Welcome 2014!

Hello Family!

I cannot believe that another week has come and gone. I am halfway through my second transfer...weird! I know I should talk about life, etc...but let us be honest, we just want to get to the good stuff. 

This past week, there was an explosion of old people and cuteness. Our recent convert 남경연 (Nam Kyong Yon) accompanied us to teach an investigator who also happens to be a little bit older. As we sat down together, Nam Kyong Yon decided to take the reins and started singing an old hymn. Our investigator, Ko Dokney was so excited and started singing along. They then proceeded to talk about how awesome it was to live in government housing, how poor their children are, and their love for ramen noodles. It was adorable! Towards the end of the lesson, Nam Kyong Yon shared a powerful testimony of baptism and how the church has blessed her life since joining. She may not be able to read the Book of Mormon, but Nam Kyong Yon has a testimony of the truthfulness of this gospel. Every time Sis. Kim and I meet with her, I learn more about what it truly means to be a disciple of Christ. 

구덕레 (Ko Dongrey) is an 86 year old women who was referred to us by her daughter in law. We first met with her in November, but she did not really start progressing until a few weeks ago. She is so sincere whenever we teach her. Every time she prays, she asks Heavenly Father to bless her so that she can remember who He is. In order to help her remember the things we teach, we often pick one principle for her to remember. This week it has been "Ko Dongrey, who are you?" She will then respond with "God's daughter." It is adorable! She has the biggest smile when she replies back. Sis. Kim and I are hoping that she will accept our invitation to come to church this weekend. She has a desire, but she doesn't want to go out in the cold. Another thing I love about Ko Dongrey is that she walks with us out to the apartment entrance. It is terribly cold, but she loves seeing us walk away. Last night, I decided to hold her hand as we exited the building. In the cutest voice she says "You two are better than my grandaughters. You can take me home with you." Ah! I seriously want to take her home. 

I just realized that the majority of our investigators are grandmothers. Ha. No wonder people keep calling us the grandma whisperers. 

One of the biggest lessons that I have learned this week is the importance of following promptings and opening my mouth. While waiting at a crosswalk, I noticed that there was an older women who had a lot of things to carry. In my mind, I thought that I should offer her help. I did not want to because most people reject my offer to help them. After a few seconds of contemplation, I just decided to ask her. Oddly enough, she accepted! Sis. Kim and I helped carry her things to her apartment. Once we arrived, she offered us some oranges and started talking to us about her life. She then began to cry and stated that her daughter was about to go through a divorce, her other daughter is disabled, and how she did not think she could go on. She told us that God had answered her prayers through us. We taught a little bit about God being our loving Heavenly Father and then left with a word of prayer. She was moved because her tears were everywhere...yes, I opened my eyes. 

I am doing very well. The temperature here in Korea has been fairly warm and there is not a lot of snow. I did buy a coat with my credit card the other day...so if you could check that, that would be great! Also, I did buy boots with that credit card...prepare yourself. Haha.

Enclosed is a picture of the two grandmothers together. Prepare yourself for cuteness.

Love,

Sis. Chao