Baptism!!!!!

     Elder Anderson participated in the baptism of  Walter the last day of his mission. 

My Last Letter

July 18, 2016

We had a successful week this last week.  Our investigator Walter was suuuper close to being baptized yesterday.  We had it all planned and everything and he brought extra underwear and we were all ready to go.  So to remind you who Walter is, he is a great Filipino man who we met with the Filipina sisters, but after they left he became our investigator.  We haven't been able to meet the last 2 weeks because he's crazy busy.  He's always been a great investigator but always responded to baptism by saying when he's ready he will knock on our door.  Well, he was thinking about it and opened up his Bible and read Acts 22:16 "And now why tarriest thou? arise, and be baptized, and wash away thy sins, calling on the name of the Lord."  He closed his Bible and opened again to Acts 18:8 "And Crisps, the chief ruler of the synagogue, believed on the Lord with all his house; and may of the Corinthians hearing believed, and were baptized."  He finally received his answer and was all set for baptism.  Because of his schedule we were not able to do his interview until Sunday morning, and it turns out that he was involved with an abortion like 20 years ago.  This means he has to meet with Pres. Madsen because of the seriousness of it.  But they are both super busy and Pres. isn't really close to Gwangju.  The only chance we have is for Pres. to come next Sunday.  Hopefully things work out and Walter can be baptized next Sunday if possible because he really wants to.  It's super sad!  He really wants to be baptized but can't and he might have to work every Sunday next month.  He needs a lot of prayers!

As for Park Jongmoon, he passed his baptism interview last week but we haven't ben able to contact him since...weird.  We were meeting our fireman investigator at the park and ended up having a discussion with this random guy there. It stared out ok, but then he went mega Bible bash mode trying to tell us that we will be punished for teaching a different gospel because we have more than just the Bible.  We tried to explain that the BoM is just a way to learn more about and understand the same gospel better, but he didn't want it to be true so he won't be able to know.

It is hard to believe that my last week has begun.  It still does not feel real at all.  I still feel like a newbie and that there is more I need to learn.  I am grateful that the end of a mission is not the end of  Christ-centered life.  I am grateful that missionary opportunities will still come as we seek them.  I know the Lord has a plan for us and that we must be humble and willing to accept his timing.  These last 2 weeks, the sisters in the district and us have come so close to having 3 baptisms, but for reasons outside our control none have pulled through.  It is insanely frustrating seeing us come so close, but I know that He has accepted our efforts and that one day all things will be made right. 

I am looking forward to the best week yet of my mission but feel heartbroken that things are coming to an end.  I love my mission experience and I am so grateful for the lessons I have learned, people I have met, and the changes I have felt within me.  I have been blessed with a difficult mission which has shaped me into someone much better than the kid back home.  I have a long way to go still, I am not yet satisfied with who I am ye, but I am grateful for a mission that has set me on the right path.

Love,
Elder Jace Anderson

A formal investigator.  Oh yeah, I got toe surgery again......hahahaha it's not really healing well either......

Lots of neat pictures!

July 11, 2016

We started off this week with a super cool hike with some of the other elders.  We saw lots of cool Buddhist stuff and had a great view at the top of all the clouds whirling around us.  It was a great start to a fast week.  We met Pres. and Sis. Madsen and they are amazing!  They are so strong and dedicated.  I know this mission will continue to do great things with them.  I had a wonderful interview with him and he talked about how we don’t know the influence we have had until a long ways down the road.  We teared up several times together in our quick interview.  Haha he is a wonderful man.

In news with Park Jongmoon he came out to church yesterday!  He was a little shy though.  But it went well and he also passed his baptismal interview with my good friend Elder Skouson.  He said that he will choose between the 17^th or 24^th for his baptism!  He wants to do it before I leave, which makes me a little worried that he’s doing it mainly for us, so we’ll talk with him about it.  Hopefully he doesn’t stop moving forward and is serious about making the commitment to follow the Savior.  He is a great guy and I want the best for him.

We had 1 other lesson this week and you probably can’t guess who it was with.  An Iraqi fighter pilot!  His name is Faddi and he’s here in Korea getting military training.  He’s a pretty devout Muslim and we learned a lot about Islam.  It’s definitely not what I thought.  They pretty much believe everything we do except for a few variations concerning Christ.  But they accept Him as a prophet, believe in the Bible, and believe He will come again.  It was kind of hard to teach him because he like already knew it all plus a little bit more from his Muslim stuff.  Pretty interesting. 

