this week.  We'll have more pictures next week.

Thanks as always for all your love and support.  We are enjoying your sons and daughters.  We try to treat and care for them like they are ours  (which they are :]!) Thank you very much!

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.