7/26/2015

This week was packed with several meetings, but we were also able to meet and teach several of our investigators. In other words, it was a good week!
As usual, we met (정홍익) on Tuesday. This time, there was a surprise: he brought his friend to lunch with him! After eating lunch together, he stayed to hear our discussion. We are starting the fourth discussion, which is the Commandments. The first principle we wanted to talk about was obedience, and we decided to read Alma 32 together. This may not seem like an obvious choice, since Alma 32 is a great passage for faith, but doesn't talk much about God's commandments. As we read it, we connected it with obedience, promising our investigator that as he kept God's commandments, he would feel the seed planted in his heart begin to swell and grow, just as Alma describes. By being obedient, he would perform the experiment Alma prescribed to increase our faith, and, eventually receive eternal life. It went well; his friend felt that the Book of Mormon taught things very clearly. Jung (정홍익) also explained it to his friend, so that he knew what the Book of Mormon was. I don't know if he'll continue bringing his friend, but we certainly hope he will.
We also shared one of my favorite scriptures, from D&C 130:20-21, about obedience:
"There is a law, irrevocably declared in heaven before the foundations of this world, upon which all blessings are predicated -- and when we obtain any blessing from God, it is by obedience to that law upon which it is predicated."
We discussed that for a little bit, then finished up and headed over to another investigator, Hwang Yong Ho.
We saw H Yong Ho several times this week, and he is doing better and better. He's a rather old fellow, so we have to take things slowly, but he's doing better all the time. This week we talked a little more about the Plan of Salvation, discussing the purpose of life, and the role of Jesus Christ in God's plan.
We had district meeting on Wednesday like always, and this week my training was about patience. Patience is a vital attribute, because without it, faith is terminal, and hope is transient. Patience can help us have sweeter, more meaningful, longer-lasting relationships as well. My thought is... without patience, everything else, no matter how good it is, will fade. So, patience must be linked to charity, because "charity never faileth." Is Charity not patient? Of course it is!
On Thursday we tried to go stickerboarding, but were defeated by the rain -- which was unfortunate, since we'd enlisted our returned sister missionary to help us do it. In the five minutes we did it, we were able to get two phone numbers, so it wasn't a complete loss. We each shared our motivations for serving a mission with her, and discussed our missions for a little bit afterwards, waiting for the rain to let up a bit. It's incredible how quickly rain can come out of nowhere here; it truly is monsoon season.
The next day we had our zone conference, across the country (not as large a distance in Korea; about an hour and a half of travel). A professor from BYU Hawaii named PJ Rogers came, and presented a training on Korean culture and language to top off the day of trainings from President Morrise, his assistants, and our zone leaders. We learned about topics from working with members and ward leaders, to keeping our houses and lives clean. It was a fantastic day, and Brother Rogers' presentation was both informative and entertaining. We had to race back home that night to make it to a ward party our Bishop wanted us to attend. To celebrate summer, they had an evening barbecue. Jung (정홍익) agreed to come with us, and several of the members talked to him, so it was a good evening.
On Saturday, we met with our newest investigator, Lee (이형철). He's interested in learning English, and then asked us several questions about religion, such as: "When is the Second Coming? Are you a Baptist Church? Do you believe in God? Who is God? Who is Jesus' Mother?" We had a brief conversation about each question, and he took all of the answers well.
Sunday was a good end to the week. During gospel doctrine class, I thought about when we strengthen our faith. The teacher made the point that growing faith is not a matter of time, but of experiences. As I thought about it, I really agreed with that. I think that when we have to, we strengthen our faith. There are trials and challenges in life that we can only overcome if we have more faith, and it's at those times that we increase our faith. We don't feel a need to do that when everything is fine and dandy, so God has to send us challenges that motivate us to increase our faith, which ultimately leads to more blessings.
So, the next time you find yourself in a pickle, remember -- this is a chance for you to grow stronger! It's in our nature to be content with our progress, but God has a lot more in store for us than "okay" or "passable" people. He wants to give us everything He has -- which He can only do if we become more faithful, more sure, more Christlike. That's His plan for us, here on this earth. I'm grateful to have the chance to share that information, and to participate in this plan.

