16.2.28

"It Works For Me"

Greeting
As we take the sacrament, there's a kind of... spiritual pressure. The Spirit of the Lord is here as we partake of that holy ordinance, and I pray it will be present as I present my remarks. When I first came to this ward, I commented that my youngest brother -- the one I haven't seen yet -- was so cute one could put them into their eyes and not be hurt (a unique Korean expression). Now, I'll go home and find out if I was right. If I get hurt, I'll let you know. 

The Path I've Learned
Today I'd like to share just one of the precious truths I've learned from doing missionary work. This valuable truth is that when we look to Jesus Christ, gospel living works the best for us. In the gloomy world we're currently living in, this fact isn't always clear. Have we, like doubting Thomas, ever cried out, "Lord, we know not whither thou goest; and how can we know the way?" (John 14:5)? And yet, the Light of the World replies: "I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me." (John 14:6) Remember what Christ said, shortly before His death: "I will not leave you comfortless: I will come to you." (John 14:18) This promise was repeated in the Doctrine and Covenants: "Verily, verily, I say unto you, as I said unto my disciples, where two or three are gathered together in my name, as touching one thing, behold, there will I be in the midst of them—even so am I in the midst of you." (D&C 6:32) Jesus is in our midst: the way of life is before us! Shall we not walk therein and rejoice? Well, then how can we know if we are on the right path -- Christ's path?
"One way is by asking the right questions—the kind that help us ponder our progress and evaluate how things are working for us.
"'Is my experience in the Church working for me? Is it bringing me closer to Christ? Is it blessing me and my family with peace and joy as promised in the gospel?'" ("It Works Wonderfully!")
From my point of view, my experience in the church -- my experience on my mission -- is really working for me! Every day I feel like I'm growing closer to Heavenly Father and His Son Jesus Christ. You can enjoy those same blessings if you focus on Jesus Christ and His gospel! 

The Gospel Road -- Joy
"This beautiful gospel is so simple a child can grasp it, yet so profound and complex that it will take a lifetime—even an eternity—of study and discovery to fully understand it."
As a matter of fact, "living the gospel doesn’t need to be complicated.
"It is really straightforward. It could be described like this:
"Hearing the word of God with earnest intent leads us to believe in God and to trust His promises.
"The more we trust God, the more our hearts are filled with love for Him and for each other.
"Because of our love for God, we desire to follow Him and bring our actions in alignment with His word.
"Because we love God, we want to serve Him; we want to bless the lives of others and help the poor and the needy.
"The more we walk in this path of discipleship,the more we desire to learn the word of God."

Blessings that Work
"And so it goes, each step leading to the next and filling us with ever-increasing faith, hope, and charity.
"It is beautifully simple, and it works beautifully.
"Brothers and sisters, if you ever think that the gospel isn’t working so well for you, I invite you to step back, look at your life from a higher plane,and simplify your approach to discipleship. Focus on the basic doctrines, principles, and applications of the gospel. I promise that God will guide and bless you on your path to a fulfilling life, and the gospel will definitely work better for you." (It Works Wonderfully!)

Focus!
Just as Jesus Christ commanded through Joseph Smith, "Look unto me in every thought; doubt not, fear not." (D&C 6:36) Wouldn't a life without fears and doubts be truly joyous? When we follow the path Jesus Christ shows us, our life can be like that. It can be like that right now! Don't wait! "God will take you as you are at this very moment and begin to work with you. All you need is a willing heart, a desire to believe, and trust in the Lord." (It Works Wonderfully) 

Testimony
This church is the church that Jesus Christ established, again restored. Joseph Smith is a prophet of God, and the scriptures revealed to us through him are a great strength to me. In closing, I'd like to quote a few of those scriptures. From the Doctrine and Covenants 6th Section, we read: 

13 If thou wilt do good, yea, and hold out faithful to the end, thou shalt be saved in the kingdom of God,which is the greatest of all the gifts of God; for there is no gift greater than the gift of salvation.

14 Verily, verily, I say unto thee, blessed art thou for what thou hast done; for thou hast inquired of me,and behold, as often as thou hast inquired thou hast received instruction of my Spirit. If it had not been so, thou wouldst not have come to the place where thou art at this time.

15 Behold, thou knowest that thou hast inquired of me and I did enlighten thy mind; and now I tell thee these things that thou ma yest know that thou hast been enlightened by the Spirit of truth;

32 Verily, verily, I say unto you, as I said unto my disciples, where two or three are gathered together in my name, as touching one thing, behold, there will I be in the midst of them—even so am I in the midst of you.

33 Fear not to do good, my sons, for whatsoever ye sow, that shall ye also reap; therefore, if ye sow good ye shall also reap good for your reward.

34 Therefore, fear not, little flock; do good; let earth and hell combine against you, for if ye are built upon my rock, they cannot prevail.

35 Behold, I do not condemn you; go your ways and sin no more; perform with soberness the work which I have commanded you.

36 Look unto me in every thought; doubt not, fear not.

37 Behold the wounds which pierced my side, and also the prints of the nails in my hands and feet; be faithful, keep my commandments, and ye shall inherit the kingdom of heaven. 

In the name of Jesus Christ, amen.

That was my last talk in Incheon 2nd Ward. The Spirit was really powerful as I delivered it, and it touched a lot of members. As I sat on the stand, I experienced a feeling I've only had a few times on my mission: a full heart. I had a thought related to what makes us feel that way. When we feel like our heart's about to burst because it's so full, I think it's because of bacon, or it's because of our heart strings being pulled. Bear with me for a moment as I walk you through this imagery. Our heart strings being pulled is what makes our heart yearn and ache, and the reason it's that way is because it's our bonds with other people that make up our heart strings, and when those bonds undergo a big change -- such as a farewell or a reunion -- those bonds are pulled. Sometimes bonds break, and sometimes they're forged, but it's those relationships that affect our heart deeply.
This week was filled with lots of last appointments and goodbyes, and I think most of my pictures didn't turn out very well because my companion doesn't know how to work my camera too well, and it's a piece of work, but I know that regardless I'll carry these memories with me forever. Nothing could have changed my life like my mission has, and I have gained so many valuable bonds and learned so many irreplaceable lessons that I am forever changed. Missionary work works. Or, in the Korean word used in that talk, it is beneficial. It is advantageous. Don't pass it up; the gospel is everything, because love is everything, and God is love. I love all of you and can't wait to see you in person. Sorry for the short letter; but I'll make it up 10 fold when I see you. 

Love,
Elder Austin Lynn

16.2.21

Not sure what to even write anymore...
Another week of less-actives and member appointments. We had more members to visit than normal, since I'm leaving Korea soon. This coming week will bring at least six member visits, and hopefully lots of new investigators! One effective activity we did towards finding more people this week was stickerboarding as a district. We went to where there are always lots of people and brought a board asks people questions and then they respond by putting a sticker on the appropriate answer. I brought a clipboard with us with a basic information spreadsheet on it for people to fill out and we managed to get 30 phone numbers in an hour! It was for English, so they would all be investigators we do the Family English Program with, but at the very least we've strengthened our English Class for sure.
We shared messages of joy with each family we visited this week, and I think that the members are starting to get the message that membership in the church is a joyful experience! As I've been thinking a lot, the gospel isn't a to-do list, but an experience. We experience things like faith and repentance, we feel the Holy Ghost and God's love, we learn for ourselves that gospel truths are eternal, and then we act in harmony with our experiences so that we can maintain and increase joy.
One major thing anybody can do to feel more joy is simplify. That's not just my own thought, or even just the topic of leadership training for the church in Korea next week -- it's counsel from a prophet, found in our most recent General Conference. President Uchtdorf has spoken at length several times about the need to simplify, and I love the counsel he gave in his talk, "It Works Wonderfully:"

"Are we making our discipleship too complicated?

