Dearest Family--
this week was so fun. the weeks are going by faster than ever!
Monday we went with Ka-jeong sisters to the 목욕탕...the public bath house. The Koreans love it, and it is supposed to be super good for your skin. It was...yeah. good. anyway.
then we had a dinner appointment with a sister in our ward, Sister Choi. Sorry that it probably gets really confusing talking about members/investigators because they have the same names most of the time. This Sister Choi I have never talked about before ^^ She is the sweetest lady. Her husband is not a member, her older son is inactive, and her younger boy is really shy (due, in part, to a speach impediment and other things). and we loved being in her home. We looked at all the pictures and trophies and she showed them off like a proud momma. And made us delicious 삼계탕 sam-kyeah-tang...basically it is chicken broth and onions and stuff with a whole chicken in it for each person. but the chickens are little. it is SO yummy! we eat it with rice and kimchi. We talked a little about the armor of God from D&C 27. She promised to pray for us to find prepared investigators that we can share that armor with. And then, on Sunday, she told all the Relief Society sister that they need to pray for us to find prepared people too. I are still a few steps away from getting referrals, but I am excited to see what happens as the sisters in our ward unite their faith with ours.
TUESDAY! We found another couch! and a piano! win for the sister missionaries! it was so great. so now the sisters in our house are playing on the piano just about everyday. it is really nice to prepare for musical numbers too! score. plus, us resourceful girls that we are, pulled the sticker off the newly found couch and put it on the last couch. so we don't have to pay anything. yessssss.
This week has been a little more than hot and humid and Wednesday we got hit hard. We had lunch with Sister Lee and her son (except he mostly hid out in his bedroom) and then walked for about an hour or so. By the time we got the the church I was wiped! so we made some calls and things in the church, braced ourselves, and headed back out. In case you missed it last week, Sister Pratt is awesome. Always smiling and bright and talking. I love it. we contacted lots of people and walked around our area to get her more used to it. I mean, she only has a few weeks to learn all the things before she is on her own!
Thursday was super fun day. We had Zone Meeting in 부평 Boo-pyeong. I love mission meetings. I am always inspired by our leaders and the feeling of missionary spirit all concentrated into one room. We did a role play about asking questions, as this month we are focusing on teaching people, not lessons+teaching people better lessons. Whenever I am testifying and teaching about principles of the gospel that mean so much to me, I can feel the Spirit. and even better when I am discovering needs that can be met through the teachings of Christ. I know that the gospel it true.
Ah! Friday was also a great day. We taught two lessons, one to Sister Choi and one to Sister Lee. I will tell you about both, because they were awesome.
So, Sister Choi. She told us last week that she is starting the Book of Mormon again from the beginning and will pray about it this time. She then read from the Introduction page through the testimonies of the witnesses and Joseph Smith and about the Book of Mormon 10 times. yeah, ten! she has a difficult time understanding/seeing past all the new names and places, so we took almost the whole time to explain who Lehi is (decendant of Jacob and Joseph...not the same name as Leah ^^) and things like that. She really loves the scriptures and wants her daughter to have a knowledge of God, but her daughter doesn't really see why. Her husband came home during the lesson, remember? he really hates the church and yelled STOP last time we saw him. So. He came home! in the middle of our lesson! Sister Choi stopped reading and we all just stared at him for a minute...I asked how his break is going, and he quickly left to the back room. Jenny, the daughter, followed. And we cautiously started the lesson again. He didn't come back out. At the end, Jenny came to say goodbye....and that she had translated the whole thing for her dad (we teach in English). maybe that will be good?! prayers!
and Sister Lee. She is a very devout Catholic, but is loving the Book of Mormon. She reads, and so do we, ahead of time and then we discuss the chapter together and use the principles in it to teach the restoration. It works really well! and her insights are awesome. She has such a big heart and is truly a Christian. So far she has been pretty accepting about all that we have taught, except that the priesthood was never lost. Jesus Christ gave it to Peter, Peter gave it to the first Pope, and so on. Sister Pratt and I had a long discussion about how to teach her next time and concluded that we don't have to teach or explain much more about it because, at the end of the day, her testimony won't come from us tearing down her beliefs. As she continues to read the Book of Mormon and pray, to learn the principles of the gospel, and gain even more faith, I know that she will feel that the message of the restoration is true. And when then happens, a testimony of everything else comes with it. Because if the Book of Mormon is true, than Joseph was a prohpet. and if Joseph was a prophet, the gospel needed to be restored, which means it was lost. I know that God and Jesus Christ appeared to Joseph, that he was indeed a prophet, and that the Book of Mormon was translated by the power of God. It is just the best feeling ever when I get to share those things with others.
We got to sing again, Sister Pratt and I and the Elders, at the baptismal service yesterday. There was such a sweet spirit there...the convert is a junior in high school with faith that filled the whole room. He is amazing and prepared and an example to all the young men in our ward.
I have been feeling lately like I had the chance, I had been given everything I needed, to really learn Korean and become a great missionary. And I didn't take it. Instead, I speak average Korean and am only now figuring out how to be a missionary. and it was discouraging. BUT! then I read a little bit in "The Power of Everyday Missionaries" and my greenie fire was re-lit all over again. When I came on a mission, I signed up to be a builder in the Kingdom of God for the rest of my life. God needed me here, and He will need me at home. He needs every member to be a missionary. WE are the MESSAGE! whether we are wearing a badge or not. We are meant to be lighting the world and salting the earth. And I felt, rather than discouraged, like the mission is an MTC for the rest of my lift. And I can continue applying the things I learn and grow into the person that Heavenly Father has in mind. I am just forever grateful for the blessing of serving.
I love you all! share the gospel this week. and start reading that book ^^
xoxo, Sister Bassett
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