week 58: 하이~

Dear People I Love,

Wow time just flies. Seriously! I feel like I just email you!

Anyway, this is what happened this past week in a nutshell:

1. We had a Thanksgiving dinner this past Thursday at an American family's house and it was so so fun! (All missionaries were invited by the English branch families which we were so grateful for!) So we had turkey and mashed potatoes and like a ton of different pies! it was so yummy and the family who invited us over was so fun! I love happy families!

2. We had 보쌈 at a member's house on Sunday and he's the one that i'm related to and guess what? he found old pictures AND DADDY, YOU'RE IN THEM! bahaha it was so fun to see pictures of your youth :D

3. During 전도, we came across this lady who wasn't very friendly at first. she just pretended to ignore us but we delivered our message and then just talked to her about normal conversation things like the weather and stuff and she just opened up!!! And told us about her life and her grandchildren and then wanted to buy us corn on the cob! but we said we were ok :) but just reminded me of how important it is 1. not to judge. and 2. to just be a friend, as cliche as it sounds :)

Thought for the day: I've been reading and thinking a lot about the concept presented by Elder Bednar in 2 Nephi 2:26 about acting and not being acted upon. I've realized how important it is to be active in making decisions so that we act instead of being acted upon by our surroundings because we have more freedom and control when we act first. And I've realized that we can show more faith when we choose to do something rather than being slightly pushed or pressured to do something. And when making decisions and acting, the most important is to proactively choose to give ourselves to God. In a talk called The Fourth Missionary, it said "God cannot work on what he does not have, and He cannot have you, unless you give yourself to Him." It's been a great week but sorry I didn't give you many details! :P But conclusion: church is true :)

love you all!

sister cho

pictures:

thanksgiving dinner! and daddy's old pics :)

week 57: Happy Thanksgiving :)

Hello people i love :)

So this week was crazy busy too! We are busy going to appointments this week too but we love it :D 

So this man we are meeting surprised us by bringing another daughter to meet with us this past week! It was so cool! We asked them whether they kept their commitment of praying and he said "yeah, but did you mean as a family?" and we said if it was too difficult to coordinate schedules to pray as a family, individual prayers are great for now. And he responded "oh, well we prayed as a family." Sister Lee and I were so surprised because we hadn't expected that (especially knowing from personal experience how hard it sometimes is to get a whole family together for prayer!) He asked us about how we know the church is true and he wants his prayers answered! We are so excited to keep meeting with this family! (his son attended our fireside last night too!) man there's nothing that makes me more happy than seeing a happy progressing family :)

We also made kimchi again lol and this time, they brought out meat and we 싸먹어ed it in the fresh kimchi we made! so yum!

Okay, no more time! Here's the thought for the week! I'm now studying in Mormon and it's really neat how new thoughts pop up into your head even as you read the same things again! I never thought of how much faith Mormon really had in receiving directions regarding the plates at AGE 10 and waiting til age 24 to do what was asked of him! I don't think I remember much of what I did back in 3rd grade (I can remember my teacher's name, Mrs. Navarrete sp? lol that's about it! hehe) not to mention specific things I was asked to do by my parents regarding the gospel! I think the key to him being able to carry out his great duties lies in the fact that he "remembered the things which Ammaron commanded" him. So many times in the Book of Mormon do we see that when people remember the Lord, they are blessed and when they forget him, the are not happy. Same goes for us! spiritual experiences can be a source of great strength and faith when we remember what we learn and feel through them :)

love you all!
sister cho

sorry i had pictures but the computer is having a hard time reading my card!

week 56: it's officially fall :)

So it was another fabulous week here in seoul! we were so so busy this week but being is busy is such a blessing! :)

1. We were able to meet 4 new investigators this week! it's been crazy because referrals have just been pouring in from people we didn't expect and they are all such different people but they were so fun to meet! It's really interesting because they all want to learn English so it's been really fun speaking more English :) One of the investigators is a man who had previously planned to get baptized but life got in the way so he couldn't. So we're going to try to help him get back on track to baptism :) This past week has been a huge testimony builder that PMG is really inspired. There's this part called "how to begin teaching" which helps missionaries figure out where to start when they meet a new investigator and with each person that we've been meeting with, this "how to begin teaching" part just helps things flow and establishes expectations from both the investigators and the missionaries so no one is confused or misunderstands each other. yay for our inspired PMG :D

2. we visited a less active lady who is just so sweet but she's never home. we were worried that she wouldn't be home again so we thought maybe we should call her and then we felt like we should just go and not be worried. so we followed this gut feeling and yep, she was home and invited us in and we had a great conversation about the importance of families and education in the home :) the cooler part is that as we were leaving, we asked her if she could pray for us. and she said "well, i don't think so, i don't think i should because it's been too long and i haven't attended church recently anyway..." but it was so cool because we told her that there's no such person who isn't worthy or able to pray and sister lee added, "oh, it's okay! that's the more reason to pray!" and gave her just one little push. and guess what? she prayed. and it was such a sweet prayer. and afterwards she said "it's been 10 years since i've prayed!" WOW. how cool. even though she's not coming back to church right away or anything, it was so cool to see how people can change when invited to do so :)

3. lastly, on friday, we MADE KIMCHI! two of our zones 김장ed from 10am-5pm and it was so so fun. i figured out that to make the 아줌마s and 할머니s happy, you need to get the 양념 and 무 stuff all the way up to the top of the cabbage ;) and yes, mommy, i will be more helpful when you make 김치 when i get back ;) what was really cool was that the grandma and other single lady at my table were just such fun people to talk to. infact, the single lady (she was in her 20's) was interested in our English class so we exchanged information and she said she's coming next week :) MIRACLE.

