Well it has been a while! Not really

Hey family! How ya'll doing? It has been an interesting week for me out in the mission field and things are getting no easier lets put it that way.

 

I went on a split this week with one of our District Leaders. He is a stud and it was an awesome split. Had a lot of fun. Got to get out and just talk to people and just work hard. i liked not having to be the senior and like be in charge of things. It was really nice I have got to say. Sorry this email is a little delayed the things around me are all really loud and annoying. Our normal email place's computers are both dead (well the computers aren't dead but the DNS server is down for them) and ya!

 

It has been raining a lot of late. That is the only thing of any really big notice. This week was a hard week in our area I dropped a LOT of our investigators. None of them were progressing and I have just been trying and trying and this week I decided that I was going to try and find some more prepared people. So we are back to even more finding. The hard part about being in Korea is all the members have already been bugged for referrals for the last 40 years so.... ya. But still we are helping them get out and do missionary work. We did get a referral last week and this week in church one of the members said that there was someone he was going to try and refer to us. So thing are all in all going alright. We still have some potential in the investigators that we are teaching but ya.

 

This week was just a normal week though. Lots of finding and stuff so that was interesting. But to be perfectly honest there was nothing really all that interesting that happened this week. Just worked......

 

We worked a lot with our recent convert 장영준 and he has been being pretty good lately. He made it up to 서울 for his second trip to the temple to do Baptisms and it was way good for him. He said he had a great time and came back and met with us and we talked about him referring his family to the sister missionaries. It is good stuff! He is progressing so good!

 

So ya. Life is good. We are going to have a better and more interesting week this week (I am going to MLC, which used to be ZLC but apparently the prophet changed it recently so the sister leaders in the mission also meet with the Zone leaders and we all get to chat together) So there should be some fun things to tell you about next week hopefully. But ya I am just happy to be a missionary. Trying to work harder and harder every day. Finding I get more and more tired but I am never more happy than when I am out and working ;)

 

Love you tons. I am excited to see ya'll in 2-3 weeks  (mothers day :)) and so ya we will talk lots then. I am excited to be here :).

 

Remember that God lives, he loves us. This is his church and his gospel. It truly was restored in its fulness. I testify to that. God's church is complete I can promise you that!

Hope ya'll are doing well. It definitely seems like it! Let me know if I can do anything for ya'll back home okay!?

 

Love love love LOVE you!

 

Josh (크라우더 장로)

HEY, guess who is alive after one more week!

So ya, I am alive. This week was just stressful for me to be honest but here I am. It's been an alright week with a surprisingly good ending!

This week we just got out and tried to find. But ya, it's not working. Finding is hard, goodness. We are doing a lot of 가가호호 (knocking on doors) but ya. I don't know if I have told you this but it is hard to knock on doors in Korea. Most areas of the world people are like "I got so many doors slammed in my face I can't take it!" I'm like "DUDE WE TOTALLY HAD 3 PEOPLE OPEN THE DOOR TODAY... YA NONE OF THEM LISTENED AND THEY ALL SLAMMED THE DOOR BUT STILL!!!!" ya. 보닌의 관점의 차이죠. It's funny because I am just thinking to myself "hey at least you see a high percentage of the people who slam the door in your face."

anywho. Ya we are just trying to get some finding going while still teaching the investigators that we have! The ones that we do have are progressing so that is good, hopefully this week we will see some big jumps.

This week we also had Zone Conference. It was a good meeting and I am now liberated from training for a long time which is a relief. We are just plugging along I guess. Our zone needs to find some more prepared people. The ones that we have aren't quite ready yet so pray for us here!

I have recently been changing one of my focuses. I have always been a Obedient/Diligent missionary (or so I feel) but that is one of the things that I am preaching to the Zone of late. My Greenie Elder Miller said it the best: "If we work hard and are obedient, we will see miracles." TRUE

I have to elaborate on that because not only that but "If we work hard and are obedient, we will see miracles, AND we will be happy." TRUE. People don't begin to fathom the changes that the mission can have on you if you just give 100%. Sure it's hard, I struggle to do it every day. But it's living the Gospel of Jesus Christ that we are preaching to people that makes it possible. We have faith in Christ, we repent when we make mistakes, we partake of the sacrament, and get the spirit. Then we continue to endure and do it Over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over again.

That's what this is all about. Becoming like Christ. Preparing ourselves to receive the blessings that God has planned for us as his "heirs" (as I was reading your email, Mom, I saw this scripture that Grandpa used. I use it a lot too. Most people don't believe that we can become like God so I use it a lot to help them see that the apostles taught the same principles).

