Weekly letter June 29, 2014

First off, we weren't able to meet with our investigator B last Saturday, because of work. Work's becoming a bit of a problem, because he can't come to church either. We've actually written him a note to give to his boss, asking for church time off. We teach B English and Korean, because his English is pretty solid, but his Korean can use a lot of work, especially since everyone he works with speaks Korean, or a different foreign language. He picks it up pretty quick, but definitely isn't fluent. He did make it to English class on Friday, however! I talked to him before the class started, and he kept his reading commitment, and read 3 Nephi 11! He had trouble understanding some of it, but it was so exciting that he read it. When investigators keep their commitments, it shows that they have real intent, which opens the door for revelation. I hope we can resolve his problem with work soon, because Billy is so golden.

I learned more about Gasman! It turns out, he's called So Dok Cha in Korean (독차) which means "poison dispersion car!" He sprays out pesticide. We finally solved the mystery of Gasman. It's crazy that they just drive around spraying gas everywhere. It's pretty thick! You don't wanna be outside when he comes around.

Koreans like to use English words and phrases a lot, but it's usually got really basic mistakes in it. We see that all the time on signs and things. An example is the special KFC ads in Korea for the world cup are "Korea Fighting With Chicken." I'm not sure exactly what that's supposed to mean... whether they're using chicken as a weapon, or if chickens are their enemies. Who knows?

Our investigator (the old, poor one) wandered by the church the other day, right after we'd finished teaching a lesson, and we ended up giving him a tour and going over the first lesson with him! It turns out he'd come 30 minutes early (in the middle of an earlier lesson) but we'd forgotten the keys, so we were in a different area, waiting for the other Elders. What a miracle that he came back a half-hour later! If we'd been there, it would've been pretty awkward with the two of them, but because we'd forgotten our keys, everything worked out perfectly. Sometimes, God is in the smallest of details, working things out for our benefit. Chwae In Guk (최 인 국) also came to church! He remarked that it was noisy, which we were guilty as charged. There's a lot of children at church. However, he stayed for all three meetings, including gospel principles, which is taught by the ward mission leader! That was really good, and he learned about the plan of salvation. We're meeting with him again this week.

We've been working with an inactive Sister, and she came out to church this Sunday! We asked her if she'd play with us for a special musical number, and she agreed! She played the flute while the missionaries sang, "Abide With Me, Tis Eventide" in Korean. It went pretty well, and the members were really excited to see Ha Hyun Suk (하현숙) at church! We also had several other less-actives we've been working with there, so Bishop was really pleased with that.

Speaking of Bishop, he's such a wild card! When we first got here, he wasn't a big fan of the missionaries. As a matter of fact, when we asked if we could attend P.E.C., he literally thought we were joking! He laughed for a minute, then said, "Go do real missionary work!" He said that several times after. Of course, real missionary work is so much more than just proselyting. Working with the members is far more effective. One night, all of the Elders sat down, and we started discussing how we can get Bishop and the ward to trust us, because we need their help. We decided that gok, (곢) (at all cost, any price, etc) we had to get somebody out to church that Sunday. With that fire, we did it! As we continued to work hard, especially visiting less-actives, Bishop started to see that we were working hard, and he eventually started telling us who not to visit, which progressed to telling us who to visit, and eventually we made it into meetings with him! That was really rewarding. Bishop's been Bishop in Yeonsu twice, which says a lot about the members, and how hard he works. He said, "it's fun!" That's so unusual in Korea, where the church is seen as a burden sometimes. We played soccer with lessactives, potential investigators, and some of the youth last Saturday, and Bishop showed up! We joked that he was going to play, and thought it was pretty funny when we saw him doing stretches. We realized he was serious when he did a warm up lap! He played as goalie that day, and became friends with everybody we got to come out. On Sunday he told us that he wants us to do soccer every week, and when we suggested somebody in the ward be given the task of being the soccer coordinator, he responded, "Aju choin idea! (literally 아주좋은 idea!)!" (Very good idea!) That same day, in a combined Priesthood/Relief society meeting, Bishop stood up and said that he's found that the more he works with the missionaries, the more effective missionary work is in the ward! That was such a blessing and answer to our prayers to hear him say that. It blew us away. Things have really changed here!

Another amazing experience at church: A less-active we'd visited only a few weeks after I got here gave a talk in Sacrament meeting. She related an experience she had with us! She talked about how she'd never really understood the commandments (a really common thing in Korea, and perhaps even the church at large) and how she asked us about the whole "punishment" thing when we visited her. It was amazing to hear her talk about this, because I remembered exactly what she was talking about! Elder W wasn't sure what to say, so he turned to me, and the answer I gave (translated through him) was, "Sometimes our punishment is not receiving the blessings we receive from keeping the commandments." At the time, we didn't know if we'd had any success with her, because she didn't come to church that next week, and we didn't hear from her again. But it turns out that the answer really made sense to her, and caused her to reflect on the blessings she's received throughout her life as she's kept the commandments, and how unfortunate it would've been if she hadn't received those blessings! It really strengthered her faith in God, and that He truly loves her. That was a major teaching experience for me. At the time, we didn't know the effect my answer had, and I didn't realize how inspired it was -- because an answer that has an effect like that is an inspired one, given of the Spirit -- and this experience taught me that you don't always feel the Spirit in the moment when you're inspired, and you can never know what effect the things you say have! I can only imagine what it will be like after this life, when we learn what an effect we've had on those around us.

One thing that's already surprising me is how quickly the time is passing. I'm over halfway through my second transfer already! We sit down for weekly planning on Friday, and it feels like we did it yesterday! Time really is passing so quickly. I've come to realize what a precious commodity it is on my mission.

