04042016 Meeting wonderful people and lots of pictures

We don't get conference until next weekend, but I am glad I got a little preview!

This week was good. We met with a Korean guy we met sticker boarding--Sticker boarding is when we have a board and we write a question on it and have people answer it by putting a sticker on one of the four answers. We  then offer free English or try to give other things depending on what the question is. Recently we have been trying to get more people to our English class so we have been doing a lot of that for English. Anyway, this Korean guy-- He seems like a really nice kid. We maybe didn't approach it the best so He maybe felt a little weird with the 30 minutes about the gospel, but we will hopefully be able to meet him again, even though he is busy. 

Son Me Gyoung is the wife of a recent convert. She, I think, will eventually join the church, she just is stubborn. But I love the way she treats her adopted daughter who can be very strong willed and stubborn. She just loves her. And gently pushes without getting (too) frustrated. That is cool to see.

This week I was talking with a lady at the park who is a Baptist. Will my companion and her husband and kids played basketball with a bunch of Koreans, we just talked about the importance of families. She chose to home school her kids, and then they got stationed in Korea, so it worked out well, and she felt like it was confirmation from God. She too just was an awesome and kind person.

Then yesterday we had a goodbye dinner for a family in the ward after which we taught a lesson to Grace. During the party I just talked to one sister who is a convert to the church. She, I guess, was abused as a child, her father is in jail for 95 years and she hasn't talked to her family in like 18 years or something. But now she is an awesome member of the church. We talked about the temple, and she said something that reminded me of Brother Engel's talk. She said the most spiritual moment she had ever had in the temple was while cleaning it. He was cleaning the celestial room by herself. She noticed a place where the wallpaper was taken off and put like a patch on it, that wasn't done super well. She notices spots was the caulk was missing, and some dents and stuff. Then she noticed a stain on the on the chairs. This whole time she was getting a little frustrated. She felt like this was the Celestial room. It should be perfect. Then a thought/voice came to her head and said something like. Why are you mad, you are here, aren't you? She realized God wants imperfect people there/ all people there. Then she went to clean a picture behind a veil and it was a picture of Christ holding a black sheep. I loved that story.

Then we met with Grace. We were teaching the Gospel of Jesus Christ. We watched one of the Bible video's of Jesus getting baptized. And there was a woman getting baptized and she felt like that was an answer to her prayer about baptism. She thought of herself being baptized and just felt a little confirmation which is awesome.

So basically what my week was was just meeting a bunch of cool people. I don't know how much I can do for a lot of them, but I feel blessed just to meet them.

I have been studying about the atonement in personal study. Just starting by going through all the scriptures in True to the Faith about the Atonement. So it starts with the Gospels, with the accounts of the atonement. One small detail I really liked, is in one on the Gospels, after they partake of the last supper, they sing a hymn together. I don't really know why I liked that, but I loved that music really is uplifting and sacred.

I love you all!

Hurrah for Israel!

--

Elder Sabey

03282016 Easter in Korea

First off, Happy Easter. Secondly, Happy birthday Mom!

This week we had Zone Conference. They talked about not talking negatively about others. President and his wife committed to never do it again in their lives. I remember when Mom and Dad made a similar commitment to never criticize. I am interested in what you feel the difference between criticism and, I guess, feedback is, like in any relationship? I don't want to be critical but sometimes I feel like you kind of have to point out mistakes. I don't know.

Anyway my memories of Mom. I remember one time when I got a little mad at Mom. Instead of getting defensive, she just said something like, “Daniel this doesn't seem like you. Are you okay?” I remember every year planting flowers in the garden with Mom. I remember Mom always asking me how my day was, even if I didn't really answer. I remember Mom throwing popcorn into the air during Soul Surfer. :) I remember mainly just somebody who was always there, whether I realized I needed her or not. So thank you so much Mom!

This week we had several dinners with members of the Korean ward. One was to teach the daughter that was going to be baptized the next day. My companion shared the church's Easter video. I liked that because the idea of being born again. Through Christ I have found new life. What a wonderful message of Easter and message of baptism.