Love,
Elder Austin Lynn

7/19/2015

We had a great this week. We had the chance to go to the temple on Thursday, which turned out to be really well timed as that was the main subject matter on Sunday, during Priesthood meeting. We discussed what the temple represents to each of us. Having just been there, it was something that had been on our mind lately. In my opinion, the temple represents the most primal yearning of fallen man -- the desire of children to go home, to be in their father's home again. The temple symbolizes reconciliation, the reuniting of God and man. It is the closest we come to salvation in this life -- after all, isn't salvation returning to God, after our journey here is complete? The temple raises us -- it is a bridge where we can leave behind every weakness and sin that "so easily besets" us, and can stride into the presence of God with confidence. There are few expressions of love greater than that of the temple. As a matter of fact, the temple points towards those expressions -- Jesus Christ and His Atonement. Everything in the Father's plan revolves around those things -- forgiveness, growth, and ultimate reunion.
After visiting the temple, we also went to Gangnam, with one of our investigators (Jung Hong Ik [정홍익]). It was neat to finally visit the much-sung of "Gangnam."
Monday night last week was a major blow... financially. A potential investigator met with us, then, after ordering lots of food at an overpriced restaurant, stuck us with the bill, promising to pay next time. I'm not sure what I would've done if I wasn't a missionary, but I can tall you that Elder Stapp and I had to fork over the majority of our remaining cash. Luckily, we received more missionary funds a few days later. Last Tuesday was our turning point, for everything to start improving. We met with our investigator Jung Hong Ik (정홍익) and finished teaching The Gospel of Jesus Christ by reading 2 Nephi 31 together. He understood it really well, and explained it all back to us, while also relating back to Lehi's vision of the Tree of Life. One of the reasons Jung Hong Ik is such a great investigator is because he reads the Book of Mormon consistently, and he's understanding it. He's reading 2 Nephi right now, and commented that 2 Nephi 2 helped him understand more about the need for laws and repentance. It's wonderful to finally be working with somebody who will not only read, but who actually understands and applies what he's reading. We don't come across people like that very often. We also taught an old man that day, and he's doing better as well. His health is improving, and he said he's trying to read a little bit of the Book of Mormon every day. He asked about church as well, so we taught him how to get there.
District Meeting also went well. We brought back a tradition that my trainer had when I first came to country -- the pre-District Meeting Poetry Slam Jam. It's really fun to listen to everybody's poetry, even though nobody's really a professional, or anything like that. It's sincere, funny, and good wholesome fun.
Friday, we met with a new investigator, who has interest in English, and is a Christian. We were excited to meet somebody new, and that excitement was increased by a man who walked up to us on the street, exchanged phone numbers with us, and told us he has interest in learning about our church, and wants to try attending. We have an appointment to meet him this Saturday.
Last Saturday, the bishopric took us out to dinner. It was meat -- something we don't always eat a lot of. It was delicious, although they were cooking it awfully quick... well, it was beef, so under-cooked or not, all's well that ends well, right?
On Sunday evening, we were also able to eat dinner at a member's home. We've had a meal with a member once or twice a week for a few weeks now, and I just have to say, I'm grateful for those members who open their hearts and their homes to us. I doubt they realize how much it means to us, and how much it does to lift our spirits and strengthen us for the week ahead. There are times when we can feel isolated, against the odds, and downtrodden. It is good to remember that we are all part of a worldwide family, that none of us are truly alone.
This past week as I continued my study of the Old Testament, I read about the life of the prophet Elijah. At one point in his ministry, he felt much the same way -- alone, overwhelmed, and outnumbered. On a distant mountaintop, he cried out to the Lord, "I have been very jealous for the Lord God of hosts: because the children of Israel have forsaken thy covenant, thrown down thine alters, and slain thy prophets with the sword; and I, even I only, am left; and they seek my life, to take it away." (1 Kings 19:14). After listening to His servant, God responded by commanding Elijah to continue his ministry, and he reminded him of a very important fact: he was not alone. As he gave instructions regarding the work he had left to do, the Lord told Elijah that, "I have left me seven thousand in Israel, all the knees which have not bowed unto Baal, [a common idol in their day] and every mouth which hath not kissed him [that is, pledged their allegiance to him]." (1 Kings 19:18)
Only a few months ago, Elijah was aided by Obadiah, a servant of the king, who had hidden a hundred prophets, and saved their lives. And soon, Elijah would go to Elisha, his successor as prophet in northern Israel. Shortly before this exchange, an angel had brought food to Elijah, strengthening him on his journey to converse with God. However discouraged Elijah may have been by Israel's state of apostasy and wickedness, there was hope. All was not lost.
And so it is with us. We may feel that we are against the world, one drop against a raging tide. When we feel like we have not the strength to make a difference, remember: we are not alone. While the Prophet Joseph Smith suffered in Liberty Jail, God comforted him with these words: "Thy friends do stand by thee, and they shall hail thee again with warm hearts and friendly hands." (D&C 121:9) And if we should become as Job, whose friends turned against him, then look towards the Savior, the only person who can truly say, "I was alone." Because He spent those darkest hours on the cross in complete isolation from all aid and companionship, because He prayed in Gethsemane while His closest friends slept, we don't have to be alone. He will never sleep while we suffer, and He will never withdraw during our struggles. He is, and always has been, and always will be, our Savior, our Friend, and our Eldest Brother. He will succor us -- a word that means, literally, "to run to."

