6 months.

Really?! Has it been 6 months already?! Woah buddayy, where has the time gone? Seriously. If any of you can find it I would like to know, because it seriously just FLIES as a missionary. They had a saying in the MTC that, as a missionary, the days feel like weeks and the weeks feel like days. Well, I agree with half of that. The weeks certainly feel like days, but I would say the days feel like hours!! On a similar note, next week is transfer week already. The most probable situation is that I will stay in Jecheon. My companion might leave, but this was only his first transfer as district leader, so there is also a good chance that he might stay. We'll just have to wait until next week I guess :)

So, about this week. I got to about 90% health after the Korean plague, and then it kind of plateaued there. I was healthy enough to do work and not die, but all week I have just had a lingering cough and nasal issues, no big deal ^^ I'm really not going to die out here in Korea, I promise. Wars, Korean plagues, and the occasional crazy old man who likes to hit people with his cane won't get the best of me!

This week has been yet another of intense personal improvement. **SPOILER ALERT** To those of you who have not served missions yet, let me just warn you. Some days, you feel like you didn't quite measure up. Like there was something more you could have done, or some way you could have been better. Don't dismay!! This is what we call the refiners fire. If you always feel like you are doing "enough", that is when you are walking a dangerous path. All you need to know about how to be a successful missionary is found in PMG. In fact, there is a section called "A Successful Missionary" found in section 1. I can't stress enough how important it is for anyone who is planning on serving a mission to study Preach My Gospel. Ideally, EVERYONE should study it, but for those who are preparing to serve the Lord full time, you will be SO much better equipped if you start now. You are going to end up studying it in the field anyway, so why wait until the race has already started to warm up?

Anyway, I'm kind of rambling. Sorry, I get on here and kind of just do a brain dump. I hope all (if, indeed there is anyone who actually reads this) of you can understand my musings from week to week.

Okay okay, let's get back on track. Track... Trek... Trekking... Yeah... Trekking, that was pretty much my week. As I'm sure you all know, there are no bikes in my mission. Also, there are no cars unless you are an Assistant to the President. Missionaries just rely on the public transportation system (city buses, subways, trains etc.) which most of the time is more than sufficient. However, if you happen to be serving out in the boonies (imagine me motioning to myself) then sometimes the public transportation system is a little less-than... if you know what I mean. So, we walk a lot. That's normal. But this week we had 2 member visits where the members lived in the boonies of the boonies. We are talking WAYYYYY in the middle of nowhere. Guess how we got there? Walking. Now, I'm not trying to sound like I am complaining. Truth be told, I LOVE it. The scenery is absolutely BEAUTIFUL and it gives us opportunities to talk to people on our way that maybe normally wouldn't have fallen in our path. The only downside is, when we arrive at our destination or at home at the end of the day, my legs feel like jello. :) Somehow, I am still alive after walking who knows how many miles a day on a probably 1200 calorie diet. Who needs food when you can be constantly nourished by the Good Word of God, right? Right.

Okay, a couple more things and then I will be done. So yesterday, we were supposed to meet a potential investigator that we had found while street contacting. Well, he didn't show ㅠ.ㅠ but, that kind of happens a lot so we weren't TOTALLY surprised. When it was obvious he wasn't coming, we went out to do some more contacting and we ended up talking to a guy on the street for 15 solid minutes teaching him pretty much a sparknotes version of all of the lessons. He had so many questions and was really agreeable to what we were teaching. He said that he was looking for the right church and as a result was very open to listening to us. We gave him a Book of Mormon and he said he hoped to see us again, but he wouldn't set up a time to meet which was a bit disappointing. I really hope we can end up meeting with him, but if for whatever reason that doesn't work out, I know for sure that there was a solid seed planted, so I'm stoked about that!

Also, let me just express to all of you how grateful I am for the decision I made (with the help of many others along the way) to stick with the piano and learn how to play it, at the very least well enough to play the hymns in the hymn book. It not only is a nice hobby on P-days, but it has been an INCREDIBLE tool in helping me build relationships with the ward members. Especially now at the beginning of the mission where my language ability is not spectacular, music is universal. It has become a sort of tradition in this branch that after church, I accompany for a small "choir" of sisters while they sing some songs. It truly is such a blessing that I have been given that talent. Without it, I think I would have a lot harder time connecting with my members right now. So, again to everyone who will go on a mission. LEARN THE PIANO. You have no idea how grateful and glad you will be that you did. Seriously.

In closing, I would just like to share with all of you my FAVORITE quote at the moment. It is from this last session of General Conference. From Elder L Tom Perry's talk: "[Satan's plan] was to tempt men and women to prove they were undeserving of the God-given gift of agency...No one should ever underestimate how driven Satan is to succeed." It's so true! From the beginning, Satan has been fighting against agency. He wants power and glory, and as such, he wants submissive and inferior slaves. He in all his pride, does not want to admit he has the wrong idea of things. As such, he has set out to prove that giving man his agency was a mistake. Of course he is wrong, but let us not even give him temporary victories. Let's use our agency for good. Prove, contrary to his belief, the we ARE worthy and deserving of this great gift. We mess up, sure, but the Savior himself came to make up for that, if only we would follow him. I'll leave you with that. Thank you all for your prayers and for just being so wonderful in general!! The Church is true everyone!! Never forget that!

 

Elder Jakob Tyler Fund

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