Week 43

"Each of us will have our own Fridays—those days when the universe itself seems shattered and the shards of our world lie littered about us in pieces. We all will experience those broken times when it seems we can never be put together again. We will all have our Fridays.

But I testify to you in the name of the One who conquered death—Sunday will come. In the darkness of our sorrow, Sunday will come.

No matter our desperation, no matter our grief, Sunday will come. In this life or the next, Sunday will come."

-Joseph Worthlin

Happy Easter everyone! I hope that you all had a wonderful weekend celebrating Christ. I definitely felt His love a lot this week!

Cherry blossoms are so beautiful! Sadly they are going away already :(

Trying to organize things is alphabetical order is a little rough in Korean >.<

This past Saturday we did a mini MTC with out youth. It was super fun to do it in another ward. Although I didn't have as much fun this time (mostly because I was stressed about making sure everything got done because I was in charge of it this time) as I did in my last area it was still a success. My favorite part was making little name tags for everyone :)

This week we also had interviews with President Turner. It is always such a treat to meet with them. I got a lot of good advice on how I can be doing better individually, as a companion, and most importantly as a trainer. I absolutely love every moment that I get to spend with them. Sister Turner made some really yummy cookies that had Cayenne pepper in them. I've never thought to put that in chocolate chip cookies, but I'll definitely be trying it in the future ^^

A lot of our investigators weren't able to meet this week which was pretty discouraging, but we had two big miracles happen yesterday. 

First, our investigator Sophia told us that she had guests at her house so she wouldn't be coming to church. It was a really bit let down because we had a great meeting with her on Friday. On Sunday we were in our missionary correlation meeting and she called us randomly saying that she was coming to church! It was such a tender mercy to have her come again. 

Second, our other investigator 서윤 자매님 has a baptismal date! She is a spunky little 13 year old who comes with her friend who is a recent convert that was baptized last year. When we started the lessons she was just coming to have fun, be recently she started reading the Book of Mormon and has gained a desire to be baptized! It is such a privilege to teach her and hear her innocent and honest testimony of our Heavenly Father. 

Due to rainy weather our mission activity (the 5K) got postponed to next week. To make up for it we made a big breakfast today. We recently got bacon from a member so we decided to make an American breakfast. We made pancakes and syrup from scratch along with bacon, eggs, grapes, and oranges. Plus orange juice on the side. It was a lovely breakfast :D

I hope that you are all doing well. I know that our Savior Jesus Christ lives. Over the past weeks we've struggled a lot opening a new area, but I have never felt my Saviors love more. I know that because He lives I can do it. He is there for us in all things as long as we are willing to reach out to Him. I know that He is the Son of God and that through Him we can live with our Heavenly Father again. I love this gospel so much and am so grateful that I can share it with those I meet on the street. I love you!

-Sister Rindlisbacher

Quotes:

"Stop... we don't have time to worry about dumpster logistics!" -Elder Curtis

Our breakfast this morning :) and p-day last week.

Week 42

What a busy week! It was filled with zone conference, a special meeting with Mark Peterson (a professor from BYU), and General Conference.

Last p-day we played dress up at the Suwon Fortress with President and Sister Turner.

Sister Turner and President Turner

We had a wonderful zone conference at the mission home. Our APs did a hilarious role play about proselyting. I'll share a few of my favorite things:

- zoom out and show the big picture while also explaining the little things

- simplicity brings the spirit

- "Nothing comes easy, if you want something bad enough you have to get up, get going, and go after it"

- "If YOU want something you never had, YOU must be willing to do something YOU have never done." 

We were also blessed to have a special meeting with Mark Peterson. I was able to take a Korean culture class from him before I came on my mission. It was a two hour throw back to sitting in his class. It was so interesting to listen to the things he had to say about the religious culture of Korea. It really made me miss learning in a classroom setting. He is so incredibly smart and knows so much about Korea. 

General Conference was also amazing. As our wards watched it in the chapel together all of the missionaries were able to watch it together in English. We had a great time. Every talk was so inspired. I loved that they focused so much on the Plan of Salvation. I know that the Plan of Salvation is Heavenly Father's plan and through it we can find any answer we are looking for. I am so grateful for the eternal truths I know about my purpose here on earth!

Next p-day we have a mission activity and we'll be running a 5K together :D My last companion Sister Carnahan really enjoys running so she asked President Turner if we could do one before she left so we'll be doing it next week. The mission cannot be together all at once so half will do it next week and the other half the week after. I am in no shape to run a 5K, but it's going to be so much fun! I'll make sure to send some pictures from it later.

This past week was pretty stressful, but it was a good learning experience. I've been feeling like a one army lately as I train. During my personal study one day I was reading in Alma 58. It talks about the sons of the people of Ammon and their struggle to maintain their liberty against the Lamanites. It goes to talk about how they asked for more men to strengthen their armies, but didn't receive them. Instead of complaining this was their response:

"But, behold, it mattereth not - we trust God will deliver us, notwithstanding the weakness of our armies, yea, and deliver us out of the hands of our enemies."

