Weekly Letter September 15, 2014

This week was off the hook! Awesome miracles and some sweet meetings. I'll just do a day by day, blow by blow this week.

Monday: Monday was super simple. We had a really calm evening, since there was literally nobody outside, and we didn't have Family Home Evening. The reason why? Choo Suk! (추석) Basically, Korean thanksgiving. It's a mammothly huge deal here, so we couldn't get too much done during it -- everybody was traveling and busy with family.

Tuesday: Tuesday was our mission Choo Suk meeting. It was so cool! It was all day long, and tons of fun. We received some training from Elder Han, of the 70, who was President Morrisse's mission president! We arrived early, so we got to chat with him before the meeting. During the training, he talked to us about bows, and he called my name out. I wasn't sure whether or not he meant me, but he did! He had me come up in front of everybody, and demonstrate how I bow to people. That made me feel really good about the way I bow! He said that the most important things were not depth, but eye contact and friendliness. You're basically hugging them... by bending your neck. They gotta feel your love when you stoop below them! Okay, most of that's an interpolation by me, but that's the feeling. We also got some training from President Morrisse, and then we had lunch -- homemade Korean food! It was nuts having the whole mission in one church building. During lunch, I got to catch up with the Yeonsu (연수) gang -- my trainer, Elder Westbrook, Elder Thomas, and their new greenies. It was really fun seeing everybody I'd met throughout my mission so far, and being able to catch up a bit with them. After lunch, all of the zones split up to do some activities together. In my zone (Ganso (강서)), we had to fill out a questionaire about Choo Suk, by asking people on the streets the questions! That was lots of fun, and a good conversation starter. I got picked to come up with our zone's chant, and I had to come up with it on the spot! I went through a few different versions, but this is the one that we ended up using. We had to use the phrase, "We succeed when we invite" in it.

We're Gangso zone

To the bone!

We never teach kudoja (investigators (구도자)) alone!

We listen to our kamdokenim (bishop (감독님))

And we've got an Elder Im (임)! [Elder Im is one of our zone leaders, and the only Korean Elder in our zone. He's super funny, and generally beloved among the missionaries]

[This next part was a call and response from each district. I led the chant, saying everything, then the districts would do their shout, and we recited the last two lines together (I didn't choose that, they made me!)]

Sounds off!

Gimpo!

DMZ~!

Sound off!

Gaybong!

Peaches~!

Sound off!

Mokedong!

Brother Reel.

We're Gangso Jiyuk (지역(zone))

We just wreck!

We're the best, we never rest!

We succeed when we invite,

Because might don't make right!

Sound off!

Boochun!

Pears and apples!

And Shihoon! [They're a split off of Boochun, so they get a seperate mention like this)

Boochun!

Sound off!

Hwagoke!

Elder Im!

We're Gangso Zone, we're at the top!

And our progress never stops!

 It was tons of fun, and everybody loved it. I also had a huge role in our zone's skit, which was something along these lines:

A Tale of Elder Rock (a senior missionary, who was Elder Morrisse's trainer, so many years ago! It's crazy having him here) and Elder Morrisse. They visit King Seyjang, the king who invented the Korean alphabet, and he's converted, and accepts a baptismal invitation. It was really funny, using a lot of jokes from the mission, and my role was the messenger of the king. It was all improv, but so much fun! One of the missionaries approached me afterwards, and told me I was like a missionary Jack Black -- which is something I've heard before. They meant I was funny, so I'll take that. Our skit was one of the best one's and it was just really fun to act. I hope to do a lot more of that when I come home. Afterwards was the talent show, and there were tons of cool things, tons of music, tons of vague things I can't describe right now, but I turned pages for my companion while he played the piano, and I sang "Praise to the Man," to the tune of "The Spirit of God," with Sister Morrisse accompanying me on the piano. I almost made a sister cry, haha! I hope they felt the spirit when I sang. I realized that's the most important thing.

