Weekly Letter 8/24/2014

This week was great! I feel like I've made it over a huge hill, and now I can see an enormous panorama of potential! As I worked on being more open and communicating, and especially on loving, my relationship with my companion has continued to steadily improve. In addition, Heavenly Father's smiling on us, blessing us with miracle after miracle. Sadly, I'll be losing my Korean companion this week. I'll be staying in Gimpo (김포) but he's outta here.

In other news, I went on exchanges this week with our resident greeny, Elder Whitney! We had three special experiences during exchanges.

1) We met a member who speaks English! I'm not sure how I feel about him though; it was a strange experience. He stopped us on the street, and began talking to us in English. I was really sketched out at first because he tapped my Korean Book of Mormon, and told me, "Don't rely on this book." I was surprised; and replied, "This is the Book of Mormon!" I then asked him if he was a member, to which he responded, "It's not important for you to know." He continued by saying not to rely on that book; the translation was imperfect, and though it was true in English, it wasn't true in Korean. Sadly, a lot of members have that opinion about the translation, mainly because it uses traditional, older grammar forms and rarely used words. I defended the book, testifying to him (in Korean) that I read both the Korean and English Book of Mormon every day, and though Korean is still difficult for me, I have spiritual insights and experiences reading it in Korean. He brushed this off, and continued on. It felt very strange to defend the Book of Mormon to a member (he later confessed that he was a member, and I don't see how he couldn't have been, based on how he spoke). He kept telling us to follow the teachings and instructions of Jesus Christ, as found in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, if we wanted to gain salvation. He also kept telling us that our duty was to cry repentance to all people, everybody, if possible. He told us to work together, that we had to believe this with our hearts our we would fail. He told us not to rely on anybody in the world, and not to rely on anybody in the church. At that point, I asked him about the prophet, because I was feeling weird about that. He agreed that we should follow the prophet, but emphasized that if the prophet doesn't follow God, he'll perish. He talked to us, basically repeating everything several times, for about 40 minutes. I asked him where he was from, and he responded, "That's not important for you to know." ...It was an extremely odd conversation.

2) A drunk fellow approached us. This isn't the first time it's happened to me, and it probably won't be the last. He was spouting off something about God being in our hearts with Jesus. He also saluted us, and fist bumped us. Near the end of the conversation, he reached into Elder Whitney's shirt pocket, and took his pen. Then he walked away. I asked him to give the pen back, but then he babbled something in Korean I didn't understand. We saw him that night, and he once again saluted and fist-bumped us. The first thing I noticed was the pen nestled in his vest pocket -- Elder Whitney's.

3) I got gypped! By a grandma! But it's okay. I asked her if we could help her, and she had us move some boxes. I asked her if there was anything else, and she motions us over to a stand of vegatables, and starts motioning. Before I know it, I'm holding a bag of cucumbers, and am handing her 5,000 Won. Dang! But that's alright; money's nothing, as long as she thinks a little better of the missionaries (and the church).

I've found that one of my talents right now is building friendships with members. It's easy for me to chat with them about things, and to ask questions and occasionally make jokes. They're interested in me, and I'm interested in them. Talking with members is probably my greatest strength as a missionary right now.

I was reading in the Book of Mormon the other day, and I realized that the gospel is "the ultimate reality." It explains every aspect of existence, and it's importance. There is absolutely nothing more real than the principles the gospel teaches; indeed, the gospel includes all truth! It's not a fable or unrealistic, it is designed for reality, it is reality.

I was reading in Alma 18:24-25, where Ammon is teaching King Lamoni, and I realized that his question is just as applicable today, and Lamoni's answer just as common.

"Do you believe in God?"

"I don't know what that is."

Too many people today have unclear, or non-existent conceptions of diety. I love how the gospel clearly defines God's character and purpose. As a missionary, I'm focused on teaching people there is a God, He loves you, and He has a plan for you. God's purpose is, as written below, our growth and ultimate joy.

I've been reading this book titled "Mission 2B:)" (Mission to be happy) and I wanted to share one of my favorite parts from it: "The exciting news, if you can absorb it in the right light, is that the real you is utterly unique. Nowhere in the sacred texts will you find God asking you to betray your uniqueness. In fact, God's plan for our happiness is His celebration of our extraordinary individuality. God didn't craft puppets. He enabled intelligences to find fulness and completion. And He mentioned on more than one occassion that we would learn all this by our own experience, not someone else's."

I've found so much joy in life as I'm striving to be "me." There are times when I wonder if all the parts that make me who I am are really necessary, and if I can just borrow somebody else's, but resist that! You are truly the only person who can find joy for yourself! Finding your identity is incredibly difficult, but infinitely rewarding.

As I've read in the Book of Mormon, another principle has pressed itself on my mind: condemnation. The way I see it, God won't be lashing unwilling sinners. He won't be punishing us by His own hand. We'll condemn ourselves, having a perfect recollection of our mistakes, our sins, the ways we hurt other people, the times we didn't live up to our potential. We will sorrow for what we've done wrong, and we'll feel unworthy of God's presence. All this will come upon us if we "procrastinate the day of our repentance." God's work is designed to ovcercome this: He's provided a savior, and He gives us mercy, but we have to exercise it. Our guilt in that case will be, in part, failing to exercise the atonement of Jesus Christ, which is so freely offered to all men. People will consign themselves to where they belong, and the only real "hell" or "purgatory" will be one's own regrets. 
As always, God's arm is extended towards us. Everything He wants us to do is for our own good, and it's no different with repentance.

Stay tuned! Next week find out about my new companion, the mysterious "Elder Harline!"

 

Love,

Elder Austin Lynn

 

Postscript

I saw the Yeonsu gang! I met my younger brother (Elder Westbrook's greenie) and he seems solid. We were able to talk for a little while, and it sounds like I'm "famous in Yeonsu!" I'm glad to know that my work payed off there, and is inspiring other missionaries. Apparently, the stake president talks about me a lot in meetings! Things are going great there. Just a testimony that if you do your part, God will magnify you!