"This beautiful gospel is so simple a child can grasp it, yet so profound and complex that it will take a lifetime—even an eternity—of study and discovery to fully understand it.

"But sometimes we take the beautiful lily of God’s truth and gild it with layer upon layer of man-made good ideas, programs, and expectations. Each one, by itself, might be helpful and appropriate for a certain time and circumstance, but when they are laid on top of each other, they can create a mountain of sediment that becomes so thick and heavy that we risk losing sight of that precious flower we once loved so dearly.
. . .
"And all of us, as members of the Church, we need to make a conscientious effort to devote our energy and time to the things that truly matter, while uplifting our fellowmen and building the kingdom of God.
. . .
"Brothers and sisters, living the gospel doesn’t need to be complicated.

"It is really straightforward. It could be described like this:

• Hearing the word of God with earnest intent leads us to believe in God and to trust His promises.

• The more we trust God, the more our hearts are filled with love for Him and for each other.

• Because of our love for God, we desire to follow Him and bring our actions in alignment with His word.

• Because we love God, we want to serve Him; we want to bless the lives of others and help the poor and the needy.

• The more we walk in this path of discipleship, the more we desire to learn the word of God.

"And so it goes, each step leading to the next and filling us with ever-increasing faith, hope, and charity.

"It is beautifully simple, and it works beautifully.

Brothers and sisters, if you ever think that the gospel isn’t working so well for you, I invite you to step back, look at your life from a higher plane, and simplify your approach to discipleship. Focus on the basic doctrines, principles, and applications of the gospel. I promise that God will guide and bless you on your path to a fulfilling life, and the gospel will definitely work better for you."
(https://www.lds.org/general-confere…/…/it-works-wonderfully…)

Much like President Uchtdorf I can say with certainty that my membership in the church works! It works wonderfully! My mission works; it works miracles. My life works, it lifts me higher.
As my mission ends I find myself in more and more "last time" meetings. One was with a less-active and a member who I've known for close to five months. At this "last" appointment we had a great discussion about the church and what really matters in life. I think that our member and I were able to work together well in explaining how he can take advantage of the church in his life. I still hope that we will see him at church before I leave, but I know that I have done my best to love the people God puts around me.
Last Sunday we talked about how family relationships can be eternal during class, and I really liked what somebody said about the lessons we learn in family life: from family, we learn not just how to live with people, but we learn how to live for people. And it's when we learn how to experience life outside of ourselves that we see how beautiful this world is. I know that I've learned more from living with my family than anything else. Family is of the divine; and so are we!

It Works Wonderfully! - Dieter F. Uchtdorf

President Uchtdorf encourages us to simplify our approach to discipleship if we find the gospel is not working in our lives.

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LDS.ORG|BY BY PRESIDENT DIETER F. UCHTDORF

16.2.14

This week was jam-packed!
While we weren't able to meet any investigators, we did lots of work with our members, and we are continuing to meet less-actives all the time!
The beginning of our week was the Korean holiday we know as Chinese New Year. On Chinese New Year, people travel to their home towns for three days, and a lot of businesses are closed down. Picture a three-day Christmas, and you'll have a similar feeling. So, on Monday we weren't able to meet with anybody.
On Tuesday I went on my last exchange with a district member, with Elder Fleming. I spent the day working with him, letting him take the lead and working together. We met one of his investigators and discussed some of his questions about the church. He asked why we don't have a cross on our church, and after we explained that we focus on the resurrected, living Christ in our church, he responded, "I see! Christ conquered the cross, so we don't need it! He came down, and now we can move beyond death, and the cross that symbolizes it." That's a new way to word it that I've never heard before.
We also met a less-active member, who brought all of the Elders out to dinner! We proved how Korean/hard-core we were by each eating one of Korea's legendary spicy peppers. After one Elder ate 3, I had to prove myself as well... by eating 3 at once, twice! They were pretty hot, but we all lived. We discussed how a testimony of the Book of Mormon can be a foundation for strengthening faith, and how we have responsibility for finding truth for ourselves. We can't expect to be given everything we want or need.
On Wednesday we had a combined mission training conference for the last day of the Chinese New Year. We talked a lot about planning and using time effectively, and I gave my last testimony to the mission! It was a powerful experience to stand in front of half the mission and bear one final testimony to them in Korean. I focused on a really simple idea, stolen from President Uchtdorf's recent remarks in General Conference: Is it working for you?
Is it working for you? Are you happy? I can say that I really am happy; it works wonderfully! This mission has brought so much growth, and so many blessings. I cannot honestly say I have ever been happier, than on times during my mission. I am so grateful that I've learned to turn more outward than inward.
Thursday was a really busy day -- we met a less-active and recent convert member. We discussed difficulties with translating, and looked over the talk "Remember Lot's Wife" with our recent convert. That's a wonderful talk that focuses on how we need to look to the future, and never let past mistakes drag us down.
When we met our less-active member that night, he talked a lot about how he wants to find work so that he can eventually start a family. He really wants to leave his past behind, despite all of his attachment to it. We encouraged him to go for it! and do whatever he can to improve his circumstances.
On Friday we met a member family, and shared a brief message about joy with them. They also helped us find the address of a less-active member we were looking for! The husband of the couple is actually an American who served as a missionary then returned to Korea after several years. I look up to him in several ways; but I admire him the most for his rock solid commitment to the gospel, in a down to earth fashion.
On Saturday we taught English Class and had a family home evening with the ward for one of our young recent converts. We had a lot of fun, and a member shared a message by President Thomas S. Monson:
https://www.lds.org/…/video/2012-05-005-dare-to-stand-alone…
Since our friend's going to the military soon, it was pretty fitting!
Sunday was filled with bringing the sacrament to an old lady who can't leave her retirement home, teaching gospel principles class, and meeting a less-active and sharing our thoughts on hope and moving forward while never looking back. All in all, it was a great week, and I'm excited for my last two weeks. Enjoy to the end!

