Letter #67

안녕하세요!

Where do I even begin? I feel so blessed with what happened this last
week here in Jeju! Just on Wednesday night, I had  one of the
best, probably the most memorable experience of my entire mission so
far. So about a month ago, when I was serving with just my Korean
trainee, I shared the experience about being out on the street
procelyting when I kept having a strong impression that I needed to go
home. I had no idea why I had this impression, but it kept coming back
over and over again. I tried to ignore it, telling myself that at
night we need to be out and that this was the perfect time to find new
people to teach and help. But the feeling still wouldn't go away.
Everywhere we seemed to walk on the streets, and every bus station
that we got too, people were just gone, or immediately would get on
the bus. Even huge groups of people. It was absolutely bizarre! So I
told my companion that I felt like we needed to be doing something
different, but I still refused to just go home. So we decided to go
start knocking doors at an apartment building. The entire time, I just
kept having weird feelings. We finally got to a door, rang the
doorbell, and immediately the doorbell broke! It just kept going off
for over a minute, then two, then three. It was so loud, and I knew
that the people that watched over the apartment would be mad at us for
breaking the doorbell and just being there in the first place. So I
took this as a sign that for some reason we needed to go home. So I
told my companion and we went home. We didn't have very much time when we returned home, but I had a strong impression that we needed to call old investigators. That is when we called the investigators from 2007 and I was able to set two appointments up for that following week to meet with them again. One of those appointments was with about a 35
year old woman who had taken all the discussions with the Elders back
in 2007. She has been meeting with Jehovah’s Witnesses every week to
study with them, and then attends a different church on Sunday. When I
had called her, she completely straight up told me that she was not
interested, and that she had a different religion now. I was impressed
that I needed to ask her if she had ever read the Book of Mormon, so I
did. She said that she had read it before, and I told her that because
of that book, my life had been completely changed and I know that I
had found the truth from that book. I then asked her if she would just
meet with us one time to read the book together. She agreed.

So later that week we met, and just answered a lot of questions that
she had about our church and things that she had heard. We then
explained a little about the Restoration of the gospel of Jesus Christ
on the Earth, and asked her to start reading the Book of Mormon on her
own. She agreed. Later that week, we invited her to a branch party and
she came. One of the sisters in the branch, after the party, came up
to me and told me that she had a really good feeling about this
woman and to not give up on her.

So this last week we had the opportunity to meet with her again. Right
when she walked into the room, I could tell that she was different.
She pulled out her Book of Mormon and we asked her if she was able to
read any of it. She said that she had read the testimony of Joseph
Smith. We then asked her if she had any questions. She asked us if
there was a hell. I was surprised at her question, but was thrilled
because my trainees and I had just prepared to teach her that day the
Plan of Salvation. So I told her that we wanted to teach her about
God's plan for her and His children and that we would answer that
question as we taught. She agreed! We then asked her to start us with
an opening prayer. The last time we had met with her, she had only
prayed a few times in her whole life. We were shocked when she agreed
to pray, prayed a beautiful prayer, and then said that she has been
praying daily since meeting with us!

So then we started in with our lesson. Our lesson was completely
amazing! I felt like I had never taught so clearly and with the spirit
so strongly in my entire mission. And my Korean trainee who struggled
so much even understanding the plan of Salvation and had no testimony
of it, taught absolutely beautifully and clearly. Then my new American
trainee, just that morning during district meeting had found a
scripture that was almost completely off topic for the lesson but had
a great feeling about sharing it with her. I also had a great feeling,
but didn't really know how it was going to tie in. But as we discussed
everything about the plan, my American trainee shared the scripture,
and it just completely made everything make even more sense! And it
helped tie in the Doctrine of Christ and the Restoration perfectly
with the Plan of Salvation! It was incredible! And the spirit was so
strong that you could cut it with a knife! We were able to perfectly
describe a doctrine, using scriptures and testimony, that would then
lead her to thinking of a question that just happened to lead us
perfectly into the next topic! She was so excited about the things
that she was learning and I could tell that it was sinking deep within
her. And when she was confused about something she had learned
differently in her other churches, we were able to pull out the
scriptures in both the Bible and Book of Mormon that help testify of
the doctrine that we had been teaching simply and boldly!

