Wow...Thank-you for the joy...

Wow! Hello my wonderful family that I got to hear from this past week! That was amazing. :) Thank you so much for the joy that gave me this Christmas!

 

This past week was a busy week! So many Christmas parties and BERTing (Building Eternal Relationships ...Time? Not sure about the T. Anyway it just means getting to know people rather than just teaching lessons) and just making good relationships with the people we serve with!

 

We weren't able to meet with most of the people we wanted to, but we were able to meet with Sister 이인순, our investigator in Deshin, and taught her about the Plan of Salvation. She didn't understand it fully, but she didn't dispute it so that's good right? She kind of just accepted what we were saying. She didn't want to pray because she felt she didn't know how, but I actually think that's good because that means she has noticed that we pray differently than she does.

 

Also, we had a miracle happen! An investigator that we couldn't get a hold of at all since I got here finally answered her phone! Apparently she had been grounded from the phone, so that's why she wasn't answering. And not only did she answer her phone, but she came to the Saturday youth activity with us! I was able to get to know her a little, and am so excited that she is back in contact with the missionaries!

 

So I'm pretty sure I gained like 5 pounds this past week from all the food we ate. SO MUCH. I love Christmas! haha. Though it actually feels like Christmas was forever ago, rather than just four days. And this week is yet another holiday! So may I just say HAPPY NEW YEARS!

 

I have a few interesting facts having to do with this holiday. First, this is pretty much everyone's birthday, because rather than get a year older on their actualy birthdate, they do it on the New Year. So I will be getting one year older this next Wednesday! In Korean age, I will be a grand 22 years old! Yep, that's right, two years older than my American age. Haha crazy right? Second interesting fact is that Korean babies are already a year old when they are born. And finally, third interesting fact about New Years: it's a tradition to watch the first sunrise of the year, so we are going to do it with our ward members! I'm super excited :)

 

Anyway, lots going on! I'm sure it's the same for all of you! Love you all!

 

Sister Segovia

 

"He be not far from every one of us." - Acts 17:27

Really, he's only a thought away. All we have to do in orer to talk to him is call His name, and He will be listening, always waiting for us to make that call. As I have learned to talk with my Father in heaven, I have come to know just how true that is. My Heavenly Father loves me, and wants me to become the best that I can! Now read the last sentence again with the "I" being YOU. :]

MERRY CHRISTMAS TO ALL!!!! It's in just two days you know :)

This past week was amazing!!! We had our Christmas Conference, which ALL Busan missionaries came to. It was super fun to see everyone, and we got to hear from our President and watch the prophet's talk from the Christmas devotional. We had a TON of food there--so much that even with 150 missionaries there was still a feast left over! Last of all, we got to watch "Narnia: The Lion the Witch, and the Wardrobe". Not going to lie, the movie was my favorite part, but not for the reason that I was expecting! Of course I love movies, but I walked out of that movie with an entirely different outlook. We were invited to look for the comparisons between Narnia and the gospel, but the crazy thing was that I didn't even really have to try very hard to see them. I was comparing it to the gospel the whole time! And afterward, I wrote down all my thoughts... sooo many pages of notes. It was amazing! I can see that having the gospel as the focus of our life really does bring more joy than anything else can. :)

The rest of the week was great as well. We met with our regular 30-30 investigator, and she had actually kept her commitment from the lesson before! And while we were teaching her the Plan of Salvation, she opened up a little more with us, showing us her concern that she hadn't ever felt joy before, which I think is why she turned away from God. When she was young she had all the expectations for a family and a joyful life, but as she got older and didn't have those opportunities or experiences she had expected, I think she felt a little let down by God. i really want to try and help her but am still unsure how, though I am trying to find what will touch her heart.

Our other investigator that we met was awesome. We taught her about prayer, and she told us all about her spectacular life, and it really seems as if she believes in God and loves Him, though she still doesn't know exactly what role He plays. But she said a prayer with us, and I think that she has an open heart. :)

 

This was a great week, and this next week looks to be just as wonderful! The next few days are packed with Christmas preparation and parties. :D

 

So interesting fact of the week, the longest day of the year was yesterday right? On this day, there's a tradition to eat red bean soup, so it's everywhere. Aparrently if you don't eat red bean soup on the longest day of the year, you get a ghost of some sort, which causes something bad to happen to you the next year. Something bad meaning, in effect, you will die. So of course not wanting to take any chances, I had a couple spoonfuls just in case :P Haha it actually was a miracle that we got any at all, because we couldn't buy it since it was Sunday, but the member that we visited gave us some! It's yummy :)

 

K, I love you all!! I'm keeping you in my heart and prayers! Merry Christmas!!

 

"Jesus Christ maketh thee whole." - Acts 9:34

This is the reason for the season. With all of the fantastic traditions that come with Christmas, we can't forget the whole reason we have the holiday! Christmas is indeed all about Christ and His birth. And through Him coming to the earth and performing the Atonement, we all can be made whole, both physically and spiritually. I know this, and I hope that you too can have a firm knowledge that He is your Savior. <3

Its Christmas!!! Well, almost.

Whoooo!!!! I'm counting down the days till Christmas when I get to call you! But actually currently I'm also counting down the days until our mission Christmas Conference, which is now in just two days! ALL of the missionaries are coming together to celebrate the holiday. As ar as a know we also get to watch a Christmas movie of our mission president's choice, which should be super fun for Americans to show a little bit of our Christmas culture to the Koreans. I'm just super duper excited to bursting! I'm sure it's radiating all the way over to you. :D

 

This past week was pretty great. I do feel a little more in the groove of things, though I also still feel a little unsettled and lost. I'm trying to figure out why, and change it quick!

 

We were able to meet with a new investigator this past week, and she will be fun to teach. We are doing the 30-30 program with her, where we teach English and the gospel. She is starting as as super beginner in both, so we will be going prety slow through everything. But I have hope that she will be able to understand and progress!

 

We were able to visit members, less actives, and other investigators or potential investigators as well. This week was pretty productive. And this next week will be even better if we continue to trust in God's guidance! I've learned how big of a role obedience plays in our growth as well. As we are obedient, our spirits have no limit. But if we aren't, then are putting walls around ourself. And who likes being closed in a tiny little space? Not me. :)

 

So interesting fact for this week: I actually talked about this with some Koreans in English class, and heard a little bit about if in the MTC. In Korea, knowing your bloodtype is a HUGE deal. Everyone does, even the little kiddies. Each bloodtype is associated with a certain personality, and they often will ask you what you bloodtype is just as a casual converstaional question. Sadly, I have no clue what mine is., which is super weird to them.

 

Anyway, kind of random, but fun! So how was Christmas devotional? I hope to be able to download it and watch it for Christmas :) I love hearing our prophet speak!

 

Sending love in a neatly wrapped package of joy!

-Sister Segovia

 

"Such as I have give I thee." - Acts 3:6

I think this is perfect for this time of year, as we send gifts to all of our loved ones. I love this, because this is a promise from Christ to us if we follow Him, and also must be our promise to others. Because Christ has given us all that we have, we have the priviledge to give all that we have to others. What greater gift can we give than happiness and love?

Feliz Navidad.. I wanna wish you a Merry Christmas‏

Hello family! Here I am after my first week in another area with an awesome Korean companion!

 

So, there are a few matters of business to discuss--namely, my phone call! So I will be calling on my Christmas, which means your Christmas Eve! And I will have to figure out the exact time difference, but seeing as how I keep hearing that I send emails at 1 in the morning, I will probably be calling around 8 or 9 at night. So plan on that! I'm super duper excited! Also, could I possibly have your gingerbread recipe? I want to see if I can have some this Christmas, and share with my companion :)

 

The ward that I am in right now (actually, I'm over two areas, so two wards!) has some pretty amazing people. Most of them are old people who have been around for quite a while. One of the sisters was the FIRST Relief Society president in Korea! Super cool! So what I keep hearing about this area from everyone is that it needs a lot of love, so that's what I'm learning to do. --> <3

 

About the Deshin Grandma, we actually got to eat with her a couple days after I got here. However, it was pretty terrible! I had gotten sick with a small case of food poisoning or something, and hadn't been able to eat anything for a couple of days. And then I go there, and this grandma is really known for you HAVE to eat the food, or she is offended.. And I tried, but physically could not eat all of it, unless I was there for three hours haha. So I don't think her opinion of me is very high right now, but I'm sure that will change the more I meet with her :)

 

I'm just trying to get to know the area right now! Moving to a new place is always like going through a whirlwind, and it takes me a while to figure out what's going on. But I know that this transfer will have a lot of growth. My companion is really helping me, not letting me turn into myself when I'm on the street. I look at here sometimes like, you mean I actually have to TALK to these people? Hahaha Yeah I know, I should have learned this a long time ago, but luckily I will be learning pretty quickly now, if I let her teach me.

