Letter - 11/2/14

Family and Friends,

First off HAPPY HALLOWEEN! This week here in good old 금천 we had a great Halloween party and so many people came out. Korea doesn't really celebrate Halloween but since all the missionaries in our ward are from America we had to hold a Halloween party! It was so great and we were able to have such a great turn out of members, members friends, investigators, people who we just handed fliers to and English class members. We had been planning this since the beginning of September and it just really fell together well because of how we worked with the members and the youth. The youth helped us make decoration and decorate the night before which made it even more fun for them to bring their friends to because they could say they were apart of it. We had games and food and just had a good time talking amongst everyone! I just conintue to think how lucky I am to have such wonderful memories as a missionary and how grateful I am to be here in Korea as a missionary. I have so much to be grateful for and have every reason to put a smile on my face everyday and serve my Savior.

Second off...I can't believe I hit 11 months tommorrow?? Where has the time gone? How does time continue to go by faster and faster? I don't know but I am doing my best to live it up every day being in the moment and fulfilling my purpose as a misisonary so the Lord can fulfill His purpose. I realized last week my letter was not a joyful and cheery as they usually are because of the trial and due to the start of November I have been thinking a lot about gratitude. I read President Uchtdorf's talk "Grateful In Any Circumstances" and I have been changed for the better. What an inspirng talk it is and makes me want to work at being more full of gratitude toward my Savior, Heavenly Father and all those who I associate with. I learned so much from this wonderful talk but I think what I loved the most is he said, "The choice is ours." We have been given our free agency and through that we can choose to be grateful, happy, sad, frustrated, we can choose to be anything we want to be! We can choose to feel however we want to feel! We always have our choice! How great is that! Who do you want to be? As for me I want to be grateful, happy, loving, patient, obedient, faithful, diligent, and above all I just want to be more like our Savior Jesus Christ and each day I live I have that choice to make to be more like Christ and follow His example more valiently and in the process I will be full of gratitude and develop His attributes because after all "Gratitude is the catalyst to all Christlike Attributes." I just want you to know that I am so grateful for this opportunity that I have to be a missionary and to be apart of the Lord's great and marvelous work. I am grateful for each one of you for your support and prayers in my behalf. I am grateful for Korea and for the people here who I have grown to love so much. I am grateful for this gospel and the joy it continues to bring me each and everyday. I am grateful for my Savior and Heavenly Father who have never let me down and are always by my side each and everyday. I am grateful and I will give gratitude to my Savior and Heavenly Father forever.

Sister Stout and I this week still didn't have a lot of luck long the lines of people accepting the gospel but we had a lot of experiences that manifested to us that everything happens for a reason and no matter what our efforts are never going to waste. We went and visited a lady at her shop who we buy some stuff from and she isn't technically interested in the gospel but while we were there she had some customers and the fact that we taught free English got brought up and the customer just about fell out of her chair and wanted her daughter to do it so badly! We were so excited! We were like finally everything is paying off so we set up the appointment and planned to meet with th mom and daughter and Saturday. Well Saturday came around we arrived at their home and they inform us they don't want to do it. What? Did we understand her correctly? Yes our litte glimmer of hope for a teaching opportunity went down hill fast but I realized that it's okay because Heavenly Father is aware of the family and He is preparing them at His pace and according to His timing. That event was just part of their preparation process to accept this wonderful gospel. Next Sister Stout and I had some extra time before a dinner appointment with a member so we decided to go to a certain park where there were some ladies and try talking to them. We talked to them but they quickly got up and left but we decided to wait for 10 minutes and just see what would happen. We just sat and talked enjoying the fall weather when a lady walked up and said hello. She was immediately interested in what we were doing and who we were. We told her and she though it was neat and said she was Buddihst but she then asked us if she should continue being Buddhist or if she should believe in God. Sister Stout and I were like yes this is what we were waiting for! We asked her what she knew about God and she said not much and seemed to want to learn more. Then she got a phone call which then interupted our conversation. After she got off the phone we tried to tell her that we could meet with her and teach her about God but she quickly said Oh no I don't do that. We were quite confused but once again realized that it is all apart of God's plan and that we must just trust in His timing. I know that I am apart of the Lord's work and that each person I meet I am meant to meet. I love this work and I love being a missionary so much. It has been a life changing opportuinty and I will forever be grateful for the great foundation it is building for my life.

I just want you to know how great the members of Korea are. Due to our lack of investigators we have been spending a lot of time with our members doing practice lessons and so on. They are helping us so much to improve our Korean and build up the church in Korea little by little. I am full of gratitude that I have this opportunity to work with the Relief Society Sisters and teach them this dance. The relationships that I am gaining is just better then I could ever ask for. Because of this we are able to see members almost everday and they are just bending over backwards to help us as we do the same for them. Sister Stout and I are currently teaching a members son who will be getting baptized November 19 and I am just so grateful that his mother trusted us enough to teach him and loved him enough to have the missionary's teach him the lessons. They are just full of so much patience, love and work so hard to be the best they can be. They continue to inspire me and I am touched by their examples.

I love the people of Korea and I love serving here. I couldn't imagine being anywhere else. I need these people to help me become who the Lord needs me to become. I am so grateful to be in their service and to be touched by their love. I love being a missionary and know with all my heart that this church is true. I love this gospel and know as we continually seek to know of it's truths we will grow stronger and stronger. I know that Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ loves you. They are who I represent and I know through them I am able to do this work and be who I am. I love them and I love serving them. Thank you for all your love, support and prayers. I hope you all had a wonderful Halloween! I love you and MIss you! Remember that the choice is ours and we have so much to be grateful for! Look for the Lord's hand in your life and simply thank Him for His goodness, love, mercy, patience, and blessings. Develop the attitude of gratitude! LOVE YOU ALL!

Love,
드리스콜자매
Sister Ciarra Jean Driscoll