NEW AREA AND NEW MISSIONARY!

September 17, 2017

사랑하는 형제, 자매, 여러분! 안녕하십니까!

Hello Everyone! 

Exciting stuff going on this week! I'll be leaving Gyeongsan and going over to the 신정 (Shinjung) area! I'll also be taking a trainee there with me! Also my beloved trainer, Elder Jang Seyoung is the ZL and will be living in the same house with us!

It was sad saying by to the people in Gyeongsan, I love the members there, really nice people. And my investigators, especially Bak Sangmin. We had to push his baptismal date back a bit cuz he can't go to church. But this week he is going to be talking with his boss to get work off for church!

I'll be whitewashing into Shinjung so I won't have any investigators, we're just gunna have to find em! It's gunna be an experience but I know the Lord will bless me and my Companion according to our faith.

This week we had mission tour with Elder Yamashita! We talked a lot about loving people.  Or at least that's what I got out of it. We have to love the people, if there's no love then there's no spirit when you teach, no reason to do anything if you don't love the people.  So I thought of a lot of ways that I can show even more love for the people I teach. 

I've been studying about love and one scripture that I thought was perfect that shows the Saviors love for us was Isaiah 53:12 

"...he hath poured out his soul unto death: and he was numbered among the transgressors; and he bare the sin of many, and made intercession for the transgressors."

He poured out his soul for us.  He took upon us his sins, because of him we can repent, become clean from ANYTHING, and eventually return to live in his presence with our families, I'm so grateful for him, that he lived, and died, and lived again! And that because of him I will too! 

I hope ya'll have a good week, should have some exciting adventures to tell next week!

(Sorry, I can't seem to get these photos to turn around!)

THIS WEEK

September 10, 2017

This week was a supa good week! 

Our investigators are doing good.  They are all reading the Book of Mormon, praying, and are trying to change things so that they can come to church on Sunday! Also our investigator Bak Sangmin referred his girlfriend to us! So this week we started teaching them both! They are both reading the BoM every day and are super awesome! Sangmin has bad words sprayed on his bike so this week he said we are going to cover those up with "Jesus Love" I can't wait!

Best thing that happened this week was stake conference! I went there and immediately some of the Andong members came up to me to say hi! I was so happy that they remembered me! My boy Ryu Myeongjae who left to America was there and we talked, he is gunna go on a mish sometime soon probably! One of the members came up and told me that Andong was doing so well because of me. I have gotten them excited. I'm pretty sure she was lying but it was nice to here haha! So good to see my old friends!

This week I've been studying about Jesus Christ a lot. President Jeong actually challenged me to read all the stuff in the guide to the scriptures in the Korean scrips under Jesus Christ and ask, how did he show charity? How can I show more charity? But I decided to do the Topical Guide because it has more scrips about Jesus in it! 

As I've been reading I've learned so much about Christ and how he showed so much love for us. The ultimate expression of love being that he died for us. I'm so grateful for Christ's mercy and love that make it possible for me to live happily in this life and forever with me family in the next.  If you have some spare time this week go and look at the TG about Jesus Christ.  It'll change the way you think about Christ and about others. I promise! And it's a fun story so why not read?

Have a good week! I love you guys!

PS transfers this week, it's looking like I might peace out of Gyeongsan...Sad..

BOWLING

FUNDO SINGING!

FUNDO LEMONADE STAND

FUNDO GRATITUDE BOARD

BUDDHIST TEMPLE

BUDDHIST STATUE

THEY HEART GYEONSAN

OH! THAT I WERE AN ANGEL!

SQUID THEY COOKED AND ATE

FUNDO AND LEMONADE JUNDO!

September 3, 2017

Hello everyone! 

This week was super fun because I wasn't allowed to street proselyte all week! I could talk on the street but I couldn't plan 8 hours of walking the streets.  So we had to think of some fun ways to find people! 

A few fun ideas: Lemonade Stand, Taking a whiteboard and having people write what they are grateful for, having a dice that they role and depending on the number we sing a different primary song(we only know I am a Child of God though), and just walking around with the Ukelele asking if they want to here a song. 

It's really nice. When you fundo (fun Jundo) it makes people a lot more willing to talk to you.  They don't feel all the pressure from a big American telling them in Korean to believe in Christ.  We have found a couple of good people that will be investigators after we meet them again! Hopefully doing this will help our image and make people more comfortable talking with the big American.

Our investigator Bak Sangmin accepted a baptismal date! It will be on the first of October! He told us that he really wants to be baptized! He's been reading the Book of Mormon everyday even though he doesn't understand, and he's praying to know if God is real! His problem is that he works on Sundays... He is a pizza delivery man.  He was really sad. He said, I want to get baptized, but I have to eat. I have to pay the rent.  So we'll be praying that he can find a job at a different time!

