Letter - 7/28/24

Family and Friends,

Well like I have said literally every week the time is flying!!! I can't even believe I have begun my 5th transfer. My new area is great!! I moved from a 4 sister house to another 4 sister house! It is such a party to be living with 3 other sisters. The house I moved to though is so small compared to my last house and so is the area. 금천 is just a little area with a little house but lots of fun. My companion Sister Hunter is just amazing. She is just a transfer ahead of me so we are enjoying figuring out this mission life and Korean together. We walk everywhere because the area is so small that there is no need to take public transportation. I love it, always being outside and here in 금천 it is about as country side as you can get in Korea which is you look outside and can see the hills covered in huge apartments but it is so nice because I can actually see nature!! I just continue to love this life that I am living and am truly realizing that the Lord knows exactly what is best for me, and the people here, well I need them. I need them for my growth and progression just like I needed the people in my last area. In fact last Monday I had a dinner with a member from my first area and her daughter. Her daughter has changed my life and was my Best Friend in 화곡. Well when it came time to say goodbye we just hugged each other and cried. It was so hard but as I was walking away I was truly humbled. When I first came on my mission I thought that the people of Korea needed me and the members needed me but I was so wrong I need them!  I need the people of Korea for my growth and my progression in becoming who God wants me to become. Everyone who comes into our lives comes for a reason to make us better and help us reach that potential that God sees in us. I just cannot express how grateful I am to be serving these wonderful people. The little member her name is 오서현 she ended up showing up at our transfer spot where we said goodbye for the last time. It was so sweet of her to come and see me though. She called while I was travelling to the transfer spot asking where I was and she was there waiting for me. I exited the subway and all I could here was '저매님저매님!" We took one last photo together and hugged and cried together one last time.

Transferring was quite the adventure! Sister Hunter and I were dragging my two big suitcases through all sorts of stuff and the two other sisters Sister Lyman and Sister Hemmarl were doing the same. All the Koreans looked at us like we were crazy because of all the stuff that we had but it was an adventure. Living with these 3 sisters is a party! Sister Hemmarel is from Australia and Sister Lyman is a transfer behind me so we were in the MTC at the same time and we got really close so it's the best ever! I am so happy. The area like I said above is super small. I have been here for what 6 days and Sister Hunter said that I have pretty much seen all of it and almost walked every road! I can't even believe it but it’s true! The ward is super great and little. I am excited to be able to get to know all the members. I gave my little talk introducing myself to the ward yesterday and it was so fun to look out into the audience once again to unfamiliar faces but soon enough will become familiar and friends. I am just loving this missionary life that I am living and I cannot express enough gratitude to my Heavenly Father for guiding me to this decision and my family for all the support they have given me.

Sister Hunter and I had our first lesson together on Thursday with a new investigator 김미량. It went really well and she is just beautiful and sweet. She doesn't really believe in God but she said if she knew He existed she would believe. When she said that I thought of what is in True to The Faith under God Our Heavenly Father and it gives steps on coming closer to God. The first step is Prayer, then learning about Jesus Christ, reading the scriptures, following the prophet, service, and one other that I cannot remember but we taught her how to pray and committed her to pray. Sister Hunter and I have been praying for her that she will pray and be able to feel God's love. She has so much potential but it may be difficult because her parents are Buddhist but after we met with her we stopped at her dad's little bakery and made a really good relationship with him so I think he likes us. Let’s hope!

