Letter - 5/17/15

Dear Family and Friends, 

6 WEEKS?! That is all! Can you believe it because I sure can't but at the same time I feel at complete peace. Peace knowing that I have this amazing opportunity to represent my Savior in Korea a place that I have grown to love. I can't imagine being anywhere else to serve the mission the Lord prepared for me.  I do remember though a year ago thinking the day would never come and now here it is. Time truly has flown and I am just living in complete gratitude at this time in my mission. Gratitude that any of this mission even happened because each moment I have been able to be apart of the Lord's work in some way and what joy that brings to my heart. 

The last two days spent with Sister Matamata were crazy as we bounced from member to member just eating ourselves away! We visited so many members and in the process were a part of a little bus accident! The driving in Korea is a little crazy but all was well just a fender bender but it was funny! I have to say though that the training experience was something I will never forget! I truly learned so much. It was the perfect opportunity for me to learn to become more like my Savior and in the end I truly did. I remember when I received the call to be trainer I looked up in the white handbook under leadership and remember reading that a leadership calling is the opportunity to develop greater love, serve others, and learn. That is the perfect description of the last 12 weeks and I look back in gratitude seeing the Savior influencing me for the better each and everyday.  I know that the Lord was truly teaching me this whole time and He put me in a situation to grow which was exactly what I needed. He saw that I was ready to grow more in ways that I didn't know I could and made it happen. 

Wednesday was the start of the new transfer! I had to say good bye to all the sisters that were in the MTC with me when I first arrived which meant Sister Hunter, my companion in 금천. I can't even describe the heart break I felt by saying good bye to her. It was the worst. As we talked she told me that as she looks back at her mission one of her fondest memories was us walking the streets of 금천and I couldn't agree more! What did we do during that time, not really sure, we were both super young missionaries but we just went forth joyfully and with the right intent in our hearts. 

The Lord truly has blessed me and taken such great care of me. My new companion 황지원 or Sister Hwang is a tender mercy for not only me but also the area of 곡반정. She is originally from Seoul and has been in the mission for 2 transfers now. She was born into the church and is just so humble, sweet, focused and ready to work. Her parents both served missions in Busan and are converts to the church. She doesn't speak much English but she understands everything! But we just speak Korean to each other which is so great for me as I can continue to develop this language! I am so glad to be serving with her at this time and I am so glad that President Morrise received the revelation to send her here to this area because I can just see that 곡반정 is in need of her and us as a companionship! We are ready to go and work hard to the end! I told her the other day that she needs to work me to death! She laughed because in the mission world when you go home all the missionaries just say that you died so she seriously is going to work me to death.  

Our first full day together was great! We went about visiting members and delivering invitations to our Stake Conference! We didn't have much luck with catching members home but we walked and walked in the heat and by the end we were exhausted.  Then Friday we had our first lessons together which we were both so nervous for because one was with an American and the other was with a Korean. So I was nervous for both and Sister Hwang was nervous for the American one because it was English speaking.

 We met the American, Brandi a week ago and were able to make an appointment with her. She is from Wisconsin but has been living in Korea for 5 years teaching English. The weirdest thing was teaching a missionary lesson in English to an american. My whole mission I have yet to give a lesson in English and can I just say how grateful I am to be speaking Korean. It was hard because I wasn't limited. In Korean my only choice is to teach simply. At the end of the lesson I turned Sister Hwang and just asked her how she is able to teach in her native tongue? She said it's hard and now I totally understand. But the Lord guided our lessons and we will be meeting with Brandi again next Friday. 

Then our lesson with 김지헤 who I have been meeting with for a long time was just perfect. I have never had such spirit-filled lesson! Sister Hwang and I were just very united and we were able to answer a lot of her questions about the Book of Mormon, missionary work and why we chose to come on a mission. Then near the end she asked us how she could be a missionary too! It was the best question ever! We were just able to testify and invite her to get closer to Christ. We walked away from that lesson filled with so much joy and hope. Sister Hwang is an amazing teacher, because as I spoke she filled in the gaps and then our testimonies just blended! We will be meeting with 김지헤this week on Wednesday with a member and Sister Morrise will actually be with us too so that's going to be fun! Things are continually looking up as we go forth faithfully fulfilling our purpose. 

