March 26, 2018

Dinner with a cute less active in the Branch.

Spring!

                                Choir Practice with the best.

Hello again!

This week officially became spring and the weather is just perfect. The flowers are all coming out and it's the perfect amount of warm. This week was, well interesting. Two of our investigators turned out to be kind of crazy and bible bashed us, gotta love it, but we met other cool people this week, so it's okay!

I had the weirdest experience of my mission this week. Literally I think I could win any two truth and a lie game in the future. We got a call Friday night from our dear 90 year old Daysheen Grandma freaking out saying she fell and needed us to come as soon as possible. We run to find a taxi and head straight to her house. When we get there, there is a little crowd outside her door. All of her doors are locked and she can't move. We end up jumping this little wall up to her glass sliding door and breaking it off so that we could get in. When we get in, we help her up and see her knee is pretty messed up. She needs to go to the hospital, but she is sooo stubborn. We spent the next hour and a half trying to get her to go to the hospital, but she was throwing any excuse she could because she didn't want to have to go to the ER. "They don't take x-rays at night." "Missionaries have to be home at 9 and I don't want you to be late." "I can't leave the bathroom." It went on and on. But the biggest thing was she refused to call an ambulance, she wanted to take a taxi to the hospital. We were kindof in a mess, so we call the Elders to come help us. After an hour, she had come to a conclusion. She was going to sit on the toilet with her leg on the chair until morning, then we could come pick her up in a taxi and take her to the hospital. Obviously there was no way we were leaving her sitting on the toilet all night with a broken knee. The sad part is, she really had no one else to call but the missionaries. After so much arguing with her, we talked her into letting us call the ambulance. They came, loaded her up, and off she went. It was all such a mess and so stressful, I didn't even think. They said one person had to ride with her in the ambulance, only made sense for my companion to jump in...and before I realized it...I was watching my companion drive away in an ambulance. When I realized what I had just done, I look to my left and then right and there are the Elders, followed by, "...crap." and "Yes, exchanges with Sister Stout!" There we went running down a dark back alley road looking for a taxi to take to the hospital..to end our super illegal exchange. When we finally got to the hospital, we waited outside of the ER for forever...the exchange just kept going, until the Branch President got there so that we could go home. 

This week was a week of a lot of firsts: first exchange with the Elders, first 25 minute talk (perks of only having 5 members), first time calling an ambulance, and first time fighting with a 90 year old grandma for pills. Learning experiences everywhere we go. 

Everyone have a good conference weekend!

Sending love

xoxo

Sister Stout

March 19, 2018

                                 When rain and wind attack.

Seeing Sister Monson...after rain and wind attacked! Haha the lion is back! 

Our trip to Costco last p-day! Magical.

Seeing my favorites at choir practice.

Area book planner party

Hello everybody! 

I really don't know how I always end up with like no time to type up a weekly email...sorry. I get distracted really easy I guess. (Please forgive me Sister Akagi xoxo ^^)

Every week is just going by so fast. I can't believe it! It feels like it was just P-day, and here I am typing again. 

I'm getting used to the new area, finally! Thank goodness. It is so much bigger than any other area I've served in. I mean, this is the first time I've ever had the Subway in my area on my mission. I'm like an 'old missionary' who is learning how to use the Subway. Embarrassing, yes, but there is a first for everything I guess. 

This week we had a whole lot of English class. Quite eventful actually. We had music day, where we sing songs along with the guitar, some fights, someone threw a chair, we had way more people come than normal (miracle), and are starting to study Liahona talks during class. It's really cool and makes it easy to just talk about the gospel the whole time during our Advanced class. Our classes are full of a lot of recent converts and then a group of people who attend every English class in the area and have been for years.

This area is full of less actives and we were able to meet with tons this week. There is one lady that has been the coolest miracle. She has been less active for 15 years and randomly came to church a couple weeks ago. She invited us to lunch and we've been able to see her every week multiple times since then. She said she finally feels like it's time to come back to church, but coming back to this specific branch is hard, but that she feels like she can start with being around the missionaries again. She is so amazing and it's been cool to watch her fire start again.

