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!