Letter #59

안녕하세요!

 

Happy Easter!!!! And happy birthday to Emma! My Emy Lou!!! I hope you have a very special day at Six Flags!!! :) So Fun!!!

 

So this was a really interesting and unexpected week! First, the week started off with one of our Elders getting EXTREMELY sick. We met for District meeting and he had been throwing up all the night before and kept having to get up and leave the meeting to go to the bathroom. I have never seen someone so sick. We were all so worried about him, so he went to the hospital and they found out that he had appendacitace! So he rushed to another hospital to the emergency room and had to wait for hours to finally get hooked up to machines and get a room before his surgery. His companion is a new American missionary that still does not know the language, etc, and because he could not leave his companion was not able to eat. We rushed to his ade and continually visited the hospital to give food and check up on them. So that kind of through off our week, along with transfers. I have been assigned to train a new missionary this next transfer to two transfers. Right now I am back in Busan for training and will be serving here in my old area, 김해, for the next couple days waiting for the new missionaries from the MTC. This is really exciting because this is the same time that I was being trained just one year ago. This week marks my one year mark living here in Korea! Crazy how fast time flies by. And the fun thing is that almost all of the sisters in my group that came to Korea together are training, so we can spend the same training meeting together that we did just last year! So fun!

 

This last transfer, one of our less-active members asked me to help translate and be the English announcer at the annual Jeju Fire Festival. I decided to do it for a service project and went with her to a recording studio to record all of the announcements. It was absolutely hilarious. They looked at the vocal records, and it showed the same pronunciation and voice fluctuations that a professional announcer has....haha I guess a hidden talent. They were so impressed, and the people that attended the Festival were also impressed. They wanted to pay me, but because I cannot be paid, my less-active received the money and used it to buy me a TON of groceries....especailly veggies!!! I was in heaven all week! :) HAHA such a funny memory!

 

Anyway, our young investigator did get permission from her parents to be baptized, but they refuse to sign or write a letter giving her full permission, because they want nothing to do with the church. So because it was not official, we are putting off the baptism untill we can meet with her parents and get written permission.

 

This week, a member called us inviting her to her house because her daughter had a non-member friend over that she wanted us to meet. When we got to the house, we casually started talking to her about her life and her interests. Our member came into the room and started talking about the work that we are doing as missionaries and how she had served a mission back when she was young and how much the gospel has blessed her life. The girl started to cry. Her mother had just passed away because of cancer. We read together from the Book of Mormon about life after death and especially about the resurrection. We all sat on the floor together sharing our experiences and testimonies of God's plan for all of us. I know that this gospel can and will bless every life on this earth and has a message for everyone!

 

Because of Easter, I just want to express my love for my Savior, Jesus Christ. I know that He came to Earth, established His gospel, lived a perfect life, atoned for the sins of the world, and died for each and every one of us. I know that His death is not the end. He was resurrected and lives today. And because of Him, we will all live again, and receive eternal life! I love my Savior, and I know that because of Him, we can have true joy and happiness! I hope that we can all remember the Savior this week, and reach out to others in His love! I love each and every one of you! I am so blessed for your love and support for me always!

 

사랑합니다!

 

커시 자매

Sister Kersey

Letter #58

안녕하세요!

 

Today for p-day, my district and I were able to go to a small island off of Jeju for the day!!! We just got back, and my hair is crazy, curly wind blown, and I am exhausted! But I am also so happy!!!! We were able to rent bikes and go around the whole island. We stopped and went down to the beach and then hiked into a cave and hiked to the highest peek of the island where you could see the whole island! It was beautiful! I ran out of space on my memory card, so will send home the pictures soon! What I love about working here on Jeju is that we can work hard, and then on P-days play hard! So much fun!

 

This week, we spent a lot of time with our investigator getting her ready for her baptism! We went to dinner at the young women's president's house this week and had dinner all together, and then were able to teach her the lesson of the restoration. It was such a fun lesson to teach, especailly because the young women leader had served here in the Busan mission (in my old areas) just a few years before. It was like she was just another companion! We had a blast teaching all together! We gave our investigator the Book of Mormon, and in just two days, she had already read the first seven chapters! Then a day later eight more! I just can't believe how ready she is and how prepared she is for this gospel! This week, to help her with overcoming coffee, we are not eating chocolate or ice cream!!!! Just like my companion and I did with Sister Park! It is fun to be doing it all together! :) Her parents have given permission for her to be baptized, and have said that they support her decision, but they are against signing the baptismal record. We are all praying hard for a miracle and as of right now, the baptism is still on for Saturday!