They had the faith to know that Heavenly Father would deliver them. That He would provide exactly what they needed, exactly when they needed it. I know that this is true for all of us. I know that Heavenly Father may not give us the "armies" that we desire, but that He WILL deliver us from our trials. I am so grateful to know that I have a Father in Heaven who is watching over me. I love you all. Have a great week!

- Sister Rindlisbacher

Quotes:

"Get on the same freaking bus" - Sister Earnshaw

"Let's have a concession fession.... If you understand German root words it sounds like a food party" - Elder Partridge

Week 41

I can't believe that it is April already!!!

This past week has been super crazy. Last Monday we moved into the Elder's old house. We woke up, emailed, and then started the craziness of finishing packing and cleaning our entire apartment. We got everything done in a couple hours and then waited for President Turner and the elders to come pick our stuff up. They had to move 3 different missionary houses so it took a long time. In the mean time we did a little bit of studies and updated our phone.

We also had an ice cream break :)

It has been really nice to live 5 minutes away from the church. We have done a lot of walking in the past couple days to try and figure out our area. We have visited members, less-actives, and taught a few lessons to our investigators. Since there are now sisters in this area we will be teaching all of the Elder's female investigators. We had a meeting with the Elders the other day to figure everything out. We were also able to go with them to teach one woman and introduce ourselves. We are really looking forward to teaching her. She doesn't have much of a Christian background, but has a sincere desire to learn more. She mostly relates to Buddhism so the idea of Resurrection for her is a bit weird, but we'll work on that. 

Since our p-day was moved to Thursday we went to a Raccoon cafe. That was an adventure. The raccoons were a bit stand-offish, but it was really fun.

We have a lot of work to do in this area that keeps us busy. I am so grateful that I get to be here with Sister Earnshaw. She is such a hark worker and I know that we can work miracles here. I hope that you are all had a wonderful conference weekend. I love you all!

Sister Rindlisbacher

Week 40

Another week here in 수지! 

This week has been full of copying records, trying to not get lost, and teaching two lessons. It has been a stressful week, but we are having so much fun.

Our first lesson was with a woman who met with missionaries a long time ago. She introduced us to her aunt and they both have a lot of interest in the church. They really want to know what we believe and what makes us different from other Christians. We were able to set up a return appointment and will hopefully be meeting with them every week.

The second lesson was with 서우 자매님 who is the daughter of a recent convert that was baptized last year. She is 9 years old in Korean age (8 in American age) so her attention span is very limited. We tried our best to keep the lesson very simple and short for her. It was a little stressful, but she is so cute. Hearing her bear her testimony and share her desire to get baptized was so precious. I am so excited to help her prepare to be baptized!

This week we also went Book of Mormon sticker boarding. Our elders made a giant Book of Mormon out of a door that we used on the street. It was super awesome. We were able to give out a lot of Book of Mormons and get people's phone numbers to meet later. Sticker boarding is one of the best ways that we have to talk to people on the street so I love doing it.

Book of Mormon sticker board

Book of Mormon sticker boarding. The two girls on the left were students that came to stick a sticker and we told them they should be in the picture with us. They couldn't stop giggling while we took the picture >.<

Giant ice cream cone from last p-day

I'm a great trainer ;) We bought matching shorts last p-day!

Today is going to a be a bit crazy because we are moving. Since we live so far away from our area (45 minutes by bus) our Mission President is moving us to the Elders house, which is a 5 minute walk from the church. The Elders will be moving to another house and will be living in a 6 man house. Hopefully they'll be able to find some way to focus with all of them living together.

The weather is still a little chilly, but it's definitely getting warmer. Missionary work is great and I am absolutely loving life. I love my companion and I love my area. We are seeing miracles everyday and I know that we will continue to see them as we work hard. I hope that you are all well. I love you!

-Sister Rindlisbacher

Greenie quotes:

"How far can you live from your address????........"

"You can't tell someone that Rejon Rondo left the Celtics and then expect them to teach the gospel..."

Week 39

Week one with my greenie! Her name is Sister Earnshaw and she is so amazing! I love her so much. She is from New Hampshire and is probably the most interesting person I have ever met. She went to BYU a little before coming on a mission and double majors in Arabic and Economics. She was born in Japan and lived there until she was 5 years old. Her older siblings speak Japanese, but she moved before she learned. She absolutely loves trail mix and has been eating a lot of it the past couple days because we are just so busy running around trying to get things figured out. Her Korean is so good! We had her first language evaluation on Sunday and she did so well! 

This week has been absolutely crazy. My last week in 노량진 was spent packing and shipping all my stuff to my new area. We also had appointments with members and investigators to say goodbye. On Wednesday I headed to the mission home with my MTC companion Sister Troxel because we were both training. It has been a long time since we got to talk so it was nice to catch up. We got to know who our new companions were and had lunch with them. After a training meeting we headed home. 