Love,
Elder Austin Lynn

16.2.7

It's strange to relate, but lately we've been spending tons of time
with less-active and recent convert members! We taught six times as
many lessons with less-actives and recent converts than investigators.
Wow!
On Monday we met with Brother Hyun (방승현), who recently
returned to Korea after a few semesters at BYU-Idaho. He's a little
younger than we are, so it's impressive to know how much he's grown
and matured during his time in America. He's yet another living
testament to how much foreign cultures and people can enrich our world
view. He's so cool! Of course he's good at English, but he's also
fun-loving and young. He's brought home a lot of interest in the
church, which he admits he didn't have when he was younger. He asks
lots of good questions and wants to be involved in missionary work
with his friends. I love that kid!
Tuesday was a packed today. We saw so many people! The saddest
meeting was with our friend Kim Chan Oo (김찬우). He's leaving for his
mission next Thursday! He's pretty nervous, but we testified of the
blessings of missionary work and shared how we felt when we left. I
remember the night before leaving for Utah, I was pretty overwhelmed.
I'm young, and about to start a brand new chapter in my life. Even
more, in a sense I would be starting it alone. Looking back, I realize
that I was never alone. Though physically absent, my friends and
family still supported and support me, and more than that, the God of
Israel was on my side. I think the popular hymn, "How Firm A
Foundation" explains this concept quite eloquently:
"Fear not, I am with thee; oh, be not dismayed,
For I am thy God and will still give thee aid.
I'll strengthen thee, help thee, and cause thee to stand,
. . .
Upheld by my righteous, omnipotent hand."
That day we also met a new investigator, who's been attending
another church for the past 30 years, but met missionaries even
further back than that, and has since been interested in the Book of
Mormon. We tuaght him about the Plan of Salvation, and he understood
and agreed with every single part! He's a nice old man, and we'll be
seeing him again this week.
We also saw Y J (윤여준), a recent convert who wants to
become a Navy SEAL for Korea. He's working hard to reach that goal,
and we're working hard to help him be spiritually independent and
spiritually buff before he leaves. He's such a great kid. He finds joy
in so many things, and is such a nice kid. We talked about his answers
to a few questions we gave him, to help him practice finding answers
to gospel questions on his own.
That night we also drove out (that is, rode a bus) quite a ways
to meet a less-active member. He's been grieving the death of his
mother for quite some time, and has been estranged from his family. He
has no work, no friends, nowhere to turn.
And that's where we come in the picture.
He's in a low place right now, but there's somebody who "descended
below all things." Our mission is to help him come unto Christ, who
can help and strengthen him during trying times and guide him during
the good ones.
We would meet this brother again during the week and exhort him
to read the scriptures and pray. One question he said he had been
repeatedly asking was "Why." I explained that as humans, we can't
always fully understand God, and sometimes He withholds answers for
our benefit. I suggested instead asking questions that God can answer,
answers that he can use in his life, such as: "What do I do next? How
can I continue? What can I learn from my circumstances?"
Other events in this week included meeting with Joon Suk, the boy
I baptized. His family situation isn't the best, so we ended up
reading Ether 12 with him, and discussing hope and good works with
him. I have a personal conviction that if we maintain hope and work
hard to do good, our lives will work out, regardless of where they are
now.
This was a consistent theme throughout the week: have hope. Hope
in yourself, and hope in good things to come. I was talking with my
district this week, and this thought came into my head: "There's no
reason to believe something negative."
Now, obviously there are some senses in which this thought fails, but
I think by and far we don't need to focus on negative things. There is
so much in this world and life that is good and inspiring,
praiseworthy and virtuous that we don't need to intentionally drag
ourselves down and leave ourselves in the dumps. “Pessimists do not
contribute, unbelievers do not create, doubters do not achieve.”

Elder Austin Lynn

16.2.1

For my last trip to the temple, I got to attend everything in Korean!
This was less of a planned opportunity, and more of a special
blessing that came because we volunteered for some work. I was really
grateful to be able to go through in Korean. The language of this
country has come to root itself pretty deeply in my heart. More and
more often I find myself thinking about returning one day in the
future. It was a great experience at the temple, and I made a goal not
to lose the sense of peace and stability it brings into your life
after I return home.
On Monday we met with one of the young men in our ward and he
asked us a bunch of questions he's received from friends. It was a
really neat experience because we got to experience the Lord's promise
to His servants that we "shall not be confounded before men." For
every single one of his questions we were inspired to answer with a
testimony, and a scripture. It's incredible how the scriptures come
together to answer every question a person may have. They truly are
wells of living water, for those who are willing to draw from them.
Our district meeting this week was out of the ordinary: for the
training, I had my district members teach me! We did an extended
roleplay focusing on promising blessings and teaching simply, and it
was a great learning opportunity for everybody involved. I'm really
happy to be serving with my wonderful district, and especially to be
placed in a position where I can easily serve them.
On Friday we met one of our recent converts and discussed asking
and answering gospel questions. He's going to leave for mandatory
military service soon, so we want him to be as spiritually independent
and ready to share the gospel as he can possibly be. So, after a
discussion on the vitality of asking questions to learn in the gospel,
we first answered a few from him, then gave him some to answer as
homework. We ate dinner together afterwards, and talked more about
Korea.
On Saturday a miracle occurred! A less-active called us, then met
with us a few hours after calling! He originally went to church in a
different area, but moved back to our area to take care of his ailing
mother, who died some time ago. His life is difficult, and he believes
that meeting with us will help him. He's right, but only in the sense
that we will invite him to draw closer to Jesus Christ, who is the
true source of peace and security, and the only lasting solution to
life's difficulties. He wants to meet often, so I hope that we can
help him reestablish the habits that bring us to Christ and His
gospel.
On Sunday we had a fascinating review of the Asia North Area
Plan's for this year (more on that next week) after which I was mighty
inspired to live the gospel! During our second hour (gospel
principles) I was fascinated by our ward mission leader's retelling of
the lost sheep. While he spoke, I realized that the lost sheep is
anybody who, for whatever reason, is not enjoying the joy that the
gospel brings, whether that's through the tempests of living on earth,
inactivity in the church, or even personal or family mistakes.
This week's invitation is to do whatever it takes to bring a
measure of joy to your life. Whether it's opening the scriptures a
little more often, or praying a little more fervently, or perhaps
visiting somebody who's been on your mind but not your to do list, do
it. Then enjoy the joy!

Love,
Elder Austin Lynn

16.1.24

This week was frigid!
On Monday we met with C, one of our young men who's
preparing to go on a mission and practiced teaching him the third
lesson, the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Elder Lowe has been focusing on
that lesson for the past two weeks, as part of his first 12 weeks in
Korea. He's doing a great job learning to teach it well, and we spend
lots of our time in studies practicing teaching.
Tuesday was a terrific day for this week. After studying, we went
out to meet a new investigator. We sat down with him in a cafe and
talked about our program for studying English and the gospel together.
He took a real liking to me; he wasn't very good at English so he and
Elder Lowe had difficulty communicating. We're going to meet him
again, and begin teaching English and the gospel. That evening we met
with our Bishopric's first counselor and his wife at their home. They
fed us beef rib soup, which is delicious. We also shared a message
joy, and talked about two of their children, who are on their missions
right now. Their children's missions are having a huge impact on their
parents. The mother said that there's never a happier time in your
life than when your child is on a mission. The father said that he's
understanding the gospel more than ever before, despite his thirty
years of membership. Meeting with them really inspired me -- there is
so much value in family, and in missionary work. The two directly
support each other.
On Wednesday the weather dropped dramatically. Actually, it was
freezing on Tuesday too, but we stayed inside most of that day, thanks
to appointments. On Wednesday though, we experienced the brunt of the
cold. To offset the part of the day spent freezing in our slacks, we
spent the evening making phone calls. Elder Lowe put in work for quite
a while, which impressed me. I was pretty afraid of making phone calls
when I was a young missionary.
On Thursday we got to participate in a worldwide missionary
broadcast. Receiving training from apostles and other church leaders
was a terrific chance, and a historic one: they haven't done a
missionary broadcast like this in ten years. As a result of the
broadcast I committed to talk more often about Jesus Christ, whom I'm
here to represent. He -- not Joseph Smith, not apostles, not the Bible
or Book of Mormon -- is the center of God's plan, and our Savior.
Friday was another highlight for this week. We met with our
recent convert Y Y J who's probably entering the military as a
SEAL in a month or so. We talked about the power of patriarchal
blessings and encouraged him to go get his own. He was pretty excited
about it; and as always was really energetic. We ate dinner with him
after our lesson, then ended our evening by visiting the less-active
who works at our apartment complex. We read the first few chapters of
the Book of Ether together and discussed how God provides us light,
but in response to our inquiry.
As usual, we taught English class on Saturday, but unlike the
usual, last Saturday our Bishop invited us to his home. We had a
wonderful lunch with him and he put in an effort to learn everybody's
name and hometown. We talked a lot about the ward's goal of focusing
on finding joy in the gospel, and shared a little with him. He talked
about how important dreams and goals to reach those dreams are in the
context of finding happiness.
Sunday was a typical day of church, with a baptismal service for
a member's daughter afterwards. It was a wonderful event for us to be
able to watch, and the food provided afterwards was definitely not
unappreciated. We got to talk to members for a while and find a few
more appointments for this week. Working with members is the best!
Will it be easier or harder in my native language back in America?