 

Also, President and Sister Gilbert came to Jeju this weekend for the stake conferences and meetings! It was great to see them, and they loved meeting our investigator!

 

We are still working hard and having miracles! :) This area is really special and I feel so blessed to be here!

 

I love each one of you! Thank you for all of your love, support, and prayers! I love my mission and I love the joy that this gospel brings into my individual life and the change that I see it having in the lives of others around me! It is true! I love you all and hope you have a great week!

 

사랑합니다!

 

커시 자매

Sister Kersey

Letter #57

안녕하세요!

Wow! What a week of miracles! I don't think that I have seen this many
miracles in one week my whole mission! I can't believe it!

On Sunday night, my companion were out on the streets proselyting, and
met a high school girl with a group of her friends. We talked to them
and talked a little about our church, and received one of the girl's
contact information. Later during the week, we met the girl for dinner
at a restaurant. As we were eating, we were just asking her questions
to get to know her and a little bit about her background. We started
talking about our purpose here in Korea and why we chose to serve
missions. We explained a little bit about what we believed, and
especially that we believe that there is a God and that we are His
children. Half way during the meal, she set down her chopsticks and
spoon, and just started crying. She explained to us that her parents
were divorced, and after the divorce she stopped talking to her
mother. Now, she does not know where her mother is, and has huge
feelings of guilt for treating her mother that way. We asked her if we
could go to our church, which was only about a 15 minute walk away so
that we could talk in private. She agreed.

When we got to the church, we took her around to see the rooms. We
talked about the different meetings we have on Sunday and how the
church had blessed our lives when we were her age. We took her to the
Sacrament room and explained the service of the sacrament and how we
bare testimony of our believes. Lastly, we showed her the baptismal
font and explained the special ordinance and the importance of
following Jesus Christ's example. She again started to cry. We
explained to her that her feelings could go away, as she repents and
uses the Atonement of Jesus Christ in her life. We taught her the
method of prayer, and knelt together on the floor together and offered
a prayer to show her how to talk to her Heavenly Father. We then asked
her to try to pray. She agreed. As she prayed, she started to cry. She
asked God what this feeling was that she was feeling. After her
prayer, we invited her to attend church with us on Sunday....and to
our surprise, she said yes.

On Sunday, she came to all three hours of church. We attended Young
Women's together and then taught the third lesson with on of the Young
Women's leaders. As we taught again about baptism, we asked her if she
would like follow the example of Jesus Christ and be baptized. Without
hesitation, she said YES!!! It is so amazing so see the power of the
gospel and how much it can influence any person's life that will just
accept and allow the teachings to change them! We set her baptismal
date for next Saturday the 23rd...two days before the end of this
transfer! So these next two weeks are going to be busy meeting to
teach all the lessons, getting parent's permission, getting
interviews, and cleaning everything to prepare for her baptism! This
is going to be the first girl baptism on Jeju Island in years! And she
was the first girl investigator to come to church in years too! How
exciting!

Also this week, I received a phone call from my last companion in 김해.
One of our investigators that we had set a baptismal date together the
day before I left, had been baptized! I miracle! He is the man that
came looking for the missionaries and found our church just about a
month or so ago! Amazing!

The work here on Jeju is so special and the miracles are unbelievable!
Jeju is known for having no work and being just a dark hole, but my
companion have been busy and receiving blessings that have not been
heard of in this mission! It seems that almost everyone we talk to
wants to learn more about what we have to say, and we are even making
appointments with people right there on the street! Incredible!

We also have been focusing a lot of our attention on the less-active
members of our branch. We were able to meet with and teach five people
this last week! And four investigators attended church this last
Sunday! I couldn't believe it!