 

Can you believe it's almost Christmas?! I'm glad to hear everything is good at home! I wish I could have been there for Caom's birthday and for the Creche Exhibit! Those are two things I'm sad I missed. But I hope to be able to find a Korean creche here, though I don't know that they exist... Interesting fact of the week, Christmas isn't as big of a deal in Korea, though they still have decorations and play the music at least. But it's not Christmas like we know it, just kind of a foreign holiday that they include into their December. When I talk to the Korean missionaries about it, they don't understand the feelings behind the holiday.. Honestly, it makes me sad! Because everytime I see even just a small Christmas decoration, I get so HAPPY. I wish all people could feel that way, and know the smells and tastes and music and everything that goes along with the season.

 

I love all of you, and really hope that you all are able to feel the love of God this Christmas season! Don't let a day pass by where you don't show that love to someone else! <3

 

Love you all!

 

Sister Segovia

 

"I am no more in the world." -- John 17:11

This verse is said by Christ, by as we are all trying to be Christ-like, this can be something that we take to our heart as well. We, as representatives of our Savior, must be no more in the world. We stand above. We invite up. We lift those around us until they can see the view we see. I am no more in the world, but above, and will go beyond! :]

Wooooooowwwwww......... I just wrote the whole letter, and then
accidentely pressed "Discard"! Ahhh! Okay, here I go again.

Happy Late Thanksgiving! I did in fact find out that I hadn't missed
it after all, and we ordered chicken that night, which is pretty close
to turkey. It actually was transfer-call day, which all the
missionaries have a tradition to eat chicken on transfer-call day, so
we already were planning on it!

Speaking of tranfer calls, can you believe I'm in my fourth transfer?
And this past Friday was my 6 MONTH MARK! So I'll be seeing all of you
in a year! Crazy right? And I still don't know Korean! But this
transfer I have a Korean companion and am going to a new area called
대신-Deshin. Which I have heard sooo many stories about. There's this
grandma that all Korean members know about, known as the "Deshin
Grandma" (in Korean) who feeds the missionaries so much food that they
feel as if they will die afterwards. Haha! But really, I have heard
some... funnny stories. So I go to Deshin with excitement and a little
bit of dread at the idea of having to eat so much. Maybe it's a good
thing I did so many hikes in Gupo! haha

So here is an insert from my letter to my mission president, about my
last transfer:

"I'm about to head to my new area in 대신! Not going to lie, I
definitely wasn't expecting to get the call to transfer. But I think
it really is the right thing for me. I absolutely loved the members in
Gupo, and was able to learn SO much from them and our Elders. But as
far as finding investigators..... Ah! I definitely need to be better
about forgetting myself. Gupo kind of died while I was there, and I'm
sorry. :/ I feel so bad, because everything fell apart! We lost all
our investigators, and the English class crashed. I hope it wasn't
completely because of me, but I know I could have done better to keep
it from happening.

I am so thankful though, that I did get to serve there with Sister
Freeman. She was an amazing companion, and the Elders we worked with
are awesome as well! I think the biggest thing I learned in Gupo was
how to really show my love for members and our fellow missionaries.
Now, for this next transfer, I hope to learn how to show my love for
the people on the street too!"

But really, the members were awesome. And the young women! I love them
so much! They would send us scriptures or little cute texts all the
time, and one called me to say goodbye this morning. They are going to
be such amazing missionaries! The biggest miracle from this past
transfer would be how quickly I was able to bond with them.

Dad, I want to say thank you for taking care of the Elders at home! I
can just imagine how much they love helping with the bonfire; those
kind of things are a missionary's dream! Haha but really, we love
helping people with big projects like that. :)

Also, do you know if Caom's family ever got my letter? I sent it
forever ago, like four months, and I hope it didn't get lost in the
mail! That's so exciting that it was Cami's birthday! Happy Birthday
Cami! Love you!

Also, guess what this month is?? That's right, CHRISTMAS! And you know
what that means? I get to call you! I've no details yet, just giving
you a heads-up.

Love you!

Sister Segovia

What about Korea?
In Korean culture, they use the term "friend" much differently than
us. Age is very important to them. If you are born in the same year,
you have a bond already and instantly become friends, but you can't
ever be "friends" with someone older or younger than you. Don't get me
wrong, you can talk to them and such, but they just don't use that
term when referring to them. It's a little different, but yeah, age is
very important to Koreans.

Speaking of friends... Here's the scripture of the week:
"Ye are my friends." - John 15:14
I actually love the entire column this verse is in, because it's all
about God's love for us. Even though this idea of us being friends
with Christ is foreign to Koreans, it's how we need to think of Him.
He did everything for us; He is the best friend that we could ever
have. I love Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ more than I could ever
say, and I don't even come close to 1% of the love that They have for
me--for you!

Happy Thanksgiving!!!

FAMILY~~~ (In Korea the squiggly line means it's dragged out, kind of like Familyyyy)

 

Woah. Have I got stuff to tell you. So, last week I found out the story to how Gupo ward got such a strong group of Young Men in the ward. Turns out, one of the Bishop's sons invited a friend. And then that friend invited a friend. And that friend invited his friend. And so on until around FIFTEEN were baptized. Yeah! It's one of those stories! Those stories that you only hear about! But I'm here in a ward that actually had that happen! It still blows my mind! The miracles that can happen from member missionary work are manifest right here in this area.

 

So I hear that Mountain Home got Sister missionaries! That is super awesome. If I were to give any advice in how to help them--USE THEM. Really, we as missionaries are here to help the members, rather than the other way around. And it's a huge opportunity for the Sisters to have Sister missionaries that can teach the your friends! And if they are white-washing, they would absolutely love anyone who called to ask how they could help. Even if you don't have someone the missionaries in your ward can teach, call them up and ask if they have anyone you could fellowship! If an investigator is able to have a friend in the ward, it's a huge step forward.

 

And everyone should wish my daddy a Happy Birthday! He's gon' be sooo young. :D

 

Also, Happy Thanksgiving!

 

Two more interesting things that happened:

1. We went on yet another hike on Saturday, this time with the Young Women in our ward. That was pretty fun, though very very exhausting. I even gave one of the girls a piggy-back ride, which was a pretty intense 20 seconds.

2. Today for P-day we played games with our district, and it was kind of a farewell party for two of our missionaries who are going home next week. One of them is Elder Hays, who was my first district leader and is one of the Gupo Elders right now. And he is so awesome! I'm going to miss him a ton. I absolutely love working with the people in this mission. We really do come to be like family!

 

Alrighty, gotta go! Love you all <3 <3

 

Sister Segovia

 

Interesting Fact:

There is Konglish everywhere. In fact, most of the business names are in Konglish. If it's not actually written in English, it's the English word with Korean pronunciation. Though that sometimes is a trip to figure out what they are saying. I guess it's hard to describe unless you can hear it, so I'll leave it at that and remind me to explain more when I get home in a little over a year! :]

 

"Do your best, your very, very best."  - Gordon B. Hinckley

Yep. Enough said. This is the thing that I struggle with most, and the thing that I have to remember always. I imagine I'm not the only one?

The Little Things

Here I am, ready to tell you about another week of awesomeness!

 

Wow, so much news from home! Tell Shelby congratulations for me and say hello to the baby! Also say hello to Caom, Krystle, Cami, and Liam! And get them to send pictures!! I'm dying without a picture of my family :)

One thing that I found out is that there is an Elder in my zone, Elder Baldwin, that is from American Fork and was in marching band with Davis! Super cool! So he sends a hello.

 

So actually, this week was incredibly slow as far as teaching lessons go. But the lessons we did teach were perfect! we had an amazing miracle with a less-active that we have been teaching. This week we taught her about the importance of church and sacrament, and she immediately decided (before we even invited her to) that she would go to church. And she came! Even though it was farther away due to it being stake conference. But I super hope that she felt the spirit of church again, especially because we were able to see a broadcast to all Korean stakes, and TWO of the 12 Apostles spoke: Elder Cook and Elder Hales. That was amazing to here their words, directed specifically for this culture and this lifestyle.

