His plan is a whole lot bigger

Hello everyone!

This week has been good! This week was transfers, so Elder Bryner went home and I am staying in Incheon for the next 6 weeks with Elder Woolwine. It was nice to be able to keep working with the same companion because we didn't have to waste time in getting to work over here. And we are trying to accomplish some pretty ambitious goals this transfer, including speaking only Korean to each other for the entirety of the next 6 weeks. There are exceptions for when we teach English class or meet with English speakers, but besides that it's all Korean. It's always a little hard to do, but it definitely helps with Korean, especially since you don't have to switch your mind from English to Korean when you need to talk to a Korean. So maybe ask me again in 4 weeks how I feel about it, but no complaints at least for now.

셀카(saer-ka) = Selfie

Elder Rossi, he has a condition called OSD (Obsessive Service Disorder)

I think one of the hardest things about being a missionary in Korea is trying to successfully visit somebody briefly. We tried to deliver some cookies to some members outside their door this week, and before we knew it we were on their couch with a plate of pastries, tangerines, and an offer to eat dinner with them. So the next member we visited, we had to revise our strategy and stay outside the door no matter what. Korean people are just so nice and generous, I can't handle it.

Probably the strangest thing I did this week was eat dinner with a purely American family at their house. It's the first time I've done it since I got to Korea, and it made me remember just how different the culture can be. First of all, you ALWAYS take off your shoes when you enter a home (and even some restaurants). So of course, we took off our shoes at the doorstep, but then had a small panic attack when they just wore them into the house. Another thing about Korea is that as a male and especially as a missionary. We never shake any female's hand. I'm still not exactly sure why, but it it just not right here. So when the American mom offered to shake our hands, we had a second small panic attack. But I think we acted normal enough for them to invite us back at some point (maybe), and I have to admit it was nice to have some lasagna and homemade American style bread for a change.

Besides that, not much else is new here. I've been doing a lot of translation lately for the English kids in our ward, which is still pretty hard especially when there is a substitute and she doesn't slow down at all, but you figure out how to manage.. We still haven't found anybody new to teach yet, which is pretty rough since we've been searching for so long. But one thing I've learned here is to trust in Heavenly Father's timing, because his plan is a whole lot bigger and a whole lot more important than ours. 

Have a great week everyone!