5/31/2015

This week was packed with mission stuff!
Well, yes, every week is packed with mission stuff, but this week was full of mission meetings. On Tuesday, I had the opportunity to interview with President Morrise, and it was very enlightening. One of my favorite things was our discussion about testimony. We talked about how new members and investigators can receive such huge, unmistakable impressions that the Book of Mormon is true, whereas we life-long members often simply don't have experiences like that very often. President suggested that the strength of the witness we receive is proportionate to the price we will pay for living the gospel the Book of Mormon teaches us. Most people have to make huge changes in their lives, with great sacrifice, as opposed to life-long members, who grew up this way. In a sense, it's like road signs: for those of us who have always walked the right road, we only need the reassurance to keep going, simple signs pointing forward. For those who are changing paths, they need something huge and unmistakable to convince them to turn aside, and change everything. 
On Friday, we had a combined mission conference with the missionaries north of the river (Seoul Mission) which had Elder Maynes, of the Presidency of the 70, and Elder Ringwood, our area president, in attendance. There was a large focus on finding and baptizing. Considering that's most of what we do, that's not much of a surprise. Those are central to our purpose of inviting others to come closer to Christ; invitations that strengthen faith come from our teaching, and baptism is the ultimate commitment to follow Christ. And, as I've learned, the more we learn to follow Christ, the closer we come to him, like the older brother who's always led the way for us. 
Last Sunday was our ward conference; the missionaries sang "This is the Christ," and most of the ward formed a choir to sing "The Spirit of God." It was a privilege to participate in singing such a foundational hymn, in Korean. After the meeting, several of the sisters commented that I look like I've lost weight! One of them (the one who's husband passed away last December) told me that she's lost weight too! She said it's because of stress. It's odd how open Koreans are about that, as opposed to America. 
On Wednesday afternoon, our investigator, Lee Gi Won (이기원) finally met us again... to drop us. Which is totally fine, because we were planning on dropping him too, but it's just funny that he beat us to it. The funniest thing was that we realized he was drinking alcohol throughout the lesson; he held it like a champ though. He always took at least two hours to meet, and he spent most of it complaining about his health, so we'll just use the time to find investigators who have real intent to discover whether or not the Book of Mormon's true, if Joseph Smith was a prophet, and if this church is true. 
On the bright side, we met our friend at the library, Lucas, again. We were able to talk a lot about the Holy Ghost, and we actually taught him all about the Word of Wisdom, without it being burdensome or awkward. He shared an awesome experience he had, which our discussion helped him realize was the Holy Ghost. He was about to cross the street, but he had a feeling not to. He was confused, since the cross walk light was green, but he heeded the feeling, and didn't move. At that moment, a parked car on a hill un-parked itself, and flew down the street. Somebody Lucas knew walked into the street, and was killed. It could've been him, if he hadn't listened to an unexplainable feeling that crossing the street was not the thing to do. 
On Thursday evening, we had a "zone blitz" in Sanbon area. The rest of our zone's missionaries came, we switched companions, and spent an hour and a half proselyting, using bingo cards I'd devised. It was really fun, and really effective in helping us begin conversations. I worked with Elder Empey, our new zone leader. It's always interesting to proselyte with somebody else, because everybody's style is so unique. 
This week I started reading the standard works from the beginning, in Genesis. I was really impressed by one of the very first things to occur after Adam and Eve's transgression: a promise of redemption, the guarantee of a Savior. In Genesis 3 (look, see how early on in the canon this promise arrives! Virtually immediately after creation, with the juice of the forbidden fruit still on their lips, God establishes the most important promise in all of Judaism or Christianity: that of a Messiah, a Christ, a Savior) God, while cursing Satan -- in a sense, cursing death, both physical (the separation of body and spirit) and spiritual (separation from God), cursing all failures and fallings, cursing, for our blessing -- God, while in the very act of cursing the deceptive serpent who, unwittingly had set into motion the very Plan of Salvation he sought to thwart, promised: "I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; he shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel." 
One Man, of all men, was born of a woman, and not a man: Jesus of Nazareth. One Man, of all men, conquered death: Jesus, the Christ. In the words of Jeffrey R. Holland, a modern Apostle and witness of Jesus Christ, "[W]e celebrate the gift of victory over every fall we have ever experienced, every sorrow we have ever known, every discouragement we have ever had, every fear we have ever faced -- to say nothing of our resurrection from death and forgiveness of our sins." 
The Atonement of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ is the heart and core of the Gospel. The Old Testament is full of promises and prophecies looking forward to it; the New Testament showing us the fulfillment of it, and the Book of Mormon: Another Testament of Jesus Christ, expounds in a beautiful way, adding additional prophecy, teaching, and understanding, in a sense enriching and completing the Bible.

