Weekly Letter 8/10/14

What are the odds?! We saw "Cafe Lynn" on the way over to a meal with our ward mission leader.
The Elder in the second picture is Elder W. Our district here in Gimpo (김포) is composed of Sister T with Sister VW (from my mtc district!), Elder C (DL) with Elder W (a greenie; it's his first transfer in Korea), and Elder I Sang Bum (이상범) and I.
The third picture is the front cover of my planner. It's my mission theme for this transfer! "Sharing the gospel by sharing you." "Ye are the light."

This week was a week of growth for me, as they all are! At church I learned a bit about fasting, which, coupled with fast Sunday last week, helped me learn quite a bit about it. I've resolved to fast more often than the monthly fast, because my goal in life right now is to achieve temperance, that is, self-mastery. Fasting is a fantastic tool for that.
Speaking of church, I've translated in Gospel Principles and Young Men's for the past two weeks! We had some foreigners visiting, and since my English is better than Elder I's (이) he asked me to translate. I still don't understand all of church, and that fact was really hammered home by translating. Heavenly Father showed me how much I know, to reassure me, and then showed me how much more I still need, to keep me humble. Translating, though really dodgy for the poor souls relying on me, was also a good growing experience in that it was really easy for me to distinguish words and phrases I didn't know. When I'm just listening, I have a difficult time picking things like that out, and it's so vital to grow in comprehension.

I finished the Book of Mormon again this week, and this time, I thought a lot about the transition between Mormon's record, to Ether, back to Moroni. The kinship those men must've felt! They even use similar phrases when describing their desperate circumstances as the last righteous men on the face of their land: "it mattereth not," because they knew all that mattered for them was God's will, and that they remained true to the faith. I wonder how Moroni must've felt, abridging this record that shows the same cycle that destroyed the Nephites. He must've relieved all the pain of his life, remembered the wickedness of his own people, felt the pain of their suffering. And yet, he endured to the end. There may be no stronger example, save the Savior, of enduring to the end than the noble man who lived, alone, hiding from armies of Lamanites, who "put to death all who will not deny the Christ," and in his own words, "I, Moroni, will not deny the Christ." How incredible. If we read the Book of Mormon without remembering what it is -- an ancient record of real people, with real emotions, with real families, etc -- we're missing out on so much.
Another thing I learned this week was about repentance! Don't worry; nothing major. The revelation I received was that God is more concerned with where I'm going than where I was, and with who I'm becoming, than who I was. The only moment that matters is the moment right now, where I re-commit and become stronger. The gospel is designed to constantly recommit us to the path back to our Father in Heaven, who only wants the best for us.
We had a service opportunity this week, which was a little dull, but service is always great. We literally input names and amounts off a donation record into a computer for two hours for a local food bank. It was a little tiring, but the most important thing is giving Christ-like service. I'm not sure I ever told you about the service opportunity I participated in, in Yeonsu (연수). The place was called "Love Meals" or 

"Meals of Love (사랑급식). They made food for a few hundred senior citizens, and then we'd do dishes for 1-2 hours! It was intense, but so much fun. They'd feed us with the leftovers afterward, and the whole crew would just talk and joke around.
One of the scariest things in my life is quickly becoming the word "pride." I am literally terrified of it. It's tough, because to speak a foreign language well, you need to speak with confidence. Also, we know this gospel's true, and we're not proposing an alternate philosophic system: we're preaching truth. We can't waver and be quiet about things like that, but we also have to avoid being overbearing and prideful. The balance that works best for me is expressing that "despite my many weaknesses, I have faith in Jesus Christ, who...." I acknowledge my faults, while also testifying of the truth that someone as flawed as me has been able to find.
Something our district is focusing on right now are "20 Minute Lessons." We typically teach them after a meal with members. What I've been practicing is the first lesson. The feedback is extremely helpful. I had the chance to teach twice this week, and the main thing I worked on was asking questions. I improved a lot, but, as with all improvement, my new vantage point revealed other things I need to work on. I feel so blessed to find the paths I need to walk down to grow more, even as I'm stepping off the road I just reached the end of. God's curriculum for us truly is a stretching curriculum designed to bring us to perfection, eventually. Questions are so important when teaching. They're the link between you and the investigator/student/class/etc. They're especially effective for keeping younger people involved. They help people apply the teachings to themselves, and they're the best way to check for their understanding. Elder I (이) and I are really working on how to improve my question asking in Korean right now; what a blessing to have a Korean companion!
To finish up, I wanted to share this scripture last week, but forget. It's found in 3 Nephi 9, verse 13. Jesus Christ is the speaker here; and His words apply to all of us. He said: "will ye not now return unto me, and repent of your sins, and be converted, that I may heal you?"

