“The Bike!”

It was another great week! 

Craziest food I ate this week was probably homemade 떡 (rice-cake) that a grandma made and fed to us--I’ll send a picture of the left-overs she sent us home with haha!

There are always so many miracles!

This week on Tuesday night our appointments fell through and it was pretty late, so we couldn’t knock on any doors/make any visits, so we were walking down the street toward downtown so we could find people to talk to when all of the sudden 강소영 (kang-so-young) and her daughter came up behind us and invited us to go with them to a cafe and talk--it was a miracle! God’s plan is so perfect--when things fall through, He always has something different planned. We were able to set up an appointment with her daughter to meet with us the next day! The coolest part was my companion, Sister Park looked in her planner and she has kang-so-young’s daughter written at night at the time we met them on the street! This is God’s work!

Also on Tuesday morning I realized I lost my journal--I had brought it to a zone meeting to take notes and lost it sometime during the day! I was so sad because I have written really sacred, special experiences and feelings in it. My companion and I decided to kneel and pray so that we could find it. I said the prayer. As I started the prayer, I heard Sister Park gasp...I finished the prayer and she said, “The Bike!” I had left it in a basket in front of a bike outside of one of our less-active member’s apartment. God gave my companion an answer right away as we were praying--so cool! God cares about even the little things--like a journal. 

We had the opportunity to visit one of the grandpas in our ward’s wife and she was really sick. We sang her hymns and I gave her a back massage haha. It was a really special experience. I really felt God’s love for her. 

Another special thing that happened this week was that 강소영 kang-so-young was able to meet with our mission president this week! He recommitted her to sincerely pray to know if our church is true for herself. It was a miracle that she could meet with him and that he had time. God really loves  her and wants her to have the blessings of this gospel. I know that as soon as she really prays, she will get an answer! She just needs to act! 

We had a ward pioneer party that was fun! A few people brought friends and they had fun :)

I know that this gospel is true and I’m so grateful to get to share it everyday. This truly is God’s work and He truly loves His children! 

Have a wonderful week! 

사랑해요!

낫제스 자매

warty sea squirts

What a week! Sister Park and I saw SO MANY miracles!

A fun food I ate this week:

We went to dinner with an investigator this week and she wanted me to try a food I have never eaten before that she said was a noodle soup. In the soup were lots of clams and unidentified black things that looked like slugs--my investigator looked up what they were with her dictionary and it translated, “warty sea squirts.” You bite it and the guts squirt into your mouth--it wasn’t bad! I ate more than one!

We still aren’t meeting with 강소영, but she came to English Class this week, so that was good.

One day this week had so many miracles!

We had no appointments in the morning/early afternoon, so we were going to try to visit former investigators. I felt like we should visit a lady in our ward first, so we did that and then got a random call from a 70-year-old grandma we had met a couple weeks before and she told us to come quickly, so we started travelling across town and guess who we ran into on the street? 강소영! (kang-so-young) My companion kept telling me were were going to see her hear from her on Friday and we actually did! It was a miracle that the grandma called us right at that moment. 

We got to the grandma’s house and after she fed us chicken soup that had been sitting in a bag on the counter for who knows how long (haha), she told us why she called us--she was feeling sad and lonely and didn’t know what to do, so she saw our number we gave her and she called. She cried and we got to sing her hymns and tell her how special she was.

Then we had an appointment with a less-active member who is preparing for a mission. The following appointment cancelled and we were a little bit sad, but then we realized that God had a bigger miracle prepared! We got on the bus to head back toward the area our house is in to keep trying to visit former investigators and my companion noticed some girls looking at me and giggling, so we talked to them--one of them had just spent 8 months in Utah and god baptized 6 months ago! We were so excited to meet her and her friends, but they got off the bus really fast and all we had time to do was slip them our number. We felt really disappointed because we wanted to get her number...we felt like we should get off the bus at the next stop and look for them, so we did. We were stopped at a stoplight and talked to the lady waiting next to us. After talking to her for a little bit we realized that she was the girl on the bus who got baptized’s friend’s mom! She had a lot of interest in our church and wanted her daughter to learn from us! What a miracle! Then the girl on the bus texted us and we were able to meet with her the next day!

Then we prayed to know where to go next and my companion felt like we should visit one of our members, 지은숙. We got on a bus and I met a man from the U.S. who had interest in the church, so we went way past our stop haha... we had to walk back and on the way we saw a girl sitting on a bench and felt like we should talk to her, so we did. She used to meet with our missionaries and has been trying to find their phone number for a while because she wanted to introduce her friend! 

So many miracles! I learn each and every day that this is God’s work. When we pray and really seek to do His will, He guides us and directs us. 

This week I had a few kind of hard days feeling inadequate for one thing or another, but I am so grateful. I’m grateful for the opportunity to feel weak. The times I feel the weakest are the times I feel the Lord’s strength the most and I wouldn’t give up those sacred experiences for the world. I am feeling especially grateful today for all that I’m learning. 

A quote that really stood out to me this week was :

“If things don’t turn out the way you had hoped or expected after you have done all in your power, be ready to accept the will of your Heavenly Father. He will not inflict upon us anything that is not ultimately for our good. Listen for that calming voice that whispers in our ears: “all flesh is in mine hands; be still and know that I am God.” --Gerald Causse

I am so grateful to be the Lord’s missionary and to be learning to do my best and then trust my Savior to make up for the rest. 