This week I finally finished most of the Isaiah chapters in 2 Nephi. All I have to say is those are so hard to understand but I got a little bit out of each one that I hadn't understood before. That is what is so beautiful about the Book of Mormon no matter how many times you have read it there is always more to understand about God's love for His children. I read 2 Nephi 26 the other day and it talked about Christ's goodness because of His love for the world. Everything Christ did was motivated by love. When I think about love I think about what is the greatest expression of love? Well Jesus Christ was the greatest expression of love from our Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ's sacrifice was His greatest expression of love for us and Heavenly Father. In Alma 7:11-12 it talks of Christ's sacrifice and all that he suffered in order to succor His people. Well I learned a couple months ago from Jefferey R. Holland that succor mean to run to. Christ sacrificed and loved us so much so now He can run to us unfailingly welcoming us into His loving arms. Love=Sacrifice. When you love someone you would sacrifice anything for them. When you show love you sacrifice. Everyday we show our love to our Heavenly Father by sacrificing our lives to be aligned with His will. I came on this mission and it was a sacrifice to show my love to my Father in Heaven who has blessed me beyond anyone could ever imagine and He continues to do so. I love my Father in Heaven and that is why I am here because I want to share that love and I want the people of Korea to feel of His love.

I am so grateful to be a missionary. It has changed my life and continues to change my nature. I am becoming a new person everyday and that is only possible because of the Savior's Atonement and Sacrifice. It is through Him that I can continue to change and become that person God wants me to become. I love each and everyone of you and thank you individually for your prayers, love and support. I want you all to know that I love the Korean people. I love this missionary work. It is an honor to be serving here in South Korea and I am so grateful. I know this gospel changes lives. I have seen it happen in the lives of others but most of all I have seen it change mine. I love you all! Have a great week! Stay Happy and Smiling because life is wonderful!

Love,
드리스콜자매
Sister Ciarra Jean Driscoll

Letter - 7/21/14

Family and Friends,

Well first I want to start of wishing my adorable niece Eden Margo, a happy birthday. HAPPY BIRTHDAY EDEN! Thank you for bringing so much joy to my life as well as my families. Stop growing up so fast. When I return home I won't even be able to recognize you! Love you and miss you everyday! Have the best 2nd Birthday EVER!

Second I want to say wow can you believe that just on July 19 last year I received my call to the Korea Seoul South mission and now I am here living the missionary life. I cannot believe how the time has gone. I can remember that day as clear as glass. Reading that I would be going to Korea was exciting but also scary. It's a long ways from home right?! Well, all I can say now is that I wouldn't trade this experience for anything. I have grown so much but I haven't grown alone. I have grown the last 8 months with the Savior by my side. I have learned where my true strength lies and that is with my Savior and Heavenly Father. I am so grateful for Their help, mercy, love, and support. How lucky are we to have such Supreme Beings that we can rely on everyday for the rest of our lives? I would say that we are pretty lucky! I am so grateful for Their love and the comfort They give me each and everyday.

Third, well I received a nice transfer call on Saturday and guess what!!!!(Drum Roll Please.) I will be transferring on Wednesday to an area called 금천 (Geumcheon). My new companion will be Sister Hunter who was in the MTC when I entered and so she is just one transfer ahead of me. We are pretty young so it will be an adventure. I also found out today the Sister Kang (My Trainer), her sister lives there so that’s exciting too! I don't know anything about the area or anything about transferring but I know that God is sending me the best place for me to learn and meet people that are needed for my growth as a person.

 I am so sad to leave my first area 화곡. I have made some special relationships there with the young women as well as the relief society members. Yesterday at church I had to give my last talk in Sacrament meeting. The minute I stood up at the pulpit and looked out to all the familiar faces that once were strangers I was overwhelmed with love for them and their love for me. As I spoke I told them how much I enjoyed my time here and the love they showed me. As I continued to speak and look at the members I could see tears running down some of their faces which then caused me to cry. If I learned anything from this ward it was all about love. Love for missionary work, love for the Savior, how to feel love, and how to show love. The Spirit in the sacrament meeting was so special. These people have touched my life and my love for them cannot be described. It is so hard to say good bye. My Korean Mom who saved me and took me to the doctor that one time gave me such a loving hug and said "I will see you next time." I immediately just wanted to break down but something about Koreans is that they are very strong people and don't show emotions a lot so I had to stay strong. I am feeling that the mission is going to be full of a lot of heartbreaks as I have to say good bye to many but through this experience I have made everlasting friendships.

