October 23, 2011

안녕하세요 여러분!

This week was a pretty good week, when all is said and done. It wasn't without bumps and hard times, just like everything else in life, but really, everything depends on where you put your focus. I heard a quote at a training this week that went like this: "My mission wasn't the funnest time of my life. It wasn't the most exciting or interesting time of my life. But it was the best time of my life to build my testimony, to really find out who Christ is and what He did for us, to learn how to work, to gain skills to succeed in college and marriage and my career, to learn how to love people. So was my mission the best two years OF my life? Maybe, maybe not. Was it the best two years FOR my life? Absolutely." That was from one of the Assistants to the Mission President, who are generally missionaries who have been out for a long time and are skilled in all aspects of missionary work. And everything he said was true. I'm gaining so much more out here than I ever would have if I hadn't come, despite all the hard things, despite leaving everything behind to come out here and talk to people who mostly don't want to listen. Those things are hard, but when I think of all the good that's happening to me, and the good effects that will come from my service, it makes it really easy to bear those hard things. It reminds me of another thing a missionary said: "I had some really hard times on my mission. But when I look back, I can only really remember the good times." That's been true for me as well (at least, for what I CAN remember; you all know how bad my memory is :D). I love being out here, I love being this close to God and not having to worry about college or a job or a girlfriend. It's such a great work that I'm a part of, and I'm surrounded by other great people. And most of all I know God is here and he's helping me along, even though I can't really see how right now. In short, life is really good for me. Thanks to everyone for making me who I am today, I couldn't have done it without you.

On a lighter note, this week I had to go through something of a hazing that happens to most of the missionaries in this area of the mission. There's a restaurant that sells pork cutlets covered in ridiculously hot sauce; they call it 디진닥 돈까스, which is a slang form that translates roughly to "You gonna die, fool." :D Apparently they import peppers from all around the world to make this sauce, and just the sample was definitely the hottest thing I've ever eaten! I chewed it up and it wan't bad; when I started, another missionary started counting, and when I got to 10, I thought, "Whoa, this is really hot." Things went downhill from there. I thought the spiciness level would plateu at some point, but it never really did. I just had this desire to run somewhere, and my throat and lips were literally painful. Luckily there was an ice cream store nearby. :D They have this challenge at the restaurant where you have to eat two humongous cutlets with this sauce on it in 20 minutes or less; they make you take medicine first, and if you start hiccuping they take it away from you because your body is starting to reject it. If you eat it in 5 minutes you get six months of normal food there for free, but if you don't make it in 20 you have to pay $15. Needless to say I didn't try the challenge. :D It was a fun experience, though.

You know you're in Korea when...

Pigeons are the only wildlife.

The buildings are all covered in bright signs, literally covered.

When the members give you food all the time.

When there are fruit trucks everywhere that drive around selling apples or asian pears or clementines or ginger or whatever else you can think of.

When nobody eats on buses or subways, period.

When these little old ladies with matching outfits push fancy carts around selling yogurt.

The missionary work is going well, and I see the blessings from it every day if I look. The trick is remembering to look. :D But when I do I'm happy, which is most of the time. I hope things are going well for everyone back there, have a good week!

Love, Elder Matt Dean