The missionaries in our ward (6 of us) had to sing in sacrament meeting which was a little embarrassing, but ok.  We had a solid week and I am grateful for the time I have to serve the Lord and share this great message.  This work is His work, and this church is His church.  I know it and I am grateful to have been blessed with this time to strengthen my faith and relationship with our Father in Heaven.

Love,

Elder Jace Anderson

Time is going by fast!

July 4, 2016

Happy 4^th of July!  We’ll have to have a late BBQ once I get back.  This last week went by pretty quick.  It was almost super good.  We met with Park Jongmoon and he said he’d come out to church on Sunday and get baptized on the 10^th.  It was all looking perfect but he ended up not coming and we haven’t been able to get a hold of him.  It’s super sad and disappointing.  We’re trying to do all we can to help our investigators, but no one pulls through!  He still has potential though, I just really hope we can meet him again and help him out.

As for our other investigators, honestly they don’t really have much potential.  We were considering dropping 2 of them last week but ended up not.  They are both English learning investigators.  1 just doesn’t really have gospel interest, and 1 of them is 23 and wants to pick up a religion once he’s settled down on his own because his dad doesn’t like religion.  He’s a sweet guy, just really lonely so he needs us. 

In other news, President Shin is now in America and we now have President Madsen here!  WE haven’t met him yet but we have talked on the phone a couple of times.  He seems like a great guy.  He used to be in the military and he seems like a very straight edge kind of man.  I am excited to meet him this Wednesday when he comes down to Gwangju.  Also, the 3 Filipina sisters leave today, so now our district is down to just 6 people.  It’s still bigger than my district of 4 in Iksan!  It has been fun working with them and their investigators and experiencing a little bit of Filipino culture.

Yeah, that’s about it for this week.  It was super rainy and we spent a lot of time just out in the rain but time is still going by fast.  Thank you for all the prayers and support!

           Love,

          Elder Jace Anderson

Elder Park!

Saying goodbye to the Filipinas

 

 

I realized something new

June 27, 2016

We had an interesting last week.  Mostly because Elder Groves got pretty sick so we spent a lot of time either at home or on splits so I could still work during my last transfer.  He eventually went to the hospital and got some help so he is doing better and can work now.  He’s done very well of not complaining and doing what he can.  President Shin goes home this week so we had a goodbye meeting with him.  He has worked very hard and has left some big shoes for Pres. Madsen to fill.  He has been a wonderful role model and I feel very blessed to have been able to serve with him.

Elder Park and I met Park Jongmoon now that he’s back in Korea.  He’s such a great guy, and I think we’ve decided on him getting baptized the next time he comes out to church.  Hopefully that happens before I go home.  We were able to meet 2 other people, buy they’re what we call “English sucks” here.  The fireman guy just won’t stop asking English questions during the gospel portion, and our new investigator, Kwak Duhyoung, could have potential but he’s mostly English interest and just got busy because he just got a job.  Darn.  But it’s ok, if things work out with Park Jongmoon it will all be worth it.

I realized something new the other day.  Since my time is running short, I have been praying to be able to baptize before I leave.  But as I was doing so, I realized that baptism is not something for me.  Giving baptism is not what’s important, but receiving baptism is.  I think I have spent too much time worrying about baptizing rather than what I can do to help others receive baptism.  Of course, they are related, but the driving force behind it is different.  I am going to do my best to make love for others and for God and the gospel be my reason for serving rather than doing it for my own personal reasons or satisfaction.  Thank you all for your prayers on my behalf.  Please pray especially for Park Jongmoon so that he will strengthen his desire to follow Christ and be able to come out to church.  I feel so blessed to have all of you back home cheering me on.  Thank you for always supporting me and helping me on this journey.  I have definitely learned that we cannot know how great of an impact we have had through our efforts, so I am grateful that you have all continued to support and strengthen me.  I love you all and hope you have an enjoyable week and spend some time in the service of others.

          Love,

          Elder Jace Anderson

Some of my group that will leave this transfer. 

Some people from my mtc group!

A cool pond park place

 

Share Personal Experiences

June 20, 2016

The ghettoish part of our area.  At least it's pretty!

Some of my favorite people ever!  This is Jobert, he's super cool.  Just like all Filipinos.  Haha

The new Filipinas and Walter.  He came to stake conference yesterday!

Happy birthday Sister McQueen!

Our new fireman investigator

Bowling!  I got a 185.  Are you impressed?

