성신의 은사, 속죄, 삶을 변화함

This week we had a great week. We met a few new people, one is a baker at the market we shop at every week, and we see him all of the time (we call him Baker Park ㅋㅋ). He's very friendly, and out of the blue he saw us on the street, then called us asking to meet. He quits his job in a week, and he really wants to come out to church. It's so special to see his desire. He's a kind person, but he admits that there's a 'dark side' (in our language we say the natural man), and he wants to relieve some of the guilt from his past. We met briefly at the church and took him up to the Sacrament Meeting room. He really liked it and said he feels good there. Most churches in Korea are built for looks and have a lot of expensive things, but he commented on how we don't have much to decorate it. It's humble, and it helps him know we're sincere about our worship. We do it for God, not man. He's 24 and we have high hopes for him. I loved our lesson because even though it wasn't a regular, 45 minute lesson, as we sat in the empty sacrament hall, the familiar peace the spirit brings spoke to us. I testified of Jesus Christ and the special, very real power that comes from him. I've been changes by Jesus Christ, and I know it's so I can help other people experience the same change. There's a real, tangible presence and strength that comes from the Atonement of Jesus Christ. I'm so grateful that he knows me, and that he loves us enough to have suffered so we don't have to. He knows all of us and the trials we go through; He is the only one we can trust 100%. If we come unto Him, he will never let us down.

Another guy we met this week is 31, but he looks like he's 18. Everyone at church asked him what year in high school he's in ㅋㅋ  He is smart and seems to have a desire to learn about God. We met on Saturday, then he stayed for English Class, and we invited him to church. He came! We think he'll progress fast. He doesn't believe in God much, but we taught him about prayer and committed him to pray daily.

We met a guy a week or two ago, an old investigator, and he is doing well. He came to church and when we taught, he said he's willing to be baptized. He's heard all of the lessons before, so technically he can be baptized next week if he wants to, but it's been a few months and we want to go through the lessons another time to make sure he knows the doctrine and believes it. He's great, but doesn't seem to comprehend all of what we say sometimes.

We visited a less active sister that lives by the church. She's really nice, has a son my age, and has met with the missionaries outside of her front door almost every week for a long time. Sometimes it can be a bit awkward, she might not want to talk, but it seems like the more we prepare a message just for her, and put our heart and soul into it, she's open and ready to listen to the spirit. It's usually when we ask her for help. She used to teach Sunday School at church for a few years, so we asked for some advice on teaching, asking questions, and helping people understand our message. She usually responds in short replies, but she just burst out giving parables about God and oxygen, how to ask inspired questions, and how she prays daily, expressing gratitude for the small things in her life to help her remember who she relies on. There was a spirit that I've never felt with her before, she had shown us the side of her that wants to come back to church, that longs, aches, hungers for the gospel.

I felt a rush inside as we testified and prompted her with soul searching questions. I know we make a difference in her life. I know that something is preventing her from coming back, maybe a family member, because she has such a strong love for the gospel that I've never seen before. She is cut off from connections with the church, except for us, and that day I felt her gratitude that we visit weekly. We are her only connection, besides prayer, to discussing the gospel and feeling the spirit.

Being a missionary is fantastic. I love meeting people like this, that have such strong desires and love for the gospel. It gives me hope for the future and builds my testimony.


Church was truly a miracle, we had ATR's confirmation, and two other investigators to church. Again this week I felt the truthfulness of the scripture 'Seek and ye shall find.' If we approach the door of revelation with faith and patience, God will not hold back. If we seek help, we will find it. The answer just might not be in the way we expect it. I read 2 Kings 5 and thought about how we sometimes imagine if we saw some big sign, we'd believe, or THEN we'd follow the Lord's counsel. Why wait for big spiritual earthquakes when we're not willing to pay attention to the soft whispers of the spirit?

We went for a great hike this last week for a ChuSeok activity

Also, I'd like to mention how awesome our zone is. Who would have thought Kangwondo would get cooler than last year when I was a wee lad? There's a special unity with the missionaries here. When one companionship has a success or trial, we all celebrate or come together to help. Two years ago people would ask to leave this zone. At the beginning of this year, attitudes changed. Despite the rumors that it's the hardest zone in the mission (not true), people ASK to come now. People want to experience the love, sacrifice, and teamwork out here in the boonies. I love it here, and being out here has changed my mission, which has changed my life. It's changed me.

Kangwondo Zone at the Seoul Tower

Have you tried missionary work? If not, you should. Have you heard of that book? Yeah, that one we always talk about. It's a great read. You should try it sometime (Thanks Elder Duffy).

Love you all,
Elder Franchina

Power or Prayer

This week we were really busy. We went to Seoul and back twice. Took a total of over 14 hours of travel. I'm tired. But it was good. We had Mission Leadership Council, where they trained us on the new focus for the month, which is revelation through prayer. On Saturday, we had a mission conference for the Korean Thanksgiving, Chuseok. Guess who I saw? (see attached picture - look familiar?)

Jordan and Rhett Day (neighbor from home ward)

Our zone went to the Seoul Tower, it was a lot of fun.

Jordan's Zone at the Seoul Tower

We then had Zone Training meeting where we then conveyed the focus for the month to our zone. It was a good meeting. I love the focus of prayer. Our zone is really special. It's the biggest zone in the mission, geographically, and one of the smallest, missionary-wise. There are only 18 of us, and we're over an hour and a half to two hours apart from each other, but our zone is really close. There's a special spirit of unity in this zone that you can't find anywhere else. I felt that as we taught our zone about prayer. We asked our zone if they would pray daily for the other missionaries' investigators.

We showed the Mormon Message about Annie, who had liver failure. There's power in prayer, especially in groups. I know that God hears prayers, and He answers them. Last week I learned the truthfulness of the phrase, 'seek and ye shall find, knock, and it shall be opened unto you.' If we search for spiritual experiences, answers to questions, charity, forgiveness, whatever it is we search for, we will find it if we petition our Father in Heaven. How comforting it is to know that a perfect, loving Father in Heaven watches over us, and has a plan for us, for our happiness?

The gospel brings so much peace into my life, and I've received this knowledge through prayer. If you ever have any doubts, questions, or concerns, turn to your Father in Heaven. He knows, and he won't leave you alone.

Stone Skippers

This week was full of miracles for me. On Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday we taught  Mr. CHO.  He passed the interview without problem, and was set for baptism. He's really different around people, because at home, he's smiling and laughing with us, but at church, he's a little shy. I know he'll warm up quickly though, he's already really good friends with another older guy in the ward. Seeing him willingly enter the waters of baptism was so good for me.

