This week's highlights in 부천 (Bucheon)

(11-4-2024) I titled this email "this week's highlights in 부천" cause I will talk a little bit about this week's highlights in 부천. The past 7 days we've done a lot of finding but didn't have a ton of success. However, we did play basketball with one guy the other night and then taught him about the restoration after. He promised us that he would read the Book of Mormon and we're meeting again next week so I'm excited to see what happens with him! He spoke English really well so we mostly just taught in English. That's honestly how a lot of discussions are in 부천 cause so many people can speak English

One of my favorite parts of the week is Saturdays because we get to teach English classes at the church to Koreans who want to learn English. We usually only have like at most 10 people there but it's still super fun and in my opinion one of the most effective ways to find people! Because once you can get people to the church you sometimes spark their interest or have them stay after to have gospel discussions. Also a ton of our current ward members have said that they found our church through the English classes. So I'm hoping to gear my efforts more towards that in the future

Yesterday at church, a happy old man walked up to me and linked arms with me so we started walking together. Then he turned towards me with the most cheerful smile and said, "Merry Christmas!!" And then he walked away to spread his Christmas cheer elsewhere. He looked so relieved that it was Christmas that I didn't bother to correct him haha

Spiritual Message: It's officially november! Which means it's the month of gratitude or something. Dieter F. Uchtdorf said in a talk one time: "those who set aside the bottle of bitterness and lift instead the goblet of gratitude can find a purifying drink of healing, peace, and understanding." So I would challenge everyone this month to choose to be grateful and obtain healing, peace, and understanding!

Jensen 장로

Where am I?

When I read Korea on my mission call, I thought of K-POP and shopping. Now, after spending a week here, when I hear the word Korea, I think of lots of mean grandmas and a difficult language.

This week was awesome though! Mostly just a lot of street contacting and a couple lessons here and there. Usually I would just watch how my trainer does it since I can't say much, but this week I tried introducing myself giving out something for the first time. I started small with a little card that says "Does God answer my prayers?". The first couple people I tried giving it too just ignored me completely. But then eventually, an older lady I talked to took the card! And then wrote her number on it. And gave it back to me. And told me to call her so she could tell me why my church was wrong. But that's okay, I handed out a ton of cards after that anyway. Most Koreans sadly say no when I ask if they ever wonder if God answers their prayers. This whole country seems kinda depressed sometimes which is sad. Idk maybe Koreans just have RSF (resting sad face). But either way, I know the gospel can bless their lives immensely 

We were proselyting earlier this week and came across an old guy talking to imaginary people at a table by himself, so we decided to go talk to him. We introduced ourselves and he told us to have a seat. Then he started chirping about some random stuff (I didn't understand most of it) but I think we was just dissing on us for like five minutes straight. Anyway, I caught a hint from my companion that we should prob leave, so I told the guy we had somewhere to be, so we had to go. Then we started to stand up and he pointed at us and said, "sit back down." but like in the most disrespectful Korean way possible. We started walking away and he just kept pointing at the air after we left and saying "sit down" over and over. Poor guy. There's a lot of crazy people here

I can't believe I used to be annoyed when I had to take groceries inside from the garage. In Korea we have to take our groceries on a bus, and then another bus, and then a ten-minute walk to the apartment. It's lowk so worth though, food is honestly so good tbh

Spiritual Thought: 

The first principle of the Gospel is to have faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. I think many times we hear that we need to have faith, but sometimes it's hard to know how we can do that. I think it explains it pretty well in Moroni 7:

43 And again, behold I say unto you that he cannot have faith and hope, save he shall be meek, and lowly of heart. 

So this verse tells us in order to have faith we need to be meek and lowly of heart. Then the chapter goes on the say that in order to be meek and lowly of heart, we need to have charity. And "charity is the pure love of Christ, and it endureth forever; and whoso is found possessed of it at the last day, it shall be well with him" (verse 47). 

So my invitation to you all is to read the rest of Moroni 7, and find out more about charity. Because through charity, we can be meek and lowly of heart. And it is through meekness that we can have faith

Jensen 장로 

(First area in Korea: Bucheon)