This week was a blast. We didn't get to teach anybody, but we were able to work really hard on talking to everybody on the streets. Sunday afternoon was probably our most successful day proselyting; we made a goal to shake hands with everybody we saw. A lot of people turned us aside, but we were able to talk to more people than usual, and I picked up a new trick in talking to people: if they just wave their hand in my face, refusing to shake hands, my instant response is to say, "Is it because I'm white?" That almost always stops them as they're walking away, and they turn around. Then I can ask why they can't shake my hand, to varying responses. One man said it was because he doesn't believe in God; I was able to ask him why, and then respond that our purpose in coming to Korea is to teach people how a relationship with God can help them in their lives. The most creative response so far has been "MERS."
A brief word on MERS. I don't know how much news about it has reached stateside, but it's the topic of news here. MERS is short for Middle East Respiratory Sickness(?) and came to Korea from some vacationers in the Middle East; apparently it originated with camels. The disease attacks the lungs. So far there have been around 20 casualties; all senior citizens. People are saying that it's reached epidemic stages, and that there are over 2,000 people who are self-quarantined, and there's over a dozen hospitals with confirmed patients.
That said, everything everybody has said so far is that it is not transmitted through the air, and has only been contracted in hospital settings, through direct or indirect contact with infected patients. So, if you avoid the hospitals you have a strong chance of being okay. Furthermore, for healthy adults (not 70+ grandpas and grandmas) it's just like a cold, from what we've heard. We've received a lot of precaution warnings, but there's no need to panic, or worry. Not only are we healthy, young men, but we're on the Lord's errand, and are entitled to His protection. That's the kind of confidence that living the Lord's gospel provides.
So, amidst the backdrop of people worried about camel touchers destroying their lungs, the work moves forward. We saw Lucas again this week; three times actually. We talked to him for a little while in the library, then saw him twice more while in the central square of our area. The second time we saw him, we were stickerboarding for our English class, and had the chance to chat with him and a friend, who was leaving for military service in a few weeks. We had a long chat, and, as always, it just made us smile to see him. I saw him again today, on his way to the library, as we were walking through the square with an investigator.
This grandma wanted to take Elder Schilling and I out for lunch, so we had to scramble to find a member to accompany us, since we can't meet women without a male adult. Things were looking bleak, since she wanted to buy us lunch, but 99% of the Korean male population is at work during the day, but then one of our less-actives agreed to come, and so we were able to eat lunch with him, and help him with some translation work afterwards. We'll see him again today, so hopefully we can continue to strengthen his testimony of the gospel.
I'm learning Chinese! Okay, let me explain. There's a Chinese-Korean man who attends our English class every Saturday. We have a good relationship, even though he's one of the other Elders' investigators. For the past few weeks, he's been teaching me short Chinese phrases at English class. I know less than 10 words, but that's more than I knew before!
One of my favorite things about serving here is the odd experiences missionaries so bountifully receive. For example, we talked with a student about English class, then left him with a flyer. As we walked away, I thought, "He's so friendly, I should've asked for his number." The next day, we saw him again, and one of the first things I did was ask him for his number. He said yes, without any reservations! Little mercies like that let me know that God forgives our mistakes. That's the beauty of the Atonement; if we confess, forsake, and try a little harder, God will make up for our imperfections.
Another tender mercy was also an incredibly enjoyable experience. While proselyting the other night, we discovered an electric piano on the side of the street, ready to be thrown away. I've wanted an electric piano since I lived in Yeonsu; I wasn't about to throw away this opportunity. We stopped, walked back, examined it. We wondered if it worked; we pondered how we could get it home. Ultimately, we decided we'd have to take a chance. We were too far from home to seriously consider carrying the heavy piano, so we decided to explore other options. We took it to the bus stop. We watched two bus drivers wave their hands in emphatic denial, and drive off. We almost left; Elder Schilling suggested one more. In the mean time, I called a less-active, hoping he could give us a lift in his delivery truck (he agreed, but we ended up making it without him). The next bus stopped; I asked if he could open the side door. He agreed, and we showed him the piano. We're lucky the bus was empty, because I'm certain that if there had been people on board he would've turned us away. We carried the piano onto the bus, then through the miniature China town in our neighborhood, then up four flights of stairs, to ultimately rest it in our apartment. Then, the moment we had been waiting for: we plugged in the piano. With baited breath, I pressed a key down. Sound erupted from the electronic contraption! We cheered, and beamed with pride at our new acquisition. I've discovered what a difference just five minutes of piano playing can make in my day, increasing my confidence and inviting peace.
