스넵 사진 (snapshot!)

This week was an awesome, awesome week! Thank you for all of your prayers!

Monday: We met with C__.  We hadn't been able to see her for over two months, so it was a miracle that she finally had time! Unfortunately, it seems that she like to talk to missionaries because we're fun to talk to, rather than for real spiritual guidance and understanding the restored gospel…so, we'll see where it goes from there.

Tuesday

WE FINALLY FINISHED THE RECORDS PROJECT! I was going to (and already did) go a little crazy. There are very few things that I dislike more than staying in the house when there's missionary work to be done on the streets! (maybe to a slightly over-zealous level…Working on that.) We went through it with a sister in the ward who knows everyone who's been there since she was baptized, learned about who has moved, who to talk to to find this man, what this woman's new number is, when this person went to America, etc,  and then sorted the records into which of our seven companionships is trying to find person A and person B, and then another book of people we need to find, sorted by men and women, and then into the areas when they live. Whew. And THEN! We started a Korean/Book of Mormon class on the Army base! We're working with the senior couple assigned to the base to give this opportunity for members to bring friends, community, and to get to know them so that we can do missionary work together! (Its a little hard to know them when you don't go to their church meetings~). There was confusion (the other sisters in the other mission started one the same week,too (inspiration?!?^^) so our announcement wasn't made, but Sister Jones was there, which guarantees that everyone will know this week. It was really awesome to get to know some of the English branch (of over 250 people :)) members; they''re always so happy and fun to be around ;)

Wednesday!

WE met with an American man who stopped us on the street a few weeks ago, with questions both about our practices and about life and God in general. He is a truth seeker, and confused about a lot of things. It took a lot of work to find a sister who could come with us to the lesson, EVERYONE was busy, but I really believe that Sister A__ was meant to come with us.  She shared sweet testimony, as well as some very particular experiences that we couldn't related with (He was a huge sports star, and then broke his leg, healed, and broke it again - and wondered why in the world that happened). Her son was a European wrestling champion, and then broke his arm; Brother Santos talked about experiences from war, and she could share about her husband's experiences during war; cancer, smoking, etc., etc.) There was a lot covered in that time (he told us like, his whole life story…) - he asked us how we could expect to help when we had no idea what it felt like, but it was a very special opportunity to testify that even though we didn't know all he went though, that the Savior did. That we, as missionaries, can't identify with everything, but the Savior suffered all so that He could, and that He could lift us up.

Thursday!
In the morning we went to get a temple recommend from the new bishop with a recent convert who has been traveling with a study abroad ever since she was baptized, her name is Y__ (She just left to go home to China this week :'() and she is one of the most amazing people I've ever met. I sent a little about her to dad, and have a lot more to tell you about so he can tell you a teeny tiny bit more :) It was a cool experience -- a Korean bishop speaking with a Chinese sister, with two American sister missionaries, but all united through this fantastic gospel! She is amazing, and as soon as we got done, she wanted to go to the temple the next day, (But couldn't :() so we made an appointment for Saturday! She has the purest love and desire for the gospel, and really is in tune with the Spirit. We had an appointment with Sister S__, who we haven't seen for MONTHS because she's been so sick, and went to Turkey! She's back for two weeks, but then is going to Canada, so we won't see her for a lot longer - :( BUT, awesome, powerful lesson. She has a disease and disorder, which is very severe, and she was talking about how no one understands. We could really see the pain while she was talking -- pain from others, from the disorder, the stress (She said that the shot she gets is in three doses, and the pain is so great that if she got all the medicine at one time, it would kill a person.) - and, like Brother S__, we were able to share that the Savior suffered her pain. Not just for her, but to understand her. He understood all, but he chose to suffer, so that "according to the flesh," he would know how we feel and how to take care of us. The Spirit was a strong!

And that's not even the best part of the week!

And on Friday - We had a mission tour, where Elder Whiting from the Quorum of the Seventy came and spoke to us! And I finally realized what I've been wanting so badly these months that I've been here - teaching with the power of the Spirit. In the scriptures, it always says that they taught with power and authority. Power and Authority. I didn't know how to get it! Ah, there's so much I want to tell you about it, but I'm running low on time! Very simply - Power very simply comes from righteousness. We broke down what righteousness means through Nephi's example - that could take a whole extra hour (trust in the Lord, faith, problem solver, patient, meek, obedient, desire, not murmuring). How do you cultivate desire? Stems from gratitude. Power in testifying of Christ. I'd look at the talk "Receive the Holy Ghost" by Elder Bednar: 
(https://www.lds.org/general-conference/2010/10/receive-the-holy-ghost?lang=eng&query=David+A.+Bednar+%22receive+the+holy+ghost%22).
There were some similar thoughts.

And another powerful lessons With Sister S__, We  felt prompted to read 3 Nephi 11 together, and did (well, the first three verses), talking about the spirit, if she's felt that, and she talked about how important pondering is, and we flipped to Moroni 10:3-6 - very powerful Spirit, that testified to us all of the truth of the Book of Mormon. I asked her, if she knows it is true, what will she do? - and she said "I can't say baptism!" hehe. Close. She wants to, but her expectations for herself after baptism are a little too high; she wants perfection (does that sound like someone else you know? Hehe :)) so We'll work on that next :)

And we found a less active member, who knows it's still true, but stopped going ten years ago because she was offended. She doesn't want to admit she knows she needs to come back, but…she's close too ;)

Saturday!

Two more days to write about still!

No time! We went to the temple with Y__, it was amazing!

I love our ward! 

It's all the best thing ever! I hope you all pray to understand the Atonement a little more. That has been the biggest blessing this week! Lesson - Heavenly Father desires to teach us about His Son, and just like everything else, all we need to do it ask and listen! (Oh! And we learned about petitioning the Lord at the conference, remind me to talk about that next week!

LOVE! 

SISTER THOMAS!