Like the sun burning in my heart...

Fun Family Home Evening-we wrote compliments on the link so they know they are forever a linked & loving family!

This week was really cool! Korea is the best. I I heard this week that kimchi pizza is actually a thing but I have yet to find it....

This week I think I'll just share one experience. It's short but it changed my mission. 

We had district meeting. Honestly I love district meetings in Sanggye. We have a good district leader and everyone is really good at contributing. Then our district leader said the words that struck fear into everyone's hearts. "So we're gonna do some roleplays in front of everyone..."

It's not always fun to speak Korean in front of other people. It's less fun to show everyone how you teach the gospel. Missionaries are analytical folk. The elder who went before me had been in country a year and I think angels sing when he opens his mouth -- just a general aura of super-holy. I was a little freaked out to follow him. 

But I did and just simply testified. I don't know how good the Korean was. I don't know how well I taught. But I know that I felt the Spirit so strongly. All I did was talk simply about Joseph Smith and how I know he was a prophet, and all of a sudden it felt like the sun was burning in my heart. It was the strongest, yet most peaceful feeling ever.

I know anyone can experience that feeling. All you need to do is ask God with a sincere heart and I know that He will express His love to you. 

Thanks everyone, 

Sister Bell

Taking off the training wheels...

Super great week! We're going to spend a PDay with our beloved English Branch sisters (aka my MTC companion) so not a ton of time to write. 

I went on exchange with Sister Turley, who is in her second transfer, because my STL companion went to trainings. We were going to exchange back at 2, which turned into 4, then 7 then finally 9.  I was a little nervous because we were going to teach our investigator with a baptismal date (the one who cut my hair. Sacrifices pay off) which I had never done without Sister Ami. We were going to walk all the way from Kirum (Sister Turley's area) to this investigator's house, and I was pretty sure we were going to get super lost. But we had so many miracles happen!!!! Our investigator was ready with questions about baptism and Moroni 10, and we got to her house no problem. She is SO cute!!!!!!!

Next we had zone training. I seriously LOVE zone training. Except for the part where my companion goes off into interviews and such and I'm alone in the corridors. I ended up building a super cool tower out of proselyting cards. The training was on teaching the first lesson, which I'm super stoked about because it's actually something I've been wanting to practice. Talk about revelation.

Our investigator came to General Conference! So excited. The bishop's wife sat with her and kind of explained everything. We love both of them. 

Sooooooo excited for this week! Thanks everyone.

Sister Bear...

The weeks with Sister Ami are blowing by like trash in the streets of Korea (that's not me criticizing Korea, it's just that they actually don't have trashcans here. Like at all. I've checked) but it's the best thing ever! 

We were able to give our miracle investigator a baptismal date last week. She is SO sweet. She's maybe 50 and she's actually going to be baptized in Australia in February! So Sister Ami will be there! (she promised she'd skype me in...) It was so funny having that lesson. It went like this. We had planned on teaching more about the plan of salvation but we got there and she was like  "I'm cutting your hair today right" (she's a professional hairdresser in Gangnam) and we were like what. And somehow I have no hair left and Sister Ami looks the exact same. We also ate a HUGE meal with her and then went to another HUGE meal with this cute member family. Really, we have it so hard here in Korea.

Actually the member family was so funny I'm going to spend a moment on them. The mom was telling how they met - she told everyone they were going to be married and he had no idea who she was, then she was like "and now we have six children so he never had a choice anyways" and the husband just sat there with the funniest expression. We shared a message about prophets, but maybe we should have shared about longsuffering....(they really love each other, they just have a really funny relationship). 

And now the saddest moment of the week. I have been serving in Sanggye for about 3 weeks now. One of the elders has apparently been under the impression that my name is Bear. That is my name with a Korean accent. We were playing a game for FHE where you have to call the person's name to get them out and he kept calling "Sister Bear, Sister Bear" and Sister Ami was like 'hey....so what is my companion's name?' and he was just silent for a moment and then said '....Sister Bear?' So that happened. Poor guy. He felt so bad.

So many funny district moments this week. 

Sister Ami and I tried so hard, but we are weak people and so we went back to our favorite chicken place, hoping no one saw us...and we came out and there are two teams of guilty elders holding huge cups of chicken. Then two hours later we came back, and there was the other team of elders, looking guilty and holding huge cups of chicken. We're glad we can have such unity. 

We also had an interesting experience yesterday in which one of Sister Ami's old investigators came to our ward. She had a suitcase and a little blue bowler hat, and was dressed all in green. And she talked to us for 3 hours. I almost died. 

One of the other elders shared the most beautiful testimony at fast and testimony meeting that I want to share a little bit. He did so good! He got up and said "in my home ward whenever the children got up to speak I thought 'oh here we go...they always share the same thing.'. But on my mission I've realized that childrens' testimonies are perfect. So I want to testify like a child. I know this church is true. I know Joseph Smith was a prophet. I know God loves us." And then he sat down. I have rarely felt the Spirit so strongly. The Spirit comes when we testify of simple truths. I know that this gospel is beautiful in its simplicity.

I know this church is true -- I know God loves us so much. I know that this is His work. I know that He blesses us every day. 

I love you all,

xoxo

Sister Bell