Things are already starting to get a bit hectic as one of Korea's biggest holidays draws nigh...
It's amazing, but people are already becoming difficult to meet, even though Korea's thanksgiving family holiday is still a week away. So, this week focused a lot more on finding people, than teaching them.
The hands down best finding moment of this week was talking to a man in a subway station for close to an hour. He was initially aggressive, declaring we didn't believe the Bible, and that the Book of Mormon was "unnecessary," but after pulling out the copy of the Bible I always have with me, and talking a bit, he became much more civil. Once he accepted that the Bible we had was standard, he prodded us again, assuming we didn't study it at all. We shot that down, explaining that we study it every day, and that the Book of Mormon is meant to work hand in hand with that. He assumed we didn't know anything about it, but after a brief conversation, he was forced to admit that "we knew a little bit." As a side note, one thing that has frustrated me at times on my mission is the fact that there have been people who assume I know far less than I do, because of the language barrier. Of course there's nothing I can say besides, "I don't know," when you're talking about the law of circumcision in a foreign language that I've only been learning for a month! But, I've learned that that doesn't matter at all; civility, love, and testimony is what matters the most.
After we had established that we believed in and loved the Bible, we moved on to the Book of Mormon. He claimed that it taught a different path; we disagreed, and endeavored to show that the Book of Mormon reaffirms what the Bible teaches: there is one gospel, and that gospel is the road to eternal life. The Book of Mormon teaches about the same Jesus Christ, and teaches the same doctrines of His gospel. He wondered if the Book of Mormon contained prophecies, and if they had been fulfilled; we responded that it was chalk full of them, many of which have been fulfilled, and are currently being fulfilled. He slowly become more friendly, and we were able to teach a lot about Joseph Smith, and how the Book of Mormon came to our day. He believed that an apostasy occurred after Christ's lifetime; we invited him to discover whether that apostasy had ended in glorious restoration, as we believe.
The best part of the conversation was that not only did we get his phone number, but he accepted a copy of the Book of Mormon, which he admitted, he has not read. We encouraged him to read from 3 Nephi, where the Savior ministers to the Nephite people after His Resurrection. We promised him that if he'd compare it to the Bible, he'd discover that it's the same Jesus, teaching the same Gospel, because God is the same.
Last Sunday was our ward conference. It was a lovely Sabbath meeting, made even sweeter by the ward activity the day before. On Saturday, the saints of Incheon 2 Ward met together to do service for the neighborhood, and to do missionary work. I was in charge of the team of missionaries and members who were assigned to proselyte right outside the church. I think the members realized how difficult missionary contacting can be when our ward mission leader commented, "Wow, it can be difficult to find potential investigators." He'd been rejected a few times before making that comment. I thought a bit about the relationship between rejection and faith as I watched members work up courage, approach somebody, then be flat-out rejected. I've experienced it a lot too. What I've come to realize is that everything is internal. Success, or failure; fear or courage, is internal, and we can't base it on outward circumstances. The Lord looketh on the heart; not on what's in our hands.
After the proselyting activity, we had a huge barbecue in the parking lot of the church. I remember thinking, "If this was America, there'd be hotdogs." They then brought out kimchi and chicken flavored franks of their own! The ward did a great job providing a wonderful dinner, and an atmosphere of friendship.
This week was pretty slow outside of that event; but I did really enjoy giving a district training this past Wednesday. We talked about ways to receive the Spirit more fully in our life, and discussed what we can do to more effectively follow the promptings of the Holy Ghost. I thought it was strange that my hometown friend Bradie Johnson (Sister Johnson) was on the floor below, being trained in another district. Isn't it strange how things can turn out?
It's amazing, but people are already becoming difficult to meet, even though Korea's thanksgiving family holiday is still a week away. So, this week focused a lot more on finding people, than teaching them.
The hands down best finding moment of this week was talking to a man in a subway station for close to an hour. He was initially aggressive, declaring we didn't believe the Bible, and that the Book of Mormon was "unnecessary," but after pulling out the copy of the Bible I always have with me, and talking a bit, he became much more civil. Once he accepted that the Bible we had was standard, he prodded us again, assuming we didn't study it at all. We shot that down, explaining that we study it every day, and that the Book of Mormon is meant to work hand in hand with that. He assumed we didn't know anything about it, but after a brief conversation, he was forced to admit that "we knew a little bit." As a side note, one thing that has frustrated me at times on my mission is the fact that there have been people who assume I know far less than I do, because of the language barrier. Of course there's nothing I can say besides, "I don't know," when you're talking about the law of circumcision in a foreign language that I've only been learning for a month! But, I've learned that that doesn't matter at all; civility, love, and testimony is what matters the most.
After we had established that we believed in and loved the Bible, we moved on to the Book of Mormon. He claimed that it taught a different path; we disagreed, and endeavored to show that the Book of Mormon reaffirms what the Bible teaches: there is one gospel, and that gospel is the road to eternal life. The Book of Mormon teaches about the same Jesus Christ, and teaches the same doctrines of His gospel. He wondered if the Book of Mormon contained prophecies, and if they had been fulfilled; we responded that it was chalk full of them, many of which have been fulfilled, and are currently being fulfilled. He slowly become more friendly, and we were able to teach a lot about Joseph Smith, and how the Book of Mormon came to our day. He believed that an apostasy occurred after Christ's lifetime; we invited him to discover whether that apostasy had ended in glorious restoration, as we believe.
The best part of the conversation was that not only did we get his phone number, but he accepted a copy of the Book of Mormon, which he admitted, he has not read. We encouraged him to read from 3 Nephi, where the Savior ministers to the Nephite people after His Resurrection. We promised him that if he'd compare it to the Bible, he'd discover that it's the same Jesus, teaching the same Gospel, because God is the same.
Last Sunday was our ward conference. It was a lovely Sabbath meeting, made even sweeter by the ward activity the day before. On Saturday, the saints of Incheon 2 Ward met together to do service for the neighborhood, and to do missionary work. I was in charge of the team of missionaries and members who were assigned to proselyte right outside the church. I think the members realized how difficult missionary contacting can be when our ward mission leader commented, "Wow, it can be difficult to find potential investigators." He'd been rejected a few times before making that comment. I thought a bit about the relationship between rejection and faith as I watched members work up courage, approach somebody, then be flat-out rejected. I've experienced it a lot too. What I've come to realize is that everything is internal. Success, or failure; fear or courage, is internal, and we can't base it on outward circumstances. The Lord looketh on the heart; not on what's in our hands.
After the proselyting activity, we had a huge barbecue in the parking lot of the church. I remember thinking, "If this was America, there'd be hotdogs." They then brought out kimchi and chicken flavored franks of their own! The ward did a great job providing a wonderful dinner, and an atmosphere of friendship.
This week was pretty slow outside of that event; but I did really enjoy giving a district training this past Wednesday. We talked about ways to receive the Spirit more fully in our life, and discussed what we can do to more effectively follow the promptings of the Holy Ghost. I thought it was strange that my hometown friend Bradie Johnson (Sister Johnson) was on the floor below, being trained in another district. Isn't it strange how things can turn out?
Sorry for a short letter,
Elder Austin Lynn
Elder Austin Lynn
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