a novel

Dear family-

Mom asked me to tell her everything..."Tell me about everything. The people, the sights, your feelings, your new companion, the Korean language, the food. I want to hear it all!"

So here it goes!

it is so strange to sit here and email you while I can hear movies on the computer next to me and all these high school age boys are in here playing video games. and yelling. Shouldn't they be in school? maybe it is there lunch time? Sister Goines and I always laugh...in here doing our missionary email.

Speaking of Sister Goines...she is SO awesome. I feel like she was sent here to train me! I am amazed at her faith. She just wants to set all the goals! and reach them! we are talking to so many people. Still no investigators, but I am loving it here. 평택 ward is awesome. they feed us so good. plus I have about 12 pounds of kimchi in the fridge. good thing we both love it! everyday we eat our meals on the floor. today's lunch is a pretty good example...rice, kim (the seaweed stuff), mandu (like potstickers), and kimchi. because it is getting really cold, we usually fry our kimchi or make this kind of soup stuff. and lots of veggies...they are so cheap! mushrooms or pumkin-zuchinni things or cucumbers. and Koreans always have fruit for dessert. after lunch and dinner. so we have lots of bananas or oranges or apples. I love that.

and yes, it is cold here! I can only imagine how Rossy is feeling because I am freezing! yesterday it was raining. and I was wearing little black flats. and my feet were so wet. good thing for my Korean coat! and tights...I go through like a pair a week. seriously. we layer on every morning...tights. skirt. shirt. button down. cardigan. inside coat liner (with fur^^), outside shell thing. scarf. I maybe will die in the winter?

one thing that I love about Koreans is how they take care of us. Two little foreigners! just for example...I was waiting at a bus stop and asked this girl if it went to the high school by the apartments we were looking for. she said yes. and she was riding the same bus! so we talked to her, introduced the Book of Mormon. She wouldn't take it, but was really nice! so as we are riding the bus, we are looking for the apartments and almost missed our stop! but she gets up from her seat, taps me on the shoulder and says "this is your stop!" ah. thank you! that also happened while I was on exchanges with Sister Ward in 신갈. I am so grateful for these sweet sisters that I get to serve with! It is weird to be the one conducting exchanges rather than just going on them. I am so blessed to get to learn from so many sisters as their STL though! and, a little miracle for me on that exchange, I talked to their bishop for like 20 minutes! in Korean! of course, it was still a challenge and I didn't really understand some, but it was an awesome moment.

another time...also on the bus...I asked the bus driver if 반지 apartments was in his route. He said yes. But, the stop is the name of this high school. so we didn't know to get off. so he waits. and we still don't get off. so he says "this is the stop." and points out the apartments. thanks for really nice bus drivers out here!

because we travel ALL the time. seriously lots. subway and bus and once in a while taxi. and our lovely members drive us a lot. We had dinner as the Relief Society president's house. and they gave me a teapot. Koreans are the most giving people. she is a returned missionary also and so helpful. with less actives and she is helping us try to have the Relief Society act on Elder Ballard's talk...that if we each would pray and have one person to refer to the missionaries by Christmas, millions of people would be touched. and what a Christmas gift to Christ. We gave out Mormon.org cards on Sunday for them to give to friends and family. Next week we will give out a quote. because working through the members is the best way!  speaking of that talk, HOW is that going for EACH OF YOU? right? because you are the awesome family that you are, I'm sure you already are praying for a missionary opportunity. I know that Heavenly Father will help you. for this is His work.

Yesterday in our English Branch, Brother Moffet gave such a great talk on gratitude. He mentioned that "gratitude isn't the light at the end of the path, it is realizing that there is sunlight all along the path. LOTS of it!" and there is! I loved that. finding sunlight everyday. even in the winter.

so, the Korean people? I love them.

the sights? beautiful and new.

my feelings? I am so blessed and grateful and love the feeling of being a missionary.

my companion? awesome.

the language? difficult...but it is a gift everytime I experience the gift of tongues.

the food? delicious!

anyone coming into the Seoul South mission, get ready! we work hard. we love people. and it is the best thing ever. Best mission in the world! (we think so ^^)

I love you all. eat lots of turkey and stuffing. and PIE! all the missionaries in our mission are having thanksgiving with families from the base, so it will be YUM!

