Week 32- My trainee!

Hello Dearest Family and Friends!

Well, this week was fantastic! I have a cute little trainee under my wing. I am grateful and humbled by this opportunity that the Lord has given me. Her name is Sister Kim Da Jin. Yes, she is korean! My first korean companion and she is my trainee. We are basically the same person. 🙂 It is awesome. We both want to work hard, we are clean, and best of all we want to serve the Lord with all our hearts. She is good at English but not at the same time. One thing that I am extra grateful for is all of sudden this week, I can understand most of everything that people say! The week before I still could catch a few things here and there but not all. The Lord has seriously blessed me. I know that as I continue to be humble the Lord will help increase my understanding. So, despite my cute little companion not having perfect english we are able to communicate just perfectly fine! We laughed about that exact thing the other day. We were talking about how for some reason we have been able to almost completly be able to understand each other despite not being very fluent in both english and korean. She understands a lot but can’t speak super well. Oh I love it! My Korean is really progressing. Such a blessing. She works so hard and wants to be the best. I love it. She is just solid and is a really good teacher! We work so well with each other. Now, I am not afraid to talk to anyone! I know that if there is something important that I need to understand the Lord will help me. Missionaries: DON’T BE AFRAID TO SPEAK! I used to be but as I have come to know more and more that as we speak we will be blessed!

My cute little trainee! ^^

 

My first two companions: Sister Benbrook and Sister Yokum. This was their last week.

This week was amazing. I kept being reminded that we need to be humble, meek and lowly of heart as we go about doing the work of the Lord. I know that I am trying but it is always a good reminder because we can’t be completely who Heavenly Father wants us to be if we are selfish, prideful and lack lowliness in our hearts. As we pray, read the scriptures, go to church, and do what Heavenly Father wants us to do we will be able to be humble, meek and lowly. I know what my purpose is and right now I am a missionary. I am helping others come unto Christ to feel the joy and healing power of the atonement by repenting, baptism, receiving the Holy Ghost and helping them endure to the end. One thing that I do know is that the Gospel heals wounds, and helps bring families together. It is all because of our Savior, Jesus Christ! I love him and know that he died for all of us that we may be able to be forgiven and live with our Heavenly Father again.

I love you all soooooooooooo much!

Love, Sister Orme

Week 31- Big Big News!

Hello Dearest Family and Friends-

Well, sorry I emailed late but we didn’t have time yesterday because we had alot of meetings for transfers. Sister Johnson and I got a call on thursday about the happenings for transfers. President Barrow called us. Sister Johnson is going to Tongyong, which is still in my zone! So super fun! I will still be able to see her. She only has two more transfers left! Wah! President Barrow also extended another calling to me. I am going to be a TRAINER!  He asked if I would accept it, of course I said yes, but in my mind I was saying “Wow! No! Not ready!”. I am deeply humbled and feel very privileged to accept this calling to train a brand new missionary. I am nervous because I am still really young in the mission and I don’t understand all of what people say still. Actually quite a good amount if they speak in a heavy accent. Which, because it is country, almost everyone does! So, I will be staying here in Miryang for at least two more transfers. Tomorrow we meet other new missionaries and thursday we find out who our new companion is. I feel very inadequate because I am still so young in the mission but I know that the Lord trusts me, otherwise he would not have called me to be a trainer. Anywho, we have been very busy cleaning and doing things for my trainee and getting Sister Johnson taken care of to move to Tongyong. I have decided that since the Lord trusts me, I don’t have to worry one bit. I decided I was not going to be scared and ever since I chose to not fear, I haven’t feared. The Lord is always ever mindful of us and knows who we are and what we are capable of. Even when we don’t think so. Trust in the Lord! He is always there for you! So, next week I will tell you this exciting news of what happens this week. My mind is still blown but I am slowly sinking everything in. ^^

I always say it, but I can never stop saying it. I LOVE MISSIONARY WORK! Miryang is booming with miracles and we have really good investigators who are willing and ready to listen, and follow the Lord. Of, course they have struggles but they are working on it. I feel like my new little, cute trainee will bring a lot of good things to Miryang. I know it! This last week we had 14 lessons and even 3 appointments were canceled! It is amazing what the Lord is helping us accomplish! I am constantly grateful for the Lord and how he helps us.

