Week 17 reply to Dad

From: Jordan Stamps Jones <jsjones@myldsmail.net>
Date: April 6, 2014 at 8:58:34 PM MDT
To: "Sajmba2002@yahoo.com" <sajmba2002@yahoo.com>
Subject: Re: Week 17 - "You are 17 going on 18..." From Korea's Alive With The Sound Of Teaching

Hey everyone!

I'm glad everyone made it back from driving safely! I am also glad the van is still holding up! How much longer do you think it will go? I keep seeing exact replicas over here and it just reminds me of the old van; we have seen a number of vehicles stop working in the middle of the road ;)

I really am happy to hear that everyone is doing so well and I hope you continue doing well! I am so happy that missionary work in the ward is still going strong. I know dad knows, but I can attest to the fact that members are a vital part of the work. Nothing can replace a friend in the ward and a non-missionary face at lessons. It is difficult, but any help you can give is always a giant help.

I hadn't heard about any North Korean stuff. There was really nothing out of the ordinary at all. It is incredible how little Koreans care about the whole situation.  I can ask some other missionaries farther north about it at conference, but the fact that no one has said anything reminds me that it really isn't very serious most of the time. I just hope it stays that way!

We still don't know about Mother's Day arrangements. I think I will need to ask at the mission conference later this month, but I'm sure it will be explained in a mission email before then.

It is still a bit tough to switch between languages, but it will turn out alright. The practice from translating during lessons has been quite helpful! I think that will stay the same for a while. They are definitely different languages, but I am starting to learn some Chinese words via translation because a lot of the religious words in Chinese are only a little different in Korean. I am able to pick out a lot more in lessons than on the street, but it is still fun. I really do hope I get better quickly, though. It is a little awkward for an elder and a sister to teach while their companions just sit back and listen.

I am hoping to send you some pictures soon, but I am still looking for a good way to send them. I apologize for not sending a letter last week, but I will send one this week, so it should get there before May... Hopefully...

Thank you for all your prayers and thoughts. You are such a help :) I look forward to talking to everyone in May; hopefully we will see each other's faces, too!

Press forward with steadfast faith in Christ.

Best wishes,

Elder Jones

Week 17 - "You are 17 going on 18..." From Korea's Alive With The Sound Of Teaching

Dear Jordan,

I just got home from teaching Hannah and Rachel how to drive. We are all alive and breathing a little easier. Both did very well. The van's battery had run down so that we needed to have a jump. Fortunately Jerone Richards was driving by and helped. Since I needed the car to run for a while I asked Hannah and Rachel if they wanted to go driving. Both said yes. Both may have their licenses by the time you come home.

Mom is teaching her classes again and it looks like it will be both Wednesday and Thursday. Bekah is taking swimming lessons on Tuesday/Thursday so we will have to figure something out on how to get mom to her classes and Bekah to hers.

Sarah has the week off from school due to spring break. The other girls will have spring break in two weeks. Next Monday through Wednesday mom and I will be at a conference in St. George. Grandma said she will drive the girls to and from school.

We had snow on the ground on Sunday and have been receiving rain and snow during the week. Fortunately it hasn't stayed on the ground and there is snow in the mountains.

From the news we keep hearing about North Korea firing into South Korea's space but no casualties. There was a town that was evacuated for a while. We hope that you are safe. We also hope that the people will use these situations to turn to the Lord.

The missionaries are still teaching Kelton in our ward. He is nine and his mom is a member. We have been trying to get them to attend our ward so that he can be baptized. They were supposed to come on Sunday but it fell through. We we have to wait until after General Conference. I thought it was interesting that you will have to wait for the Korean translation of Conference before you can hear it.

Any word on Mother's Day yet or do we need to wait for you to have another zone conference to talk with someone who would know? We will come up with a list of questions from the family so you won't have to repeat too many times.

Your last email sounded so positive and upbeat. It was wonderful! We are so glad that you are able to use your Chinese and Korean. Do you sometimes mix them up or because they are so different you really can't? When I started speaking Spanish with the Galena Branch, it was like grinding gears to get my mind back into the Spanish mode. It is much easier now. I noticed that you have started having some spelling errors but I bet it is due to having to type so fast.