President and Sister Christensen, Elder Gardner, Mr. CHO and Jordan

I feel like Elder Gardner and I worked really hard, and we were able to see some of the effects of our hard work. As I read in the bible about the rejoicings in heaven over the lost sheep that is found, I couldn't help but think of him. I saw Christ walking along with Mr. CHO and us, rejoicing that he has found the light, and has chosen to follow that light.

Sometimes, as missionaries, I feel like stone skippers that will skip stones far, but we throw our stones and turn around before we can see the ripples of the stone across the water. We keep throwing stones our whole lives, but it can be discouraging sometimes to only throw, and not watch. Every once in a while we are blessed with the opportunity of watching the stone skip and skip, creating beautiful rings across the surface. Fluid dynamics is truly beautiful, right? :)

We met a new investigator, SKL, who admitted, because of his Buddhist family, he won't come to church, but he said he'd love to sit down and talk about our beliefs and hear the lessons. His cousin is Mormon, and after serving a mission, he had dinner with him and the missionaries, so he already knows some of what we do. He's really nice and down to earth, and I know his willingness to meet and just listen will bring him far. When the 반대 (opposition) is over, I'm sure he'll be happy to come to church. It's crazy to think of how long it takes people to be prepared to receive the gospel. We may throw a lot of our own stones and not see many ripples, but we walk into the scene to often see the big ripples of other's work, which is also a blessing.

We surprised 속초 (Sokcho) this week with a visit during their studies (it required us getting up at 5:30..), and it went really well. It was well worth it, I enjoy studying with other missionaries, training with them, and attending their district meetings. I also love visiting my old area, Sokcho is truly a beautiful area.

In personal study I've been really searching for scriptures on hope and grace, as I mentioned before, and I've been reviewing them every morning and night as my 'daily bread'. This is truly helpful, because it helps me understand that, like eating three times a day, I can't go very long without returning to the Lord for help if I want to overcome sin. I have to be reminded every day that I need him, and it's because of the 'natural man' that I'm reminded. I'm so grateful for the natural man, because even though at times I may fall, sometimes hard, and sometimes often, I can now see a little more why God created us this way. I understand now that the 'hunger pains' of the natural man is just a reminder of why we are 'fasting'.

That's sort of what the theme was this week in District Conference. It comes from Alma 37:6. We, out here, may feel small. Some branches are run by missionaries and only have one priesthood holder. But as we humble ourselves and take it one step at a time, we will accomplish miracles.

The whole time I couldn't help thinking of the Mormon message 'patterns of light' by Elder Bednar, where he says 'Why would God send an angel to remind you, when he can bring up a memory of your angel mother (here's to you mom!<3) reminding you to say your morning prayers?' Why expect these big miracles to grow our faith and help us believe when we can't even do the three simple steps of daily prayer, reading the scriptures, and attending church? As I read in Luke today, "They have Moses and the prophets; let them hear them.

30 And he said, Nay, father Abraham: but if one went unto them from the dead, they will repent.
31 And he said unto him, If they hear not Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded, though one rose from the dead."

Laman and Lemuel (our favorite examples, right?ㅋㅋ) saw angels, but they couldn't do those small and simple things like have faith that their brother was called of God.

This is precisely why God gives us hunger (referring to my personal study above). If we did not hunger, we would often forget to feed ourselves. The Israelites relied on God day by day to receive bread. If they could have gotten a month supply of bread, think of how easy it would be to forget who gives them life! These spiritual 'hungers' can be ignored, like physical hunger, and soon our spirit dwindles in atrophy. We must remember who gives us life daily, and offer up our gratitude to him. Sometimes these 'hungers' whether it may be physical or spiritual, sin, or cravings, are strong, but they are a blessing, because they are meant to turn us to God for support, like our hunger turns us to food.

As we spend each day turning to the Lord, acknowledging that we 'need [him] every hour', we will progress to accomplish and see miracles. Progress is an interesting thing, though. It's the change in us, wrought by the Atonement of Christ. It is small, incremental changes that can only be recognized by retrospective thinking. Sometimes it takes looking back at elementary or junior high school pictures to see how much you changed, not last month's pictures. But the special thing about the Atonement is that you can look at yourself yesterday and see yourself a different person. The effects the Atonement has on people can come instantaneously, if the individual permits. It requires only one sacrifice - your will. As soon as we let the will of the Father become more important than our own, we will see daily changes in ourselves that are easy to recognize. You can look at yourself and say, 'I was a different person yesterday.' Christ is our savior and the Atonement of Christ is real. It has the power to change lives.

We must not look for nuggets of gold. As the miners and river sifters found, you won't find any. Instead, we will accumulate a vast amount of wealth through the patience-testing process of picking up one flake of gold at a time. As we take these flakes of gold, these small portions of daily bread (or sacramental bread), through reading and praying daily, and attending church, we will set our sights on eternity and find in ourselves a power beyond our own that only comes through Christ our savior.

Elder Franchina

A Solid, Unmovable Foundation in a Time of Shifting Values and Trials

This week was an adventure. With all of the rain, it makes street contacting very hard. But we were still able to meet quite a few new people that seem interested in meeting. Our struggle right now is actually getting them to meet. We set up a lot of street appointments, but they often don't show up.  

 

Mr CHO came to church, and we have taught him most of the 4th lesson (the commandments). This week when we went to his house, we noticed something different about him. Usually he just rambles on about this or that, but now whenever he talks, he has this smile on his face, and he only talks about the gospel. He talks about who he was before, and how he understands things now, and it's obvious that there's a change that happened in him. He also mentioned that he and his mom really like it when we come over, it makes the house have a good atmosphere. We're really happy to see his conversion take place, and he is still progressing to be baptized this next Sunday.

Our friend, GYO, is doing really well, we have moved from reading scripture stories to watching conference talks and Mormon messages with general authorities. When he saw 'discerning light' by Elder Bednar, he said, 'When I heard his voice, I knew that whatever he said would be true. I can tell he is sent by God.' He has such great faith, and studies and understands very well. He has a great future ahead of him in the church. He wants to introduce his girlfriend to the gospel when he finishes his military service in October.

I'm so grateful for the gospel of Jesus Christ, that it provides a solid, unmovable foundation in a time of shifting values and trials.

 

Take some time to reflect on how this gospel has helped you, and think about how it can help you in the future. It's an empowering feeling, knowing that everything will work out in the end, no matter what happens in the middle. 

