January 11, 2016

Annyeong!

It's fun to hear what everyone is up to back home. Thanks for the great emails! I keep hearing that Alpine got lots and lots of snow. Here in Haeundae it gets pretty cold with the humidity and ocean wind, but rarely does it snow.

Mom, you'll have to let me know how you like the kimchi! It's supposed to be really healthy for you. Honestly, I'm addicted to it. (Having lived with Koreans for the last few months, kimchi has become a main staple of every meal.) Look up a recipe for kimchi chigae. It's like soup, and is very very common. Delicious.

It's funny how much seems to be changing back home. Life is going fast. April and Kellie are looking especially grown up. It's exciting to hear about where everyone is at in their individual lives.

Mission life is moving right along. Honestly, it's tough. But I've found that every single time I find myself feeling discouraged or low, God places someone or something in my path that reminds me why I am here and what my purpose is. I was talking with Elder Harkness a little bit this morning about what the hardest part of leaving the mission behind will be. We both decided that the hardest part will be transitioning from a world where you are part of something much bigger than yourself--a world in which you feel a burden of responsibility and care for the welfare of others--to a world in which you are a single college student, no longer "set apart" or dedicated to such a brilliant purpose. I don't want to come home and live for myself. I've decided that I need to prevent that from happening. My purpose won't end when my missionary service does.

To answer your question, yes, I have seen Elder Mahler. I ran into him during the hassle of transfers and was able to hang out with him for an hour or so. He's still adjusting, (so am I) of course, but he seems to be doing well.

Lots of stuff happened this week. I ran into a large Australian man who spat and ranted about the church and my testimony for nearly 20 minutes, telling me that what we are doing is is morally wrong and disgraceful, and throwing every fact and reason in my face as to why the teachings of the church are incorrect. My companion couldn't understand a word the guy said, due to his accent, so I was left on my own. Honestly, the only thing I could do, and the only thing I did do, was look him right in the eyes and tell him over and over again that I absolutely know that Joseph Smith was a prophet and the church is true. It made him furious. I walked away from that experience physically shaking, but feeling peaceful and empowered and even more dedicated to sharing the gospel.

The Haeundae ward is a real family ward. And by that, I mean literally most of the ward is related. The Qwan family. Five grown women, their husbands and children, and their mother. Most of them served missions. Their entire family is members except the father, who has been attending church for 30 years but still won't be baptized. We met with him last weeks and tried to teach him. He wasn't very receptive. However, after the lesson, his daughter told me through tears that even though I can't express myself the way I want to in Korean, she felt the Spirit every time I spoke. That was a real boost to me. Learning the language is important, but it's not the most important.

I'm going to go ahead and send this off. Next week I'll try to organize my thoughts a little better :) I'm glad everyone is doing well!

Remember to pray and read your scriptures and all that good stuff that they teach you in primary. The simple things really are the most important.

I love this work and I love my Savior. And I love this country and these people and this language. And I love you all back home.

Elder Sorensen