Love,
Elder Austin Lynn

16.1.17

Find joy in living the gospel!
This week was focused on helping find joy in the gospel, both members
and non-members. On Tuesday evening we met with our good friend Kim
Chan Oo (김찬우), a member who's going to leave for his mission in March
(a few days after I return home!). Elder Lowe and I practiced teaching
about the Gift of the Holy Ghost, one of the most prized gifts of our
Heavenly Father. We taught simply and effectively, and we all had a
good time. At one point, my companion Elder Lowe was sharing a story
about reading the scriptures, and said that when he's unhappy he reads
the scriptures. It was silent for a moment, and then Chan Oo said,
"Most people do." He said that in English, out of the blue, while
Elder Lowe was sharing an experience, so it was hilarious.
During the afternoon that day, we went back to our mission
headquarters so that all of the trainers and new missionaries could
meet with the mission leadership once more. The meeting was terrific,
and inspired everyone to "try a little harder to be a little better."
It felt good to be able to teach immediately after that meeting.
On Wednesday we had district meeting and focused on teaching
simply, especially by using the scriptures. The district members
taught well, and then afterwards we had an evaluation with our zone
leaders to evaluate how Elder Lowe is coming along with his ability to
teach the missionary lessons in Korean. He's doing great! As to be
expected.
That evening, we went out to Shihung to visit a member and his
son. Unfortunately, we rode the bus wrong on the way there, and ended
up driving to a different city. On the bright side, we got to see the
ocean while it was snowing. It looked pretty neat! We were able to
return to Shihung pretty quickly, and made our appointment. We shared
a message about joy, and had a terrific dinner together.
On Thursday we had a great day. We met with our recent convert
friend Y (윤여준) and read Helaman 5 together. Afterwards we
visited a member and shared a brief message about joy drawn from
Romans chapter 8. They were happy to see us, however brief our visit
was. That evening we met a man called T, who's our newest
investigator. He's a professor at Seoul University, one of (if not
the) biggest universities in Korea. He's interested in joining our
church, so we're excited to go forward with the discussions.
Friday we planned and began exchanges with our zone leaders.
During the exchange, I worked with Elder Steel and had the chance to
teach the exact same investigator that I met with him a month or two
ago! Sadly, the investigator was still in the same condition:
intellectually questioning God, unwilling to pray, but wanting to
believe without hypocrisy. We talked and after some great questions
from Elder Steel I was inspired to share a two-scripture formula for
gaining faith. The first was Romans 10:17:
17 So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.
That explains our role as missionaries: to share the word of God. Then
comes the second step, from Jesus Himself:
17 If any man will do his will, he shall know of the doctrine,
whether it be of God, or whether I speak of myself. (John 7:17)
While sharing the second scripture, all of the power in the church
went off, so we were sitting in a room illuminated by streetlight
coming through the window as he read the second scripture. His only
comment was, "I'll have to think about this principle more." I then
shared my experience as a teenager, gaining a testimony of God's love
and existence, which culminated in reading D&C 18:10, which I shared
with him last of all. At the end of it all, we sat there for a few
moments in this dark room, and that man finally understood: everybody
started where he is, not knowing. But, we can know, if we desire to,
and experiment on the word.
Saturday was our transfer calls -- unsurprisingly, Elder Lowe and
I are staying together, as is the other team we live with. Next
transfer call and I go home! Sunday was a very compact day: we went to
ward council, through which I'm always reminded of how hard our
leaders work, and how wonderful our ward is. We also went home
teaching with a member, and got to set up several member appointments
for the coming week.
This last transfer's going to be the best of all!

Love,
Elder Austin M. Lynn

16.1.10

This week had a great focus: joy!
On Monday evening, we met with a young man who's leaving for his mission in March -- almost the exact same time as I leave! He wants help improving his ability to teach the missionary lessons and a chance to practice English, since he's going to California. We met him and I realized just how much value experience has as I allowed him and my companion to try teaching me. That night increased my gratitude for the teaching skills I've been able to develop over my mission.
Tuesday was marked by a member meal, which, as always, was wonderful. I gave all of the Elders a new word in Korean to use, in order to find out if it's used or not, and that worked out pretty well (unfortunately, Elder Flemming has now locked into his mind a word that nobody uses!). I've come to really enjoy just talking to members about their lives. With this member, we learned a lot about his ancestors, a lot of whom lived in the ancient royal court. His wife was no less interesting; she's traveled the world, bicycling!
On Wednesday I went on exchanges with Elder Flemming, who's almost done with his third transfer now. We spent a lot of the day exploring a distant part of our area, then paid the price when it took us two hours of walking to get home! I was able to get to know Elder Flemming really well during that time, and I can tell we'll be really good friends by the time I'm finished in this area.
We had this month's zone training on Thursday, and it was all about joy -- finding, maintaining, and sharing! I really enjoyed the topic, and am very enthused about the application: share joy with the members! People are so prone to talk about what's difficult, but how about some of the good things in life? I believe that if we consciously choose to talk more about joy, we will find ourselves and our families becoming more joyful in turn. Really though: we have so much to rejoice in, thanksto the gospel. My companion and I are sharing something along these lines: 

19 Now, what do we hear in the gospel which we have received? A voice of gladness! A voice of mercy from heaven; and a voice of truth out of the earth;glad tidings for the dead; a voice of gladness for the living and the dead; glad tidings of great joy. How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of those that bring glad tidings of good things, and that say unto Zion: Behold, thy God reigneth! As the dews of Carmel, so shall the knowledge of God descend upon them!

22 Brethren, shall we not go on in so great a cause?Go forward and not backward. Courage, brethren;and on, on to the victory! Let your hearts rejoice, and be exceedingly glad. Let the earth break forth intosinging. Let the dead speak forth anthems of eternal praise to the King Immanuel, who hath ordained,before the world was, that which would enable us to redeem them out of their prison; for the prisoners shall go free.
(D&C 128:19, 22)

The voice of mercy from heaven represents God's Son, Jesus Christ, who brings mercy to each of us through His Atonement. The voice of truth out of the earth is the Book of Mormon; a true book, that was buried in the earth and is now speaking to the world. These are two incredible blessings we enjoy, and they remind us of how blessed we truly are. A hymn expresses it better than our words can: 

1. Behold! A royal army,
With banner, sword, and shield,
Is marching forth to conquer
On life's great battlefield.
Its ranks are filled with soldiers,
United, bold, and strong,
Who follow their Commander
And sing their joyful song:

(Chorus)
Victory, victory,
Thru him that redeemed us!
Victory, victory,
Thru Jesus Christ, our Lord!
Victory, victory, victory,
Thru Jesus Christ, our Lord!

2. And now the foe advancing,
That valiant host assails,
And yet they never falter;
Their courage never fails.
Their Leader calls, "Be faithful!"
They pass the word along;
They see his signal flashing
And shout their joyful song:
(Chorus)

3. Oh, when the war is ended,
When strife and conflicts cease,
When all are safely gathered
Within the vale of peace,
Before the King eternal,
That vast and mighty throng
Shall praise his name forever,
And this shall be their song:
(Chorus)

The next day was weekly planning, and since we were both feeling under the weather, we spent the rest of the day making calls. We talked to lots of people, and found a fellow or two with good potential.
We also took time to stop in a member's cake shop while pulling money out of the bank, and they were delighted to see us. I was impressed by the difference we can make in three minutes. Often, you can spread joy in less than 10 seconds. How incredible! What an investment.
We also met with a recent convert this week, and helped prepare him to go to the temple, now that he's close to having been baptized a year ago. He's excited for that, and he's also excited for entering the Navy! For his mandatory military service, he's going all out and is working on applying to Korea's Navy SEALS. You can color me impressed. He came to our English class and family home evening at the church on Saturday, and we're going to see him again today.
Sunday was, unsurprisingly, consumed by church and service. After our meetings, a member brought us to deliver the sacrament to an infirm grandma. Afterwards, we went home teaching with him, and got to eat rice! Okay, let me rephrase: we got to eat specially prepared, dry rice, that isn't sold in the northern part of South Korea. It was a first for me, and I liked it. It's a good snack to chew on, but you can also put it in a pan and get something like rice crispies (or, in other words, today's breakfast!).
As a parting thought, I really enjoyed our ward mission leader's lesson on charity during gospel principles. As we read about it, he constantly asked questions, and eventually my personal definition of charity crystallized into a love that influences people to change for the better. 