Elder Groves and I did some goal finding this last week.  We are meeting this guy from Nepal named Nirp.  He’s pretty cool and seems really open to learning more.  He likes Christianity because it actually has evidence unlike other religions which are more like superstitions.  Hopefully we keep meeting and he progresses!  Our other new investigator is Sun Jichul, a local fireman.  We met him on the street and he had interest in learning English.  He’s about 50 years old and is just a super nice guy.  We’ve only met him once, but he’s showing interest in learning more.  We are also meeting a new investigator tonight and probably one on Wednesday as well.  Hopefully one progresses really fast so they can get baptized before I leave.

The group above me went home and I met 3 of their families this last week as they’ve been traveling around.  President also goes home in like 2 weeks I think.  Things are definitely starting to feel more real that the end is close.  But I am very grateful that I still have the time that I do, and will give it my best effort to the end.

 

As far as our other investigators, Park Jongmoon should be back from his honeymoon now so hopefully we can meet and he progresses.  The other 2 are pretty much the same.

Sadly, Sister Orongan left us last week, she was replaced by 2 more Filipinas.  One of them is Sister Paller, who Marissa met in the Philippines!  It has been fun hearing from her about how great a missionary Marissa was and how hard she worked.  The 3 Filipinas will just be here for 2 or 3 more weeks and then will be heading home.  And then we get their awesome investigators!  Haha.

Hmm.  What else…ahh our somewhat cynical investigator told us to share more personal experiences and teach through them.  It has been really good for me to search for those experiences I have had.  It has helped me recognize and remember them, and I am grateful for his suggestion.  We may start to question or even forget things we once felt, but as we use our past to propel us forward continually striving to have faith building experiences we will be able to continue on the path that leads us to the brightest future.  I am grateful for the experiences I have had on my mission and for a God and Redeemer who do not give up on us.  This last week I was struggling a bit thinking that it seems like God has forgotten about me.  I work hard and pray to baptize, but after 22 months there still has been nothing.  But I know that God has seen my efforts, heard my prayers, and will consecrate all my experiences for my good.

          Love,

          Elder Jace Anderson

Last Transfer - But I'm staying

June 13, 2016

          We had a pretty good week here in Gwangju.  One fun thing we did was we went to Park Jongmoon’s wedding!  It was fun being there and meeting his friends and wife briefly.  He’s such a great guy.  He’ll get baptized eventually.  Hopefully sooner rather than later.  If he could just come to church it would all be fine.

          We met 2 new people last week but only 1 became an investigator.  He’s a former investigator we called who has English interest.  He’s a bit cynical when it comes to gospel stuff.  He asked if I’ve ever had a prayer answered and I told of when I asked if the BoM is true once when I was in Ikson.  He said that doesn’t count and asked if I’ve ever had a prayer answered in my real life.  I was a little offended but told him that I don’t separate my life by religious and nonreligious parts, but then told him about when we prayed as a family in Yellowstone after Dad hurt his back.  Man, people are pretty tough sometimes!  The other guy lived in America for a long time but has epilepsy and had to come back to Korea.  He’s alone and has a tough life, but he’s not willing to even learn about our message either.  It’s super sad because he could really use it.  Why won’t anyone just give it a chance??

          Hmm what else?  Oh yeah!  We met that guy who tried to teach us the Bible last time with the Chungjang ward elders because he’s in their area and he brought a friend.  We’re pretty sure they’re from this crazy Korean church.  The 6 of us talked about the BoM, Adam and Eve, Joseph Smith, seeing God, and other stuff.  I don’t know if they’re willing to change their thoughts but it was kind of fun. 

          We’ve been helping out the Filipinas a lot and meeting with them and their investigators.  I am yet to meet a lame Filipino!  2 of them came to church and it was really great.  Except I had to translate for a bunch of people and the speaker was quoting these nuns and it was pretty hard.  Haha.

          We got our transfer calls today!  I will be here for my last transfer (that makes 6 here) and Elder Groves is staying as well making 4 transfers together!  That’s pretty crazy!  It’s going to be good though and I’m happy to have such a hard worker with me.  This last Sunday one of the speakers quoted the scripture about having great joy in simply helping one soul come unto Him.  I felt a lot of comfort as I read it.  This transfer’s my last chance, and it’s going to be great!

          Love,

Elder Jace Anderson

Eating chicken with Park Jongmoon

Park Jongmoon's wedding

A great ward activity!

