Week 28 - Wow !!

Things seem to be going great there. Also I guess I confused you in my last letter. So, I haven't transferred yet, that happens after General Conference on the 12th or 11th so I still have Elder Gardiner. But, the Bishop has already found the new home. I'm not sure when I will be changed though. It also means that I run everyday. Wow !!  I'm so out of shape. Some days I feel like I will die, but it is fun.

So before I go any further I wanted to say hi to Matt or Elder Weyland. Hello! Also sorry to Sister Fay. I've been waiting for her letter to arrive but nothing. Tell her thank you though and also the Carters. Wow getting their letter today was great. I was surprised when I got it. I thought it would have been hers. Oh well. I got lazy with my writing. It’s hard though. I haven't had a good Pday though. What I mean is that on pdays I have  been traveling to  too many different places. Not much time at home. Which is fine with me since it is soo small.

So miracles this week?... Well the best thing I can remember is this one contact on the street. We were on our way to meet 夢彌賅 for the last time. We got there early so we decided to jundo around the area. The last contact we began talking to was some student that was on his way to class. It wasn't anything special until the phone rang. It was the other Elders who took our friends away. 六六六 just joking about them taking them away. Any way he left me to finish up. So in my confusion I just started saying who knows what. And after some time my companion comes back and asked him if he had any interest in our message. To our surprise, he said that he had a lot and we are hopefully meeting in the future. He has tests all this week so time doesn't exist. However we have his phone number. I like the contact. Well other than that not much is happening. We have a weird 30/30 program class of 13yr old kids. They don't pay that much attention to the lesson but I hope they will accept it in the future when they are older. Well Korea has been nice. It’s perfect weather. A little cool in the morning but not too much. And the leaves are changing colors. We went to the temple today so that is why I didn't write yesterday. That will change though. Now we are suppose to email on the Monday before temple. So that will be nice. Well I can't write you this week, but I promise to write you next week.

Love you and miss you bye.

Week 27 - New Mission Home

I had to leave for a second so it cut off. back now-

Well I don't have that much time to write you since it’s almost the end of PDay. So this week we had two golden investigators who would have gotten baptized but, at the last moment they decided that it would be better if they went to a different areas church, which is closer to them. I guess the biggest problem we have is reconstruction. The 가정 church building was in the middle of it and is being torn down. So we have to go to a different area to attend church. It is thirty minutes away from the old church. Also it is in the opposite direction of 박윤모 and 박시온, so now they live about an hour away from church. Oh, the other church is just twenty minutes away from them. So we 소개'ed them to the other Elders today. Sad... well I know that they will be baptized. Other than them we haven't had much of an effect on anyone else.  I guess there is this one 30/30 program lady named 손태영 (son tae young). But I don't understand what is really going on with her and my companion barely gets what is happening during the lessons. What happens with the 30/30 program is we teach english for thirty minutes and then the gospel. We go over to her home with the Bishop and teach her daughter english for an hour then we teach her for an hour. Our Bishop says it will help her like us more, but I think that it does nothing but make are meeting the Hour/Hour program. Well, it always starts out good with us teaching the lesson that we planned, then the Bishop takes over and throws out his thoughts for ten or twenty minutes. So I'm lost. I don't think he has any confidence in the missionaries.  He has said many times that he doesn't get why President puts two American Elders together. Well things are going good here.  The members are better. They are friendly and give us things often. Yesterday we received apples, bread and toothpaste. Oh, the next big thing that is happening here...they are getting a new Mission Home.  So I may have to pack all my things again and move to a new place in 가정.  It was the weirdest thing, the bishop called and asked if we could meet. We were only contacting at the time so, we agreed to.  It was then when we found out that he called us to help him find the new home. It took a lot of time driving from place to place. I guess they want to make this a four man area just like 금천.  My companion said that he can't wait for it. I have a feeling that he won't stay long enough to see it change. He's been here for Three transfer’s and that is a long time for someone to be in an area. He thinks that because I will pass-off here that I will be moved to another area because that is what always happens.  I’m a little worried that I won't pass-off this transfer. I can't seem to remember any of the vocab for the fourth lesson. This is almost the end too.   The last tests are just big reviews to make sure you are ready to go senior. Well that is what the past few days have been. The only other thing I can remember is that I meet a lot of foreigners this week. People from Egypt, Japan, Beguile or something, and the Philippines’.   Wow time seems to be flying by and I don't know where it is going. I miss you a lot and everyone else. It seems that this was not the best week for you. In fact it sounds horrible. That Evil dog !!  Well this is one thing good, I love it here and  what I’m doing is great. Oh, when I got to this place and a little before I found a few things. Vitamin C, and multivitamins, and I received toothpaste of the Crest variety. The only thing that I think I will need help with, is deodorant.   It seems that Koreans don't use it, and we haven't had a real nice shopping day to find it. I love you and miss you and "Stephen too". Tell every one I love them and that this is the last time I will write to them without receiving an email. Next week I hopefully will stop being lazy and draw you a comic. Love you so much. .

