Rollercoaster!

가족, 친구, 모든 사람!

This week was such a rollercoaster! We had really amazing days and a few heartbreaking ones. On tuesday I was able to go on an exchange with Sister yoon in bangeojin! Can I just say one more time that I absolutely love being so close to my training area? ahh it has been the biggest blessing! We had so much fun together! We were able to go to a service activty where we helped old people work out! So funny! One of the exercises included switiching off slapping our own armpits... I really didn't understand why it was an exercise and I could help from laughing so hard but apparently it is really healthy for you! so if you're every bored you should try it sometime:) also a lot of the old people could not stop telling sister yoon and I how pretty we are so I thin we started to get a little prideful. haha. seriously I have never heard the word "pretty" (in korean of course...) so much in my life than I have in Korea... I may need to live here forever! ha but after the service activity..... I GOT TO GO SEE KIMBOGYEOUNG! (an investigator I was able to teaching during training that recently got baptized a few weeks ago) We were able to teach her a recent convert lesson and it was such a great experience. She has such a new added light to her now that she is baptized and looks happier than I have ever seen her! I was also able to share one of my favorite scriptures with her and bear testimony. What a great experience that was <3 I'm so grateful for the opportunity I had to see her again!

Wednesday was kinda a really hard day for me because I found out that we won't be able to meet one of our most progressing investigators Sister Parkjihyeon for a while because of a personal family problem that came up:( On tuesday night while Sister Thornley was in shinjeoung with sister beazer they had english class and sister park came but in the middle of class she received a phone call from her husband that sounded pretty bad and she ran out of class with her kids.... When I called her the next day after I had heard of that experience she didn't answer but she sent us a text that said " It seems you called because you are worried. I'm sorry. I will always remember you in my heart. right now I am having a really hard time. thank you. I love you. please pray for me" ahh My heart broke into a million peices when we received this text from her! Its hard watching her go through this hard time! Please keep her in your prayers!

On Friday we were able to meet Sister Kimsurgi and teach her the restoration! I wouldn't be lying if I said that it was the best lesson I have had on my mission. The spirit was so strong. As we taugh about Joseph Smith and His experience in the sacred grove she said she felt a really good feeling and we told her that that was the spirit testifying to her that the message we are sharing is true. His experience of Seeing God the Father and Jesus Christ really hit her hard because she had a similar experience in January when she had a dream that she was talking to God. We talked about how like Joseph smith maybe a lot of people don't believe her when she tells them that she had a dream and she completely agreed. We talked about how God knew that people wouldn't believe Joseph Smith so He provided us with the Book of Mormon as evidence of the restoration. After we explained what the Book of Mormon is and testified of it's truthfulness and how she could know it was true... She said " I really need to buy myself a Book of Mormon!" haha it was so cute:) she didn't understand that the one we had there was prepared for her and that we had written our testimonies inside. When we told her this she began to tear up a bit. She was so grateful to be receiving such a special book! I hope that the Book of Mormon can change her life as much as it has changed mine<3 I just felt so grateful to be able to meet Sister Kimsurgi. She originally was straight english interest but now she wants to read the Book of Mormon! The only problem is that she has been attending a different church since January and has become close with the members in that church. I hope and pray that she will come to know that the Book of Mormon is God's word and that Christ's true church has been established on the earth once again in these latter-days.

Saturday we met Sister goyumin and Sister kimjuyoung. We had them read 2 Nephi 31 to prepare for our lesson and they came with so many questions about baptism! We invited them to be baptized and they said once they come to know the Book of Mormon to be the word of God they will be baptized! They said they wanted to continue to study the Book of Mormon with us every week so they understand it a little more before they make that commitment. I'm excited to continue meeting them!

Overall it was a pretty amazing week (besides hearing about Sister Park:() But life is really great here in shinjeoung with Sister Thornley! I know that we are doing God's work and that God has lead us to the people we are teaching. I know that God loves the people of Korea so much and wants them to accept the message of the restoration. I know that God lives. I know through Joseph Smith, God restored Christ's perfect church. I am reminded of this everyday as I read the Book of Mormon. There is so much power in that book. I know that it is God's word. I'm so grateful that I can be here serving as a missionary in Korea. I love you all!!

Sister Hurley<3

사랑합니다!!