Love,
Elder Austin Lynn

7/12/2015

This week ended on a pretty sad note. Our investigator, (김용규), finally decided to stop investigating the church, and to return to his old life. It wasn't the choice we were hoping we'd make, as we met and urged him to make a decision that he could take to God, but, like each of us, he has the ability to make his own choices and follow them through. He's met with missionaries for over 10 months, and now, in the course of 2 days, has decided that he is better off on his own. His indecision crystallized into a decision to give up, and back away from making decisions.
The two times we met him before we focused a lot on making decisions. He says that he hasn't received an answer about the Book of Mormon, even though he's been praying and reading about it for months, and we believe that his problem lies in that he was not committed to any course of action. So, we discussed how we have to make a decision to the best of our ability first, then pray to ask God if that decision is right. He had a really hard time accepting that concept, and just wanted God to tell him what to do, without realizing that part of our test in mortality is taking a step first, then waiting for the light to follow.
So, he's made his choice, and we have to respect that, even if it breaks our hearts. It reminded me of how God must feel, watching His children make choices that He knows will injure them, but not being able to stop them because He Himself gave them agency -- our precious ability to make our own choices. As we talked about Brother Kim (김), I received the comfort from the Holy Ghost that I had prayed for as I realized that I can honestly say that I did everything I could. We have labored, fought, cried, and prayed for this man, giving him everything he could possibly need to make an informed decision... and he made it. Though it hurts us, it's not our fault that he decided to turn away from the path of discipleship.
Another lesson and blessing I received was the realization that all of the pain I felt for him (김용규) was evidence of something inside of me: charity. I had love for that man, and that's why it hurt when he walked away from us. All I've ever wanted is charity, and so it was a bittersweet reward to know that I had achieved it for this man. As I read the scriptures later, I was inspired to read Ether 12:36-37, from the Book of Mormon. Some of you may remember that this is the scripture Hyrum Smith shared with his brother Joseph, shortly before their martyrdom.
"And it came to pass that I prayed unto the Lord that he would give unto the Gentiles grace, that they might have charity.
"And it came to pass that the Lord said unto me: If they have not charity, it mattereth not unto thee, thou hast been faithful; wherefore, thy garments shall be made clean. And because thou hast seen thy weakness thou shalt be made strong, even unto the sitting down in the place which I have prepared in the mansions of my Father."
In a sense, I'm grateful to have this experience. I can honestly say that it's the first time somebody has caused me this much pain in the mission field, but it's worth it. While rejections from those who know our message of restoration and hope is true stings far more than those who ignorantly avoid us, it's all worth it because I'm doing what I need to do, to raise a voice of warning, and of hope to those who will hearken. Christ Himself was "a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief." (Isaiah 53:3)
Luckily, we're not asked to undergo experiences like that everyday. On Friday, we met with a man named Kyoo Hwan and his friend, Gyung Hwan (규환 하고 경환). We've been meeting them every Friday for months. Brother Kyoo Hwan has started praying, and every time we meet, he tells us that it really does help him, and it brings something different to his life. That's a person who recognizes that there is something in the gospel that he wants.