Elder Franchina 

Umbrellas Are A Great 'Missionary Shield'

Dear Family,

This week's email will be a little short, sorry for the lack of time, but we had a great week. It's hard when it rains, umbrellas are a great 'missionary shield'. People don't usually talk when it rains, but this week we still saw miracles. Thank you for your prayers for Mr. CHO, he came to church, (along with 3 less actives), and we taught with a member. He's progressing towards baptism, and the scheduled date is for the 31 of this month.

We are still meeting with GYO to get him excited to go on a mission. He has a great relationship with God, and he feels like a mission would be good. We met with YWO, who is still on the lazy side, so he's not really prone to progression, but he still has those fears of death and the afterlife, so we hope that propels him into progression in the gospel.

Our zone is doing really well on the focus for the month, 속초 (Sokcho) had 2 investigators to church yesterday, and we are seeing a huge increase in member lessons. It's a blessing to see these faithful goals become miracles from the point of view of a zone leader. This zone is fantastic, and are truly disciples out here.

Elder Franchina

Pahoran Is A Great Role Model

This week we worked really hard, I think this will be one of the most productive transfers of my mission. We were not able to meet with Mr PRK, despite going to his shop twice this week. Our investigator pool, once again, has become a bit stagnant, so we decided to go through old investigator records and old progress records. We set up two new appointments, and they both went really well.

CHU is interesting, about 40 years old, and interested in talking. He's originally Buddhist, but interested in learning about our message.

We receive texts from a guy with random, sometimes crazy things, and he suddenly asked if we can meet, so we decided to try it once. Both of those lessons went very well. We went over HTBT(How to Begin Teaching) and role-played, and we also set a goal to make 10 baptismal invitations this month for our companionship, and if there are more opportunities, go for 100% for every first lesson with investigators. We invited both to be baptized, and they accepted! Both agreed to come to church, but other circumstances, including rain, kept them from coming this week, but we're already 3/10 for our goal, so we'll probably have to adjust it later next week.

On Sunday we had a big miracle (just as expected, it was fast Sunday).  A member around the age of 16, KIM, brought his friend LEE to church the week before, and we heard that they both went to the youth conference this past week. He came back and loved it. He talked about the activities and exercise, but the best part was to come. During sacrament all of the youth got up to bare their testimonies, and LEE asked if he could get up! It was great, he bore his testimony like a member did, and he's only been to church two or three times. It was amazing, but quite obvious to me, that the promise is still extended, that if we seek the Spirit, we shall find. If we knock on the door of the house of the Lord, we can prepare and enter. He's searching, and he's finding his answers already. Then we taught a lesson after church, it was so natural. He's so curious, and very desirous to have a religion. Everything we said was testified of by the Holy Ghost, and he agreed to prepare for baptism. We picked him up as a new investigator, and we're pretty confident he'll be baptized by the end of this month or the next.

KJY  is doing well, we studied Alma 17 and 18, and he decided he wants to go on a mission, so now he needs to discuss it with his girlfriend. We're so happy for him, that he is so in-tune with the Spirit and the scriptures. There's only one small speed bump.  He mentioned that he doesn't remember ever having people lay their hands on his head and getting the Holy Ghost. He was baptized and then went straight to military service, so it's possible. We're trying to find his record, but if he didn't receive the gift of the Holy Ghost, he may have to be re-baptized or have that given soon. Either way, I'm really excited that he's planning for a mission, and his back-up plan is going to BYU Provo. Maybe both! I love him, he's such a cool guy.

I'm so grateful to be serving with Elder Gardner again. He's a great Elder, and we just feed off of each other. He wants to work hard, and that makes me want to work harder. We talk to every one and are really working on improving our skills as missionaries. It's not only as fun as I imagined it would be, but we're still working on being humble and improving our weaknesses. I think we've had some really good companion inventories, making goals and following through, and I really hope to serve with him for the remainder of my mission. He's a great Elder and a blessing to my mission, to the 강릉 branch, and to the zone out here.

One thing I really liked from something I read this last week was in the later chapters of Alma, Moroni writes Pahoran and really rips him a new one with how he has been holding back. He calls him to repentance, and places the blood of all those who died on his head. What a condemnation. How would we respond? I know when I've been accused of things, I act defensively, and even offended. How did Pahoran respond?

"Behold,I say unto you, Moroni, that I do not joy in your great afflictions,yea, it grieves my soul.
And now, in your epistle you have censured me, but it mattereth not; I
am not angry, but do rejoice in the greatness of your heart. I,
Pahoran, do not seek for power, save only to retain my judgment-seat
that I may preserve the rights and the liberty of my people. My soul
standeth fast in that liberty in the which God hath made us free.
And now, Moroni, I do joy in receiving your epistle.."

If only we could respond with the same meekness and self control as Pahoran. He first let Moroni know that he was not mad. He then informed him of the current situation (of which he didn't know about at the time he condemned Pahoran), then rejoiced in his righteousness, and then went on to strengthen his brother in the Lord. "Therefore, my beloved brother, Moroni, let us resist evil, and whatsoever evil we cannot resist with our words, yea, such as rebellions and dissensions, let us resist them with our swords, that we may retain our freedom, that we may rejoice in the great privilege of our church, and in the cause of our Redeemer and our God." What a great example of humility and receiving and giving correction.
I'm so grateful for the Book of Mormon and the Bible, providing countless witnesses of the Son of God. I have experienced recently in my mission the truthfulness of these words,

"Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.
Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in
heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light."

Christ requires that we give all, but in the process of giving all, we qualify for his grace, bringing rest unto our souls. He is the perfect example, and he is our friend.

Elder Franchina

Love, Meekness, and Spicy Chicken Feet

This week has been great. Elder Gardner and I have been working really hard. He got a little sick this weekend (we had some REALLY spicy chicken feet, and I think we were all a little queasy) but we're all doing good now. Elder Farr came to church with his parents, sister, and brother in law, and now they're heading back to Seoul to do some more travel, then they'll go home on Thursday.

I'm so happy to be serving out here, and I wouldn't trade this for serving in Italy, Mexico, or anywhere else.  I know I'm supposed to be here, serving with President Christensen. They've said that sometimes they assign missions based on where they feel like we should go, but it's usually based on which mission president they feel like you should be paired up with. I LOVE president Christensen. He has such a great love for Korea and the missionaries here.

We had a pretty hectic week, but our first few days together were great. We haven't met with many of our old investigators, but we were able to meet with 률건박, and the lesson went really well. We talked a lot about the Book of Mormon and prayer.  Elder Gardner bore a really great testimony, and we could tell it affected him. After Elder Gardner's prayer, he had tears in his eyes. We think he'll really start progressing from now on. 