 

There's really not much else to say except that I am learning how to really enjoy the small little moments throughout the day. Little things are all that's needed, as long as we let God take control and make those little things blossom into huge trees. With God all things are possible!

 

Interesting Fact: When Koreans talk on the phone, they don't have a set "Goodbye" to end the call. They get to the point and then once it's accomplished they hang up. This actually can be a little frustrating because I'm super slow at speaking, and have to pause so I can figure out what to say next, but they think I'm done and hang up. So I've got to master how to keep talking! haha

 

I love you all and wish you the best week ever!

 

Sister Segovia

 

"He that doeth truth cometh to the light." - John 3:21

No matter how much we study about the gospel or try to learn academically about truth, it won't do us any good unless we act on what we learn. We must DO truth in order to come closer to God. And as we come closer, we learn even more truth that we must also act on. It's a continual process of growth.

From across the ocean...

Hello my beloved family and friends across the ocean!

 

So guess where I just came from? Yet another hike! This time it was wayyy less steep, but also took about twice the time. Anyway, my legs and lungs are indeed learning to come alive again, that's for sure. One thing I can tell you, Korea is beautiful! Hiking is awesome, because we get to experience the quiet side of Korea too. Dad, you are right, Gupo is a good mixture of city and countryside. We are a part of Busan, but kind of on the outskirts so it's retty similar to Jinju, but with a subway.

 

As for missionary work, this past week was kind of rough. We lost two of our investigators, and haven't been able to meet wth the other two for the past two weeks. It's a little hard to come from Jinju where we had sooo many appointments, and now we really don't have any. BUT, I'm convinced that losing our investigators is all in God's plan to free up our time for people who are truly ready for His gospel. :)

 

Speaking of such, those miracles may already be starting! Yesterday, a girl who lives close to our church came, just because she felt that she should go. .... 8O  :D

We were able to teach her the Restoration (as if we had planned to teach it, even though it was last-minute; the Spirit really can help us!), and hope that she comes back. She is a middle schooler, and very shy, but I think she was paying attention much more than she wanted to appear. :). But yeah! Amazing right?

 

Something that Sister Freseman and I were talking about: the wave of missionaries that have been leaving. It's like a tsunami; before the wave actually comes in, all the water gets pulled out. So everyone is paying attention to where the water is going.. but forget that it will be coming BACK. So right now, everyone is excited about how many missionaries are going OUT, but what about when we return?? That's right, it's going to be a tidal wave of prepared mothers and fathers, members who know how to be Visiting and Home teachers, and people who know how to help God's work move forward! Are you ecstatic yet? I hope so! The true way that God's work is hastening isn't from how many missionaries there will be, but how many RETURNED missionaries there will be. ^-^

 

Alrighty, here's the interesting fact of the week. I have been keeping record of TONS. When I come back from my mission, I plan to start a blog of all the things I have written down! So, today is an awesome day: Pepero Day! If you don't know what this snack is, go find them! They are pretty much my favorite thing right now. And in Korea, this day is actually a big deal; all the stores start selling big Pepero gift packages to send to friends. I've been eating these every day for the past week. I suggest that this holiday be made a big deal in the US too. :)

 

Okay that's all for now! Ta ta

 

Sister Segovia

 

"Why sleep ye? Rise and Pray." - Luke 22:46

I notice that sometimes my spirit tends to fall asleep, which prevents the Holy Ghost from being able to communuicate with me. The way that I have found to know if this is happening is to look at my prayers. Are they fervent, or just going through the motions? If it's the latter, I must listen to this command to rise from my spiritual stupor and ask God where He needs me to go.

Hello my wonderful parents and family and friends!

Wow. This week certainly feels like it's been a lifetime, and yet it's gone by so fast!

 

Gupo is a pretty awesome area. The youth is half of the active members! It's awesome. And our Branch President really encourages us to work with the youth and have lots of activities with them, so it's way fun! I already love this ward, and am excited to help this area ass much as I can!

 

So my companion, Sister Freeman, is just as awesome as I thought she would be! We have really been able to work well together, and we both have little quircks that make the work super fun. :D

 

Man, Halloween was this past week! I definitely missed it, even though Halloween wasn ever my favorite holiday. In our Enligh class, which was SUPER fun this past week, we talked about Holidays, and taught about a lot of the American holidays, and learned what some of the Korean holidays are and what they do for it. Sadly, they don't really have too much, and they don't really decorate for them. But korea does have a lot of festivals like the Light one inJjinju, so that makes up for it!

 

I will say one thing about Gupo: it has made it so I will never again complain of the hill at BYU. This place is ALL hill. And coming from Jinju, where all we did was ride buses and eat ice-cream (yes mom, I know I should be better :P) I have been dying! So yeah, it's given me an appreciation for flat ground.

 

Alrighty, I've got to go have fun with P-day! This morning we went on a hike (more hills!) with some of the other Elders in our district. Oh, that's another thing. We have six missionaries in Gupo, and 14 in our district. And the zone leaders are a Korean companionship serving with us in Gupo. They are AWESOME. Super powerful teachers, great at talking with the youth, and just all around top missionaries. It's so cool to be able to work with them!

 

Interesting Fact: They use toilet paper for everything. Where America has napkins, paper towels, tissues... In korea theres just toilet paper. I still get phased a little when I see toilet paper at the dinner table, but then I remember. It's a pretty funny time.

 

Love you all!

 

Sister Segovia

 

Start afresh!

 

 

 

So, Here are a couple pictures of the beloved ward that I left, and the baptism we had. She is cute right? :)

 

Now as for my new area, and my new companion! My companion's name is Sister Freeman, and she is awesome! Turns out we are both pretty into fantasy stuff, like all those cool creatures :) And actually, she REALLY reminds me of Sister Mariah Johnson. I'm sure they would get along fantastically! She is from South Carolina, and lived on a farm. :) She's even got a little southern accent that I am starting to pick up on :O I love her already, and we work really well together.

 

This past week I got to meet a couple of the investigators, less actives, and members. It was so fun! The ward here is amazing! They are all very supportive and actually want to help with missionary work. And the youth! Holy moly! There are a ton of them, and they are willing to do anything. There are two (maybe three) Young Women who are preparing to serve missions, and I already love them to death. :)

 

Every Saturday all of the youth come to the church and just hang out there. And this past Saturday we had a little surprise party for one of the Korean Elders in our area. his birthday was on Friday, so we made him brownies and cake :D Which we are actually working with FOUR Elders and us sisters. Two are Korean, two American. The American companionship just came in with me, so there's lots of newness, and meeting the Ward Mission Leader and Branch President and such. It's been crazy! I can tell I'm going to love it here though.

 

Interesting fact of the week: So there's this church. It's been explained to me a few times, but this past week a guy who was a member stopped me and started preaching their views. It's called 하나님의교회, or God's church. Honestly, I was going to write about what they believe, but it just felt wrong to write it. So I'll let you look it up if you want. It's really interesting, and sad to think about how corrupted the world is becoming. it shows how important it is to keep sacred things guarded in our hearts.

 

Okay, that's all for this week! I love you all! Congratulations to the new baby in the family! And I was definitely surprised, but glad to hear that mom got a newer car with air conditioning! Say hi to the family for me--all of them. <3

 

"Bring forth fruit with patience." - Luke 8:15

I love this verse, because sometimes I tend to be impatient. I just want to receive the blessings of my work right away. I want the tree before I've had the sprout. But I need to trust in God, and just keep moving forward. Eventually I will see the fruits of it, but not in my timing. God knows what He is doing, certainly more than I do!

New area-Gupo!

Wow, it feels like a lifetime since the last time I wrote you! There's so much to tell you about! First, I'll start off by saying that I am writing this email in my NEW AREA, Gupo! Surprised? Yeah I was too. We got transfer calls this past Thursday, and this was my first actual transfer where one of us would be moving. Trainer and trainee are usually with each other for two transfers (12 weeks) and then they part ways. So the first transfer you know you are both staying. And the second transfer you know one of you is leaving. We were predicting that I would stay in Jinju and Sister Choi Hanna would be the one to transfer out. But... as you can see, that wasn't the case!

