Happy Buddha's Birthday!! (I didn't even know such holiday existed until I was in the MTC...) It's a pretty big deal here in Korea... most everyone gets the day off from work and school! Our ward celebrated by having a combined, all-day picnic at the same bamboo park I went to a couple weeks ago! We met up with another ward for a lot of fun Korean games, including dodgeball, a relay race, scavenger hunt (I won 8 massive tubes of Korean toothpaste!), and a game where we had balloons strapped to our ankles and tried to pop everyone else's... also, a sing-off for prizes! The Koreans really know how to party! It was a blast, despite the killer heat today.
We also gathered round for lunch and ate some delicious 삼겹살! I really love Korean culture because they share everything. Meals are eaten out of the same bowls... and they often feed one another. It really builds a sense of unity between everyone. I love how kind and caring they are! I've received so much love from everyone since coming to Korea.
This last Thursday I traveled back to 대전 with my companion for the one-month training back at the mission home. It was so great meeting with the mission president again, and seeing my old MTC 동기!! I've missed them dearly and was so glad to see that they were all adjusting to Korea/the real missionary life well enough.
While in 대전 I realized that I am actually doing okay! I have the tools I need to be a successful missionary right now. Some days I've let the language barrier hold me back from accomplishing and becoming the missionary I've desired to be. It can be very frustrating and discouraging at times... but I realized it's just an excuse. After coming back I'm determined to continue to push myself. There's no reason, no real excuse, why I can't be the missionary I want to be right now. And these last few days I've been determined to work hard to change. It's been a week of many, many prayers!
I think the same can be said of us... very often it is ourselves that put limits on what we can achieve. And why do we do that? Because it requires hard work to change! And we fear failure. But we were created by an all-powerful being. He wants us to be like Him--and each of us have the potential to be! As my one of my favorite scriptures says, "I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me." As we trust in Christ, follow him, and work hard, we can change and become the great person we desire to be--who God wants us to be! It's hard, but it's possible. I know this to be true!
Anywho, have a great week!! Love you all!!
해치 자매
Translator: 삼겹살 - Pork Belly (basically uncured thick bacon that is barbecued on an open flame. It is chopped to little pieces with scissors while it cooks and eaten with metal chopsticks right from the grill. Yum!)
대전 - DaeJeon, main city of her mission
동기 - Companion
해치 자매 - Hatch Sister (Korean is grammatically backwards to English - one of its challenges!)
We also gathered round for lunch and ate some delicious 삼겹살! I really love Korean culture because they share everything. Meals are eaten out of the same bowls... and they often feed one another. It really builds a sense of unity between everyone. I love how kind and caring they are! I've received so much love from everyone since coming to Korea.
This last Thursday I traveled back to 대전 with my companion for the one-month training back at the mission home. It was so great meeting with the mission president again, and seeing my old MTC 동기!! I've missed them dearly and was so glad to see that they were all adjusting to Korea/the real missionary life well enough.
While in 대전 I realized that I am actually doing okay! I have the tools I need to be a successful missionary right now. Some days I've let the language barrier hold me back from accomplishing and becoming the missionary I've desired to be. It can be very frustrating and discouraging at times... but I realized it's just an excuse. After coming back I'm determined to continue to push myself. There's no reason, no real excuse, why I can't be the missionary I want to be right now. And these last few days I've been determined to work hard to change. It's been a week of many, many prayers!
I think the same can be said of us... very often it is ourselves that put limits on what we can achieve. And why do we do that? Because it requires hard work to change! And we fear failure. But we were created by an all-powerful being. He wants us to be like Him--and each of us have the potential to be! As my one of my favorite scriptures says, "I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me." As we trust in Christ, follow him, and work hard, we can change and become the great person we desire to be--who God wants us to be! It's hard, but it's possible. I know this to be true!
Anywho, have a great week!! Love you all!!
해치 자매
Translator: 삼겹살 - Pork Belly (basically uncured thick bacon that is barbecued on an open flame. It is chopped to little pieces with scissors while it cooks and eaten with metal chopsticks right from the grill. Yum!)
대전 - DaeJeon, main city of her mission
동기 - Companion
해치 자매 - Hatch Sister (Korean is grammatically backwards to English - one of its challenges!)