Getting Better

October 19, 2014

This week was pretty good! I had the best day so far when I got to go on a split with Elder Cowles who I live with. We went tracting and got to talk to so many people which was a definite change. It really gave me a lot of hope and encouragement for the rest of my mission.

We haven’t been able to meet with An Jaemin yet because of the crazy Korean schools, but hopefully we get to talk to him again and get things moving with him on his journey to Christ. I really think he has a lot of potential.
 

Korean is coming along well actually. A member family gave us a ride home yesterday and I had a full conversation with the wife by myself. She asked my comp how long I’d been here, I understood and answered 3 1/2 weeks and she was shocked!!! She kept saying how well I was doing and how another elder sounded like a native when he was praying, and I understood it!!! That made me feel good. So things are looking good for the road ahead and I‘ll keep working hard. Now we just need to find some people to teach!!

Sorry it’s so short, not a whole lot happened!

Elder Anderson

The crazy soup from last week

                                            Went to a Buddhist Temple

 

Finally Got One!

October 12, 2014

I feel like I should clarify about last week. The reason I felt like I wasn’t receiving good training was because my trainer was sleeping through training times. And he doesn’t take suggestions well. But this week has been better and I’m trying to focus less on him and more on bettering myself and helping others. I contacted Brian, the white guy from last week and invited him to conference. He came for the last session which had some perfect things for his concerns. It was really a blessing. He and his wife seemed to enjoy it and live out of my area, but I was able to introduce them to some awesome elders in their area. My words to those elders were the words that came to me, "treat him well." I know they will. 

We got our first investigator this week!!  A ym in our ward referred his friend to us, Jaemin. What a great example this young man is to all of us! I challenge you all to pray for a similar experience. His friend has a lot of potential and already seems like a member. I’m excited to be a part of his progression to Christ. 

I ate something crazy this week!! Soup with pig intestines, ear, liver, and huge blood sausages. It was really strange but not all that bad. 

 
Here’s to another week in Jeonju, Korea.

 

Still Going

October 5, 2014

Well, I got my first week of my first transfer done! It seems like it is going to last forever, but I know it will go fast. This week has been somewhat difficult. I don’t feel like I have been trained, by my trainer, as well as possible, but I’m still chugging along! It’s tough not knowing what’s going on, and only picking up a few words here and there and having no idea how they are being pieced together. Because of this, I have been kind of bad about opening my mouth. I was walking home the other day, and a guy was next to me. I kept feeling like I should talk to him, but I kept pushing it aside. Eventually, I didn’t talk to him and I felt like crap. I had the feeling like I had just killed him and sent his soul to eternal misery because I didn’t share my message with him. Man, I still feel terrible about it. I never want to feel that way again, so I’m trying to be better about talking to people.
 

After church, this guy wanted help with English, but Elder Jung was busy. He told me it was ok to go in another room with him. I went, but had a bad feeling about it. I started to help, but then stood up for the rules, even when my companion said it was ok. The guy seemed a little frustrated, but got help later. M comp is always treating the rules as being flexible. On the way home, this white guy came up to me and basically just handed me his number. He’s an English teacher and has been to our church a few times. We talked and he left on the bus. I had the thought come saying, "this is for your obedience. Treat him well." it was a cool experience. I really hope things go well when we contact him again.

Well, that’s about it. Just trying to find people to teach and overcome my fears. Keep up the good work everyone! Thanks for all the support!!!
 

Elder Anderson

 Here's me, the trainee, doing my own training alone while my "trainer" sleeps

It was Elder Kunzler's birthday, so while stranded in Daejeon after a conference we ate some cake

I Arrived in Korea

 

 

 

 

 A coco pie

 The view from the church

 Our church looks like a Temple

 The nice lunch we had my first day

   My companion

On your mark. Get set. What in the world???

September 28, 2014

Well, here I am in Korea! My first area is the big city of Jeonju. Look it up, it’s pretty cool.  My companion is a native, Elder Jung, but he speaks pretty good English. We are opening a new area, so we have absolutely nothing. I haven’t taught a single lesson, and we have only gotten in one home, our mission leaders. But Korea is a super cool place but soooo confusing. We take so many buses and I never have any idea where we are or where we are going. It’s been tough because I feel like I just follow my comp around, and never know where it is that were going or what we’re doing. 

We are opening up a new area, so we don’t have any investigators or anything which has been tough. All the Korean I’ve learned is for teaching, but I haven’t been able to really use it except for a guy that I talked to on the bus. He doesn’t believe in god and said he wasn’t interested but it was good to talk to him.  It’s really hard to talk to people. I’m not really one to just up and talk, so it’s been tough. The food here has been weird. I have never eaten any squid before, but now I have it just about every day. I even had deep fried squid from a street vendor!! I was really scared for that and that I might get sick. My apt is ok.  We don’t have any beds here in Korea, so that’s been different, just mats. 

 I was feeling super down on Saturday, sort of questioning everything as we seemingly wasted the day away. That’s how it feels sometimes when you don’t have anyone listen to you. We got a referral from some website and it was waaaay out in the sticks of Korea. A mix between India, Mexico, and Korea. We got dropped off from the bus, asked for directions at a convenience store and started walking. It gets really dark here and we were walking through some sketchy construction site. That morning for some reason I packed a flashlight. Boom! Miracle! We were super duper lost about 30 minutes from home in the sticks of Korea, and we walk up to this road and my comp runs up to this van and we get in. I thought it was a taxi, but it was a member he know who served in his ward!!! In the middle of nowhere in Korea with hardly any members as it is! We found the house, which was a dud, but I know this experience was for me to boost my spirits and remind me that God really is there for me. 

 

I’m going to keep working hard and find someone to teach!! Thanks for everything!! 

 
Elder Anderson