Letter - 3/1/15

Dear Family and Friends,

Well it's March and here in Korea the weather is becoming warmer, the sky is becoming bluer and the sun is just shining away. I am so excited for the spring this cold weather is getting old! So this past week has been great and I just love being a missionary.

 I have recently been reading back on my old journals from my missionary experience and it is so crazy to see the growth that has happened in this time that I have spent serving my Savior. One year ago I was writing about how I was struggling with not being the missionary I thought I needed to be. How I wasn't "perfect" and I was beating up on myself and not taking the advice that my dad has always given me "be kind to yourself." Well since that time I have really worked on that and learned to have faith that everything I am doing truly is the Lord's will for me. I can say now a year later that I have learned that the Lord doesn't expect me or you to be perfect but He does expect us to be clean and worthy and to do our best and to have faith in Him. As I realized that, I knew that was something I could do! I can't be perfect but I can be worthy!  I can do my best! I can be me! I can have faith in my Heavenly Father and Savior Jesus Christ!  It's amazing to see that growth now as I read and notice the change that has happened within myself. Because now I can see that change and feel it within my heart.  I would and will recommend this experience to anyone and everyone. Being on a mission has truly been the greatest decision that I have ever made and because of the things that I have learned, the testimony that I have gained and the relationship I have built with my Heavenly Father and Savior all the things that come along with missionary work and life in general have been and will continue to be worth it!


This week Sister Matamata and I were planning on being very busy but ended up with quite a few cancelled appointments but we made our time effective and continued going forth with our best effort.  Sister Matamata is just amazing! I am continually learning from her and her example. We are both so different and have different backgrounds but we are here in Korea in unity as we strive to bring others closer to Christ. She is so great and full of so much love and no fear. We were going about proselyting this week and I was helping her practice what to say and finally I decided that she had enough practice and saw the perfect opportunity for her to start a conversation so I encouraged her to take it. Well without any hesitation she said hello and stumbled through her Korean script but did amazing!  I was there of course to help her out but she truly amazing me with her willing heart. She is working so hard with the language. I love serving with her.

During one of our times that we needed to change plans due to a cancellation and turned the planning over to Sister Matamata for that time and asked her what we should do, where we should go and who we should talk to. She stood at the map and after about 5 minutes said "let's go here" pointing to an area on the map. I said "Okay! Let's go!" So there we go out the door searching for guidance from the Spirit. I let her lead the way and she says "lets stop at each corner and see how we feel and then determine which way to turn." I loved the idea! She is amazing so there we went walking in the area seeking the direction from the Spirit. As we walked we talked to people and served people then our last turn we took we found not a new investigator but a member of our ward and the minute she saw us was just jumping for joy. She immediately took us in for ice cream and we were able to have a wonderful time with her. I loved seeing it because like I said although we weren't guided to some golden investigator we were guided by the Spirit to meet up with that member and have a joyous time with her. It was great with Sister Matamata to build that relationship not only with the member but the Spirit also.

Right after our ice cream fest we had an appointment with 장미정 and it was so great! We showed up at her house and sitting on her table was a Liahona, Primary Children's Book and a triple combination of the scriptures! What? Yeah her sister 장옥순 from my last area gave it to her! So amazing! We taught the Gospel of Jesus Christ and were planning on giving the invitation to be baptized but as we prepared and planned I continually had the thought of praying about the Restoration. As we met she asked us what she had to do to prepare and if she had to meet with anyone to I guess you could say qualify. Well that immediately turned me to the baptismal interview and the questions involved in there. I turned to my planner and Sister Matamata and I explained each question. She said that all of them are good but the second regarding the Restoration and Joseph Smith seems to be hard. Right then and there I knew that is what our commitment needed to be. I asked her to free her from that concern to pray to our Father in Heaven about that question so that she could understand more about the restoration. She agreed. Sister Matamata then testified in her broken Korean that she knew she would receive an answer if she truly wanted to know. At the end of the lesson I realized that I had invited her to pray but I had never heard her pray outloud so I kindly invited 장미정 to say the closing prayer. She was hesitant but after some pondering and thinking she called upon her Heavenly Father in the most humble prayer. During her prayer I felt the spirit so strongly and when she closed I know that she felt it too. It was beautiful and I cannot thank my Heavenly Father enough for allowing me to have those opportunities to see His children kneel humbly before Him and speak with Him.

This week I ended up actually doing a lot of study on prayer. I know with all my heart that our Heavenly Father hears our prayers. Do you want to know why? Well I feel President Uchtdorf says it best "God cares about you. He will listen and He will answer your personal questions. The answers to your prayers will come in His own way and His own time and therefore you need to learn to listen to His voice." Heavenly Father loves us and is waiting for us to call upon Him so He can answers our prayers. He requires us to take that first step of faith though and then once we have done that He expects us to get on our feet and go to work. The power of our prayer depends on us and our prayers for guidance will only be as effective and our efforts. When this type of prayer take place both parties speak and both parties listen. It truly become a conversation. I am so grateful for the opportunity I have had to learn from a very young age to call upon my Father in Heaven in prayer and trust that truly whatever is important to me is important to Him.

I want to thank each of you for your love, support and prayers in my behalf. I truly know that the growth that has taken place within myself wouldn't have happened without your prayers, love and support. I am truly grateful. I love and miss each of you so much but time is going by fast and cherishing the moment is my focus at the time. I just want you to know that I know this church is true. That Heavenly Father loves each of us and has restored Christ's gospel to the earth today through the prophet Joseph Smith. I know that Christ lives and is by our side at all times as long as we invite Him there. I love this work. I love being a missionary and I love serving in Korea! Have a wonderful week! Remember that God hears your prayers and answers them one by one!
LOVE YOU!

Love,
드리스콜자매
Sister Ciarra Jean Driscoll