I want to share an experience that I had with you this week that I thought was really cool. I was on a bus (we were just taking the bus to talk to some people) and I said hello to this guy. We started talking and he asked if I was a missionary. I of course answered in the affirmative and he asked from which church. I responded 예수 그리스도 후기 성도 교회 and after a little bit more discussion he realized that we were also known as the 모르몬교. SO he was like: I have questions for you. Do you have some time? My little missionary mind is just thinking : WAHOO!O!!!!!!!! LES DO THIS!!!!!! and so we go sit down and start talking. He starts asking all these questions and then all of a sudden he starts to kinda "preach." I have had bad experiences with Bible Bashing (it's really hard in Korean) so I didn't want to get into that so we kinda talked and agreed on a few things and then I got a chance to start talking a little bit about our beliefs. I was just so happy because as I started to talk I literally knew EXACTLY what to say (you know how God like promises us that we will know in the very hour, yea the very moment what we shall say. Ya he wasn't kidding there either). As we started talking I was just guided to ask questions that made him think. His attitude when we started talking was "I'm going to teach these kids a lesson." As we talked more and more I taught the gospel in a way that I have never taught it before. I literally got to live the promise that God gave when he said "we will not be confounded before men." As we talked I was able to bear my testimony and challenge this man to get a testimony of his own of the things I had talked about (primarily the Priesthood and the Restoration of the Gospel). He accepted the offer as well as a Book of Mormon, a Restoration Pamphlet, gave me his phone number and as I called again a couple days later, we are planning on meeting some time this week. 

I was just so glad for the scriptures. So glad for this complete and flawless Gospel that Heavenly Father has given to us. We have to know it. We have to "feast upon the Words of Christ" but truly as we do, it all makes sense. It really does all make sense. You can't deny this because it's from God. 

I testify that this Church is true. From the bottom of my heart. God loves us and has restored His true church to the earth. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints 즉 예수 그리스도 후기 성도 교회. It's true.

Love it.

I love you all too! It's so good to hear that you are all doing well and staying busy. Jenna is setting a huge example for me as far as college and providing for oneself goes so I am going to be needing some work when I get back. but ya. Anywho.

I am so excited to see all of you soon! I have told a couple of the members that I am really close with that you are all coming and have some people ready to see you! It's exciting. I don't know what all we are going to do so ya'll just make the Itinerary and I'll just modify the parts that need to be changed :)

Love you all tons. I hope you all know that. Love the gospel and I hope you do too :)

Take care!

LOVE,

Josh (크라우더 장로)

Ya I know you only get to see one side of my face. I don't know why I do that weird. anywho enjoy!

HEY, guess what.... I watched conference​! It was awesome

Ya so like the title says. I watched conference. The last one of my mission. It was really good I had a lot of talks that to me were really needed I thoroughly enjoyed them.

I just want to start off by talking about this whole deal with North Korea....

Long story short, no problems at all. South Korea is safe, American news blows everything up way to big anywho (thats why I don't watch the news.... yes I finally found a legitimate reason!). But ya no problems. Keep prayers for the leaders JUST in case BUT like seriously no problems at all. You would think that at least the people in the country that is apparently "at war" would know what is going on. Ya, it's not big enough that anythings happening here. 

So ya, don't worry. And besides, 전주 is about the safest place I can be. The leader of North Korea's Grandpa lives here. I'm safe haha. 

But ya that's that. As far as the week goes it was good. We unfortunately dropped a LOT of investigators this week (like 5 people) and I am planning on dropping one more. It stinks to stop meeting people. Like it really does. But ya, I'm here to share the gospel to those that are ready for it. 

and...

Ya. 

So anywho, this weekend was conference. I was so excited for the opportunity that I had to be able to watch the Prophet speak just for missionaries in Priesthood Meeting (like seriously that is what it was). It was a blessing for me and exactly what this Zone needed.

I have just been plugging along. Day after day doing missionary work. Get out work hard. Teach the Gospel. Try to help people come to Christ. Ya'll know how it goes. We have an appointment tonight with one of the guys that we are meeting that is doing alright. He is a little hesitant to progress but is still coming along. He came to church two weeks ago and unfortunately he didn't come to General Conference but hopefully he will be out this week.

I am just trying to teach these Korean People more and more. It is hard. Like it really is hard. People think differently, but people are people and that makes me laugh and happy.