We also have had an opportunity to eat with our ward mission leader. We had some extra time before our appointment with him at a nearby restaurant, so we proselyted. We talked to one man who was interested in meeting us and learning English. He asked for our phone number; which doesn't happen often. We're meeting him on Friday, and I'm confident he'll become a new investigator. How wonderful! God is involved in this work.
Last Monday was also a great day. Lots of the Sisters in my group from the MTC are going home in a few weeks, so we all got together again to say goodbye, relive memories, and take some pictures. It was a sobering reminder of just how quickly time is passing by. I once heard that time is like flowing water; you have to try and grasp it in your hands even as it passes through them.
I also went on exchanges with Elder Thorup, one of our zone leaders, this week. We had a great time discussing how the gospel is found in everything, drawing comparisons with our favorite stories. We also discussed the future a bit, as we have overlapping interests in music. I really enjoyed our time together, and also the advice he was able to give on becoming a more solid proselyting missionary (the item I requested training on). It all comes back to setting goals, praying about them, then getting up and doing your best to reach them.
And I know that when we take the time to specifically talk to God about the things that matter to us, He listens. He cares. He wants to help us, and the power of prayer is that when we ask Him for His aid, we authorize Him to bless us. He can't do it without our permission, because He sent us here to learn. God won't resist or override our choices, but He will always try to influence our circumstances for our ultimate good. Fasting, prayer, and obedience are all acts of faith, and our faith allows God to show forth His arm in our life.
Love,
Elder Austin Lynn

7/5/2015

This week was a great week! Less cancellations, which equates to more chances to teach! We were actually forecasting a lot more appointments than we ultimately had, but that's alright, because the people we met were great; especially our less-active friend, Gwan Sung Gir (관성길).

We met him on Monday night, and talked a little bit about what exactly he wanted out of our meetings, and what we wanted to do (we missionaries call that HBT -- how to begin teaching). He explained that he wants to move to Australia in a few years, to continue his work on elevator design. He also said that he understands the church is important, and said that when he has time, of course he'll come! But, he thinks that that time will probably be when he lives in Australia... so, he doesn't quite understand how important church is, since it's not very high on his list of priorities. We only had a few minutes to tell him what we wanted to do as we met, since Sung Gir's quite the talker (not that I'm complaining!). We asked about prayer, and he said that he always prays when things are difficult. So we invited him to pray everyday, and briefly reviewed the three methods we receive revelation: through prayer (specifically, the feelings and thoughts we have while praying), through reading the Book of Mormon, and through church attendance. We told him very simply that every time we met, we would invite him to do those three things. He accepted that well, and said he'd start re-reading the Book of Mormon that night. Sung Gir is one of the nicest people I've met in Korea, and is just a great guy. I'm excited to meet him more often. Unfortunately, he canceled our following three appointments, because of a string of unfortunate events (everything from company dinners to a friend getting into a car accident). However, he called this morning to confirm our appointment for tonight, so I'm confident we'll be seeing much more of him moving forward.

