Missionaries only get 30 minutes per week to read and write emails on their P-day (Preparation day, a day set aside to do laundry, planning, letter writing, and personal study).
Jordan writes:
Mom and Dad,
Emails are great, I love to hear from you, but DearElders** are fantastic! Thank you so much for sending them. Please post on my blog, facebook, and other things to encourage people to write me every once in a while. During lunch and dinner times it is my responsibility to check our district's mail, and it just uplifts my spirits to see a DearElder. I don't need one every day, but they are nice to get.
Oh, my district is awesome. 10 guys, three going to Teijong (still working on the spelling), and the rest are going to Seoul (no sisters in our district). The other new district has two sisters, and total we have 20 missionaries, one going to LA, 6 Puson, 6 Teijong, and 7 Seoul, all Korean speaking, obviously.
On Thursday we had a meeting to get acquainted with our branch presidency, and they interviewed all of us. I GOT CALLED AS DISTRICT LEADER!! Yay. It's great, not too many extra responsibilities, but sometimes it's hard to set an example. A few elders and I get along really well and sometimes during Korean study time we can get distracted easily, but I'm working on it and doing better. I have to remember that we are representatives of Christ, teaching His gospel with His name on our badges.
I have come to realize that Korean is truly a Celestial language. If they didn't speak the language that God uses, they would speak Korean. Our branch president calls the Korean branch 'The Celestial Branch'.
The first day was CRAZY. And so has every day been after that. After we said goodbye, we dropped my luggage off at my residence after picking up my badge, then went straight to Korean class. He only spoke Korean. I suppose complete immersion in the language is the best way to learn, but yesterday he spoke English for the first time because he needs to start explaining grammatical rules and such to us, which would be difficult to understand in Korean.
Day 1 we learned to read in Korean, day 3 we taught an (mock) investigator who didn't speak any English, and yesterday we taught him a third time, and he already read the Book of Mormon, and he will come to church with us on Sunday (not really, he's a mock investigator, but he's making it as much like real as possible - we knock on his door, he talks to us, invites us in, we teach him, and leave, that sort of stuff).
The MTC is great, I'm always full, the food is good. I need to make sure I don't eat too much. But it's NOTHING like your cooking Mom. Thank you SO much for the cookies!! They are delicious and my companion and roommates enjoyed them too. Thank you for your DearElders, they are really motivational. I'm highlighting parts to read when discouragement comes, or when I just want to read, 'I love you', and I'm saving them all. Also, thanks Dad for your letter in my luggage. Thank you for keeping me in your prayers. The days feel likes weeks, but I hope the weeks feel like days. That's what they say here, at least.
I am soooooo happy that Jordan is doing well! I believe he has answered many of my questions! There was a little more to this letter, which included a list of things he needs sent to him in his next package.
**For those of you who don't know what DearElder is, it is a FREE website that you type your letter on and the site will print a hard copy, put it in an envelope, and stick it in a pouch with other DearElder letters, and take it to the MTC the same day ~ as long as you send your letter by noon, Monday - Friday. You can send letters to multiple missionaries, read, edit, and print off any letters you send!
It is very simple and easy to do and the Elders at the MTC LOVE getting them!
1) Go to DearElder.com (click on the gray link and it will take you there)
2) Create an account with your name, address and password
3) Make sure you have "Provo MTC-FREE" selected from the drop-down menu.
4) Click on the grey box: "Write a Letter"
5) You will be directed to a window where you will fill in your info and Jordan's info. This only needs to be done once.
6) In the blank white box is where you will type your letter.
7) Once you are finished, all you need to do is click on the gray box, "Send Letter" and you will get a confirmation asking if you are really ready to send.
The date Jordan is expecting to leave the MTC is January 14th, so there is plenty of time to share a thought, message, and your love to Jordan through this fabulous letter writing service!
Thanks for the step-by-steps with his address.
ReplyDelete