Best Wishes,
Elder Austin Lynn

16.1.3

J (준석) was baptized!
I'm 99% sure it was the first baptism of the year. He asked me to baptize him, so we descended into the baptismal font on January 1st, at the bright and (relatively) early hour of 9 o'clock. By my reckoning, it was even a new year over in the New World. It was a wonderful baptismal service, and it was a good spiritual experience for our (former investigator, now) recent convert. He commented afterwards that he was more motivated to read the Book of Mormon and keep the commandments now. And isn't that was baptism should do? If our covenants with God don't motivate us to "try a little harder to be a little better" than I'm not sure exactly why we'd make them. Why promise to do your best, then keep performing at your average level?
The baptismal service itself was the culmination of our ward's New Year's activity. The missionaries arrived at 8 to eat rice cake soup (a traditional dish for Korean New Year's). The soup is pretty important; it's the moment you eat it that you "eat" one more year of age. So, I'm now 22 in Korean age. Apparently, the Ward had a nice devotional with the Bishopric, and then gave blessings to families before we got there. After breakfast, we had our baptismal service (the missionaries sang "He Sent His Son," one of my favorite primary songs), and took lots of pictures. Of special note: the man giving me a great handhold in several photos is our ward's Bishop. I was really excited when he grabbed my hand; that means you're close in Korean culture!

Our week in review:

Monday: met with J, and taught him about the temple and missionary work (when he was confirmed on Sunday, part of his blessing was to become a great missionary in the future! I dearly hope that will come to pass). As always, he enjoyed our discussion and continues to open up to us about his life.

Tuesday: met J again; finished teaching everything he needs to know about baptism, mainly concerning family history and enduring to the end. We invited him to endure to the end in enjoying the blessings of the gospel, and continually growing closer to God. I'm not sure there's a more joyful principle of the gospel than that of enduring to the end. Afterwards, we finally finished our session of weekly planning that was interrupted on Friday (thanks, Christmas!) and closed out our night by eating with some members and teaching them a practice lesson. Elder Lowe rocked teaching the first lesson, and we had a wonderful time with this young couple and their newborn son. I say newborn, but he's about ready to start crawling. They fed us well, both spiritually and physically. 

Wednesday: began exchanges with Elder Rogers, and had district meeting. My directive to train was teaching simply and powerfully, and I felt like the best way to do that is to teach from the scriptures. In church settings, we sometimes slip into the mistake of having the scriptures support our words, when really teaching from the scriptures means that we use our words to support the scriptures. We practiced doing so, and I was really happy with the results. Teaching is so much more powerful when we present a verse (or section) of scripture, and then allow the scripture to speak for itself. Our role diminishes to that of interpreting, and likening, rather than blocking and producing from our own stores of knowledge. I find the result to be more pure, and more conducive to individuals learning on their own. 

Thursday: ended exchanges with Elder Rogers. We cleaned up some of their old house (which was also my first house), which was poetically ironic for me. We also visited an investigator who fed us rotisserie chicken! That was delicious. We also watched the Mormon Message, "Reflections," with him. We all felt the Spirit, and it led to a great discussion about family relations. I was impressed by how he spoke of his dad: he didn't talk much, but he taught me how to do things, like paint a car, or build a bookcase. My amount of gratitude for the various people I meet and the lessons they help me learn increases a bit more.
(In the meantime, my companion meets our new investigator for the first time while on exchanges, and they discuss why they want to meet, and watch the video "Because He Lives.")

Friday: Spent most of the day at the church. We played the Korean sport likenable to soccer and volleyball combined, had our baptismal service, and cleaned the church! Our new investigator also came again, and we taught him about God and prayer. He doesn't know anything about religion, but after our explanation of prayer and what blessings are, he commented, "That sounds really good. I need to read the Book of Mormon. I need to pray." Sounds like a golden investigator to me! Once again only managed to get a part of weekly planning done. 

Saturday: Texted tons of people Happy New Year's, and as a result answered phone calls from random people all day! Yay! Taught English to some children; contacted some more folks, and then a less-active member randomly called and wanted to feed us dinner. 

Sunday: J got confirmed! Also, we had our stake president, mission president, and a counselor in the area presidency in attendance! The counselor is Elder Choi of the 70. He gave some great training on sustaining our leaders, local and general, and also about prioritizing in life. His wife gave a heartfelt testimony about how we often think of the Apostleship as glorious, honorable, and wonderful, but we don't see the side of it where they come out of hospitals, use wheelchairs, and can hear themselves getting closer to the grave. The Apostles literally wear out their lives in the service of God, bearing witness of Jesus Christ. How blessed we are for those selfless leaders.
We were also blessed by a completely out of the blue invitation to dinner at a member's home Sunday evening, so we got to break our fast at a member's home. One more fast Sunday for me!

Best Wishes and Happy New Year,
Elder Austin Lynn

새해 복 많이 받으세요!

15.12.27

This week our investigator J iss ready to start on the path of discipleship. I'll baptize him on January 1st, at 9 in the morning -- very possibly the first baptism for this year. It'll be a great start to the year.
The next time we met J, it was Christmas Day. We talked about church callings in the context of the importance of the priesthood, and service. After teaching a brief lesson, we went over to Brother Jason's home, and had a family home evening with our investigator, Brother Jason and his wife, and a returned missionary who rarely comes out to church because of work. We had a great time eating together, then singing Christmas hymns while reading the Nativity story together. After reading and singing, we had a short testimony meeting, and each member present bore a unique, strong testimony of Christ. Jason and his wife provided a fun, game-show-derived game, and we headed home. I feel that J was able to strengthen his testimony greatly through our meeting.
The next time we taught him a lesson was after church on Sunday. We taught him about the Law of the Fast, and finished teaching him about the importance of the priesthood in church organization. He was impressed by how we can fast for specific blessings, and how we help others through fasting.
Other highlights from this week included Christmas Eve, during which was our Ward Christmas Party. Lots of members and groups got together to provide different skits or musical numbers, including the missionaries! We presented a reworked version of a day in the life of a missionary, accompanied by primary songs (it's very similar to the one I performed in earlier this year). It was well received~
We also caroled as a zone on Christmas Day, but I think it was a bit cold for people! That, or the couples were too interested in each other to pay us attention. That's one thing about Christmas in Korea: it is not a family holiday, but a day for couples to do things together (actually, Korea has a holiday for couples every month!).
Another thing about Korean Christmas: it's a time to eat cake! One member owns a bakery, and actually gave us cakes at several different times. We've had around 4-5 cakes this last week! While it doesn't make up for not having a family (outside of my wacky extended Korean ward family, and my close-knit brotherly bond with the Elders, along with our district relationship), it certainly was tasty.
So, Christmas has come and gone, but New Year's is on the way! Our Ward Mission Leader asked the missionaries to each share a thought about this year after our meeting last Sunday, and this is what I shared: often, and I suppose I can only speak for myself, but I assume all missionaries struggle with this: often, we think that if we were a little more diligent, a little more humble, a little more charitable, we could perform mighty miracles, and baptize more people, and so on. One thing I've realized is that God would not mock us, knowing our imperfections and flaws, holding blessings above our heads in a never-ending game. Moreover, it's natural to be rejected and to fail. In particular, I've thought of one scripture, from the Doctrine and Covenants: "The Son of Man hath descended below all things. Art thou greater than He?"
Christ was "a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief." He was rejected and cast out, and lost many followers (think: investigators). He didn't convert everybody He came into contact with. Am I greater than Christ? Do I believe that if I were more faithful, more persuasive I could convince people to meet that I've failed to reach in the past?
No. I'm clearly not greater than Christ; nobody is. And so, the natural flow of life continues, and I'll continue to search for investigators who are ready to be baptized and follow Jesus Christ, for two more months.

