June 3, 2012

Hey all,

So this has been a crazy week! We ended up going to Seoul twice, once for a conference and once because me and Elder Larson have to go to Zone Leader Council. And then on the weekend we had our Branch Conference/ 30 year anniversary of the missionaries entering Gangneung Party. So from the morning on Saturday to the evening we were cleaning or practicing the chior number or listening to talks; we didn't proselyte at all on Saturday. :D Definitely not a normal week at all.

Funny moment: We were visiting an old, old member of our ward who is about to pass on, and he said he needed adult diapers that day. So we went to the nearest store that would have them and ended up having to ask somebody. That was pretty embarrassing, but it was worse when she told us they didn't have them, so we trundled on over to Emart on our bikes and had to carry a package of Depends through throngs of people (Emart is a multi-story shopping center, like Walmart on steriods).

They all probably think the missionaries in Gangneung are incontinent.

:D hen I had to ride on my bike on a road between rice fields with the sun glinting off the water, illuminating the bag of adult diapers I was holding in the air. If you had shown me a list of things I thought I would do on my mission before I left, that wouldn't have been one I would have checked off. :D

Also on Monday we were waiting for some high school kids to show up so we could play basketball with them, and these four girls that were like 11 walked by on the street. They ran over and were like "We want to play too!" So we started "playing" with them, which really just consisted of them throwing the ball up in the general direction of the hoop. Then more kids walked by, and more, and soon we were in the midst of like 20 little kids, and we realized they were from the orphanage next to the church. :D We played with them for probably 20 minutes, and it was madness. There was one little girl that would scream for me to pass the ball, and then she would tuck it under and just run, not even dribbling. half the time she would just end up giving it back. :D Elder Larson said that at one point I had got the ball and was holding it straight up high in the air, and there were about 50 little hands reaching up all around me. It was so fun! Then later the kids came and it was real basketball, which I'm not good at, so it was not so fun. :D

Thse pictures I sent were from me going to the beach the first time and from our baptism. That's probably 2/3 of the branch here. I would send more today but the computer is being dumb and I don't have lots of time. Instead I'll send a memory card home soon, and my parents can upload some onto my blog for all y'all.

On the way home from Seoul on the bus, I had a cool realization. If you look hard enough, you can find the answer to almost any question in the scriprtures! How to be a good son, how to have fire for missionary work, how to lead by example, becoming more like the Savior, being a good brother or father, focusing on the work, more love for fellow man, balancing spiritual life with temporal, self-improvment, more self-confidence, raising children, everything!

It's really cool. I love the scriptures and how they help us out if we approach it with an open mind and some effort. I knew with my head that they had all the answers before, but I felt it for the first time on the bus that day. I heard a Korean proverb that said, "The longest journey in the world is from the head to the heart, and then the heart to the feet." Very deep, huh?

Well, that's about all. :D I love you all, and I want to send a shoutout to my brother Austin who just graduated high school. Hope you have a good week!

Elder Matt Dean



Elder Dean at the beach on P-Day (they didn't go swimming).



Elder Larson, Hwang Gi Seok, and Elder Dean on Hwang Gi Seok's baptism day.



Members of the branch Elder Dean and Elder Larson are currently serving in - they are standing on the back row.