Dream Rock

I walked to Mega Mart this week to buy a few things and had to take a picture of all the choices offered for cooking with mushrooms. Too bad I don’t like mushrooms. It’s so different here because they have one variety of apple offered at this time of year. In the late summer they offer the same red apple along with a green apple. Not like in the States where we have lots to choose from, like at HEB.

This morning Dad and I drove with Sister Lee and her husband, Brother Gu, site seeing before going to the market for strawberries. We drove way high up into the mountains, zig-zagging around the terraced farms and homes to get to a water dam/reservoir at the top. It’s still cold outside so we wouldn’t expect strawberries to be in season (like the late spring growing season in the States) but they’re grown in greenhouses here in Korea. Dad was saying it’s almost like the farmers planned the time of year that was cold and needed some cheering up so they grew the strawberries inside to be ripe now to brighten everybody up. Sister Lee knew a woman who was selling her berries along the side of the road (way out in the countryside over an hour away-amazing) so she bought from her for the missionary meals this week/transfer week.

I wish you could have seen a panoramic view from this place, called Dream Rock. We were so high up overlooking a cliff down below. There were mountain peaks after mountain peaks. There were trails going off in the other direction but we didn’t have time to explore. There was snowmelt along the way driving up to this point. The water in the reservoir was clear; just low. Sunny, bright, and cold! Didn’t hardly feel like the type of weather for strawberry season, but they were good. Ben was not with us because he spent the night, Friday night, at a stake youth conference (we were told it was a scouting activity- but was really a type of youth conference). The missionaries drove Ben and another young man about an hour away from here to attend the activities; leaving at 5PM.  The public schools have not started back yet so kids are still vacationing so the activity started in the morning. Ben was able to participate in Korean drumming, some sort of weaving/bracelet making, karaoke, night hiking, board games, etc. I think he had as much fun as he could for not being able to communicate with others. Ben told us that some of the youth would try to speak English to him but after saying the few words that they know, and then an awkward moment of silence, they would walk away and someone else would go through the process again. Ben came back from the overnight campout just in time for lunch at the Bowcutt’s. The office couple invited us and the office elders over for lunch to say goodbye to one of our assistants who goes home next week during Transfer Week. It’s always amazing to see how fast time flies as we say goodbye to these missionaries. One of our original assistants goes home this transfer, too. Elder Bingham has been like an older brother to Ben. We just arrived back home tonight from attending a baptism where Elder Bingham baptized a young woman. Her father finally made it to the meeting a few minutes late, it was sweet to see her emotions when she saw him. Another missionary played the clarinet with piano accompaniment that was beautiful. Great experience. I have to remember the cultural differences when I saw many of the members in jeans. And I forgot that they always have food afterward. There was some sort of fish soup that Dad and Ben were given; my hands were full peeling a cuel (mandarine orange).

 Last Saturday night Dad, Ben, and I attended a baptism that Elder Bingham performed. I mentioned it when I wrote last week (attached to the picture Dream Rock). Elder Tuinei (on the right) is one of our newer missionaries. He did a break dancing style dance during the Christmas Conference, to the song Silent Night. We have a young mission now with many of our older missionaries already having gone home.

This past Monday we had our Transfer Meeting where the outgoing missionaries shared their testimonies, there were musical numbers, and talks shared by Dad and me. In the evening we eat a nice traditional Korean meal that Sister Lee prepares, have a group discussion and sharing of testimonies, and then dessert which was birthday cake for Elder Flint, one of our assistants. This picture of Elder Lee is our other assistant, who finished his mission and went back home. He brought his traditional Korean clothes on his mission; though he said he wore them only on Cheosuk/Fall Festival/Korean Thanksgiving. Elder Lee let Ben try on his Traditional clothes. 

Sister Lee was unhappy as she was about to board the train on the way to Seoul, going home. Tuesday morning we took our returning missionaries to the train station to say goodbye. Some of these missionaries will never see some of the other missionaries ever again in their lives. It is interesting to watch as the thought clicks in their heads and the way they deal with it/say goodbye. As it happened, Sister Lee was the only sister missionary to leave this transfer so from Monday evening until she boarded the train Tuesday morning Sister Lee was my companion/I was her companion.  In the background you can see part of Elder Seo (the missionary on the left side with his hands together). Elder Seo arrived in the Korea Busan Mission a week before us. In fact, we saw him in the MTC. Because of Visa and military problems Elder Seo has been reassigned to a California mission. He took a train the following day, then to the airport.

