Week 15 reply from Jordan

Hey! Thanks for the email; I'm glad to hear things are going so well for everyone! I hope Robert's test went well, and I look forward to hearing about Ben's interview.

 

Things are still god here. Transfers (as I'm sure dad already knew) were this week and I am staying in the same place with Elder South. It's pretty great. We lost our District Leader (the only one in Korea for more than a year) for another Utahan who is the same mission age as Elder South, the new District Leader. We also lost one sister for a native Korean. It is even more difficult in Chinese lessons now because I get to translate from Chinese to Korean for her while Elder South and Sister Deng speak Chinese. It is rough, but I think it's helping me learn faster than I otherwise would. I was completely lost this last week, though, when a recent convert asked about creationism versus evolution and the Big Bang. It turned out all right in the end.

 

We have zone conferences about every three weeks, so we get to see other people fairly frequently. It's nice. I have not had to receive any more shots (much to my relief). I have been out of toothpaste for a while (I've been able to share and I will get some tomorrow) because Korean toothpaste, apparently, doesn't actually clean your teeth. There are only a few stores in Korea that sell American style toothpaste and none are in our area. There is a store close to the temple, though, so it will be alright.

 

As far as the people and their beliefs, I don't know if there is really a good comparison to anyone in the rest of the world. They have had Christianity for a long time (via Portugal so all the religious words sound Portuguese: Jesu Crisito) so there are a lot of people who are very knowledgeable about God and Christ, but there are also a lot of Buddhists, agnostics, and atheists. We're currently having the best success with the Catholics and the atheists, but often they run into the problems of tradition and faith receptively. They are great people, though. And as they are willing to experiment and believe what we say is true, they all see the blessings and eventually come around.  

Oh, I forgot, I think the greatest successes we are having are with the Chinese. They are very prepared and humble the vast majority of the time. It is great to see their lives and outlooks change. The gospel is true and can change our lives if we are willing to let it and willing to apply it.

 

Thank you for everything. We pray for you daily, hourly sometimes. You are all such blessings and I look forward to seeing you again when the time comes. Have fun, and keep smiling :)

Press forward with steadfast faith in Christ.

Best wishes,

Elder Jones

 

P.S. I was filling out my calendar the other day, and I think I only have 90 more weeks.... Time is short!