 Wednesday: We ate with the bishop, his twin daughters (who are about Noel's age) and his son (who's 16 or 17), and his wife. We played a traditional Korean board game that resembled sorry, and my team dominated! Haha. It was tons of fun, and there was a lot of delicious food. His daughters are adorable, and decorated a bit of my planner, and put some stickers on my nametag! Haha. It was a lot of fun; I also got some help from bishop on some sentences I'd written.

Thursday: We had a meal with the stake patriarch and his wife. Korean food, plus sphagetti! That was different, but good. I got the typical comment about our family being huge! They were impressed that I was the eldest though. I think that's something I'm going to keep running into in Korea -- there's a lot of respect for the oldest child.

Friday: I went on exchanges with Elder Chow! I really respect and love him. I'm out of time, but I want to mention one of the vital things I learned from him: the importance of unity, of having a team spirit, on every level of the mission. We also met with Y M Suk, but he was sick so we just gave him his copy of the bible... and he introduced us to his friend Kim Dong Bin, who wants to study English and the gospel with us! His family too! We're going to be teaching a family! That's really rare in Korea! AAAAAHHHHH!!!!!!

Saturday: Had a picnic for English class, nothing special, and then I spent the rest of the day with Elder Chow. We gave a blessing to a foreigner who lived in our area, accompanied by senior missionaries from the Seoul Mission. They called us up out of nowhere; we didn't even know about the sister! It was really nice to give a blessing again though; it's something I love doing.

Sunday: We had church, and that night Elder Harline and I met with Y M Suk again, who brought two of his students with him, so we reintroduced the Book of Mormon, taught one of them who had no religion -- who God was, and how to pray, and then read a bit of the Book of Mormon with them. The miracle there is that on our way to the appointment, we had a conversation with a man who'd just moved back from America with his family. They'd just been thinking about whether or not they should come to church again, and where, then they say us! We were the answers to somebody's prayer! They're going to come to church this Sunday, and if their kids like it they'll keep coming! We may have a chance to teach another family! I'm losing my mind!!!!!

One of the days we walked around picking up trash, which is a really good service project here. Later, a grandma talked to Elder Harline and I, and patted us on the face, thanking us for picking up trash!

Sorry the email's so rough this week, I just don't have any time! So busy! Agh!

