Unfortunately, since I'm in Australia, we didn't see Conference last weekend- we will watch all the sessions this upcoming sat/sun. Also, the reason why I'm emailing a day late- we had a special P-day today and got to go to the temple! Ah I love that place, it's the perfect place to receive revelation and feel of God's love. It's been way to long since I got to go!
Last week had a lot of awesome things happen. The first I have been aching to share is, of course, the highlight of my week- Dinner with Nuri and Soul. So some background- Elder Ko (the other Korean Elder) and I have been meeting weekly with a Korean member, Nuri. She is a returning member, and our main focus is helping to strengthen her testimony. She comes from a once faithful family, but now has sunken pretty far into inactivity. Anyways she has an older sister who used to be really strong in the church, but hasn't come in years. After weeks and weeks of trying, we finally convinced Nuri's sister (Soul) to come to a lesson with all of us by bribing her with food. Never underestimate the power of food. We cooked up some "American-Korean Fusion" food, aka sloppy joes, rice, kimchi, and seaweed. Delicious! Haha. We had a great little dinner in the teaching center, and then proceeded to talk about the priesthood. Honestly, it was one of the most powerful and spiritual lessons I've had on my mission. We began by talking to them about how the priesthood is given to us to feel of God's love- then shared some experiences of how the priesthood has blessed our lives. Surprising all of us, Soul shared an experience that when she was 12, she was deathly ill in the hospital, received a blessing, and immediately became better. She began to cry, and the Spirit flooded the room. She gushed out to us, telling us how she believes in God but stopped living some commandments and felt too guilty to come back to church, but that it was time and she needed the invitation from us. We were blown away by her honesty, and her humility.We committed her and Nuri to read the scriptures together, to come to church, and to prepare themselves for a priesthood blessing. They happily accepted. Unfortunately on Sunday only Nuri was at church, we asked her what happened and she told us Soul had been planning on coming the night before, but when the alarm rang in the morning she was just too tired. On a good note, though, Soul made her and Nuri read from the Book of Mormon together- which was awesome! Still a success. We are meeting again with Nuri and Soul this week, and we are excited to see what we can do to get Soul back into the gospel.
I just feel like Korean miracles continue to flow. We were walking through Belmore park and I see a Korean sitting on a bench. I pointed to him and began walking determinedly towards him. He looked confused and a little bit frightened, but I mustered all my courage and just started talking to him. Turns out he had come to Belmore Park to think; his last friend in Sydney had left that morning back to Korea. He felt all alone, and didn't know what God was leaving for him in Sydney, as he still has three months to go before he returns to Korea. I told him that I believed God had put our paths together, and wanted us to meet, to which he agreed. We are seeing him tomorrow- hope all goes well! Truly there are no coincidences, especially in the Lord's work.
Yesterday we had FHE and an English Class student brought someone who he had just met that day to the activity. Yes, this new friend of his just so happened to be Korean, and as I talked to him he told me he's been looking for a church since he left Korea- and he asked if he could come to our church!! Isn't it just the best when people commit themselves?
One thing I've been learning since coming to the city is the importance of following up. Everyday I see miracles in the people whom we meet and talk to, and I am filled continually with a testimony that this work is so true. What I'm coming to discover, however, is that even as we find these people, if I don't follow up with immediate contact, and strive with every effort to keep in touch with them, it is so easy for them to fall by the side and be lost. In the fast pace of this area, it's easy to forget and lose track of where everyone is at, but it really is so crucial if we want to be effective missionaries. It's an eternal principle, I think- the Lord sets the example in His accounting to Heavenly Father, in the consistent efforts He set forward with His disciples, and in the direction He gives us. Forgetfulness; Laziness; "Can't be Bothered" mentalities; those are the things that set us back from progression, that stall the work. On the flip side, I love that as we include the Lord, do our best to stay on top that He really does provide, guide, and help. I'm grateful for that help; without it I would be 100% lost.
Aaaaaand lastly an Aussieism: "Like Chalk and Cheese", referring to two things that are complete opposites, that do not go together at all. "We get along like chalk and cheese" aka they hate each other; "Sydney and Beijing are chalk and cheese" meaning they are two completely different cities, so much that you can't compare them. Now I don't know if this is a phrase in America too, but I'd never heard it til I came here- and they say it all the time!
Well I love you all heaps! Enjoy your week and talk to you soon.
Cheers,
Elder Easton
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