One especially great thing about all of his cancellations was that it gave us the chance to work closely with a recently returned sister missionary in our ward, Lee Kibbum (이기쁨). Sung Gir knew her from when he was active (about nine years ago) and now we've gotten them back in contact with each other! It was rather miraculous that everything's happened at just the right time for their paths to cross again. Kibbum had made some changes to her work schedule so she could come to one of our appointments with him, and so when he canceled, we had to cancel with her too. She was pretty excited to see him, and clearly wanted to get involved with missionary work. She even asked us if she could proselyte with us! We didn't think that'd work, but after calling the Sister missionaries, the five of us got together to do some English stickerboarding. It was really effective, and we could tell that Kibbum was really excited to be doing missionary work again. We got over a dozen numbers, and so far everybody we've called has given us an appointment. The first one's tonight... fingers crossed!

We also met HY Ho (황용호), the man with a drinking problem... but now it seems like he's forcibly quitting. When we last saw him, it looked like he'd been hit by a car! He had large black marks on his body, lots of small lacerations, and he'd had surgery on his chin. His face was really swollen, and something was up with his teeth. He was obviously in a lot of pain, so we were grateful that he allowed us to come and introduce exactly what the Book of Mormon is. He accepted it, and said he'd start reading it when he wasn't in so much pain. He's taking a lot of medication, so I think he's on the abstinence track right now. I doubt Korean soju would mix well with his medications.

We also met Kyoo Hwan (규환), with his friend, Go Gyung Hwan (고경환). We read part of Enos together, which Kyoo Hwan had had a rather difficult time understanding. It was an interesting experience to help a Korean understand their own language (equatable to a foreigner helping you understand old English, or the language of the Bible). It was also really cool to invite Kyoo Hwan to teach his friend the method of prayer, and to see how well he's understood everything we've talked about. He did great.

And of course, there's always Kim Yong Kyoo (김용규), our star player. This week he took a big step towards resolving some of his doubts when he finally verbalized what one of his largest concerns with the church is: polygamy. How stereotypical! And, more than that, he's confused about the Manifesto, issued by President Wilford Woodruff, and about a whole host of things... all inflamed by his experience as a college student, as part of a church where the pastor did some very un-Christian things under the guise of Christianity.

However, to balance that we're also meeting him more often. We've been teaching a ton from the scriptures, and have given him a lot to think about. For instance, he asked about martyrs in the era of Roman persecution, compared with the Lord rescinding plural marriage during a time of persecution from the government. To discuss that, we shared a very simple scriptures: John 8:59. In that verse, Christ hides himself and leaves the temple, after the Jews had taken up stones with the intention of stoning Him. That threw him for a loop, and he's been pondering and praying about that for a while now. The next time we meet, we'll re-focus on the baptismal questions, because once Kim Yong Kyoo takes that step of faith, he'll receive the gift of the Holy Ghost, which, as Christ promised, will teach us and comfort us. Kim Yong Kyoo, with his seemingly inexhaustible host of questions and concerns, could really use that in his life.

Fourth of July? I'll be honest, there's no recognition of it here in Korea, so Elder Stapp and I ate hamburgers and sang patriotic hymns in our English hymnals to celebrate the holiday. Not a single firework in sight, either.

We did teach English class that night though, which is a pretty American thing... if you're a missionary! It went really well. It's actually pretty fun to teach people English, and it turns out that you can have a lot of fun!

I gave my second training as district leader this past Wednesday. We focused more on teaching skills, specifically teaching with variety. We discussed all of the various tools we have at our disposal, and the importance of implementing them in our lesson plans. It went pretty well. I think my favorite part is participation from the district members, however few in number we may be (4명).

In spite of all this, we still spend dozens of hours a week proselyting on the streets. It feels like we've combed across our area, which can be an attitude killer when it comes to planning another day of proselyting. To break up the monotony, we try to find places we've never been before. We've been having a lot of success finding new venues on the other side of the (not-so-proverbial) subway tracks. I was under the impression that it was all factories, but lately we've discovered several shopping areas, tucked away in all the industrial complexes.