Love you all,

Elder Austin Lynn

Weekly letter September 7, 2014

This week, I wanted to share one of the guiding principles in my life that I sort of realized I had this week. Simply, I never want to hear the same complaint twice. What this means is that when I hear a complaint made, or a tip proferred, I'm going to jump on it, and apply it, or change things so that the same thing doesn't come up again. It's really helped me grow, and it's improving my relationships with everybody in our house. Often, it's not even directed at me, but I still try to squash it, just so everybody can get along a little better. After all, if there's contention, we can't feel the spirit, and that means we can't do our work. We're just young men out here alone, with nothing but the Spirit of God to guide us in our work. Without it, all our effort is in vain, and we'll never accomplish anything worthwhile.
     This week is Choo Suk (추석)! Choo suk (추석) is a Korean holiday. Sadly, I'm not sure what this one is, but it's when people wear the traditional clothing, called Han Boke (한복) and spend time with family. It also means people are really busy and it's almost impossible to get appointments. On Tuesday, there'll be a special training meeting/celebration, and there'll be a talent show! I decided to sing "Praise to the Man," to the tune of "The Spirit of God." Hopefully it goes well! That meetings tomorrow, but Choo Suk (추석) lasts several days.
     This week Elder Harline and I have gone exploring, and we found several thrift shops! The ties there were less than $3! I have six new ties now, and it's pretty cool! They're my first Korean ties! They're gorgeous. I'll send pictures of me wearing them sometime! That's just a typical slice of my life with Elder Harline. We love to share stories with each other (and Elder Chow), and we have fun, while diligently working. This is probably my favorite transfer already. It's been wonderful, and I keep learning more and more Korean. This week I've been mixing it up, and I focused on memorization. I've memorized several scriptures in Korean now, and it's really cool! I've found it helps to mix up what you do for study every once in a while.
     We had a zone training this week, and we focused on language. Not speaking properly, but literally the language of Korean. The mission keeps getting younger, so it continues to be vital that people learn as quickly as they can. I know I'm feeling a bit of the pressure. I'm one of the most fluent people in our district, and once Elder Chow leaves in a transfer or two, there'll be a lot of responsibility on me if I'm still here. That's gonna be typical across the mission; the younger missionaries have to step up as quickly as they can, especially in learning the language.
     This week was really good because we actually got to teach and meet with investigators, for the first time in a while. One of them was named LJH (이주홍), and he's a year younger than me, and is really interested in different religions. He's a former, who got busy after taking the second lesson a few months ago. We're meeting with him again, and we're starting with lesson 3: The Gospel of Jesus Christ. He's a real funny guy, and he actually took us out to dinner after we met with him! We all really like each other; hopefully we can teach with the spirit, and he'll feel that the church is true, in a way that intellectual speaking will never do.
     We also met a man named Y M S (윤민석) and I'm afraid of him, he's so golden. He wanted to study scriptures with us, and do the 30/30 Family English Program. So what we'll do is study the Bible in English for half an hour, then study the Book of Mormon for half an hour in Korean! He asks questions to show that he wants to understand, and he has a lot of sincere interest. He teaches English at his brother's academy, so he's good at English, but I honestly don't know how good, because we spoke in Korean -- and that's how it should be! Anyways, I'm really excited about him. We were able to answer all of his questions using the Book of Mormon, which strengthened my testimony of it. For instance, he asked what a seer was, while reading the prophet Joseph Smith's testimony. We were able to flip open to Mosiah 8, where the first Ammon explains what a seer is to King Limhi. Later, he asked about the witnesses, and we read Ether 5, a prophecy about the three witnesses. I asked him what the significance of the witnesses was, and he understood it really well. I'm really exicted to keep teaching him. We felt in sync while we taught, and it was guided by the spirit. We asked questions, scriptures came to our mind, and God blessed all of us so that we were edified together. Even crazier, he has a referral for us! One of his students wants to learn about the church. He already sent one to the sister missionaries. He seems really solid, which scares me. It's like a "it's too good to be true!" scenario. Fingers crossed that he really is our miracle man!
     We actually first contacted him when he called us up during our mission tour meeting, and that's why he's such a miracle. He just called us up out of nowhere, right after we were promised people to teach if we did our best. How about fulfillment of promises, huh?! Mission tour is when a general authority comes through and meets all the missionaries, and gives training. I think I mentioned him last week, but his name is Elder Koichi Aoyagi, and he came with his wife. His English was really good, so he spoke to us in English, as did his wife, who was adorable. They actually went around and shook everybody's hands, and when I shook her hand, I greeted her in Japanese. She then shook my hand up and down two more times, and bowed a few times! It made me so happy to put such a big smile on her face. Elder Aoyagi talked a lot about joy, and said there were two main ways we felt joy: when we feel somebody's love, and when we feel the guidance of the Lord. I have to say that I agree wholeheartedly. Sister Aoyagi talked about how our job is to "push the rock." We may not move it on our own, but all God has asked is for us to push. He'll take care of the rest. President and Sister Morrisse also spoke. Sister Morrisse gave a great talk about "looking up." Basically, we need to look up -- where we see others, and can be optimistic, rather than look down, where we're focused on ourself, and more pessimistic. I really liked it; I'll probably say more about it when I have more time. There was a lot of good phrases and ideas from mission tour, I can't possibly share them all hear. I will add one more though: a part of Christ's atonement is His power to heal our spirits. Faith in Christ includes faith that He keeps His promises. I've seen that a lot as I've read the Book of Mormon this week. We have to believe that He did what He did, and He'll do what He said He'll do.
     That's it for this week; I'll try to say more next week. This pictures included are views from our apartment buidling the past few days. Today, it was so foggy we couldn't see anything outside! That was all burned up as the sun rose, of course.
Elder Lynn

Weekly Letter 8/31/2014

The pictures are of Elder Lee (이상범) and I at transfers with President Morrisse.