A miracle happened on Thursday with our dear old Daysheen Grandma. We went to her house, and plot twist, I won her heart. How? Because I know how to unclog a toilet. That's right. Who knew that was all it would take and that would be a talent that would save me on my mission. She was so upset because her toilet had been broken and no one knew how to fix it, when I told her I knew how, she was shocked. It was disgusting, and I got nasty all over my dress, but. I fixed the toilet. And now our dear grandma, thinks I'm an angel. You know, we all have talents we aren't aware of, and we never know as we use them, who it will bless. 

And drum roll, we are officially starting Facebook. Having never used Facebook really before my mission I feel like a Grandma being taught how to use the computer for the first time. Haha ah I'm learning a lot of new things. The church is true and the work is getting pushed forward. I'm excited to see all the miracles coming!

Sending my love!

Love,

Sister Stout

HELLO!

My New Companion!

Our Church Building!

Hello everybody!

This week was insane! We are the only Sisters in the whole zone, which somehow turns us into the District Sisters. We are pretty much over 3 areas. We attend all of their activities and are teaching people in all of the areas. I keep laughing at it, because I am the absolute worst at directions and now they're throwing me in bigger city with more areas and I'm convinced I'm just going to get lost. Plus I have to teach three English classes a week now, and I'm just not that good at English. 

This week I met so many new people and so much happened. Keeping it at the basics, I met the Daysheen Grandma. She calls herself the Grandma of all missionaries. It's kindof funny, because she's a little tired in the head and so she really just slams everyone. Visiting her is hilarious. The first time we went and visited her, she called us after and was talking to my companion and was like, why did they send such a stupid ugly new Sister Missionary? I was like...hmmmm welcome to the new area. Hahaha. Then we visited her again on Sunday and she came and gave me a hug and was like, wow, I'm so glad they sent such a beautiful new Sister to replace the other.... Haha. Emotional roller coasters here we go. It'll keep me on my toes!

We had STLTM and MLCM this week. Miracle, it was in Sister Oleson's area so I got to see her for a hot second. The beeest. We also got to see tons of snow on our train ride there, it was like a little touch from Utah. During our meeting, we got a bunch of new news with our fancy smart phones. From now on our Area book will be on our phone digitally. Wow, how convenient. Except for for the poor suckers who have to go through every old record and type it in, oh ha yes us. 10 years from now people are going to be using the phone saying, wow I bet it was horrible having to type in all of these old records. And I'll say, Yes. However, the work is going on!

As part of our meeting we did a proselyting activity. Pretty much we just went out and proselyted for an hour and a half and then had to come back and report our stats and have a little mini testimony meeting. During the activity we ran into a lady from America who is here teaching English. She had a bunch of questions about our church she had always had, but never met missionaries to ask. It was a cool miracle to see how the Lord allowed our paths to cross all the way here in Korea. 

This Branch here is tiny. At church we had a solid 5 members. Our Branch President comes from a different area to help out, and as for the rest, it's the missionaries. It definitely has a different feel that Gyeongju, but it'll be a good change. 

This week has gotten me thinking a lot about a verse in Alma 26:2, "And now, I ask, what great blessings has he bestowed upon us? Can you tell?" 

There are so many blessings the Lord has given us and he continues to. As we take time to notice them there are miracles to be seen everywhere. 

Sending love!

Love,

Sister Stout

Heeyo!

Last District Picture

Our last District P-day we went to an escape room!

Saying Goodbye to Rosalinda!

Saying goodbye to Sister Oleson....MTC all over again!

English Camp this week!

Saying Goodbye to my favorite little girl in the branch!

Hello everybody!!