With love,
Elder Austin Lynn

15.12.20

So, this week I was asked to give a talk for sacrament meeting while moving to the second hour of classes. After some frantic searching, pondering, and a bit of prayer, I decided that it was the perfect time to talk about gifts. I ended up using a rough outline with scripture references to give the talk, and it was all in Korean, so the following is a rough translation of something close to what I said:
As everybody knows, Christmas is drawing near. With that, I've thought a lot about Christmas lately -- especially Santa Claus! In particular, I've thought about the relation that Santa has to Jesus Christ. Santa is a benevolent giver, full of love. He gives us gifts, not out of obligation or duty, not because his relationship is that of a parent, friend, or anything else, but simply because he is full of joy and love. There is a direct correlation here with Jesus Christ. He suffers and bleeds, works and lives for us. He doesn't have to do it, but he willingly does so, because He loves us. I believe it is because of this relationship that humankind has such a deep love of Santa Claus.
On the topic of gift giving, what is the greatest gift ever given?
I propose the answer is Jesus Christ, Himself.
Jesus Christ is a gift to mankind, from a loving Father in Heaven. In the Bible we read, 

16 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.

17 For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.
(John 3:16-17)

Jesus Christ is the best gift we've ever received. He is the gift of victory, the gift of redemption, the gift of a Savior. Because of Him, we are able to receive every other good gift. The ancient prophet Moroni exhorted, 

18 And I would exhort you, my beloved brethren,that ye remember that every good gift cometh of Christ.
(Moroni 10:18)

Thanks to Jesus Christ, we can receive the gift of hope, the gift of faith, and especially the gift of charity -- pure, Christlike love. And yet, there is still one more gift that must be mentioned: the gift of eternal life. Eternal life is the most magnificent gift Christ makes possible, and in God's own words: 

7 And, if you keep my commandments and endure to the end you shall have eternal life, which gift is the greatest of all the gifts of God.
(Doctrine and Covenants 14:7)

The question on my mind is, because I've received so many wonderful gifts and promises from God, what will I give back to Him? What can I give to God this Christmas?
Well, the ancient Israelites gave gifts (or sacrifices) of blood and flesh to God, but I don't think He wants that anymore. In the Book of Mormon, Jesus Christ taught us what God wants from us, on Christmas and throughout our entire lives 

19 And ye shall offer up unto me no more the shedding of blood; yea, your sacrifices and your burnt offerings shall be done away, for I will accept none of your sacrifices and your burnt offerings.

20 And ye shall offer for a sacrifice unto me a broken heart and a contrite spirit. And whoso cometh unto me with a broken heart and a contrite spirit, him will I baptize with fire and with the Holy Ghost. . .
(3 Nephi 9:19-20)

Why would God want our hearts? What does that do for Him? Turns out, it's does nothing for God! It doesn't increase His power, doesn't make Him more God than He already is. An ancient Nephite King explained our worldly value to God: 

21 I say unto you that if ye should serve him who has created you from the beginning, and is preserving you from day to day, by lending you breath, that ye may live and move and do according to your own will, and even supporting you from one moment to another—I say, if ye should serve him with all your whole souls yet ye would be unprofitable servants.

22 And behold, all that he requires of you is to keep his commandments; and he has promised you that if ye would keep his commandments ye should prosper in the land; and he never doth vary from that which he hath said; therefore, if ye do keep his commandments he doth bless you and prosper you.

23 And now, in the first place, he hath created you,and granted unto you your lives, for which ye are indebted unto him.

24 And secondly, he doth require that ye should do as he hath commanded you; for which if ye do, he doth immediately bless you; and therefore he hath paid you. And ye are still indebted unto him, and are, and will be, forever and ever; therefore, of what have ye to boast?
(Mosiah 2:21-24)

We don't profit God. (And yet, how incredible is it that every soul is of "great worth" to Him! Surely, His love for us is a pure father's love, and not the kind of affection we see so often in this life, shaded by position and accomplishment) Why does He want our hearts then? It turns out, giving our hearts to God blesses us! Everything God does is for our benefit, including the sometimes difficult things He requires of us. The seer Nephi explained this clearly: 

24 He doeth not anything save it be for the benefit of the world; for he loveth the world, even that he layeth down his own life that he may draw all men unto him. Wherefore, he commandeth none that theyshall not partake of his salvation.
(2 Nephi 26:24)

God's purpose for us is our joy. Nephi's father taught this beyond a shadow of a doubt: 

24 But behold, all things have been done in the wisdom of him who knoweth all things.

25 . . .and men are, that they might have joy.
(2 Nephi 2:24-25)

God is love; love brings joy. He wants us to have joy; He wants us to feel His love. If you can't feel His love right now, take a moment to evaluate and reflect, and ask yourself, what is preventing me from feeling God's love right now? His love is a free gift, embodied by Christ and eternal life -- the life of God, living forever with our families. I pray that we will all give our hearts to God this Christmas, by being a little more obedient, a little more willing to sacrifice, a little more happy, a little more Christlike. 

So, that was a highlight of church for me. Our ward is rather large, so missionaries don't really get the opportunity to speak, like in the smaller wards I've served in. I wish I'd had more time to prepare, but I'm confident that the Lord was able to deliver somebody's needed message, despite my weaknesses. Our investigator also came to church again, and we met after church to teach our third discussion with him this week.
This week we covered a lot of the commandments; he's almost finished taking all of the discussions now. We went from following our modern prophet, to obeying the 10 commandments and the law, to keeping the law of chastity and preparing for temple marriage, to keeping the Sabbath Day holy and paying tithing. He's so committed to the gospel now that he's recognized his answer from God. Whenever we commit him to live a commandment, he acts like it's obvious, responding with something like, "Of course!" We reviewed the baptismal interview questions, and he can answer every single one with confidence. Unless we have to change the date because of his schedule, he'll be baptized on January 1st, likely the first baptism in Korea for the year of 2016.
The rest of our week was consumed with meetings, freezing in the cold while trying to share some Christmas cheer, and practicing for the missionaries' skit for the ward Christmas party. As always, it's a blast to be a missionary, and an honor to have a chance to help the ward. Sorry for the short letter; this week felt like that: short!