June 6, 2016

          This last week went by pretty fast, but it’s kind of tough to remember what we did.  Honestly there wasn’t too much.  We were able to contact Lee Yongil again and meet him with another older guy in the ward.  It went super well and he said he would come to church but…and since he works every other day he doesn’t have a chance to come for 2 weeks.  We weren’t able to meet Park Jongmoon or Song Gwangjeong, but we met the new investigator I talked about last week twice (Jang Sungyeon).  He might have aspbergers and it’s tough to get him to open up and act on our message.

          We met a new guy who after we taught got up to the board and gave us an hour lecture on the history in the Bible…as if we didn’t know…haha fun guy though, but he lives outside our area.  I also talked with a New Zealander named Chris on a bus and we should be able to meet this week!!  Woohoo!  He was super cool but converted to Buddhism since coming to Korea.

          Our ward had a great activity this last week.  It was the best I’ve ever been to.  We had magic, violin stuff, yo yos, videos, and super good singers.  There’s this semi famous member who came and sang which was really good.  Some members also brought their friends, so we have 1 referral that we might be able to meet later.

          We fasted as a mission a little bit ago so we had a conference call for people to share the miracles they saw.  There were a lot of great miracles and one sister’s nonmember mother is coming to Korea to pick her up and will get baptized here.  How cool is that?  Other people were able to get baptismal dates which is super great, but I couldn’t help but feel a little sad thinking I have such little time left and haven’t been able to have that success yet.  So I decided to do my own fast!  But it was the other elders who saw all the miracles that day.  Haha.

          As we’ve been meeting our new investigator, Jang Sungyeon we’ve been trying to help him get a desire to find out if God exists or not.  A verse we shared with him is Ether 12:4.  We really can hope for a better world, a brighter future, and I hope that we allow this gospel to change us and continue to grow by doing good works.  I know that I have been changed on my mission but progression shouldn’t stop when we get back home.  Thank you for all your wonderful examples!

          Love,

          Elder Anderson

                                       Poor missionaries groceries and cake!

                                  Random Taiwan member that came to church

                                     Our funny less active guy Kim Sangchul

 

Last interview

May 30, 2016

          We almost had a baptism!  But …yeah.  We met Song Gwongjeong with our ward mission leader and reset his baptismal date for Sunday.  He had his interview on Saturday, and well…he and our zone leader and President Shin talked for over an hour and a half about tithing, the word of wisdom, prophets, and the original sin.  Long story short he’s not ready for baptism and doesn’t listen to what the missionaries say.  So we are going to focus on working with our ward mission leader.  Age means everything in Korean culture, so it’s tough being 20 teaching a man in his 70’s.  When we called in Pres. the first thing Brother Song said was, “how old is he?”  Oh Korea. 

          We have a new investigator!  His name is Jang Sangyun and is 22 or 23.  He called us off an English advertisement so we’re doing our English/gospel program with him.  He’s a very pure and sweet guy, just a little shy and quiet.  He’s definitely humble enough for the gospel, he just needs to get more interest and act on it. 

          Sadly we haven’t been able to contact Lee Yongil.  Things seemed like they were going so well!  He loved the member we met with and was set to come to church, but now he has disappeared.  It’s really sad how often stuff like this happens.  We need to find some prepared people, and we need to do it fast!  Time is running a little short now.  We have a third of the mission going home in June and July, and President Shin goes home also, so we are focusing a lot on finishing strongest.  Hopefully we’ll be able to see some miracles and success these last 2 months.

          We met 2 other new people this last week with the Filipina sisters, they were older Korean guys though.  Boy did they have some strange ideas and weren’t about to change them based on the words of a couple white kids.  It’s ok though!  It has been great to get out and see what else is out there in the world.  It has definitely made me more appreciative for what I have and makes me want to help others get what we have.

          Oh yeah!  I had my last interview with Pres. Shin this last week.  I’m really going to miss him, he has been an amazing president and leader.  An important thing he told me was that it’s not enough to just learn, we must take what we’ve learned and allow it to change us.  I would say I’ve definitely changed for the better.  In fact, my comp said he never would have thought that I was shy before my mission.  Can you believe that?  Haha that’s what the gospel’s here for, to mold us into better people, the people that God would have us become.  Thank you all for your constant support.  I hope you have a wonderful week and find opportunities to share the joy the gospel brings.

          Love,

          Elder Jace Anderson

 

      Not too many this week. but here's some of us missionaries who go home soon

My 22nd month mark!