 -Love Elder Westarp (micah)

Cartoon Aug #1, 2 & #3

Micah sent me these last month but I never got them on.  Please don't miss out on reading his latest email posted earlier.

 

Week 24 - New Area, New Companion

Things have finally settled down now. However I'm not in 금천 anymore. Last Wednesday  I moved to 가정.  It was sad.  I stayed in one of the nicest missionary home for only one day then moved to the smallest home there is.  I have a new companion, his name is Elder Gardiner. He is from Mesa, Arizona. He also was in cross country, however, it is easier to run with him than it was with my last companion. So everyday, except for Sunday, we've ran around our area. I like it here more, since we meet more people and we have investigators. So far I've only meet one and it will probably be awhile until I meet another investigator. There is a big holiday that is coming up. I can't remember what it is, but, it's kind of like Thanksgiving only it is a bigger deal here. It lasts for three days and families do things together. Oh I think it is called Chu Suk, or something like that, it means "Bountiful Abundance."  A lot of people here are going to travel to Seoul. So we will see how things go. I hate the computer I’m at. I can hardly write to you. So the lesson to the investigator was good. He understands english and can speak it very well.  He likes to practice so I guess he's been taught mainly in english. Sad though,  I didn't get to practice my Korean. I feel like I’m falling behind when it comes to speaking the language.  Anyway, he is a nice guy and he loves the Book of Mormon. He  has read a lot of it but is having a hard time understanding that there is more than just a story. We tried to give an example. Lehi's vision of the tree of life. It was a mess. He took it well but I think he has more questions that he did not understand. We taught him that if he would pray,  he could understand the scriptures better and feel the holy ghost. He told us that he would try to pray before he read and that he would pray daily. Next, we asked about going to church. Ahh, it turns out that the government is making a new train station in our area. However, to do that they needed land. Which our church building happens to be in the path of, along with many homes and stores. So, now to teach a lesson we need to go to the investigators  home or a member's house. We taught, 박윤모 at his home, so it was a nice place for a lesson. Oh about church, there is another one about twenty-five minutes away by car from our home but he lives about 30 minutes away from us so it is a long drive for him.There is another church building about twenty minutes away form his home in the opposite direction. So he said he would go to that church building. We haven't talked to him yet, to see if he went or not. Well, we will see if he did, today when we call him. Sorry for such a short letter today. I’m overwhelmed with so much change. But I think I'll like it here. The members are awesome and there is a lot of investigators. It seems that a lot of the members here know english and can help me with my Korean. Well I have to go now sorry. I love you so much. Bye

I hope to be more prepared next time.  I haven't written in my journal lately, so I don't remember what happened this week. Love you mom bye.

Ps ...Sorry for such a short letter. I understand better how you feel now or before. It stinks. Ahh, I can't think clearly, but it's great here. I’m excited since I finally passed the midway test.  Ahh, it sounds like some sort of school thing. So, now I’m working on the third lesson. I'm not worried about it, but the fourth lesson is the hardest. I’m not excited for that. I hope that I can pass off during this transfer so I don't have to worry about it any more. There are still four more tests I need to do in order to be done. Pray for me that I can have confidence in that. Well it’s nice to know that the house is coming along and has passed the inspection. I’m happy for you, I really hope that thing slow down here so that there is less to worry about. I  love you and everybody else     bye.

Hi Rhylie,

 I love you little sister. You'll do great in tennis. I believe in you & I love you. I hope that school is going well and... your job. When were you going to tell me? love you Sis.