So I had to say goodbye to the beloved area that I was raised in, and all the people that I have grown to love. And I had to say goodbye to my amazing trainer! I really think of my first area as my mission hometown, and my trainer raised me to be able to survive on my own and become the missionary that God intends for me to be. So now I'm in my new area with a purpose to fulfill here!

One thing that I must tell you about (and I really promise that I will eventually send you pictures. I mean to but time is limited and now I have to figure out how here) is the baptism that took place yesterday! It was amazing! The Spirit was very strong, and Gladys, the Phillipina who was baptized, has such strong faith in God's plan for her. Her husband bore his testimony in the service, and he said it wasn't a coincidence that Gladys couldn't come to Korea until the exact month that the Sister missionaries came to Jinju. God really does have a plan for every one of His children. He is guiding us and putting every opportunity in front of that He can. But we have to reach out our hand and grab it! He gives us the chance, but we have the agency to take it or leave it. 

This is the biggest thing that I learned in my first area. And honestly I think it's one of the best things to have learned, because now every are that I go to, I will know that there is something I am supposed to do there. Here, in my brand new area, I know I am here for a reason, and I want to fulfill it! That's my job. 

I love you all, and am excited to be able to tell you about the people here next week!

Interesting Fact:

Koreans really don't know much about South America. Sadly, this means that they don't know where Bolivia is when I say my dad is from there, but I still love to tell them anyway! I just have to say it's next to Brazil. :)

"Give light to them that sit in darkness." - Luke 1:79

If you picture it in you head, who would willingly choose to leave their friends in a cave without light, while they held the matches in their pocket? Because that really is how it is. We hold the key to happiness, and who are we to keep it from others?

ahhh...

I have like no time! why are p-days so busyyyyy??

Okay, so I want to send a thank-you shout-out to two people. The first
is the Mountain Home 4th Ward, who has sent me many an awesome ward
letter, which are always very fun to receive! Tell Sister Pat Eagley
thanks for me :) The second person is Taylor Elwood; hopefully he will
read this. Thank you for the post card!! It was awesome, and I would
write back but you are having fun as a traveler!

Alright, as for the amazing miracles of the week...There were many,
but I'll mention two: We got three new investigators!! And there was
General Conference!!

So yeah, we met with quite a few new people this past week, so we will
see where they lead! I'm excited about the increase that is continuing
to happen in our two areas. And the investigator I told you about last
time, who came and told us she wanted to be baptized? She, along with
her two sons, now have a baptisimal date! They are they best little
family ever, and I can't wait to get to know them better!

As for General Conference.... I have never had such a spiritually
uplifting and learning Conference in my life. Honestly, (mom you would
second this) I don't think I've actually stayed awake for all 8 hours
before. Pretty bad, I know. But this past weekend was amazing. I was
alert and learning the entire time, even though I was sick and had
been fighting to stay awake both mornings! If you took my challenge to
find a talk that resonates with you, I know challenge you to find a
talk that can help a nonmenber you know!

Ah no time! I love you all, sorry I didn't do my weekly fact and scripture!

Sister Segovia

Seeing the growth

Oh. my. goodness.

This past week feels like a life-time, because of all of the things that
have happened!

First, I'll start off by telling about the baptism! Sadly, it didn't
happen. BUT never fear! The only reason it got cancelled is because of a
misunderstanding, and our wonderful investigator is still excited to get
baptized! So we just moved it to two weeks from now. :)

We would have done it this next week, but guess what it is?! GENERAL
CONFERENCE!! Yes, I know, you lucky people in the United States already saw
it this past weekend, but for us it's next weekend because they have to
wait for the translation. I am sooo excited!! I can feel that this General
Conference is going to be different than any before. Lately, I have been
reading the Liahonas and have found a lot of inspiration from them. So
I've already come to love latter-day revelation. Really, the Liahona
is a treasure that I don't think many members realize. We are getting
new scriptures every month when we receive those magazines. They
contain the words of our Latter-day prophets! Those, as well as
General Conference, should be treasured just as much as the ancient
scriptures. Can you see why I'm excited? :D Can't wait! I hope you all
found at least one talk that really resonated with you and that you've
committed to live by! If not, I challenge you to.

Here are some big things that happened this week:

1. We had a FOUR-HOUR LONG LESSON with this investigator who wouldn't
let us leave before they contradicted everything we said. It was
brutal. But because of that lesson and the questions that we were
posed with, I was able to receive a concrete answer to a question I
had. Seriously, it was an amazing experience. I had never experienced
getting an answer in such an obvious way and after such little time.
It was the very next morning in personal study! And I was able to help
my companion by telling her what I received as well! It was one of the
most joyful experiences we have had together, especially after
something so spiritually draining.

2. The second-transfer trainees had a training meeting! Which means I
got to see my MTC district again! It was so fun! I really had been
missing them all a ton, and loved seeing how much they have grown
already!

3. We found a huge store that was closing, and everything in the store
was only $10! So I totally found a jacket that would normally be like
80, and got it for 10! I felt awesome, especially because Korea really
is not normally that cheap. Whoo hoo!

4. We had a ward picnic in Sachon! Super fun, and we want to get all
the people that came to come to church! If they all did, we would
double the branch's size!

5. You will never believe this. On Saturday, a former investigator
came to English out of the blue. And guess what she said?! She said
that she has been wanting to come back to church for a while, and she
wants to be baptized as soon as possible! ...!!! Yeah! Seriously, the
Lord works in mysterious and miraculous ways. I feel so lucky to be
here! The miracles I am experiencing are just because I've been in the
right place at the right time! If we are righteous, obedient examples
of Christ, we will be led to those places where miracles are waiting
to happen.

Okay, that about sums up the week. The interesting fact of the week is
about the Light Festival in Jinju. We got to see it pretty much every
night, but haven't actually gotten to take a picture. It's this huge
festival that was happening this past week, with tons of lights
everywhere on the river. They have these floating light statues, that
are lit up at night. It is SO beautiful. The story that goes with the
festival is this:
In a war between the Koreans and the Japanese, the Japanese were
coming on their boats to conquer the people. During the night, some
children made hundreds of little paper boats and set them free with a
light inside. When the Japanese saw all of those lights, they got
scared, thinking that the Koreans had a army much bigger than they
thought. So they turned back and didn't attack!
The festival is a huge deal here, with thousands of people coming to
see it. And there's this big thing about Seoul wanting to start
something like it, but no one wants them to because that's a famous
JINJU tradition. I'm rooting for Jinju, because I love this place!

Okay, I love you all and hope to hear from you soon!

Sister Segovia

"Because it had no root, it withered away." -Mark 4:6
Where are your roots? Are they grounded deep in the gospel? Or on the
things of the world? I've discovered that my gospel roots need to be
nourished and take hold of the deep soil before I can progress any
further. I know that when we focus on the most important things, the
fruit of our lives will be so much sweeter.

Wait, what just happened?

So I just realized that yesterday was officially four months in the
mission. Where did the last month go? It's all moving so fast! I only
have three weeks left with my amazing companion! D: Ahhh!

Aside from the fact that the mission is shooting by like a spaceship
through hyperspace, I have some very very very exciting news!!! Our Phillipina investigator is getting baptized this next Sunday!! Ahhh!!
She just told us on the phone yesterday that she had decided to be
baptized and we are meeting with her tonight! I am so excited for her,
and wanted to spread the excitement all over the world! Though I'm not
completely sure, I think what really touched her and helped her decide
is the temple, and the fact that she will be able to be sealed to her
husband forever. :)

This last week was insane, and a huge growing experience for me!
Because my companion is Sister Training Leader, we do exchanges with
all the companionships in our zone. This past week we did two in a
row; super exhausting but super exhilerating as well! And our
wonderful Sister Gilbert (Mission President's wife) said that for all
of the exchanges, I will be the one staying in 진주, which means that I
have to get us to all our appointments and such. Like, actually have
responsibility! :O haha So yeah, this week was the week that I figured
out I'm actually a good missionary and will be able to survive when my
trainer is far away. :)

Both of the Sisters that I exchanged with were so kind, and I loved
every minute of being with them. One was Korean but could speak
English, and the other was American, only one transfer ahead of me.
That was SO fun because it was two young American missionaries. And we
experienced so many miracles! While planning for one of our members in
the morning, I felt like I should share an experience, so I translated
it into Korean. And then in the actual lesson, she started talking
about the very thing that I had prepared to share! It was amazing.