A pretty big thing I learned from my Book of Mormon study recently is what I've termed "The Deceitful Doctrines of the Devil." I've written it all out in my study journal, and as I continue reading through the Book of Mormon, it helps me really hone in on what the Anti-Christs like Sherem are teaching, and how it conflicts with God's truths. The more we understand the tactics Lucifer uses, the easier it is to thwart him and remain safe. 2 Nephi 28 is a really good place to start for that. Another thing was a really powerful analogy, which I've labeled "The Consequences of Careless Crossing." The crux of it is that if you cross the street when the light is red, it has all sorts of far-reaching effects. I don't have the time to write it out,  but some of them are the concept that you're literally taking your life into your own hands, and how while most of the time it'll be okay, there may be a time when something tragic happens, or how your little sibling might see you, and think it's okay to do that. My companion and I have really discussed it, and it's a powerful way to teach about the commandments, and the safety we find in them, while also helping us grow as people. Next week I'll bring my study journal and write down the miniature talk I wrote about it, because it really affected me.

After church, my companion had a baptismal interview with one of the Sister missionaries' investigators, Ii Sung Mi (이 성 미), and she passed! She'd had a bit of a struggle with the Word of Wisdom, but overcame a coffee addiction through fasting. Wow! She was really golden, and was converted over a period of one month. The Elders gave her a blessing when she was just starting out with the Word of Wisdom, and I was the one she asked to give it. She's fluent in English, so I was able to do it in English. During the interview, my companion called me over, and Ii Sung Mi asked me to baptize her!  This Saturday I'll be performing my first baptism -- in Korean! -- and the first missionary baptism in Yeonsu in years! The ward is so excited, as the missionaries are.

We had a meal with my favorite members (the mother/son duo) last Saturday, and she gave a good suggestion for my Korean name that Elder W is now thinking about! Originally, it was 임수천 (Im Su Chun), to go along with his 서천 (literally translated, west river (Westbrook)), but he wasn't sure, so we asked her! She suggested 임광천 (Im Guang Chun). The middle character means, "bright" like a light! Sounds like I'm gonna be related to Brother Chun, huh? The first name has a ton of different meanings (maybe you could ask Brother Chun!) but the second one is bright, combined with any of the various meanings for Chun (such as river, diety, etc). I'l try to give you more description next week. The meal went really well, and we got to see a painting she did (attached)! Sorry the picture's blurry, I forgot to check it immediately after. That is literally a giant painting of the classic Jesus Christ picture! That Korean is her son (sorry if that's really obvious!). This week's going to be really exciting! Lots of things going on in Yeonsu! We've finally started a fire here, and things are really picking up.

 

Until next week,

Elder Austin Lynn

Weekly Letter 6/22/2014

 A little girl we sat behind drew a picture of me during sacrament meeting (attached)! She's really nice, but pretty rambunctious. A little like Grace, maybe?

 

Here's the poem I recited at last week's District Meeting Poetry Slam Jam!

The Conductor of Nazareth

 

Music soothes the savage beast 
It heightens the mood at a banquet feast

 

It calms your soul in times of trouble, 
And inspires you, when you're on the bubble!

 

Every soul has its own reaction, 
To music's moving traction

 

Each music notes unique
Appealing to the proud and the meek

 

Not everyone likes A sharp,
Or the twinkling springing of the harp

 

Some folks only tolerate a B
When it's part of a full symphony

 

Some swear by piano only,
While another says, "The Flute's the one for me."

 

Humans are like a musical scale
Without beginning or end to a wondrous tale

 

Alone, I'm one note fading,
Together, we're a melody, building

 

We can touch everyone
Playing the music of the Son

 

He's the great divine Conductor
Who causes walls to break and hearts to rupture

 

He made me and you and them
He knows which song will reveal soul's hidden gem

 

Let your will be swallowed up 
By Him who drank the bitter cup

 

Piano keys don't always understand
The all-knowing, omnipotent hand.

 

Learn to recognize Christ's fingerprints,
And you'll always hear the Spirit's hints.

 

You'll know just how to play your part
To touch a fellow human's heart.

  

While I'm at it, I thought I'd share my most recent GSP (Gospel Song Parody), based off of the song, "All-Star."

 

All-Star

The Master has told me

I shouldn't be so worldly

It doesn't matter what's on my head

 

I was feelin kinda flat

With my logo namebrand hat

Bringin shade to the tip of my forehead

 

Well, the years start comin and they don't stop comin

Back to His rules and to church I'll go runnin

 

Didn't make sense just to live for one

It shrinks your heart and it dims the sun

 

So much to do, so much to see

Including feeding the hungry

 

You'll never know if you don't try

You'll never shine if He's not nigh

 

Hey now, you're an allstar

Read your scriptures, go, pray

Hey now, you're a rockstar

Do some service, no pay!

 

Selfishness is like mold

Only selfless souls break the mould

 

It's a cruel place

They say it gets crueler

Your heart's hurt now, wait till you get older

The teachings of Christ beg to differ,

Judgin how for you and me He suffered

 

The life I live is gettin pretty thin

My spirit's gettin worn and I don't ever wanna sin

 

My heart's on fire, how bout yours?

That's the way I like it and I'll never get bored

 

Hey now, I'm an allstar

I'll read my scriptures and pray,

Hey now, I'm a rockstar,

I'll do service, no pay!

 

Selfishness is like mold

Only selfless souls, break the mould

 

My bishop once asked if I have a sinful past

That's taken me out of life's race

I said, "Nope!" That was pretty dope.

I had used a little grace myself,

And we can all use a little change!

 

Well, the trials start comin and they don't stop comin'

Back to repentin' and I'll hit the ground runnin!

