Conference and Crosswalks

Dearest Family-

Hey! sorry about last week. 

So...Conference was so wonderful! we got to watch it all together as a zone. in English. So that was great! I loved how much putting God first was emphasized. It seemed like one talk after another was about the first great commandment of loving God with all our heart...with all we are. 

What have we even done lately...had some delicious Korean food with investigators and members. talked to tons of people to try and find new investigators. We do a lot of street contacting here. talking to people at crosswalks. on the subway. anywhere we are going. it is starting to be a lot of fun! crazy, I know, but it is! who would have thought that I could enjoy talking to random strangers so much? I have learned to talk about anything! their beautiful necklace or cute shoes, their little kids (and talking about my nieces and nephew), about learning Korean. and mostly about serving here as missionaries to teach about Jesus Christ. we don't knock doors very often, just lots of 'conversations' is what we call them. and it really gives my Korean a workout. 

There is still so much that I don't understand and can't say! a few days ago, we were talking to two old grandmas, who turned out to be Jehovah's Witnesses. I thought I understood their question, so I started answering. about where we were from and what we are doing....the usual. then she started giving me a really confused look. when she said her question again, I had totally misunderstood. and I still didn't know what she was talking about! so...we did an awkward laugh and started talking about something else. story of my life! so fun. it always gives Sister Fudge and I something to laugh about. about a week and a half ago, Sister Fudge and I were walking down the street and talking about what a GOOD day it had been! no lessons. no golden contacts. but we had talked to so many people. and it feels good! missionary good.

It is starting to get cold here! any sister coming to this mission, bring boots you can wear everyday in the winter! Mom, I got an awesome winter coat at this flea market for like $20. already worn, but whatever! i needed something really warm that I could wear everyday.

I love you all so much!

Sister Bassett

시간 많이 없어요‏

Hi! I hardly have anytime.

Just wanted to let you know that I love you! I think you are all the best. Thanks for you prayers and support and letters and love. It means so much to me!

being a missionary is the greatest blessing. I can't imagine any place I would rather be!

xoxo, Sister Bassett

this week!‏

Dear Family-

Sister P was confirmed on Sunday. It was a beautiful end to a week filled with small personal miracles. AND her husband, Brother K, has expressed some interest in the Church! We will begin teaching him this week, or maybe next? I am so happy. The ward is fellowshipping them so well. It makes my heart swell with joy and gratitude to think about her.

One thing that our mission is focusing on it having 'conversations' not just contacts. And this week, while looking up things the Bible Dictionary, I came across the word conversation. It means "behavior, way of life, or conduct." WOW! being an example of the believers, as Joshua says, in CONVERSATION has a whole new meaning. It's not just about TALKING to people, it is about becoming someone. Who we are and how we live is our 'conversation' to the world. 

this week I had the blessing of being in the just the right place at the right time. nothing huge...we didn't meet any new investigators or anything like that, but just little acts of service and feeling RIGHT about where we were. first we took a picture of us in our 한복s to the guy who sold them to us. and his wife was there! we had a nice little conversation ^^ she is a member of another church. we talked to a few other people, then helped a woman coming home from a trip to China. Her bags were so heavy! she happened to live just behind the church, the street we were taking to go home! another good conversation and being able to just help somebody out.

our ward is getting the spirit of missionary work in them...certain members. I can feel it! and it is awesome. They are reading this book called "Wonderful Ward Missionaries" in English (i think) and it is so great. We took one of our investigators, Lena, to a RS activity and she was SO included. and the three of us are going to dinner at a Sister's house on Tuesday night! (Note from Sister Bassett’s mom…I think the book they are reading is The Power of Everyday Missionaries by Clayton Christensen…a GREAT book for us all to read!)

I love you all. This week I have had SO many answers to prayers. Heaven can come VERY close to our earth...as close as we will let it. I KNOW our Father in Heaven lives and loves us. Jesus Christ is our Savior. We WILL find answers as we read the Book of Mormon. 

have a wonderful week! especially you sisters coming home from the cruise!

xoxo, Sister Bassett

Love making these!! Vegetable pancakes…mmmmmm…delicious!

Sister P

Dearest Family-

Last Monday we hiked 관악산... Gwanak Mountain. not sure how high it is, but it was pretty long! So fun. I love nature and have missed it living in this big city! our whole Zone went together. The Koreans get all dressed up when they go hiking...seriously. Like special pants and backpacks and walking poles. it is a big deal. so having about 18 foreigners in t-shirts and sweatpants was hilarious to them! 

Our English class. Still one of my favorite things, but we have this older lady to comes now and makes it a little difficult. and hilarious. Elder Westbrook is always laughing his head off or so frustrated. She just kinda yells out words...if we are speaking in Korean, she yells any words she knows in English. and if we are speaking English, any words she knows in Korean! haha good times!