 

I met my new companion this week, and he's great! His name's Elder H

 and he's from California. Let me list off a few things I've noticed and learned about him:

 

He's a little taller than me.

His major is game programming.

He liked to tinker before his mission.

He's highly intelligent.

He's very musical.

He likes video games.

His hair color is similar to Griffin's.

 

All in all, it feels like I'm serving with Griffin. It's the strangest feeling to feel like you're with your uncle, but I'm down for it. He's a great missionary, and we're working well together. We're stalling out a bit in Gimpo right now, but we're determined to push forward. We had stake conference last week with Elder Koichi Aoyagi of the Seventy, and there were a few things they said that I really liked. From the priesthood session, one of the speakers said that we need to "trust the missionaries and do our best." Do your best is one of my favorite Korean phrases, so my ears perked up when he said that. I really liked his statement. I've shortened it to "trust and do your best," but I think it's important for members to trust the missionaries as much as they can. 99% of the time, the missionaries are just 19 year old kids who are doing their best to represent Jesus Christ. They make mistakes, but they're doing their best, just like we are. Trust them. Love them. Remember to remove the beam from your own eye before looking for the mote in theirs.

In the Sunday session, a sister speaking about family history talked about how her grandparents had passed away, and asked the question, "How will I know them?" That really brought home the importance of journal keeping and family history work. How will we know those who have gone before us? How will we know our family members who are further up the tree than we are?

 

We had a monsoon the other night! It came out of nowhere. As we were standing on the street corner, we literally saw the cascade of water coming towards us, splashing off the ground. It had been clear, so I was the only one with an umbrella. Elder Harline and I huddled under it as nature gave us the works. As we approached our house, it got really windy, and it destroyed my umbrella! Terrified of the baldness causing acid rain, I held the tattered remains of our hopes and dreams over my head as we ran into the building. We were absolutely soaked from the waist down. I actually poured water out of my shoes, a unique experience for me.

 

Last monday, we had our last family night with Elder Lee, my companion. We shared a message about faith and works. He shared the classic faith/works rowboat story, then I talked a bit about dad's company, and his motto, reading from James. I then read a verse from 3 Nephi describing how not everybody who cries out, "Lord, Lord," will enter the kingdom of heaven, but those who do the Father's will. I testified, and said that if we truly do have faith, it will cause us to act. I said that if we have true faith, we'll show it through our works. We know it's by grace that we're saved, but through our works we purify our hearts, and qualify for God's saving grace. The ward mission leader really liked the thought, and said that it was a really important one for the young adults there. It was nice to have his endorsement of our message.

 

We play soccer every Monday morning with a bunch of pastors and priests and such from other churches, and this week was my best week yet! I'd really improved, and they even mentioned that. They said I was the "MVP." Of course I wasn't, but they're a bunch of jokesters, and we're all pretty close. For instance, last week the guy who split up the teams (a president of some church) pulled me over to his side, saying that he'd "scouted me." If you remember, last week they told me I was fat but played well. This week, they told me that I played extremely well today. It's nice to see those bits of progression! Who'd have ever thought I'd be playing soccer a lot?

 

We had a cool miracle yesterday while proselyting! We decided to sit down and rest our feet for a few minutes in a park. When we sat down in the midst of some benches, there was nobody there, nobody around, but we felt good about it. A few minutes later, and five or six grandmas just appear out of nowhere and sit down next to us! They gave us some oranges, and started chatting. Well, as we sat there for the next 15 minutes or so four more grandmas showed up, for a total of 9! There were also a bunch of kids and parents in the park in the background. We were able to explain who we were and what we're doing here to all of these grandmas, and learn a bit about them. They all got our card, and one of them may bring her two grandchildren (a little boy and girl that we met) to English class! It was truly a miracle, and that enabled us to reach our contact goal, which we thought for sure we were going to miss. It just goes to show that with God, all things are possible.

 

See you next week! Sorry for the short letter!

