The Work of God in Korea

This week was 설날, Korea's number one holiday, so we didn't have any appointments for half of the week, but we had some great meetings, saw some miracles, and the work of God continues!! 

As for the holiday, I don't know all of the traditions that go along with it, but here are a couple things I do know: They all get together with the family. They have a special soup (떡국) that has the funny tradition that your age officially advances when you eat the soup. They have a traditional Korean game they play with special sticks they toss and depending on how the sticks land, they get a certain amount of points or something. They also have a traditional ceremony to respect and remember their ancestors that they all do either late in the evening or early in the morning. Some of the people at church and around the city wear their tradition Korean clothing (한복). It's fun.

This week we didn't meet a ton of our investigators, but we saw some amazing miracles in meeting incredibly prepared people!

One was a man that our president met in a taxl and referred to us. He changed his number so we couldn't get a hold of him, but he came to the church one day and pretty much just said that he has never had religion before, but he has made lots of mistakes and wants to change his life. He wants to quit smoking and just become clean. He is willing to do whatever he needs to change his life and come unto God. Amazing. His name is 조병수 (Jo Byeong-Su)

The other man just walked into the church and said that he's seen our church a few times and was curious who we are so he came in.  He asked about our worship services and how he could attend. As we briefly explained the time and concept of sacrament meeting, he asked if we have other ordinances, especially to become a member. So we explained baptism and he asked what that process is and how he could start. We explained he would need to come to church and meet with us to learn, to which he agreed. He said that before he came to church, he would like to meet and have us explain more about our church. He also added that it would be good if we brought someone else to help explain, so we agreed to bring a member. Our appointment is tentatively set for next Saturday! He pretty much set up his own member lesson, church attendance, and baptismal commitment! Wow!! We will work hard to help him come and learn! His name is 이근표 (Lee Geun-Pyo). God knows, loves, and guides His children!!

One of the thoughts I really like from our Zone Conference this week is a pattern of study that I think is really cool. The pattern comes from a sentence in PMG about how we ought to (1)believe, (2)love, (3)live, and (4)teach what we study and what we learn. We have so much that talk about in church and things that we learn from the scriptures, but I don't think I always take the time to really think about exactly what I personally believe, why I LOVE it, what I can do to more fully live it, and seek for opportunities to teach it and share it with others. 

I KNOW this gospel is true and that it has been restored in these latter days! I LOVE the assurance the gospel brings that we are God's literal children and that we have a great potential to enjoy happiness, joy, and progression than we can imagine! I know that as we truly LIVE the gospel by consistently praying, studying the scriptures, and being true to sacred covenants, we really can obtain the priceless blessings God has in store for us. And I am soooo grateful for the opportunity to TEACH this precious truths to the world as a dedicated servant of God! I know He lives and I can promise He loves!!

And I love you all too!! Have a wonderful week!

Love, Elder Tolman