When we contact people, it's changed from just introducing what we're doing (just a sales pitch) and giving a card to actually having a conversation, getting to know and love the person we talk to, and then the commitment to meet again or get their phone number is easy!

In my studies I studied more about the Sermon on the Mount, and today I thought a lot about Meekness. It's a quality I am really searching for, because the meek qualify for the grace of Christ and receive forgiveness for their sins, becoming the Sons of God. To me, meekness is a lot about humility, and not because it is forced, but because it's desired. It's a choice, because the individual understands the benefits of humility. Meekness also includes aspects of obedience, submission, and love, and so I am still seeking to obtain these qualities as I progress as a servant of the Lord. I can start to clean the inner vessel, so that my whole body can be full of light. I love the light. I enjoy dwelling in the light, and I love serving the light.

This week we saw a great miracle when we visited a less active sister.  She wasn't able to come out to church, but in front of her door we talked for about 15 minutes and shared a message about God being her father, and how she's always worthy to receive his help. We shared D&C 112:10, and talked about how Christ is beside her, holding her hand.  It's a more comforting notion, than a savior that exists above us, doing his own work or working with us from a distance. Christ is beside us, with his angels, lifting us up, and we helped her realize that. It was a very good message for her.

Some friends and scenery pictures! We had some crazy cool clouds, pure white, then blue sky, then a typhoon storm cloud just over the mountains.

Thank you for your prayers and for all that you do, I love you all!
Elder Franchina

The Elder Franchina-Elder Gardner Team Returns

Our investigators are doing alright, but progressing slower than we think they can. But it's good, they know we love them, and we go at the pace they can.  No baptisms planned for the next few weeks in our area, but we have a lot of hope.
'Why?', you might ask
The reason is, there's a great missionary coming to our area to be my new companion.
'How do you know he's a great missionary?' you might ask.
It may or may not be because I served with him a year ago.
That's right boys and girls, The Elder Gardner-Elder Franchina team was so great last year, they decided to put us together again, ready to take down all of Kangneung.

Old investigator in Sokcho!

It might not sound so cool to you folks at home, but serving with this Elder is a privilege. Elder Gardner is so nice and a really great guy. He was a great missionary when he was just a wee greenie, and now he's a Zone Leader! It's going to be so much fun.

The weather is getting hot, but we're trying some creative ways of staying cool (those refrigerator pants work better than you think!). Don't judge me, y'all, I'll be rocking these grandma pants at home.

It's really sad to see Elder Farr go, but it's good to see his example of sprinting to the end. Literally, we run everywhere. This morning for exercise we ran to the beach, and whenever we're going from place to place we sprint there. It's a lot of fun. You realize on your mission that when things get harder, they get more enjoyable and fun.

We did some service at an old folk's home. They're adorable.

 Missions are great.

Elder Franchina

Fun Hike Today

We went on a fun hike this week, so we don't have much time to email, but here's a few pictures from the hike.  무릉계곡, in a city called 동해, literally meaning the east sea. We might come back later to
go to the famous caves here.

We had Zone training meeting, which was good. We did some fun demos, regarding teaching and building relationships with investigators.

We met with MAT, a Korean, just two days after he got out of jail, and he's really looking for a way to relieve those burdens and sins. It's nice to meet someone who's genuine and sincere about coming unto Christ. Some of the time we meet people that end up only having interest in practicing English.

일이우 is doing well, we were on exchanges, so I didn't meet him this week, but Elder Farr says that he's doing well, showing a great desire to come unto Christ.

We also have 김태, who almost came to church this Sunday, but wasn't able to due to a bad headache. But he's really excited to come, and when he drives by us on the street in his dump truck he always honks.

I need to go take a bus to SOKCHO! We're going there for exchanges^^

Love you all,
Elder Franchina

PS Make sure to give someone a compliment today! You really can make a
difference!

Some fisherman taught me how to cast their nets

Hello!

Not much time today, but I'll update you on the news here.

We went to pick up trash at the beach and these

fisherman taught me how to cast their nets.

It's getting hot here, but we're staying cool with 30 cent ice creams sold next to our church. (God certainly does watch over his missionaries!)

LOO is busy, but is still planning on getting baptized at the end of this month.

We met a new guy, KST, and he's absolutely ready to accept the gospel. In our first meeting he accepted the invitation to be baptized, and he's excited to meet with us later. He got busy with work (construction), but one day we're walking down the street, and this BIG 18 wheeler truck carrying building debris started honking and stopped in the middle of the street (that's only okay here because it's the country side). It was him, and he rolled down his window - (HEY!!! HEY GUYS!!!). I like him.

Elder Farr's mission is winding down (Only 2 more weeks), but we're working harder than ever, and we're getting pretty close as companions. I love Gangneung, it's a great area.

We had Mission Leadership Council, and so we get to train our zone on what president taught us this past week. Although it took 2 days out of our week to travel to Seoul and back, it's great to spend more time with President and Sister Christensen. As I was on the bus, I read 2 Nephi 26, like you asked. I loved it. I continued on and read Jacob 5. Something I really liked this time was the insight we get to the attitude, personality, and character of the Lord. Multiple times he says, "내가 이 나무를 잃게 됨은 내게 슬픈 일이라." (verse 11) Which I love in Korean. It shows us how much he cares about the individual trees, not just the welfare of his general vineyard.

Naturally, you can't care for the entire vineyard without individually caring for each tree. He also states that the Lord of the vineyard worked WITH the laborers, promising to those that share the gospel, that the lord will be with them, working side by side, not just supervising.

I love this gospel. It's the safest and happiest path for individuals and for families.

Elder Franchina

It's another great week out in 강릉!

Hello all!

We have a meeting to get to in Seoul tonight, so this email will be short.

We have a cool investigator, LOO. He's 22 and missing his pointer, middle, and ring finger on his right hand. He's way cool and super nice, and this week he accepted the invitation to be baptized!  He'll be busy with work this next month, but we're still planning on July 20. He's a great kid, and I'm really excited for him. He's absolutely hilarious, but super sincere at the same time. After explaining the kingdoms of glory to him and bearing testimony, I asked, 'So, where would you like to go after you die?'
'....Uh. I have a question.'
'Sure, ask away.'
'This resurrection thing. After you have a perfect body, do you need sleep?'
'*caught off guard* Uh, I guess not, you won't get tired if you're perfect, why?'
'*sigh of relief* Good, I guess I'd want to go to the Sun Kingdom. If I needed sleep, though, it'd be too bright. I'd probably want to go to the Moon kingdom.' ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ
He's hilarious.