Crazy thing on Sunday though! So as we were going about visiting Less Actives that day I ran into a girl that I met on the bus 3 weeks ago! I was riding the bus and then felt a tap on my shoulder turned around and I was just shocked to see a familiar face! She said that she had tried calling us but then come to find out she had typed in the wrong number so she got the right number and we are actually meeting with her tonight! It was just cool so see the Lord put her back in our path. 

Anyways time is running short I have so much more to say but have to go! I love you all and miss you all! I am so grateful to be a missionary and to be serving here in Korea! I love this gospel and all the joy it has brought into my life! I love my Savior and am so grateful to know that I can have Him by my side everyday with every step I take! Hope you all have a great week! Remember that each experience you go through is an opportunity to become more like Christ! 

Love, 

Sister Ciarra Jean Driscoll 

Letter - 5/10/15

Dear Family and Friends, 

HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY! Yes about 2 hours ago I had the grand opportunity to skype my wonderful family! It was all I could ask for! It was also weird to think that next month I will be seeing them! Time sure has flown! I just want to start off by thanking all the wonderful women in my life! There are way too many in order to name off every one but you know who you are! Thank you for your wonderful examples and for truly teaching me how to walk uprightly before the Lord and keep His commandments faithfully! I have been made into the woman I am today through each of you and am full of gratitude. I have been so blessed all my life to be influenced by so many righteous examples! I will never be able to give enough thanks to my Father in Heaven!

This week was the last week Sister Matamata and I had together because we received transfer calls this week and she will be moving to a new area. Training truly has been an experience never to forget but the greatest opportunity for me to learn to develop greater love and learn to serve others more valiantly. Never with all my companions have I learned this lesson so much greater! I truly learned that you serve those you love but you also grow to love those you serve. These last 12 weeks Sister Matamata and I have rejoiced together, hurt together, laughed together, and cried together. It was an adventure that I am pleased to say I was able to walk with the Lord on my side. It wasn't easy but looking back now I see that it was all worth it only to make me a little better and more like my Savior, Jesus Christ. Watching her grow has been the most humbling experience. I could not be more proud of all the work she has put in during her training. She has progressed so much and become a wonderful missionary and will only continue to be better. I am grateful to the Lord for allowing me to help her start her foundation as a missionary. I knew it was an important role when I was called as a trainer and I can only hope I accomplished for her what the Lord had planned. We have definitely built each other up and supported each other through thick and thin. 

I will receive my new companion on Wednesday! Her name is Sister 황지원. Yep so she is Korean and I am so excited! I have met her a couple times and she is just ready to be happy and work hard! We will just continue moving forward in this wonderful area of 곡반정 and seek and do as the Lord has planned. He has suffered so much in this area to help it become what it is today and so I am just honored to be able to assist Him in His work. The Lord's work will only continue to go forward so we will not back down! 

This last week was great we visited a lot of members! Sister Matatmata and I have been on this marathon of buying all these pretty flowers that are cheap for the Relief Society to just express our thanks and gratitude to them. The Relief Society in the ward truly are just amazing and I think that has been one of my favorite parts of being a missionary! Learning and growing through the examples of the women here in Korea. Hearing their testimonies, most of them are first generation members, is the most spiritual and uplifting experience for me. I am continually grateful that the Lord has helped me enough so that I can understand their testimonies and be strengthened by them.

Speaking of understanding through the spirit. This Saturday we had a Family History Meeting where all the youth of the stake got together and listened to Elder Anderson's challenge for the Youth to prepare as many names for the temple and help someone else do the same.  Well during it I couldn't understand everything because the translation went over Elder Anderson's speaking but one part I knew that he was sharing an experience from a girl who had found her grandparents throughfamilysearch.org. Like I said I couldn't understand every word but the Spirit I felt in my heart was indescribable and only seemed to plant a desire in my heart to also do family history work when I get home. That is what the Spirit does. It touches us and then plants a desire in our hearts to do something better. As the Spirit does that you then know that it is of God and influenced by His Son Jesus Christ! I just found it so amazing how we can truly feel the Spirit of God when we don't understand what completely is going on! The Spirit of God truly has no boundaries. 