I love you all! Have an amazing week!! 

Sister Naatjes :)

I know that God has a perfect plan

This week I really came to know over and over again that God has a plan and that this is really His work! We saw so many miracles!

First of all, this week on Tuesday our appointment fell through in the afternoon, so we took the subway to the place where our next appointment would be so that we could do some proselyting. We met someone with interest on the subway, so we passed our stop and had to walk back to where our appintment was. I prayed that God would use us and lead us to someone we could help and a miracle happened. 

My companion was talking on the phone as we were walking and I noticed a little, frail woman sitting on the ground near the subway and I felt like I should talk to her. I sat next to her and greeted her. She turned to me and she really looked in bad shape! She was holding her head and said that she had fallen down. She had black teeth and tattered clothes. I immediately loved this woman. I got to talk to her and hold her hand. She kept talking about how she wasn't beautiful and how her body was sick. I got to tell her how special she is and how much God loves her. 

My companion finished her phone call and she told us she had to go, so she tried to stand up, but couldn't by herself and when she got up, she stumbled. So we walked on either side of her to a department store and the security guard helped her from there. 

I felt so much love for that girl and I know God loves her so much! It was His plan for us to help His precious daughter. She was the reason that our appointment got cancelled and we missed our stop on the subway.

This week we have really been focusing on our investigator, 강소영 (kang-so-young). We had a zone conference (training for missionaries) and learned a lot and felt the spirit. That night we really felt like we needed to act to help her out. 

 She has been an investigator for 6+ months. We planned to visit her that night to bring her a Liahona (church magazine) that she requested. We really felt like we needed to be bold with her and tell her how she needs to act to get her answer. We were a little nervous, but prayed tons and felt at peace. We prayed for God to guide us in the lesson. When we got to her house, I realized I accidently grabbed the June Liahona instead of the July one and was going to say something, but then Sister Park and I both felt like we should give her the June one instead. She started flipping through the pages and saw an article about the Priesthood. She looked up at me sincerely and asked me how the Priesthood has blessed my life and what it means to me...I got to share my testimony and the spirit was so strong. Then she asked Sister Park about her experiences with the gospel and how she came to know it was true. It was the most spirit-filled lesson I have had on my whole mission I think. My companion and I both cried during the lesson as we shared our experiences. We just trusted God and He led the lesson. At the end of the lesson she committed herself to really pray. We were really bold about how our purpose is not to be just her friends and English teachers, but to bring her closer to Christ through helping her have faith, to repent, to receive baptism, receive the Holy Ghost, and endure to the end. 

After that night we saw her everyday that week--both at her house, randomly on the street, and in restaurants--it was really cool. God kept putting her in our path. We could tell she was really thinking. At English class she asked the elders how they came to know the church was true.

On Saturday night she wanted to meet us at a cafe which is unusual, so we were kind of nervous. She told us how she loves our church and sees how happy the members are. She wants her son to become like the missionaries in our ward and her daughter to become like us. She told us that she needs some time to think and really sincerely pray if this church is really true and if she should get baptized. So she kind of dropped us in the best way--we felt completely at peace. I feel confident that she will get an answer in God's time. I love her so much and I'm excited for the miracles that are coming!

I know that God has a perfect plan for 강소영 as He does for all of His children. I'm excited to see the miracles that God is planning for her and for us this week! I trust the Lord and know this is His work!

I love the gospel and I love being a missionary!! I know this is true!

Love you all!

Sister Naatjes :)

안녕하세요!

Another great week!

Funnies--

one morning when we went outside for our morning workout two little, maybe 70 or 80-year-old grandmas came up to me and asked if they could learn how to workout from me! Ha! Of course, I said yes and they said they would come out the next day...it rained, so they didn’t, but I hope they come out again soon! 

I ate pig spine yesterday for dinner with a member and it was actually really good!! 

This week was a really quick one! Sister Simonsen (my old companion) came back to our area for her last 2 days in Korea before going back home to America. Because she came we got the change to meet with some old investigators who haven’t been meeting us because they were too busy, but wanted to say goodbye to her one more time. 

Many of our investigators are really busy right now with finals, so a lot couldn’t meet this week, but we still saw so many miracles! We found 4 new investigators this week!

On Friday I went on a split with two other missionaries and we taught a lady named 변선희 (byeon-sun-hee) and it was so good!! It turns out that 10 years ago her whole family met with the missionaries, her husband and son went to church once, and her husband still writes the missionary that taught them named Elder Hammer. We’re so excited to teach them! :)

I was feeling a little bit discouraged on Saturday night because our appointments all fell through and I felt pretty inadequate, so I prayed for Heavenly Father to let me have a spiritual experience and to feel the truthfulness of the gospel at church the next day. It was fast and testimony meeting and I felt like I should get up and talk, so I did. I still get nervous because Korean is still hard, but I shared my favorite scripture and bore my testimony of Jesus Christ and this church and I felt so strongly that this really is the truth, felt how much God loves His beautiful Korean people, and also His love for me. I’m so grateful for the chance to be His missionary and be a part of the glorious work of spreading His gospel. I know it’s true and can’t deny it. I love my Heavenly Father. I love Jesus Christ. I love the scriptures. I love Korea. I feel so very blessed. 

I love you all! Have an incredible week!

Sister Naatjes :)