We had a lot of miracles this week, but they all include meeting ladies that were interested, so we referred them over to the sister missionaries.
It's another great week out in 강릉!

Love you all,

Elder Franchina

P.S. It's not my first area, just the same zone, but I'll go back to
Sokcho on exchanges in a week or two!

2 Gingers in Kangwondo? Absurd!

Hey! 

One of our investigators is named DVD. He is Korean, adopted at 8 months into a Jewish American family. He has been doing well.  Elder Farr and I are doing the 40 day fast together, and I feel like that really affected our meeting with him. We felt the power of our words testifying to him that he can give that 100%, that it's needed, but it won't be in vain. You could feel the spirit in the tips of your fingers and in the atmosphere as the words lingered and rang in his ears. If he really wants his answer, he needs to do it. He couldn't deny the spirit, especially when we pointed it out to him, and he committed to come to church.

Jordan and Elder Sullivan

We had a great week, we were able to make great progress with current investigators, and pick up new investigators as well.  We picked up YWO, a 22 year old kid we met knocking doors last week.  He wasn't too interested in God, he just had a lot of free time, but after meeting with us he talked about how afraid he was of death. We met with him again, and helped him begin praying. He can't believe in things he doesn't see, but we're helping him recognize God in his life, and how he can feel God, not see him. His first prayer was so sincere. He said, 'Dear Heavenly Father. I don't believe in you,.....but I really want to. In the name of Jesus Christ, amen.' He has that desire, and that desire will work in him until it develops into faith.

On Wednesday we went on exchanges with 동해, and I went with Elder Sullivan (He's from Sandy! He went to Alta and knows a lot of the youth in our ward). We met GMGI, who's nice, and very curious about the Book of Mormon. He might have a form of ADD, because it's hard to get him focused, even though he's over 40. But he's nice, and we'll continue to meet with him if he progresses.

We met an old 80 year old Jehovah's witness, SHSK, who was really interested in meeting. When we met, he expressed his beliefs, and that he goes to that church because they actually practice what they believe. After the first lesson, he admitted that if the Book of Mormon is the word of God, and we live according to both books, he would need to believe it and come to our church, and he said he'd read and find out. He's quite a nice old man, we're really excited for him, but he admits to not remembering everything well, because he's so old.

I love meeting with old people.  I just think old people are absolutely adorable. He speaks the 'high form of Korean', like calling us 'sir', and he wears a suit and hat when he meets with us. I love old people.

We also met a convert on the street the other day. He was baptized 2 years ago, but now he's doing 군대 (army), so he can't come. But he has free time every day after 7:00, and he said he wants to meet twice a week! We met and talked about prayer, and not just prayer, but petition and supplication. He's a fantastic guy. He trusts God so much, and has a great relationship with him. He has a lot of faith, and exercises it daily. We'll continue on and talk about scripture study, and hopefully when 군대 is over, he'll still be a strong member.

I've been thinking recently how much I don't know about the Book of Mormon, and have been having the thoughts that I need to have it more cemented in my life, so I've been reading it more deeply in personal study. During Sunday School, one member taught about the power of the everyday missionary book, the process of studying, and the 7 step process. He said to pick our favorite chapter and do it, so I studied 2 Nephi 4 this morning. I prayed hard to receive help and guidance in order to know how to help people with what I would learn through it, and for help to apply it today in my missionary work. I also came up with some questions that I wanted answers to, and when I read it, I felt like I found just what I needed. I found a few verses that I called and shared with TRA, because it was comfort to Nephi right after his father died.

I take courage from the Psalm of Nephi, knowing that if I'm humble and always rely on the Lord, through daily petition and scripture study, I can be strong, and that if I teach my children the way they need to go, 'they will not depart from it.'  Take some time to read the Psalm of Nephi. Psalms are meant to be read out loud, so take the time needed to study it well. It will have a great impact on your life.

I know this Gospel is the happiest and safest pathway for individuals and for families, and I'm grateful to be able to know it and share it with others. I know that I'll need help along the way, but I know I'll be able to receive it when I need it.  Thank you for your example and for your unconditional love for us missionaries.

Elder Franchina

P.S.
I love these old people. They just walk around everywhere collecting recyclables.

Gangneung... It's home. I'm back home. This is where I belong.

Jordan and Elder Farr

It's home. I'm back home. This is where I belong. I love the bustling streets of Seoul, but I LOVE the people of the countryside. The views, the clean air, the warm hearted people.

We got here Wednesday afternoon and went right to teaching this wonderful 20 year old guy.  We taught about a few commandments, set a return appointment for Friday. On Friday we taught a few more commandments, and set an appointment for Saturday. On Saturday (yeah, it's a bit redundant, but it's getting somewhere, keep reading), we went over prayer and revelation. He was preparing for his baptismal interview that day, and while we were teaching him I had the feeling that we needed to go deeper. He said he believed everything we were teaching, including the restoration through the prophet Joseph Smith, and the Book of Mormon, but I felt moved to ask him if he'd ever prayed about it. He said that he hadn't, which really surprised me. But he was able to logically figure this was true, and then through experience he knew this would help his life. But we talked about receiving an undeniable witness from God that it's true. That is the only witness that is undeniable, and that will sustain him throughout his life. Most people end up going less active because they never got that sure, spiritual witness from God, or they choose to forget it.

So after talking about that, we left him alone in the room for a few minutes to pray about our message. He came out a few minutes later, absolutely beaming. He's a quiet kid and kind of shy, but he was just radiating. He said he got an answer, and as we prayed he thanked God for speaking to his heart that it was true. He passed his interview and was baptized yesterday.  He is here for school, and goes home today for a few months, so we gave him the gift of the Holy Ghost right after baptism, and we'll see him off today. It was all so fast and crazy, but everything worked out perfectly. I'm so glad I was able to notice that subtle tug of the spirit, telling me he needs that extra witness.

We have a few other investigators that are doing well, but we're also seeing a lot of miracles when we walk down the street and meet people that are really interested. Every missionary says this zone is the hardest part of the mission because there's just no one to talk to, but I think it's all about perspective. If you think it's going to fail, it will, but if you have a vision of this area being the most successful part of the mission, it will be.

I keep saying it, but I know that this church is the church of Jesus Christ, because there's no way any other company, business, or even church would stay afloat when the entire future is funded and fueled by 18 year old kids paying their way to go preach the gospel. We have the help of angels on both sides of the veil, and I'm grateful for the opportunity to serve with them out here.

