Monday, April 18, 2016
Octopi, Titantic, and the like.

Goooooood morning Alpine! Have you eaten rice today?

It was a quick week. My exchange with Elder Mahler was a blast. What do you expect when you throw two relatively new missionaries together and set them loose on the Korean countryside? We talked to lots of people, got a few numbers, and ended the night with some fried chicken, as is tradition. While with Elder Mahler, we had a meal appointment with a less active boy and a member boy, both about our exact age. We went to a small restaurant, and a woman brought out a large pan of vegetables, sauce... and 4 live octopus (octopi?). They were moving really quickly, and one kept lifting the lid of the pan and trying to crawl out. The woman placed the pan on the burner built into our table and turned on the heat. The 4 octopi slowly cooked to death right in front of us. Then the woman came back a few minutes later with scissors and cut them into little pieces. I wish I could send you the video. It was a little gross to watch, but it tasted really good.

A few days ago, as we were preparing to head down to one of the south islands to knock on doors, Elder Tuinei had the impression that we should stop at the church first. We found the bishop there with his family. The bishop has been really sick the last few days, so we haven't seen him for a while. We were able to give him a priesthood blessing, promising full recovery. Two days later, when we saw him at church, he told us he was completely better, and the sores in his mouth had cleared up. I'm grateful to be serving with an inspired companion.

​Another day knocking on doors on a rainy little island. I love Asia.

I'm not sure if I have ever mentioned our ward mission leader, Brother Bak... let me tell you a little about the Sunday school class he teaches every week. Get your popcorn. 

It starts out with him talking about the lunar calendar, then ends with him making references from the movie Titanic in broken English. (I wish I was kidding, but literally every week since I got here, he has spent some portion of the class referencing Titanic, usually by acting out a scene for a solid 5 minutes.) His favorite line from the movie is "Get Back!", which I guess Rose says to Jack as he is drowning? I'm not sure. But he uses it as a metaphor for re-activating less-active members. "Get back! Get back!" Also, this guy used to bring a sword to church each week (he spent 40 years in the navy...) until a member of the stake presidency asked him not to. I thought maybe you would like to hear some of what we are dealing with here in Tongyeoung.  :)  As odd as he his, I love the guy, and he is very enthusiastic about missionary work.

We experienced our first mini monsoon a couple of days ago. I've never seen so much rain. Also, apparently we had a small earthquake a few nights ago in the middle of the night, as a result of the aftershocks from the earthquake in Japan, but I guess I slept through it.

Brother Ha's baptism is scheduled for this next Sunday! We are really looking forward to it, but we still may move it back a week or two, so don't hold your breathe.

Sorry, I feel like this wasn't a particularly great email. If you've made it this far, go ahead and pat yourself on the back.

I have been thinking about 1 Peter 4:12-14 this week. Go ahead and look it up if you can. (Alright, I know you all have smartphones. Look it up.) It reminds us that trials are a normal part of life. "Think it not strange that you pass through trials..." It's interesting to me that we are told to "rejoice!" Truly, trials are a great blessing in the eternal perspective. As hard as they may be in the moment, we are never alone. In Conference a few weeks ago, Elder Holland reminded us that "The first great commandment is to love God with all your heart, might, mind and strength; but the first great truth is that God loves us with all of His heart, might, mind and strength." I know that God loves us, regardless of what we have done or where we are at, and that everything He does is for our benefit, including giving us trials.

Time sure is flying by. Only a few short weeks until I get to talk with you in real time! I hope everyone has a great week.

Love,

Elder Sorensen

​Where did this weird monument come from? We stumble across stuff like this multiple times a week, it seems like. It's just kinda out in the middle of nowhere.