 

Doesn't make sense just to live for one

Unless His name is the Son of God!

 

So much to do, so much to see

And it won't be for just me

 

You'll never know how to rise

If you never learn to sacrifice

 

Hey now, you're an allstar

One of Jesus' rays

Hey now, you're a rockstar

You'll know just what to say:

 

All that uplifts is God!

Only sin rusts the Iron Rod

 

Selfishness is like mold!

Only selfless souls break the mould

 

So that happened. I just thought I'd share those with you. I thought some people might enjoy them.

In other news, this week none of our investigators came to church, but several less-actives we've been working with did! It was really rewarding to see lost sheep return to the fold. B didn't come to church, but we did meet with him Saturday night. We reviewed lesson 1, and he retained a lot! He remembered how the priesthood is like being knighted (which he came up with!) and he really opened up to us at the end about how he's been searching his whole life, and his heart was just never content. I really hope he understands that the feelings he has when we talk together -- which he recognized again during the lesson -- are what will fill that hole in his heart, and that he's being led to the truth. So we taught more about the Spirit, and we actually had to teach him how to use the scriptures! Literally how to find Books in the Book of Mormon, and how to recognize a chapter, etc. That was new! I'd never done that before, but realized it's pretty important for people without a Christian background.

We met with a potential named J, who's a Korean who speaks pretty good English, then found out he's actually an inactive member! He was a clerk at one point! He fell away because he wasn't very social, and didn't like talking to people at church. Apparently, Bishop's good friends with his dad, who goes to a different ward! Unfortunately, J has no relationship with his parents anymore. He believes in the scriptures, and still prays, but figures he's fine if he just does good things like helping people every once in a while. We just really testified of the additional blessings that living all parts of the gospel can bring into your life. He liked our sincerity, though he wouldn't come to church. We're going to try and keep meeting with him, which surprised him, since he said he wouldn't go to church. Even if he never returns, we'll still be his friends.

That same statements pretty similar to one we made yesterday to a man we met -- Chwae In Guk. He used to be really wealthy, playing the stock market, but now, at age 50, he's lost it all. We met him the first time on the street, while we were trying to find an address in the poor area of Yeonsu. He was familiar with our church, and had met with missionaries before, about 20 years ago, but got busy with work. Of course, that's no longer an issue, since he's not affluent anymore. We sat down with him in a park and taught him a condensed version of the first lesson. We saw him later, walking around that same area, and he just goes, "Hmph. Come on. Follow me." We follow him to his house, and he has us sit down inside his little two-room apartment. He walks into the room holding a butcher knife, makes eye-contact with us, and says, "Don't be scared." Whoa! He walks over to the fridge and slices up a watermelon, but we were pretty freaked out for a moment! As we sat there and ate watermelon in his home, he just opened up to us all about his past, how he was greedy, and how he put off having a family, and now he has nothing. No family, no money, no faith, no health. He literally said that a cigarette is his only friend. I forgot to mention, but he speaks English, so I could actually understand everything he told us. He really reminded me of the poor Zoramites in the Book of Mormon that Alma taught. They'd been humbled by God, and were now ready for the gospel, as opposed to before when they were raised up in pride by their riches. I really think this man is ready for our message. He asked some good questions, and said he'd come to church this Sunday. I have a good feeling about him.

We have this dry cleaning lady who lives near our house, and we've been teaching her the gospel! Sort-of. Every time we stop in, we always end up talking about religion. She really opened up last time we talked with her. She's sincerely looking for religion right now, but isn't sure where to go. Classic Joseph Smith story. As you know, sometimes the straps on the back of ties wear, and part of it falls off. I had a few ties like that, and she was able to fix four or five ties, for $2.00! That's one example of the kind of service that's easy to find in Korea, but trickier back in America.

 At the priesthood meeting last Friday (I think it's P.E.C. It's basically just the bishopric and the ward mission leader) the missionaries were invited to talk about their investigators for a few minutes. Elder W walks them through, and just as we get up to leave, so they can continue the meeting, Bishop tells us to sit down! He chews out Elder W for talking so much, and asks me to say something, anything. I don't even remember what I said. I told him that the missionaries want to sing a special musical number in two weeks, and how we talked about that with inactives. Bishop was really impressed, and told Elder W that he and Elder T (the other senior companion in Yeonsu) that they need to let Elder R and I (the junior companions) speak more often. Bishop said my pronunciation was good.  My goal is to be fluent by the end of transfer! It's kind of a joke, but I'm learning so fast, and working so hard, that I think I could definitely be pretty proficient with the language, as long as I remain humble and meek. Some of the missionaries are actually fairly concerned for the mission, because it's about to get really young. In July, a ton of missionaries go home, and a lot arrive. While the mission won't get much smaller, all the missionaries here will be pretty green. That means that the overall Korean speaking ability (among other things, like teaching) of the mission will go down quite a bit. In 6 months or so, almost all of the "good" missionaries will be gone, which means that my generations really gonna have to step up as leaders and speakers. I'm sure we're up for the challenge. For some reason, Elder W is convinced that I'm going to end up a district leader, and train by the end of my mission. I'm curious for what the future holds, but my focus is in the here and now. I need to be able to speak to people and express myself!

I received a witness of my progress yesterday, when we had a meal with the Ward Mission Leader. We ate with him once before, when I'd only been in country a couple of weeks. This time, I was able to understand almost everything being said, and I'm getting to the point where I can be pretty witty in Korean! It was so great, especially when I gave the spiritual thought at the end. I'd given it last time too, so I'm sure Ward Mission Leader was thinking about the difference between now and then. I've really progressed so far, though I have a long way to go still. I know that as long as I continue keeping the rules and doing my best, I'll make it there someday!