Love,

 

Elder Austin Lynn

Weekly Letter 8/24/2014

This week was great! I feel like I've made it over a huge hill, and now I can see an enormous panorama of potential! As I worked on being more open and communicating, and especially on loving, my relationship with my companion has continued to steadily improve. In addition, Heavenly Father's smiling on us, blessing us with miracle after miracle. Sadly, I'll be losing my Korean companion this week. I'll be staying in Gimpo (김포) but he's outta here.

In other news, I went on exchanges this week with our resident greeny, Elder Whitney! We had three special experiences during exchanges.

1) We met a member who speaks English! I'm not sure how I feel about him though; it was a strange experience. He stopped us on the street, and began talking to us in English. I was really sketched out at first because he tapped my Korean Book of Mormon, and told me, "Don't rely on this book." I was surprised; and replied, "This is the Book of Mormon!" I then asked him if he was a member, to which he responded, "It's not important for you to know." He continued by saying not to rely on that book; the translation was imperfect, and though it was true in English, it wasn't true in Korean. Sadly, a lot of members have that opinion about the translation, mainly because it uses traditional, older grammar forms and rarely used words. I defended the book, testifying to him (in Korean) that I read both the Korean and English Book of Mormon every day, and though Korean is still difficult for me, I have spiritual insights and experiences reading it in Korean. He brushed this off, and continued on. It felt very strange to defend the Book of Mormon to a member (he later confessed that he was a member, and I don't see how he couldn't have been, based on how he spoke). He kept telling us to follow the teachings and instructions of Jesus Christ, as found in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, if we wanted to gain salvation. He also kept telling us that our duty was to cry repentance to all people, everybody, if possible. He told us to work together, that we had to believe this with our hearts our we would fail. He told us not to rely on anybody in the world, and not to rely on anybody in the church. At that point, I asked him about the prophet, because I was feeling weird about that. He agreed that we should follow the prophet, but emphasized that if the prophet doesn't follow God, he'll perish. He talked to us, basically repeating everything several times, for about 40 minutes. I asked him where he was from, and he responded, "That's not important for you to know." ...It was an extremely odd conversation.

2) A drunk fellow approached us. This isn't the first time it's happened to me, and it probably won't be the last. He was spouting off something about God being in our hearts with Jesus. He also saluted us, and fist bumped us. Near the end of the conversation, he reached into Elder Whitney's shirt pocket, and took his pen. Then he walked away. I asked him to give the pen back, but then he babbled something in Korean I didn't understand. We saw him that night, and he once again saluted and fist-bumped us. The first thing I noticed was the pen nestled in his vest pocket -- Elder Whitney's.

3) I got gypped! By a grandma! But it's okay. I asked her if we could help her, and she had us move some boxes. I asked her if there was anything else, and she motions us over to a stand of vegatables, and starts motioning. Before I know it, I'm holding a bag of cucumbers, and am handing her 5,000 Won. Dang! But that's alright; money's nothing, as long as she thinks a little better of the missionaries (and the church).

I've found that one of my talents right now is building friendships with members. It's easy for me to chat with them about things, and to ask questions and occasionally make jokes. They're interested in me, and I'm interested in them. Talking with members is probably my greatest strength as a missionary right now.

I was reading in the Book of Mormon the other day, and I realized that the gospel is "the ultimate reality." It explains every aspect of existence, and it's importance. There is absolutely nothing more real than the principles the gospel teaches; indeed, the gospel includes all truth! It's not a fable or unrealistic, it is designed for reality, it is reality.

I was reading in Alma 18:24-25, where Ammon is teaching King Lamoni, and I realized that his question is just as applicable today, and Lamoni's answer just as common.

"Do you believe in God?"

"I don't know what that is."

Too many people today have unclear, or non-existent conceptions of diety. I love how the gospel clearly defines God's character and purpose. As a missionary, I'm focused on teaching people there is a God, He loves you, and He has a plan for you. God's purpose is, as written below, our growth and ultimate joy.

