- Koreans LOVE blonde hair. it's probably because they never see it. I stand out everywhere I go. Just last week I had a man on the street come up to me and just stop right in front of me and just stared. He looked like he had never seen anyone with blonde hair in his entire life. He looked so curious. This isn't the only time though. My companion and I have people all the time come up to us and yell "PRETTY" (in korean of course) and occasionally I will get the people who have to touch my hair to know it's real.
- Koreans LOVE Karaoke. well so it appears. there are Karaoke rooms EVERYWHERE here. on every street.
- The members here feed us SO MUCH. LIKE SO MUCH. I thought I ate a lot before my mission but all the missionaries say I don't eat much at all. So dad, don't ever worry about me not eating enough! The meal I had last night will probably last me until the end of my mission.
- Church basketball isn't really a big thing here... but CHURCH PING PONG is a big deal. a very big deal. There are ping pong tables in almost all the church building here. I feel right at home. Finally I am surrounded by people who understand my obsession with ping pong:)
A couple interesting facts about just my area,
beautiful Bongohjin:
- Hyundai is really big where I live so almost all the men work there. It was weird to wrap my mind around the face that like 80% of my ward works at the same company! different positions and all but still! super crazy!
- Also More people have motorcycles here than cars. It is so crazy when everyone gets off work because there are huge crowds of motorcycles going down the street. speaking of driving. Everyone drives SO CRAZY here but I haven't witnessed a single crash. My companion says that everyone is used to everyone else driving bad too so they are just really good at reacting to the crazy driving.
AWKWARD MOMENTS OF THE WEEK:
- That awkward moment when one of our Elder's investigator puts his arm around you for a group picture at the branch presidents house and you just stand there frozen like a stick not knowing what to do and not wanting to say anything because that would make him feel embarrassed.
- That awkward moment when my momma told me not to talk to strangers but PMG says to talk to EVERYONE. this has become a prime joke between me and my companion. especially when we say hi to people and they act like they don't hear us and speed walk away from us. When this happens we like to pretend that their mother had told them not to talk to strangers. This is the REAL reason they act like we don't exist.
Besides the crazy fun adventures of being a
missionary in Korea, the spiritual life as missionary is even greater.
Although I have only been in Korea for a couple of weeks now, I have
already witnessed so many miracles. We have truly been so blessed. I
have grown soo much. I have really come to understand that being a
missionary is a true test of all the Christlike attributes especially in companionships. This past week the Lord has truly humbled me. These
past couple of weeks have been really tough. Recently I have been
struggling to reach the high expectations I set for myself. I am so
imperfect as a missionary and there are so many things that are so far
from my reach. My best never seems good enough. I still can't speak
Korean for my life. Last week during companionship inventory, Sister
Bonney and I had the most led by the spirit discussion. I learned a lot
about myself and what my Heavenly Father expects of me. I learned that
God doesn't expect me to be perfect. He called me to Korea for a reason
despite my weaknesses and inadequacies. Right now he is teaching me how
truly weak and inadequate I am and how I am truly nothing without him. I
am recognizing that even though my best never seems good enough to me,
he accepts me anyway. Missions are so special. I am having experiences
that will forever change me as a person. I am so blessed to be a
missionary here in beautiful Korea. I am blessed to have a Heavenly
Father who loves me enough to allow me to have experiences that will
help me learn and grow and progress. I want to allow my mission to
change me. To truly shape me into a better person.
I love you all so much! Thank you for you LOVE and SUPPORT. I have thee best family and friends.
Sister Hurley
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