This week was full of meetings again. We got to attend the temple on Thursday. SO GOOD! Ross will love the Seoul temple when he gets to go. It was a beautiful day outside and even more beautiful inside. And I got to do the family name that Landon found. Thanks Lanny! It made me all teary-eyed when I looked at his name on the card. no matter where we are in the world or what is going on, the temple is truly a place of refuge. It is the house of God. and you can feel it.We always get to have a testimony meeting before we go in...I am amazed by the missionaries I get to serve with! It is so powerful.

Then Friday was Zone Conference. I love President Morrise! really. everyone does. He read pieces of people's letters from our mission to show the miracles. As a whole, we are working MIRACLES here in Korea! sometimes it is hard to see that from where I am at...just walking around and trying to talk to people and teach. but from that vantage point, we really are making a difference. 

so, the best for last! on Tuesday, we went over the baptismal interview questions with Sister P. She is truly prepared. It has been the greatest blessing to be the missionaries that got to teach and learn with her. It was a beautiful experience...holy in so many way...to get to watch her testimony grow and her faith strengthen. on Sunday after her baptism, a member of our bishopric said to me "she has prepared well for baptism...she won't be going in-active! this is what missionary work is all about, right? this, right here!" and he was right. Her cousins and aunt came up for the baptism. and her cousin got to baptize her. Sister Fudge and I sang "Come Thou Fount" right after her aunt bore her testimony. Sister P just had tears running down her face. She is a special soul and everyone can feel it. Her husband also came to church and the baptism. a beautiful family! that night, we texted her and asked her to write down how she felt after her baptism. "Bassett and Fudge missionaries....good good good and good!" was her response. the warmth and light emanating  from her was tangible. 

That is why I am out here! to invite people to come to Christ. I'm not perfect, but I know the way. We all do. The gospel has given us that blessing...we know the way to peace and joy and safety and confidence and guidance and all other good things. The light in Sister Pak has inspired me. I KNOW you will be blessed as you share the gospel. I feel like Sister Pak was a miracle for me. ah. I am just grateful that the Lord let me be here and know her and share the gospel with such an amazing person. and it's not over! the temple is now the next goal. 

I love you all. I love being a missionary. I love Korea. I love all of you!

xoxo, Sister Bassett

Happy 추석!‏

Family!

Hi! Korean Thanksgiving was so fun. so good. I got to wear my 한복, so that was awesome. and see all the missionaries. I love being able to see the two sisters from my MTC district and talk about where we are now. Because of 추석 we didn't teach any lessons today...everyone goes to their hometown and things just kinda shut down. it was crazy to see my busy, busy streets so empty! anyway, I'll send some pictures.

Friday was the big fall cleaning day. Hi. our house is a mess. we spent hours cleaning and still not done! that night we went to 김포 for dinner, about an hour way. ate so much good food. She is the Stake RS president and he teaches Sunday school. the daughter just got back about a month or 2 ago from serving in temple square. such a good family!

then on Saturday, we had dinner with two of my favorite grandma's in the ward. I ate a small chicken. REALLY! in a soup. bones and all...you just pick them out. it was really yummy! and fruit. and kimchi. and veggies. and this tea that tastes like vinegar and honey and i love it. SO FULL! one of the grandma's, 김명자 (Sister Kim) is coming to Utah for 6 months! so she got mom and dad's phone number and wants her daughter to call you. so be ready for that. She is wonderful...so happy and energetic and full of light. she has helped me so much. even though we can't really understand her, she just laughs and says "I love you!" and I can feel it.  our investigator,  Sister P, loves her! 

Speaking of Sister P, she will be baptized this Sunday. She is wonderful. keep praying for her! 

Mom, this is a shout out for your essential oils...I had the WORST head ache this week. I was so dizzy and sick. so, I took some peppermint and fennel, and the next morning, Boom! I was just fine! so thanks :)

It's been a crazy week. I don't really know what to say. so i'll send a bunch of pictures. 

LOVE YOU!

Sister Bassett











President and Sister Morrise with Sister Bassett…dressed in their festive hanboks.

                                                                                               




                                                                                     





                                                     Sister Fudge, Sister Arthur, Sister Bassett

set goals, make plans

Dear Family-

So two weeks ago, our Zone Leaders asked us to prayerfully set goals at the next weekly planning and then watch for how God helped us make those goals. the week that we just finished was that week. They also asked us, at the end of August, to make a goal for how many baptisms each companionship wanted to help have during September. SOO...

this week we made almost ALL our goals. more than we ever have before. it was so awesome. We even had 2 people at sacrament, which has NEVER happened for us before. But the biggest miracle was Sister Pak. we really thought that one baptism was a good goal for September. We knew that Sister Pak was ready, but she already told us that she wanted to be baptized October 6. So we wondered "who else is prepared?" well...sadly, no one else was. BUT on Thursday at our lesson, we mentioned that General Conference was the week she wanted to be baptized. and Transfers are the Wednesday before. She said "I'm ready...I can be baptized on September 29" and then when she realized that I might leave, she started to tear up. I love her so! We taught Tithing that night. She accepted. We taught Word of Wisdom on Sunday. "I can't drink coffee anymore? ok.." she accepted. law of chastity. also accepted. SO PREPARED! I am awestruck. all in all, she will be baptized the day before September ends. Miracle, anyone? It is the greatest blessing to be able to be a part of all of this. My heart has been opened in ways I didn't know it could be. 