Will you not turn away from the things of the world, things that will ultimately fail to bring lasting happiness, and repent of the things that hold us back, the sins that bring guilt and despair, and turn to Christ, the Savior, who suffered for you and me? Will you not strive to follow Him, who is constantly running to your aid ("succoring")? We do these things so that we may partake of the Savior's healing. He wants to heal us, He wants to help us. We just have to let Him in! Elder Jeffrey R. Holland said, “[Succor] is used often in the scriptures to describe Christ’s care for and attention to us. It means literally ‘to run to.’ What a magnificent way to describe the Savior’s urgent effort in our behalf. Even as he calls us to come to him and follow him, he is unfailingly running to help us.”
Jesus Christ sacrificed everything for us. What do we give in return? I will do whatever He asks me to do; and right now that's to share the "good news!" One of my favorite passages of scripture right now is D&C, 128:20-23:
"And again, what do we hear?
Glad tidings from Cumorah!
Moroni, an angel from heaven, declaring the fulfilment of the prophets — the book‍ to be revealed.
A voice of the Lord in the wilderness of Fayette, Seneca county, declaring the three witnesses to bear record‍ of the book!
The voice of Michael‍ on the banks of the Susquehanna, detecting the devil‍ when he appeared as an angel of light!
The voice of Peter, James, and John in the wilderness between Harmony, Susquehanna county, and Colesville, Broome county, on the Susquehanna river, declaring themselves as possessing the keys‍ of the kingdom, and of the dispensation of the fulness of times!
And again, the voice of God in the chamber of old Father Whitmer, in Fayette, Seneca county, and at sundry times, and in divers places through all the travels and tribulations of this Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints!

And the voice of Michael, the archangel; the voice of Gabriel, and of Raphael, and of divers angels, from Michael or Adam‍ down to the present time, all declaring their dispensation, their rights, their keys, their honors, their majesty and glory, and the power of their priesthood; giving line upon line, precept‍ upon precept; here a little, and there a little; giving us consolation by holding forth that which is to come, confirming our hope!
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 into singing. 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.
Let the mountains‍ shout for joy, and all ye valleys cry aloud; and all ye seas and dry lands tell the wonders of your Eternal King! And ye rivers, and brooks, and rills, flow down with gladness. Let the woods and all the trees of the field praise the Lord; and ye solid rocks‍ weep for joy! And let the sun, moon, and the morning‍ stars sing together, and let all the sons of God shout for joy! And let the eternal creations declare his name forever and ever! And again I say, how glorious is the voice we hear from heaven, proclaiming in our ears, glory, and salvation, and honor, and immortality, and eternal life; kingdoms, principalities, and powers!

Shall we not go on in so great a cause?

Love,
Elder Austin Lynn

Weekly Letter 8/3/14 and a few pics! :)

This week was a little on the calmer side. We've been making a huge emphasis on less-actives in the mission, and unfortunately that meant we had to do a lot of work with records this week. Records are really important, as Christ Himself attests to in His visit to the Nephites, but it's so painful when they go unupdated and unused. We've had to put a lot of work into updating them because nobody made the effort to keep them up-to-date. That's been rough, but I know it's the right thing to do. President Morrisse has stated that the main focus of the mission right now is bringing those lost sheep back to the fold; they're all precious.