While I was saying my nightly prayer last night, a memory entered my mind, with great force. It was from years and years ago, back home. Christian had thrown something of mine down the stairs, and broken a part of it. I was really upset, and dad started scolding Christian. I'm pretty sure he didn't cry in real life, but in my remembering he started crying. I could tell that I was remembering this as an adult, and not as the child I was then, because I was so much wiser. I felt so awful. I had a taste of Godly sorrow -- I was filled to the brim with regret and anguish. Why was it a big deal to me? Why didn't I realize my relationship with my little brother was so much more important than any material possession? How might've things changed if I'd just thrown my arms around him and forgiven him? My soul was utterly consumed with regret. I prayed harder and harder, and came to a point, where I felt the Spirit, as I pleaded with the Lord for forgiveness. Family truly is more important than anything else. I never want to have regrets like that. I want to remember that experience for the rest of my life, and remember it the way God wants me to -- to urge me to be better, not to be dragged down in despair. God truly does forgive us of our mistakes. I've experienced it personally. It reminds me of a quote from Joseph Smith:

"Search your heart, and see if you are like God. I have searched mine, and feel to repent of all my sins."

Our ultimate goal is to be reunited with Heavenly Father. To do that, we need to repent of all our sins. I love the way he words it: search your heart. Search your heart for those things that cause you pain, then plead and struggle with Heavenly Father until the issue is resolved. I'm so glad I did. Now, I have a learning experience, instead of a painful one.

Never forget that Heavenly Father's arm is stretched out to take you back, to forgive you.

Love,
Elder Austin Lynn

Weekly letter 6/15/2014

Pics of the Sky Garden...

We visited the artificial island Songdo with Elder P, since it was his last P-Day here. We ran into a less-active at the subway station, and she took us to the UN building called the "G-Tower!" She got us in, and we got to look out over the island from the "Sky Garden," which was gorgeous. That was a really fun experience that couldn't have happened unless we were in exactly the right place at the right time. Kudos to the Lord for that miracle!

The other day we went to visit some inactives -- the ones where we found a service opportunity, even though they weren't home -- and we had another experience even though they weren't home! We decided to also visit the man who gave us water, and he wasn't home. As we were leaving the apartment building, we heard an announcement over their intercom -- there was food and games! We asked a grandpa about it, and he walked us over to where it was! It looked like a neighborhood block party -- Korean style. We weren't sure if we were supposed to be there, but this grandpa walks over to the people putting the event on, and gets us OK'd. They start giving us all this free food, and people are snapping pictures, and we finally find out the person in charge is the woman we talked to about the service opportunity there! It was as if a celebrity showed up to the neighborhood barbecue.

The other day all of the district leaders had a special meeting, so I went on exchanges to Mansu area. That day, they had a service project, so I got to do that with them. Their ward takes care of a farm, so we got to go farming! Except, the farming they were doing was literally pulling weeds for two hours. It was okay, though not what anybody was envisioning. After that, we helped one of the members move. Boy, did that bring back memories. That took around four hours. I'm still sore in the legs! But, we got the coolest reward. Nobody knew this, but the brother has an insole business, like you put in shoes. He brought all four missionaries down to his office, and made us all free, custom insoles! We each received one pair for our church shoes, and one for our regular shoes. He sells them for a little over 40$, so I got over 80$ of custom insoles from a member in a different area! What a score!

We had a lesson with B, our investigator from the Philippines. It was incredible. It was like watching an episode of "The District!" The Spirit was so powerful as we taught him the first lesson. He accepted all of the teachings so well, and contributed on his own! The member we had there -- B. B.  -- was absolutely rock solid too. I'll talk more about him later. One of the neat things about the lesson was when he compared the priesthood to being knighted! That showed us he really understood the concept of the authority. I'd never made that comparison before, haha. Another point that was good was when we explained prophets, and he understood that there needed to be another prophet for the church to be restored! One of my favorite things was how he talked about having special feelings about Christ's name, and hearing prayers from when he was young. He talked about how when he thinks about Jesus Christ, it calms him down even though he's short-tempered. I'm so grateful I was prompted to ask about that part of his background, because then we were able to teach about the Holy Ghost, and how that's what those feelings were, and he totally understood! He pointed at his arm, and he had goosebumps! We had totally just shared a spiritual experience together! It was a little worrisome when we taught the Book of Mormon, because we'd neglected to explain exactly what it was, so he thought it was a different translation of the bible, and he started talking about how he believes you can't change the bible
or add to it, so he honestly couldn't believe in the Book of Mormon and First Vision. If I hadn't asked him if he believed those things were possible, we would've never found out about that concern, and we would've lost Billy. Instead, we were able to explain that the Book of Mormon is a record from a people in a different part of the world, also testifying of Christ, together with the bible. When he understood what it was, he asked us for a copy! We were so pleased with that. We love Billy so much. He's been so prepared for the message of the Restoration, it's incredible. We're really excited to meet with him again. We're probably going to watch this video with him, because he really likes videos: http://www.mormonchannel.org/video/mormon-messages?im=true

It's gonna blow him away. The Spirit is always so powerful during this video.

So, things are going great with Billy. Hopefully his testimony of Christ will help him stand firm in the midst of the adversary's whirlwinds, because they're certainly coming for him. Satan will never allow us to do something good, unimpeded.

So, the B family! There foreigners from America. Brother B is here working for Samsung Biologic. They're awesome. He's got a solid testimony. He was converted at age 18, after investigating the church for two years. It was funny, there were a couple of parallels with our family's history, like how his wife was always a member, and how his dad passed away, leaving just his mom. It's interesting that we're all so different, but we can all empathize with so many different experiences.