Elder Franchina

A Zone Leader is Born

T is still doing really well. She didn't come to church yesterday because she came down with whatever her daughter had, but she still plans to be baptized on the 22nd of June, or that Saturday. She's really excited and couldn't stop talking about how great church was. She was trying so hard to use 'Mormon vocabulary' by saying teachers, deacons, apostasy, etc. She's great. I was on exchanges with Elder Hone, who's our Zone leader, and he goes home this week. He did a fantastic job. It was a very spiritual lesson, ending with a blessing with consecrated oil. We taught about priesthood and she really needed a blessing, and afterwards, she and sister DMG embraced with tears, and she said that she already felt better.

We also met with Dr 홍, and Elder Hone and I tried so hard to get him to come to church. He wouldn't commit, because of previous engagements, but he came to our ward picnic, and became best friends with a recent convert, our ward missionary.  He said he'd see them a church this Sunday, but didn't end up coming. Maybe next week?

This week we met quite a few new people and had great first lessons, but are not able to count them as new investigators, because they weren't able to commit to a specific date. We met with a professor
here named Mr. HSN, a guy from Egypt named T2, and a various set of other foreigners.

The most important aspect of missionary work is Love. Don't try to 'win' their arguments and answer all their questions to convert.  Lovethem enough to have them search for their own answers some times, and always try to help them, not to beat them or win the conversation.  Just imagine how the Savior would have treated that conversation, and you'll feel the love that God has for that person.
I'm so grateful for all of your support everyone.

I'll be transferring this week, back to a familiar land! Kangwondo! Up in the Boonies. I'll be a zone leader up in Gangneung, and I've been there many times. Just about every Wednesday, back when I lived in Sokcho. It's a beautiful city, and I'll be serving with Elder Farr (yes, dad, his dad is the guy that makes Farr ice cream.) He goes home this next transfer, so I'm looking forward to working hard with him.

God bless.

Elder Franchina

Three Important Principles

We had elder Cook speak to us this weekend, and over the past 6 months, in conferences, general conference, etc, they have talked about 3 of the most important principles for our lives:
    1.  Personal and family prayer
    2.  Personal and family scripture study
    3.  Family Home Evening.

We heard a story of a young convert, who was about 10. She was the only person in her family that was baptized, and heard about FHE in primary. She asked her family to help her do it, but they weren't interested. So, what do you do? You can't do family home evening without family, right?
Wrong.
She got all of her dolls, put them in a circle, gave them all assignments, and did her own family home evening every week. She did it, even throughout her teens and college years, with just her and her dolls. The man speaking to us said he was proud to say that now she is married in the temple, and has family home evening every week with her husband and child. That was a great story for us.

I was wondering if you still do family scripture study and prayer, and FHE? I know it was hard for us with all of our schedules never matching up, but looking back, I'm so grateful for those nights in your room or by the fireplace, reading, learning, putting those stickers on our scriptures. Those are treasured memories that have taught me the fundamental principles of the gospel.
You may already be doing this, that just came to mind. Thank you for being such wonderful parents and doing everything out of love.

I love you guys!

Elder Franchina

A More Difficult Road

This week was great. We met with T again.  She is doing so well, we taught her
the plan of salvation this past week. She said she is feeling like the Book of
Mormon is true, and that she needs to be baptized a second time, this
time it being her choice, not as a baby. She wants to show the Lord
that she's willing to follow him. We committed her to baptism, but it
was almost as if she committed to it before we asked. She's
incredible. Everything we talk about makes sense to her, and agrees
with 'her' beliefs. 

We met with a few new people, in that group are: A Nigerian, a mid
20's Korean, and a 91 year old Korean whom we first met at the
bathhouse. That's a great first impression, right?ㅋㅋ

We see a lot of potential in the investigators we have, we just need
to stay on top of things and not let one person slip through the
cracks. That's my worst fear.

KEN's confirmation went really well. Elder Harrison did a great
job, then we met with the Turners that night and talked about temple
work. KEN is so excited to do baptisms, then later marry in the
temple. It turns out that he knows where the temple in Nigeria is.
He's seen it so much because it's on the main road right by his house!
So no matter where he goes, he'll be close to the temple. That's a
comfort to me. He is getting ready to do work for his parents and
other relatives, and even plans on finding a wife soon! He's a great
man and has had a great influence on me.

I love this work and the influence it's had on me. I wouldn't have it
any other way. Similar to Robert Frost's poem, the road less traveled,
I'd like to change it to a more difficult road. We, as members of the
church, take the road that may be more difficult, and that has made
all the difference.

May we all take the road less traveled by. The harder, but more
rewarding road of discipleship.

Elder Franchina

KEN's Baptism

This week was great, all culminating with KEN's baptism.

It started with meeting a referral from the Embassy housing, so we went over for dinner to a member's house, and they had a friend, TRA, with them. She's had experiences from miscarriages and being told they're in hell, to abusive parents, and she has a lot of questions.  After hearing more about our church, she said she feels like she's been a 'closet Mormon' her whole life. Everything she disagrees with her church, she agrees with our church. The family was wonderful in helping teach, even the 16 year old son. This coming week we're excited to meet her husband too.

We met a guy last Saturday who called immediately to take us out for dinner that night who is really interested. He seems Mormon already, the most important thing to him is family, and he really likes our stance on families. We feel like we're running into a lot of potential around here.

KEN's baptism went well. A less active Nigerian showed up that Elder Bell and Weight brought, and he bore a great testimony about baptism, and after the ordinance KEN bore a powerful testimony about God and his life. He knows and understands how important this is in his life. He's so excited to be baptized.  It was an incredible experience for all of us, and we're so happy for him. I can see a great future in the church for him, receiving callings and magnifying them. I've only known him for 15 days, but I know that he has received a manifestation from God that this is true, and that he will be a great member in this church.

These experiences and even the smaller ones that we have every day are just adding to my testimony that this is true. We see miracles daily in this church. I know that this church is the way to find the eternal happiness we're all searching for.

Elder Franchina

Mother's Day Call!!!

It was so good to talk to you today! I enjoyed it, even though it was brief. I, too, look forward to your letters every week. 

 

This week we had a miracle with our Nigerian investigator, KEN.  He was planning to meet us, but for the moment, he's living up by 의정부 (Uijeongbu), but he's moving to Seoul soon. He was coming to meet us, but he had a sudden job interview, so we thought that we weren't going to be able to meet him that day, but later, our other appointments canceled, and KEN showed up! He seems to really enjoy learning about the word of God.  He reads the Book of Mormon avidly. He read the first 20 chapters without us even asking him! Since he lost his job, all he does is study the Book of Mormon. 

