Week 79

Hey there family!!

Happy Thanksgiving last week! Sounds like you all had a great time. I had a good day...didn't eat any turkey, but I sure felt the spirit of gratitude...and I at some other delicious korean food instead :)

We had another great week here in Korea^^

On Sunday the people that got baptized last week received the gift of the Holy Ghost, so they are official members of the church now...yay for them! And our investigator Hayree had her baptismal interview and is all set to be baptized on Sunday! I am excited for her! This will probably be the last baptism that I attend as a missionary, so I think it will be an especially tender experience.

This past week we were busy meeting with investigators and we spent a lot of time with members as well. This is the season in Korea where everyone makes enough kimchee to last them for the whole year...it's a lot of kimchee ^^ This event is called kimjang. So we were invited over to one Sister's house for kimjang and she fed us the traditional food you eat with fresh kimchee. It was DELICIOUS!! They eat it with boiled pork meat and it is oh, so good. Also this week on Saturday a family invited us over for lunch and we at some more really delicious food then as well. I will definitely be missing all of the yummy food here in Korea.

On Saturday night we had a really fun ward activity...it was a Fall Musical Festival. Koreans are all musically talented and they all love to sing!! So it was awesome. All of the missionaries serving in our ward did a little musical skit that the members loved (we won first place, but none of us were there to receive it because the activity went past 9:00 haha) One elder serving with me is really good at the drums, so he played the drums in our skit and it was the best thing. He was loving life haha. Lots of investigators and members participated so it ended up being a really great activity.

Last week one of our investigators was really starting to progress, so we are really excited for her. Her name is Sister Chang and we are teaching her, while the Elders are teaching her husband. The lived in America for a while and now moved back to Korea, but they wanted to keep practicing English so that's why they first started meeting with us. She didn't really have any gospel interest at first, but this past week when we met she told us that she now really likes learning about God and has interest!!!! We were so excited!! When I met her for the first time I felt like she was already a member of our church. I would call her my Korean mother right now...she is wonderful. We've been reading the Book of Mormon together and she is reading it herself as well. She especially has a lot of questions about the Plan of Salvation, like why are we here in this life and what is our purpose...I think she is starting to find some answers in the Book of Mormon, which is so exciting!! One of our goals is to set a baptismal date with her before I leave...we'll see how she keeps progressing. We are hoping that she will come to the baptismal service on Sunday. You can keep Sister Chang and her husband Brother Park in your prayers :)

ALSO, I received some other really exciting news this week...Do you all remember the artist investigator in my last area that I would always talk about? Sister Jo?? GUESS WHAT?!?!? She is getting baptized TODAY!!!!!! She and her daughter finally made the commitment and decision to be baptized. I AM SO HAPPY FOR HER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! She is someone that I would meet  almost every week for the 9 months that I was in gwangju. She definitely has a tender spot in my heart. She is probably one of the people that I have prayed the most for on my mission...one of those people I came to Korea to meet. So I am so happy for her and know that there are a lot of blessing waiting for her as she makes that covenant with the Lord.

Everyone keeps saying that there will be lots of miracles before I go home...and it is true!!! There are lots of miracles that I wasn't expecting, but I am so glad that I could witness and be a part of. This gospel is true and I love it!!

I love all of you!!

Love

Sister Livingston