We were walking past an exercise park the other day, and a grandma motions us over, so we can try out her giant metal hoola hoop! That was really cool, actually.

That's all for this week! I love all of you so much, and I love hearing from home! God bless.

Love,

Elder Austin Lynn

Weekly letter 6/08/2014

This week was incredible! This last week we went hunting for Russians, and after a couple days, we found them! We were going door to door one day, and we found a couple Russian families, and an old lady who was Christian! Even though we can't speak Russian, we got some materials in Russian, and went back! It took us a couple of trys, but we finally got them, and we gave them a Restoration and Plan of Salvation phamphlet! I'm not sure where that's going to go, but I thought it was really funny since the other Elders in Yeonsu are teaching an incredible Russian man right now. Also, when I say "Russian," I mean, "Koreans who only speak Russian." It's so strange. We called our hunt, "The Hunt for Blazing Red June." The summers here get pretty toasty, and it's already pretty warm! Whoo!

Here's a piece of advice from Elder Ballard that I thought was really interesting: he suggests that every family has a PMG that they study from together! He said missionaries and their families would receive more blessings as they share what they learn. I think that would be an incredible blessing to the family, and would help them learn more about what I'm doing, and what they can do.

Last week was transfer calls. Since I'm still being trained I wasn't really in danger, but we lost our beloved Elder P. I was really good friends with him, so it'll be sad to see him go. However, I know that it's the Lord's will, so I'm sure things will still be good when his replacement Elder gets here.

Lately there's been an emphasis on testifying in our training, and it's really paid off! The other night we were walking home, and started talking to three kids. They were kind-of mocking us for the whole "Elder" thing, especially since I'm only 20, and I thought, "that's it." I said, "We're called Elders because we have the priesthood." And then Elder W was able to explain what the priesthood was, and I followed up with, "Also, we've been called by a prophet of God." And that was awesome. When we left, those kids really respected us. What a drastic difference! I'm certain they were reflecting on our words that night. We had a similar experience with an atheist outside a subway. My companion asked just one of his reasons for being atheist, and he told us that God's never appeared to anyone, or to him. Elder W immediately responded with Joseph Smith, and I swung in with this analogy (aided by my companion). "Have you ever been to America?" "No." "How do you know it exists?" He knew exactly where we were going, and it was like how in the scriptures it says people are "confounded." It was actually pretty cool. We were talking about that as we walked away, and I had this thought: "Is not another person's faith a picture of deity?" Isn't our textbooks about geography the scriptures, and our witnesses those with a testimony? As Alma said, all things denote there is a God.

Speaking of the scriptures, I finished Isaiah last Sunday! Lots of good stuff, but I'm afraid I didn't receive as much revelation as I would've liked. I'm sure the more I study the rest of the scriptures and grow in knowledge and understanding of the Jews of Isaiah's day, it'll become more clear to me. But for now, most of Isaiah seems pretty simple. I'm sure there's something I'm missing. Anyways, I'm in Jeremiah right now, and that's pretty good, though a bit dark. I finished the Pearl of Great Price, and I restarted the Book of Mormon, and I'm in 2 Nephi right now. Once I finish the Old Testament, I'm going to start the New, and I'm really excited for that.

We went bowling last P-Day, and it was so much fun! There's a place right by our house, and it's dirt cheap! Seriously, less than 2$ for a game. We're going to go again with Elder P today, to celebrate before he leaves. I actually did pretty well, even though we were sort of goofing off. At one point, I threw the ball, turned around as I dropped to my knees, and lifted my hands up in a victory pose. Without even looking, I heard all the pins fall down, and everybody was just stunned! Striiiiike! It was lots of fun doing silly things like that.

After church last Sunday, the whole ward got together and had a meal! There was a lot of good food there, but afterwards, the bishop had the missionaries do all the dishes! We were doing dishes for like 2 hours! It was fun though, especially with a couple of the members helping. We bonded a lot during that time, and everybody had a great time at the meal.

I had an idea for the quorom: Elder G (the financial manager-type person (a Senior missionary in our mission, who's actually fairly young)) was telling us about how he and his wife knew they wanted to serve a mission, but kind of just kept putting it off. Then, after a conference, they received revelation from one of the talks that they needed to put down a date on when to submit their papers. They did, and they got them submitted by that date. I was just thinking that if each member of the quorom committed to have their papers in by a certain date that they and their family choose, that would be so incredible! The Lord would really bless them, and it would make the mission "real," while also helping them get started on their papers. Just a thought I had.

I taught English class for beginners last week, and it was really fun! I did pretty well with keeping the other missionaries in the room involved in teaching, giving them roles, and I worked really hard at keeping each class member involved and contributing. The class went really well, and bishop brought watermelon after it was over! With everybody talking and eating watermelon together, it really felt like that last class before the summer break! The more I teach English class, the more I think about teaching as a career. It'll definitely be something for me to pray about when I return.

We started teaching a referral from the Sisters this week whose name is B. He's from the Phillipines, and doesn't speak Korean. His English is pretty solid. I'd say fluent, just without a native's vocabulary. It's stunning. We just did HBT with him and taught about how God is our loving Heavenly Father, and he accepted it all really well. He's a Catholic who hasn't gone to church in years, and he's not very familiar with the bible, but he really wants to learn more about Christ, and (here's a funny thing) he likes watching things, so we gave him the link to the Life of Jesus Christ bible videos! Hopefully he really likes those. He even mentioned how you're blessed for believing in God without seeing Him, which is amazing to hear from somebody after all these people who will say something like, "well, God's never appeared to me." He's really golden. I love him.

