Still August 13, 2015

Annyeong haseyo, kajok gwa chingu! (Helllllloooo, family and friends!)

Has it already been a week? Wait, it's only been a week? Wow, time is so skewed at the MTC.

Where do I start? I have so much to say, but I don't have the time to say all of it. I will start with getting dropped off. I was hustled to a room where they slapped a badge on me, then dragged straight to my dorm room to drop off my suitcases, then taken straight to class where I was greeted with an annyeong haseyo, Sorensen Jangnonim! Thennn it gets a little blurry. All I remember is that I didn't hear another English word for about 2 hours. My Korean teacher, Memmot hyeongjenim (Brother Memmot) is not allowed to speak English to us. Only Korean.

My companion is, wouldn't you know it, Elder Jack Romney from our stake! I joked with Jake and Jonah a little bit about being his companion, but it turned out to be true. He is great. He spent a year at the Air Force Academy, so he knows how to work. We have the same sense of humor and get along super well. My district consists of 8 Elders (including me and Elder Romney) and 2 sisters, and all of us arrived last Wednesday and are going to Busan. We are part of the Korean branch, and there are about 100 of us total. The Korean branch is known as "The Celestial branch" at the MTC because it has a reputation for having the most obedient and hard-working missionaries and our classrooms are on the third floor of building 7M. Our Sunday meetings are about 50% in Korean. Our branch president, President Perriton, gives us a topic at the beginning of the week, and every missionary in expected to prepare a 5 minute talk in Korean on the topic. Then on Sunday he randomly chooses 2 or 3 missionaries to give their talks. Yiiiiikes.

My schedule every day goes something like this: arise at 6:30 and exercise (Elder Romney puts me through his Air Force workouts, then I make him run a few miles with me). Then breakfast, an hour of personal study, an hour of companionship study, an hour of language study, and an hour of additional study. After lunch we have 3 hours of class instruction (all in Korean), another hour of additional study, dinner, 3 more hours of Korean class, and finally bedtime. It changes a little depending on the day, but that's how the typical day is spent. So for those of you counting, that's about 7 hours a day of being spoken to ONLY in Korean. 

Korean. Korean. Korean. I now know that those who told me the language is "really really hard" actually were trying to spare my feelings. "Really really hard" doesn't quite cut it, haha. It can be easy to get discouraged, but I try to look at it as a challenge :) I have been called by a prophet of God to speak Korean, so that's exactly what I'll do.

Romney Jangnonim and I have already taught 5 (yes, 5!) discussions COMPLETELY in Korean, and we have 2 more this week. It's a lot of work, but so rewarding. During our very first discussion, our investigator asked a lot of questions about the church. Although my Korean is very limited, I knew whet she was communicating. I could feel it. Gift of... ears? But seriously, the gift of tongues is the only way to make it here.

This campus is so sacred. It was one of the first things I noticed after being dropped off. The Spirit is very powerful here. I have only been here a week, but I can feel myself changing. It's hard, and sometimes lonely, and sometimes frustrating, but I know that's all part of the experience. I am so happy to hear about Jake's mission call, and even happier to know he will be here the same time as me! All of you preparing to "go forth and serve," get ready. You're about to be hit with a spiritual whirlwind of growth and knowledge and maybe a few bricks, but it's so rewarding. 

I'm glad to hear you are all doing well. I wish I could write more, but there's just too much. Mom, you'll have to read my journal when I get home :)

Love,

Sorensen Jangno

PS. Tell April I absolutely LOVED the note she left in my bag. It made my day! Love you, April.