     I've forgotten to mention this the past couple of weeks, but I've reached a new stage in my life: the squid eating stage! I've had it with a few different meals now, and I've adjusted to eating squid. It's actually pretty cool! Definitely rubbery though. The most memorable time was eating a whole baby squid (about the size of a box of tic-tacs). I won't lie, I was definitely thinking, "I can't wait to tell my family this," as I chewed and chewed and chewed and chewed.

     Something that was impressed on my mind earlier was the importance of keeping a journal. I know they're important, but I realized, looking back over my almost-full journal, starting on the day of my ordination, covering the entirety of my stay in the mtc and my first two transfers, that there are so many moments in my life that I've completely forgotten. Those moments in time are gone. I realized that a massive portion of my life is undocumented, unwritten, and will one day be forgotten. That's really rough. But it's strengthened my resolve to keep a good journal, and I invite everybody to do the same! Even just a small bit may prompt back a days memories. The more effort we put into it, the greater our reward will be. Promise.

     Another thing I learned a lot about this week is "peace." One thing I learned was that peace comes from people understanding each other. The more we truly understand each other, the more willing we'll be to make sacrifices for each other, and the more horrific conflict will seem. We will be able to love others more deeply as we understand them more fully. This conclusion is stated in 4 Nephi 1:15, during the golden era of Nephite history: "And it came to pass that there was no contention in the land, because of the love of God which did dwell in the hearts of the people." The love of God will enable us to see things as they truly are: we will see other humans as God's children, our brothers and sisters; contention will be seen as selfishness, because ultimately it is selfishness that spawns all contention, as it was Satan's selfishness that caused war in heaven, where contention was birthed; and we will establish peace, because we will love each other, and would rather sacrifice for each other than take advantage of one another. The love of God -- Charity -- changes people. It changes their desires, and it changes their outlooks. This change is necessary. James E. Talmage taught that any attempt to establish peace will be futile so long as human selfishness remains; the gospel of Jesus Christ takes that selfishness out of us. The gospel is the true road to peace, more than de-arming, more than treaties and papers, more than reforms and laws.

     I know this was really short this week, but this week wasn't to eventful!