By the way, because there are so many Elders coming in, many people are white wash training! It is amazing. Sadly, 9 sisters left and there are only 6 coming in. I am excited for Sister Morrison to come in. I might not be able to train her group though, but maybe. Not sure. Maybe follow up train. We will see. 2 out of the 9 Sisters that left were my trainer and my follow up trainer, Sister Benbrook and Sister Yokum. 😦 I am very sad to see them go but now they are off to another mission. By the end of this year all of my companions will have left except for my trainee. It is sad. But all is good because I will get to see them again! ^^

Well, the Lord is the greatest and I love serving him. Have a great week this week and help hasten the Lord’s work by sharing the gospel to a friend! I LOVE YOU ALL!

Love, Sister Orme

Pictures (not attached)

1. Our awesome investigator! JonMinJeh. She met with the missionaries 4 years ago and she was an old record. We called her and just a month before she had come back from Seoul because she finished university. It was a blessing to find her. She is so ready and willing but needs to keep working on getting there. She is so close! ^^ I love her dearly and she has a great desire to change and grow.

2. Our District. All of the missionaries from Dogeh received a present from an investigator and it is a selfie extender pole thing. It is so fun! So that is why the photo is angled that way.

3. Elder Ralphs birthday. We surprised him with ice cream and then also planned a surprise party with the branch. They loved it and had never done one before. He loved it all!

Week 30- Mission Tour and Stake Conference

Hello Dearest Friends and Family-

Oh i just love missionary work! I love the Lord and his work. I am so grateful and deeply humbled by what the Lord does for us. I bear testimony that he knows us and knows what is best for us even when we feel like he doesn’t. I know He loves us more than we could ever know and he wants to bless us. ^^

This week was fantastic! Our numbers were low because of the holiday and for some reason many people canceled on us but I know there is always reason for it. Maybe it is to find other people or to learn somethign ourselves. This week we had mission tour. It was awesome! Elder Aoyagi and his wife came. They are in the presidency for the Asia North Mission area. Here are some highlights from him, his wife, president barrow and his wife as well.

-“Don’t allow your fears to get the better of you”

-Be where the Lord wants you to be, and be there at the right time

-I fear no man

-This work is the Lord’s work not man’s work

-Patterns of being a book of mormon missionary: 1. Do our best first 2. Ask God for help. 3. Act in faith, our efforts+ power of God = miracle ofGod

-When you look down on the place you are serving, do you see the field as white and ready to harvest? (I DO!)

– Match our hope and desire with the Lord’s

– Seek for the power of God patiently

-God is not looking for perfect missionaries but he is looking for our best.

-Do your best with what you have.

I really needed this conference. I was feeling really discouraged and downhearted. I knew it was Satan making me feel this way but I was feeling very inadequate. I just want to know korean so perfectly so that I can communicate perfectly. But that is not how things are going to happen. With patience and work we are able to do mighty things in the Lord’s hands. I know that through the Lord and by the Lord I can accomplish anything. I felt like I wasn’t being my best self because I am still not able to understand everything and say everything but that is a lie. I know that as long as I do my best the Lord sees my efforts and recognizes that I am trying to do my best. What matters the most to the Lord is not my results/numbers but it is my efforts and my heart that he sees. I know the Lord believes in me and trusts me. I am grateful that the Lord sees my efforts. He has comforted me a lot and I know he has helped me have a new fire and i have grown a lot this week.

We had exchanges and I was with a korean sister from my group that left the MTC. We were talking about having to learn korean and how hard it is. She of course is korean but she knows that it is hard. She told me as a matter of fact that I am being humbled by the Lord because of this. I am truly grateful for this opportunity because I know that I am being refined to my best self because of the Lord! I seriously cannot believe how much I am learning and I am so grateful! He is the best!

