Week 2
친구와 가족!
Friends and family!
It was my last full week before I go to the training center in Provo!
A highlight of the week: MY BEST FRIEND CARLEE GOT HER MISSION CALL!!!
It was so incredibly special to be a part of her mission call opening. She’s going to the Philadelphia Pennsylvania mission!!! (The Liberty Bell is there, how perfect is that) on the same day she found out her family friend was also called to that mission, and they start the same exact day!!! Definitely one of my favorite days of this whole year.
I am so grateful for this opportunity to be a missionary. This week has brought such an attitude of gratitude for opportunities I have had in life.
Let me tell you, Korean is HARD. Roughly 5 hours of language study a day is HARD. Very humbling. Tears have been shed, vocab has been added to, sentences are always attempted, grammar forms are noted daily, blank stares are given to the teachers, survival phrases are being memorized.
Learning so much in such a small amount of time takes constant effort.
Some of us have made the comment that it would be easier if we didn’t have to learn a language— easier if we were an English speaking mission. On Wednesday night during Language class, the supervisor over all the Korean learners joined class to speak with us. He said, “I bet you guys have probably thought to yourselves by now ‘this would be a lot easier if we were English speaking’— it’s not.”
This struck me as an odd thing to say because it absolutely is easier to speak your native language than a foreign one. He went on to explain that, although it is easier to talk in English, it is easier to talk about anything in English. It makes it A LOT easier to get off topic, go down rabbit holes, and forget what you were even talking about in the first place— Jesus Christ. It’s much easier for Him to get lost in your words and no longer be the focus. He explained that with learning a language it is far easier for our message to stay on topic, and for us to stay focused on our purpose, because all we can do in Korean currently IS talk about Jesus. (Not that we won’t learn how to talk about other things, because we will.)
What I took away from it is that all missions, no matter the language or place, have difficult things. There is not one that is easier or harder than another. They each have their own individual challenges. Each is so special. Each place matters, because the people matter.
No matter where you are called, or what you speak. It is special because God looked at His children, looked at your willing heart, and placed your testimony where someone may need courage to believe again.
You are being sent to someone’s kitchen table.
Someone’s unanswered prayer.
Someone’s lonely apartment.
Someone’s broken heart.
Someone’s family line that may change because you were willing to go.
You may never know what going will do.
You may teach one person who teaches their children. You may comfort one person who was close to giving up. Share one testimony that echos through a family long after you come home.
The miracle is that you are carrying His love to people He already knows by name.
You may see a place or a language, but He sees the people waiting there.
All the role plays in class are paying off. I was able to participate and it was a great experience. It brought my focus back to a really important part of missionary work- sincerely loving others.
I’ve started to think the main thing I need to focus on is studying and memorizing as much as I can. And while that is also important, it’s more important to remember that these are real people, with real hearts, with real day to day lives. Sincerely loving them, connecting with them, and showing you are there for them is far more important than giving a perfect lesson or hitting every key point you can.
Annyeong,
Olsen 자매
Comments
Post a Comment