This last week in 화곡 was super fun though. Sister Ward and I currently have a small teaching pool so this week we were booked with practice lessons with members. It was so fun to spend so much time with members. One member specifically we met with and her daughter is one who just left on her mission about a month ago to Washington. While we were teaching her she stopped us and said "The Gospel is simple. Keep it simple. Simple is fun!" She then told us if we don't understand what the investigator is saying introduce them to a member and just say "I am sorry I don't speak Korean well but here is someone who does." She just continued to say that Missionary work is easy! It's fun! I loved her enthusiasm and her little pep talk to help us. It made me realize that simple is the best way to go and it is okay if I don't understand everything that's why we have members and member lessons.

We also had a practice lesson with the Ward Mission Leader and his family along with dinner so it was a fun time. But the ward mission leader has a little boy who is 2 years old and His name is Eugene. The ward mission leader while we were eating told Sister Ward and I that Eugene said when he came home from work "Dad the Sister missionaries are here. I like the sister missionaries." Being told that made Sister Ward and I's day. It made us realize that there are so many people who look up to us just by being a missionary and made us realize the impact that we truly have and can have. I am so grateful to be a missionary! It is the best calling!

Also this week all the singing practice finally paid off. Saturday the missionaries and the primary put on a concert and it was just so fun. My favorite part was the last two songs that we the missionaries and the primary children sang together. We sang I am a Child of God and God Gave Us Families. It was the best and the Spirit was special as those two songs bore our simple testimonies for us.

Here is to a new adventure. I am so grateful for this opportunity I have to serve our Savior and Heavenly Father. I have come to realize that this opportunity is not given to everyone and it can be taken away very quickly as well that's why it is so important to take my dad's advice by living in the moment and enjoying each day paying attention to what is happening in the now. I love being a missionary. I love serving the Korean people. I love the Korean People. I love them so much and am privileged to be helping them feel of God's love. Thank you to each of you who support, love and pray for me. I receive so much strength everyday because of you. I love you and miss you all! Have a great week and remember to always smile and look for the blessings of each day!

Love
드리스콜자매
Sister Ciarra Jean Driscoll

Letter - 7/14/14

Family and Friends,
    
Why hello once again from South Korea! Summer has come and so has the humidity along with these annoying bugs in the trees that buzz all day! I may go crazy but so far I have survived and pretty sure I am sweating out all the rice and water I put in my body everyday. I am sticky all the time but it adds a nice glimmer to my countenance right?! Life is just splendid though. This week Sister Ward and I were not quite as busy with lessons due to cancellations and due to the small teaching pool we have right now. It is so interesting how missionary work actually works. It is like a roller coaster and in all honesty I am not doing a lot of work. I am watching in awe as Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ work to bring to pass Their purpose. They are the ones in charge. They are the ones who know best. That is what I learned this week. I learned to trust in the Lord's timing and accept it. How did I learn this? Let me tell you!