Love,

Elder Austin Lynn

Weekly Letter 7/27/14

This transfer has been a completely brand-new experience. Having a Korean companion is a totally different challenge, but I'm doing my best to meet it.My listening skills are improving, I'm learning more than ever how to take the lead on the street, and, I think most importantly, I'm learning how to communicate better with my companion. For instance, there was a moment yesterday that really stung me, until we talked about it, and I learned what he meant by his words. My companion said that at church that day, I'd seemed a bit prideful. I was really, really brought low with that. I'm so terrified of being prideful. I want to be a confident speaker, but not prideful. I sat there at my desk, discouraged and crushed, for a few minutes, thinking about what I did wrong. I figured it must've been my greeting at church, and trying to participate in the classes. I thought that I'd done a good job of expressing excitement for working together with the ward, and being here, but maybe it'd come out wrong. I stewed in my thoughts for a little while, and then I asked Elder 이상범 how I can improve. He told me that when everybody else laughs, I need to laugh.
Laughing?! 
I'd taken things the completely opposite direction. To confirm, I asked him about the things I had been worrying about, like my greeting, and he said those were great. My problem was that I wasn't making enough of an effort to smile and laugh when everybody else is, even though I don't understand what's going on. I committed to be more diligent in that, and I felt so relieved. That's something I can do! I can laugh when everybody else is! That's not a major personal problem. It's just something I need to be mindful of and adjust.
There definitely is a language barrier. Elder (이상범) doesn't speak English, and I can't speak Korean. On the bright side, my language is improving, and I'm learning a lot about Korean behavior.
Gimpo (김포) as a whole is vastly different from Yeonsu (연수). Because of the multitude of resteraunts and motels in our area, a ton of the people walking around are young couples that we can't talk too. I've found it really difficult to talk to the same number of people as back in Yeonsu (연수). Because I've found that I'm having a difficult time reaching the same numbers as in a different area, I've had to step back and evealuate everything. It's true that the area is different, and that accounts for part of it, but I refuse to let that be an excuse. I've resolved to do my best here, especially with our contact goals.
One neat thing is that Gimpo (김포) has an international airport, and it's pretty close to where we live. There's constantly airplanes flying overhead. Everytime I hear one, I look up! It's really cool to see them so close, and it's something I've grown to love very quickly.
There's four Elders in Gimpo House, which is on the 18th floor of an apartment building! It's crazy being up so high. It's also a lot more spacious than Yeonsu House, and nowhere near as sweltering 24/7, so that's been an appreciated change. There's a greenie being trained in the other companionship, and they've reminded me a ton of when I was a greenie (a scant week ago), and especially when I first got to country (a whole 13 weeks ago). It's interesting to see how I've grown in that short time.
As a side note, today is my 5 month mark! I find that incredible. I've already moved through a fifth of my mission! This time is so valuable. I need to be able to speak the language already!
Something I thought I'd explain today about Korean and English is the name "Lee." There's not actually an "L" in Korean. So how is Lee such a common name? The answer lies in translation: the common name, 이 pronounced "eeeee" like, "leak" would be written as I, as I've been writing it in my letters. However, when translating to English, it seems that I always becomes Lee. Very interesting.
I want to share something I learned about joy, and my relationship with Heavenly Father.
In response to last week's letter to President Morrisee, he said this: "I wish you could have been at the stake president meeting yesterday to hear yourself talked about in such glowing terms. I'm so pleased and proud of you -- like a son."
I don't send this to toot my own horn, but I just want to express to everybody that when he expressed that -- his pride in me, like a son -- it really hit me hard. It helped me recommit to work harder. It's extremely meaningful to me. If that's how my mission president feels, how does my Heavenly Father feel? How should I feel about that? I think I'm starting to experience the kind of joy described in D&C 18. I want to make my Heavenly Father proud of me, because I am His son. Doing the will of the Father really is a path to eternal joy.
Related to that, though things haven't been as crazy in Gimpo (김포), and I feel I've done less than my best on a few occasions ("have not we all sinned and fallen short of the glory of God?"), the Lord really does bless us when we keep trying, even when we've already messed up. The most important thing is the direction we're headed, not how far along we are. We were teaching a lesson, our first of the day, and the day was nearly over. Our goal had been 2, so it looked like we were going to fall short. Near the end of the lesson, a random man walked over (we were teaching a convenience store owner) and he started asking about what we were teaching! It was a true miracle, and we managed to hit our lesson goal, with mere minutes left in the day! God really does know when you do your best, which is something my companion's said to me several times.
If you have any questions about anything, please ask, whether directly or through my parents!
Once again, thank you so much for you letters! I love hearing from home. Your support means so much to me!
Love,
Elder Austin Lynn

A few pics from Korea

 Here's a picture of bishop, the first counselor (can speak English, lived in Utah, loves it) and I. And the other picture is of a returned missionary named Ji Kyo who's always smiling.

Here's me with the Stake President Bak In Su and his family, and Sister Hammerl, who's also leaving Yeonsu. Then there's one of me and the Elder's Quorom President.

Here's me with the Stake President, his wife, and the young man (RM) I ate with last night. Here's me with Ji Kyo and his dad (a counselor in Elder's Quorom) again