Saturday night we also had the wonderful opportunity to meet with 김영숙 and 이근배 who are our recent converts from December. Meeting with them truly is just the highlight of my week. 김영숙 is just the most generous and loving person I know. I can't help but only feel love for her and from her everytime I am around her. And that love truly is Christ working inside of her and it is humbling to see. As we met with her she was expressing some of her struggles because since her husbands stroke it has just been hard because he has changed so much but as she spoke she continued to talk about turning to God in gratitude because that was what was talked about in church last week. She said that gratitude and turning to God has helped her through this hard time and all I could think is YES she is exactly right! Gratitude is all we need in our hearts to get through even the hardest times which reminds me of lady that I met while traveling on the subway. I sat next to this sweet lady who was just glowing. I said hello and she cheerfully talked back. I told her that she looked really happy and she said yes. I asked her why and she said because of all my blessings and I am just so grateful. I learned through that woman's example that it is truly impossible to be unhappy if you only remember the simple blessings of each day. I know that to be true because I have tried it! I have lived in gratitude and all I could feel was happiness and I will continue to live in a spirit of gratitude so that happiness will never leave my heart. 

Thank you for all of your love and support though! I love and miss you all but time is flying and next thing you know  I will be back in good old Idaho! But as for now I just want you all to know that I love this work! I love serving in  Korea! I could not imagine serving anywhere else! I love the Korean people! I love this gospel and I love my Savior and Heavenly Father! Remember I may have already said this but Live in a Heart of gratitude and all you will find is true happiness! 

Love, 

드리스콜자매

Sister Ciarra Jean Driscoll 

Letter - 5/4/15

Dear Family and Friends, 

Well I don't know what to say exactly right now but I only have 2 months left! That fact hit me the other day as I turned my calendar over to May. How is it possible? That is what I have been asking myself almost all week. But as I think about it my heart is overwhelmed in gratitude to my Savior, Heavenly Father, family, friends, the Korean people, missionary friends and everyone that I have met while serving this mission. I know that this mission is the mission the Lord planned for me. 

Today as I was studying I was seeking just for some comfort to know that the course I have taken while serving my mission has been according to the Lord's will and I found this verse in 3 Nephi 27:30 "And now, behold, my joy is great, even unto fulness, because of you..." Reading those words immediately brought the spirit into my heart and I know that the Lord is smiling down on me because He is an Optimist. God is cheering each of us on as we battle this life. He sees who we are and who we are trying to become. He has commanded us to become as He is which sounds unreachable because He is perfect. But when the Lord gives a commandment He always provides the way and we can achieve that goal of perfection through the atonement of Jesus Christ. He is rejoicing over us as we strive to be better each day and that's what matters to Him. GOD IS AN OPTIMIST! So smile be happy and keep trying with the Savior at your side!   

This week was kind of hard as our appointments cancelled and our investigators stopped progressing. During this time I couldn't help but wonder if I was doing something wrong. If the cancellations and non progression was happening because of me but I was reminded that everyone has their agency and my only responsibility is to continue to help these people make the choice to step a little closer to Christ even if it is as simple as looking and seeing the light that I am trying to share as I walk smiling down the street. I know that no effort is wasted and the Lord has a greater plan. I know He uses each thing that I do to help progress His work.  

 I don't know exactly what is going on in the work here in 곡반정 right now but it is turning a little upside down.  All I can do right now is have trust in the Lord because I know He truly does have it under control. During this time I thought of a quote that Tyler shared with me "Try not to resist the changes that come, let life live through you and do not worry that your life is turning upside down. How do you know that the side you are used to is better than the one to come?"  The Lord has a better plan always and He will reveal it to me day by day. I am praying and seeking the Lord's will and I know it will come. This is His work and it will never cease. It is in His hands and through continually taking the steps of faith forward the Lord will only continue to provide the way even if I can't see the big picture. 