We were down on the artificial island Sungdo last Saturday, and we had a miraculous afternoon! As we went to visit a member, we started talking to this old lady, and it turns out that she's the second counselor in the bishopric's mother-in-law! Wow! And, she's not a member! We're going to try and get something started with her. Anyways, that member wasn't home, so we want to the second one, who lived in the same apartment neighberhood. He wasn't home, but as we were standing outside the door, two people walk down. We talk with them, and tell them the address we were trying to visit, and it turns out that the member is the woman's father! So we met this member's daughter and son-in-law, both of whom aren't members. Isn't that insane?! Anyways, we go to visit the third member, and she's home. A member we ate with last week opens the door, and we were stunned to see him! It turns out he'd been visiting her. He left soon after we got there. There was another man there, who asked us if we were from the "strange church." Obviously non-member. We found out five minutes later that he's actually the bishop in a different ward, and had been messing with us! It turns out the member, the grandma, and the bishop were all family members. Anyways, the bishop from this other ward orders us some food, and insists we eat! So we eat this delicious food that's delivered right to the house, and we're stuffed. Somebody knocks on the door, and the bishop walks over, with a thing of chicken that had just been delivered! We were so full, we had to take leftovers home. It was so good. There was this soup (some kind of fish soup; there was a mussel in one of the bowls) and it was so spicy I took one small sip, and literally started crying. It was brutal. Luckily, we didn't have to eat that. It was definitely the spiciest thing I've had in my life.

That's it for this week!

Love, 
Elder Austin Lynn

Austin's weekly letter 6/01/2014

This week was another awesome week in the service of our God!

First off, questions for home.

People have been asking me where my ancestors are from, and the origin of my family name. I'm not really sure, save the Netherlands and England (I think?) and I know nothing about our family name's origin or meaning. If you could find that out, that'd be incredible.

A funny moment from this week: My Racist Companion! There are two Korean brothers who come to English class pretty consistently. Their English names are Michael and Mario, and I think they're 7 and 12? Nobody knows. Anyways, they're pretty distinctive looking, with a unique facial structure, glasses, etc. They live in the apartment building next to ours, and we've been working with their family a lot. They have a lot of potential. :) Anyways, while we were walking down the street the other day, we saw two Koreans, and Elder W shouts out, "Hey, Michael, Mario!" He runs up to them, and shakes their hands.

It wasn't Michael and Mario.

He chats with them about English class, and church stuff, and walks with them for a little while, until he realizes that the house they walked too isn't Michael and Mario's. I knew it wasn't them and when he said hi, it really threw me. I was just following really confused, and when Elder W realized what was going on, I just leaned over and said, "That's not Michael and Mario."

Of course, Elder W isn't actually racist, but it was a fun moment of levity amongst all the embarrassing moments being mine.

We had zone conference, and we climbed a mountain! In Korea, the mountains are much smaller, so it's nothing like the high adventure. But, it was pretty fun, and it was weird for everyone to be in regular clothes all day.

At meals with members, I've been able to really contribute by playing a song on the piano for them. It turns out a lot of the members have pianos, so that's been a cool way for me to help.

Last night, we had my favorite member meal ever! The food was all delicious, and I wasn't struggling to impress them by eating enough for once. It was such a relief when I tasted the food, and just thought, "Yeah, I can eat this." The best part of the meal wasn't the food, however delicious it was. We were eating with a part member family, and the mother and son (the members) were the only ones there. The way they interacted just cracked me up! They'd tease each other, jokingly hit each other, fist bump... it made me think of my relationship with mom and dad, and even Grandma. I can't wait to be with you again, and be true friends like they were. You could just tell they loved each other. They were so comfortable with each other. A funny thing they did was the son (who served in California) had taught his mom a few church words in English, so he said it in Korean, then she translated, and they'd fist bump! They did it several times, and it was the funniest, cutest thing.

Last Thursday, we got to go to the temple! It was a wonderful experience to perform sacred ordinances in the Lord's house again. I'm so grateful we made the effort to go often before I left. And, before you ask, our session was all-English.

The biggest thing this week is last Saturday, Elder Cook visited and spoke to us! He shared a lot of his experience from his mission, especially about loving everybody. At the end, he specifically invoked his priesthood, and gave us an "apostolic blessing." He promised us that every single person we love, family or friend, member or not, will be blessed by our service, and that we would find more joy in the work, among other things. It was incredible. I don't have my notes with me, but he talked a lot about how we need to love everybody sincerely, and shared some of his experiences about commitments, and how to help people progress. He even mentioned some of his and Elder Holland's conversations -- you know, when they were missionaries in the same area! On the way back, I saw something in a market place, hanging off a cash register, that instantly brought me back to the holidays. This person had put up an ornament, printed off of the Internet, cut out, and assembled with thumb tacks. It was the Santa Claus! The exact same one we hang on our tree! It blew my mind to see that, and I thought, "Wow, the Internet. Wow."

I was just thinking about how I often went to the movies with dad, and I wanted to express how thankful I am he made that time for me. I really treasure that time we spent together. It meant, and means, a lot to me.

We met with one of our English/gospel investigators named Bill last week (he's Korean. Bill's his English name.). We've taught him English before, and explained our program: we teach 30 minutes of English, then 30 minutes of the gospel. This is different from our weekly English class in two ways: 1) it's one on one teaching, and 2) at English class, we just teach English to a group for an hour, then play a game. Last Sunday we taught him the first lesson, and we did it with a returned missionary. The lesson went great! We utilized the member really well, and did a good job supporting each other's testimonies. The member really delivered. He busted out classic moves like "Ice-Cream truck pulling you over," "apostasy is like this piece of paper," and "the spaces between my fingers are like apostasy, and my fingertips are like prophets with the priesthood." All classic stuff, and effective teaching that we don't have mastered in Korean. It went pretty well. Bill seems to understand pretty well, but we're not sure how excited he is about it, so that's something we need to gauge better. More questions never hurt, as long as you avoid interrogating them.