Last Tuesday Sister Ward and I had a lesson with our fairly new investigator, 유성은, the one who I talked about last week who PRAYED on her own! Well we had a great english time where we talked about the weather and how it affects our lives. When we transferred over to our message we said our opening prayer. Sister Ward and I were so excited for this lesson as we were planning on giving her a soft baptismal commitment because her progress was just tremendous! When we closed the prayer we followed up with our commitment of the Book of Mormon reading. She said she read it and then immediately said "This message is not for me." I was stunned. I was devastated. I didn't know what to say. A curve ball came at us and it came hard. We only committed her to read the Introduction so I simply asked if there was anything weird that she didn't agree with in the introduction. She said no. I thought to myself then what is the problem? She just continued to say that she doesn't believe and she never has so she can't just suddenly start believing right now. Which totally made sense to Sister Ward and I which is where prayer and faith come in right? So we asked if she continued to pray this last week she said no because she doesn't believe so it would be just her talking to herself. She wants to continue to meet but she doesn't want anything to do with our message. I was in complete shock and all that I could think of to say is because of this message I have received numerous blessings. I have come to know God. I have come to believe in Him and so can you. She still wasn't accepting. I don't know what happened. A week ago she was praying, wanting to come to church and listening with an open heart but all of the sudden a complete turn around happened. I thought, "Did Sister Ward and I do something wrong?" But the more I thought about the situation and pondered on my purpose as a missionary and whose work this really is I realized that we didn't do anything wrong. We invited and we planted a seed of faith inside of her soul. We fulfilled our purpose. Heavenly Father just had another plan for her and for us at the moment. We just have to trust in His timing and His will as we continue to do our best in bringing her slowly to Him. With this experience I realized this truly is the Lord's work and all things will happen in His timing. He is the one in charge and things may not turn out the way I hoped but they turn out the best way for me and the way He wants it to be. I learned that Sister Ward and I didn't do anything wrong. We invited. We fulfilled our purpose and invited the girl who knew nothing about God to come to know Him and she tried!! That's what I love is that she tried and she prayed but right now it’s just time to strengthen her faith little by little. So that's my experience for the week!

As a part of the Korea Seoul South Mission I have the privilege of going to the temple every transfer! Can I just tell you how much I love the temple. It is truly home and truly the most peaceful place. It is the Lord's House and the love I feel inside the temple is truly undescribable.  Being at the temple is always a dream come true. It was a beautiful hot sunny day with the craziest purest blue sky I had ever seen! It was beautiful. The second I passed through with my recommend I was overcome with joy. The overwhelming peace, comfort, love and spirit I feel inside the temple is beyond undescribable. The temple workers here in the Seoul Temple just make my day. They make sure everything is perfect for not only the Lord but also us as missionaries. I love the temple and never want to leave. If I could stay there for the next 10 months and talk with Heavenly Father and ponder I would be thrilled but I know that I have plenty more work to do here in Korea. After the temple session all the missionaries met outside and I was quite the social butterfly. I was able to talk to the two newest Sister missionaries in the mission and one I actually had met at the big Sister Missionary Activity at temple square(Sister Holdaway) and the other one(Sister Parcells) well come to find out she grew up with my Beautiful Canadian Best Friend Krista Schmidt. I couldn't believe it! IT was so fun to talk to them. As I looked around at all the missionaries I was surrounded by I was in so much gratitude. I am so blessed to be surrounded by so many chosen people of the Lord. What amazing examples they are to me. I am growing lasting friendships and becoming a better person because of their influences in my life.

I have so much to share and so little time when it comes to emailing. I just want you all to know that I know this church is true. I know is changes and blesses lives. I know that we have a Heavenly Father who loves each of us and knows us personally. He loves us so much that He sent His Son, Jesus Christ to this earth so we could escape the chains of Satan and return to His presence in hope to become like Him. I know Jesus Christ lives. He suffered for all of our sorrows, pains, afflictions, worries, disappointments, He suffered it all. He has perfect empathy for each of us and as we turn to Him He will take the load and pull with us through this life's journey each step of the way. I know Christ's exact church has been restored to the earth today through the prophet Joseph Smith. I know Joseph Smith is a prophet of God and he translated the Book of Mormon through God's power and received His authority. I know the Book of Mormon is God's word, it is true. It has brought me closer to my Savior and my Heavenly Father as I read it everyday. I know God hears and answers our prayers that we express in our hearts, minds, and words. I am so grateful to be a missionary and to share this message to the people of Korea. There isn't a greater work then helping others find eternal happiness. Thank you to each of you for your prayers, support and love. I love you and miss you. Continue smiling and living life to the fullest. Recognize the blessings of each day and move forward in faith. I hope you all have a wonderful summer and week!!

Love,
드리스콜자매
Sister Ciarra Jean Driscoll