To wrap up our week, we ate dinner at a member's home, and practiced teaching with them. Practice lessons are a great resource; it helps the members feel the Holy Ghost testifying of the truthfulness of the gospel, and it helps us improve our ability to teach, especially in Korean. We impressed the members with our unity in teaching; we made a concious effort to switch off and not let either one of us do everything, which can be a problem when you have very young and old missionaries paired together. Elder Stapp's very talented however, and he deserves it. The members were very impressed with his skill, considering his time in country. It reminded me of when I was in my third transfer, just like he is. I think we have a lot of similarities, and hopefully he'll not only learn as quickly as I did, but do even better than I did! After all, we're a dynamic duo -- not one person leading, the other following, but a partnership. I'm constantly grateful for the chance to work hand in hand with not just a great companion, but with the Savior of all mankind. It's His work, and I know that He is involved in it. He has promise to be with us; and I know that He fulfills His promises. In a sense, that is a vital part of faith: the faith that Jesus Christ has the power to fulfill His promises, and will do so.

Sincerely,
Elder Austin Lynn

6/28/2015

This week I sent Elder Schilling on his way, and joined forces with his MTC companion, and Elder Campbell's greenie: Elder R. C. Stapp!
But before that, we celebrated our time together as a district by eating Shabu Shabu together on P-Day. Shabu Shabu is a Korean dish that... is essentially a pot of boiling liquid (water, but with other things in it. Not sure what), with all of the various things you'd like to eat next to eat. The place we went to was rather nice; there was a salad bar and buffet on the different toppings you add to shabu shabu. Shabu Shabu is one of my favorite dishes here in Korea; and not just because of it's fun name!

That same night, our Bishop had us over to his home for dinner. We were pretty stuffed, but worked hard to eat well! We aren't able to go to Bishop's very often, since he lives in the area right next to ours. We can get permission to visit, but it's still not easy.

For Elder Shilling and my last day together, we ended the way we started: proselyting on the streets of Sanbon. It was a little emotional, but we finished out strong. The next morning everything was packed, and we traveled to meet all of the other missionaries, including Elder Schilling's new companion. I returned home with Elder Stapp, and we surveyed our new (old) apartment, and got to work.

Our first night together, we experienced a wonderful miracle! While we were out in the countryside, walking back towards the city, a less-active who I've only ever seen once called us, and asked if we could meet him Monday through Friday to practice English! We talked for a while, and eventually settled on meeting Monday through Thursday night, to practice English then discuss Joseph Smith, the Book of Mormon, and other church things. We'll start meeting him tonight. That was an incredible event that I have not seen paralleled thus far.

We also met a man who recently became jobless, and is really struggling. Unfortunately, he was staggering drunk when we came over. We can't really share much to help him when he's like that, and it was a little disappointing since the Elders had committed him to stop drinking before, but we did our best to help him, and will see him again.

We met a few other investigators, and it was nice to meet people whom I'd heard about but never seen before. Hopefully I'll have a lot more to say about them in the future. One great guy is Peter -- a Korean born and raised in China. He's been meeting with missionaries for a while, and so last Saturday we met and began talking about the Plan of Salvation. We have to take things very slowly with him -- he has no Christian background, and only vague notions of God. It was really cool to hear him pray, knowing that this is very new for him.

Peter also came to a meal we had here in Sanbon with President Morrise on Saturday. That was nice; we didn't expect him to come, but our Ward Mission Leader called him and got him to come! Members can be a huge help; indeed, I'd agree with President Hinckley in saying that the work of salvation is most effective when members and missionaries work together, hand in hand.