Merry Christmas,
Elder Austin Lynn

15.12.13

This week was great! We had a lot to do before Elder Dent left, and then lots to do to prepare another missionary to effectively, happy serve the Lord for two more years. On Monday night, we ate dinner with a family who have lived in our area for a long time. As we ate, we talked about family history, and they told us the story of an ancestor who was in the army. The king marched out with his army, but a strong lightning storm frightened both the king and his forces. Then, the member's ancestor told everybody to take courage, and told the king that there was a man among their troops whose name was dragon. In the Orient, dragons legendarily have the power to control the weather. This member's great-great something father suggested they march behind that man, and the weather would cease to be a problem. The king regained his courage, and their forces rallied. The weather did stop, and they went on to win the battle.
On Tuesday, Elder Dent's last full day, we spent the entire day saying goodbye to many of the people Elder Dent's worked with during his 7 months here. It's always rewarding to see how a missionary can touch peoples' lives. We also had the chance to teach one more lesson with Brother J(준석) before Elder Dent left.
Wednesday was spent traveling around Korea changing companions, and receiving training at mission headquarters. It was weird to be sitting in on that again. The highlight was obviously receiving my new companion, Elder Lowe, from Florida. He's a little on the quiet side, and is pretty serious, but sometimes he'll cut in with a comment that's absolutely hilarious. He wants to work hard and learn the language, which are two things I'm a big fan of. I'm excited for us to spend our (he means his) last 12 weeks together.
Unfortunately, I got pretty ill on Wednesday, and that continued for a couple of days. I staggered through a district training on Thursday, then spent the rest of the day asleep. Friday was much better, though I was still pretty sick. We were able to meet a new investigator, who wants to join our church! He's going to the Phillipines next week though, so we're going to have to hand him off to missionaries over there. We also met J(준석) again, and finally finished teaching him the Restoration. We've taught him so much, and now he finally knows how we have the Book of Mormon and how the church was restored.
Our day on Saturday ended up being taken over by a reception at our church. We sang I Love to See the Temple for the couple that had been sealed, with a special additional verse written especially for them (by me!). We made the couple cry, including the usually stoic husband, so I feel we succeeded. After the reception we had to clean up then set up for a Christmas music concert that evening. Our church is wonderful, but sometimes our huge building can be a lot to maintain.
As typical, we went to church on Sunday. J came, and afterwards we had a lesson with him. A member met him with us, and helped a lot in answering his questions, and especially in helping him recognize his answer from God. When teaching, we finished the contents of the second and third lessons, so now we'll be focusing squarely on the remainder of the commandments we haven't already taught him. He's rapidly becoming more and more prepared for his baptismal date on January 2nd. What a blessing!
A member also brought his friend to church on Sunday, and we'll be meeting him later this week. Get this: the member leaves for his mission in March, his friend leaves for military service in March, and I leave the country in March. Sounds like we'll have a busy next couple of months!

And amidst all of this, one 19 year old boy became a 20 year old man (of course, I've been 21 in Korea since January 1st. Guess who turns 22 in a few weeks!). 

Best Wishes,
Elder Austin Lynn

15.12.7

 This week, our investigator Joon Suk (준석) accepted a baptismal date! That was the result of two wonderful lessons with him this week. The first time we met him, we answered questions about his reading assignment in Alma 18, and read over a few passages from it together. In Alma 18, the Nephite missionary Ammon is teaching the Lamanite King Lamoni. Ammon and Lamoni's ancestors were brothers, who turned against each other, and now Ammon is trying to bring the gospel to the King Lamoni, who could be likened to a barbarian king. He knew absolutely nothing about God, then Ammon began teaching him. Some of the basic doctrines Ammon taught were that God created the earth and heaven, created man, knows men's heart and thoughts, and wants to help us. We also discussed the life and mission of Jesus Christ, and the fall of Adam and Eve -- two very related events. He understood well, and then he came to church again on Sunday.  

    This time, we slowed down a bit to discuss receiving spiritual answers. Joon Suk always feels peace when he prays, but he hasn't equated that with his answer that God lives. We taught him with a member who's his age and preparing for a mission in California. After all three of us shared how we felt the Holy Ghost, we shared an experience from church history, recorded in the Doctrine and Covenants. Similar to Joon Suk, a man heard this message and desired to know if it was true. He too prayed, and felt peace. God said to him: 

  22 Verily, verily, I say unto you, if you desire a further witness, cast your mind upon the night that you cried unto me in your heart, that you might know concerning the truth of these things.

 23 Did I not speak peace to your mind concerning the matter? What greater witness can you have than from God? 

(D&C 6:22-23)

So, Joon Suk agreed to be baptized on the 2 of January, depending on if he receives his answer about the existence of God. Yay!

     I also had the opportunity of doing two exchanges this week: one with Elder Andrew from my district, and one with the zone leaders. Both were great opportunities to see how another missionary works, and to discuss things in each other's areas and lives. I always find myself refreshed and encouraged after exchanges. How glorious are faithful, just and true friends!

     We also had district meeting this week, talking about baptism once again. Our day was pretty packed on that Wednesday; members took us out for dinner, and we all got together to practice some of our musical numbers we're doing for the ward. 

     On Thursday we had a zone training, talking a lot about asking questions, teaching to individuals' needs, and about having hope -- because, we're doing great work! There's never any reason to get down or discouraged, because we're on the Lord's errand. Even when things don't go well, we're doing our best, and Christ will always smile on us when we do our best to follow Him.

     On Saturday we had a baptismal service for a member's child. The missionaries sang, and the primary sang as well. Ironically, there are more primary children in our ward than there are missionaries in the entire city of Incheon! That night we received our transfer calls, and I learned that my companion Elder Dent was leaving, and I would be training for my final 12 weeks in country. 

Looks like time's going to fly by!

     One more thing: Santa Claus. This may seem random, but I've been thinking about Santa. He's closely linked to Christmas, and is rooted deeply in the subconscious of millions of people.

But why?

There could be lots of answers to that question, but I wanted to briefly write about one point: a similarity between the Savior and Santa. Why do children get so excited for presents from Santa? Why are adults so attached to the concept? I believe it's because Santa has no motivation to give presents to children. He has no obligation to us; he's not a parent, guardian, or any such thing. He has no reason to give us presents, yet he does. Similarly, Jesus Christ has no obligation to us, aside from His own charity -- His pure love for us. Nobody forces Him to help us, yet He does, simply because He cares for each of us. I think there's a part of every person that wants to be the receptor of charity: love that has no selfish motivations, is not colored by obligations and responsibilities, but is pure love given simply because we are all creatures worthy of love. 

Love,

Elder Austin Lynn

Sorry, just one picture this week: the district.