Weekly letter July 20, 2014

This week we got transfer calls. And... I'm leaving Yeonsu (연수). I don't have any regrets, but I'll miss the wonderful ward and missionaries here. I'll especially miss our investigators, but I'm confident Elder Westbrook will take care of them. I'll be leaving for Gimpo (김포) on Wednesday, to be companions with Elder I S B (이상범). It's a little frightening to be moving on to a Korean companion, but I'm determined that I'll take advantage of that situation and learn how to really express myself well in Korean. Here's the goal: fluency by the end of the next 12 weeks! Isn't it incredible to think I've already gone through 22 of my 104 weeks on a mission? This time really is so precious.
First this week, and update on our progressing investigators:
B (간동우): We met with B this week, and we gave him a baptismal date, and taught him "the Gospel of Jesus Christ." He accepted it pretty well, but he backed out of church this week by saying work. B's a tough cookie -- he keeps his reading commitments, but doesn't have a lot of real intent as of yet. Our focus going forward (at least, Yeonsu 2's focus) will be on the Spirit.
C I G (최인국): I met with him this week, and was devastated to learn he's moving! He moved all the way down to the Taejun (태전) mission, to Guanju (관주). That was rough, but he looked me in the eyes and swore to continue reading the Book of Mormon. He gave Elder Westbrook and I stylish ties, as a thank you. He was so lonely and dejected when we met him, and he feels like his life improved after meeting us. We decided to refer him to the missionaries down south, then a miracle occured! As we were walking through a store, we bumped into a member from Guanju (관주)! We gave him C I G (최인국)'s number, and he as excited to meet with him and the missionaries. God keeps looking out for His children, even when they move.
M G I (민경일): My favorite investigator. We met with him on Saturday and taught him the first lesson, using the cup-pyramid apostasy analogy. He really liked that. He went up to Seoul (서울) with his mother though, so he was unable to make it to church on Sunday. Yeonsu 2 will continue meeting and teaching him. We're really excited about him still.
Y S J (윤상진): The son of a less-active, he's the same age as me! In Korea, that's a huge deal, and it's the only time you can call somebody "friend" (친구). We're pretty close. He's been out to church twice now with his mother, and we're eating with him and Bishop tomorrow night. He's really interested in the church, but we're waiting on the members to invite him to take the lessons. Once he does, he'll be baptized lickity-split. I love him so much.
Lately I've been reading the Book of Mormon in Korean and English side-by-side during language study. I'm starting to get to the point where I can actually understand and piece together bits and pieces. It's pretty tough, especially because the Book of Mormon uses "King-form" and other language forms that just aren't used anymore, but I'm doing my best. There's apparently a promise out there somewhere that any missionary who reads the entire Book of Mormon in their mission language will be fluent. Like Moroni's promise, I'm sure there's a lot of missionaries testing that promise right now. I'm curious to see what my answer will be. I'm continually progressing in my Korean. The ward members must've been surprised when I stood up to give my farewell words, compared to my first ones. When I talked to them, I talked about how we're succesful when we work together, and how the more we work together, the more miracles we'll perform. I bore my testimony, and it ended up resembling the first lesson -- that God loves us, and so we have families, and we have prophets to bless our families and guide us, and how I know we have a prophet today, etc. I had a lot of people tell me they're sad I'm leaving already. I made a lot of friendships in Yeonsu.
This last week we visited the Stake President, and we ended up eating impromptu dinner with him. His youngest daughter is the one who drew the picture of me I sent a couple of weeks ago. I love their family. He noticed a hole in my sock, so he gave us socks! That's actually really common in Korea. I guess since socks are so cheap, they're always just stocked up on them. He said that seeing that made him pleased, because he could tell we're working hard. As a matter of fact, the day before he called President Morrisse to express how pleased he's been with the missionaries in Yeonsu! That was a pretty big deal for us to hear.
Last night, we ate with my favorite family again (picture attached (I'm actually wearing my thank-you tie in that picture)). The Spirit there is always just so wonderful. Both of the children are returned missionaries, and there's just such an open spirit of love between the members of the family. I'm really going to miss them. They're also stinking hilarious! The other picture is of me and the ward mission leader. He's also really, really funny. We became really good friends. Bishop said that the ward mission leader in Gimpo is "the best," so hopefully I'll remain in good hands there.
That's it for this week! There's just not enough time in the day.
Love,
Elder Austin Lynn

Weekly Letter July 13, 2014

I guess people over there can be brutally honest!! Poor guy!! (Brandi)