I got to look at your picture in the stake office on Tuesday. We still don't have your picture up in our ward yet. That is probably good because it would remind us more of how we miss you.

Please keep up the great work you are doing. It is true. We love you. Your Heavenly Father loves you. Jesus loves you. Even when the work is hard and the day is long, please remember that those who are for you outnumber those against you.

We pray for you and your success in doing the will of the Lord. We care about you and look forward to seeing you again soon. You have completed 4 months already. The time is going by quickly.

We love you. Big hugs to you.

Hannah, Rachel, Bekah, dad, Mom, Sarah

Re: Sorry I missed you. :(

I finally have a bit of unscheduled email time. Just wanted to let you know that I pray for you. I hope you are doing well and I hope things are good in the family. Let me know if there is anything I can do to help you :) If you are ever tempted to be down, count your blessings. That will help. If you really want a surefire way to feel better, though, go out and serve :) It may seem like you are always serving as it is, but I am learning more and more out here that there is always more to do. Daunting: yes, but it is always worth it :)

 

Press forward with steadfast faith in Christ.

Best wishes,

Elder Jones

 

P.S. The more time I spend with Elder South the more I realize it may be a good idea to just do BYU undergrad, get some stuff on my resume, then go ivies. It may just not be a possibility currently... Though I definitely feel comfortable saying that there are more things in life than can be put on paper :)

Week 16 reply from Jordan

Hey!

 

Congratulations to Robert on the test! What did you guys do to celebrate? And I hope Ben hears back soon! Whatever happens, I'm sure he, Hannah, and Rachel will have a fun time at Comicon.

 

Thank you for the tip about backing soda. I did know that, but I haven't had a chance to use it 1. because baking soda is surprisingly expensive, and 2. I was able to get some American toothpaste near the temple. It is less than surprising that there is an American goods store so close to the temple and Mission office. Thank you for the concern, though :) Also, we can technically drink from the taps, but it is not advisable, and every house has a filter system, so it is easy to get water (gratefully).

 

I got the email about Dallin, and I was amused by how different the circumstances of each mission is. It's not surprising, but it is interesting. I can't even imagine what some other missionaries go through in their fields. Every mission, zone, every area is just too differnt to compare. I hope you are having fun with Brother Urton and Brother Wood! Is Sister Urton doing alright? I am also glad mom was able to get some medicine. Hopefully she feels better sooner than later. I hope everything went well with Grandma's trip and I hope Bonni and family is doing well, too. Basically, I hope everything is going well with everyone. I think you've caught that drift already.

 

I've been paying attention to how most of the Korean food is made, but it seems like everything folows one of two recipies. 1. Gather all necessary ingredients and cook slowly, stirring occasionally. Or 2. Gather all necessary ingredients and cook as quickly as possible over an open flame, burning if so desired. I suppose there is a third: Gather all ingredients and wrap with rice and seaweed, but I don't think that quite counts as cooking. It's still really good though :)

 

Anyway, we don't hear the news at all out here. I hadn't heard anything about North Korea or the US for quite a while. No one here really seems to care. I suppose news about North Korean military action to South Koreans is like news about Canadians doing well in hockey to Americans. It's there so much, that no one actually pays any attention anymore.

 

We've been having between 14 and 18 lessons per week, which is surprisingly high for the mission, but most people don't get Chinese lessons. I think about a third are in Chinese. None in English or French lately because those people have been falling through or too busy... I think a typical day for us is most of a normal missionary's study. Leaving early for a lesson. Lunch. Heading out for another lesson. They don't show up. We do some calls. Dinner. We have another lesson or two. We make some calls. That's about what we do each day, give or take. It's fun, but both Elder South and I feel entirely drained at the end of the day.

 

We are looking forward to conference, too. Though most of us are looking forward to not having to wear full suits after the conference in addition to hearing the talks. We will hear the conference a week after you do because it needs to be translated and I guess they don't want the missionaries hearing the talks before the natives... I hope you and Robert do something fun! I hear Spiderman 2 comes out soon. You could go see that, I think...