We also taught Grace (Kevin couldn't come) at a member’s house. She accepted everything about the resurrection and kingdoms well. She believes that the spirit world is close. Even though people may think of it differently, I think it is powerful to feel that those who have passed on are close, and concerned with us. 

We met one cool guy this week who like 30 years ago, in the Army in Korea, hit rock bottom. So he went with his friend to church and committed his life to Christ. He just came back with his now wife to see Korea again. Ever since he committed to Christ, he stopped drinking, smoking, stopped his sex addiction, etc. I loved just meeting him and hearing his story. I love that in our church those good people in other faiths are going to heaven.

Another cool thing this week was the English branch had an Easter breakfast so we got to have a delicious American breakfast and help hide Easter eggs so that was super awesome.

This week I decided to study the law of chastity. So I just wrote a pretty short thing about why I think God gave us the law of chastity. So here is my basic thought: God's goal is raising his children in righteousness. The way this is most successful is in families where both parents are committed whole heartedly to the family. Both to each other and their children.  So before marriage we build the thought patterns and habits that you will bring into marriage. And in marriage if you are thinking about, or desiring other women or men, then you are not completely committed to the family. This week somebody asked me what my dream was. I didn't really have a good answer. I ultimately said starting a family. And I do really think that is my dream.

Anyway I fasted this Easter Sunday and am so thankful for the savior, that I can be here on a mission. have a wonderful family and mother, that I was born in the gospel, etc. I love you all!

Hurrah for Israel!
-- 

Elder Sabey

03212016 I am happy and being in the right place at the right time is nice

Thursday we went to the temple. There were just a couple of cool experiences that day. After the temple we went to GangNam to eat at a restaurant my companion really likes. We happened to meet a Sister from Germany who married a Korean, and my companion was able to catch up with her and I got to meet her and it was cool. Then we took the fast train back to PyoungTaek. While waiting for the train we went and sat next to this guy and started talking to him. He was like, oh yeah we met yesterday! So I guess we met him while sticker-boarding and then happened to run into him in Seoul on his way back to PyeoungTaek. His friend is doing an exchange thing in America with a Mormon family. So although he used to think we were a little cultish, he has changed his mind. He asked some good questions and funny ones. But since we still had an hour or so left in our P-day we hung out with him and got his number and will probably meet with him again. So that was a good couple of hours. It felt like we were where we were supposed to be.

PyoungTaek is South of Seoul not far from the ocean

Abby [a new member] works with a girl named Grace who speaks French. Grace's husband is Ke

vin. Anyway they both came to church this week, and Grace was planning on meeting with us for dinner and a lesson at a member’s home. Kevin though had a lot of homework so he wasn't planning on coming. In gospel principles class, Abby talked to Kevin and said, just give an hour to God and he will bless you, and Grace wanted him to come so he came! I love when the recent convert and investigator put pressure on him, not me! But they are both awesome and pretty golden. He said he wants to get baptized just after school--so in June. So that is also exciting! It is cool listening to lessons in French. Beautiful language. And I can pick out a fair amount of words. Obviously not much, but some! Plus Kevin speaks English well, so that is cool.

But anyway, this week has been good. No we don't have any sport activities. We have gone and tried to meet youth through playing sports at the park with them. But no formal activities. And as far as Easter is concerned, no plans yet. I love the church’s Easter video, especially how it is similar to the Christmas one.

I have been reading the Miracle of Forgiveness. I always appreciate some criticism of modern society... haha. But I do love Christ as a perfect example. No matter how much you are better than another, or how much somebody has hurt you there is no reason not to forgive. And no matter what you have done, or where you have come from, you can still change through Christ. Then I have restarted the Book of Mormon focusing on the "Character of Christ." It is cool just to focus on people turning outward and noticing the difference between say Nephi and his brothers.
Just another thought. When a person, say your companion, feels validated as a person, then you can work to build each other up from there, but when he doesn't feel validated, pointing out mistakes or things doesn't help much!

Anyway, I love you all!
Hurrah for Israel,

Elder Sabey