Missionary music

What can I say after another amazing week, especially after the training on Sunday with SO many Gas, mission presidents, missionaries and everybody else? That was super amazing, super inspiring and super motivating!!! I can’t wait to learn the details of how it’s all supposed to work, especially with Korea being one of the most connected countries in the entire world! (And I got a better picture of me in the choir!!!!!!!)

There are so many stories and things to tell about this week. Classes are great – but hard! My teachers are great – but hard! My companion is great!

One of the best things that we get to do is go to the temple. It’s SO nice up there! At the MTC the Spirit is everywhere and there’s so much excitement in the air – all the learning, the doing and preparing.

That’s what’s so amazing about the temple! The Spirit is so strong there, too! But it’s so peaceful and refreshing. There’s so much to learn there, too, yet it’s a different kind of learning. I LOVE it!

We’re learning so much vocabulary! I can say a prayer in Korean. We’re learning how to teach in Korean. We sing the hymns in Korean, too. Singing is a hard ‘cause you have to read and it goes kind of fast sometimes. Kind of like my time on the computer. It shuts off after only 30 minutes.

Missionary work is SO SUPER EXCITING! I love it!

Called to Serve

Like a fire it's burning!

That was THE
MOST
AMAZING
EXPERIENCE
EVER!

They say it was probably the biggest zone conference ever. The Marriott Center was full -- of people, and of the Spirit!

I don't even know where to begin!

Here's a picture. I'm the blonde up there in the corner with the salmon colored skirt. And I have to say that "Called to Serve" sung by that many missionaries -- WOW!

I LOVED Pres. Monson's story and video about the St. Thomas Branch. He's so cute!

I could hardly take in all the things that Elder Perry said: electronics; Internet, mormon.org, Facebook, blogs and electronic devices!!! It's a whole new missionary world, but like they said, it's the same message: come unto Christ, read the Book of Mormon and the Gospel is restored! WOW!!!!

I am soooo excited to work with the ward councils! I hope they're all like the ones in the video from Elder Anderson. Didn't you so feel the Spirit during his presentation?

The story of Sis. Marriott's conversion was super cool, as was Pres. Packer's message on teaching!

I can't wait to see the whole thing again!!! I hope I can... but I guess I'll be living it, right?

What an AWESOME experience! What a testimony builder!! The Church is true, true, true!!!

Here's the website with all the information and everything. More later!

Every member missionary meeting

Oh. My. Goodness!

So there's like all these old people at the MTC, and somebody said they were all the new mission presidents who were coming to get training and then they said there was going to be a HUGE meeting that was going to be the mission presidents, then it was stake and ward councils and now they're inviting everybody! Wow! Must be something amazing going on!

Anyway, it's called "Hastening the Work of Salvation" and it's happening on Sunday afternoon. I wonder if we'll get to see it, or if it's just for the mission presidents (and everybody else)?

There's all kinds of rumors going on about it, but we'll just have to wait and see, right?

As for me, I've made a lot of progress in the language, and as a missionary. Who rocks the MTC? We rock the MTC!!!

Culture lesson

Soooooo coooool!

Not only do we get to learn the language and learn to teach the gospel, we get to learn about the culture as well!

Apparently Koreans love music and love to sing. One of their favorite traditional songs is "Arirang." It's very beautiful. Here are the words:

아리랑, 아리랑, 아라리요...

아리랑 고개로 넘어간다.

나를 버리고 가시는 님은

십리도 못가서 발병난다.

Don't be impressed. I copied that. Here's the Romanization so you can sing along:

Arirang, Arirang, Arariyo...

Arirang gogaero neomeoganda.

Nareul beorigo gasineun nimeun

Simnido motgaseo balbbyeongnanda.

But what I like the best is the translation:

Arirang, Arirang, Arariyo

Crossing over Arirang Pass.

You who abandoned me

Shall not go even ten miles before getting hurt feet.

I love it!!!!!

Amazing times in Week One.

Every day at the MTC is AMAZING. I don't even know where to start.

I have a companion, Sis. Miller from Taylorsville, Utah. I thought everyone here was going to be from Utah, but I also met someone else from Idaho, there's an elder in our district from California, and there's even one from CANADA!

We have two teachers. Our daytime teacher is Sister Clabby. She says she teaches daytime because she's too busy doing other things at night. And our nighttime teacher is Elder Stice.

It's like from the time we got here we've been learning the language, learning the gospel and studying the scriptures! There's such an INCREDIBLE spirit here! It gets kind of crowded, but that's a good thing, right? In fact, it's so jam packed here that we have to go to the Marriott Center for devotionals!

So far in the language we've learned the alphabet, and we can say some simple things like please and thank you and hello and I can even say a simple prayer! It's like I've become almost an expert in a week! Not really, but I know a whole lot more than I did!