5/24/2015

I guess we'll start with the sad news for this week. Our new investigator family dropped off the face of the earth! I suspect it's due to all of the sports events schools held last week, so we're holding our breath to see if we can reestablish contact, but... it's been a while. This is a pretty common problem out here; you meet a person, then they drop off the radar after canceling your next appointment. Phone calls only meet "I'm busy"s and "I'll call you backs." Then, you're left to guess what went wrong.

Not the most enjoyable part of the work of salvation.

But, then there are the moments like last night: when one such investigator texts you, explaining how because of poor health, he hasn't come to English class like he promises every week, but he still wants to see us and eat together. It's not a commitment to consistently meet again, but it's a chance to get our foot in the door, and work our magic from there.

Take Lucas, for example. We met him at the library, and struck up a conversation when I asked him some Korean questions. Almost immediately, we learned that he was pretty darn good at English. Since then, we've visited him a few more times at the library, and had good, friendly talks that led to religion each time. The first time, we were able to introduce the Book of Mormon, and the last time we visited we talked a bit about prayer. He's Christian, so it's always comfortable, too. On top of that, we're the same age, so we're instantly best friends!

Next week is Sanbon Ward's last ward conference, before their ward combines with others. As part of the meeting, I'll be singing "This is The Christ," accompanied by Elder Campbell on the cello. We've only been able to practice a couple of times, but it's come together really well so far.

Here's the song:
https://www.lds.org/liahona/2006/12/this-is-the-christ…

I really love how this Apostle wrote his testimony as a song. It reminds me of Bruce R. McConkie, in a way. In particular, I love that it ties the Book of Mormon's witness of Jesus Christ, best represented in His visit to the ancient Americans, to His suffering in Gethsemane, recorded in the holy scriptures, to a modern witness, united with ancient saints. To try to abridge is to mar; here's the lyrics to this beautiful piece.

They heard His voice, a voice so mild
It pierced them through and made their souls to quake
They saw Him come, a man in white,
The Savior who had suffered for their sake.
They felt the wounds in hands and side,
And each could testify:

This is the Christ.
This is the Christ, the holy Son of God,
Our Savior, Lord, Redeemer of mankind.
This is the Christ, the Healer of our souls,
Who ransomed us with love divine.

I read His words, the words He prayed
While bearing sorrow in Gethsemane.
I feel His love, the price He paid.
How many drops of blood were spilled for me?
With Saints of old in joyful cry
I too can testify:

This is the Christ.
This is the Christ, the holy Son of God.
Our Savior, Lord, Redeemer of mankind.
This is the Christ, the Healer of our souls,
Who ransomed us with love divine.

I'm grateful for the chance to sing this song, and add my small testimony to all the others that have been borne of Him: He truly is the Christ; the Messiah, the Savior.

The other day we went sticker-boarding out in the middle square. It's right next to a subway station, and there are tons of restaurants and shops, so it's always hopping with people. We took out our English class board, which asks people the reason they want to learn English. It's a really easy way to start conversations and advertise our English class, which is always in need of more people. It's also loads of fun because you have the chance to interact with dozens of people with very little negative pressure. After all, it's just a sticker!