 

I like your thoughts on teaching by the spirit. You are definitely right. People always have certain needs, but sometimes, it is impossible for even the person to know what they are. It is difficult, but if you can follow the spirit's promptings, they will alwys have their needs met. It's incredible how true that is. It goes for daily life as well, but it is all the more necessary when teaching something about the gospel.

 

Thank you for all you do. We pray for you many times every day and hope you are all doing well. I will try to find out about the Mother's Day situation as soon as possible, but we haven't been told about it yet, and no one in the district was here last Mother's Day... I'll let you know. Once again, thank you for everything. 

Press forward with steadfast faith in Christ.

Best wishes,

Elder Jones

Week 16 - "You are 16 going on 17", The British have 16 ounces in one pound; the Chinese used to have 16 liangs in one jin

Dear Jordan,

Spring has Sprung! at least here.

 

It was great to hear from you last week. We are thrilled that you are having the experiences so that you can learn both languages. I was surprised to learn that their toothpaste was so different. You probably know that you can use baking soda to make your own toothpaste. You would mix water with the amount of baking soda that you want to use so that it is pasty but not too liquid.

Baking Soda in Korean

중조, 탄산수소나트륨, 소다

Are you able to drink the water from the tap or do you need to use bottled water? Do you have hot water for showers?

 

We started receiving the emails from Dallin again and I forwarded it to you. According to the email, he is at week 78. It is hard to believe that you are at week 16 already (basically 4 months).

We were home taught on Sunday and our home teachers are now Brother Urton and Brother Wood. Mom was still sick so she didn't go. She has had a cold and a bad cough. She went to the doctor on Saturday evening and got some medications. Rachel went with me to hometeach Sister Lee at the Clements' house. They are all well and asked about you and how you are doing.

 

Robert passed his test so he isn't as agitated. Ben is still looking and hasn't heard back from his interview. He wants to take Hannah and Rachel to the Comicon in Salt Lake in April. They will be out of school that week for Spring Break. They will probably only get to go on one day. Rachel has the Language Fair at BYU on the first day and then Ben has a wedding he is going to (not his own, we joked about that) on the last day. Grandma returns from Denver tomorrow.

 

Have you been able to learn to cook some of the Korean food or are you making home meals? Have any of the members/investigators tried to teach you how to make Korean meals? Do you follow the news very much? Do you have any emergency drills? I know that North Korea has fired several missiles over the last couple of weeks since South Korean and the US have been doing a joint exercise.

 

About how many people to do teach a week? How many in Korean, Chinese, English, French, etc? Will you describe a typical day? If you never have a typical day, how about describing what the mission president asks you to do.

 

We are looking forward to Conference in a week an a half. The Women's Conference is this Saturday and I have to think about if I will do something with Robert because all of the women-folk in the house will be attending or are invited. That leaves me all alone. This Sunday will be Fast Sunday and in the evening all of the girls have a fireside to talk about Girls' Camp this summer.

 

In Dallin's email, it was interesting that he was seeing such a difference in investigators from Brazil. He is running into some of the same issues that you face with some of the investigators. I know that people will be touched by the Spirit when it is appropriate for them and that you can't force it. I am learning to speak up when prompted to say those things that come to my mind. It has been a little hard for me because it has always been easier to let others speak, especially in Gospel Doctrine (think Webster, Berit, and Wilson). As you meet with the investigators, think about what you think would mean the most to him/her/them and then pray about it. Windows will open as well as hearts.

 

We love you. We are thankful for you and everything you have done and continue to do. We pray for you. You are important to us and to Heavenly Father. You are already a sixteenth through your mission and time is flying. We look forward to hearing from you. We also need to find out soon if you are able to call us/Skype us/etc on Mother's Day (May 11th). You will probably be able to call/Skype/etc on your P-day since that will be our Sunday evening. Please let us know what is available or what we need to do to be ready.

 

Love you,

Sarah, Hannah, Rachel, Bekah, dad, Mom

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!

