Sunday, July 13, 2014

2014.07.13

Thanks for the pictures! They were super fun! Everyone looks so different though...
There are a lot of Buddhists in Korea. Not all are very /active/, but they go by the title. 
Funny story. I am with Elder Hawes now. Used to be housemates, then we got transferred together. ^^

This week has been insane in all of the best ways. Ups, downs, and almost everyday a reminder of God's love for us. 

We met an awesome family this week! First met the dad on the street who asked if we could talk to his son. He's in middle school, and likes learning english. After talking with them, we get onto the topic of religion. He never had a religion, and to be honest, wasn't too interested until about 5 years ago when I was diagnosed with cancer. He went through a lot at that time, and he said that since then, there's been a part of him that's looking. Since they don't go to church yet, they said they would try to come out to ours sometime.^^ 

Also had an investigator that we thought for sure just wanted to learn english that progressed a lot. He said that he'd been doing a lot of researching online and found a lot of things about our church that he liked. Left a good impression on him. At first, he went to church, but had a bad experience when he was little so he stopped. Started going a little during military, but now he just prays by himself. Such a pure, innocent guy. While talking with him, he's always really honest about what he's thinking, and what questions he has. Really excited for him.

One hard thing this week was seeing an investigator growing a little more distant from the church, and I felt terrible the entire day because I had had such high hopes for him. It wasn't until the next morning that I started feeling better. I opened my scriptures for personal study, and the very first scripture it fell open to was what I needed. God truly is a god of miracles. He knows us, our needs, our desires. And He'll help us every step of the way.

Other fun facts: We've got a couple investigators who like meeting and playing basketball with members on Saturday nights, so recently I've been learning just how much I didn't know about sports. There's a lot more to it than I thought. Still terrible at them, but I see a lot more of the beauty behind it than I used to. Great for talking with people too. Here in Korea, they say you bond the most when you're eating or doing sports together. I see some truth to that. I also determined I need to exercise more.

Another miracle: Ran into a less active that lives in another ward. He was visiting his family here so we jumped on the chance to visit and talk with him. Turns out he lives 15 minutes away from the church there. Said he'd go this week, so we'll be checking up with missionaries there to see how he's doing.^^ I love his family, they're so nice. He's cool too. Likes art, so I brought some of my sketches from home. Reminded me how long 2 years has been. I haven't sketches in ages. Tried this morning... Didn't go well.

One of the things that pulled at my heart this week was a number of Less Actives that want desperately to come to church but can't. A sister who has a husband that hates the church. Keeps her from going if he finds out. She can only meet members or missionaries when he isn't there and she's alone. Another who is so busy with work 4am to 10pm some days on weekdays, then helping his mother on weekends in the countryside, that he can't come out. Another who is trying to provide for his family while paying off an old debt which makes him have to work sundays.
It tears my heart when I see them going through these things, and I wonder how to help them. But this week I realized something. We're doing it just by visiting. You can see in their eyes sometimes how much they want the church. Sometimes, if they can't come to church, God with bring church to them. Makes me think a lot more about the messages we share, and the spirit we strive to invite when we visit them. I love this work. And l love God. He knows us each personally in ways we cannot fully understand. But each new day I feel like another glimmer of light gets shown on his love for us, making it just a little more clear, a little more bright. Never let that fade!

Thanks for everything! I love you all! I look forward to seeing you all again soon!
~Elder Robarts

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