Today looks to be a wonderful day, with great weather and what one member deemed "Oriental Christmas": Buddha's birthday! We met with that member last night, and had a wonderful dinner together: bean noodles, chilled with ice and milk!

Okay, I'll be honest: I didn't care for the taste. But the difference between me not liking something now, and not liking something a year ago, is now I can eat it with kimchi, a smile, and eat it quickly and completely. I wasn't able to put things down like that a year ago.

The member talked to us a little bit about Buddhism, and explained some of the core beliefs, explaining that one of the things he likes the most about our church is that we embrace all truth, and are completely open about the fact that truth is found in many places -- though, of course, the Gospel of Jesus Christ is the only complete collection of truth.

He said that Buddhism teaches 4 pains, or sufferings: birth, disease, age, and death. The main focus of Buddhism is an 8-point road that leads to resolving these sufferings. The roads are things such as right thinking, right speaking, and rightly acting. Karma brings back what we send out in this life, and influences the cycle of reincarnation. The ultimate goal of Buddhism is to reach Nirvana, a state of oblivion to all external cares and worries.

Wow, that's some heavy stuff. But, in a sense, it's all based on truth. For instance, questions of the soul do include those four things: why was I born, why is there disease and disability in life, including aging, and what is death, what comes after it?

Jesus Christ also taught a path of deliverance from worldly cares and sorrows. He commanded us to take up the cross and to follow Him; to deny ourselves of all worldliness. In a sense, He said, "let go of the things that don't really matter, and follow me, so I can take you to back to God, our Heavenly Father." His Gospel is our road to resolution.

Justice is a basic attribute of God, and is reflected in the fact that at some point, we will all face judgment for our actions, thoughts, and desires.

No, we don't believe in Nirvana. But we do believe that at some point every man must decide whether or not he's going to hold on to the things of this life, or give them up for the things of eternity. We all have to learn to let go, in many different ways.

Let's take a moment and ponder the Savior's invitation:

Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal:

But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal:

For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.

(Matthew 6: 19-21; taught to the Nephites in 3 Nephi 13:19-21)

My most valuable treasure is my family; inextricably linked with my relationship to God, my Father in Heaven, and my Elder Brother, Jesus Christ. I hope we all take time to assess our priorities, and make sure that we're putting our strength into laying up treasure where it matters the most.

With Love,
Elder Austin Lynn

5/17/2015

Things have changed for me, and that's okay!
This week essentially started soon after email last week. We planned on visiting a museum, and while we were leaving the house, we met a man on the street, who asked us if we could teach English to him.
Can we?
Of course! We set an appointment with him, and went on our way to spend an enjoyable afternoon at the Seoul Grand Park complex. In particular, we wanted to visit the Gwacheon (과천) national science museum... but it was closed. Undettered, we traveled to the nearby museum of contemporary art... which was also closed. We were determined to have a good time, so we at last entered the Seoul zoo. Luckily for us, all of these things are located in the same area. We spent a pleasant afternoon at the zoo, and I was reminded of something: there are lots of white people in the world. There were several foreigner tourist families we saw while we were there, and I think I was pretty close to having a panic attack the first time I heard a few little girls speaking... in English. That was one of the strangest feelings I've had in a long time. I'm not used to regular people speaking English; Korean is the world, for me.
We met that man -- Kim Sung Chor (김성철) -- later that week, and, incredibly, he had us come over to his house to teach English. I've been in investigators' homes two or three times throughout my mission. As we entered his home, we met his three sons, who correspond with Christian, Grace, and Tyler in age, and his wife. We learned that they'd lived in Canada for a few years, and Brother Kim wanted to maintain his sons' English, as well as improve his basic ability.
He was asking us to teach his children, and himself.
When asked, he responded that he did not mind if we shared a brief spiritual message after teaching English.
We had the opportunity to teach a family.
This was a first for me on my mission, and a miracle that a loving Father in Heaven provided to us. This family has the potential to become a huge aid to the ward here, and I can easily see their sons being some of the future leaders and fathers that are so desperately needed in the church in Korea. We've officially met and taught with their family once, and it went well. We're structuring lessons like wedding planners, determined that everything will go off without a hitch, and will interest the oldest to youngest, and, most importantly, provide an opportunity for the Spirit to touch their hearts.
Earlier that first day of teaching, we met a man who sits on a hill all-day, drinking and watching the passer-by. To his credit, I could hardly tell that he'd been imbibing alcohol for who knows how long. Apparently he's seen missionaries almost everyday, as they walk past his hill towards church. We talked with him, gave him a Book of Mormon, and discussed the possibility of church attendance. The man was surprisingly open to the thought; he used to attend a church, but now that his knee's injured, it's no longer possible for him to go. In the middle of our talk, he stood up, walked a few feet away, and urinated off the side of the hill. He returned sat down, and continued his thought.
Just a typical moment for a grandpa in Korea.
I'm short on time this week (lunch with an English class member; a grandpa who always says the funniest things!), so we'll close with that. Thank you to everybody who writes me, it means the world to have the support of those of you at home.