Week 15 - is a repdigit in binary (1111) and quaternary (33). In hexadecimal, as well as all higher bases, 15 is represented as F. Also the number of apostles alive with a full quorum and presidency

Dear Jordan,

Thank you for your email. We love hearing from you and what you are doing. Everyone continues to ask how you are doing. I enjoy hearing mom's excited responses. She likes to tell people that you are using your Chinese. I also let everyone know as well. I say that you are doing well and that you are still learning Korean. Please let us know if there is something you want us to say.

 

How is your comprehension of what the people are saying now? In Korean and Chinese? French? Any changes in who your companion is, meaning any transfers? What do you think of your mission president and his wife?

 

We had the ward Family Home Evening on Monday at the Wood's house. Mom and I were able to visit with Brother Wood for a little bit before it started. We asked him if he also found it difficult to commit investigators to baptism. He said yes, mainly because the family traditions of Buddhism and ancestor worship. He said that even if the person died and went to a place of peace and joy, if the descendant didn't burn the incense and have the statues on the mantle, then the person would be moved to a less and less pleasant place. I don't know if you are facing that situation.

I do know that if the Spirit is there in your discussion and the person recognizes the Spirit (always point it out when you feel it), that the Spirit will help confirm what the person needs to do. As you know, always say the things that the Spirit prompts you to say. I know you have heard this but I will repeat it. You can teach but the Spirit will convert and confirm. I know I was in a different situation in Ecuador. We still had plenty of people that wanted to discuss the gospel but being baptized was a different matter. The hardest part for them was if their family had been in the Catholic church for a long time, they didn't want to go against tradition. However, many times they weren't active in the church (only Easter and Christmas) so that the biggest change was starting to keep the commandments. I know that they are receiving the blessing of Lehi and the other prophets that they would be accepting the gospel in the last days. I know that the people of Korea are from a different lineage; however, they still are eligible for the blessings of the house of Abraham. 

The Lord will help you if you follow the promptings. You will get to know the people quickly and there will be little things that will stand out in your discussions with the people that will help you show that you are interested in them. Let them know that Heavenly Father loves them and wants them to be happy. One thing that occurred to me was, in their lives, they have already made many important decisions (marriage, work, car, house) and with their decision, there have been blessings and trials. Baptism is the same but there will be special blessings and trials. When they were making the important decisions, ask why they decided to make the decision (what prompted them to make the decision) and then the process they went through to finalize the decision. With many of our decisions we only have so much information or people to talk with to gather the information. With baptism, we also can research and ask but we have a loving Heavenly Father who will respond. He has many more blessings for us if we will do his will. (see Ensign article at end of email). When I was in the discussions with the people in Ecuador, the Spirit made it easy for the people to accept baptism, plus it was part of their traditions to be baptized. If I think of anything else, I will let you know.

 

Dallin is back in his mission. Robert is taking a test today for his work. He has been studying for several months to pass it. I hope he has good news. Ben had another job interview and I hope to hear how it went on Sunday. Grandma and Grandpa Stamps were in town last week and some of the girls and mom were able to see them briefly and eat dinner with them.

 

How have your meals been? Is there anything that you don't have access to that you need? Have you had a zone meeting yet? Have you had any visiting General Authorities? Do you have to get any additional shots while you are there? (we generally received our gamma globulin shots at Zone Meetings) You may not have the same situations/meetings.

 

Spring is almost here. We had highs in the 50s and 60s last week. This week we got some snow but the temperature is rising. Hopefully we will continue to receive rain so that we have enough water. How is the weather there? What have you liked? Have you been able to visit any sites yet? Did you go through the temple in Korean or English?

 

The Lord has blessed you and us exceedingly. He loves us and watches over us. The gospel is true and we can receive eternal life (the greatest gift) by living the commandments. We love you and miss you but are grateful that you are willing to serve the Lord. Continue to work hard and smart but always follow the Spirit.

 

Love,

Mom, Sarah, Hannah, Rachel, Bekah, dad

 

P.S. - Here is the article from the March Ensign, if you haven't seen it yet.