This week I started the Book of Mormon again. I LOVE IT! let me read it all the time! really. I learn SO much. and it is ALWAYS relevant. literally, a voice crying from the dust, written for our day. I was reading about Laman and Lemuel. and Nephi asks them how they could forget that they have seen an ANGEL! how?! but then, I think, "sister Bassett! how could you forget the miracles you have seen? that the Lord can do anything?" they probably didn't write it down. so i have really been trying to record the miracles I get to see in my journal. little things are the best :) 

I have a testimony of PRAYER. I know, like I never have before, that God lives and loves us. each one of us. I love and am grateful to each one of you!

xoxo, Sister Bassett

Two Orphans

Family!

so...our mom left this week! Wednesday morning we dropped Sister
Arthur off for transfers. Ah! I miss her! she was so wonderful...the
longer I was with her, the more I loved her. and we have definitely
had an adventure! Good thing we always have our Father in Heaven to
rely on and not just ourselves!

we teach an idiom in English class every week. so, if you have any
ideas, send them my way!

this week. dragged Sister Arthur's suitcases to the post office so
they could send them to her new area. So funny! she said goodbye to
ward members and investigators and we took tons of pictures (i'll send
some next week). we have really been trying to advertise for our free
english class because that is our best place to find investigators.
english flyer all the time! we taught english class...still one of my
favorite things! we are trying really hard to understand and speak
Korean! it is crazy for me to have to be the one that people are
talking to. but good. I know that it will help my language so much!

we taught some GREAT lessons this week. Lena, do you know her?, had
just english interest at first, but at her last lesson she said she
wants to come to church. She wants to know what we believe. We talked
about studying the scriptures and she promised to read everyday. we
just love her! so glad she is home from her vacation.

and 유진. i don't think i've talked about her before. She is lovely. We
have taught the Plan of Salvation the last 2 times. She has a really
hard time understanding why God gave us a plan...why He is there. And
also, our Korean is a little rocky.

I really want to talk about Sister Pak's lesson. We want to give her a
baptismal date this week, so please pray for her! We discussed 3 Nephi
32:3 and Moroni 7:13, i think. we just talked about how the
scriptures, the words of Christ, will tell us ALL things we need to
do. And that all GOOD things come from God. She often makes memos
while we are teaching, so we pointed out that was the Spirit. We
invited her to write down any promptings/impressions while she reads
Alma 7. She is wonderful. We taught with a member who was baptized
about 10 years ago, without her husband. She has a powerful testimony
and was wonderful for Sister Pak. At the end, Sister Pak just said
that the past week she had made so many mistakes...all small, but they
make her feel bad. We talked about how that is ok, every week at
church we get to take the sacrament and be clean again, to try again.
she said that's why she need to diligently keep coming to church. You
got it!

Yestderday was the day of miracles. I have been praying every night to
know what to do for our area. Because I was scared! How was I supposed
to run an area? And my Korean...lacking. BUT, yesterday we were
walking to go visit some less actives and amazing things happened. on
our way there, Sister Fudge just looks goes up to this lady walking my
us and offers to help carry her bags. She didn't need help, but she
pulls us into the shade and starts talking to us. Long story short,
she speaks really good english and wants us to come visit. She just
wants to talk with us. So we gave her a Book of Mormon, exchanged
number, and went on our way. Later that night, she texted us just to
say thank you for the good book, hope to see you soon! wow! then, on
the way home, I felt like I should just talk to this lady waiting at
the same bus stop. so I did. she was really nice, and guess what? she
wants us to teach her daughter english! we were waiting for the same
bus, to we rode and talked together the whole way home. She wants to
have us over for dinner with her family. So cool! THEN at our bus stop
going home, we talk to this lady and she asks about us as
missionaries, we say that we came to serve. and we teach about Jesus
Christ. She asks if we know the Bible. yeah, we do! so she wants to
meet to talk about those things. WOW! if we had gone down a different
street or been at the bus stop at a different time or crossed the
steet one minute later, we wouldn't have met those beautiful sisters.
Amazing, isn't it, to see the blessings of the Lord in our lives. I
KNOW He is mindful of us. He loves us. He is our Father. I am so
blessed to be a missionary and see miracles everyday. Best time of my
life!

have a wonderful week! you are in my prayers!

all my love, Sister Bassett