July 11, 2016

 Almost two weeks ago we had a few days of our assistants teaching a woman in our home. It was a cool experience. One of our assistants on exchanges with another missionary, met a woman about a 15 minute walk away from our home. They walked and talked with the woman on the way back to the mission home, stood outside our home and called Dad asking if they could come in and teach her right then, and set an appointment to meet the same time the next night in our home. Our assistant was back together with his regular companion, the other assistant, and taught her again, and set another appointment to meet the next night in our home for another lesson. That third night our assistant was on another exchange with another missionary. After the lesson was taught they asked me to share my testimony. That was fine but I had these thoughts racing through my mind real quick that I didn’t understand the lesson taught because I don’t understand Korean, and I still did not know this woman’s name. She told us her nickname is Mijya, but she still had not told us her family name or her first name. Now the missionaries wanted me to share my testimony (or open up my heart and inner most tender feelings) with a woman who has not even opened up enough to share with us her name, after three days of being taught in our home. So I did share my testimony, and if you know me you know that I cry easily (if I want to, if I allow myself to open up and be vulnerable). It turned out to be good. Mijya came to church on Sunday (July 3), which was Fast Sunday so I felt like I should share my testimony (though I really am a shy person and do not like to be up front in front of people with all eyes on me). As soon as I got up there I started to cry. But it was good because Mijya was looking up at me and smiling (she could have kept her eyes looking down and ignored me but she didn’t). So it was good for me to open up and share my testimony and inner most thoughts.  We have had quarterly interviews with our missionaries and I have been sharing thoughts on this and in John 17:6-12, 20-21, along with parts of Elder Zwick’s talk from the April 2014 general conference. Also I have been sharing my notes on the article of the woman trying the Water Diet and notes on kidney stones (as we had another missionary have to go to the hospital with that problem). Drinking LOTS of water HELPS!!

We had a fun 4th of July celebrating with the missionaries in the Busan and South Busan zones. They all gathered at the mission office/chapel and ate BBQ hamburgers and hot dogs. The weather has been HOT and rainy, so the assistants grilled outside our back door (luckily there is an overhanging cover to block most of the rain). They are so funny to listen to and to watch. One of the assistants watches and mimics Dad (the way he had a kitchen towel draped over his shoulder). They filled their plates with both hamburgers and a hot dog making sure they got all they were supposed to get (they sure can eat a LOT!!).  The next night there was 4.7 earthquake in Ulsan, where Dad was in a stake presidency meeting with the assistants. I had never experienced an earthquake before so I wasn’t sure what it was. As I was sitting at my computer I felt and heard some rumbling but since we live in the city with construction and tearing down of apartments going on around I I wondered if they were just extra loud that night. But it did feel like a huge truck was driving through our living room. So I called the office elders to see if they felt anything and knew what was going on. They felt something but didn’t know until later when they were calling around that they found out about the earthquake. Dad didn’t return my text so I was worried about him until he got home and told me he didn’t feel a thing or know anything until the men around him told him they all felt the earthquake, just not Dad.  Saturday night we attended the music fireside of some of our missionaries.  This sister missionary studied the Haegeum (traditional Korean vertical string instrument) before coming on her mission. She told Dad that she was nervous about playing because she has not touched the instrument since just right after she arrived on her mission (and played at one of our zone conferences). I thought she did a great job without any practicing I’ll send a few more clips from the concert/fireside. Remember, my phone lets me download recordings in just eight second clips.

 This sister missionary’s companion played the piano to accompany her and also a few other missionaries in other numbers. She is very talented as she had to slow down according to how the missionary felt like playing her instrument/or another sang.

 This instrument sounds so melancholy. I think it would be difficult for a young child to begin studying this instrument if you had a different personality (other than what our sister missionary is like).

 What a surprise when the branch president opened his mouth to sing! I wasn’t expecting to hear Italian opera! The branch president is funny as he watches others perform. He will walk up as stand right beside or behind the performer to get just the right/best shot with his phone camera.

 This man played the traditional Korean flute like instrument called Sogeum or Junggeum (the first one is smaller than the second one).

 Dad and I drove up to Uljin on Sunday to attend church. Uljin is just a small group, not even a branch or a ward. The GPS said it would take us six hours to drive there, but it took Dad just three hours (Elder George drove up there once, in four hours, when he took supplies to the new apartment).  This was the first baptism for the small group and for our missionaries. Pohang is about an hour away so the Young Men’s leader and a counselor in the branch presidency brought three young men from their brach to support this young man, and to invite him to an activity in two weeks. At first the missionaries and a young family (the small group leader) met in the family’s home on Sundays for church services. About a month ago we rented another apartment on the floor below where the missionaries live, to use for church. That apartment has two rooms; the back room is where we were for Sacrament Meeting with the front room being where we met for combined Sunday School. The room where we met for Sacrament Meeting is small with just three chairs up front, so I sat in the back while Dad sat up front (he is the presiding Priesthood leader for the whole district). But I think Dad was surprised when it came time for the Sacrament that the young family man (small group leader) and Dad prepared and blessed the Sacrament. It has been a while since I last heard Dad say a Sacrament Prayer (when Ben first became a priest and blessed the Sacrament in Sugar Land). That was sweet. Then Dad called on me to share my testimony, again. Elder K Smith translated for me.  After Sunday School all the people drove over to the ocean to watch Elder Smith baptize this young man. He’s a sweet boy. It was so cool to watch as it was so quiet on this beautiful beach. The water was clear and calm.  Orally there are strong winds blowing off this part of the ocean but not this day. It took three tries, but that’s ok. So cool!  We drove back to the church for a meal together and for Dad to interview one of the missionaries. Then we needed to hustle back home for guests/visitors for dinner.