Elder Stapp is a man from California, who's secretly a nerd, but on the outside is very manly. He likes welding, working out, rock crawling, reading, Avatar: The Last Airbender... You know, your typical truck-building, BYU:Idaho attending fellow. We're getting along famously; I enjoy spending time with him, and in our quite little abode, we've been getting a lot of things done to make the house cleaner and a happier place to be. I look forward to spending another transfer or two with him! Maybe, just maybe, Bishop's requst will be granted and I'll stay here till March of next year. wink emoticon

Best Wishes,
Elder Austin M. Lynn

6/21/2015

There's no God in China.
At least, that's what our Bishop said last Saturday, as we discussed an investigator who was raised in China. Of course, what Bishop meant by that statement was that people in China are taught that there is no God, and they have no perception of who, what, or even why God is. One of our main purposes as missionaries is to teach people clearly who God is -- our loving Father -- and how they can have a relationship with Him, and why that relationship is the most important relationship they can ever foster. On this Father's Day, I express gratitude and love not only to my earthly father, but also to my Heavenly Father. It is always with a sense of God's supernal love than I read the following passage, found in both the Sermon on the Mount directed to disciples in Palestine, and the Risen Savior's instructions to the ancient Nephite people of America:

"And what man is there of you, who, if his son ask bread, will give him a stone?

"Or if he ask a fish, will he give him a serpent?

"If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children, how much more shall your Father who is in heaven give good things to them that ask him?"

Of course, we're not (usually) literally evil. But, we do make mistakes and are occasionally selfish. God is perfect, His love is perfect, and His wisdom is infinite. He will give us good gifts, and I know that everything He does is for our ultimate good. He is a God of Love; and, as the apostle John wrote, God is love.

This week all of our teaching appointments fell through, but we were able to rock the streets with the Book of Mormon! We gave out several copies, and met several individuals who have potential interest in meeting again! And, after the news we received on Saturday, that will only strengthen Sanbon area. On Tuesday I accidentally forgot my Book of Mormon and case in a shop of a friend. This friend often asked questions about our beliefs, but had gently resisted any attempts for real gospel discussion. But when we returned the next day, we asked him if he took a look at it. He said he hadn't, but asked what it was. We'd had this conversation before, but he can tend to be forgetful, so we were able to reteach a lot of the first lesson, and testify about the Book of Mormon. We left him a copy of the Restoration pamphlet, so we'll follow up on that this week. He's a really nice man, but he's not really religious. Hopefully we can help him and his family find eternal joy and peace!

Saturday was a long-anticipated day. Transfer calls! Here's the deal: for the past 12 weeks I've been training Elder Schilling, a new missionary. Before this, he was in the Missionary Training Center, with Elder Stapp as his companion. Both of them came to Sanbon house, but Elder Stapp was with Elder Campbell. We were Sanbon 2, they were Sanbon 1. When we received the phone call letting us know what would be happening, they first told us that Elder Stapp and I would be companions. That was stunning! I'd never heard of that happening before. They're combining my area with Sanbon 1, and both Elder Campbell and Elder Schilling are going to new areas. Elder Stapp and I get along great, and are ready to really get the fire going in Sanbon!

Sanbon United!

As part of wrapping up the first 12 weeks for my new companion, we met with the Assistants to the President to do evaluations regarding the First 12 Weeks Language Study Program. In essence, I work with him everyday to help him learn and memorize brief statements of doctrine and belief so that even new missionaries can participate in the teaching process. Afterwards, I did an evaluation for Preach My Gospel Teacher Improvement -- our mission's program for experienced missionaries to grow in their teaching skills.

This Sunday was a country wide stake conference. Elder Christofferson video-ed in from Utah, and spoke, along with a few members of the Seventy, like Elder Maynes, who visited the mission a few weeks ago. Each stake was connected by video. It's incredible how modern technology enables so much unity! Our ward sang for our stake, singing "The Spirit of God," in Korean. It was a blast! I honestly love the wards here in Korea so much. It's a privelege to work and serve among them.