Best Wishes,
Elder Austin Lynn

5/10/2015

Zone training this week focused on the question "what is diligence?" As a zone, we had a rousing discussion that drew from Preach My Gospel, the scriptures, and our personal experiences as missionaries. My favorite part of our training was the comment that diligence is not something that we do -- but it's an attitude, something in our hearts, that is conveyed by our actions. Diligence is your personal best effort, that comes from your desire to accomplish a goal, be it writing a novel or overcoming a bad temper. Diligence means effectiviciency -- being both effective and efficient. It doesn't always mean running around every moment of the day, but can often be a moment of reflection and thought, that makes the rest of the day all the more effective. Diligence also requires patience -- the ability to suffer setbacks, but not become discouraged. 
This week culminated in our missionary work youth activity -- the joy of missionary work. It was hosted by Sisters Pratt -- who will return home this week -- and Sister Lee Kibbum (이기쁨), a missionary who returned home to the ward this week. Ironically, her name itself means "joy". After a brief meal together, she began the meeting by bearing her testimony. One experience she shared was how when she was a teenager, she decided she didn't want to go to church anymore. She talked to her parents, and they told her that when she turned 20 (Korean age) she could choose her own religion. She was elated by this, determined to have her way once she was 20. Then, the next Sunday, her mother told her to get ready and come to church. She was confused; she was 20 now, and could choose what to do. She reminded her mother of their deal, and she was told that it was still in effect: but to choose a religion was more than something you do with words; she would have to decide through experience, through church-going, prayer, and scripture study. She took up that side of the offer, and received her own testimony of Joseph Smith, the gospel, the Church, and the Savior. Because of that testimony, she decided to serve a mission, where, she testified, she's felt more of God's love and care than ever before. 
After Sister Lee's testimony, Elder Schilling and I briefly shared what our source of joy in missionary work was. Elder Schilling shared part of the missionary call letter, which promises each missionary greater joy and happiness than they had yet experienced. I chose to speak about the relationships I've made in Korea. Without my mission, I never would've had the chance to meet so many people and learn to give of myself. My mission has taught me how to love, and joy comes from love. I quoted a song from Les Miserables, which states, "To love another person is to see the face of God." I believe that statement is true: when we learn to love like Christ did, we come to understand what God's viewpoint is like, in our own limited way. As we love others more fully, we start to understand how God feels about each one of us. 
After, we talked a little bit about how missionaries often teach English, and played Sister Pratt's favorite English class game -- a variation on Rock, Paper, Scissors. Then, Elders Campbell and Stapp bore testimony of their decision to come on a mission, and how it's blessed them with joy. After that, we performed the musical skit that we'd been practicing for the past several weeks -- "A Missionary Day." It was a resounding success. Using songs from the Children's Songbook, we walked the audience through a day in the life of a missionary -- from call, to breakfast, to proselyting, to lessons. It was lots of fun, both singing and performing. The audience loved it, and it was satisfying to use my talents in a different language -- evidence of blessings from God. 
To finish, Sisters Holbrook and Pratt bore testimony, and sang a song together. With several non-members and many youth in attendance, it was a huge success. It's probably one of the best activities that I've participated in my entire mission. 
Church was odd, in the sense that there wasn't a single mention of Mother's Day -- that's an American holiday (although there was a parent's day earlier in the week). Sisters Pratt and Kibbum (기쁨) spoke once again, and it was a rather emotional meeting for those who were present in body and spirit. I've learned that when you're waiting to learn, or to feel, that's when we find the opportunities that are always there. That's something I can promise all of you: there are always chances to learn or feel something new. God constantly showers blessings upon us; it's only our insensitivity to them that keeps us from receiving them. We look for answers -- the answers we want, and not always necessarily the answer that's been given. We search for feelings -- feelings that confirm our thoughts, and not always the thing we need to feel. If we can learn to accept the will of the Lord and keep ourselves open, He will use the Spirit to teach us, and to help us, and to guide us. I know that's true; I've experienced it.