This week I don't have as much to share, but that's because we were out on the streets! Seriously, did a lot of proselyting this week, and taught a lot of street lessons.
One of those street lessons was with a group of old men. One of them literally just lies under a tree all the time. It turns out, he's from North Korea. He came over when he was 6. He's the first North Korean I've met so far. Apparently, they're pretty rare (sorry if that's too obvious). We talked about who Jesus Christ was, and about sin. He said he's never made a mistake, never fought with his wife, and never felt guilty. We were kind of befuddled at that. Without any of those things, the definition of sin's a little dry. We did our best, and he ordered lunch for us. It was cold noodles... it was pretty hard to eat, but I suffered it. After, we had a two-hour training at a service center for a service opportunity we're going to start. To be honest, I didn't understand anything, but I wrote down a ton of words.
I learned a fun expression in Korean this week: "Since the tiger smoked." The day I learned it, Elder Lee (part of a senior couple in our mission) was in our house, working on our sink. He's fluent in English (lived in America for 24 years) so we asked him how he'd explain it. He said, "It means a very, very long time ago. We simply don't know when the tiger stopped smoking." I think an equivalent phrase would be "Ever since penguins flew." It's a fun little phrase. I used it in a meeting the other day. I said, "They've been busy since the tiger smoked, but we'll continue to call them." It was neat to learn a traditional phrase like that.
We met with our investigator C I G twice this week (최인국), and the lessons went pretty well. We taught him from the Book of Mormon, in Alma 32. Alma 32 is about the poor Zoramites, who have been humbled by their afflictions. He was able to see the parallels with himself, and learned a lot about faith. We met with him the very next day, with a member who talked to him at church last Sunday. They talked for days, but we were able to follow up on the rest of the chapter -- planting the seed of faith. The member took the three of us to a restaurant after, and a miracle occurred! I said hello to a woman, who immediately said hello back. That's pretty unusual in Korea, and it turns out she's a member! She'd been living in Utah for years, but was originally a Korean, and now she's back in Korea. She doesn't live in Yeonsu, but her daugher does. Her inactive daughter. We were able to get that number and send it to the Sisters, who were able to meet her that night. That was definitely a miracle sent from God, to find one of the lost sheep of His fold.
Anyways, C I G wasn't able to attend church last Sunday, but he had a legitimate excuse. He was visiting his parents down South. His parents are really important to him. He prayed at the end of our first lesson with him this week, and his prayer was basically just asking God to let him live long enough to bury his parents, begging God not to make his parents bury their son. He's really concerned that he's dying. Hopefully the Word of Wisdom will convince him that he can't give up on himself. God never wants us to give up on ourselves.
Our investigator B (간동우) came to church last Sunday, for the first time! We're really excited about that, and hopefully he'll start to progress more. He hasn't had much real intent, but we're hoping he'll feel the Spirit really strongly next time we teach, so he realizes that this is all real. After church we had Ward Council, and the missionaries were in! For the first time in what must've been years, the missionaries were in! Afterwards, Bishop told us that the 6 of us here in Yeonsu (연수) are literally "the best" missionaries he's ever known. That was a glowing compliment, and meant a lot coming from the man who told us to "go do real missionary work" when we asked to attend meetings 11 weeks ago.
I went on exchanges with Elder Thomas this week, and I really love that Elder. I learned a lot about being a more effective companion. He's not as fluent as Elder Westbrook, so we were able to work more together. He's also a bit better at discussing our plans together; probably because this is the first time he's been a senior companion. We visited K B J (김범진) in the hospital, and did service with a member.
The member was R A G (리안갑), and we helped him at his work. He ships out napkins, so we show up to his little warehouse, and help him pull down the boxes he needs, box them up, and stack them in a corner. It's actually pretty fun work. He took us out for lunch, and it was another example of Koreans saying what they think. We're eating our noodles, and he looks over at me, literally grabs my stomach, spews some stuff out in Korean (I'm pretty sure I hear the word for fat, but can't be sure) then he looks up and says, "In English, 'You're fat,' right? Haha, You're fat!" I was laughing, partly out of embarrassment, partly out of surprise, and partly because he's grabbing my stomach. It was really awkward for me, and for Elder Thomas.
Later that day, we taught their investigator Y O (윤옥) and that went really well. We had a member present (윤지운(Y J O)) and we taught what the Book of Mormon is. We did a solid job explaining it and what it's purpose is, and we were all able to bear some solid testimony. At the end, I asked him what it'd mean if the Book of Mormon's true, so he just looks up, and says, (in English) "I guess I'd have to become a member of the Mormon church." It was amazing to hear that from a man who didn't have a lot of real intent; mostly English interest. The gospel is so true, the Spirit can just walk in and knock people's walls down. It's truly marvelous.
As a funny side-note, the ward soccer coordinator was called last week. It's Y J O (윤지운)! Everybody laughed at that, but it is good that we got an official calling for it. We're continuing to play Soccer every Saturday, and it's working out really well. We've actually got an investigator out of it, who's going to get baptized! To be fair, it started out as a less-actives two non-member sons, but now she's coming to church, and they're coming with her! That miracle came as a direct result of playing soccer with them, and that feels so great. It really is a wonderful thing to be an instrument in the Lord's hands. Even when we make mistakes, he knows exactly how we can be best utilized to make beautiful music.
Transfer calls come this Saturday. Who knows where I could be for next weeks email? I'll take whatever happens with a happy heart. I learned recently that prayer isn't to change God's will -- it's to align our will with his.
Love,
Elder Austin Lynn