 

Then he came to church yesterday, and saw a baptism, and we taught everything else needed before his baptism next week. The other 용산 (Yongsan) elders found a less active from Nigeria, and when he came to our church, he saw KEN, and it turns out that they know each other! So he was a great help in that. He even had a job offer for him that would move KEN right by our house. Everything worked out perfectly. He has such great faith and truly believes that through the grace of God, he can do anything.

Also, his friend that we met with on a different occasion, JOE, at first didn't want to be baptized a second time. We explained authority, but he refused it. We prayed so hard for him, and when we met on Saturday, he said that he could see himself getting baptized later, after he studies more.

 

I know this is the Lord's work, you can't trust 19 year olds with much, let alone the future of a company. But the Lord guides his true church, so we cannot fail!

 

Elder Franchina

This Is How We Do Missionary Work

This is how we do missionary work

On the sign:
How does god talk to me?
What is after this life?
What's the purpose of life?
Why does god let bad things happen to good people?

 

 

This week was incredible. We saw so many miracles. 

 

We met a 27 year old lady, JYG, on the street 4 different times, in four different parts of Seoul. Twice at places by our home, once in a different city by the temple, and once we were walking across a bridge, and a car drives by while she sticks her head out the window and yells, 'Changnonim!' (Elders). So she called us up and asked to meet. She doesn't believe in coincidences. We met with an RM in our ward that served in Tokyo, and the lesson went really well. She's really interested, and liked the member, and asked to meet again later this coming week. 

Preparing for Buddah's Birthday

We met with JOE from Nigeria again, and he's doing well. He knows the bible better than anyone, which is good when we talk about some doctrine, but when we talked about baptism he said he doesn't need it twice. We focused a lot on prayer, so if he receives an answer to his prayer, we're certain he'll get baptized. But while we met with him, I felt like I learned so much more about the Bible. Everything we said about anything, he could relate to a story. 'You know, that's why in Jeramiah, he said....' etc. He's great, and has a passion for his faith. 

 

Preparing for Buddah's Birthday

We met a new guy this week. Last week while we were waiting for the bus to go to church, we saw JOE (mentioned above), walking with a friend. His friend was so nice, gave us a bite of his fried chicken, and asked where our church was so he could come. His name is KEN and he's also from Nigeria. He couldn't make it to an appt this last week, but he showed up to church! We taught him the first lesson with the ward mission leader, and the spirit was really strong. I knew we had to ask him to be baptized. We asked him to prepare for the 18th of May, just two weeks from yesterday, giving him 3 weeks to come to church and prepare. His only concern was like JOE, being baptized twice, but Elder Harrison and I took things slowly, and explained authority from Acts 19, where people had to get baptized twice. I asked him again if he would be baptized. He immediately looked up after reading and said, 'I will, by the grace of God.' Meaning he'll get baptized because the grace of God has helped him know this is what he should do. I know it's such a short time, but he's prepared. Right after introducing the Book of Mormon, he said, 'this has to be true, it just makes sense.' It makes sense that God would talk to all nations, at all times, not just one at one time. Just as expected, this and other miracles happened on fast Sunday. It's always on fast Sundays that you see great miracles. 

Dr HNG is good, we finally met him again, and really worked hard on helping him understand that if he believes the Book of Mormon is true, then that means this is the restored church of God. He's taking a 4 year bible course, like seminary, but it's only once a week or so, and he says once he's done with that this December, he'll know enough to be baptized. But we encouraged him to set a goal for next month. 

We haven't been able to meet our other investigators yet though, but we're working on them.

We have started working with other less actives now. One is a guy that my MTC teacher baptized, and we were finally able to meet him yesterday! He came back to 신당 for school vacation, and came to church! It was great to meet him, and we'll get lunch on Tuesday to talk more. I was so excited to meet him, we heard so much about him at the MTC.

Please pray for KEN , and tell me of your missionary experiences back home!

Love you all, and look forward to talking next week!

Elder Franchina

 

By Their Fruits Ye Shall Know Them

We are still working with Brother JNG, and with our new bishop, we're working on helping him get his wife back to Korea. Our new bishop is passionate and super gung-ho about missionary work and families. He brought our less active into his office and said, you've got to do two things right now. Most importantly, you need to contact your wife and tell her sincerely that you love her, every day. You need to get her back here and start a family immediately. And secondly, you've got to find a job that will allow you to take Sundays off. You have to have Sundays off.' He walked out of the office bouncing on his heels, happy at the outlook on life. We're so happy we have a great leadership structure in the church that cares so deeply for each member, active or not.

 

We were able to meet the Nigerian, CRS, but only briefly. But we had our ward mission leader and his wife with us, and he seemed to impress everyone with his Korean and how he talked so fondly about his Korean wife. He was planning on coming to church, but he didn't answer our calls yesterday and didn't come.

 

 I went on exchanges this week and while I was away, my companion and Elder Bell met another potential investigator from Nigeria, named JOE. They said the lesson went super well, and that he has a lot of potential. On the way to church the next day we saw him, and he was with his friend eating chicken. His friend asked where our church is so he could come next week, and they shared their chicken with us. I guess the lesson went better than I thought, because they were super happy to see us! 

We had quite a few lessons fall through this week, but we planned to go street contact as a backup plan, and we ended up meeting a guy from Srilanka. He said he had time now, and invited us into his home. He's strong Buddhist, but was very kind and listened closely to our message, and asked good questions. He wants to learn more about our church, and he says he likes all religions. We set an appointment to meet with him later this week. That was a huge miracle for us to have someone immediately invite us into his house.

We now have investigators from Ghana, South Africa, Nigeria, Srilanka, and more!^^ 

The highlight of the week happened last Monday, when we went over to a member's house to talk about missionary work. When we got there, they had plates laid out, but no food. They apologized, and said because of the accident, they've been too busy and sad to do anything right now, so they'd order us food from a restaurant. While we were waiting for the food, the mom fidgeted awkwardly, and said, 'I need to ask a favor of you.' She proceeded to tell a story about how the neighbor next door was an old couple, and the grandfather died of cancer last year. Around the same time, the grandson living with them got into some work with the devil, and it brought an evil spirit into their whole small apartment compound. The son moved out, and the grandma couldn't sustain herself with two small dogs, so this member took in the dogs, and the grandma moved out. But even though the house is empty besides two small puppies, she said there has been an evil spirit lurking there the whole time, and it's affecting their family. They're going to start renovating it soon, and asked me to bless the house to be safe, and in turn, cast out the spirit. I immediately said we'd do it, but then when we walked into the house you could definitely feel something. It just felt sad and dark. A soft weight pushing on your chest that made you want to leave. We knelt, and I started praying in Korean. After we went back next door the mother said how much better she felt, despite the disaster in the ocean that killed over 300 people. She said she knew the spirit was gone and the house was protected now. She was so grateful she proceeded to make a list of names for us to teach. She gave us two less active teenagers that need to prepare for missions, and an elderly non member man that lives on the first floor. After leaving their house I looked at my companion and we just said, 'What just happened?' We just cast out a spirit. The love of God flowed into her house and gave her the confidence she needed to refer these people. It was such a neat experience for us, and it made me so grateful to have the priesthood. I know that our house was protected when I was a kid because my father held the priesthood and exercised it in complete righteousness, and I am grateful for the opportunity I have to hold the priesthood and prepare now in order to protect my family when that time comes. 

