Hey, everybody!
So, it turns out that this is the last week of the transfer somehow.It seems like yesterday that I got here, in some ways. And yet in other ways, I feel at home here in 봉천. It's not hard to get to know an area when it's so small you can walk across it in half an hour. :D
The baptism was really, really good! My companion wanted to invite our mission president, and I didn't think it would work, but he came, and it was really cool. The only thing that could have been better was if the boiler had worked. :D Because of a gas leak the main valve was shut off for safety, but we didn't find out about it in time, so they only got a little hot water into the font. They were boiling water in rice cookers so we didn't freeze completely.When I stepped in, I thought, "Whoa, that's cold! But I can handle it. I'm glad I don't have to go all the way under like he does." :D He got the gift of the Holy Ghost on Sunday, and it was really good. Now we will teach him the new member lessons, especially about the temple. It was only after I came out here that I started to realize what an amazing, amazing gift that marriage in the temple is. I'm so glad that those who are worthy can be married for this life and for forever after we die! I love teaching about that too.
Yesterday morning a miracle happened. I started off our three hours of study feeling really anxious and worried, because I didn't know what to do for one of our appointments that night. As in, I had no idea at all, and I was starting to panic. So, I said a prayer, and though I didn't feel better right away, I just felt like I should read a certain chapter in PMG. From that, one sentence stood out to me, and I started receiving all these great ideas for what to teach him. Two pages in my journal are covered with my writing from that study period, and the change from a scared 19-year-old to a missionary with answers is clearly visible. It was a real testimony builder that God knows me, He knows the investigator, and He can give me the answers that I need if I will only work for them.That's power and authority as a missionary. That's miraculous. That's missionary work.And, being me, I'll probably forget about studying that way, but I'll do my best to continue the trend. :D
Ok, here's an experience not related to missionary work at all. Only those of you who have seen the movie "Inception" will think this is cool. I'll explain the context of that movie briefly: a man and his team enter people's dreams down to their subconscious and try to plant ideas there, so when the person wakes up, they think they came up with it. The whole movie, they try and try and everybody thinks it's impossible and people die and the storyline is really complicated. Therefore it's a way cool movie. Anyway, the point is that I actually performed an inception on my companion! He sleep talks a lot, and one night, I decided to start controlling his dreams. So I'd suggest something to him, and he'd see it. For example, he said he saw a car, but he couldn't get in it because there was a glass wall in the way. so I said, "Here's a sledgehammer. Go break it." After a few seconds I said, "Did it work?" He said no, so I said, "Bummer....here's a rocket launcher. Go break it! " He was like, "whoa, cool! " And then he could get in the car. The dream continued like that for a while. Lots of fun stuff happened, like us playing with the Blue Man Group in Las Vegas and his house catching on fire. At one point he said he wanted to go get dinner with some girls, so I made up two of my friends' names and we went to dinner with them. (I had to talk at a high-pitched tone at this point in order to make him think it was a girl.) Through his date, I told him that it would be cool if he had more self confidence (not pride), because then he could be happier. The dream continued and nothing related to that happened again. The next day in the afternoon, we were discussing goals, and all of a sudden he said, "I want to have more self confidence," very decidedly. He thought it was his idea, his desire, but I was the one that incepted that idea into his dreams! I was so excited! It is possible, and you don't need weird injection machines, guns, or a confusing movie storyline to do it. Just call me Elder DiCapirio. :D
On our Preparation day, we went with our ward up to a park on Seoul National University campus for a picnic, because yesterday was a national holiday. It was so fun! Koreans are way funner than Americans are at parties. :D We played sports in little informal groups, like badminton, catch, football, and frisbee, and then had some delicious food. Then we split into two teams and played some competitive games. They were way fun, and I'll bring the ideas back to America next year since I don't want to take time to type them here. Just know that if I'm ever put as an activities coordinator or something, that ward is going to have a blast. :D I took pictures, and yes, I am in some of them. I can do it, so there! :D I'll try to send them next week.
I got your package, Grandma and Grandpa! It was such a good package! I especially liked the journal you sent and the remote-controlled robot. You know me so well. :D Interestingly, I had been using the hardcover version of the journal before (which I forgot to specify when I requested them), so when I saw that the one you sent was soft cover, I was like, "Oh, that's different. Oh well, still awesome." But it turns out that I actually like the softcover more! So thank you for introducing me to that on accident. :D
Thank you for all your support, including those who I can't email directly but who see my blog. I think about you often, and though it's hard to be away from it all, I know I'm doing the right thing. The blessings to my spirituality, my family relationships, my career, and my future marriage are so many that I'd have to spend an entire email period telling you about them. I'll just do it when I get back, it'll be better to hear it directly anyway. :D I love you all, and I hope you have a good week!
You know you're in Korea when:
- There are old grandmas walking around whose backs could be used to measure right triangles.
90 degrees,I'm not even joking.
- You can get way nice suits with hot pink linings for less than $150. I haven't done that yet, but I
definitely will before I come back!
- When you see vegetables laid out to dry all over the side streets.
- When they like red peppers so much you can actually get red pepper hair treatments.
- When all Korean males must do two years of military service after they graduate high school. It used to be
more than three, but they relaxed lately.
- When there's no garbage disposal, so your food waste goes in a bag. Think about it, and then turn on your
garbage disposal once or twice in my behalf, please.
- When most homes' floors are heated by hot water flowing in pipes underneath them. So good!
Elder Matt Dean
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