I just want everybody back home to know that I love them! They're so important to Heavenly Father. If they're facing trials, it's because God knows they can handle it, and it'll make them stronger. We send out a daily scripture to the ward, with a brief thought about it. Today it was my turn, and I shared Job 23:10.

 10 But he knoweth‍ the way that I take: when‍ he hath tried‍ me, I shall come forth as gold.

God knows our paths in life. We'll be like gold when we pass through our refiner's fire. Everything He does is for our own good.

My actual thought was something like: "I know that Heavenly Father is aware of all our trials. He tests us because He loves us. Through trials, we become more like Christ." Apparently, it was pretty well received.

Korean culture: In Korea, people are super open about what they think. They'll tell people if they think they have a lot of zits, or whatever they're thinking. Something they'll do is be really open about their trials and struggles, and sometimes they kind of all have a pity party. A common expression, similar to "work hard!" in America is "Suffer it." It's something polite to say to people who are working, etc. That's just how their culture is. I kind of like that though.

I'm out of time, so this will be the end of another letter. Time just keeps flying. One transfer down!

Love, 
Elder Austin Lynn

Weekly Letter 5/25/2014

Another week in the service of our God!

 

I was just thinking, with all these mission calls to Korea, that I was the first one called there from our area! It seems like the Lord's decided I'll be the guinea pig, which fits in line with what Mom and Dad have always done. :)

Off topic: I heard that there's some major world shenanigans going on in Bangkok? Something about flights from Asia to America being pushed back to the end of June? What's up with that?

I wanted to request the transcript for the speech "Don't Sleep through the Revolution," by Martin Luther King Jr., if that's possible. I'd really like to read that.

Awkward Adventure for this week was definitely an experience had on a bus. The guy we're talking to mentions how he likes music, so Elder W asks me if I know any songs. The only one I know in Korean is "Head, Shoulders, Knees and Toes." He's just like, "Alright, sick, go for it." He tells this guy I'm going to sing a song, and I can't just let him down, so I sing the first verse, feeling stupid the entire time. Apparently, the guy just blanks out, no laugh or anything, and just says, "That's not a real song. That's for children." So that was pretty humiliating.

The other day we were visiting a grandma, and she gave us the nastiest water I have ever drunk. I literally had to choke back the gag reflex a couple of times, it was so vile. But, because we're in Korea, we had to drink all of it, so I did. Yuck.

Items I'd like to be in my next package that I've thought of thus far are the following:

Frosting

An English Dictionary

Water Flavoring packets

...And that's all for now. I'm loving my package though, thank you so much!

 This week I struggled a bit feeling discouraged about my Korean skills, but it led me to a realization. I don't have to struggle with being humble and not destroying your own self-esteem, because I rely on Christ as my rock. When I fail, it's because of my own failings and pride. When I succeed, it's through Christ's grace, using all of who I am. The specific experience that led to the discouragement was in a lesson with a struggling member, I tried to testify of the Book of Mormon, and how it has his answers. Every single one. It came out a little weird, but it made sense. Afterwards, he told my companion that it was a little awkward, because he hates it when people just keep repeating those things like that. Elder W was really great in supporting me, and let me know that that's just how it is right now, and it's more of his problem than mine, but that just really crushed me. Part of it is that I really want to just be able to testify and have people be blown away by the Spirit, regardless of what I say, or how I say it. That experience also helped show me that I have a long ways to go, emotionally. I came so close to tears that night, just walking on the street, and thinking about this experience. But, like all trials, since I've kept the faith I've emerged stronger from it. I'm not going to give up because of one member, who can't even recall a single spiritual experience, who doubts the truthfulness of the Book of Mormon, who wants the church to lower it's standards! I am a representative of Jesus Christ, ordained to the office of Elder, by those with the Priesthood of God. I will not let one man, under the grip of the adversary, bring me down. I have a much grander path than that.

All in all, it was a good week. We've got our first baptismal commitment! He didn't come to church on Sunday since he was busy, which was majorly disappointing, but we're going to give him a baptismal date in our next lesson with him. It would be so marvelous to have a baptism in my second transfer.

Speaking of amazing things, this Thursday we get to go to the temple! I'm really excited for that. Then, on Saturday, we get to go to a meeting where Elder Cook is speaking to the Seoul and Seoul South missions! How amazing is that?!

I found this on LDS.org and thought it was really interesting. It also taught me a lot, and had a couple things about our temple I didn't know!

http://www.mormonnewsroom.org/article/mormon-temple-building-process?cid=HPFR052314166

That's all for this week. I've love receiving emails from everybody; it's so inspiring to see the Lord's hand in the lives of His children. That reminds me of an analogy I came up with this week, that I'd like to share. Imagine that your father was elected president. (This is really customizable for locale; for instance, you could ask here in Korea, what if your father was King Seijeong, a famous king who invented their alphabet). How would your life change? How would it improve? You'd never have to worry about money. You'd be safe for the rest of your life. College wouldn't be a problem. Etc, etc. Well, God, the Creator of all things, the Almighty, the All-Powerful, is your father. And, you can speak to Him whenever you want. He's always available... (Then you could start teaching prayer, etc). I really like this, and I think it helps people relate to the principle "God is our loving Heavenly Father," and how that knowledge can change your life.

I love all of you so dearly, and love hearing from you.