https://www.dropbox.com/sh/6rh7x0e29nnx0c2/AADsYvcJA3uj0HfS8wFak0Qua?dl=0

15.11.29

It snowed this week! The temperatures, as is typical of Korea, plunged with rainy overcast weather, but when the sun comes out everything's a'ok.
In other news, this week we met several times with our newest investigator, Brother (준석). He was referred to us by a member, and he's doing terrific. The first time we met, we talked about God and prayer. Before meeting us, he had no religious background, so we've been starting from square one with him. It was really rewarding to hear him pray aloud for the first time; it was a very sincere prayer, and afterwards he commented that it felt very "refreshing," or "cool." Now, he's praying every day! To have helped a child of God learn how to connect with him is extremely rewarding.
The second time we met him, we taught him some English, then as soon as we changed to talking about God, he immediately asked us what happens when people die. So, we spent that lesson teaching him God's Plan of Salvation. He prayed to end the lesson, and told God that our conversation today was really good, and that he'd learned a lot of things he'd never thought of or known before. He said that he wants to know it in detail, so I'm not worried about him continuing to learn about the gospel.
Then, he came to church on Sunday! It was our ward's primary program. It was a great opportunity for him to hear a lot of simple, heartfelt doctrines about the Atonement, Jesus Christ, prophets, and baptism. Afterwards, we met and talked more about prophets, and how their writings constitute the scriptures. The scriptures and prophets are important because God reveals the gospel to them, and it's through the gospel that we can strengthen our family relationships and find peace and joy. I think that resonates a lot with our investigator. The first time we met him, he asked us about what was difficult in Korea. We talked a bit, then asked him about what was difficult in his life. He said that when he was young, his happiest time was just being with his parents, but now things aren't the same. One thing that's impressed me is that from the very first time he prayed, he's felt peace.
Aside from working with J (준석) this week, we also organized a lot of our less-active records, and went out to find people. We actually found a few people, who will be able to be visited now by missionaries. That hasn't happened in a while, so it was pretty exciting to have somebody answer the door and not tell us they've moved, or aren't home.
Once, while visiting somebody, we were trying to confirm whether or not our less-active lived there, so we talked to the guard outside. He got spooked when we said hello, and essentially thought we were the police, so he wouldn't "release any information." First time that's happened on my mission! I didn't think we really looked like international detectives, but then again I've never met one (as far as I know...).
We met with our other investigator this week, and his two kids. We began teaching the Restoration after teaching English, and had just gotten to the Joseph Smith story when the father cut us off, explaining the rest of it, and it turns out that he's done the Family English Program before, about 10 years ago, and he doesn't believe the Book of Mormon because of a scripture in Revelations (for reasons why we don't believe that see: https://www.lds.org/general-confere…/…/my-words-never-cease… ). That was said, but we'll meet them as long as they're willing to meet, until the program's done.
On Saturday our ward members went out to pick up trash around the church's neighborhood, and they brought us along with them! It was a really good activity -- Korea in general is really clean, but like any very busy city, there was still plenty to pick up. I was amazed by how many cigarette buttes there are everywhere! I thought about it, and it's pretty logical -- nobody wants to carry around a cigarette butte, especially because it's rather disgusting, so it makes instant litter.
This isn't really special but this week we ate air-roasted chicken while meeting with a member. Is that a thing? IT was pretty mind-blowing for us. Maybe it's just because missionaries are so backwards when compared with modern technology, but wow. This world keeps spinning faster.
Well, that's our week in a nutshell. I just want to leave everybody with a spiritual thought: Isaiah scriptures from the Book of Mormon. Lately I've been reading through 2 Nephi, and I've been really impressed with some of the scriptures he quotes from Isaiah. Among them are: 

2 Nephi 15:5-6 (Compare with Isaiah 5:5-6) - For us to fall into destruction, God only need cease protecting us. 

2 Nephi 15:13 (Compare with Isaiah 5:13) - Ignorance leads people into captivity. 

2 Nephi 15:24 (Compare with Isaiah 5:24) - The prideful will end up with no descendants or ancestors -- they will lose family relationships to the cancer of pride. 

2 Nephi 16:10 (Compare with Isaiah 6:10) - We see with our eyes, and hear with our ears, but we understand with our hearts. 

2 Nephi 19:3 (Compare with Isaiah 9:3) - The joy of the harvest is the joy of expectations borne fruit; the joy of an Old Testament's worth of prophecies being fulfilled, millenia of prophecy, trust, and expectations being manifest in the Savior of mankind. The joy of the spoil is the joy of victory, victory over every fall, every failing, every mistake, and every mishap -- the victory over death and sin, brought by Jesus Christ and His Atonement.

2 Nephi 19:13 (Compare with Isaiah 9:13) - The only reason God would smite Israel would be to turn it back to Him -- to save them, because idol gods can save no man. Israel refused to heed God's warnings, and so were destroyed as a natural result of their own actions. 

2 Nephi 21:3 (Compare with Isaiah 11:3) - Don't judge by what you see, and don't reprove based off of what you hear. We only have half of the picture. Be careful when judging and reproving; judge with righteousness, for the right motives. 

One of the things I am grateful for is the Lord's word, brought to us through prophets and Apostles, who had the wisdom to record it, for all of us who would come after them. I'm grateful for the blessings God rains upon me and my family, which in large part comes from heeding and living the scriptures. 

Best Wishes,
Elder Austin Lynn

15.11.22

This week was a lot of working with records since my companion became sick. We did a lot of good work, and by organizing our records, they're more useful. I also spent a lot of time updating member records, which helped me get to know the members in our ward better. Actually, that was most of the week, if you include making phone calls to get appointments. Necessary work, but not exactly glamorous to recite.
I was able to do exchanges this week though, and work with Elder Ryan from my district. We lived together for a while in Yeonsu, and now we live together in Incheon 2 Ward. We spent the day together working, and we were remarkably blessed in the evening. We thought we should trade phones with the other Elders who were at home, and so we took a different phone out with us after dinner. Not 20 minutes later, I got a phone call from a ward member who wanted to talk to me. We rode a taxi to the church, double time, and a ward member referred us to her nephew. He wants to study the gospel and English with us! He's never gone to church before, and so he doesn't know much about religion. We're very excited to teach him the gospel, and help him receive baptism. He's close to our age, and that's about the age we're focusing on in our mission. That's the age at which people start to wonder about life, and become prepared to hear the gospel. Those are the people who serve missions, marry in the temple, and become future leaders in the kingdom of God.
On the weekend, Elder Dent was on the mend, so we were able to go out and do some things. We attended an English speech competition as special guest judges, by invitation of one of our investigators. It was a fun experience; we helped judge the entrants, then were treated to lunch by the organizers of the event. That evening, we also attended a party at the church, for two sister missionaries who had just returned from their missions. It was great to see how excited the ward was to have them home, and to see their testimony of missionary work, and a determination to carry forward member missionary work.
This week we also had interviews with President. While waiting, we made little planner inserts with a set of scriptures about faith. We're calling it, "The Faith Project." As we've striven to read and think about these scriptures throughout the day, I've found my faith increasing. One of my favorites is this passage from the beginning of the Bible:

"Now Abraham and Sarah were old and well stricken in age; and it ceased to be with Sarah after the manner of women.
Therefore Sarah laughed within herself, saying, After I am waxed old shall I have pleasure, my lord being old also?
And the Lord said unto Abraham, Wherefore did Sarah laugh, saying, Shall I of a surety bear a child, which am old?
Is anything too hard for the Lord?"
(Genesis 18:11-14)

Is anything too hard for the Lord?
Personally, I find the faith of Abraham very inspiring. Perhaps it's for this reason that God commanded ancient Israel, through His prophet Isaiah,

"Hearken unto me, ye that follow after righteousness. Look unto the rock from whence ye are hewn, and to the hole of the pit from whence ye are digged.
"Look unto Abraham, your father, and unto Sarah,she that bare you; for I called him alone, and blessed him."
(2 Nephi 8:1-2/Isaiah 51:1-2)

They're an example for us, of righteousness and faith. Paul wrote to the Romans of Abraham's faith, saying,. 

"[Abraham] against hope believed in hope, that he might become the father of many nations, according to that which was spoken, So shall thy seed be.
"And being not weak in faith, he considered not his own body now dead, when he was about an hundred years old, neither yet the deadness of Sara’s womb:
"He staggered not at the promise of God through unbelief; but was strong in faith, giving glory to God;
"And being fully persuaded that, what he had promised, he was able also to perform.
"And therefore it was imputed to him for righteousness."
(Romans 4:18-22)

Do we ever face moments where we're asked to, against all hope, believe in hope? Are we ever called to ignore our own conditions and believe in God, being not weak in faith? Are we ever in danger of faltering, staggering because of unbelief?
If yes, then we need to remember what strengthened Abraham. God is able to perform what He promises. God will do what He said He would. We have multitudes of promises from God, promising that all will be will if we only love God, love each other, and keep His commandments.
Of course, my interview with President itself was terrific. Being able to talk with him has increased my desire to talk more with my parents at home. I've come to treasure time with mentors, and the most important mentor in any person's life should be their parents. I know they're among the most important people in my life! 

Love,
Elder Austin Lynn