And with our less active member, she has really become excited to hear
our messages, trying to get her boys to listen, and really wants to
come to church again! Another less active member came to church out of
the blue! And she said, (right next to our investigator... :D) that
she had prayed as we asked her to and felt like she needed to come to
church. It's so great!

Interesting thing about Korea: while Americans wave as a greeting,
Koreans bow. The lower the bow, the greater respect is being shown. So
when you are super thankful, you bow super low. See what I mean about
Koreans being a very respectful society?

A couple other things:
I am super excited about Cara Buckner. She's serving a mission in
Hawaii! That's so cool! When does she leave?
And I heard Drew Guyer is engaged? Tell him congratulations for me :)
Also, didn't Becky Vogl get married last month? Why haven't I heard
anything about it? I need pictures! :D

I love you all so much, and can't wait to tell you about this next
very eventful week as well! The work is going forward with every path
towards success.

Love, Sister Segovia

" Freely ye have received, freely give." - Matt. 10:8
This statement really can speak for itself. Just share! The gospel,
your time, your talents, and possessions, they're all from God. And
doesn't He love all people? So who are we to keep His gifts from
others? This past week I have learned a lot about the law of
consecration, and realized there are a lot of aspects to this law that
I never even knew!

Korean Thanksgiving

Yep, so this past week was Chusok, the Korean version of Thanksgiving.
And it will be my interesting fact of the week. It's three days long,
where people just eat and eat and eat some more. Everyone gathers with
their family, and it's great fun for the kids because they get to play
for three days. But apparently it's stressful for the moms because
they are the ones cooking. The food is amazing though! We were lucky
this past week because we actually had appointments! Often
missionaries have nothing to do because we aren't supposed to make
appointments for those days, or tract or anything. But we were able to
get appointments, and we ate with three different families!

We had 추석 lunch with a South American couple who are 7th Day
Adventist. They also had friends over, including someone we had met
last month but hadn't been able to see her again. So that was a
miracle! They are some of the nicest people, and the food (lentils :D)
reminded me of home.

Then that night we had dinner with a less-active family and brought
ribs that my companion had received from her mom, and a cake. Two very
special-occassion foods for missionaries. That and the fact that we
were providing a service to this family, who had nowhere to go for the
holidays, made the meal feel like a feast!

The next day we were able to eat actual 추석 food cooked by our bishop's
wife. I can now say that I have had eel soup! It was... fishy. haha
But the rest of the meal was super yummy!

Okay enough about eating. There's something else more important that I
did this past week. I had a change of heart and a change in attitude.
A change that will affect the rest of my future! I was able to find
the article about the 4 missionaries that I talked about in my last
letter. It's called, "The Fourth Missionary" by Lawrence E Corbridge
and it is one of the most inspiring things I have ever read. I
encourage all to read it; there's things in there that help more than
just missionaries!

So here's what I learned. I have the potential to become the best of
the best. I have always had that potential. God has given me talents
and abilities, and I need to use them! As Brother Corbridge said,
"Your life's greatest work is you." Who am I? When I look back at what
I have been given, am I proud of what I've done with it? That is when
I realized, God did not send me here to be mediocre! In the past, I
was okay with mediocre, unwilling to put forth effort to become more.
But I can do better than that. And I am determined to! For the rest of
my mission, in school, in life, I want to be MORE. I want to do the
MOST that I can.

Yep! So that's what happened! Let it be said that this week was when
Christina Segovia changed the course of her life. :)

I love you all more than I can express! Keep moving forward.
Love, Sister Segovia

Sorry this email is a day later than usual, we switched our P-day to
Tuesday for this week because yesterday we had Zone Conference! I
absolutely LOVE getting to hear from our mission president and his
wife; they are so inspiring and give a new and renewed desire to serve
with all our heart! I also got to hear from them two other times last
week, one when we went to transfer meeting and the other when we went
to leadership meeting. I learned so much!

The thing that we have really been focusing on is obedience, but
obedience from the heart. I learned that there are two kinds of
obedient missionaries. In D&C 4, it says to serve with all your heart,
might, mind, and strength. So one missionary is 100% obedient, but
only with all of her might and strength. She follows all of the rules,
but is not happy. The second missionary is also 100% obedient, but she
puts her heart and mind into it as well. She is truly happy and will
receive the most blessings because she has truly changed inside and
out.

I just remembered that I kind of learned the same thing at the MTC
already, but I guess I forgot and needed another reminder!

MOM!! I got your package last week; it got here WAY fast which was
awesome. And when I opened it up, I felt like I was opening a treasure
box! Seriously thank you thank you thank you for all the things in
there! It was Christmas in September :) I love you so much!

This week is a holiday in Korea! It's called Chooseok and it's pretty
much like Thanksgiving. It's super huge here; everyone gets together
with their family for three days and eats and eats and eats. So it's
super fun! Except the only problem is that as missionaries we don't
have family here, and we aren't aloud to schedule appointments on
those three days. Sooo the next week is going to be kind of slow, but
we are planning on having a district feast today and on Thursday (the
actual holiday) we are going to buy a cake! Yay!

As far as investigators go, we are having success! The Lord really is
blessing this area! We got another new investigator, though we won't
be able to meet with her again till next week. AND GUESS WHAT?! Our
Phillipina investigator has a baptisimal date! Ahh! I'm so excited for
her :) She still has a lot to learn but her heart is so open and the
ward is really trying hard to help her feel accepted. They even had a
party for her and her husband's one year anniversary this past Sunday.
I love these people!

Okay, here's this week's special! Interesting fact about Korea,
there's no dryers! Everyone just drys their clothes on drying racks or
clotheslines. It's way better for your clothes of course, but
sometimes things happen like what happened today. My companion needed
her jeans, but they were dirty. So she quickly washed them and then
comes in and asked me what the fastest way to dry clothes is. I of
course replied "by dryer..." haha but I walk into the room later and
she's ironing her wet jeans so that they will be dry enough for her to
wear them. :D

Anyway, I hope you're used to reading mile long emails because it
seems that I can't keep them short! Love you!

Sister Christina Segovia

P.s. I forgot to tell you, I have now officially eaten octopus, grown
and baby, and enjoyed it. And I also have had large and small
intestines, and don't enjoy that as much. Haha

"Live unto me." - D&C 124:86
Everything we do should be with Christ in mind. What would he do? What
would I do if he were here? How can I change to be like him? And as we
learn to live unto Him, our thoughts will turn out towards others
rather than ourselves.

2nd Transfer

Yeah, this past week has really showed me just how fantastic my
trainer is. Her faith is so strong, and her ability to love everyone
is beyond me! Okay, it's not actually beyond me (in fact it's my goal
to become the same way) but really, she is such a huge example! Here's
some big things that happened in the past two weeks.

1. My companion had surgery a week ago, so she has been walking around
with a hole in her foot! Literally. She had a corn removed from her
heel, and it just barely stopped bleeding. But she never complains,
and was kind enough to walk around all day after her surgery because I
was selfish enough to want to go to district P-day! I still feel
terrible about that. But it seems to be healing, even with all the
walking we have to do as missionaries.

2. Today is the first day of my SECOND TRANSFER! And guess what? We
just got called to be Sister Training Leaders! Technically my trainer
is the official STL but since I'm her companion I'll be doing the same
thing. I'm super excited, and can't believe how much the Lord is
trusting me with! But like I said, I have a great trainer and we are
learning so much together.

3. We got two new investigators this past week! One of the ladies,
Gladdis, is from the Phillipines! She just moved here last week and is
the wife of one of our bishopric. She doesn't know Korean and though
she knows English, not gospel English. So it's really hard to teach
her, but we just got a Tagolog Book of Mormon and some pamphlets that
we can give her tomorrow :) We have faith that she will progress very
quickly, as well as the other lady we have started teaching. With
obedience and love, Heavenly Father will speak through us and the
windows of heaven can be opened!

So I started a list of all the interesting facts about Korea and
decided to make it a weekly special! The first one I want to share is
about how creative Koreans are with ice-cream. We get ice-cream pretty
much everyday here. Yeah I know it's very unhealthy, but their
ice-cream bars are amazing! I still haven't tried them all, and have
yet to come across one that didn't make me want more. :D There is this
one that looks like a watermellon slice, with chocolate as the seeds.
Yum!