By the way, on the 18th this week marks my half way point!!!!! That is why I am having so much reflection on my progress, language, etc. I cannot beleive that I have been serving for almost 9 months now. It went by too fast and I know that it will just get faster from now on! Waah! I am scared because I know it will go so fast! But i also do know that this is not the stopping point, this is time to just keep going and keep on working harder and harder everyday. I am so grateful for missionary work!

I want to share with you Mathew 18:12-14. It talks about finding the lost sheep. During stake conference they emphasized a lot about member missionary work. Members are called and commanded to do missionary work. We are to help the lost sheep. They told the members to pray for the missionaries investigators to know how to help them and what they can do to help. It was also advised for them to pray for people they can introduce to the missionaries. I suggest you all do the same. The missionaries are working hard but members must work just as hard to hasten the work. We are all looking for the Lost sheep to bring back to the fold.

One cool thing that president Barrow mentioned was something that President Eyring told him when he called and told him about his assignment. He said ” The lord knows your heart, he knows the missionaries you will serve with, the elders are the most prepared of missionaries, and the sisters will be the most powerful force, they will be a powerful army for the Lord”. Whoa, what a statement. I do believe that our mission area is the best but i know that everywhere is like that. The missionaries now are powerful and are helping the work! I hope all of you young people will choose to go on a mission! The LORD NEEDS YOU! Everyone who is not young can still serve missions in your own area. We need member missionary work. Please help the missionaries in your area. Not only do they need your help but the Lord needs you today!

I LOVE YOU ALL!

Love, Sister Orme

Week 29- Banana Bread and Chuseok

Hello Dearest Friends and Family!

 

Sorry, I didn’t email yesterday! We had a huge pday with the mission because it was Chuseok, Korean Thanksgiving yesterday! It was a blast! We ran a 5k and played all kinds of sports, ate food and had fun together! It was the most thing ever! Super exhausting though! It was dreadfully hot but sooooooo fun!

 

So this last week usually is really hard to get appointments because of the holiday but we found out the secret! Banana bread. We are not above bribery if we are able to meet with our investigators. We told them that we had a treat for them and just wanted to give it to them. Score! We had a good amount of lessons this week considering the holiday coming up. It was the best! We were even able to meet with an investigator twice! So awesome. I love bribery. Well, at least if it involves banana bread. There is no such thing as banana bread here, so people LOVE IT!

 

Last pday. we like to share the gospel!

 

We got so much free food this week! It is the best! Even from people we have never met before! I love Koreans. They are so kind and giving. This one lady was selling stuff and just gave us a ton of her goods for free! We got free kim (dried seaweed, yum!), fruit, rice cakes, and all kinds of other stuff. We are good for years! ^^

 

Sorry I don’t have a lot of time because we have a second pday today but it is really short and it is for emailing and food shopping.

 

Tonight we have a food appointment with members for Chuseok. Yesterday was the real day but the holiday is a total of 3 days. I am excited and I know there is going to be some delicious food. Oh, i love korean food soooooooo much!

 

We had no seats on the way to and from Busan for pday yesterday.

 

This last week we had district meeting. Our topic was bearing testimony frequently from the pmg. I was assigned a 10-12 minute talk and then we had other talks and activities about bearing testimony. (by the way these meetings are all in korean!) the spirit was so powerful, not because of me but because of the whole meeting. I talked about bearing simple testimony. We have a sister who is being trained right now, 2 elders who are still learning korean and me and then some older missionaries who know the language more. I bore my testimony that regardless of where you are in the stage of your mission you still can bear your testimony with power. Sometimes the most simplest of testimonies are the most powerful ones. I loved it because it all gave us hope that no matter where we are in our lives as long as we bear testimony frequently and simply we can touch other people’s lives. First building your testimony comes from your desires, then you start learning about the gospel, then you are start understanding those principles and then you share it. As you do those steps your testimony is able to grow. When I first began my mission, I didn’t know a lot of Korean. But now I know more but I have seen throughout my mission that when I bear the most simplest of testimonies they have been the most powerful. I know that as you are start bearing your testimonies frequently, the truths of the gospel will become more and more instilled in your heart. So, go and share! Share with everyone! I know you can do it! you will recieve blessings from it.

 

I LOVE YOU TONS!!!!

 

love Sister Orme