I've been reading this book titled "Mission 2B:)" (Mission to be happy) and I wanted to share one of my favorite parts from it: "The exciting news, if you can absorb it in the right light, is that the real you is utterly unique. Nowhere in the sacred texts will you find God asking you to betray your uniqueness. In fact, God's plan for our happiness is His celebration of our extraordinary individuality. God didn't craft puppets. He enabled intelligences to find fulness and completion. And He mentioned on more than one occassion that we would learn all this by our own experience, not someone else's."

I've found so much joy in life as I'm striving to be "me." There are times when I wonder if all the parts that make me who I am are really necessary, and if I can just borrow somebody else's, but resist that! You are truly the only person who can find joy for yourself! Finding your identity is incredibly difficult, but infinitely rewarding.

As I've read in the Book of Mormon, another principle has pressed itself on my mind: condemnation. The way I see it, God won't be lashing unwilling sinners. He won't be punishing us by His own hand. We'll condemn ourselves, having a perfect recollection of our mistakes, our sins, the ways we hurt other people, the times we didn't live up to our potential. We will sorrow for what we've done wrong, and we'll feel unworthy of God's presence. All this will come upon us if we "procrastinate the day of our repentance." God's work is designed to ovcercome this: He's provided a savior, and He gives us mercy, but we have to exercise it. Our guilt in that case will be, in part, failing to exercise the atonement of Jesus Christ, which is so freely offered to all men. People will consign themselves to where they belong, and the only real "hell" or "purgatory" will be one's own regrets. 
As always, God's arm is extended towards us. Everything He wants us to do is for our own good, and it's no different with repentance.

Stay tuned! Next week find out about my new companion, the mysterious "Elder Harline!"

 

Love,

Elder Austin Lynn

 

Postscript

I saw the Yeonsu gang! I met my younger brother (Elder Westbrook's greenie) and he seems solid. We were able to talk for a little while, and it sounds like I'm "famous in Yeonsu!" I'm glad to know that my work payed off there, and is inspiring other missionaries. Apparently, the stake president talks about me a lot in meetings! Things are going great there. Just a testimony that if you do your part, God will magnify you!

Weekly Letter 8/17/14

This week was a rollercoaster of emotions!

     Something I've learned a lot about lately is talents, and developing them. On that topic, the Savior has two parables. The primary differences in them is one (the Parable of the Pounds) shows that people with the same amount of potential can yield vastly different results (this principle is also touched on in the Parable of the Sower, when the seeds that fell on good ground yielded different amounts of produce) and the other (the Parable of the Talents) emphasizes how people with different potential can still receive rewards based on how they use what they have. You can find the same principle in both -- those who don't develop their talents will receive no increase. I've thought about this, and have cause to sorrow that there have been many times in my life that I chose not to develop my talents, and that I didn't work harder at finding them. Our rewards in life (and after!) are based on the effort we put in, so it's a real shame I didn't do more.

     But I rejoice that the Lord has opened the door to reparation, and has provided repentance and hope, through the atonement. I don't have to be weighed down by regrets -- I can change them into spurs to help me stay motivated and focused, and remind me not to waste what I have! As I continue leading the life I've been given, the development of talents will definitely take a more prominent place in it.

     This week, we had Zone Conference, where the Mission President and senior couples offer training on all sorts of things. We focused on Family History in missionary work, English class, finding activities, and "Starting with the End in Mind." We had a roleplay where we taught what patriarchal blessings were, and one missionary's comment really opened my eyes. They said, "A patriarchal blessing is a father's blessing, from your Father in Heaven." That's exactly what it is! That was a cool piece of revelation, amidst many other things I learned in an atmosphere inundated with the Spirit. I've said it before, but I really do love President Morrisse. He's a great man. His wife is just as great! She said something that really struck me, and it's something like this: the core of inspiration is God's individualized love and care of each and every single one of His children.

