I saw Bradie Johnson today! My companions been in country for about a year now, so we had to renew his foreigner card. At the office, we saw 6 sister missionaries -- two from Elder Harline's group, who were renewing, and Sister Johnson, getting her card! It was pretty cool seeing such a familiar face in Korea.
I had an experience while streetboarding yesterday that was informative. Streetboarding is when you take a board with some sort of message and stand on the street. We usually use sticker boards -- boards that have questions, and you get people to participate by putting a sticker on their answer. We have several different ones, but we decided to take out our "If you met deity, which of these questions would you ask?" board. The questions varied from classics like, "Why does God allow bad things to happen?" to "How can I balance my work and family?" The other two were "How can I find peace and joy? and "What is the purpose of life?" At least one question will always stick out to somebody. As one person responded, when asked why they chose what they did, "It was the only one that resonated with me." That was cool to hear, because it's the purpose of this board. One person did it, and then walked back over, looked me in the eye, and asked (being fluent in English), "Why do you believe in God?"
That's a pretty tough question! Luckily, I didn't have to rely on my own wisdom. I opened my heart, and spoke what the Holy Ghost gave me. I ended up testifying about the role of prayer, and how I've received answers through my prayers, and the special feelings I've felt, which I believe can be answers from God. I testified of a living God, a God who loves us and hears our every prayer. I didn't say anything special, but I bore my testimony, and I'm realizing there's nothing more sacred than that. As we were walking home, I found myself emotional -- I realized that talking about my spiritual experiences, and my heartfelt belief in God, tapped the depths of my soul, and affected me. A testimony is a person's heart, put on a platter and offered for inspection. It's not something to trifle with, and it's not something that Latter-Day Saints do, just for fun. When somebody bears their testimony, it's meaningful -- and you should make sure you pay attention.
The other day we went out to visit a recent convert, but he ended up cancelling our appointment. It was okay though; we'd decided to spend a part of the day in a different area, than where we normally do, since it was closer to him (this recent convert lives quite far away). We ended up having more time there, and were able to talk to many different people, and find several potential investigators.
Finally, a little bit about our new Elder in Gimpo -- Elder Moon Sang Chun (문상천). He's really outgoing and goofy, but not over the top. He's also fairly good at English -- as good as we are at Korean! So, we can all communicate comfortably at home and on the streets. Somehow, he acquired both a cello and violin, and he's brought them both with him. I've had the chance to play a cello for the first time in years, and it was actually really nice. I didn't realize how much I enjoyed playing the cello, until now. I really do love it, and intend to play it more after I return.
Other than that, I guess you could say that I'm still learning the language (okay, no, I can't understand General Conference talks yet. Elder Dallin Hull's got me beat there... of course, he's learning Portuguese, and I'm learning Korean. Ahh! Church still likes to beat the snot out of me sometimes), still doing my best to talk to everybody, and still doing my best to be my best. I love all of you, and treasure your letters and emails! God bless all of you; and may you recognize His presence in your life, through the myriad of blessings and opportunities He blesses us with daily.
Love,
Elder Austin Lynn
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