Weekly Letter July 7, 2014

First things first: the baptism!

Last Saturday was our baptismal service for Ii S M(이성미), the Sister's investigator, found by Elders Westbrook and P when they were on splits. She was really golden! She chose me to baptize her, and it was such a special experience for me to baptize somebody for the first time in my life. We got there at noon, and we started the water in the font. Elder Westbrook got rid of a few webs, while I changed. What an experience, to put on the full white baptismal clothes for the first time! She got there, and we had the regular baptismal service -- there was a special musical number (all of us missionaries singing "I'm Trying to be Like Jesus"), a testimony from a member (the first counselor's wife), and then, oddly, they had Ii S M and I stand up in front of everybody and practice baptism again. That was a little awkward, but whatever. We got down to the font, I said the prayer (in Korean!) and dunked her. Unfortunately, we didn't have a hair band, so her hair came up the first time. No problem, I pulled her back up, re-recited the prayer, and baptized her. Funnily, after she came up the second time she crossed herself! Haha. She's actually really funny -- she speaks English, and she's basically fluent, so she'll make lots of jokes in English. After the baptism it was basically a party, and our wealthy bishop footed the whole thing. There was soooo much chicken! Our investigator M G Ir (민경일) came to the baptismal service, and he didn't feel weird or out of place or anything. He thought baptism was pretty cool! We've just barely started meeting with this fourteen year old kid (12 in American age; he's the same year as Christian!), and he's already so amazing. We fed each other duk (rice cake) (떡) and in Korea, that means you're really close! I actually offered Bishop a piece of food from my chopsticks, and his response was, "린 장로, 역시" (Of course/typical/you would, Elder Lynn!) He was realy pleased about that. Elder R jokes that if our adventures in Yeonsu were written, I'd just be "The Elder whom Bishop loved," playing off of John's writing style in the Gospel of John. Anyways, we played ping-pong with him after, and played a bit of piano together. He mentioned how fun it was playing piano with me afterwards. ^^ There were several less-active families we've been working with at the baptismal service, so that was really great to see, and virtually everybody interacted with little G Ir! The member missionary work was off the charts. It's so great. He had a test the next day, but he's definitely coming to church next week! He's so solid. Bishop kept saying that we've got to do this every week. I said that if the ward and missionaries work together, we'll be able to! We've become really integrated with bishop in the past few weeks, which is a huge change from when we asked to attend meetings, and he'd tell us to "G do real missionary work!" Apparently, our bishop's well-known for not being a big fan of the missionaries! It's incredible that, through our diligence and consecration, we've changed his mind. It's such a miracle, and a necessary one at that. God truly can do anything if we put in our effort.

The next day at church, we got another shout out over the pulpit! We'd ran into my favorite member's son, and it turns out his dad had been in a car accident, and sustained a minor injury. His dad's not a member, and has never liked the missionaries, but we went with Y J U (윤지운) to visit his dad, and it actually went pretty well. We visited his dad again at their home a few days later, and brought him a little plant! We talked some more, and he liked it. His son testified that Sunday about how his dad's never liked the missionaries, but now that they're making an effort, something's actually happening with him, which he didn't think was possible! After I testified,* his mom got up and said something similar.