Serving a Stranger
BY YONG GIL PARK

As my departure from Korea came closer, I was worried. Who would take care of my aunt after I left?
My mom never accepted the gospel in her earthly journey, even though I had prayed for her and felt she would accept it someday. She was a strong woman who sacrificed throughout her life to support our family after the Korean War. On the one-year anniversary of my mom’s death, my wife and I went to the Los Angeles California Temple to perform her baptism and confirmation.

The strong Spirit in the room confirmed to me that my mom gladly accepted the gospel and the ordinances.

Just before my mom passed away, she asked me to take care of her younger sister, who was in a hospital in Korea. My family and I lived in California, USA, so unfortunately there seemed to be no way to fulfill my mom’s compassionate last wish.

Then my job unexpectedly relocated me to South Korea, and I had to be separated from my family for a year. Although I was concerned about living far from my family, I also anticipated visiting my aunt and my dad, who was in a Korean hospital suffering from Alzheimer’s disease.

I asked Heavenly Father for divine help in living away from my family. As I thought about the time I would spend in Korea, I resolved to visit my dad, my aunt, and the temple weekly as well as to pray for my family daily.

Once I was in Korea, the bishop of my new ward called me to be the Young Men president and the Gospel Doctrine teacher. My ward and the hospitals where my dad and aunt stayed were far from each other, and I had a very demanding job; but Heavenly Father blessed me with strength and stamina to magnify my callings and to keep my resolutions.

Soon after I started visiting my aunt, I discovered she rarely had any visitors. I decided to pick her up and have her stay with me on the weekends at my hotel, which had an extra room. However, I had a problem: should I take her with me to church on Sunday? I thought she would neither be interested in nor understand the meetings, and she would have to wait for hours after church for me to be done with meetings and other duties. But for some reason I felt I should take her.

That Sunday I took her with me, and, as expected, she had to wait for me afterward. After my meetings, I took her back to the hotel to eat. I noticed that she held a bag. I asked her about it, and she said a sister had given her some snacks. Whenever I had duties after church, this sister—who did not know my aunt—always offered my aunt snacks. One week during my Sunday School lesson, a familiar voice volunteered to read a scripture. I had never imagined my aunt would volunteer, but a kind sister sitting next to my aunt had prompted her to read for the class. Although my aunt was not good at socializing because of her time isolated in the hospital, all the members kindly greeted and chatted with her.

Every Sunday evening I would take her back to the hospital and promise to pick her up the next weekend, which always brought a happy smile to her face. One day a friend of mine shared a concern that my aunt might have a hard time when my visits suddenly stopped when I left Korea. As my scheduled departure from Korea came closer, I felt mixed emotions—happy to be soon reunited with my family but distressed and sad about leaving my aunt alone. Finally, I explained to my aunt that I would not be able to visit her as often. She paused a moment, obviously disappointed. 

Then she tried to compose herself and asked if I could visit her again in a year. I cried and desperately asked Heavenly Father to help this lady. On my last Sunday in Korea, the bishop asked if ward members could pick up my aunt on Sundays to bring her to church. He said that a number of members were willing to visit her on a regular basis—so many that they would have to organize and take turns. 

I could not believe his offer! This was the unexpected answer to my desperate prayers. Since the members lived far away from my aunt’s hospital, I offered to leave some money for them to cover the travel expenses, 

but the members refused to take my money. They told me they would take turns visiting once a month, but I found out later that they actually visited every week. One faithful sister picks up my aunt every Friday to attend institute and have lunch. She even took her to a beauty shop for a haircut. Another sister, a single mother of two teenage children, volunteered to pick her up every Sunday morning. She cooks for my aunt, takes her for a walk, and listens to music with her. Most importantly, she tries to be a friend, and my aunt has finally opened up and comfortably chats with her and other members. 

Every Sunday evening the bishop picks up my aunt from a member’s home after his long day of Church meetings and other duties to take her back to the hospital. Every Thursday he sends a kind email to me to report their heavenly service for my aunt. I believe that my mom saw the actions of faithful Latter-day Saints serving her younger sister. And now I know, more clearly than ever, why we call our fellow Church members “brothers” and “sisters.”