One week down!

Herro Everyone!

I hope all is going well. This past week has been a riot! Sunday was awesome. Since it was fast Sunday, I made a goal to bear my testimony in Korean. I got up there and stumbled over the words, but at least I did it! Following Sacrament we had a devotional by Jenny Oaks Baker (for those of you who don't know, she's a famous violinist). It was awesome! I could listen to her play all day. I actually got a picture with her (even though you're not supposed to), so hopefully I'll be able to send that to you today. Following the devotional was what they like to call "Movie Night" at the MTC, basically a bunch of talks that you can choose from to watch. My district and I went to "Character of Christ" by David A. Bednar- for those of you who haven't read or heard that talk before, you need to look it up. It was incredible. The idea was that we tend to be selfish and turned inward, when Christ was always turning out to help others, even when it was realyl out of the way, or he was in immense pain. Our district made a goal to really strive to think more about others and less about ourselves.

Later Sunday night, I was feeling kind of homesick and a little discouraged about being here when Heavenly Father sent me a "tender mercy". Just before lights out I got a knock on the door, and it was Brett just coming in to check on me and ask if I was doing okay. It was so meaningful to me that he'd take the time to come ask that, and made me feel loads better. I was so grateful that Brett was in tune with the Spirit so that he could come up and do that. Very cool.

Monday was rough as far as the language. Everything looks and sounds the same in Korean, so it's difficult to memorize anything, but I'm slowly getting better. As Dad always says, "Slowly but Surely, and Surely Slowly!" That's definitely how I feel. I had a really cool experience teaching our "investigator" Pac Meen Jee, however. Elder Wilkinson and I had prepared a lesson for her on the Restoration and the Holy Ghost. It was my job to teach about the Holy Ghost, and had prepared a few lines in Korean to read to her. As I read them, however, I realized I wasn't listening to the Spirit at all and felt inspired to ask her instead if there was anything we could do for her. After stumbling around in Korean, she responded and asked us to share our favorite scripture with her. Mine is 2 Nephi 22:2, and as I read it I could really feel the Holy Ghost come into the room. I felt like I should bear my testimony after I read the scripture, and so I pulled out the testimony from Sunday and replayed it to her. As I got to the last line- I love Jesus Christ- I finally felt like I was teaching by the Holy Ghost and it was great! I may have gotten a tad emotional, haha, but leaving our lesson I was flyin high (in the appropriate way).

On Tuesday Elder Wilk and I decided to sit down next to this little old couple in the lunchroom. They were serving their 4th mission, this time heading to Winter Quarters. The Sister (I forget their names...) told me a really cool story about how an elderly lady called them up and told them she wanted to be baptized. She had been going to church for years with her daughter, but never acted on it. The problem was, she was 89 years old and bedridden with cancer. So, the ward got together and (I have no idea how) got a giant animal trough, filled it with water right outside her trailer house, and baptized her right there. At first I thought it sounded hilarious, like the most hick-ish and white-trashy thing to do, until the Sister told me with tears in her eyes that one of the missionaries held the lady in his arms, got in the trough, gently dipped her head under, then still cradling her, carried her back into her house where there were some towels waiting for her. I truly felt how much love this Sister Missionary, and the other missionaries there, had for this old lady, and it made me excited to be able to teach and love people in Australia just as much as this cute little old lady loved those she taught.
On Tuesday I got to go sing in the Missionary choir for the devotional. It was a lot of fun, and it was a nice release for me. Elder Wilkinson is so funny, he kept asking me questions the whole time about singing, such as "How does one produce vibrato?" and "Why do you think it is that the human brain prefers vibrato over straight tone?", even "How could I potentially sing a higher note than I feel like I can right now?" I think it really shows his huge desire to learn (as well as his ridicuslously huge vocabulary), how he literally never stops wanting to find out more about everything! It's awesome, he's a good example to me.

After devotionals we have a district meeting and talk about what we learned. On tuesday night, a member of the branch presidency came and sat in on our conversation. One elder (who had happened to sleep through the entire devotional) didn't say anything the whole time. After I turned the meeting over to the branch member, he immediately turned to this elder and asked, "Elder, what's the most important thing that you learned tonight?" I could tell it was a trap. It was painful, the silence that followed, as the elder tried to think of what to say. I seriously thought he was going to-pardon my language- poop his pants, when right before resistance was futile, he blurted out "I guess maybe feeling the spirit?". I suddenly realized that this elder was going to get it ripped to him, with that obviously generic answer, when instead the branch president did't say anything. After a few more moments of silence, the branch member said "Yes, that's actually right". It was hilarious! The one right answer that the Branch member was looking for, and this elder guessed it right. We all thought it was pretty great.

It was weird this weel to see new missionaries come in. I realized that the week has flown by, even if every day seemed like an eternity. I am super happy to be here, even though waking up is still the hardest part of my day. As one of our teachers said, "You'll pretty much be tired your entire mission". As I've come to finally accept that, I'm glad it's at least a good tired.

Oh, just a few more bits of news! Yesterday, our investigator Pac Meen Jee, commited to baptism! It was an accomplished feeling, especially since she commited to only one other companionship out of the entire district.. not that it's a competition or anything ;)

I also want to take a minute and thank everyone for the packages. I have become the treat-bringer, and everyone always asks me for candy or something. Unfortunately Aunt Amy, the snake wasn't a good thing to bring into the classroom, and my teacher got upset and made me throw it away. Don't worry, I went into another building and stuck it in the toilet. I bet someone had a real surprise! Aunt Kathy, thanks for those cookies, they were gone in 3 seconds, but I still was able to eat a few :) Finally, thanks Aunt Suzi for those sweet ninja missionary cookies!! They look too cool to eat, so instead I've been carefully using a few as bartering chips. So far I've been able to reserve a spot in the secret fridge on our floor, and hopefully tonight I'll be able to get my hands on some Dr. Pepper with one- that drink is to the MTC and cocaine is to the real world. Really though... you have to know someone who knows someone to get your hands on a DP or Coke. So thanks for opening the doors to all the illegal trafficking I'll soon be a part of ;)

Well, I want you to know that I love you all and appreciate all the support and prayers! I wish I could write more, but duty calls!

Talk to you soon,

Elder Easton

-- 

"Invite others to come unto Christ by helping them receive the Restored Gospel through faith in Jesus Christ and the Atonement, repentance, baptism, recieving the Gift of the Holy Ghost, and enduring to the end."