Well another transfer came and went and I got shipped off to 대신/괴정. (I don't know how to spell that in English..I'll figure it out maybe later.) This is the first time I've ever served in bigger city, I mean I've never even been in an area with a Subway, so this will be interesting! Leaving Gyeongju was the worst, I just hate goodbyes in general and I'm bad at them. It was really just a disaster all around. This new transfer also marks the first time on my mission, besides like a couple weeks, that I won't be able to call Sister Oleson whenever I want to. So that sucks a lot. I feel like I'm leaving to go to the MTC all over again. BUT it's going to a great new transfer! I'm excited to see all the miracles coming. My new companion's name is Sister 주은수. She just finished training and is adorable! 

This past week we spent every day in Pohang, except Saturday. New record! Our dear District Leader I've served with the past three transfers, Elder Schupp, went back home to Germany today. (Another darn goodbye, definitely my least favorite part about missionary work.) So it was fun to be able to spend time a lot of time all together this week. In Pohang we had an English Camp we helped out with. Woah, they planned good. It was super awesome. Lots of kids came and it turned out great. I got a weeee bit sick and was loosing my voice, so I sounded stupid trying to talk loud enough to keep the kids attention, and sounded like a dying horse by the end of the day! But, it was totally worth it.

This week it feels like we just spent running, a lot of good byes, and off to a new transfer. New starts and change are always necessary and good in the end, but dang it. Sometimes they hurt! 

I'm running low on time because of transfers, but it you have time this week, we studied the talk "The Reason for Our Hope" by President Packer (October 2014 General Conference) in Sunday School this week and it was so powerful. Give it a read.

Be safe, sending love.

xoxo

Love,

Sister Stout

Hey hey again.... February 25, 2018

Hey hey again.

This week was like the best week of my mission, and also probably the worst. Haha it's funny how those always seem to go together. We had one investigator we've been meeting with since I got here shoot downhill, but hey our other investigators progressed so much this week. Annnnd so we're going to focus on that!

Highlights of this week. We started the week renting Tandem bikes for P-day with the Elders. Talk about being connected as a companionship We spent the whole day riding around and exploring our area. We found some cool things, almost hit some people, and got all kinds of weird looks. I guess its not very often you see two Americans riding a bright yellow two seater bike down the road.

We got to go on exchanges twice this week, THE best. On one of the exchanges we were talking about movies late one night and the Korean sister i was with said one of her favorite American movies is, "The Fart in our Stars." Ah Yes, to each his own

We had some super awesome appointments with investigators and members this week. We had one appointment with our investigator and a member who came and as we were sharing our message our investigator shared her testimony on the power of the Book of Mormon and prayer. She shared how the first time she met us was the first time she ever had prayed and how it was changing her life. This girl is seriously amazing. Her love for the Book of Mormon inspires me. Her testimony is on fire and she's growing so much! 

We had an interesting Sunday, but the coolest miracle. We have an investigator we met the other week whose younger and we haven't really been able to meet meet her, shes always so busy with school she only has time to come to church on Sunday. Definitely not complaining. Anyways, she's gotten really tight with the young woman and leaders in the branch, like she literally doesn't even need us, these branch members are amazing! She came running up to us before Young Women's and said, hey will you teach me how to pray? I'm the closing prayer. It was the first time she had ever prayed! Then after church she had all these questions about church vocab she didn't understand and baptism. Super neat. The power of member missionary work is intense.

Transfer calls are coming this week. We finally get good at living here as two super white Americans, and it could be over. I mean when we cross the street now, cars actually stop! Not ready if I'm ready to leave Gyeongju but here we go.

Last I just wanted to share a quote I read this week. It's from Elder Holland's October 2013 General Conference talk, "Like a Broken Bessie." It said, "...remember the Saviors own anguished example: if the bitter cup does not pass, drink it and be strong, trusting in happier days ahead." Things don't always end how we think, or go as we expect, but I learned a lot this week that in the end, it always goes as the Lord plans. Sometimes that is the worst pill to swallow, it seems unfair, or hard to understand, but the Lord knows each of our hearts and needs. I know He knows and is looking out for each of you. 

Sending love♡

Love,

Sister Stout