March 14, 2016 (Week 65)

March 14, 2016

Elders Mortensen, Judd and Cazier  

What happened this week.....
Well, after email we didn't do much, we had an appointment that we were planning on heading to, but he cancelled so we didn't have any plans... We just ended up going and exploring downtown for a little while.  After that we went and taught the other elders' recent convert, since they were in Seoul, and then had family night. Not too bad this week, we actually had some more people come.
Tuesday we went and visited the 89 year-old again, since they wanted us to visit daily. He is great, so willing to learn and listen. Then we had English class. It wasn't too bad, but not much gospel interest. We're going to need to find a way to see if anybody really has interest. After that and dinner, we went to go visit a member, that lived kinda far away. We couldn't find a bus that got close, so we took a bus, then just planned to take a taxi over there. It turns out where we got off, there are no taxis, or cars, or lights... so we walked for quite a ways, since we didn't have much else to do... that took up a lot of the night, then to top it off, the member wasn't even home. That wasn't the best day ever...
Wednesday we had zone meeting.. talked a lot on the Spirit, and the new Easter video that's out. We are supposed use this a lot to get members going, find interest, do wonderful things, but a lot of it is geared toward the US, and Seoul... Our zone can't even really do a combined activity since we are so far apart from each other.  After that, we had a district planning session to try and do an Easter activity that would get the members to come out and bring their friends too. (Turns out Koreans don't really celebrate/care about Easter, so that will be a struggle). Then we had dinner, (chicken... ) and then met 고영욱.  He is doing good, willing to listen and learn, but doesn't seem to feel like it applies to him. We need to work on that, but he is great, a really cool guy.

Cup Museum Bowl

Thursday we walked around, got cancelled on, then had English class.
Friday we planned, then did some English, taught the old 89 year-old recent convert, then met 김동범. He brought 5 of his friends, and we had a cool lesson with them.  Hopefully we can meet with all of them individually, because it's hard to get to know them in a group of 6 friends.  Super cool though.
Saturday not much.
Sunday we went out knocking doors, and actually got let in! It was super cool, pretty rare thing out here! We had a good chat, hopefully we can follow up!

Love ya,
Elder Mortensen

March 7, 2016 (Week 64)

March 7, 2016

Elder Mortensen at the Church

This week... We did the cave and then had family home evening... that's slowly dying like the rest of our activities here... it's just become the branch presidents wife (she runs this branch, she's the best out here) and her 2 kids that show up to anything any more.   We also met 고영욱 before FHE. He is pretty cool guy, had a good talk on how you can have religion and yet believe in yourself... (that's a common theory here... because I believe in myself, I can't have religion....) so we taught him that, and shared Ether 12 with him.  It was a good lesson.
Tuesday we went around meeting people before Elder Megargel left. We went and ate at a sushi buffet with an English member (I'm starting to like these sushi buffets....) then stopped by and said hi to 고영욱 at his lab at the college (he invited us over). We came back down from the college, got to say hi to Q for a minute (more to come about him in a minute) then went and met 이상준. We had an awkward lesson where we just kind of explained what baptism is again, and how it gets us clean from sin, guilt, etc.  He accepted a new date, but not sure how well it will stick. I can't figure out if he truly does understand everything, or just kinda goes with it.  That night we had branch dinner with 삼겹살 and man, that was good, but a lot of food haha.  Never ending amounts of meat. 김동범 came and said bye with his friends then left to go and eat...
Wednesday we dropped off Elder Megargel and Elder Jeong at the bus stop, then came back to the house... and cleaned up the house... I've gotten better at not keeping crap I don't need on the mission (when I get back it will be a different story...(mom) ).   So we cleaned up for a couple hours, then went and picked up Elder Hall and Elder Keil. They are pretty cool. Elder Hall is a really fun and good guy. We talked some, then went to find some less-actives, then had movie night... still no body is coming out to them...
Thursday we went up to the college area, and tried to visit a couple members and up there. We met 이혜찬. We met him at 1:00, but he said he had class so he could meet at 3:00-ish.  So we went around town for a little bit then came back, met him and went to a cafe and taught the whole restoration to him... That was good. Really cool guy, says he is willing to meet and keep talking. Super cool miracle for us. After that, we came back down and ate dinner then had English class.
Friday we planned, then tried to visit some more members, but they were all busy, kinda lame.  That night, called up 김동범 and met him. We had a good talk about Christ, and the Book of Mormon, and how they build faith. Good lesson with him.
Saturday we went and tried to visit some less actives and members since 이상준 went to Seoul this weekend. We did that, came back for English class, then went out looking for more less actives, talking with members (see a pattern here yet? haha). We didn't have any sit down lessons, kind of a bummer.  But Q.... we called him trying to visit and introduce Elder Hall, but he texted back that because his mother-in-law threw a fit, they didn't want to meet anymore... freak that hurt... that's the first time I've had an investigator outright say they don't want to meet anymore.
Sunday we had church, and 김동범 brought a friend to church again. It was great, we were in fast and testimony meeting, and toward the end he asks if he can get up and talk. I was a little shocked, but said yes, so he went up and shared a brief testimony.. that was super sweet, he's willing to talk more than most of the members were... plus they stayed for all 3 hours. That was a miracle for us. after that, we met 김영빈 our body builder guy from back in December, and talked, but he didn't want to meet for gospel, just friends and English class... bummer.  Then we called up our referral we got from the office.  He called us back and said he could meet us right then.  So we met, he freaked out about meeting in the church, so he drove us to a cafe and talked with us. It was really awkward when we try to explain we don't drink coffee or buy stuff on Sunday... so he sat down and started saying weird scripture stuff at us about the life force of God. We ended that lesson and came back for the rest of the night.

