These past two weeks have been action packed
with us holding zone conferences. Our assistants did a fine job with all the
many responsibilities they had but it is always a learning experience, I guess because
by the time zone conferences come around again we always have new assistants.
And we have new changes to announce like no more Transfer Meetings (from the
leaders of the Church) and a new proselyting area opening group meeting. Our theme this transfer is Repentance,
building off the previous transfer theme of Faith. Dad took many wonderful
video clips from the January World Wide Missionary Broadcast and assigned me,
the AP’s, Zone Leaders, Sister Training Leaders, and himself great topics to
share messages from. I shared some of Niki’s experiences with her races, along
with a couple of scriptures. If you are interested I’ll send you a copy of my
notes. Last Friday was an extremely long
day for Dad as he has been dealing with a sister missionary who has had some
mental/medical issues that she has been dealing with and which recently
escalated to where she needed to go home early, though she is so close to her
release date that she was given an honorable release. The phone calls from her
companion, the stake president back home, the mother, the area medical advisor
(who has finished his mission and returned home but is still acting in his
capacity as there has been a glitch with the arrival of his replacement), the
area mental health advisor, an area 70, train tickets/holiday weekend, a local stake
president, juggling missionary companionships, ARG!! As soon as this sister was
out the door we were headed for the airport to catch a flight to Jeju for our
last zone conference. Poor Dad fell asleep as soon as he sat down and closes
his eyes he’s so tired! As soon as we
landed we had more problems with the car rental, the hotel, and everything
needed for the meetings. Saturday
morning we started the zone conference fine. But the afternoon session went
ahead without Dad for a couple of hours as he had a scheduled interview that
lingered and then an emergency interview that went on and on (he had those
interviews as the Presiding Priesthood Leader for the District problem with our
missionaries). After the zone conference ended we had to hustle to drive across
the island to attend the SeoGwipo branch fireside (about an hour drive along a
windy mountain two lane road). The theme of the fireside was Managing Your Time
Wisely with a few speakers and then diving everyone up to play some fun games,
with a meal to follow. Dad was able to generate enough wind to make the hard
boiled egg roll a bit. Not much later a young boy accidentally SMASHED the egg with
the cardboard! I’ll send more video clips (my phone only allows me to send up
to 8 seconds to a clip in like before I don’t know why it changed).
Jeju Island is supposed to have
thousands of museums. Just driving over to
SeoGwipo we drove by a Hello Kitty museum? Ben said it was very PINK! We passed some building or museum that had a
couple of castles with a horse and
charger riding on top of the castle/Renaissance. We also drove past some huge
dinosaurs in the distance/Jurassic Park??
This past weekend Dad, Ben, and
I traveled to the Changwon stake for their stake conference. President Lee is
the tall man in the back with the red stripe tie on. He stands very tall and is
very fun/funny to watch. He is very friendly and kind and respectful of me. He
hurried over to speak to Ben and me as soon as we walked into the chapel after
the Saturday afternoon Priesthood Leadership meeting. President Lee shook Ben’s
hand and he turned to me to speak (Korean custom is that men don’t shake the hand
of a woman-usually). President Lee said to me in English, “Sister Barrow! How
are you doing?” I answered him that I was fine and asked how he was doing to
which he responded very heartily, “I am PINE, thank you very munchee!” But I
did notice that after all the meetings of the weekend President Lee did shake
my hand which was very thoughtful/respectful of him. Immediately after the Sunday session of stake
conference the choir sang a beautiful hymn, trying to keep the chapel reverent
while people departed. It did help with the lack of reverence, but the noise
level did keep going up good idea. Ben
and I waited around for Dad to finish his interviews (like baptismal
candidates) and then Elder Jeong (70) came to gather us in the room where a
nice meal had been prepared. These men, former stake presidents, along with a
few other stake leaders ate with us. My favorite part of the weekend came
unexpectedly as President Lee started to share a few personal experiences. He
started telling us about his search for a church in his early single adult
years. Other churches wanted his money and didn’t pay attention to him
(something about preachers from Japan and America??). But the Mormon church
welcomed him and he felt the Spirit with the members. The bishop had to tell
him he needed to date now to which he said that nobody liked him and nobody
talked to him. He had already served his military duty (21 months). He said he
joined the church, met his wife who was a returned missionary (he thinks that
the experience of a mission is wonderful for women because it gives them social
skills and patience with men who are converts and don’t have the skills to
catch a wife).(I think each of the Priesthood leaders wives served missions) He
said that if his wife hadn’t served a mission she wouldn’t have liked him. They
waited to marry until he was a member of the church one year and two days so
they could marry in the temple. He could not stop crying, from gratitude, as
they came out of the temple for hours tears just streamed down his face. Even
as President Lee was sharing these memories/stories with us he was wiping tears
away from his eyes, such a humble man. President
Lee talked about his early morning preparations for the Sunday morning of stake
conference. He had texted his son telling him about the conference weekend so
he knew it was a big day for him. His son is inactive, smokes and drinks hasn’t
the courage to stand up to his friends for what he believes in. President Lee
invited his son to attend the Sunday session and his son told him “I will do my
best to come see you on Sunday. I know it’s a big conference for you." So
President Lee got to church early and as he was sitting on the stand every time
the chapel doors opened he would look up hoping to see his son walk in, though
he never did. Right after the meeting ended President Lee texted his son telling
him he loved him. A little while later his son texted him back saying “I love
you, too, Dad.” President Lee finished sharing with us by telling us how
grateful he is, how much pride he has, and how he needs to be humble. What a
great man he is!!! A few nights ago Dad
was working on transfers with his assistants upstairs in his office, and I
brought up a pan of baked oatmeal with candied pecans (new recipes that were
good/fun to try). As I was dishing up the plates one of the office elders told
me they hadn’t yet eaten dinner and it was already past 9pm. I was struck by
how dedicated and hardworking these elders are in a “behind the scenes” type of
an assignment. What a privilege it is to serve with these fine young
men/missionaries. Very humbling.
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