I ate stingray this week! I don't recommend it. Ok the first picture: I will tell you the story in a sec but basically we were taken by a member who brought his awesome nonmember associate to the top of a mountain to eat this food including stingray. The stingray is on the left side of the white plate, it is red. It is so rough, and rubbery. And it kind of caves in when you eat it. On the right side of the plate is some pork pieces, there is also some acorn paste (top left) kimchi (top) and other veggies. You take a leaf and put the different stuff in it then eat it all together!
Then Me and Elder S! It was his birthday this week! I love Elder S! We ate pineapple and ordered chicken for his birthday. Here in Korea the favorite food among missionaries is fried chicken. In Korea they just have these good little sauces with it. Allie did you have fried chicken much?
Last- we went to a sushi buffet with a sweet member and her son who is a recently returned missionary this week.
Next, here's a picture of a funny huge caveman figure on top of a sign advertising a prehistoric park nearby. The funny thing is that the park only has a few kind of normal looking rocks. It is by our house and sometimes we go do our studies there. President Barrow asked us to try and get out more to see the people by doing studies and things outside! We have met some great people that way!
Me and Elder S with Brother S! He is a new AWESOME investigator. I don't know if I told you about him? I met him about 3 months ago on the subway. He was studying English, so I struck up a conversation with him and invited him to our free English class. He said he had attended in Seoul but wasn't sure if he would come. So I gave him a card. Fast forward 2 months and he walks into church during Sunday school!
He is super nice. And really good at English. And he loves swimming! He came to church again yesterday, and we are so grateful to have the opportunity to meet him and share the gospel with him.
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| This is the stuff we ate with Brother S. It is called nangmyun. It is like cold noodles with vinegar and beef! It is not bad! |
Ok! This week was awesome. Elder Oaks came to Korea a couple weeks ago, and visited our mission! He is so funny, just a loveable, good man. So wise and knowledgeable. Anyway, in the broadcast to all of Korea, he taught, "Korea is in condition that is ready for missionary work to be done. Pray to God and ask him what YOU can do, in your individual circumstances, to share the gospel. If you promise to God to act on any promptings that you receive, he will speak to you."
Last Sunday night a man in our ward, named Brother S K needed to get into the church to get his bag he had left. So we opened it up. On his way out, he invited us to go to his college to have lunch with them the next friday. He said he wanted to talk about missionary work! Brother S K is a member of our Bishopric, and he went to college in Ohio. He is a college professor. His college isn't in our area, so I was a little concerned about travel times and things, but we got permission from our Zone Leaders and things.
On Friday morning we took the subway for 35 minutes and then he picked us up at the subway station. He took us on a brief drive through of the college campus, called 경북 대학교 I think, and then parked his car. He told us that he had invited a friend of his to eat with us. The friend arrived, he was a very kind man. His name is Mr. Y. We got to know him a little bit, he like sports, in his 40s. We started going to this Korean Grill, but they saw that it was super busy so they decided to go to this other restaurant that Brother K's friend liked. It ended up being on top of a nearby mountain... I was stressed some more because of time! I felt like we weren't using the Lord's time effectively, and got a little pit in my stomach... But we were able to get to know the friend really well on the way up.
Then we ate! The food was really good-- super cultural experience. Very traditional. Pork, sam (leaf wrappings), kimchi, special rice with pine nuts and other vegetables, etc.
On the way back, Mr. Y asked us about missionary work. How we fund it, etc. We used it as an opportunity to testify of the truth of our message, why we were on missions. He seemed to listen really intently. We asked brother K how he had been converted, and he shared about how he had wondered in Junior High about death a lot, about his life's purpose. He loved Alma 34:32. At that point, the Book of Mormon had been brought up, and Mr. Y was glancing through it, and it had some passalong cards that I had stuck in it to give out to people. One of them happened to be in Alma, so Mr. Y flipped and read about this life being the time to prepare to meet God. He really liked it, and so he asked me what my favorite scripture was. I shared Moroni 7:45-47. We then told him we wanted to give him the Book as a gift! He accepted gratefully, and asked me and Elder S to write him a short note in it. Nice! I wrote my testimony.
After we parted, he texted us later that day telling us thank you-- that he had really enjoyed meeting with us, saying (in Korean) "Seely, Beckett, it was a pleasure to meet you. It was a time to feel your good hearts, your warm humanity (i think?) and your bright and clear power. I hope we can meet again. Have a happy day!" Sorry if the translation is a little off-- he used some big words. Anyway, SUPER AWESOME!
