I don't have a lot of time right now, so I'm just emailing to let you know that I may not be able to email until this evening or maybe tomorrow morning. I have a few hours of travel ahead of me. I'm just sending a quick one off before I head out.
President Barrow has asked me to serve as zone leader over the Changweon zone. I'll be in a city called Masan, which is a beautiful harbor city. I went there a few times while serving in Tongyoung (about a 2 hour bus ride away). Area-wise, the Changweon zone is enourmous. It covers the areas of Masan, Tongyoung, Geoje, Sacheon, Jinju, Dogye, Miryang, plus a few more that I can't remember off the top of my head. It's out in the country, so there is no subway system.
I'm excited about this new opportunity to serve, although I feel a little sick to my stomach about it. Right now, I don't feel anywhere near where I need to be to lead a zone. But I know the Lord doesn't choose the qualified, He qualifies the chosen. I have a feeling I'm about to take a crash course on relying on the Lord.
I'll write more later if I can. Love you guys!
Elder Sorensen
Masan, Angel Lee, Betty Crocker night, and some other stuff too.
This last week was absolutely amazing. It always seems like my last week in an area, things just kind of explode.
We met a 20 year old boy name Kim Gihwan last week (maybe 18 in American age) who has attended church and studied the Bible for most of his life. Recently, he began to question the Bible a little, telling us that in places it is a little "vague" and seems to be missing some things. So, he began to pray to know if there was more to the Bible and where he could go to find it. Upon telling this to the missionaries in Jungri, they pulled out a BoM and said "that's why we have this!" He was hooked immediately, referred over to us (he lives in Sangin area), and we began teaching him. He told us he feels the BoM is the answer to his prayers.
One of our main investigators that we have been working with for a few months now, Bak Sangyu (we call him Curt), made some immense progress. He invited us over to his house, where we sat and taught him the entire Plan of Salvation. And then, he surprised us by coming to church yesterday.
A lot more happened, but I'm short on time. As I mentioned earlier, I have been transferred down to the Masan area. My companion is Elder Lee Youngje (fun fact: the romanization of the character 이 is 'Lee,' but in Korean there is no sound for 'Lee,' so his name is actually pronounced as "ee"). I met him a few months ago, and actually went on a short split with him. He has been described by many others as "Angel Lee." And that's not far from the truth. He may well be one of the kindest, most fun people I have met. He is 25 years old (27 in Korean age), already served his required 2 years in the military, and doesn't speak a lick of English. He is a fairly young missionary, having been out for about 10 months. When he speaks Korean to me, he throws in every honorific word and verb ending that he can, which actually made me a little uncomfortable at first because I'm not used to people honorifying me like that. But, over time, as a relationship builds, the honorifics get dropped and the verb endings change to signify a sense of closeness. I am more than excited to get to work with him. I have a feeling this is going to be a very fun transfer.
I'm in a 4 man house now, and one of the Elders I'm living with is, wouldn't you know it, Elder Kirkham! For sure, this will be a fun transfer.
Also, the house has a real oven. Knowing this fact beforehand, I brought with me from Sangin a real Betty Crocker cake mix that the Dustins bought from the US military base. Tonight, I'm makin' me a cake. It's Betty Crocker night.
I'll update you more on the area, my companion, the work, and my new assignment next week, when I get figured out which way is north and exactly what kind of a situation I'm in. Hopefully, the Changweon zone doesn't burn to the ground before then.
Saying goodbye to the Sangin ward and the friends I have made there was hard. It's always hard to start over in a new area. But I feel that in this last week, I came to know the Lord in a very real way. I know why He sent me to Sangin. I know that He is aware of me, and I know this is His work. I know that now, Masan is where I need to be. There is nowhere else I would rather be than here in Masan, serving as a full-time missionary.
"Go forward in life with a smile on your face and a twinkle in your eye, but with great purpose in your heart." -President Hinckley
Love,
Elder Sorensen
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