I made it!

Hey Friends and Family!

I am loving the MTC. I have been so busy that I have hardly had time to think about myself. It's awesome. I have two companions: Sister Lyon and Sister Abbott. They are both great girls and it has been really fun getting to know them. There are only 5 people in my district, but 10 new Korean missionaries (missionaries going to Korea). there are 5 elders and 5 sisters. 4 of these boys just graduated high school, so they're so little!

The first day our teacher, Brother Decker (Decker hyoung jae neem) only spoke to us in Korean. It was pretty overwhelming! I'm struggling with the language, but so is everyone else. It's expected. I was so confused and disoriented the first day that couldn't even say my name right. A Korean elder introduced himself to me and I called myself Nicole, then Elder Naatjes, then finally got it right. I'm still not used to being called Sister Naatjes. 

We are already teaching an investigator tonight. I don't know how to type Korean characters on here, but his name sounds like "ee dohng sohn." Here's the catch though...we can only speak in Korean. Whaaaat?? So we're pretty much just going to ask him questions about himself then tell him "our message is simple, God loves us." Our goal is to invite the Spirit. As long as the Spirit is with us, it can be an effective lesson. I can read Korean now (very slowly, but it's coming).

I'm supposed to prepare a talk (in Korean) about the Holy Ghost for this Sunday. Every week the branch president calls up two people at random to speak, so we are all expected to have prepared a talk. I can hardly even introduce myself...ha! 

Today there was a service project at 6:05 am at a chapel. My companions and I went off the MTC campus to a chapel by the temple because we didn't know there was one right by the MTC. It was the wrong one obviously. We tried every door of the wrong chapel and passed by a guy who was crouched down by one of the doors outside. We think he was trying to break in. He quickly stood up and started walking. We're pretty convinced that we saved to church :) It was pretty funny.

There is a lot of sitting and a lot to take in, so the days can get kind of hard, but I love being a missionary. I got the chance to share my testimony for my branch presidency (there's a Korean branch with about 70 missionaries) and for the other new missionaries. I have shared my testimony so many times, but this felt different. I felt so much power! My heart was filled with love for the Korean people and for the Lord. At that moment I realized why I am here. That moment honestly made everything worth it. I'm so excited to keep growing and becoming a better servant of the Lord.

I know that Heavenly Father loves each and every one of His children, including me. I know that he loves me enough to let me have this experience teaching my brothers and sisters in Korea. I know that this "sacrifice" I'm making really isn't a sacrifice at all. Heavenly Father is helping me grow every day. I am so lucky to be able to be a servant of the Lord. 

Thanks for all the letters and support! Love you all!

Sister Naatjes