Group picture at the Cave

That's been our week.  Elder Hall is great. He's super funny, (he lived with Elder Green and acts just like him. It's really weird.)  But, he also wants to work hard, get to know the members, and speaks only Korean to me when we are outside... good wake up call for me.... kinda got into a rut with of late not doing that, it feels. Great time so far this week,
Love ya,
Elder Mortensen

February 29, 2016 (Week 63)

February 29, 2016

Elder Mortensen at the Cave

Ok, well I got a new planner, so let's see if my real brain can remember what I did this week... (crazy how I rely on a paper planner to remember my life sometimes...)
Monday was boring... we had the Sokcho elders down here... so we couldn't do much... so we played more board games. I guess bored games would be a better way to put it... still not sure why they came down.  After that was good ol' family night. We made pizza and chatted with people.
Tuesday we went on exchanges. I went with Elder Ellingford, which was pretty fun. He's a pretty straight forward, logical, keep it simple kinda guy. Pretty nice to have around, because life gets complicated easy. We taught English class, then went and searched for some less actives... that meant circling around backstreets, slowing centering in, and agreeing that the little broken down shack that you cant even get to is indeed our less actives old house... freak... so that was fun. Then went to a sushi buffet with a member.  That was super good.  I still don't fully trust sushi.  They had some that looked like they just took some meat out of the fridge and laid it on top of rice.  Not sure how people don't get sick.  After was some more less-active hunting and talking.  I'm glad Elder Ellingford is staying next transfer.  He's a fun guy.
Wednesday we had district meeting, then went and did some walking around. We tried to visit some friends, but they weren't available.  We tried to visit a less-active, he wasn't home, but the dad said we could come back and talk about our church some more!  That was cool. Hoping that we can get him like 이상준, haha.  Everybody is confused when we talk about how we found those two people. Movie night we got 김대현 to come out to it.  Although he said he was going to a party after... and would be drinking ... great.
Thursday we taught the other elders' investigator/recent convert. (Baptized last Sunday, waiting to get confirmed status) We had a good chat with him, although its hard to understand an 89 year-old guy who doesn't put in his dentures.  After that we visited our couple in the cafe, Q and his wife (still don't know their real names... awkward.)  They are doing good, had another good talk with them about our religion.  They agreed to take the lessons and learn about our church, that way we can keep the lessons focused.  After that we did English class by ourselves, since everybody else was out of town and didn't tell us... great.
Friday we planned, taught English at the service center (we teach English 4 times a week now..... man I hate English... ) then came back, ate, then had a district planning session to get better activities going on around here.
Saturday we helped move a bunch of luggage (the dad lives in a different city for work during the weekday, since he found a different job in a different city, he had to move it all back here for a day or so) for one of our members, then had English class, then taught the other elders' 89 year-old guy, then their other investigator, had dinner, then called and met 김대현.  Good lessons.  The one with Kim was weird.  He walked up to the church smoking a cigarette, then said he was moving to the club/hangout spot of Korea... (Shin chone) and talked about how he almost forged an ID to get into a club...  Talked with him about that, and the gospel of Jesus Christ, we're trying to get him to see a better path.. hoping the other elders in Shin chone can help him out.   Pretty fun day though, teaching 3 lessons.
Sunday we had church, the other elders 89 year-old investigator got confirmed, and Kim came again, although only for one hour, in which he sat in a class with 3 unbelievably annoying girls, middle school students... freak, that's the perfect way for him to not want to come back.  He had to leave after that too.  After, we went back and Elder Megargel packed and I did calls. Then we had a member meal. That was pretty good.  Plus... it snowed again!  That was a good time!
Today we went to a sweet cave, hoping to do more outdoor stuff now that its getting better weather... freak, winters almost over.

Happy Face

Elder Megargel is moving for transfers, I'm staying in Gangneung.  I'll be with Elder Hall, he'll be in his 5th transfer (same "age" when I was with Elder Saunders)


Take care,
-Elder Mortensen