May 23, 2016

          I just realized that today is my 22^nd month mark.  Wow!  That’s crazy!  Anyways, this last week was good but a little tough.  Originally, Song Gwangjeong was supposed to get baptized next week.  We called him to see if we could meet him and help him get ready.  He was super snappy asking about what there could possibly be to prepare since it’s just your heart that’s important.  He reluctantly agreed to meet during Sunday school and we went over the baptismal interview questions.  Sadly it didn’t go too well.  He really rejected tithing and randomly told us to explain what Mount Zion is.  He said that missionaries are supposed to teach but instead he’s the one that has stuff to teach.  It was super frustrating.

          We met Park Jongmoon and he accepts everything well, but he keeps having to work on Sundays and he’s just super busy.  It’s super hard because there are so many things outside of our control.  Our North Korean guy started working so he got super busy and it seems like he’s just going to go to this other church.  We weren’t able to meet him.  Our other new investigator pretty much dropped us, but it’s ok because he was just English interest. 

          The one bright spot was our 78 year old Lee Yongil!  We did a member lesson with another elderly member and they connected super well.  Our investigator said he wants to be just like our member and come out to church and everything.  It was super great!!  Sadly something came up and he wasn’t able to come out to church and since he works every other day he can’t come out for another 2 weeks.  He still has potential though!  Hopefully we can just keep meeting him.

          I really want to be more effective during my remaining time.  We’re doing our best, we obey, we invite, but it’s really hard to see what’s coming out of it.  We want to spend our time teaching and meeting people and helping them, so we need to find others who are willing to do it!

          There wasn’t really too much that went on this last week…but it was Elder Groves’ birthday!  So that was fun.  We’re looking forward to a good week, and we have a combined district meeting where Pres. will interview us, so hopefully we can find the key to starting up the work some more.

          I recently finished reading the BoM in which I focused on what blessings come from living the gospel.  I think the thing that stands out most to me was found in the very end, Moroni 10:32-33.  “Yea, come unto Christ, and be perfected in him…then are ye sanctified in Christ by the grace of God.”  The gospel really can change us and make us better people as we work towards our goal of returning back to Heavenly Father.  I have been very blessed to feel that and recognize that I am a different but better person than I was before.

          Love,

          Elder Jace Anderson

Elder Groves' bday!

A cool pond

Some hats we found

Park Jongmoon

Super rough but lots of miracles

May 16, 2016

This week started out super rough, one of the harder times of my mission.  But we saw lots of miracles this week and things are much better now.  We started out with just 2 investigators and were only able to meet 1 of them, but we were blessed with some new people!  The first one is Lee Yongil.  He is 78 years old and originally met the sisters on the street.  He has English interest because his family lives in Australia, but he has gospel interest as well.  He used to go to church with his wife but didn't really care about it.  His wife passed away a few years ago and he's been feeling lately that he needs to start believing in something.  He works every other day, so he has committed to coming to church every other week.  He's a super sweet guy.

Get this!  Our next new investigator is from North Korea!  He escaped through China with his wife last year and is now here in the south.  I met him on the subway on the way to church last week and we were able to meet him again.  He wants to learn more about God, who His is, why we need to believe, how to believe, and a bunch of golden stuff like that.  We can feel that there is something special about him.  We found another guy through a cool little miracle.  I think it was Tuesday evening we were just walking around feeling a little down when we stopped at a light with no one around us.  All of a sudden we hear someone yelling and running towards us.  This college aged guy came and asked if we were missionaries, if we teach English and stuff like that.  He's a pretty cool guy, we met him once but we're not sure how much gospel interest he though.  One of our former investigators came back from Seoul and came to church yesterday!  But I don't really know why he came to be honest, and he didn't want to meet and do the lessons. 

I had a good birthday on Friday but Elder Groves was sick so we ended up just going back to the house so he could rest.  It was a good week, and we've had some fun adventures with trying to communicate with all these Cambodians and people from Istamul that the Filipina sisters keep finding.  Three of them even came to church!  They don't speak Korean or English, so I don't really know why they came...probably because of the sisters.  Haha.

It's been great to see all the progression this last week and see His hand in the work so much.  I know if we look for it we will be able to see his guiding hand in our lives.  Thank you so much for the prayers, love and support.  You're all the best!

Love,
Elders Anderson

My birthday and my comp

Our islander sisters haha.  New Zealand, Tonga and the Philippines

I even got surprised with a cake!