There's lots more that happened, but if I were to write it all you
would be reading this email for hours. So many lessons learned..

Mom, you seriously cracked me up when you said you were reading the
Book of Mormon in Korean. :D :D Don't worry, Korean is read from left
to right, just like us. And learning the alphabet is actually super
easy! Thank you for wanting to do something like that for me! It
really helps me and gives me courage!

Okay, I'll end here! Can't wait to tell more next week. Love you all!

Sister Christina Segovia

An inspirational one-liner I found in the scriptures (there's tons if
you look for them):
"I will fight you battles." - Our Heavenly Father, D&C 105:14
Heavenly Father really does care about each and every one of us. If we
allow Him, He will help us through any and all challenges. We are
never ever alone!

Mom! Dad!

Mom! Dad!

Ah I only have zero time because we have to run help a ward member
out, but I love you all! And thank you so much for the package; I'm so
sorry it cost so much! I wouldn't have had you send it if I knew how
much it would be. Gah!

All I have time to say is that this past week I have been able to
experience a lot of miracles. We have met amazing people, and I have
learned so much just from a few days!

Thank you for the addresses, there's one more I would love to have:
the Mouritsens!

Okay I love love love you and am sorry I didn't get to actually email
you today, I had so much to tell you! Again, thank you for sending the
package, I'm excited to get it and will repay you however I can!

Love, your daughter :)

One month!

Thursday I will have officially been here for a month! I did the
math this past week and found out that I will also be 1/6 of the way
done with my mission. That's unbelievable! 18 months actually is a
super short time period, and I can't let it run away without me!

So a couple interesting things that I wanted to tell you about:
seafood and guitars. About seafood, I actually have discovered that
it's not that bad! I'm not to the point that I LOVE it yet, but I can
eat it without hesitation now. And also, salted seaweed is the best!
We ate that with plain rice for quite a few days in a row cause we are
poor missionaries who can't afford anything haha. Actually it's pretty
sad how expensive the fruit is here; it's way too expensive to
actually buy. So that's what I pig out on whenever we eat with
members!

The other thing I wanted to mention is how awesome my name is.
Everyone always comments on how pretty it is. And when I was in the
States, everyone always asked if I knew about the famous guitar player
with Segovia as his name, and I still can't get away from it even in
Korea! Now everyone asks me if I know that it's a famous guitar brand.
So pretty much I should have played guitar from when I was a baby.
haha!

So this past week has been a crazy time. I am learning so much about
myself. And we now have TWO investigators! The work is growing growing
growing! And what's amazing about this investigator is that she
contacted us in order to learn English. Our first meeting with her we
told her about how we have programs for Young Women and how the gospel
has blessed our life. And guess what she said? She started telling us
about her niece who is having a really rough life, and she wanted us
to start teaching her English and introduce her to the church. And
apparently (I didn't understand any of this when it happened) she said
it wasn't coincidence that we met her, and she would even want her
niece to serve a mission when she is older! :D. So we are hoping to be
able to contact her niece this week.

Also, yesterday we had a baptism for a Brother in Sachon ward, and
they came to Jinju to do it because they don't have a baptisimal font.
The baptism was wonderful. And my trainer found out that two of her
old investigators have a baptisimal date! I am so happy for them.
Baptism is a joyous thing! However, even more important than baptism
is helping new members to stay strong in the church. There are so so
so many inactives here, and it's really discouraging to see. That's
where the ward comes in! Without support from the ward, most new
members will be discouraged and leave. So it's so important to become
friends with them.

So mom, I have a request. This past week I was super worried about you
and dad and all my family back home. I love and miss you all so much!
I was able to find comfort from my trainer and the scriptures, and my
trainer suggested that I ask you to get a blessing. It seems really
weird to ask, but it really would help me to be comforted while I'm so
far away. I care about you all with all my heart, and know that God
can and will protect you. <3

Also, I would love to receive Sister Mariah Johnson's weekly emails!
The two that you sent me earlier really helped me out. I miss her
tons!

So I don't have a scripture prepared to share, though I have had so
many awesome learning experiences with the scriptures this past week.
Intead I will just bear my testimony that I know we all have been
given the ability to accomplish all that God has asked of us:
spiritually, physically, and mentally. Any struggle that we have is
indeed making us stronger. As we rely on God, He will help us through
any and all challenges. We have such magnificent potential, and will
never know until we do!

I love you all and miss you dearly. Write letters! I finally received
a letter, so I've found out it takes about two weeks to get to Korea
and another week to actually get to my apartment. It's fun to get
letters though! :D

Lots of Korean Love,
Sister Christina Segovia

And here's the address for sending a package:
Sister Christina Feliza Segovia
Korea Busan Mission
(1/2) 1039-1 Oncheon 2-dong
Dongnae-gu
Busan-si
Busan-gwangyeoksi 607-602
SOUTH KOREA

What a wonderful world!

So, this past week was great. I love both of the areas we are working in!

In our first area, Jinju, we officially have one investigator, and
hopefully will have another by the end of the week! We are teaching
them English, so every lesson is half-hour of English and half-hour of
Gospel. English is suprisingly difficult to teach! They ask me to
define words that I only know from context. It's amazing to see just
how much we learn from hearing words in sentences. Also, I've started
writing down all the the idioms and expressions we use in English (my
companion has me teach her one a day) and I discovered that Americans
use idioms ALL the time. Which means that Koreans probably do the same
thing... I've got a lot to learn! Anyway, we have our second lesson
with our investigator tonight! I feel strongly that I must boldly
testify of the Book of Mormon to her. The Book of Mormon is not just
another book. It is the Word of God! From studying it's words, we can
gain more happiness and peace then by anything else. I know that.

Our other area, Sachon, is also doing great! We went to the ward for
the first time and they were all so so friendly. That ward is even
smaller than Jinju and we discovered that most people are inactive
because church is forever away from where they live. But the Branch
President lives on and island, and he invited us to come visit some
time! I'm very excited to see it. We have one investigator there,
being passed to us from the Elders. We haven't yet gotten an
appointment with her, but she chooses to come to church just because
it has had a good impact on her son. Speaking of which, her son is our
Ward Mission Leader and I would say he is one of the biggest blessings
Sachon has. He cares so much and puts most of his time into helping us
and the members.

So I can't remember if I said this in my last email, but I really feel
at home in these two wards, because it's just like in the Spanish
branch! It's small, the members are like family, and I can't
understand a thing! haha

We can already see the work progressing in these two brand new Sister
areas. I know that Heavenly Father is helping us, and the more we work
the more we will reap the rewards of bringing people to Christ! I
can't wait to see where these areas are in 9 weeks.

I love you! I've no clue how long it takes for DearElders to get here,
or any mail for that matter, but I'm sure I will get them eventually!

Love, Sister Segovia

2nd week in Korea

Hello mom and dad!!
 
So, it's my second week in Korea. And I still feel pretty lost! haha
But I guess that's to be expected. Thank you so much for the Dear
Elders, I read the emails and can't wait to read them again when they
actually get here! :)
 
Crazy things have been happening over here. We have been making
progress with the 진주 members and have been able to meet with a few
families. And there is a recent convert, baptized this past April,
that is super nice and she is planning on going to BYU this next year!
 I realy love the ward, and hope to be able to meet with the inactives
this next week! We finally got the map all set. But guess what? Pretty
much right when we finished with that, we found out that we are now
the Sisters for TWO areas! Both white-wash! The next many weeks are
going to be crazy!
 
We went to our other area, 사전, yesterday to meet the Relief Society
President. She was one of the greatest women and gave us four referals
which will realy help us get started in that area. But sadly, she is
going back to the US tomorrow, so that was the only time we could see
her! I grew to love her so much just in two hours, and will miss her
so much!
 
Our district is awesome; I love everyone. Because we have two areas,
we will be working with the two Elders in Jingu and the two in Sachon.
I really enjoy working with them, because they all are huge examples
to me in being a good missionary.
 
My companion says thank you for the wishes sent her way. I also say
thank you, and miss you so so much. You letters really are a comfort
to me. I love you!
바이!
 