Yesterday at church brother S K shared his testimony about how he had been wanted to do missionary work. He had heard Elder Oaks' advice, and wanted to follow it. He said that he had the feeling to invite Mr Y to eat with us, but was nervous to do it, but did it anyway, and in turned out to be a great experience. He said that after we left, Mr Y kept saying "in the world of people it is hard to find just good people like the missionaries" and "how pure they are, how good, how smart, how good looking" Hahaha. In Korea that is not weird. He also said he had other friends he wanted to introduce to us. But I was so grateful for this good man Mr Y. He felt like a very pure soul who could recognize the spirit. Last night we called him to ask if he would like to meet again this week. He said he would love to! And he has another friend who he would like to bring to eat with us! Miracles!
Point of the story-- God is preparing people around every one of you! Pray to know how to do missionary work in your sphere, and He will guide you. commit to Him that you will follow your promptings, and pray for courage to act. Then do it! Miracles happen when members and missionaries work together and follow the spirit!
Also-- when we were sharing our testimonies on the drive home after eating together with Brother K and Mr. Y, I had a thought come to me. It was "Don't worry. I know what I am doing. I know the end from the beginning." It turned out to be a great day, but I had been really stressing about time and things. I am grateful that God took care of it!
Ok! I have had a couple thoughts about a little message this week. As missionaries we are always supposed to use our time effectively. I am starting to realize how quick the time is going... tomorrow is 11 months. And soon I will be halfway :'(.
One thing that stuck out in general conference to me was Elder M Russell Ballard's talk: Return and Receive. I encourage you all to listen to it, perhaps during family night, and then discuss what you learned and felt.
He started off with something that was an obvious but much needed reminder: "Over the years, I have observed that those who accomplish the most in this world are those with a vision for their lives, with goals to keep them focused on their vision and tactical plans for how to achieve them. Knowing where you are going and how you expect to get there can bring meaning, purpose, and accomplishment to life."
I have been thinking-- how am I doing on my mission? Am I doing everything that God wants me to do?
And as I thought, I thought about three principles, two of which Elder Ballard emphasized, and all three of which are in Preach My Gospel: Setting Goals, Planning, and Accountability.
Each week we do a weekly planning session that takes around 3 hours. Preach My Gospel outlines what you need to do in a 13 step guide to weekly planning. In every single step it says, "set goals and make plans to..." etc. I am pretty good at making goals. I think everyone likes goals. We learn a lot about goals in school. People set goals like "I want to become a doctor." "I want to learn to play the piano" "I want to learn a language". All great, and difficult goals. Goals give us vision. They help us see somewhere we could be, and help us to be motivated to act. But without plans, goals have little effectiveness.
Elder Ballard said, "Some have difficulty differentiating between a goal and a plan until they learn that a goal is a destination or an end, while a plan is the route by which you get there."
I think that is perfect! A plan is absolutely necessary. A goal is like a picture of a destination you'd like to visit. But without making travel plans, all it will EVER be is a nice picture of a faraway place.
So you want to learn a language? How are you going to do it? What are you going to do every day to work towards it? "Ok, each day I will learn 10 vocabulary words. I will review them for 30 minutes each morning, and if I don't have time then then I will do it before bed." "I will study from my grammar materials each Wednesday." "I will practice listening by watching the news in Korean".
Without plans, goals don't go very far.
What do you want to do? Where do you see yourself in 10 years? Where do you WANT to see yourself in 10 years? 5 Years? 6 months? What are you going to do TODAY to work towards it?
Lastly, I think accountability is absolutely essential when making goals and setting plans. As missionaries, we are accountable to God and priesthood leaders. I also encourage you to talk about your goals with God. He knows far better than me, or you, or any worldly expert or scientist how to achieve your goals. Tell Him your plans. Then report back to Him on how you are doing. He will guide you.
I also encourage you to tell someone else: a friend, spouse, or family member. Being accountable brings motivation and desire to do better. President Monson said, "When performance is measured, performance improves. When performance is measured and reported, the rate of improvement accelerates."
I know that is true! I invite you all to set goals, to make plans, and to account to someone! How are we using this precious time God has given us? I know we can live our lives to the fullest as we use these principles that an apostle of the Lord taught.
Love,
Elder Beckett
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