Week 35

I'm a little short on time this week. I'm not with my companion, I'm on exchanges right now, and we are going to spend the day running around Seoul, and I need to do some updates for my translator. So forgive me if I can't inspire and uplift under these circumstances...

This week we had our District Conference for all of the Branches here in my Zone. It was so great to see all the members form all the different areas make the 1 1/2- 2 hour trip for the meeting on Saturday and Sunday. Members in this area are so few and they really have to show their support. But seeing all the Branches gathered was such a nice feeling. It is strange being raised in a ward with hundreds of members, and then my greenie area having close to 100 people, then coming here to Kang Won Do area where some of these branches have less than a dozen people who attend. It makes me appreciate how important a ward and the Leadership in wards and branches so greatly affect the members. They had a question and answer session where our Mission President presided, and some of the most basic and unique questions came up.

Love the ward or Branch you're in. I don't know the status of the Filipino Branch, but I hope it is doing well. Stake and ward leaders have more stress than you could know. This last week has really made me appreciate all of the wonderful leaders I had growing up.

I will do a big catch up email next week with stories and all that jazz. Next week is transfer week again so I'll have a lot on my mind as I always do around transfers, where I'm throwing mini-hissy-fits in my brain. I've only served in two areas so far, and I've been so comfortable here in Won-Ju. I made it into, by far, the cleanest house in the mission... it's squeaky clean. It's a weird thing to get attached to, I know. But most of all I just love the people. It's so nice that I can really understand the members, and their personalities more now than in my last area, because I can speak the language a liiiiitle bit better.

I hope everyone has a great week. If for some odd crazy reason my email day gets changed next week, Happy early Birthday wishes to James! Emily, you're soon too, but I'm a bad brother in-law and don't remember the exact date. Sorry, it's just so much easier to remember Hillary's for obvious reasons.

Anyway.... love you all bye!

-Elder Reyes