<3 Chiristina Segovia 자매
 
 

First Week in Korea

 

 

From:	Christina Segovia (christina.segovia@myldsmail.net)
Sent:	Sun 8/04/13 8:31 PM

Hello my beloved family! I was so so excited to be able to finally
email you today. It feels as if I haven't seen you in fifty years! I
miss you all a ton.

I can just see you all sitting on the edge of your seats waiting to
hear about Korea and my first week in the mission field, so I'll go
ahead and get on with it!

So. I got here almost a week ago, and my first two days were in Busan
at the mission home. We did a proselyting activity the first day
(after we slept, luckily) switching with different trainers. This was
before we knew who was with who. I came to love and admire all of the
trainers I worked with even in the short time I was with them! And I
totally gave away a Book of Mormon, to a lady that was VERY interested
in us. It was awesome! I hope she remembers us.

The second day was when we found out who our trainers were. !! My
trainer is 죄 한나 (Che Hanna) 자매님, She is Korean, but her English is
fluent. She studied at BYU for a couple years. She is awesome! And
pretty amazing at reading people's character. She is already helping
me to improve.

The next big news is my first area. We are in a place called 진주, which
is the "country-side" of Korea. But really it's like Salt lake City.
Not country at all right? And we are the FIRST Sister missionaries in
the area. So, my trainer is not only training me but also
white-washing a new area! What that means is we don't have anything to
go off of. No investigators. No area book. No map. It's all brand new
and blank. We are starting from scratch. Our focus right now is the
ward; We want to gain the members trust, and bring those who are
inactive back to the fold. Which is actually a LOT of people. We met
our ward for the first time yesterday, and its tiny, like the size of
Spanish branch at home. But we looked at the membership records, and
there should be at least 200 people coming to church! So, we've got a
lot of work to do going out and finding them. I know that
strengthening the already existing ward will help us find new
investigators more than anything else.

As expected, I understand little to nothing of what people say. But
I'll get there. The trainees in the companionship are always put in
charge of the phone, so I had to call members to make appointments
with them last night. It was fun/funny! Luckily, the members seem to
understand when I struggle, and they gave me lots of opportunities to
talk in church.

Thank you so much for your love! I'm going to need a lot sent my way
in the next couple weeks. It's going to be hard, but if I keep my
purpose in mind, everything seems easier. I'm here to bring people to
Christ! That's the only thing that could keep me going.

Oh, and to answer your question about our mission president's greatest
qualities-- I would say that their energy is the biggest thing I
noticed. He and his wife have a genuine love of missionary work and
they want their missionaries to be the best that they can be. It's
motivating to see them go around with such a bright attitude!

I love you mom and dad. Here I go, out to serve Korea!

Love, Sister Segovia

I'm in Korea!

Date: Wed, 31 Jul 2013 09:34:35 +0900
Subject: I'm in Korea!
From: christina.segovia@myldsmail.net

I made it safe and sound to my new home! It still hasn't quite set in that I will be here in Korea for the next 14 months. I am so excited! I imagine it will hit me once I go out and proselyte for the first time in Korean :)

Our mission president and his wife, President and Sister Gilbert are awesome! We are staying in their home (which is pretty big for Korea) until tomorrow morning, and then i find out my companion and area! I can't wait.

It was so great talking to you yesterday, and I'm sorry I couldn't talk longer or hear a thing you were saying. But I did hear you both say "I love you" which is all I needed to hear! So thank you! I love you Mom and Dad

Dear Sister Christina Segovia,
We do LOVE YOU too! So sorry about the not hearing part! We could hear you just fine! And it was so wonderful to me! -LUVU!, Mom

	Fri 7/26/13 1:16 PM

THREE MORE DAYS!!

 

Thank you so much for your emails and dear elders and everything. I absolutely love hearing from you! Tell Kru and the Hansens that I love them lots! And Caom and Carla better write me soon! :D I have gotten a letter from the Alzerrecas and Diana drew me an awesome picture with the two of us in South Korea. Also, Aunt Keira has sent a few as well!

 

Okay, so an update on the calling information. It turns out that I will most likely be calling earlier in the day, like from 8-11am. So make sure you are up early! Get to bed on time the night before, so I'm not making you miss any sleep. And I hope Kru will be there when I call, but it might be earlier than he gets there. I can't wait to talk to you! I got a five dollar phone card today for it, and the rest of our P-day will be dedicated to packing. Also, I will be sending a package home with some stuff that I don't need, so that should come in the mail sometime in the next week. You are welcome to open it and see the treasures that I was able to obtain in the MTC! haha

 

This past week has been insane. Yesterday we had our In-field Orientation, which was very helpful since the MTC really is nothing like it will be when I actually get to Korea. For one, I will actually be moving around instead of sitting at a desk all day! I'm pretty excited about that. I am so ecstatic to head to Korea; I'm ready to get out of here! Of course I'm nowhere near good at Korean yet; I won't be able to understand a thing they are saying. But I can at least give lessons (very slowly, I might put a few Koreans to sleep cause apparently that happens haha) but I can do it!

 

The thing I am going to miss most at the MTC is 1. my teachers 2. the amount of study time we have.
1. My teachers are some of the greatest people on the planet. No exaggeration. They really are the best of the best, and our district has come to love them so much. I have never felt so much genuine love toward anyone outside of my family. I don't know what I will do without them! Brother Sung is one of the most caring men ever (he is the Korean), and Campbell has become the biggest role-model (he's the six and-a-half-foot giant). They are both going to be people I look to when I am struggling. I will just have to remember them and what they taught me and I'll be reinvigorated to go out and serve the Lord.
2. There is so much time here to just study. Like at least 5 hours every day on our own, and then classes too. So it's great! But there still doesn't seem to be enough time. When I get to Korea I will have to come up with creative ways to study the language. Maybe the fact that I can't live unless I know what they are saying? haha

 

The thing I learned this past week, among many, is the importance of having goals that will stretch me. I have always been the type that was okay with just being "good" and if I was really good at anything, it was those things I didn't have to try at. But now I have come to realize that I can do so many things if I just push myself a little further! I have so many abilities, and if I go and waste them because I'm not willing to perfect them, what kind of message is that sending to God? He may just get the idea that I don't really want them. So I'm "putting my shoulder to the wheel." I will work as hard as I can while on my mission. And I vow to never forget the things I learn in the next year-and-a-half. The thing about missions is, so many people say, "Don't waste this, it's the Lord's time." And yet they are always talking about working you hardest on the mission. But what about after? I think it's just as important to keep the things you've learned as a part of you. No matter how hard you worked on your mission, if you forget His lessons, you still wasted His time. I know it's pretty crazy for me to be talking about after my mission when I'm just barely started, but I think it's important for me to have this goal before I even start.

 

I love you all so much and send you my love every day. I hope you can feel it as it travels across the ocean from Korea!

 

Love, Sister Christina Segovia

Getting Closer!!!

Mom and Dad!! Guess what!! We got our travel plans today!! The people going to Busan pretty much got the best flight plans possible. We leave on the 29th at 7:30am to head for the airport. Which means no waking up at crazy times of the night (most Koreans have to leave at like two to four in the morning). We have two layovers, one in San Fransisco and one in JAPAN!! One of our district-members, Elder Luke, is half-Japanese (he can speak it pretty well) and can totally show us around and get us the best Japanese food there. And then we get to Busan two hours before bed-time which resolves the big concern about having to go a whole day speaking Korean when you have jet-lag. SO! It's all so exciting! We still are unsure how the calling home works, but we do get to call you sometime throughout the flight, probably in our lay-over at San Fransisco. So I would expect a call on the 29th around 12:20pm to 1:25pm. If you want to work anything out as far as what phone I call or anything, let me know!

 

This week has been awesome. I definitely loved the thunderstorms that we got (though I don't think that was this week, maybe closer to July 4th?) and wished we could just stand out in it and watch it all night. Sadly, MTC time is spent mostly indoors. But I was able to hear it and got a little rain on my face!

 

I am so glad you got to go to Utah and see everyone. Did you remember to pick up my phone from Aunt Kim? I gave it to her.

 

So, the investigator I was telling you about last week, he committed to be baptized! The Spirit was strong again in our lesson and when we asked if he believed the Book of Mormon to be true he said there was no way he couldn't after our last lesson. I am so happy for him and so excited to help him prepare!