By their fruits ye shall know them.

Naturally miracles follow any believer of Christ, but only in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints do we not only have the power of God, but the Authority to use it, and miracles happen daily in our church. I know that in this church my family will be safe and protected from the evils that lurk in our world. And for this, I am eternally grateful. 

Elder Franchina

Two Koreans, one Nigerian, and an American

This week has been slow, we dropped most of our investigators. Or, more like they dropped us, but we're still trying hard with everyone. 

 

EDD is.....gone. He hasn't answered the phone since we last met. But, I can be happy knowing that when they're not in our hands, they're in God's hands, and he'll take better care of them.

 

When I street contact, we say jundo, the most important thing I've found is to be happy. When you can't take confidence in yourself, take confidence in the Lord. I've met people on the streets of Seoul, with 15 million people in it, and they say, 'I saw your people a few years ago. Their faces were literally shining.' They remember you. So just make an impact. 

We haven't had much success with reactivation, but we did help this guy who's about 40 get back up on his feet. He went from complete inactivity and separation with his wife, to hopefully getting back together, starting temple work and baptisms for the dead, starting a family, and later sealings. He baptized his wife about 10 years ago, so it's super sad to see them torn apart. But it's glorious to see him back at church, wearing an old suit, fitting in with the members in activity. Wonderful. How great shall be your joy, right?  We're doing the Lord's work, and we're trying to trust Him to do things His way.

We met tons of Nigerians and Ghanaians this past week, and a few have followed through with return appointments. I'm trying to learn basic greetings in Igbo, their dialect in Nigeria. One guy, CRS, came for work, married a Korean, now she's pregnant with their first daughter. He's been here for around 10 years, and he speaks Korean so well. We met on the street a week or two ago, spoke in English, then I turned to his wife and spoke in Korean to ask a question.  CRS looks so surprised, turns to me, and in fluent Korean, asks, 'wah, hangulmar chincha char hashineyo' which just means, 'woah, you speak Korean?'

He proceeded to start speaking fluent Korean to me which surprise me, so there was just a group of confused and surprised people. Two Koreans, one Nigerian, and an American, all speaking Korean. He's going to invite us over to his house to teach him and his wife later, so we're really excited!

This is the Lord's work, and not only does it change the people we share it with, but it changes you.

Elder Franchina

Conference - April 2014

That's really cool that you were able to meet Brother Rudd

This week's miracles were many, but I'll choose only two to discuss. 

 

We met a guy named EDD, who's Korean, and studied in New York for 2 years. He's really nice, and we weren't sure he'd have a lot of interest, but we called him and set an appointment to meet. When we met, it turns out that Christ plays a huge part in his life, and after explaining the restoration, he said he really liked it. We asked him if he had been baptized to follow Christ, and he said no, but he really wants to follow Christ, so we invited him and he said yes! He has a date for May 4th. He's really great, we're just hoping he makes time to meet with his busy schedule.

 

And of course, conference was a big miracle. It answered many of the questions I had, and provided a lot of information that we will use to help our investigators. One thing that stood out to me was how they stressed the importance of three things:

Family and personal prayer, daily.

Family and personal scripture study, daily.

Family home evening once a week.

They said those things are fundamental for families to remain strong and will provide an anchor for them in rough times. It immediately made me think of you two. I remember those nights laying by the fireplace, not wanting to read the scriptures with everyone, but looking back, those are some of the best 'family memories' that I have. The whole family was together, reading and studying about Christ. 

 

I'm also grateful for the testimonies that you and mom have borne to me and Zach. You both had so much patience watching us grow up, and now I can see the trust you had, that if you bore your testimonies frequently to us, we would always remember it, and it would help us stay close to the church. I  remember mom sometimes using scriptures to relate to my real life, and I would roll my eyes in frustration, 'Mom, this is now. those are old stories. Boring.' Well humble pie sure tastes good. I realize now that those stories are crucial to help us understand and avoid certain pitfalls, and to show us a better, happier road. I'm grateful for your patience that, even though we may not have listen much at first, those testimonies weren't in vain. I know Zach and I both remember them, and they will always be with us to help us come closer to our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. 

With a new refreshed love for our prophet and apostles, fueled by conference, go out and share it! After all, faith has a short shelf life, it goes bad fast if not used. 

Elder Franchina

Red in a Sea of Black

Missionary work is going great over here. Even though we had almost all of our investigators drop in the past week, that just frees up our time to find more!

This week I went on exchanges with Elder Killpack, who's from, guess it, Draper. Lives on the other side of Fort Street, I guess. Corner Canyon stake? He's the greatest missionary ever. He's only been here for about 8 months, but he's taught me so much. He's so fun, and we got a lot of work done in the 24 hours we had together. This past week was good, we got a lot of return appointments from street contacting and found some people that might be interested, and we've started an even bigger project: Saving 삼청. 

So a brief history on our ward (Shin-dang). It used to be 3 wards, and they thought, 'oh, if we combine 3 wards, it'll be big and huge and everyone will be stronger members, and it'll be just like the utah wards.' But little did they realize that because some people's houses were too far away, many became inactive, and we were left with a slightly larger-than-average ward of about 70 members that were mostly all new members and inexperienced. No one knew what to do. So there are binders and BINDERS full of member records that are less active, inactive, and impossible to find. But all 14 of us missionaries in this ward think we can do something, so we're going through all of the records to find each and every person if they haven't moved or died, and we're going to resurrect the other two wards back to inactivity. The only thing is.....we don't really know how to do less active work. But we'll follow the Lord's plan and do what we need to. 

I can't believe I only have 6 months left, it feels like I should have a year left or more. I should be better at Korean by now :P 

But this time is precious and I can't waste it. 

The Lord's work moves on swift and powerful, and I'm honored to be a part of it. 

Elder Franchina