Surprise, surprise! It turns out that this is my last week in Sanbon (산본). I'm a little sad to be leaving so soon,* but I guess that's one unique aspect about missionaries: we don't complain and grumble and drag our feet when we're transferred to a new area, but we hop to it and get ready to go! I found out on Sunday morning, and so that day during church transfers were the talk of the ward. My companion will be staying as a junior companion, and while one of the sisters is ending her mission, her companion will be training! That was a shocker for everybody. Sanbon's going to be quite a young area soon, since the Sister missionary who's training is only in her 6th transfer. I'm really going to miss the people I've taught here, but the only direction to go is upwards and onwards!
I'll be moving to Shihung (시흥) area, in Incheon (인천) Stake. For those of you who've followed my travels, you may realize that Incheon is the first stake I served in (Yeonsu ward, to be specific). So, I'm returning to my home stake! It's neat to note that I may very well end my mission in the same stake I started it. I'll be working with a Korean missionary, who started his mission approximately 3 months ago. In other words, I'll be his first companion, after his trainer! I'm a little nervous, but really excited for the opportunity to get better at Korean! I may very well stop speaking English for a while.
This last week was a good one, but marred with a lot of cancelations. In the midst of it, we were able to meet with Jung (정홍익), one of our most progressing investigators. Most progressing is a more accurate, but less funny appellation than my former distinctions for our favorite investigators: M.V.P. which is to say, Mostly Valuable Player. We taught about the 10 Commandments and Follow the Prophet, which were integrated really well with each other. We briefly reviewed the ten commandments as they're found in the Book of Mormon, and then explained that they still apply to us today, and we know that for sure, thanks to modern revelation. From there, we briefly talked about what truth is, how God is the source of all truth, and how God reveals truth to help us, through prophets. Jung Hong Ik really likes the idea of modern prophets, so we're not worried about him keeping his commitment: to read a talk from last General Conference. It truly is wonderful to have a prophet who will speak truth, cutting through the mists of confusion and opinions. One phrase I used during our lesson that made our investigator smile is a Korean expression: 십인십색. It means that there are as many opinions as there are people. Luckily, we don't have to rely on men's philosophies, because we have the measuring standard of God's eternal, unchanging truths.
We also met our old man, Hwang (황용호). Our brief lesson about Jesus Christ's earthly life and atonement for us went pretty well, but we hit a roadblock when we tried to ask him a few questions. He had a really difficult time understanding what we were trying to ask, since he was making assumptions about what we were saying or wanted to talk about. I think everybody knows how it feels when somebody assumes they know what you're going to say; and now I'm pondering: does God ever feel the same way? I hope we never assume we know what God will say or do. Honestly, it'd be pretty disappointing if, flawed and limited as we are, we were able to understand everything about God and how He thinks.
The highlight for this week was our lesson with a new investigator, Lee (이철우). He approached us some time ago, and last Saturday he asked for an appointment. We went up to the church, and expected to be alone, but it turns out that there was something akin to youth conference going on, and a member of our ward was waiting in the room where we planned to meet. The member stayed for our lesson, and it turned out to be a really good first meeting. We were able to introduce the Book of Mormon, invite him to read a passage, and our member was a superstar in helping us explain some of the differences between our church and others. The Elders in Sanbon will continue to meet him every Saturday with our member present, which will be incredible.
This week's email may be shorter than most; we're crunched for time today. I want to express thanks for everybody back home who's written or prayed for me, and I just want to say that I love all of you! I love being here, but I still love everybody back home just as much! For the record, I'm beginning my 12th transfer, out of 16. Time has passed like money in Vegas (is that an appropriate joke?), and the following transfers loom like a teddy bear -- not too scary, but looks to be more enjoyable than the discounted Baskin Robbins we enjoyed the other day.
I'll be moving to Shihung (시흥) area, in Incheon (인천) Stake. For those of you who've followed my travels, you may realize that Incheon is the first stake I served in (Yeonsu ward, to be specific). So, I'm returning to my home stake! It's neat to note that I may very well end my mission in the same stake I started it. I'll be working with a Korean missionary, who started his mission approximately 3 months ago. In other words, I'll be his first companion, after his trainer! I'm a little nervous, but really excited for the opportunity to get better at Korean! I may very well stop speaking English for a while.
This last week was a good one, but marred with a lot of cancelations. In the midst of it, we were able to meet with Jung (정홍익), one of our most progressing investigators. Most progressing is a more accurate, but less funny appellation than my former distinctions for our favorite investigators: M.V.P. which is to say, Mostly Valuable Player. We taught about the 10 Commandments and Follow the Prophet, which were integrated really well with each other. We briefly reviewed the ten commandments as they're found in the Book of Mormon, and then explained that they still apply to us today, and we know that for sure, thanks to modern revelation. From there, we briefly talked about what truth is, how God is the source of all truth, and how God reveals truth to help us, through prophets. Jung Hong Ik really likes the idea of modern prophets, so we're not worried about him keeping his commitment: to read a talk from last General Conference. It truly is wonderful to have a prophet who will speak truth, cutting through the mists of confusion and opinions. One phrase I used during our lesson that made our investigator smile is a Korean expression: 십인십색. It means that there are as many opinions as there are people. Luckily, we don't have to rely on men's philosophies, because we have the measuring standard of God's eternal, unchanging truths.
We also met our old man, Hwang (황용호). Our brief lesson about Jesus Christ's earthly life and atonement for us went pretty well, but we hit a roadblock when we tried to ask him a few questions. He had a really difficult time understanding what we were trying to ask, since he was making assumptions about what we were saying or wanted to talk about. I think everybody knows how it feels when somebody assumes they know what you're going to say; and now I'm pondering: does God ever feel the same way? I hope we never assume we know what God will say or do. Honestly, it'd be pretty disappointing if, flawed and limited as we are, we were able to understand everything about God and how He thinks.
The highlight for this week was our lesson with a new investigator, Lee (이철우). He approached us some time ago, and last Saturday he asked for an appointment. We went up to the church, and expected to be alone, but it turns out that there was something akin to youth conference going on, and a member of our ward was waiting in the room where we planned to meet. The member stayed for our lesson, and it turned out to be a really good first meeting. We were able to introduce the Book of Mormon, invite him to read a passage, and our member was a superstar in helping us explain some of the differences between our church and others. The Elders in Sanbon will continue to meet him every Saturday with our member present, which will be incredible.
This week's email may be shorter than most; we're crunched for time today. I want to express thanks for everybody back home who's written or prayed for me, and I just want to say that I love all of you! I love being here, but I still love everybody back home just as much! For the record, I'm beginning my 12th transfer, out of 16. Time has passed like money in Vegas (is that an appropriate joke?), and the following transfers loom like a teddy bear -- not too scary, but looks to be more enjoyable than the discounted Baskin Robbins we enjoyed the other day.
Love and smiles,
Elder Austin Lynn
Elder Austin Lynn
*Disclaimer: I've only been companions with Elder Stapp in our combined area for one transfer. Before that, I was here for five transfers. In other words, I've been here since last Thanksgiving.
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