 

We have had the popportunity to be taught by some of the other teachers this past week since our teacher is the zone coordinator. It was so amazing to see the different teaching styles, and though I loved all of the other teachers, my testimony was strengthened in how everything is exactly what we need. Our teachers are OUR teachers. They are who we needed to have. I know that, and I love them so much! They have helped me learn more than any other teacher besides you two. I love you both! 사랑합니다 (sa-rang-ham-ni-da - I love you)!

 

Sister Christina Segovia

17 DAYS LEFT UNTIL I MUST SPEAK KOREAN TO SURVIVE!!!

 

This week has been one of the best weeks so far. I don't have much time to share everything, and I honestly can't even remember most of it (it's a good thing I keep a journal). But I will try to tell as much as I can.

 

First off, I have seriously seen just about everyone here at the MTC. I started trying to take pictures with everyone I knew, but didn't get all of them. I know Sydney Baldridge has a picture with the two of us and Dylan Johnson (yeah, I saw him!! I didn't even know he was at the MTC!) has a picture with all three of us. So be looking out for them, hopefully they will be shared on Facebook or something.

 

Also, another update on my running: I did indeed improve this wekk. I ran a 5k!! 31 laps in the little gym. I now can officially do 2/3 of the mini-triathlon that they do on the Air-Force base. All I need now is biking muscles! haha

 

So, really exciting--the other Sister companionship in our district, Sister Jackson and Sister Pope, had asked me to accompany them for "Come Thou Fount" and we tried out yesterday. In order to make it into any of the meetings (which always have fantastic musical numbers) you have to try out. And we made it!! So hopefully we will be receiving a letter in the mail soon saying when we will be performing. I love that song so much. It brings the Holy Ghost like nothing else!

 

Okay, the final piece of information I want to share with you is the miraculous lesson that we had yesterday. We have been teaching one of our investigators for a while, but have never really connected with him. We were really becoming frustrated because it was like he wasn't feeling anything! The lesson before, he had told us he didn't really think the Book of Mormon was true and had no desire to change. Yeah, kind of a huge disappointment to us. But we didn't give up and decided we would do the daunting lesson where we read a chapter in the Book of Mormon with him. This is very scary because it requires you to actually read, and talk about what you just read. In Korea. Anyway, we chose to read 3 Nephi 11, when Jesus Christ comes to the Americas after his resurrection. As we read, we would stop every three verses to explain the verser, connect it to his own life and needs, and ask him how he felt. The Spirit was so strong the entire time. That man, who we had just barely thought of as emotionless, had eyes watering for the last half of the lesson. It was amazing! I know that we didn't do that. It was all his Heavenly Father.

 

I know that Jesus Christ WAS resurrected, He DID come to the Americas because He and Heavenly Father love all people. The Book of Mormon is true. And anyone who comes to know that will never want to be the same as they were. The Book of Mormon is one of the most powerful books. If makes a man want to change. I have experienced it and I have seen it.

 

I love you all, talk to you soon!

 

Sister Christina Segovia

HAPPY 4th July (late)!

Wow! I just had a holiday in the MTC! Crazy. The fireworks in Provo were awesome! And we got to stay up late to see them, which was a MTC novelty. But that also resulted in exhaustion this morning but since today is P-day I already took a nap and am back up to par!

 

Correction to my last letter: I definitely meant to say that withOUT the member's help the missionaries are just walking blind. Sorry, typos are common when in a hurry. And yes, the lady that did the devotional was indeed Siser Janice Capp Perry! She is so awesome! The duet that I was talking about is indeed new, though I think the only new part is that the lyrics for the Sisters is changed. She wrote a new version meant for Sister missionaries. The old one is Called as Sisters in Zion; the new is called Sisters of Zion I think.

 

Wow, Dad is home! I can't believe it; I'm sure the house is a party for two now! haha I love you both, Mom and Dad :)

 

Alright, I have ten minutes, so I will tell everything as fast as I can. First big news: last week was our last time attending the temple until I get back from my mission. It was really disappointing, because they closed it for the month of July in order to clean it. I might be able to attend the Korean temple once on my mission, but no one knows for sure. However, though I have been able to feel the power of the temple and the blessings that come from attending, I have been thinking about it a lot and received comfor this past devotional. The temple is such a uplifting and spiritual place, but I realized that on my mission the temple was a place to regain my focus and have a little breathing time. Other than that, the MTC has all of the other spirituall uplifting things as well! Rather than the Spirit being infinitely stronger in the temple, I have the Holy Ghost with me all of the time! As long as I desire his company, he is there. That's the miracle of the MTC, and I know that anyone can experience that, not just missionaries! If you keep your sights on the Lord and his work, you will have his consant companionship.

 

The language is coming well, and we just found out yesterday that we "get" to memorize Korean scriptures before we leave. That will be difficult, but I know I can do it.

 

The lessons have been going so well! We taught both of our investigators about the Gospel of Christ, and one has committed to baptism! The other has been challenged to baptism, and told us he would decide next lesson. I have really grown to love these investigators, and know that they can become who the Lord would have them be. But it's nerve-wracking that we are the means of getting them there! Well, I shouldn't say that. The Spirit is definitely the means, we are just the messengers speaking broken Korean.

 

Sadly, my time is out, but I love you all and can't wait till next week to keep telling you more!

 

Love

 

Sister Christina Segovia

We love to hear from you too Christina!   love, Mom

Dear family,

Can you believe that I've already been in the MTC for a month?! Time flies by so differently here! I'm sure everyone has heard this a thousand times, but a perfect way to put it is that in the MTC "the days feel like weeks and the weeks feel like days." It's so true!

I hope everyone got to watch the World-wide broadcast this past Sunday! If not, make sure you go online and watch it! It was fantastic. I know that missionary work is very dependant on the members working with the missionaries to find those who are ready to hear and accept the gospel. With members, the missionaries are just walking blind! With the flood of missionaries heading out into the field, it's even more important that every member be a missionary. I challenge each and every one of you to mention the Gospel to a friend every day. By doing so, you can and will open more doors than you will even realize.

It was really neat to see the advancements happening in the church. The fact that the church works with technology now--so cool! It was very interesting to be sitting in the broadcast (I was in the choir, and supposedly showed up on the screen a couple times) and be watching videos from our prophet and apostles. Mom, (and Caom) if that Oklahoma area was indeed the are you fasted for, that is the coolest thing I've ever heard! Well, it's still the coolest thing even if it wasn't the same. I'm so glad that you experienced the blessings of fasting in such a powerful and obvious way!

Another cool thing with technology: our Tuesday devotional was by ... this is really sad but I can't remember her name. She wrote the Army of Helaman, and pretty much every other Primary Song you've ever loved (I am a Child of God, A Child's Prayer, Love at Home, etc.). She was able to have us sing a medley of five different Primary songs, which was really neat. And then at the very end, we got to sing her very newest rendition of a duet between Army of Helaman and Sisters of Zion. That was the best thing ever, to be in a group of 3,000ish missionaries, singing a missionary song with both an Elder and Sister part. The spirit was bursting out of every one of our hearts!

The language is still coming, I'm doing much better at remembering the forms we learn. We just got a scary speaking challenge yesterday, to proselyte to someone everyday for the rest of our MTC stay. But it will help us so much because we will have to proselyte pretty much right of the plane in Korea!

So guess what?? Yesterday, I ran 2 1/2 miles nonstop for the first time in my whole entire life! I am so proud of myself. Now I feel like a very tired beast. But I am starting to see the light at the end of the tunnel, that end of the tunnel being my goal to run a triathlon before i die. It might actually be possible! Awww yeah.

Mom, I hope you are alright! I was not happy to hear that you had gotten my cold! At least you feel better now right? And dad is coming home this next week!! How ecstatic are you?? Make sure you give him a big hug for me!

I have seen Elder Allen Nelson multiple times, and I just heard Sister Sydney Baldridge's voice! But I haven't gotten to see her yet, she was gone by the time I ran out the door. I am searching for her everywhere!

I tried to attach some pictures, but failed in figuring out how to do it, so I will try again next week!

I love you and wish I had time to write more. I am having a blast as I get to know my Savior and Heavenly Father more and more each day. I know that each and every person on this earth can know their Father, and he will help them through any trial! Read the Book of Mormon everyday with a question in your heart, and it will be answered! I have received multiple big answers in the past week, so I know it's true! Write letters!

Sister Christina Segovia