     I know that that's 100% accurate. If God didn't know us perfectly, if He didn't love us, there would be no revelations, no inspiration, no heavenly gifts. But He does, so there are! And like the Book of Moroni teaches, where these things cease, it's because of man's unbelief. That lesson hit me again later that week, as I struggled to know how to climb out of a pit of discouragement. It first came from a friendly comment from my district leader, and then I got a telephone call from my old companion, Elder Westbrook, that really helped me out. Those prepped me for an intense companionship inventory, which was really rough, but totally vital. After that, I realized that I needed to put a conscious effort into loving my companion. Whereas loving others comes naturally for me, the language barrier and our vastly different personalities really made that difficult. I'd been looking for ways to serve him, but not with the attitude of serving because I loved him. I wanted to work together well, but that's not enough. I'm glad I'm learning this lesson now, at the beginning of my mission. Some people are difficult to love, but that doesn't make it any less worth doing. It's a lesson that will help me throughout my life, and I thank God for it.

     Part of improving that relationship is talking. Not just contacting while proselyting, not just confirming plans, but just day-to-day conversation. Since coming to Gimpo (김포) almost everything I've said's been in Korean. Truth is, I can't express a fraction of what I think and feel in Korean. While I've learned a lot and my speaking's improved, as a general rule I talk far, far less than I ever have before. That's one of the things I wanted to learn on my mission, but like any virtue, it can become a vice, and it did for me. I wasn't talking enough.

Whoa, wait a second! Elder Austin Lynn, not talking?!

That's right. I started to lose myself a bit, and became so focused on doing my best to be a diligent missionary that my companion became another missionary -- somebody I work with to do the work. That's not the proper view. I had to tear myself away from that, and do some sincere repenting for that. But, since then, it's gotten a lot better. I'm making an effort to make small talk, and my companion appreciates it. More than that, God appreciates it! Ever since then, we've been blessed with miracles every day. We're not splitting seas, but people on the street stop us and ask us who we are -- unheard of! I bear sincere testimony that God's ready to bless us, as soon as we qualify for the blessings!

     I've been working hard on developing the Character of Christ, too. That's a lifelong pursuit, but this week I had an experience that really helped me see that I've made progress. We were streetboarding, and talked to this grandma who didn't like us. She was exhausted, so she sat down close by. I went and bought a bottle of water for her, and offered it to her. She refused it, explaining that she lived right across the street. I insisted for a moment, but then desisted. I was about to walk away, but then she patted the bench and told me to sit down. She asked me a question or two, then launched into this story. I sat there and listened. And listened. And listened.

Two hours later, we had to go, and that was when our conversation ended. I didn't get anything out of it! Zilch. Nada. I only caught a few random words. And, I had the biggest headache! My head was splitting in half.

Though the flesh was weak, my spirit was happy. I was really glad I'd been able to do that. Why? Because I put somebody else's needs ahead of mine. This grandma had something she really wanted to talk about, and although I couldn't say anything back, she was able to express it all. I'm certain she also thinks a bit better of the church now too, because she was using the Korean intimate form of "you" (당신). That was the first time anybody had ever used it on me; it means a lot in Korea! For those who haven't heard, the Character of Christ, simply, is this: He turns outwards, when we would selfishly turn inwards. I'm striving to develop that habit in my day to day life, and though it's tough, it's extremely rewarding.

      As my final thought, I read something in my book "Mission to Be Happy" by Michael McLean, that addressed something that I've wondered if none-Christians thought about -- worshipping God. I could easily see people drawing incorrect conclusions about God from His command to worship Him (and I have seen them!). Summed up, Michael McLean had this to say: "God's desire for us to worship Him isn't because His ego is fragile and He needs our validation. He invites us to worship Him because He knows we become like what we worship, and He wants us to share in His incomprehensible joy." How beautiful. There's nothing at all selfish in it. His only desire is for us to be truly happy. "He doeth not anything save it be for the good of the world." "God is love." God's purposes and joys are written across the sacred records we call scriptures, and it always says the same thing: "I want my children to be happy." That's all He wants. He helps us avoid the things that look enticing, but are actually hollow. He would have us do the things that are hard, but bring great growth. Ultimately, He sent His son so that we could overcome our sins, and find peace and joy for all eternity.

 

Until Next Week,

Elder Austin Lynn

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