5/3/2015

Investigators... 

Still not a strong point here. We're doing our best though. People just seem to constantly duck out of meeting with us! It's frustrating, but we're doing our best to get creative in attempts to find more people to teach and serve. We were able to meet one investigator; an old gentlemen named Lee  (이기원). This week as we met, we shared a passage from Mormon, Chapter 8, Verses 1-16. Brother Lee talks a lot about how his health his poor, most of his friends are gone, and his life in general is pretty difficult. After a recent training at zone conference about likening the scriptures, we decided to take his usually-off-topic comments, and make them the center of the lesson. The chosen passage focused on how difficult Moroni's circumstances were. His family and friends had all been killed, including his father; his entire nation was wiped out; the survivors were hunted by their enemies, until he was the only one left; the entire land was consumed in what seemed then to be a perpetual war, a circle of bloodshed and carnage; and, on top of all of this, just to add insult to injury, he had little room left on the plates he was recording on, and no ore to make additional plates. 

And yet, Moroni's faith was strong. He believed in the record's worth, and knew that it would be brought forth, for the salvation of many. In spite of his apocalyptic circumstances, he had hope for the future of mankind. 

Another neat connection was how Mormon (shortly before his death) and Moroni had been visited by the Disciples of Jesus Christ, while in these troubling circumstances. We talked a bit about that, and Brother Lee compared us to them, saying that God has comforted him, through the two of us. It was special to hear an investigator so openly acknowledge us as servants of Jesus Christ. 

Another great experience this week was the zone conference referred to above. We had it in our area, and hiked partway up a mountain next to our church building. We had several trainings throughout the day, from the Assistants to the President, President Morrise, SIster Morrise, and the Zone Leaders. We could feel the effects of General Conference; several talks, such as "The Music of the Gospel" were referred to several times. How blessed we are to live in a day when revelation flows down in such voluminous amounts every six months, not to mention the monthly installments the church provides in other media! General Conference really has grown on me; I'm already excited for the next one! The main theme of zone conference was our mission theme: "We are the message." One of the ways they discussed that was by following up on a recent zone training about being positive. That was my favorite training ever, and I'm still digging it. We are a positive message! 

We had yet another meeting this week, up at mission headquarters. New missionaries are trained for 12 weeks, so now that we're reaching the halfway mark, we returned to the mission office to do a follow-up meeting. At the meeting, we had some training together, then we split up into two groups: new missionaries and trainers. We were able to talk openly about any difficulties we're facing as trainers, or good things we're doing, and all brainstorm together. One thing that impresses me is that it's never negative; it never becomes a roast on the new missionaries. There's a conscious effort to be positive and kind in every comment. 

This week's emails rather shorter than normal; but have no fear! I'll be back next week with news about a missionary youth activity, where we'll discuss "The Joy of Missionary Work." Here's hoping it goes well; heaven knows we've put in enough work! 

