journaling‏

Tuesday, June 24.2014

 

Today we had a...lesson?...visit with Sister Choi. I love her. She always tells us about how she is a really popular girl in the neighborhood, because she plays the violin and piano and speaks English. Obviously. So her friends who used to hate the Mormon church/think we are a cult think we are ok now! Because Sister Choi meets with us. assah! We ate ddok-boki with her and her friend today. and less active visit! It made my heart so heavy. The sister let us into her house and we tip-toed through the first room...the room is FULL of stuff. just boxes and who knows what. There is a little path leading to the second room, also full. there is a little space in the middle, just a few feet wide, covered with old blankets. And there is her daughter sitting in the middle of it, chewing on an old wrapper and watching a Korean drama. This sister's story? Her oldest daughter, 30 years old, is mentally handicapped (can't talk or walk, completely reliant on her mom). Her husband has passed away. Her two sons...work? not really sure, but they live in the house, and aren't around much from what I gather. She cares for her daughter all day and cleans the market at night. She doesn't want the ward to help, but now that I have seen her, I know it is just out of shame and maybe a little independence.

 

Friday, June 27.2014

 

Today I am greatful for Sister Gwan, how she loves us and gives us fruit and prays for our investigators. I am grateful that Incheon is such a windy place. I am grateful for real estate offices where I can go and look at their maps when our cameras die and for short little Korean men who climb up on chairs to try and point out where we are on the map. And when he can't find it, calling to the other two workers... so we all 5 go outside and they point us in the right direction. I am greatful for the sweet Vietnamese sister we met, for the young student girls who don't know where the apartment is so they ask the nearest 아저씨  and then laugh at the directons he gives us when we are gone. I am grateful for the cute grandma we found instead of our less active. I am grateful for the girl I sat with on the bus who spoke english and was adorable and said she will text us later. I am gratful for funny korean mom and dad who sell us delicious puffed rice snacks and tell me I should become their daughter in law. I am grateful for music and its power and motivating influence. I am grateful for the Gospel of Mark, that I can read the Savior's teachings, for the story of the rich young ruler as I contemplate on the my great many possessions that I am still working to give away. I am grateful for quotes and lyrics of hymns and how they stick in my mind. I am grateful for rice and kim and that I really love Korean food. I am grateful for our apartment and these beautiful wonderful girls I life with here. I am grateful to be a missionary!

 

Saturday, June 28.2014

 

Son Gwan came to English class again today! and guess what. We talked in our class for like 20 minutes about missionaries...why we are here, we don't get paid, still just college students. And then, we told them that if they ever have questions, they can ask us after class. At the end of class, I prayed in Korean and he wrote down my prayer. What?! then after class, he asked if I could tell him about our church. I ended up teaching the whole restoration in about 10 minutes. It was a neat thing. then he went in with the Elders to have a lessons. darn. but I trust our Elders, and it will be great. We stayed to clean the bathroom for church tomorrow and heard Gwan kind of...yelling? fighting? with Andre. oh. no. Elder Kim called tonight...they were just arguing about whatever. Andre wanted to talk, Gwan wanted to learn the gospel. But he said Gwan is shiney golden! yesssssss.

 

(PS---Gwan didn't come to church because of the argument. prayers, please!)

 

ok. just a week of awesomeness in Korea! I love you all!