4. the thought for the week comes from elder bednar's conference talk a while back where he said "Most frequently, revelation comes in small increment over time and is granted according to our desire, worthiness, and preparation." We have been relying on this principle of revelation because we have no idea what kind of lives these new investigators have lived and we really don't know what things they need from the gospel. i guess it'd be easier to just stated what i do know of them which is basically their names and how many people are in their family :P so we really don't know much at all! but Heavenly Father does. and how lucky we are that He's on our team ;) all He asks is that we have a desire, are worthy, and prepare the best we can. and He gives us the rest :) and how awesome is is that this works for all aspects of our lives :) He's great.

Love you all,

Sister Cho

ps. jee, thanks for your package!!! your pictures are so so cute!!! :D max, i loved the yellow socks!!

pictures:

sisters at 김장

me and sister lee with our district leader

and with our zone leaders in action :)

week 55: a lengthy email for once :)

Dear People I Love,

oh boy these past two weeks have been so so crazy! But full of so so so many miraclessss!!! Yay! So here's what's been happening in a nutshell:

1. ok so jee, i just got notice from you and from our mission office about my departure date being changed from april to march! boo. but i'm sure it's that way for a reason! :/ (remember this smiley face jee? teehee) thanks for being so optimistic though sis :)

2. We had transfers two weeks ago (sister kim went to 화곡!) and I am training a sweet Korean sister named 이정빈자매님 and she's just great! she's always willing to do anything we need to get done so i love that about her :) Oh and i've always heard of lots of miracles happening in an area where a new missionary comes in but i'm seeing it first hand now! All of a sudden, we got referrals from people left and right and we actually are teaching 3 new investigators this week! WOW. We've been trying our best to stretch ourselves and do our best and blessings have really just been pouring :D boy, not only is this work spiritually rewarding but it's funnn :)

3.so other neat things happened too during the past two weeks but my thoughts are currently consumed with something amazing that happened this weekend! So we got a call from our APs this past Friday night, that on the next day, we would be teaching two chinese people who just want to be baptized! WHAT??! yeah that was what i thought to, where did you come from dear miracle? they speak little a little english but no korean so there is a sister in our ward who is super good at chinese (everyone says she's like a native!) and so we got to teach in korean and english and that sister translated for us! it was SO COOL!!! and they were so so prepared! AND REALLY, THIS WAS SOMETHING THAT WE WEREN'T EXPECTING! so one of them got baptized yesterday and the other is getting baptized today!! what a blessing it was for us to be able to teach these amazingly prepared people with our translator! it was the sweetest experience ever because even though i couldn't understand what they were saying before the translation happened, we could feel the spirit so strongly because they were so prepared and so thirsting for knowledge! even though we taught all the lessons in 2 days (we taught 3 in one day and 1 the next day! sister 이 didn't seem like a new missionary!) the two people were so interested and so they just kept asking questions and weren't tired or 지쳐 at all!!! it was the neatest thing everrrr! we were so so blessed! :D also, i want to learn chinese now lol :) i learned one thing: jjun lehi (yeah, like lehi from the book of mormon!!! that's how i remember it lol) means "대단해요" or that's great or something like that. i know it's got a positive meaning but i don't exactly know what it really means :P but i mainly like that it has the word "lehi" in it. cuz lehi's awesome.

4. okay so the thought i'd like to leave you today: i've been continuing my studies in the Book of Mormon in 3 Nephi and i read the part where Christ asks Nephi why he didn't write down Samuel the Lamanite's prophecies. and then i remembered the part in ether 2 where the Lord chastens the Brother of Jared for three hours because he didn't call upon the Lord. and then i remembered a talk given by Elder D. Todd Christofferson's talk in conference a few years ago where he talked about how the Lord chastens those He loves so we can improve and become better and worthy for celestial glory. And as i've been thinking about how we are all pushed and stretched/ trying to push ourselves and stretch ourselves not only in the mission field but just in life in general, i understand Christ's love for us on a totally different level than i knew before. Elder Christofferson says "If we sincerely desire and strive to measure up to the high expectations of our Heavenly Father, He will ensure that we receive all the help we need whether it be comforting, strengthening, or chastening." and i know that this is true :) 

love you all! have a great week! :)

sister cho

pictures:

sister nelson finished her mission this past transfer! so it was my last picture with her!

me and sister lee

our zone at the temple this past week :)

week 54: [short email]

