Monday, July 3, 2017
T-shirts, I want to learn Vietnamese, and other miscellaneous news.

Hey mom and dad! The weeks are going so fast. I can't believe July is already here. The work is going forward, and this time of year brings back memories of being in Jungni last summer. Already a whole year ago!

I saw an old woman wearing a shirt with an American flag and a beer can that said "Time to get Star-Spangled Hammered." Funny, because 99% of this country can't understand what is written on their own t-shirts. Happy 4th of July!

We finished dinner on Saturday night with about 45 minutes to hit the streets. We went out in the dark and greeted a boy as we passed by him. He looked up at us but didn't say a word and turned around. When I saw his face, I thought he didn't really look Korean, so I tried greeting him again in English. This time he turned around, took his earbuds out, and asked, "Do I know you?" I don't really know why, but it actually made me laugh. I love the reactions people give us. I said, "No, you don't. Nice to meet you!"

Minh is a 21 year-old boy from Vietnam who came here a few months ago to study. When we met him on Saturday night, he said he had come out to look for some help finding a job. Meeting us was, in his words, "so lucky". I think it was a lot more than lucky.

Less than 24 hours later, Minh was sitting with us in Sacrament meeting--his first time ever attending a church. Right as the meeting began, Dat (a recent convert--a referral from Vantu), Tuan (our investigator with a baptismal date for the 22nd--also a referral from Vantu--also his first time attending church), and Vantu and his wife and daughter came in and sat down behind us. When the meeting ended, you would have thought that they all had known each other since birth. (I couldn't understand though because they were all speaking Vietnamese, of course.) Vantu put his arm around Minh, got his phone number, and the six Vietnamese walked together to the second hour class, where Vantu testified powerfully to them all that God had a plan for all of us and that this church is true.

We probably should just start a Vietnamese branch.

It's amazing how the Lord is preparing these people. The church was only recognized in Vietnam last year. These men get to see what a functioning ward looks like, and when they return to Vietnam I'm sure they will be leaders to help the church form in their own country. They all (especially Vantu) have incredible testimonies.

It's crazy to think that I have never had a Vietnamese investigator, nor have I ever served in a ward with Vietnamese members, and now not only did the Lord lead us to a Vietnamese investigator, but provided him an environment in which to learn the gospel with 5 other people from his own country.

After church I asked Minh what he thought of it all, having attended church for the first time. He said it all felt "familiar".

I am out of time, or else I would write about a few more miracles we saw. We saw a lot of big ones this week.

Mom, to answer your questions:

Yes, we are busy!! In addition to the investigators we picked up from the other missionaries, we had two new investigators of our own appear this week (besides Minh). However, many of our investigators are busy because of school, and it's hard to tell who actually has interest. As sad as it is to say, sometimes the realllllly weird people are the only ones who will actually stop and listen to two young missionaries. I have a boat-load of stories to tell....

Our new mission president, President Jeong, arrived on Friday. He gave us a call on Saturday night.  The caller-ID read "President Barrow," and so I answered the phone in English and was surprised when the caller responded in Korean. We will meet him for the first time tomorrow. I've heard some really neat stories about him. (I served with his daughter last year in Jungni.)

My final days in Korea will be HOT and MUGGY. The rainy season just started. We are supposed to get about three straight weeks of rain. When it rains in Utah, the air gets a little cooler. But in Korea, the rain just makes the air hotter.

Yes, President Barrow spent a good amount of time giving me instructions and advice for when I return home. He even made me a dating schedule. Yikes.

No, we will not be going to the Seoul temple. The Area Presidency recently made a new rule telling mission presidents to send missionaries straight home and not give them an extra day to go to the temple. There are various reasons why.

I'm out of time now. Thank you for the emails! I am grateful I still have time left here. I know there is still much to do. I know this is the work of the Lord, and that it will go forth "boldly, nobly, and independent, until it has penetrated every continent, visited every clime, swept every country and sounded in every ear--till the purposes of God shall be accomplish and the Great Jehovah shall say 'the work is done'" (Joseph Smith).

Love,

Elder Sorensen