A Typical Day in the Korean Mission Field

여러분 안녕하새요!! (Hello to you!)

So today they’re having a ‘Sisters Conference’ at the mission home today, then I’m going on exchanges to 안산 Ansan with Sis Florence from SL...she’s like 5 inches taller than mee!!!!!   It’s only the second time I’ve ever gotten to work outside of Sanbon area!  Matt Rudder said it was unusual that he has spent 3 transfers (abt 4months) in his area....well I will be here at least 7months (and maybe longer!!)   But I really do love Sanbon, its a nice little area that was perfect to ease me into this big ol’ city life!

I’ve had a lot of requests to describe a typical day of missionary work here....I’ll try not to be too boring.



A TYPICAL DAY

6:30—Wake up (which STILL isn’t easy for me even after 8 months....)  I think its especially hard, because we don’t have a bed to ROLL OUT of since we’re already on the floor....We just have to GET UP which is harder than rolling....

We do our exercise. Which for the sisters, is kinda a mission joke—EVERYONE knows that korean sisters don’t exercise...They “stretch”—which usually includes sitting on the bed indian style for 30mins and moving their arms. hahaha   So if you have a Korean companion, well.....

We study from 8-12, personal, companion (2hrs, since we’re training) and language.

Me and Sister Lee usually have a 진수성찬  lunch... (jinsusongchan...)  which means a feast— rice with a ton of sidedishes, and usually some meat. (that is the first picture below, our lunch in our apartment.)

When we finally leave for the day, we’re generally headed to a teaching appointment, or to the church. Wherever we’re going, we usually walk so we can talk to people.  It’s what we were taught in the MTC---- “try not to schedule time for JUST tracting....but have somewhere meaningful to go then contact as you go”

So like this Tuesday was pretty typical. We went to visit our new RS president (who lives far out of our area) .....We walked to the bus stop, talked to people as we waited, rode and then transferred buses. (picture#3)  Visited her, talked about Less Active members, made the journey back to the area. All the while talking to people that are waiting for buses, sitting on benches or carrying something heavy :) haha (we always offer to help...)  Then we walked to a LA house to drop off a birthday card (picture#2...we heart-attack a lot of doors. it’s just what you do in korean.) ...Met the Elders in Sanbon square to do some contacting and eat dinner. We have an hour for mealtimes and generally eat dinner out since we’re always out working.

After dinner we walked waaaay far to a LA house, dropped off an activity invitation and talked to more people. (picture#4) It was SUPER cold that night, and we had already got our contacting goal. So we were home by 8:30 and spent the last 30mins of the night making phone calls to potential investigators (people on old record sheets that other missionaries contacted) —We got a new investigator from the calling sheets!

These days, we’ll generally have abt one appointment a day. And its usually in the evening, so we’ll spent that time at the church then walk the 15minutes to our apt.




PICTURES

1. Lunch. Moving right to left....kimchi (the red one in the bag) then sesame leaves (dark green in the container)   cabbage kimchi (dark red in container) then pumpkin (light green) ....the bowl in front of sis lee is rice and 김 mixed (seaweed)....then the plate is duck meat....the small bowl on the right side is garlic, (yes we ate THAT much garlic....the container of dark green is more 김,  the the container in the upper right is 장아찌(pickles?)....like marinated onions kinda.....   They are all typical sidedishes and you just eat them all with your rice. Pick up what you want with your own chopsticks...like double-dipping, but its how they eat here :)



2. heart-attacking a door...



3. This was a rare, empty-bus, so we could actually take a picture without it being weird.... we have a bus-card, (like a credit card,) that you swipe when you get on and off the bus.



4. some grandmas we talked to. they were just hanging out on a bench. (there are tons of grandmas here and they’re all way more active and healthy than american grandmas)  the oldest one here is probably upper eighties but she still takes herself to church (not ours^^) and goes for strolls outside and meets her friends at the park.  Grandmas love me because they’ve never seen a real foreigner with hair and skin like mine up close before. :)



FAMILY

k well, i’m out of time!! but

• dad- thats exciting gpa coming back! where will he live??  thats cool the missionaries are our neighbors now! do you feed them a lot?
• trav- thanks for the tips....do you have any suggestions for learning/memorizing scriptures better. i feel like i know of lot of phrases and things, topics....but i can’t ever remember WHERE they’re at in the scriptures or how to keep those important things straight.
• mom- sounds like the hayride was fun!!! sounds like i’m not missing too much though with all the cousins getting married and having boyfriends/girlfriends....  haha good to hear jeff is getting out and about.
• i’m doing good!  still want to see pictures of rosie! someone help mom out and send me some!! 

k well, keep up the good missionary work. its the best!!