Our P-day is on Tuesday. That should be amazing too!

The Gospel is true, the Church is awesome and missionaries rock!

Qualifications

1 Now behold, a marvelous work is about to come forth among the children of men. 

2 Therefore, O ye that embark in the service of God, see that ye serve him with all your heart, might, mind and strength, that ye may stand blameless before God at the last day. 

3 Therefore, if ye have desires to serve God ye are called to the work; 

4 For behold the field is white already to harvest; and lo, he that thrusteth in his sickle with his might, the same layeth up in store that he perisheth not, but bringeth salvation to his soul; 

5 And faith, hope, charity and love, with an eye single to the glory of God, qualify him for the work. 

6 Remember faith, virtue, knowledge, temperance, patience, brotherly kindness, godliness, charity, humility, diligence. 

7 Ask, and ye shall receive; knock, and it shall be opened unto you. Amen. (Doctrine and Covenants, Section 4)

Crazyawesomebusy!

It begins!

Hairiest. Day. Ever.

Scary but AWESOME!

So, my last day in civilian life, at least it was until I went it to see the Stake President to get set apart.

I spent the day packing and repacking and packing with my Mom; going over all my last minute checklists. Then she said we should go out for my "last meal!"

Brick Oven. It's the best.

Then it was off to the Stake President's office.

And now...

I'm officially...

a SISTER MISSIONARY!

Tomorrow's the big day. Yikes!

Now that's out of the way...!

I made it through one of the hardest parts of leaving on my mission so far -- The Talk. I think it went OK, although it kind of bothered me that instead of congratulating me on my talk, people asked how soon I would be leaving. Not sure what to think about that?

Now just a few more things: final packing, getting set apart, and (gulp) going in to the MTC. It should be easy going after that!

Is this really au revoir?

Giving talks is the worst, especially when I KNOW I'm going to be all emotional. I should just be able to smile and wave and call it good.

Oh, well. Perilous times, right?

Temple

Here's some better news from the North

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) - North and South Korea on Thursday agreed to hold talks on reopening a jointly run factory complex and other cross-border issues, after months of deteriorating relations and a day before a U.S.-China summit in which the North is expected to be a key topic.

The envisioned talks could help rebuild avenues of inter-Korean cooperation that were obliterated in recent years amid hardline stances by both countries, though the key issue isolating the North from the world community - its nuclear program - is not up for debate.

The North's Committee for the Peaceful Reunification of Korea, in a statement carried by state media, said it is open to holding talks with Seoul on reopening the Kaesong complex just north of the Demilitarized Zone separating the countries. The complex closed this spring.

It also proposed talks on resuming reunions of families separated by war, and on resuming South Korean tours to a mountain resort in the North.

Pyongyang offered to let the South set the time and venue, and hours later South Korean Unification Minister Ryoo Kihl-jae proposed meeting on all three topics in Seoul on June 12.

South Korean President Park Geun-hye welcomed the North Korean agreement to government-level talks that Seoul had proposed in April.

That's going to be me next week!!!!!!

It's my cousin on one end and my friend on the other...and next week it's going to be me!

I'm OK, but other missionaries need help!

SALT LAKE CITY — A letter from the First Presidency of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, read Sunday in many LDS worship services, urges members to contribute "regularly and generously" to the church's missionary fund in light of the recent surge in missionary applications.

"With the recent change in missionary age of service, the number of missionaries serving has increased dramatically," the letter says. "Many of these new missionaries come from modest circumstances. To help maintain this missionary force, we encourage members, as they are able, to contribute regularly and generously to the General Missionary Fund of the church.

"Members may also contribute to the ward missionary fund to support missionaries from their ward and stake," the letter concludes.

The letter echoes a suggestion made by President Thomas S. Monson during the opening session of the church's annual general conference last April, when he commented on the "remarkable and inspiring" response of young Latter-day Saints to his announcement at general conference six months earlier that the minimum age requirement for full-time missionary service had been reduced.

Last week, the church reported that the number of young Mormons applying for missionary service has increased at an extraordinary rate, with more than 29,000 new missionaries expected to report for missionary training during the next few months. The total number of missionaries serving is expected to surge past 85,000 this fall — a 47 percent increase over the number of missionaries serving at the time of President Monson's announcement.

"To help maintain this missionary force," President Monson said in early April, "and because many of our missionaries come from modest circumstances, we invite you, as you are able, to contribute generously to the General Missionary Fund of the church."

While I was out

While I was out doing some last-minute prep things (well, not really last minute 'cause I still have more than a week), apparently Mary Jo met my roommate, Tina.

I love my sister!

In which I come clean...

I'm so embarrassed.