Funny Story

July 27, 2015

          We had a pretty good week here in Iksan.  Not as good as last week, but still good.  Bad news first, one of our investigators with a baptismal date sort of just disappeared and we can’t get a hold of him.  So that’s pretty sad.  But Brother Ha is doing very well!  We met during the week and taught Lesson 3, the Gospel of Jesus Christ, and he is very excited for baptism.  When asked how the gospel applies to his life, he replied that it gives strength when times are hard, and then pretended to rip off his shirt as he yelled “Sparta!!” to show what it means.  Silly guy.  I love him so much.

          We also met a super sweet old guy on the street and set up an appt. for the next day.  He declined a return appt. but was super nice and gave us a referral!!  Those are quite rare by the way.  He was super awesome so I got a picture with him.  We also met another nice old guy at the park who I also took a picture with.  Speaking of parks, at zone conference President Shin did away with our language study time.  Instead we’re just supposed to find people to talk with at places like parks and what not.  Just talk with them, not proselyte and stuff with them.  So that’s new for sure. 

          Zone conference went really well, it was a fun time.  I also had my first leadership meeting afterward which was fun, and I was the youngest one there!  Haha but I’m not that young, I hit my year mark on Thursday.  So crazy!  It has been fun to look back and see how much I have progressed and changed over the last year.  Also, when Pres. sent me to Iksan, he sent me with the instruction to “change Iksan.”  At zone conference he hugged all of us after and said to my comp. the same thing.  I was right after and he said, “You’re already changing it.”  So that was great to hear.

          Funny story!  We were out of the house and far away at lunch time one day, so we went to a gas station like store to get something to eat.  I bought these noodle things and after putting in the hot water and microwaving it you have to dump out the water.  Well, I messed up and the lid came off as I poured it and dumped it all on the ground and burned my hand in the process.  No fun. 

          Things are going well here.  We have been blessed to meet so many nice people this last week.  I am really enjoying me time here and feel so blessed to serve the Lord here in Iksan, South Korea.

          Love,

          Elder Jace Anderson

Meat buffet for our year mark

 An awesome old guy we met!

Brother Ha

A guy we met at a cool little park!

 

 

Super Golden!!!

July 20, 2015               

          By far the best week of my mission, and possibly the best of my whole life to be honest.  Well, that might be a stretch, but it was a super great week!  Before E. Kim transferred, we were able to meet with our investigator Bro. Kang Hwangu and taught the Plan of Salvation.  He accepted it all very well and has a strong desire to believe.  We shared John 3:5 about needing to be baptized to return to God’s kingdom, and he accepted a baptism date for 8/16.  The problem is he works on Sundays, so it might be difficult.  But he is a super great sincere guy!

          On transfer day, after E. Kim got on the train, another missionary and I worked in Iksan as we waited for our new companions.  We talked to a guy on the street and got his #.  His name is Ha Sungyong and we were able to meet with him once my new comp, E. Skouson, came.  Holy smokes he is sooo great!  I love this guy so much!  He is just the sweetest guy and after we taught the restoration, he said that he believes it all and was so excited to get a Book of Mormon.  He said he’d come to church before we even asked, and we met with our bishop and taught the Plan of Salvation after church.  He expressed his desire to go to the Celestial Kingdom so we shared John 3:5 and he accepted a baptismal date for 8/16 as well.  I really think that he will go through with it, and could also refer his family as well.  He is the best!!

          We were also able to find another investigator, Sister June, who is a really funny lady who wants to improve her English, but is really hard to do gospel stuff with.

          This week has been super great and I am enjoying my time with Elder Skouson.  We are being so blessed and seeing so many miracles.  Iksan is changing right before our eyes and I feel so grateful to experience this.  Thank you all so much for your prayers and support.  I have felt them so much and am having such a great time in the blessed land of Iksan, once known as possibly the hardest and slowest area in the mission.  We have seen the Lord’s hand so much and know that none of this could have happened if it was not for His help.  This is the Lord’s work and He is at the helm, and I am so grateful to play my little part.

          Love,

          Elder Anderson

Thanks for the package!

me and my new comp elder skouson from the mtc!! we got proselyted to by other missionaries, and this was what they gave us in their little advertisement......hhahahaha

 

Puppy Chow

7-13-2015

Puppy Chow

          Super big news!  I ate dog this week!  And no, it is nothing like chicken.  It is actually really slimy and eating the skin was pretty gross.  I don’t want it again that’s for sure, but I had to try it once!  We ate it because Elder Hunter, a missionary that goes home this week, came and served with us for a few days and he wanted to try it before he left.  It went pretty well and we learned a lot, but it honestly seems like we are doing the same stuff as everyone else, just with not as much visible results.  But that’s ok, we are called to push the rock, not move it. 