장영준 is still happy and all it is fun to get to meet with him (and now some of his friends) they are fun people and it is just good to spend time with someone as awesome as 장영준 :)

I Love ya'll tons, I am so grateful for prophets that lead and guide us today it is such a blessing to my life. It was a blessing to hear the words that God had in preparation for me. I feel really like the whole conference for me. So ya. Sorry rest of the world. God took care of me during conference haha.

I love this work, it's truly God's work. We are bringing people back to him. That is our "quest" and it happens one day one small act at a time. I am so grateful for the wonderful opportunity of being here in Korea. Grateful for an inspired Mission President that guides our mission grateful for mom and dad to help me be able to be on a mission and being amazing parents and examples to me.

Love ya'll so much, I'm excited to get to see you soon!

Look forward to talking to you more next week!

Josh (크라우더 장로)

P.s.

So this is the pictures of my pockets!

 this is where I keep my pen:

 

this is where I keep my planner:

 

this is where I keep my mp3:

 

this is where I keep my wallet:

 

this is where I keep my glasses rag:

 

this is where I keep my keys:

 

this is where I keep the phone:

 

This is my pockets! :)

 

와 진짜.... 벌써 이렇게 되었내...... 어떻게 하지?

Wow, seriously I was reading emails today and just my mind is flat out blown. It is crazy to hear about all teh change at home and to get to see the pics from the Family Reunion. I downloaded them all and will put them on my mp3 for later viewing.

So like ya. This week was busy busy BUSY. We went to 대전 on Wednesday for ZLC which was a lot of fun. Just great to get to sit down with everyone and chat about stuff. Of course we do official stuff to but lunch time we just chat. Nothing more fun than getting to see old companions and old friends from the mission.

Speaking of which. I had a realization this week: I am a REALLY OLD MISSIONARY. Like seriously. I was looking at the pictures that I had lying around and I came across the picture from my first Christmas here and then my second. TOTALLY different. like 100% different. In the first picture. I know EVeryone, I was friends with a solid amount of them and worked with many. The second. I know seriously noone. Our mission is so big. When I came to the mission I think there was like 80 or something missionaries and we are currently at 115 missionaries in our mission. It is seriously unbelievable. Everywhere I look there are missionaries. We are everywhere. Good things are happening to. It is just exciting stuff. 

This week also we had a LOT of service. I farmed this week. We dug for about 3-4 hours then we moved heavy things for about 2-3 hours. That's about how it went. THe funny part of it all is that the day before a member called us out of the blue and was like "Come to my house and move 30kg (60~ lbs) bags of salt please" So we went and he had us move like 150+ of these things. Then the next day at farming the lady who's farm we were looking at had about 200 bags (20 kgs a piece) of like fertalizer delivered. So we had to move that (They made me throw it all over a fence because I'm tall so needless to say... I worked hard) 

Ya. Other than that we had some meetings with investigators (unfortunately this week our investigators are all preparing to take the TOEIC test so they are all busy) but ya. I am just excited. I love working here and things as far as our area go are going for the most part well. Of course some things that we can work on but we are doing well.

We are excited this week for General Conference for 2 reasons: (1) We get to hear from the Prophet and the Apostles (2) we get to take off suit coats! I am so extremely excited because I will not have to wear a suit coat ever again. I have worn it enough in my life (every day for 2 years is enough) so I will never again be wearing a suit coat.... not... haha.... I like the tons of pockets too much. One of these days I will take a picture of what I keep in the pockets of my suit coat. It's impressive like seriously.

 

All in all though things are going well. Just excited to do this work. Glad to be here but at the same time excited to hear about the fam and especially that I will get to see all of you soon. I'm not trunky but Elder 황 (Elder Hwang like the one who I served in the office with) started a tradition of reading the D&C backwards to read the D&C at least once before your mission is over and I started doing it too! Good stuff. I have never read the D&C from cover to cover so it is exciting.

Love hearing from all of you like seriously it is always so good to hear from ya'll I love coming to the computer and just having TONS of emails. Because I save them on my translator and read them throughout the day. It is so fun to just get to hear from ya'll and don't think that a SINGLE thing that you say I don't read because I really do copy EVERYTHING down :)

I love you tons. Remember that I know the Church is true. The Gospel really was restored by Joseph Smith. We have a living Prophet on the earth today and it makes ALL the difference. People don't appreciate that very much I feel but we are SO lucky to have a Prophet who receives revelation from God. It saves us so much confusion. And we always can confirm what the prophet says with our Heavenly Father and he will tell us it is true!

It's the best.

Love you tons! I will be working hard here look forward to seeing you soon!

 

Love

Josh (크라우더 장로)