Hey everybody,
I can't believe it's the last week of this month already. That's kind of scary, because it means time is getting shorter. On the plus side my birthday is next month, and I'm finally legal to drink! Woo! Just kidding, obviously I won't do that on the mission or after. I just had to say it because I only get one 21st birthday. :D
This week was super crazy. We had a General Authority (one of the higher-up leaders in the church) come to speak to our mission on three days, one 6-hour session a day. His name is President Ringwood and he's the Area President for this area. He had served a mission in Korea back in the dawn of time, actually the same time that President Christensen, the Mission President did. Then he came back and served as President of the late Seoul West mission a while ago, and now he's the Area President for Korea, Japan, and some other countries over here. He's spent a lot of time here. :D He was a really great speaker and really spoke with a lot of fire and enthusiasm, and I learned from him and from the Spirit a lot of things that I can do better as a missionary and as a person. This is a spiritual work, and every time I go to one of these conferences, I learn better missionary skills, but more importantly how to be a better person spiritually. And since we're in the office, we got to go to not only one day but all three days! It was awesome!
I learned something that really affected me. President Ringwood said that if a missionary works hard, giving it all he's got, and he is righteous and faithful and obedient, then that day there will be a miracle, whether he sees it or not. It's a concept that has helped me to do my hardest and not be disappointed if something cool or miraculous doesn't happen. Also, we have to make baptism our goal and our purpose as missionaries, and exercise our faith to accomplish it, but then focus on doing the things we can control. Baptism, or conversion really, is a choice that each person we meet makes, and we don't make it for them. All we choose to do is talk to people, love them, invite them to do things like reading the scriptures or praying to find out if our message is true or being baptized. And if we do our best and the Spirit is there, we've done all we can do, and it's up to them. I also learned that exercise in the morning (part of the missionary schedule) is not optional. :D As I've been exercising lately I feel a lot more healthy.
So preparing for that and going to it took up most of our week. But it was a really good week, and now that all the typhoons are done the weather is super nice! I love Korean autumn! The temperature is just right and it's sunny, and life is good. A couple days ago I was calling contacts that previous missionaries had made on the street, and I set an appt with a guy named Lee Hae In. He took us out to dinner at a Japanese place a couple nights ago, and as we were talking he said that he wants to learn the Bible in English from us, and also learn about how to get closer to God. So we're going to meet him tonight. It was a pretty cool thing, and I feel l like the hand of the Lord was in it.
So that's my life right now. It's fun and I'm getting a lot of happiness from missionary work. Thanks for all you do for me and for your prayers. I love you!
Elder Matt Dean
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