I know our Savior lives. He loves us. We have the most precious gift in the world. and we have to share it.

xoxo, Sister Bassett

birthday

Hello Everyone!

anyone who is reading this, I hope you know how much I LOVE you! seriously. Out here I am more grateful than ever for the wonderful people that blessed and shaped my life. and THANK YOU for the birthday love! Grandma Morrise, I love that sweater! I wore it last week :) thank you! it is so cute. and the scarf! you are so good at that! it is really really cold here, so I am grateful! and Grandma and grandpa Bassett! thank you for the sweet note. I am so grateful for your love and example. You are amazing! I look up to you both. ah. I just feel so blessed. and everyone who emailed. and for all your love.

this week. hello subway! just between Friday, Saturday and Sunday we were traveling for about 12 hours or so. it is awesome! we live so far from everyone. but... it's because we had Stake conference (SO GOOD) and a joint mission conference. Yeah! Seoul and Seoul South missions together! so I got to see my old MTC companion and all sorts of fun stuff. it was amazing. I have to go quick today because we have to travel (yay!) to get my companion's foreigner card today. But it was so good. It was at my old stake center, the same day as our stake conference, so a lot of my old ward members were there. it was So fun tosee them! and they were so happy. I guess they really did love me ;) But I love my new ward also. They are so good. and our english branch!

I just realized that we have to meet the senior couple in 10 minutes who is driving us today. so we have to go! Be missionaries! it is the best feeling ever.

xoxo, Sister Bassett

hello from 평택!‏

Hi! ah. we made it. yes. I am in the country! SO different from my last area. I mean...the subway station is outside! there are tractors! haha so awesome.

 

I said goodbye to so many members of Bongcheon ward this week. and cried so many tears. Especially saying goodbye to Sister Pak.  She is so lovely. Sister Morrise came to serve with us for one day, and she just assumed Sister Pak had been a member forever! so wonderful. We got to go out to lunch with her and her husband. I wouldn't trade my time sharing the gospel with her for anything.

 

we also went to dinner with an older couple in our ward. Their son was converted through meeting the missionaries at English class! he went on to serve a mission and moved to Provo for BYU. when his parents came to visit, seperately, they both got baptized! so they are converts of about 5 and 3 1/2 years. so...we went to this tofu restaurant and I (choked down) ate like 20 pounds of tofu. when we were walking back, she just held my hand and talked to me in Korean, saying that if people see us missionaries walking and talking with a Korean grandma, they will think we are a good church. so it is a really good idea :) love her!

 

I also tried real sushi. like a chunk of raw fish on top of rice with wasabi. it was pretty good! crazy spicey. i could breath really good afterward :)

 

my companion is wonderful. Sister Goines. she is from Fresno California. cool huh, mom! We had training in 송파 and then a THREE HOUR subway trip to 평택. we laughed so much. and lugged her huge suitcases. and had to transfer 3 times. and at one of the stations, I forgot about the huge stairwell, so we had to carry them down! that was an adventure.

 

and then we are here! we went to church 2 times yesterday...our english branch from the base and our Korean ward. Not gonna lie, understanding EVERYTHING at church was really weird. one of the families reminds me SO much of the Hemmings! the parents looke like Travis and Angela and they have two little girls about the same years apart as Ali and Rori. and the wife ACTS like Angela (so smiley and happy and loving...and an RM)! it is so funny. like watching their family 15 years ago! or Ali in like 7 years? our Korean ward. LOVE them already. they haven't had sister missionaries for 15 years, so they are really happy! and so are we! we are going to light this place on fire! so excited. My companion is awesome and just ready to work. I feel like we have really similar goals and vision, so it will be all sorts of wonderful. and I will start going on exchanges soon as sister training leader, so I'm getting ready for that! any advice? the wards are already taking care of us! we got like 10 pounds of kimchi at church yesterday. and had dinner at a family-from-the-base's house. meatloaf and mashed potatoes and icecream. it was heavenly. such a good birthday dinner.

