How was everybody week???! Did you do anything special for Issa's b-day? It's been raining a ton here in Korea. But no matter how hard it rains... it is HOT!
My companion and I have been sharing one tiny 12 inch fan, and we've been dying. We wanted to get another one, and then the one fan we did have died. So we wanted two fans... we had zero. We spent a day without it, and it was rough. They ok'd us to buy a new one, with a max budget of 50 bucks. When we went fan shopping, my mouth dropped... so many things are so much cheaper here in Korea, but home appliances are ridiculously overpriced!!!! 80 to 160 for fans that are anywhere from tiny little 8 inchers to 14 inchers. Then I looked at toasters... 60-90 dollars for something that would cost 15-20 in the states. So weird. Anyway, we went to a few well known appliance stores, and I just couldn't bring myself to buy any of them. SO I decided to check out some small hole in the wall fixture and hardware stores. and found a huge 19 inch fan that rocks! And only for 60 bucks. We can't put it past the second setting, it's sooo powerful. If we put it on it's highest setting it knocks books over! Appreciate AC for all those who have it.
It's vacation season right now, so our pool of investigators temporarily dropped this last week. So we had the opportunity to do a lot more finding activities. Muscles I didn't know I had were sore! We were able to visit some more members this week as well. I love getting to know and build relationships with the members here. The members in Korea are so strong!!! They have such amazing testimonies and stories of their conversion. I was able to share with them, our less actives, and our investigators the importance of reading the B.O.M everyday. I would relate to them two ways (on top of starting and ending with a prayer) that would help them study the scriptures, instead of just reading them:
First, have a question. Work out in your mind what the answer is, and then read. So many times, I've read the scriptures looking for a specific answer, and it's right there, plain in the scriptures. Sometimes though, or most times, you are inspired, or your thoughts are flooded by an overwhelming "yes" or "no" answer, or just a feeling of peace about the answer you have worked out before hand.
Second, read with the intent that you need to find something in the scriptures to share with someone. It's part of our schedule as missionaries, but I would relate a story about Dad to them about always looking for something to share. I would tell them: When I was a kid, my dad always gave me such great advice, and would always connect it with my situation at the time, or any rough patches I was going through. I would always think, " WOW! My dad is a genius!!!" When I began studying the scriptures, instead of just mindlessly reading words on the page, I began to realize, my Dad was just sharing principles that he had learned from the B.O.M with me.
Miracles: After our weekly planning session, we saw that we were slacking in our other lessons, since most of our investigators are on vacation. We were waaay behind. But that day, we got ALL of the rest of our lessons, for the rest of the week, with two extra days to spare. There was a bus ride, where Elder Lee and I were on different sides of the bus, teaching people, just full on lessons: pamphlets out, having them read scriptures, testifying. I would look over at my companion, and he would look over at me, i thought "this is amazing." On that one bus ride, we both placed B.O.M's and set up return appointments (the return appointment qualifies it as a lesson, or else you're just talking a lot.) It went like that the rest of the day, just one after the other!
If you think you can accomplish something, and you make plans and work hard, you'll most likely get that thing done. But if you put your trust in the Lord... you can accomplish so much more. Because it's not you, you're just an instrument in his hands.
I love all of you. I'm waiting on Comic Con pics and stories btw....! :) So jealous.
Let me leave you with something else that happened to me on Thursday. As I was walking to service, going over some phrase I was trying to learn, it just hit me so strong, the power of your prayers for me. I could feel them literally pushing me forward, keeping me safe, protecting me. Thank you sooo much.
-Elder Reyes
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