Jee,
can you forward this to mommy and daddy and minhee? i don't have time right now! oh boy. so tomorrow is temple day so we are having pday then so we actually have to go to an appointment right now so i don't have like any time to write! i'm sorry :P but this transfer, I'm training a korean sister named 이정빈자매님 and i have been called as the coordinating sister and i don't know what that really entails but i'll be finding out soon! i'll try and write more next week when things are settled in! sorry! 

love love love you!!! thanks for checking my visa! sounds good to me! 

sister cho

week 53: hello!

okay so i don't have much time today cuz we have only one computer for both me and sister kim!

so i'm doing great and i'll write more details next week sorry :P 

thought for the day: ""if one advances confidently in the direction of his dreams," wrote Henry David Thoreau, "and endeavors to live the life which he has imagined, he will meet with a success unexpected in common hours." In other words, never take your eye off the ball." -Elder Joseph B Wirthlin we know we want eternal life. so let us not take our eyes off of it!

i'm sorry it's so short today but I love you all!! (엄마 이메일 잘 받았어요 ^^ 사랑해요~)

sister cho

week 52: News from Sister Cho

[Note: This Friday is her YEAR MARK! Crazy how time flies :) --Jeehee ]


So a few things first:

Jeehee! your pictures are so so cute! so i show my companion all the pics you send me and she thinks you two are cute! (I have your wedding invite on my bookshelf and we have companionship study everyday where we sit facing each other and sister kim always sees your invite so she was like "oh i'll probably recognize them just walking around on the streets sometime!" lol) 

and daddy- bahahaha 이강호 형제님과의 관계가 좀 복잡하네요 ㅎㅎㅎ i laughed when i read the explanation :D

oh and a few weeks ago, i got papers from the office asking about my DEPARTURE INFORMATION! gahhhh! time is going by so fastttt! anyway, so 엄마 아빠가 나 대릴러 올건지 12월달 까지 알아야되. 비행기 표 때문인가봐요. 못 오셔도 괜찮아요; 그냥 그때까지는 알아야되서 알려드려요 ^^ 생각 해보시고 알려 주세요 :) i guess they like to take care of that stuff early on! sad to think that it's almost over! but i feel like i just startedddd! 

anyway, so the awesome miracle for the week goes something like this: there is this less active lady who we've been meaning to visit but she doesn't like us to come over without calling but when we call she doesn't really want us to come. so then we can't go whether or not we call! so we decided to stick a mini candy bag with a message in it on her door. we had planned to do this on monday but we had an unexpected service opportunity so we didn't get to go. and so we went through the week and hit thursday. we had planned to really go stick that on her door that day during the day time but our schedule got pushed back and changed a bit (this seems to happen a lot! so yay for backup plans :P) and so we didn't have time! but that night at 8pm, her name (not face cuz i have never seen her since i've been here in hongje) just popped into my head. and i was hesitant to bring it up with sister kim cuz i thought maybe it was just me thinking of things and not the spirit (that was a lame thought huh? cuz all good thoughts come through the spirit! like elder bednar said before). but i just kept seeing her name in my head so i just told sister kim that maybe we could go and post that on her door. she was so cool, she was like "oh if you felt like that, then let's go now!" haha she's great. so we went and i was just thinking it wasn't a big deal because we were just sticking something on her door. so anyway, there are 2 flights of stairs to get to her house so we usually use the elevator but we decided to take the stairs because it was only 2 flights. and we went up the first flight and we saw a shadow of someone at the top of the 2nd flight. and i thought "hm, we probably look scary in the dark going up the stairs when people usually use the elevator!" but lo and behold, the lady there was the less active lady! and she said "oh, it's the missionaries! come on in!" and she was real happy to see us! WHAT CRAZY TIMING!!!! really God is really good at this timing things; He's got it down! turns out she was just out for a minute to take out the trash!!!! so we were able to talk and personally deliver a message! IT WAS THE COOLEST THING EVERRR. we were both just in aweee. and she said she'd like us to come back in two weeks!!! WE WERE SO HAPPY. yay for the Spirit!!!!

we also watched conference this past weekend and it was just SO AWESOME. i felt like we were at a movie premier on saturday because all the missionaries in our zone got together to watch it at 신당와드 in english and all the missionaries were so so excited to watch conference! hahaha and on sunday, we watched it with our ward (in korean, so that was a neat experience for me cuz the voices are all very different lol) in honje. anyway, i just want to close with a thought from conference: President Uchtdorf said that we should enjoy the ride and not expect to find happiness at the END! find it during the journey! this reminded me of this member in 금천 who has a few children and she said that when she was raising her first child, she used to get impatient when the baby would do things like take all the tissues out of the tissue box or roll out all the toilet paper! but now, with her 4th child, she's realized that those moments don't last forever and she said she's enjoying them now and she says "oh look at how cute you are in pulling out all those tissues!" lol but it's true! i only have 4 transfers left but i'm going to continue to make everyday meaningful and happy so i hope you all do that as well! :)

love you all!

sister cho

pics: honje subway station :)missionaries in seoul and buk zone practicing a song for a musical number in a fireside this saturday! and the sisters we watched general conference with :) we were lucky to have watched it with president and his wife too! yay seoul zone! :)