With love,
Elder Austin Lynn

6/14/2015

This week we were able to get back in contact with the family we met some time back. Since their father is working in the south part of the country right now, we're unable to continue visiting them. However, we were able to bring the Sister missionaries to their family, and now they're meeting them. We'll maintain contact with the sons as best we can, probably by playing basketball together or something similar.
We were able to go the temple last Thursday, which, as always, was a great experience. On the way there, I experienced a first for my mission: the first time subway doors closed on me! Not just in front of me -- I've experienced that many times -- but literally as I'm stepping into the car. We were getting onto a subway, but the spot we were waiting at was literally full! There was no give in the mass of bodies before us. The Koreans alongside us simply stepped back, content to wait 20 minutes or so for the next train, but we refused to be late for the temple. We ran over to the next set of doors, saw there was some space, and went for it! (A side note about subways: our motions are always so hesitant, because nobody wants to get on a subway, have the door clang shut behind them, and race off without their companion, trapped on the other side. We're always looking behind our soldier as we step on, making sure they're close enough to get on right behind us.) As I was getting on, the doors slid into my sides. I won't lie, a brief thought went through me head: What if these doors could just squish me like an accordion? That was unwarranted; they weren't really pushing on me too much, but they weren't easy to move either. I slid in, holding them as open as I could, but Elder Schilling behind me got trapped as well. Then, the doors slid open, relieving us. I apologized to everybody, and told them we couldn't be late today. Nobody made any sound, but I think they were surprised to see foreigners, period.
After the temple, we visited a science museum near Seoul Zoo. It reminded me a lot of home; I think all commercial museums are the same, regardless of where you are in the world. One of the workers wasn't very busy, so he gave us a tour around the "Traditional Korean Science" hall, commenting on a lot of the exhibits. I was pretty impressed; Asia was discovering lots of things earlier or at the same time as European scientists, in a secluded environment.
There was a great talk this week in church, about service. The speaker talked about how one way we can serve others is by complimenting them! She also mentioned giving high fives to people, saying hello to a person you don't know, and giving a flower to somebody. I really liked how she took a unique spin on the topic of service, that every single one of us can apply!
Another fun experience this week was knocking doors in a new part of town. It was really funny to see how relaxed some Koreans get in the summer. We were walking towards one door, but then we saw that we could talk to the couple through their open screen window, which gave us a view of their kitchen. The wife was at the table using a computer, and the husband was next to the sink, in his underwear! The wife heard we were missionaries, said, "No thanks," and we walked away, swallowing laughter. At another house, the door was already open (really common in the summer) and there was a young man on the computer. He saw us, stood up, and went to the back of the house... to put on a shirt. We talked to him for a little bit, and were able to give him a pamphlet.
We went back to the same neighborhood later, and while we missed our goal of giving away three copies of the Book of Mormon, we did give on of them to a man who we talked with for a little while on the side of the road. He told us that he doesn't believe in God, and hates all of the differences between religion. He said that, in reality, all of the various churches are out there to make a profit. I was able to take that and respond right away by telling him that there isn't a single payed position in our church. He was surprised by that. We testified that God loves us, and so He's given us a way to discern truth in this life. We told him that the method for knowing a thing is true is to pray. Unlike most people's assumption, we are not here to command people to come to church, but to invite them to read the Book of Mormon, ponder its message, pray about it, and act in accordance with the answer they receive. He accepted a copy of the Book of Mormon, and gave us his phone number so that we could make an appointment to meet again later.
That brings me to one of my favorite proselyting techniques. Most people are pretty awkward when we start talking to them. It can be really awkward. So, I've started asking people, "What do you think missionaries normally do?" Surprisingly, most people have given me the same answer: "They tell people to come to their church." While this certainly is one thing we invite people to do, our main purpose is to do what Christ would do. This takes many forms; but almost always a form of service towards others. The biggest and best way to help a person is to help them learn about Jesus Christ's gospel, but when they refuse that aid, we can find simpler ways to help them, such as teaching English. Ultimately, everything we do is centered on Jesus Christ, who atoned for all of mankind, making second chances a reality. It is He who was alone, He who suffered the most, who can reach out towards us in our dark moments, when life seems insurmountable, and can guide us to safe harbors and calm waters. He is the Savior of mankind, and that's a belief I will never apologize for holding.

Love,
Elder Austin Lynn
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