Best Wishes,
Elder Austin Lynn

4/27/2015

 Sister Bradie Johnson and Elder Lynn (They are both from the same ward)

4/27/2015

A return to form!

This week Elder Schilling and I constructed a sticker board to use when English flyering. It lets people choose from several options, answering the question, "What is the reason you want to learn English?" We took it out to two different places and received a lot of participation. I think it'll turn out to be a big help for our English class, which can always use more members.

I just realized, that six teenagers teach hundreds of people across the nation English. How funny is that! I never imagined myself becoming an English teacher so soon. 

Regardless, it was really fun to be sticker-boarding again. We used to do it all the time when I lived in Gimpo, but then I came here and that idea quietly slipped out the back door. It's back though, and ready to party!

This week was really slow in terms of investigator appointments -- all three of our investigators canceled, our new investigator had to drop our appointment at the last minute, and our most recent investigator, Kim Han Soo (김한수) dropped us. That was a rough phone call. He said that he has his own religion, and that he just wants to learn English. I listened, then just re-explained one last time that our purpose in meeting isn't to convert him, but to practice Korean, so that we can become better teachers. He was very cordial, but stated that he'd rather not continue meeting one and one, and would just like to attend our English class.

To be honest, this isn't an isolated experience; things like this happen all the time. I'm sure he'll be prepared in the future though; and in the mean time, he's taken one small step, even though he's chosen to stop walking. 

In other news, this week we were reminded of our importance by the Bishopric, during a meeting. They emphasized how small things we do can leave large impressions, especially on the youth. In harmony with that, we got treats for a couple of youth who celebrated birthdays recently. It was interesting to see their reactions, and the reactions of nearby members. You could tell that it meant a lot to them, and some of the members were so far impressed as to make comments like, "Ah, Elder, you don't have money to do things like that... that's too kind." That's something I intend to continue doing -- which is funny, because later the bishop's wife told me that she wants me to stay until her birthday -- In October!!

Another highlight this week was dinner with the ward mission leader, Brother Ahn (안) and his wife, Sister Bak (박). One neat thing was the opportunity to eat American food -- both lived in America, and Sister Bak is an excellent cook. That was probably the first time I've had any kind of chicken bake/casserole since I've left home. They had all the missionaries share what inspires them to share the gospel. My brief 30 second bit centered on how I know that the gospel of Jesus Christ has the power to resolve all social and personal problems, and that is what inspires me to share the gospel -- the desire to make a better future, for my family and friends. 

This week we were also able to take a trip to Costco (surprise, surprise, bet nobody saw that coming!), after our time at the temple, which, as always, was splendid. We were able to get some affordable, American ingredients in bulk, which is virtually impossible elsewhere. 

Another highlight was district meeting. Elder Campbell asked me to prepare a thought on how Jesus found people to teach, since we're all trying to be a little more like Him, and we all agreed that He's the greatest missionary who ever walked the face of this Earth. 

As I skimmed through the gospels, I was repeatedly impressed by how Jesus Christ taught all the time, and taught those who came to Him. He didn't have to interrupt or attack or be aggressive; He taught those who came to Him with interest, and that interest was kindled by life problems and by the Spirit testifying to the truthfulness of what He taught. 

That study helped me to be more at peace with the sometimes seemingly fruitless hours of proselyting. The main key, to me, was to always be teaching, and not to worry about those who turn away from you. It's their loss, not yours. 

All in all, it was another blessed week in Korea. I find myself evermore grateful for the opportunity to be heard and to speak in the Lord's name. The personal blessings I've received are numerous and beyond description; the testimony I've received has grown in ways that are both imperceptible and unmistakable. 

Most importantly, my love for everybody has increased, again and again. I can honestly state that I love each and every one of my brothers and sisters -- and our Heavenly Father, who saved each of us through the sacrifice of His Only Begotten, His perfect Eldest Son, Jesus Christ. 

Your Faithful Brother, 

Elder Austin Lynn