Below's a video from us wandering the streets the other night, and some pictures of our new piano. It's actually really nice -- the electric pianos at the church don't even have pedals. As you can see, it's quite sizable.
A brief word on MERS. I don't know how much news about it has reached stateside, but it's the topic of news here. MERS is short for Middle East Respiratory Sickness(?) and came to Korea from some vacationers in the Middle East; apparently it originated with camels. The disease attacks the lungs. So far there have been around 20 casualties; all senior citizens. People are saying that it's reached epidemic stages, and that there are over 2,000 people who are self-quarantined, and there's over a dozen hospitals with confirmed patients.
That said, everything everybody has said so far is that it is not transmitted through the air, and has only been contracted in hospital settings, through direct or indirect contact with infected patients. So, if you avoid the hospitals you have a strong chance of being okay. Furthermore, for healthy adults (not 70+ grandpas and grandmas) it's just like a cold, from what we've heard. We've received a lot of precaution warnings, but there's no need to panic, or worry. Not only are we healthy, young men, but we're on the Lord's errand, and are entitled to His protection. That's the kind of confidence that living the Lord's gospel provides.
So, amidst the backdrop of people worried about camel touchers destroying their lungs, the work moves forward. We saw Lucas again this week; three times actually. We talked to him for a little while in the library, then saw him twice more while in the central square of our area. The second time we saw him, we were stickerboarding for our English class, and had the chance to chat with him and a friend, who was leaving for military service in a few weeks. We had a long chat, and, as always, it just made us smile to see him. I saw him again today, on his way to the library, as we were walking through the square with an investigator.
This grandma wanted to take Elder Schilling and I out for lunch, so we had to scramble to find a member to accompany us, since we can't meet women without a male adult. Things were looking bleak, since she wanted to buy us lunch, but 99% of the Korean male population is at work during the day, but then one of our less-actives agreed to come, and so we were able to eat lunch with him, and help him with some translation work afterwards. We'll see him again today, so hopefully we can continue to strengthen his testimony of the gospel.
I'm learning Chinese! Okay, let me explain. There's a Chinese-Korean man who attends our English class every Saturday. We have a good relationship, even though he's one of the other Elders' investigators. For the past few weeks, he's been teaching me short Chinese phrases at English class. I know less than 10 words, but that's more than I knew before!
One of my favorite things about serving here is the odd experiences missionaries so bountifully receive. For example, we talked with a student about English class, then left him with a flyer. As we walked away, I thought, "He's so friendly, I should've asked for his number." The next day, we saw him again, and one of the first things I did was ask him for his number. He said yes, without any reservations! Little mercies like that let me know that God forgives our mistakes. That's the beauty of the Atonement; if we confess, forsake, and try a little harder, God will make up for our imperfections.
Another tender mercy was also an incredibly enjoyable experience. While proselyting the other night, we discovered an electric piano on the side of the street, ready to be thrown away. I've wanted an electric piano since I lived in Yeonsu; I wasn't about to throw away this opportunity. We stopped, walked back, examined it. We wondered if it worked; we pondered how we could get it home. Ultimately, we decided we'd have to take a chance. We were too far from home to seriously consider carrying the heavy piano, so we decided to explore other options. We took it to the bus stop. We watched two bus drivers wave their hands in emphatic denial, and drive off. We almost left; Elder Schilling suggested one more. In the mean time, I called a less-active, hoping he could give us a lift in his delivery truck (he agreed, but we ended up making it without him). The next bus stopped; I asked if he could open the side door. He agreed, and we showed him the piano. We're lucky the bus was empty, because I'm certain that if there had been people on board he would've turned us away. We carried the piano onto the bus, then through the miniature China town in our neighborhood, then up four flights of stairs, to ultimately rest it in our apartment. Then, the moment we had been waiting for: we plugged in the piano. With baited breath, I pressed a key down. Sound erupted from the electronic contraption! We cheered, and beamed with pride at our new acquisition. I've discovered what a difference just five minutes of piano playing can make in my day, increasing my confidence and inviting peace.
Below's a video from us wandering the streets the other night, and some pictures of our new piano. It's actually really nice -- the electric pianos at the church don't even have pedals. As you can see, it's quite sizable.
Love,
Elder Austin Lynn
Elder Austin Lynn
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