          Our student investigator, Wi Sungmin, decided to stop meeting with us.  He said he doesn’t have time, but we are pretty sure that his friend who came last time told him not to meet with us.  So that’s sad, but we were blessed with a new investigator, Kang Hwangu, this week.  We met him on the street last week and we met him once this week.  He seems to have good potential and is only gospel interest!  He’s our only investigator so I really hope things go well. 

          We only had that one appointment this week and the rest of our time we spent out on the streets trying to bring people to Christ.  We were soaked the entire time with sweat, rain, or both.  Man, I hate humidity so much.  But that’s ok, I’m happy to help in the Lord’s work.  On Saturday we fasted as a district so had no lunch time and just worked the streets in the summer heat for 9 hours.  I wish there was something else to do, but…we are doing our best to bring these people to Christ.  It’s just hard.

          So that was my week.  Pretty long and hard, but definitely worth doing and I could feel that this is what I am to do right now.  Pres. Benson talked about how happiness comes from finding God’s will and willingly following it, so that’s what we’re trying to do.  I just wish that I could find someone who is willing to accept this message and the happiness and security it brings.  Thank you to all for all your love support.  It really means a lot to me to have so many people cheering me on and praying for me.  This gospel can truly change people, but as shown in Alma 5:14-26, it is not a one and done thing.  This gospel can and will bless us our entire lives and after, but only if we want it to and act accordingly.  “O be wish:  what can I say more.”  (Jacob 6:11)

          Love,

          Elder Jace Anderson

Update! I will be staying in Iksan but will be receiving a new companion, my good friend Elder Skouson from the MTC!! and I have also been assigned to be the new district leader in our new district of 6 elders. Im a little nervous, but I know that with the Lords help we can do all things he asks

Doggy

 Elder Hunter

The best week in a while

July 6, 2015

            This was definitely the best week we have had in a while!  Definitely experienced unique things.  The first and craziest being we met the most insane person probably in the whole world, Jacy Boo.  Wow.  A little run down on her.  Well, her dream is to get a lot of money, buy a mountain and release a bunch of rabbits.  Rabbit mountain….and that’s probably the least strange thing about her!  She claims that her neighbor killed her dog, and since her neighbor is Christian, she legitimately blames Christianity for killing her dog.  She hates all organized religion, and when we said “Heavenly Father,” she freaked out saying that it’s “Heavenly Mother” and she has no time for us and doesn’t care about us.  She kept talking about how she is an artist and artists don’t have happiness, they live to destroy themselves or something.  And the weirdest thing of all, she said she has known ever since she was young that she is not from this planet, but comes from a different planet!  The look in her eyes was so demonic as she said it.  Ahh so creepy.  There was so much crazy stuff I can’t even remember it. 

            I went on a split with one of the zone leaders here in Iksan and it went really great.  There are always so many miracles when we go on splits!  People were nice to us!!  Haha and we got 7 phone numbers!  We’re in the process of trying to meet with 2 of them, the others kind of just fell away.  But it was really great!  We found a new investigator through English, a 31 year old college student named Lee Jungyun.  She’s really starting from the basics.  I hate teaching how to read!  She could have some good gospel potential but we haven’t been able to contact her again and on Sundays she works from 4 am – 7 pm…Crap.  Our other investigator, 18 year old Wi Sungmin brought a friend with him and it was seriously just a perfect 1^st lesson and I thought he was extremely golden.  But he refused a Book of Mormon after.  It was crazy how well he taught and helped like a perfect member.  He even helped when we explained the Book of Mormon!  What the heck?

            Anyways, the last bit of news is I am moving out of Iksan.  But wait, I’m just moving houses.  We’re still working in Iksan but we have to live in Kimje, a 20 minute and $2.50 bus ride outside of Iksan.  It’ll take a whole lot of extra time and money and be a huge pain, but I trust Pres. Shin and his decision.  I just hope my next comp wants to work, because it’ll be super easy to just waste time now.  Yep!  That was my good week.  The church is true.  Jesus is the Christ, and this is the path back to the Father.

            -Elder Jace Anderson

elder hitchcock our zone leader

Me and some meat