What's important is to take things one day at a time because I have figured out that is all I can handle. I have truly been pushing through with the strength I needed for each day individually! Not the strength for 1 month but simply turning to God and telling Him what I need that day and what I will do to receive that need. Faith to endure to the end must first be built on Faith in the Savior to endure today! I found that faith often is praying with action in mind. I know that as we pray with the action in mind that answers to our prayers come because we seek them and we make them happen. I have a strong testimony of that as I went on exchange this week with Sister Bagley who was in the MTC with me and I just expressed to her my thoughts and how I just needed peace. She told me what she does when she feels she needs something and she gives herself a commitment after telling the Lord the blessings she is seeking for. I tried it. I woke up Tuesday morning asking the Lord just for peace in my heart and I told Him what I was going to do to receive that peace. Do you want to know what happened the rest of that day? I received that peace all day long and continued receiving it throughout this week through my studies and temple attendance. I know God answers our prayers and sends us the assurance we need to continue pressing forward.

Lately Sister Matamata and I have been writing notes and delivering flowers to certain member just because. We didn't really have a reason but one specific member came up to us on Sunday gave us the biggest hug and just cried. We visited her house Friday night and dropped off a note just thanking her for her testimony and love. Well on Sunday she told us the note we left her brought tears to her eyes and was exactly what she needed. It was so rewarding to see the Lord use us as His instruments to help one of His children be reminded of His love for her. Often, like I said I don't know why we visit certain people at certain times or see or talk to certain people but I do find out in the end that it is merely the Lord working through me to deliver His love to His children. It is the best feeling ever to receive and I know that He causes everything to happen for a reason. He is aware of His children and send His children to each other to support, strengthen, reassure, and remind each other of His love for them. I know this to be true as I have received so many answers to my prayers this week through others, my companion, members, the scriptures, the prophets, friends, and all of the above. He answered and I am a witness of that. 

Thank you to each of you for your love and for the counsel you give me each week! You have all answered my prayers in numerous ways just by being yourselves. I love and miss each of you! I know that this experience is the foundation for the rest of my life and it give me so much peace to see the things I have learned that will help me forever. I know that God is our loving Heavenly Father. I know that His Son Jesus Christ is my Savior and Redeemer. I know that They called Joseph Smith as a prophet to restore the fulness of Christ's gospel. I know that through the Restored Gospel of Jesus Christ we can go through the challenges of life with hope and return to our Heavenly Father and live with Him again. I know this message to be true. I love this work. I love being a missionary. I love representing my Savior and becoming like Him more each day! I love each of you and Remember God is an Optimist! 

Love,

Sister Ciarra Jean Driscoll  

Letter - 4/26/15

Family and Friends, 

First off HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO MY DEAREST LITTLE SISTER, who is not so little anymore! Hailey I hope you had a wonderful birthday! I just want you to know how much I love you and how proud I am of you! You have truly grown into a beautiful young woman. I still remember when we were little and we would play dolls, horses, dress-up and pretty much anything that we could think of! Thanks for being my play buddy and singing in the car with me! You have taught me so much and I truly admire your willingness to try new things and just be YOU! I LOVE YOU! 

This week was just a wonderful week! Last Monday for p-day we made our way to my last area 금천to meet with Sister Lyman, Sister Hunter and my most favorite person on the entire planet 황미주! If you don't remember she is the member Sister Hunter and I would do practice lessons with weekly and she helped us progress so much! She is like family and seeing her was the highlight of my week. The minute we exited the subway station I saw 황미주, ran to her, gave her a hug and we just cried together! That moment was the time that I have felt the most purest love run through my body. That entire day all I could do was thank the Lord for this missionary opportunity because just that relationship I have gained with her has made every moment worth it. She is planning on taking my family to Seoul when they come and pick me up so mom, dad and Hailey be prepared to meet a new member of the family:) She is the coolest ever! As I spent that day with her she was telling me of a hard time she had maybe 2 months ago. She was overwhelmed with work and hadn't had any time for herself for like a month and it was really hard. One morning she said that she got up and prayed to Heavenly Father expressing the feelings of her heart and then just hoping to find peace for that day. Well that day she ended up meeting with Sister Stout who gave her a letter from Sister Hunter and then the next day she woke up looked in the mail and found a letter from me. She said that Heavenly Father answered her prayers through us and that we have been her angels ever since we were together in 금천. It was a testimony strengthener for her and listening to her tell the story strengthened my testimony that Heavenly Father truly is aware of us at all times, answers our prayers and sends people into our lives only to bless and strengthen us. 