Wednesday afternoon the new missionaries go out jundoing (proselyting) with the trainers땊oing rotations for a short amount of time trying to take turns with each of the trainers for the assistants and seogies (office elders) to observe to get an idea of personalities and how they work with each other. Before the new missionaries arrive we receive introduction information from their parents to review; especially by Dad before he has a quick interview with each of them when they first arrive. As soon as Transfer Week is over Dad starts thinking about the next round of transfer coming up in another six weeks. We know that we will lose one of our assistants this next time as he goes home. An assistant is so very important to replace. But even more important than finding a new assistant is to identify good trainers; with your best/ most obedient missionaries. You need good zone leaders and district leaders, to fill other leadership positions, to think about how long a missionary has been in a certain area, how they get along with their companion, lots of factors. Dad thinks long and hard up until the last minute before announcing the companionships. Even this last time we were on the phone with the Area Medical Advisor regarding some information one of the new missionaries disclosed to me that caused some red flags of concern. The new trainers are not 100% guarantied when they get the phone call with their new assignment. They might not handle stress too well. They might have to white wash an area AND train a new companion. They might not be able to handle a foreigner or a native땊epending on their language skills/needs. They might have more English classes than another area. Both of those are determining factors.  After walking out in the cold on the streets for a couple of hours we all gathered at a restaurant for dinner. This was some of the best bibimbap I’ve had. The key was the gogi (beef) that was included땘ost don’t include beef. Great flavor, great amount.  After dinner we road the subway back to the chapel/mission office where a short testimony meeting was held. A trainer once shared his feelings of observing the energy and enthusiasm of the new missionaries energizing him to work harder and be bolder. He had not realized he needed to “raise the bar” of his efforts until he watched the new missionaries in action fresh from the MTC. It made me think of another missionary commenting on his former companion going home early for mental health reasons. He was pondering on what he could have done better; not realizing that maybe their conversations were not as appropriate as they could have been. The point is that we don’t always realize we could do better until something happens to make us more aware than we were before. Honest self evaluation on a regular basis could be helpful.  The new trainers need to ask themselves what kind of trainer they want to be (remembering their own trainers and what an impact they made in their lives). The new missionaries need to ask themselves what kind of missionary they want to be. After one transfer they will have an opportunity to ask themselves those questions again, as we meet for brief mid training discussions.

Yum! Dad’s favorite flavor cake for his birthday German Chocolate! I could not find Baker’s Sweet Baking Chocolate so I had to improvise when making the cake. I used the recipe on the back of the Hershey’s Baking Cocoa box and made some adjustments. I thought it turned out good. In the past we have been able to request grocery items from the missionary couple serve on the military base; but that will no longer be available to us. I have not yet run out of those certain items but it will be difficult when I do. Items like Morton’s Salt. The Korean salt is not as fine so it makes a noticeable presence in baking. Even Sister Lee prefers to use the American salt. I cannot find baking chocolate or baking cocoa, evaporated milk, pancake syrup, Crisco shortening to name just a few of the basic items I use often with Transfers every six weeks.  We had Elder Bingham and his mother and brother stay the night last night with us. Ben joined Elder Bingham and his brother in going to the mogyeotang this morning, and then ate breakfast here before Ben got a late start to school. Dad and I ate lunch with the Bingham’s ate the restaurant close to home that serves the meat for us to grill and wrap in lettuce leaves. Elder Bingham was one of the assistants who helped us acclimate when we first arrived in Korea. We knew nothing! They helped us do everything! Right away we trusted them with Ben off he went jundoing for hours and then to eat lunch. I had no idea where he was and no way to contact him as he did not have a phone for the first few months we were here. I really had to trust those assistants fast with my son. Sister Gilbert once told me she was a bit puzzled by the choice of assistants chosen for when we first arrived until she met Ben with his personality and then she understood why Elder Bingham and Elder Min were chosen. They were good missionaries, good young men; just right for our family at that time.  Elder Lee Insung called to wish Dad a Happy Birthday, and introduced himself as Brother Lee Insung. He just went home on Tuesday, and was our assistant. Elder Min called dad along with his companion, Elder Dietz, to sing Happy Birthday to Dad. Also, Elder Min sent Dad a clock he had made with a picture of us on the face of the clock. Elder Min was our other first assistants. He goes home in four weeks; not at a regular Transfer Day.