The work is going to awesome! I love being here at this time. There's no where I'd rather be than in Gyeongsan! Best place on earth!

I studied about spiritual power this week in PMG. In Alma it says that the Sons of Mosiah had fasted, prayed, and diligently searched the scriptures. From doing this they were able to speak with power and authority. I've wondered, do I have that same feel when I teach or do missionary work? And I think I have some but I can always improve! We all need that spiritual power in our lives! We can get it by doing the little things! So this week I challenge you all to do the little things! I know that this will bring the Power of Christ into your lives and bless you so much!

I love you all! Hope you have a good week!

PS my computer won't let me send pics and I have to go see giant Buddha statue! So next week I will send 20.

MIRACLE WEEK! LET'S GO!

August 27, 2017

This last week was absolutely incredible.  We had a goal to find 4 new investigators and by the end we got it! We also found a bunch of guys that will definitely become investigators this next week! It's getting crazy!

On Tuesday we had appointments set up with 이경희 Lee Gyeonghee an old grandpa, and with 박상민 Bak Sangmin. It was awesome! We met with Brother Lee and our ward mission leader and we started the Restoration.  He had to leave early so he didn't finish but he said that he wants to come to our church! He couldn't come yesterday cuz he had to go to Busan but he said next week! 

We were on the way to drop of a message card to a member after that and the Sisters called us over to a little pavilion outside their house, they were talking to this guy there so we came and taught the Restoration with him.  His name is Jay, he's Korean.  He agreed to meet with us and talk again, so we met him again on Saturday and Sunday! He has so much time! He is super open about learning of our church, I think he'll probably start reading the Book of Mormon this week, he has some concerns because everyone thinks we're a cult here.  

That night we met with Brother Bak. He is my favorite person I've met in Korea so far.  He is 21, he has a cool bike, a cute girlfriend, he is straight up the coolest person ever! His college major is Classical Singing!  He was curious about God and why people believe in God, so we just taught him about God and how he can know God. Super cool! So that day we got three new investigators.  That was the craziest day of my mish.

We had an amazing miracle on Friday.  We found this grandpa on a bench on Wednesday and he said we could go back on friday same place and he'd would talk more, so we went back, no grandpa.... But we decided to wait there for maybe 5 minutes to see if he'd come.  And some other dude came and sat next to us.  He said he had been to the Hill Cumorah pageant 35 years ago and he loved that! He had received a Book of Mormon but had not read it. He said that he wanted to learn about it and talk with us about our church! So awesome! I can't wait to teach this guy! 

But it doesn't end there! We were walking down the river Saturday night and we saw him! He talked to us and said that God must have led him to us! Such a miracle! 

This next week we made a pretty tough commitment.  In our mission we are talking about how God gave us each talents to bless lives.  We are gunna be focusing on using our talents, and so this next week our goal as a zone is to not street jundo at all.  We are not allowed to plan normal street jundo.  WHAT???!!! That's what I've done all day everyday for a year haha! But ya, we have to plan interesting, unique ways to find.  It is going to be loads of fun! I'll have some great pics from it next week. 

God loves each of you (his children) so much that he created each and every one of us unique. We all have special talents that are meant to bless people's lives.  I know that He is our Father, he watches over us and guides us everyday to know what to do.  As we try to use our gifts and talents he will bless us so much.  I know he lives, I could see his hand even more this week and I know it was all thanks to him! I love God so much and I love all of you! Have a good week!

Sorry no pics, I am 바보

HUMP DAY

August 20, 2017

Hello everyone! This last week on Thursday was hump day! So sad, it's going by so fast. I got a half a shirt, half a tie, and half of a bunch of candy bars. I didn't do anything fun for it cuz I had a lesson to prep for. But this week we are going to find live octopus to celebrate. I'm pumped.

Things are going good over here in Korea.  This week was good. We have a ton of appointments set up for next week, so I'll hopefully be teaching a lot of new investigators.  For now the only investigator is 김홍섭 Kim Hongsup. We had a super awesome lesson with him! We are doing 30-30, which means 30 minutes of english and then 30 minutes of church.  He's fluent in English so we can talk about God while teaching english too haha.  We asked if we could teach him the gospel in Korean, kinda to see if he had any church interest and he said yes! So we asked him what he though about God and he said the coolest thing.  He didn't believe in God right now because so many people are poor and suffering. But he's met us a few times and thinks we are really great guys. He says he get a special feeling when he's with us because of the way we act, so he's beginning to think that there is a God. We taught about God, and about prayer, and then invited him to pray at the end of the lesson and he did! It was super awesome, the spirit was really strong when he prayed.  He is a really special guy.

I also had the special opportunity to interview a baptismal candidate! Her name is Hannah Kim, who's Korean, but that's what she likes to be called.  She was so awesome! So prepared, it increased my testimony that people are out there.  The spirit was really strong in that meeting. And since stake conference was right before her baptism I got to go see it! It was a really awesome thing to see. The spirit is really strong in those kinds of things.