As I reflected on the love I felt that day we went and had Zone Conference the next day. It was amazing and I truly received so much comfort and assurance through the amazing training I received from the leaders in my mission. Our Zone leaders gave tips on how to study Korean and pretty much what it came down to was that learning Korean is not about us and that Korean is just a tool. As they trained I found myself asking these questions "Why do I speak Korean? Why do I study it? Why do I continue to try? Why have I studied my brains out, cried, and hurt over Korean?" As I answered those questions honestly in my heart it all came down to love. Love for the people, love for my Savior, love for this gospel and love for my Heavenly Father. I have no plans after my mission to study Korean and in Idaho the Korean population is very low but because of the love that I have developed for these people I will continue to try and communicate with them in their own tongue and remind them of the love their Father in Heaven has for them. I found so much comfort knowing this and that my heart has been in the right place as I have sought to serve these people and bring them to the knowledge of God's love. I know that the love is what paves the way and if that is all we can do then it is always enough. After all the greatest commandment that Lord has given us is to LOVE. 

After that conference I just wanted to continue to show my love to my Lord through my actions. While doing so Sister Matamata and I were led to a lady name Angela, or 차기숙. About 3 weeks ago we ran in to this lady who was super nice gave us the warmest hello as we walked our way to an appointment. The lady and us were both in a hurry so all we could do was exchange hellos. About a week later we saw her again and it was the same situation. We tried to stop and talk to her but she had to go. Well just this last Friday as we were walking home for dinner this same lady happened to cross our path again and this time we both had time! She recognized us first and said "Wow this is the 3rd time we have met in this same exact spot!" Coincidence?! I think not. As we explained who we were and what we are doing in Korea well come to find out that Angela went to America and visited not only Yellowstone but had the entire tour of Temple Square! She said that missionaries like us showed her around! She immediately invited us over for dinner next week and we will be meeting with her on Tuesday! I know that Heavenly Father put her in our path not just once but 3 times for a reason and now is the time for Him to use us as His instruments to help His Child return back to Him. I have a strong testimony that everything happens for a reason and no matter what happens it is all part of God's perfect plan. 

Doing missionary work in Korea truly has been the best experience I could have ever asked for. I have learned to truly wait on the Lord's time table. I got a letter from 황미주 this week as I had expressed to her some of my feelings on our investigators that aren't progressing. She gave me a comparison with different flowers and how each flower is different and they all bloom in their own time no matter how well you take care of them and give them the exact amount of water, sunlight, and soil that they need. We just cannot get down on ourselves because if they don't bloom after doing all that you can it is not a reflection of you not taking care of them or giving them what they need. It's all on the Lord's timing as well as theirs. All we can do is our best and I know that as we do so the Lord will make up the rest. 

I truly have been so blessed by the lessons I have learned each day on my mission and I know they will continue to strengthen me for the rest of my life. Thank you for allowing me to share my journey with each of you! Thank you for your prayers and love. I love being a missionary. I love serving my Savior and representing Him amongst His children in Korea. I know with all my heart that the Lord accepts our efforts no matter how big or small. He is always smiling down on us as He sees us where we are and where we desire to be. He knows our hearts, He knows my heart. How grateful I am for this knowledge because after all the only opinion that matter is His. He is the person I strive to please each day through my actions. I am here to please my Father in Heaven and live my life for Him. Remember every flower blooms in its own time! 

Love, 

드리스콜자매

Sister Ciarra Jean Driscoll 

Letter - 4/20/15

Family and Friends, 

Well the last few days it has been raining non-stop! Sister Matamata and I have gone through our own fair share of umbrellas with the combination of wind and downpours! I think in the last week Sister Matamata destroyed three and ended up having to buy 4! Poor girl! Umbrellas haven't been our friends but we do what we can but when our umbrellas do break it gives us a great opportunity to talk to the beautiful Korean people because they fill bad for us and let us stand under their umbrellas with them. So I guess we could say the rainy weather is a blessing and a great way to share the gospel! 