*I felt like a missionary was supposed to get up that Sunday, so during fast and testimony meeting I bore my testimony! While I don't have any verbal prowess in Korean, I got up, and said, 
"I want to bear my testimony, but since I'm not good at Korean, it'll be simple (crowd laughs).

"I know this church is true. I know Joseph Smith was a prophet. Since I know that, Thomas S. Monson must be a prophet in this day and age.

"I also know that the Book of Mormon is true. If you ask how, I've learned it's true through prayer and study.
"By praying and studying, you can know if anything is true. Without prayer and study, you can't know.

"I love Yeonsu (연수). I hope all of you pray and study.

"I testify of these things in the holy name of Jesus Christ. Amen."
The members were definitely impressed; but that's not why I did it. I felt like it was necessary, and I think the members liked that the missionaries aren't above getting up to bear their testimony, even if it's simple. 
Later at church, a member of the bishopric announced that there were over 80 people at church! That means that the room was basically packed, and there was a significant number of people there. Most of those extra people were investigators, and less-actives we've been working with! Lately, I've really found that working with and retaining recent converts and less-actives is vital to the progress of the church, and more importantly, to the salvation of souls. These people are important. The gospel can cover any need, answer any question, so all you have to do is find their problem, and help them see how the gospel can fix it. Our investigator C I G (최인국) came to church, and he continues to ask questions and learn more. He actually came an hour early so he wouldn't sleep through it! We walked into the chapel, and he was just sitting there reading the Book of Mormon. I really hope that I'm not transferred, because we have two really solid investigators that I just love to pieces right now.

Something I forgot to mention from last week is that as we were practicing before church, our less-active who played the flute (H H S (하현숙)) suggested that I hadn't finished puberty yet, because of my voice. I won't lie, that hurt a bit. That's one thing about Korean culture: they are brutally honest. They'll say literally whatever's on their minds. For instance, Bishop was talking about maybe having a hamburger party, and we were all like, "Ah, good idea!" He looks over at me, and says "Elder Lynn can't have hamburgers. He needs to go on a diet." So, that was a bit rough, especially after a member told me a few days ago that it looked like I was losing weight. Ouch. Just the culture.

Elder Cl, who goes home this transfer, asked me to bear my testimony about the Book of Mormon at our last Zone Training, last Thursday (about the Book of Mormon). I wasn't really sure what I'd say until I stood up. I spoke what was on my mind, and ended up testifying that the Book of Mormon is real. It's a real record, of real people, who really taught, fought, and lived in America over a thousand years ago. They are real people! More than excellent sermons, the Book of Mormon tells the story of a real family and their descendants. It's incredible! We miss out on so much of the Book of Mormon if we don't let it come to life for us. It won't mean as much to us if we don't try to put ourselves in the places of the people in it. We have to try and imagine that we were there. We need to put ourselves in the Book of Mormon, if we want it to really be a part of us. It's such a blessing. I can honestly say that the literal story in the Book of Mormon -- the history of the Lamanites and Nephites -- is one of the most interesting stories I've ever read! As I think more about the actual character and lives of the people in the Book of Mormon, it means more and more to me. That's one of the reasons I loved seminary so much. From talking about Alma's "Dream Team of Missionaries" to reclaim the Zoramites, to the dreadful task that faced the prophet Jacob, the Book of Mormon is (at times) brutally real. Try to keep that in mind whenever you read it, and it'll become more meaningful, more memorable. I promise, as a representative of Jesus Christ.

I don't know if you remember K
B J (김범진), but he got in an accident last Saturday, and fractured both of his wrists! He called us, and we visited him in the hospital. We told bishop, and the next day all five of us (Bishop and four missionaries) visited him, and gave him a blessing. Bishop had me do the annointing with oil. I'll send a picture of us together right after this.

I'm out of time for this week, but just know that Yeonsu's on fire! And we're gonna keep it burning! The Lord is pouring out his blessings as we do our best, and miracles are happening left and right. If there's anything I mention in my emails you'd like to know more about, or any other questions, please let me know! I love getting mail from home!

Love,
Elder Austin Lynn