This week I found a scripture that I really like. It's Alma 24:14, if you want to see the scrip then go read it! It's about God, and the plan of Salvation.  It says in it that God made the plan because he is loving, and merciful.  That is the reason that everything works, why we get the opportunity to live the plan, and live with our families forever.   God loves us all to do all of this for us, even though we all fall short, because he loves us and is merciful it's all possible!

Hopefully next week I'll have some more good news about investigators for you!

I love you all! Have a good week!

Now Is The Time!

August 13, 2017

Now is the time, for members and missionaries to come together, to work together, to labor in the Lords vineyard, to bring souls unto him. President Monson 

This quote gets me so pumped! This last week has been amazing! We have made it a focus to do member missionary work instead of just walking around the street all day trying to talk to people that are too busy to talk.


We ended up meeting with 3 different families this week! Pretty good! It was usually only one a week before! But we have our plan, and it's gunna work, and we're hopefully gunna start getting our members into
the work with us.

We met with a member named Kim Gyeonghwan 김경환 he is an old dude, but he loves me a lot, and I love him too! He was baptized 4 years ago but his family didn't come with him.  We met and he told me that every time he goes walking people ask, are you a preacher? You have this spirit around you! And he always responds, "No, I attend the Mormon church!" He told me that the reason we don't have a red cross on our building like all the other churches is that all the members are our symbols. They are the red crosses on our building. 
Every member is a missionary, and it all starts with showing that example to everyone! It is the first step in doing this work! He commit to invite his friends to come to church with him after we talked about faith.  The next Sunday at church he came up to me and said, "I invited my entire family to come to church. My wife said no, and my sons were too busy. But I know if they knew a little about our church they would come, I believe that my family will one day join our church." I told him that I did too, we are going to work with him, and try to teach his wife, and hopefully his sons too!

We found one new investigator this week! His English name is Leo, his real name is Kim Hongsup 김홍섭  It's a cool name.  He came to English class and after the message said he wants to learn about our church!  So we are starting to teach him thirty minutes of English, and then thirty minutes of our church! He is 30, doesn't have a religion, but believes in God! Also his english is perfect, but we'll still teach him in Korean haha!


This week I've been focusing on service.  I got my call as DL and I want to do my best for the Lord, and for the members of my district.  So I've really been trying to serve them and not just go through the motions.  It's been really interesting that as I haven't been worrying about myself I have felt God's love more. His love for me, and for others. I've also been able to focus my mind on the work instead of thinking of all the other things around me to destract me.


I know God lives. I know that he loves us all. If we put our trust in him 100% and serve with all we've got then he will lift us up and make us more than we can become! I love this work and am so excited to continue doing it!


PS:hump day is Thursday... one year down ㅠㅠㅠ(sad faces)

New Comp, New Calling!

Hello everyone! This week transfer calls came! I will be staying in Gyeongsan! I also got called as DL, so that is exciting.  I was starting to get comfortable being a junior comp, and ya know what they say. No growth in the comfort zone. So this will be good! 

My new comp is Elder Seely, he's from Burley Idaho. He's in his 6th transfer so he's younger, but he's super good at Korean for 6th! So it should be fun!  Elder Lee goes back to America tomorrow, so if you see him tell him hi for me haha! I love that guy, gunna miss him but excited for new things!

We are really starting to work on member missionary work, and actually this week we got a referral from a member!  He's going to be coming out to English and we will try to move him to learning about the gospel! We had a branch counsel meeting where the members ended up getting super pumped because 1) If we get a few more priesthood holders we get a building, and 2) they want their friends to get baptized. They ended up commiting to invite everyone they know, and set goals for how many less actives and non-members will attend.

We made a 5 step plan for member missionary work this transfer, but I think in that meeting we already accomplished step 1 of it haha! The goal is to get the members recognizing that finding investigators is mainly on them haha! They all think it's all about how the missionaries proselyte on the street. But things will be picking up! I will report on how the plan went next week, so stay tuned for that. 

This week I looked through my copy of the book of mormon that is marked up about faith. I really liked this scripture on faith in Mosiah, I cannot remember it for the life of me, but I will share it next week.  It basically talks about acting, you have to act, and have faith.  And that's what we are doing here in Gyeongsan, we're gunna have the faith to get it done and I know we'll see miracles! I know all of you can see miracles according to your faith as well! The Lord loves you all and blesses those who believe AND have faith.

Love you all! Have a good week!

Elder Geddes

1. Eating 샤브샤브 before Elder Lee left, not actually sure how to explain the food but it was delicious.

2. Last district pic.... Sister Colton (our senior missionary) is gone though...

3. Elder Lees family at church!

4. RIP Elder Lee