This week was busy with lots of different appointments and adventures in our area of 곡반정. We had an interesting experience while we went talking to people at a specific park in our area. We were talking to this sweet old lady and her grandchildren just having a nice conversation when another older lady came up to us and started yelling at us calling us a cult and that we shouldn't be involved with such a religion. I was shocked and didn't know what to do. I at first was so sad that someone would say that out in public and just thought how did the Savior take on such persecution. Then I was afraid for the people we were actually speaking with because the grandchildren I could tell were afraid. We remained talking to the grandma and grandchildren and ended up finishing the conversation okay before we needed to go. As we left Sister Matamata wanted so badly to talk to that lady who called us a cult and understand why she thought that. I personally did not want to because I felt that she wouldn't want to listen to what we had to say and through experience on my mission I have found those type of situations to do me no good but regardless I let Sister Matamata go. Well we went together. WE walked toward where the lady was and she was actually talking to another group of people so Sister Matamata decided to walk by and play with a little boy and his grandmother. It turned out to be a tender mercy we didn't talk to the lady who called us a cult but we had a wonderful conversation with the mother of the little boy named Lou Lou who later came by. We exchanged numbers and will be meeting with her this week. It was a humbling experience for me and immediately after I turned to Sister Matamata and thanked her for wanting to talk to that lady because if she wouldn't have wanted to we would have never spoken to Lou Lou. The Lord truly is humbling me everyday and showing me the mysterious ways that He works. 

I continue learning so much as a missionary and I know that it will never stop as I continually humble myself before the Lord each day and allow Him to teach me. This week I studied a lot about service because a member asked me to teach her Sunday school class on Sunday and it was on service. I thought about the Savior who of course is our perfect example of service and just thought how amazing He is to truly have lived His life for us out of complete service and the least I could do is the same by living my life for Him. I received this email from a return missionary that just explains perfectly what I mean by living my life for the Savior. 

"John 15:13  Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.

I always thought of this scripture as Christ telling us that He loves us with the greatest amount of love that is possible -- because He suffered and died for our sins, our peace, our weakness, and all of the times we would need comfort from Him.

But this morning as I was driving to church this scripture popped into my head and I realized that not only did Christ lay down his life for us when He died for us, but He lived every day for us. Showing us the example of how to treat others, how to withstand temptation, how to develop a relationship with our Father in Heaven. Everything He did during His life, for 33 years, was for us. Not just the last few days.

This realization changed my perspective again and reminded me to be living every day for the Savior. That is one of the ways that I can show my love for Him -- by laying down my life, my selfish desires, bad habits, etc., and devoting each day more to the Savior.

I'm super grateful for the Holy Ghost and the knowledge that we have of the gospel -- and I'm grateful that the Lord is compassionate with us in our weakness, and that He is content with us making progress and steps in the right direction" 

Through service I know that we truly find our own happiness. Through experience I know this too be true. These last two transfers I have learned to love and serve more than ever. I have learned that you serve those you love and it's easy to do that but when it's hard to love someone I have found that through service you grow to love them. We truly grow to love those that we serve more than we could ever imagine regardless of the differences. Nothing stops us from loving them and as we truly and sincerely serve them. How grateful I am for the Savior's example of selfless and loving service toward me. I know that as each of us commit daily to be a little better for our Savior we will find ourselves right where He wants us to be. As we live our life for Him we will find that happiness because it will be selfless because we are living for Him, not for us. Teaching this lesson was really fun and everyone agreed with President Uchtdorf's comment "As we lose ourselves in the service of others we find our own lives and our own happiness."

Anyways time is running short on email as well as the mission! Thank you for your countless prayers, letters, love and service in my behalf. Still loving with all my heart the opportunity that I have been given to serve my God and Savior and I know it will never end. This calling as a full-time a missionary is also a calling as a life long missionary. I know this gospel is true and it teaches the way of Christ. I know the Jesus is the Christ and He is my Savior. I know that Heavenly Father loves each of us and know each of us personally. I love being a missionary and watching the Korean people come to know these things for themselves. What joy it brings to my heart. LOVE YOU AND MISS YOU ALL! Remember "when ye are in the service of your fellow beings ye are only in the service of your God!"

Love, 

드리스콜자매

Sister Ciarra Jean Driscoll