Week 62

December 17, 2017

This week was monumental... maybe the busiest week of my mission and I really enjoyed it! We had no meeting with investigators, but a lot of time with members and doing some planning and organizing! Also this week I hit my year mark in country!!! WHOOOHOOO it feels weird. I feel like a ton has happened, yet I also feel like I have done nothing. I feel like I have a ton of time left, and yet I feel like I have no time at all. I just know that I'm going to press forward and not worry about if I'm doing good or what not, just do my best and trust that everything is working out the way it's supposed to! 

On Monday we played volleyball and it was so fun! haha We played and then I made everyone sit out while me, Elder Perry, Sister Patrick and Kaniho played a 2v2. It was super intense and me and Sister Kaniho lost... we were winning 12-6 and then started running 3's and slides trying to be fancy and they came back. Next time there will be no messing around. I really hurt my ankle and knees... I'm definitely worn out a bit physically.... so that night we had 3 hours of street proselyting, something I really really wasn't excited about. It was freezing and I could barely walk and my comp left me basically, and was walking 20 feet ahead of me. I just really really didn't want to do it. I didn't want to be a missionary. But something I learned with my 2nd companion, Elder Jenkins just kept running through my head. He  always told me "When we don't want to go out side or go on the streets or talk to people, that's when it matters most. Are you going to do it for the Lord when you really don't want to do it? Are you going to give everything you have?" So I said a prayer and promised that even though I really didn't want to do the work right now that I would. And we saw two really big miracles and got 2 numbers and some really good conversations with 4 or 5 other people! It was another testimony builder that if we give the Lord everything, even, no especially when we don't want to, we will be blessed and see miracles!~

Tuesday night we had a great experience with the 2nd counselor. he fed us dinner and then we ran around all night visiting less actives and inviting them to the upcoming Christmas party. It made me really happy that a member was so willing to help us. On Sunday during our 4 hours of meetings our mission presidents councilor visited our ward and called out all the leaders for not helping the missionaries enough and not caring about the work. Right away this member called us and said let's go visit less actives! It was a humble response and I learned a good lesson from this member. Instead of getting offended he accepted the council and chose to act! 

Wednesday we had a district meeting and a proselyting activity and then English class! We also ate Ne Ne chicken to celebrate our year mark in country!!. It was special to get to share it with my companion because we came together and started our mission together and hit our year mark in country together! 

Thursday we had interviews with our Mission President then had to go visit a ward member! We were supposed to eat lunch with her, but the sisters had to go to the hospital so we couldn't go... so we brought an apology letter and she gave us the food she already made. Then we came home and did some studies and then we had Korean class and ward mission meeting. 

Friday was a busy day! We had our morning studies and went out and talked to people and then went to the church and worked super super hard on records! Maybe like 2 hours and we finished 3 books of records! Then we had a caroling activity and sticker boarding! It was really really fun!tthen we had a short meeting with a potential investigator... he wants to do the English program we did so we met him and introduced the program and got to know him a bit. 

Saturday we got to go give a priesthood blessing to a very elderly sick lady in our ward. It was a special morning and she was so so grateful. Then we got to go to English class, plan our skit for the Christmas party and then we had a meal with the Stake President for his wife's birthday, there were maybe 20 other members there so it was a huge party!! 

Sunday we had another super special experience where we got to take the sacrament to that same lady we gave a blessing to. She was so so grateful again and super super happy. Her children fed us a delicious meal as well! Then we came back to the church and did our personal study and headed right back out for a meal with another member! We had a super fun night and got to share messages and testimonies and experiences with relying on the spirit. I didn't get the chance to share my experience so I will share it with you guys right now! 

So if I were to speak honestly I don't really love missionary work. Its pretty tough and I just don't find as much joy in it as others. That being said I am trying and getting better. But at the beginning of my mission I really struggled. I really wanted to come home and I didn't want to do missionary work. I was super depressed and really had no will to do anything let alone the hardest work on the planet! Every morning I woke up and hated my life and I never wanted to go to bed because I didn't want tomorrow to come because I didn't want to be a missionary. It was truly the hardest time in my life! But every morning, the only prayer I could seem to utter was, please help me get through this day. And I did that every day for what seemed like forever, and I got through, and I relied on the spirit of God and I couldn't have done it without Him. I know there is power through prayer and relying on God and trusting Him and having faith in Him. 

Elder Goon