Love, 
Elder Austin Lynn

Weekly letter 5/18/2014

This week I wanted to talk about a phrase that they have in both Korean and English -- "do your best!" I learned that phrase from Brother Campbell in the MTC, and it's stuck with me since. I used it as part of my first talk at Yeonsu, and I use it constantly. We met with an investigator this week who has no religion, but has decided that the purpose of life for him is to be a good person and do his best. He really, really likes that phrase too, so we bonded over that. I'm excited to meet with him again.
Another thing I wanted to talk about was the phrase "burden." We don't use it often in English, but it's really common in Korea. You have to be careful of how much burden you place on somebody when you ask them to do something, because too much burden means it's really uncomfortable. People will respond that they don't want to do something because it "burdens" them. It basically means that you should be sensitive to people's feelings, but it's also an excuse not to do things. "Oh, that's a bit of burden..." I thought that was interesting how they phrase it this way, and how the term "burden" is so integral to their society.

We have our first really "prepared person" that we're constantly meeting with. He did really well with the First Lesson and read the Restoration Pamphlet, so we're excited to teach him the Second Lesson, the Plan of Salvation. I'm honestly not really helpful at this point, and I want to understand what people are saying sooooo badly. Right now, my trial is to be patient, and, as I've been focusing on, to be still and know that God is. As long as I keep doing my best, I'll make it. Little by little, I'm learning the language.

Today, we're traveling to Songpa to stay the night. Tomorrow, we have Zone Conference! That'll be an exciting follow-up to Stake Conference, since we're climbing one of the (tiny) mountains here in Korea. Stake Conference was pretty cool, but the only thing I understood was President Ringwood's remarks, since they were in English then translated. President Ringwood is the Area President for South Asia, so he's a really cool guy.

 This week I finished the Pearl of Great Price in personal study, and that reinforced the gospel principle that God loves His children, so He always calls prophets to whom He reveals the gospel plan that will bless families and individuals. Joseph Smith History also has some amazing stuff in it, that just reinforces my testimony of Joseph Smith. I also finished Psalms in my Old Testament reading! Did you know there's a Psalm with around 150 verses? That thing was intense! It's 119. There's 150 Psalms total, so I've been there for a while. But, now I'm moving on to Proverbs! I've always liked Proverbs, but I'm really excited for Isaiah. So much goes back to Isaiah, it's going to be great studying it.

If you remember, one of my favorite songs was titled "Newsong." As I've read through Psalms, I've found the phrase "new song" dozens of times. In the context they use it, new typically means "renew, another, start again, or... new." Song can mean anything from praises, to your life. That phrase has really entered my heart. Sing a new song unto the Lord! We're not meant to be the same. We're meant to change and grow, throughout all eternity.

I've been thinking about President Uchtdorf's address last conference, and there's one passage that always sticks out, and has been shaping my life. It's titled "We Are Not Made for Endings."

"In light of what we know about our eternal destiny, is it any wonder that whenever we face the bitter endings of life, they seemunacceptable to us? There seems to be something inside of us that resists endings.

Why is this? Because we are made of the stuff of eternity. We are eternal beings, children of the Almighty God, whose name is Endless¹³‍ andwho promises eternal blessings without number. Endings are not our destiny.

The more we learn about the gospel of Jesus Christ, the more we realize that endings here in mortality are not endings at all. They are merelyinterruptions—temporary pauses that one day will seem small compared to the eternal joy awaiting the faithful.

How grateful I am to my Heavenly Father that in His plan there are no true endings, only everlasting beginnings."

I love that so much. It's a truth of our existence as mortal beings, with immortal spirits. President Uchtdorf is, as he is to many, one of my favorite speakers. It's almost like he's a German Morgan Freeman of sorts.

I went on an exchange last week with Elder T, and it was a blast! We got lots of phone numbers and conversations, and I think that because it was different from the normal routine, we were a little fired up. That experience helped me both to appreciate my companion, remember to always be excited about the work, and that in the future, getting new companions will be a fun and potentially challenging experience.

 I've been working on "Teacher Improvement," our mission's program for... improving teaching... with my companion, and the way it works is that I teach one of the principles in a Lesson, and then, it he feels I taught it well, he signs off on it. Regardless of if he does or not, we discuss what was good, what wasn't, and how things can change (an After Action Report!). He's been playing as one of my friends, and it's been really odd as I slowly teach the first lesson to see my "friend" start to accept gospel truths and change. It's been really fun, becoming a better teacher of gospel principles. It's also introduced me to a powerful teaching technique: allegories and analogies. Parables are an effective way to help learners emphasize with prophets, appreciate the Book of Mormon, and understand what prayer truly is, among many other things. I've begun keeping a small notebook of gospel analogies, so that I can always have that with me when teaching. That relates back to the importance of asking inspired questions, which is a must.

I found out that sending flat-rate envelopes (the manila ones) is really cheap here. I know it's not the same sending them, but it'll be really easy for me to send things your way, as long as they can fit in the envelope. I'm sure I'll get creative in that regard. I'll probably send a little something home in June, for Mom and Dad's birthday.

Last week we ate at a Gogi buffet, which was delicious! You literally just pick out meat and cook it right there, then pay for whatever you took and didn't eat. I have a few pictures of that, from my blue camera. Food and everything else is so different here. As you leave, they have a spray for you, so you can spray your clothes/yourself, and not smell like meat all night! That buffet was over in Songdo, the artificial island that's part of our area.

That's it for this week. Tune in next time, same Bat-time, same Bat-channel.

Love,
Elder Austin Lynn

P.S.

I'd hate to burden anybody, but I'd love to get emails from the kids (or ward members... or friends) and to get mail. I don't know how convenient or inconvenient any of that may be, but I just thought I'd let people know. I don't want to lose or weaken the bonds I've already accumulated in life. To me, bonds with others is one of the most important things about this life.