So after teaching her about the plan, she was completely amazed and
dumbfounded. She started telling us that she believed what we had told
her to be true and that at this time she was really trying to find the
truth. We listened to her and then I bore my testimony of how I came
to know that this plan was true and of God. I have never in my life
born a testimony so bold, clear, and simple. The Spirit was
over-powering and my companions just looked at me in disbelief! I
never knew how much I truly, truly believed in this gospel until I was
able to bare such a simple but strong testimony with the Spirit to
someone looking so diligently for the truth. Wow! I know with every
fiber of my being that what I have taught her and what I believe to be
true! There is no doubt in my mind!

After baring this testimony, I told her that if she prayed with real
intent, she could come to know this to be completely true. She
explained to me that she believed that, but she didn't know how God
could speak to her. We explained that it would be through her own
personal, unique ways, for example feelings or thoughts. She then
suddenly opened up to us about a dream that she had had just one or
two months ago, right before we had called that first night and asked
her to meet. She said that in her dream she saw my face. It was so
distinct and clear, but she had not remembered the dream until I was
teaching her and baring my testimony to her. She said that in her
dream, she had seen my face (even though we had never met before) and I
reached out and took her hand. Then she said that we were trying to
walk somewhere together, but when she tried to walk, she noticed that
we were hovering in the air right above the ground. She said that when
she looked down on the floor, it was covered in snakes. She with her
hand in mine, I lead her in between the snakes. We kept jumping over
the snakes together.

I was completely floored with I heard about this, and I then told her
about my extremely strong feeling about coming home that night and
calling her. I told her that I knew that God was talking to her in
that dream and that it was important for her to meet me and my
companions to teach her of the truth that she had been searching for
for years. She agreed that she believes it was God telling her
something. And I explained to her that what she was feeling right now
was also God telling her that what we had taught her was truth. She
explained that she had such a special feeling at that moment that she
had never before felt in her life!

When she finally left, my companions and I were completely overwhelmed
with love for her and thankfulness for our Father in Heaven. We
immediately prayed together and thanked God for the truth that we have
and that we have the opportunity to share that with other of God's
children who are searching for that truth and direction! My companions
and I were all so humbled by the spirit that was with us that taught
through us exactly to this woman's needs. And it was amazing to also
see my companions change when they recognized their own testimonies
that they too can see that they possess! I really truly do know that
God knows us each individually, uniquely and perfectly! He loves us
and knew us and does really talk to us and speak through us!

After this experience it was so interesting to also see the huge
opposing force that flooded into our lives. The way that Satan tries
to work in the minds of Heavenly Father's servants to not feel good
enough or question their testimonies. My companions and I were able to
notice this and recognize this opposing force right away. But I am
grateful that we are able to recognize these things, help each other
recognize these things, and then come together in prayer, even on the
side of the road, to bring the spirit back into our lives and help us
get back to the Lord's work!

We also were able to meet with one of our younger investigators that
are in middle school. We met her at the bus stop at the begining of
last transfer with my Korean trainee and have been teaching her ever
since. Right before this new transfer started, she introduced her
younger brother to us and we referred him to the Elders. So now she
meets with us and him with the Elders. Yesterday they both came to
church, and after church we both had separate lessons with the two of
them. My companions and I had been talking with her about baptism the
last two times we had met, and she said that she wanted to receive it,
but right before she died. We were not planning on bringing it up
again, but the Spirit directed me otherwise. I asked her if she had
been thinking about what we had taught her about baptism. She said
yes. Then our member who was with us teaching her started to explain
how amazing baptism is because of the opportunity to receive the Holy
Ghost. Because of this member and her strong testimony, we were able
to again talk about baptism openly and before she left gave her a
baptismal date for June 16th. Little did we know that later when we
talked to our Elders that they had met with her younger brother just
after church at the same time we had met with her, and had given him
the same exact baptismal date! I don't think that was any sort of
coincidence!

I know that Heavenly Father loves us and I know that He truly directs
this work. I am so extremely humbled and thankful for this opportunity
to be His instrument in bringing this gospel to all of the people of
the world that are searching for the truth! I know that this gospel is
for everyone! It blesses and can bless every person's unique,
individual life!

I love you all!
사랑해요!
커시 자매
Sister Kersey