Monday, April 4, 2016
Speak, for thy servant heareth

Annyeong,

This will be a quick one. It's been a beautiful week, and the streets are lined with cherry blossoms. I love the oncoming of Spring and the life it brings.

Well, my good buddy Ha Jeongman agreed to be a baptized on April 24th. His only concern is that he's not sure if he can quit smoking. We had a great lesson with him, and bore our testimonies that through Christ, he can find the strength to quit.

Unfortunately, since that meeting where he agreed to a baptismal date, he has cancelled our last two appointments and didn't show up at church. He also hasn't been answering any of our phone calls or texts.

Sorry, I usually try to only write home only about the uplifting and the positive side of missionary work, but I think it's important sometimes to know the difficult and discouraging side too. After all, it's in the difficult and the trying moments that we really grow the most, and interestingly enough, it's those moments that push us closest to God. Ha Jeongman was a spark of hope for this area, and I know in time he will come around. But for now, we will get back to work proselyting and searching for those whom God has prepared to hear His gospel.

This next week will be wonderful. We have Zone Conference on Wednesday up in Masan, and I will be accompanying two of the Sisters on piano to the children's song "Love at Home." Sister Stapely will be playing violin, and Sister Lee Weonji will be playing a traditional Korean instrument called a "haegeum (해금)". And then, of course, this weekend we will get to watch Conference, which is basically the super bowl of missionary life. I am so excited to hear the words of the Prophet and Apostles.

This last week we got the chance to attend a traditional Korean funeral for an eldery member who passed away in a different branch. It was one of the most culturally peculiar things I have ever seen, but so neat. At the place where the funeral was held, there was a little room with a small shrine built for the man. We took off our shoes and entered the room, lit some incense, knelt on the floor in front of the shrine, and prayed for the man and his family. At the end of the night, all of the members of the church who came to the funeral gathered in the small room and sang "Nearer My God to Thee," then one of the man's sons offered a beautiful prayer. The Spirit was so powerful, and stood out in stark contrast to the noise of dozens of drunk people enjoying the funeral party outside of the room.

I'm so grateful to know that families are eternal.

My scripture for this week is Samuel 3:10

"Speak, for thy servant heareth."

I love the Lord and this gospel. Such a simple scripture, but it was one I really needed this week. Conference is the perfect time to lay aside all things that fight for your attention and offer the simple prayer of humility, "Speak, for they servant heareth." 

Time is ticking by...

Until next week,

Elder Sorensen