I am just in ah at the blessings that are being poured out upon me and
my companion and this mission and this area at this time! It is
humbling and such a privilege and blessing to be the Lord's
missionary and instrument! I know that the gospel is true. I know that
I cannot see Jesus Christ, but the feelings in my heart and the joy
that comes to my spirit is a witness to me that Jesus Christ is my
Savior, and that God and Jesus Christ live and love each and every one
of us! This gospel is truth. It is a road to happiness, a road to
confidence, a road to love, and a road to peace. And it is also a road
back to our heavenly home. This gospel is real and is the foundation
of why we are here and who we are! I love this gospel with all of my
heart and know it is true!

I love each and every one of you and am so grateful for your love and
support toward me! Have a fantastic week!

사랑합니다!
커시 자매

Sister Kersey

Letter #56

안녕하세요!

WOW, I have to say that Jeju Island is just as pretty as everyone says that it is! It is gorgeous! So different than the mainland. I absolutely love it here!!!! And I am so lucky to be here for the best time of year....right now it is still winter, but once spring comes, that will surely be a sight to see!

Happy birthday to Ashley and Colin this week! :) I feel like I was just e-mailing each of you for your birthdays....but that was a year ago in the MTC. Time really truly flies by! Crazy!

So Monday night, I took a 40 minute plane ride with another Elder coming to the Island. When we arrived, we were greeted with a welcome sign by the Elders and Sisters on the Island! I felt like I was starting my mission all over again! ha-ha! Jeju is seriously such a special place, and has such a different feeling! The people are so kind and I just feel right at home here!

My companion is 최예인 자매님 Sister Choi, Sister Baker's trainee. She is a doll and we are already like best friends! She loves the work, and is so sweet to everyone! I am so blessed to be her companion!
This transfer is only four weeks long, due to the huge changes in the mission and the HUGE amount of new Elders and Sisters coming in. I am so excited to get more missionaries here!!! So I have about three moreweeks to learn this area and get ready for my companion to leave....which makes me so sad....I love her so much!

To start off the week, my companion and I visited a potential investigator at her home. She is a grandmother and very religious. She goes to her church weekly, but to our surprise, she was willing and open to listen to our messages. We asked her to come to our church on Sunday,and she said not this week but sometime in the future. I am thankful that she is willing to at least try to learn about what we have to offer.

We also went with our Branch President's wife to visit another investigator. This woman has made a lot of mistakes in her life and has a lot of guilt. She refuses to go to church because of the sins that she has made. I was able to share with her how we can all be completely clean and come to know our Savior, Jesus Christ by using His atonement in our lives. She told us that she wants to be clean and feel this way, and that maybe later in the future, when she feels forgiven, she will be baptized! I am excited for that day! And I am so excited to help her learn how to use the Savior's atonement in her own life to overcome all things and find peace and joy in her life!

We also did a lot of proselyting  which Jeju is known for. I guess that work here in this area is one of the hardest in the whole mission....I am excited to get the work going and to prove everyone wrong!!! ha-ha! :)

Yesterday, I was able to meet the Branch members for the first time! I feel like they are all my old-time friends! They are so kind and welcomed me with the warmest welcome that I have received in my whole mission! I love them all so much! There are about 50 to 60 members of the branch that attend each week. Yesterday, Elder Riser, a missionary from our mission that just ended his mission, came with his parents to visit the branch. I was able to translate for his mom during the classes which was a blast! And because of a Philopeano woman in our branch, I will probably be translating again every week in Sacrament meeting!

One of our less-actives that we met with this week is putting together a Festival for all of Jeju, and asked me if I would translate her scripts into English for the announcements. I worked on it with my companion and the other Elders in our area....it was probably one of the most difficult things we have done! I again realized that Korean and English are completely opposite of each other and seems nearly impossible to completely translate word for word. I have also noticed that since being here, I am completely losing my English. I thought that this would never happen to me, but it is, and it is a very scary feeling ha-ha! At times I feel more comfortable speaking in Korean more than English ha-ha! Weird!

Anyway, I feel so very blessed to be here in this beautiful new area, and know that there is a lot of work ahead of me!

I know that this gospel, the gospel of Jesus Christ, has been restored through a living day prophet, and that the priesthood keys of God are here on the Earth today! I know that through the priesthood and this gospel, we can receive ordinances that can and will lead us back to our Heavenly Father to live with Him again! What a huge blessing to know these truths, and especially to have the confidence that comes from knowing who I truly am...a daughter of God! We truly are His children, and He knows and loves each one of us!

I love you all!

사랑합니다!
커시 자매