 

speaking of that! best ever! thanks for all the love and birthday wishes.

 

because of the new area...we are emailing in a PC room. it is kinda...yeah. full of gamers? and people smoking? yep. Ross, I feel ya!

 

I just LOVE being a missionary! It feels so good. I love you all. I miss you. BUT I am praying for you all and so grateful for your support. Our Savior lives. I know it.

 

xoxo, Sister Bassett

leaves and letter man's jackets

Dear Family-

autumn has arrived! and I love it here just like I love it at home! but, good news! the leaves are HUGE. like bigger than my face. and they have walls just covered in vines, painting the streets red and yellow. it is beautiful. and all the students at Seoul National University are sporting their letter man's jackets. for stuff like 'math and statistics' or 'engineering' or 'music department.' it is kind of awesome. and it is cold! good thing for lots of scarves ^^

wow. this week was so GREAT! we had a rockin' Halloween party on Saturday night! seriously, it was good! kind of crazy and scattered, but everyone had a good time. We had lots of members there and so many of our English class students...some great fellowshipping went on! Sister Fudge and I made tons of little spiders and other decorations, games (cake walk and ring toss and the like), and then the ward did dinner. SUCCESS! Bishop gave his stamp of approval. The missionaries always have one, but they haven't done it with the ward. just with English class. It was really good to mix the two groups. and a wonderful note to leave Bongcheon on. because....

I am getting TRANSFERRED! so sad! I have loved these past 6 months (can you believe how the time has flown?) in this area. I have grown so much. It was in this area that I learned to love kimchi and ride the bus and navigate the subway. I learned to laugh at myself more, to love others more, and to rely on the Savior more. I truly LOVE my ward. SO MANY tears! yesterday at church I just cried and cried as I sat next to Sister Pak. and her adorable son and husband, who, by the way, came to the Halloween party and comes to church like every week! AND they both went to Gospel Principles yesterday! yes! I love them so. 봉천 has become home.

I am leaving for Pyeong Tek. to be a trainer. It will be an adventure! because guess what? I am training AND opening the area for sisters AND being sister training leader. what?! yeah. lots of prayers! but I know how much God helps His missionaries, so it will be fine. more than fine! it will be a MIRACLE!

speaking of miracles, yesterday we taught a great lesson. the only one all week! we have this week sister in our ward who is mentally handicapped and her friend is as well. so we started teaching her friends yesterday. She wants to be baptized. We taught very simply, and that was the best part. She kept asking how to pray, so we taught her. "when do I need to pray?" "every morning, and night. and we pray before we eat." "ok. I will pray. every morning. every night. before I eat." she has a simple and childlike faith...just like we all should. We introduced the Book of Mormon and had to tell her again and again that she didn't need to read the whole thing. She is lovely! 

and a personal miracle for me was that I actually could explain things to her! I felt like I was saying the right thing. the language is still so frustrating to me...possibly the hardest thing! but I live for the tiny moments when I feel the Spirit working through me and I know in my heart that I am a successful missionary. My Korean is still so poor, but it is coming. slowly. the Lord is letting me study Korean and patience! ^^ 

for the whole month of October we only taught 7 lessons. and getting letters from my other missionary friends, who don't have enough time to teach all the lessons they have investigators for...so different here! I thought that a lot...why we are sent to where we are. and I still don't have a great answer, I know that we are servants of God, where HE needs us to be. and this month, Sister Fudge and I talked to more that 260 people! 260 children of God. and that is amazing to me.

I love you all so much! I am grateful everyday for you. Be examples of the believers! I know that our Savior lives and loves us. God is real. Heaven will be in our hearts if we allow it.

have a great week!

Love, Sister Bassett