Monday, June 20, 2016
Daefrica

Annyeonghaseyo,

I have to admit, I'm starting this email without much of an idea of where it will end up. It's a bit of a struggle trying to know what things I need to write home. Especially when my mind gets so caught up in other things, turning my thoughts homeward and switching channels for a few minutes can be difficult.

I can't believe how fast the days are going by. My companion hits his year mark this week... I'm 6 weeks behind him. High school feels like a million years ago, and has all but faded away. Things that were once important to me aren't as important anymore. I look back with regrets at how short-sighted I was. My thoughts follow a different pattern than they used to.

In Korea, there is no such thing as Father's Day, but I didn't forget. Over the last year, I have definitely come to appreciate my dad more, and I see fatherhood from a different perspective. An Eternal perspective. Dad, thank you.

Enos 1:1

"[My father] taught me... in the nurture and admonition of the Lord--and blessed be the name of my God for it."

I'm so grateful that I was raised up in a home centered on the gospel. And I'm grateful to have had such a powerful example of a priesthood man to look up to. I hope to one day emulate your patience and selflessness.

Daegu is a wonderful area, and serving here with Elder Roper is a blessing. White-washing in, we both feel like we are standing on our heads sometimes, but things are starting to click together.

Going through our list of potential investigators last week, we called a man name Kim Deokyoung, who is currently in the hospital with alcohol poisoning. When he answered the phone and we told him we are the missionaries, he told us he had been waiting for us to call. We headed down to the hospital to meet him. Wonderful man. Has had a hard life. His wife died a couple of years ago, and now he lives alone. But holy cow, I don't know if I have ever met a more humble, prepared man. He is planning to be baptized in a few weeks, after being released from the hospital.

Our other very, very prepared investigator is a man named Bak Seongjin. He came to church on Sunday and we taught him about commandments. If things go as planned, he will be baptized the second or third week of July.

Besides those two, we have a pretty decent sized teaching pool at the moment. Last week, Elder Roper and I decided to go out and explore the area a little bit (Daegu is enormous... our area covers nearly three subway lines). We came home with about six new potential investigators and even set up a follow-up appointment with a man on the street. The people here open up to the gospel like no other area I've served in.

Our Sister team here is wonderful. Sister Kerr (from Pleasant Grove) and Sister Bak Onyu (from Seoul). We do a lot of proselyting together, and it amazes me what an incredible spirit Sister missionaries bring into the work.

The work of the Lord is hastening forward, and at the head of it all is Christ himself. This gospel is not just about doing, it is about becoming. It is about changing, serving, lifting, striving, and most importantly, loving, "For God so loveth the world that He gave His Only Begotten Son..."

Love,

Elder Sorensen

Mom...

The apartment is nice.

Yes, we sleep on the floor.

Yes, the humidity here feels like a sauna.

And no! I didn't know Daegu has a Costco! We'll have to check that out...