We have spent a lot of this week getting lost >.< Since we have no idea what we are doing or where to go we have just been wandering a bit. The area that we are opening hasn't had sister missionaries for about 3 years so we are starting completely fresh. We have spent a lot of time copying records from the Elders and trying to call as many people as we can to get appointments. Sister Earnshaw is such a trooper as I try and figure out what is going on. She is such a hard worker and I am so grateful. We have been having a lot of fun joking through the stress of this area.

One miracle that we saw in the past couple days was a random call we got last Thursday. Sophia (윤수미) met missionaries 27 years ago at a park. She had just moved back to Korea from Japan after working there for 15 years. She didn't ever investigate the church, but kept in contact with one of the sisters that she met. Sophia lived in Virginia for 15 years so she is fluent in English. They have visited each other a few times over the years and are still really close. They were talking on the phone last week and her friend told her "it's time for you to go to church" so she looked up the missionaries phone number through church headquarters and gave us a call. She asked for information on church so we got all that to her and SHE CAME TO CHURCH! We talked a little for the first 20 minutes or so and then went to Relief Society together. She really just wanted to see what church was like. The second hour was Gospel Principles taught by our Ward Mission Leader and it was so good. The last hour was Sacrament meeting. The Elders in our ward had a baptismal service, which Sophia also stayed for. She was at the church for around 5 hours with us yesterday. It was amazing!

I don't have much time left, but I hope that you are doing well. I know that this gospel is true. I know that the hard things in life are to help us progress and grow. I know that Heavenly Father loves each and everyone of us. I love you all! Have a great week!

Sorry I don't have any pictures this week because I forgot my camera at home.

-Sister Rindlisbacher

Week 38

Wow it has been a busy week. The biggest news that I have is transfers! I will be leaving my area for 수지, which is in another zone, but not to far away from where I am now. They haven't had sisters there in a while so I will be opening the area with my GREENIE. I'm training!!! How crazy is that. President Turner had been making sly comments for the past couple weeks, but I though he was joking. Turns out he is just a very honest man. I will be meeting my new companion on Wednesday at the mission home. I am so excited! It's going to be so hard, but I can't wait to be able to rely on the Lord even more as I train. I'll give you more information once I get to my new area with my new companion. If you have any good tips about being a trainer make sure to send them my way!

This week we were also blessed to have President and Sister Turner in our home. We had a cleaning check for our apartment as well as interviews. I love them so much. It is always such a treat to be able to spend time with them.

The traditional post-interview selfie with President and Sister Turner

I was also able to go on another exchange with our sisters in 안얀 (Anyang). It was one of the hardest exchanges that I have been on. This time I went to their area and the sister that I was with has been having a really hard time. It wasn't a very uplifting experience, but it made me very grateful for my companion. I am so grateful that we are able to see the miracles of everyday life together.

We were also blessed to do some street contacting with a bunch of our sisters in the zone. We did Book of Mormon sticker boarding and it was awesome! We were able to give our 27 Book of Mormons and receive 17 phone numbers. Over the next week of so we will be contacting those people and hopefully making appointments to continue to explain the Book of Mormon. It was such a good experience to see how they introduced the Book of Mormon to people and shared their testimonies. Talking to people on the street is still one of my hardest things so seeing them really motivated me to try harder and become better.

I hope that you are all having a wonderful time doing whatever you are doing. I know that the Lord is watching over you. I know that this gospel is true! I love you all! Have a great week!

Love,

Sister Rindlisbacher

P.S. Here are some pictures of our latest p-day adventures.

 

This is what we did while we waited for transfer calls on Saturday. We grew some Safari animals :D Sister Kim thought it was so interesting ^^

Week 37

It's a little early, but shout out to my little brother Keawe, Happy Birthday!

This week was uneventful again, but p-day was awesome. We went hiking with a bunch of missionaries in our zone. The mountain is called 관악산. The "악" part of it is suppose to mean that it is really hard. Sister Kim explained it as you yell "ack" when you get to the top of the mountain. I don't know if it is just because Koreans don't do as much outdoor things, but it wasn't that bad. On the other hand we also got distracted and ran out of time so we couldn't go all the way to the top. Maybe that would have made it harder, but the view that we got was so beautiful. The weather was perfect and we all had a blast. I'll make sure to attach some pictures.

Sister Carnahan and Sister Rindlisbacher

The entire group

I love Korea!

We have been spending a lot of time outside trying to find people to teach. No success so far, but we haven't lost any motivation. Each day we do bingo and it has helped so much. We have found some people that are interested, but no new investigators just yet. 

On the other hand we have amazing members. We have been recently working with two people who are referrals from our members. We have a meeting with one this Thursday to start teaching. She is a mom of an adorable 8 month old little girl. She doesn't have any church that she attends currently so she is very open to learning about the gospel. The other is the daughter of a less-active mom who started coming back to church recently. Her youngest daughter who is 16 wasn't baptized so we are trying to work with her. The main problem right now is time because school has started again. In Korea most students go to school and then to 학원 (academy) afterwards to continue studying. A lot of the time they don't get home until 10PM or later. We have tried to meet with her after church, but the timing just isn't right yet. We're going to try our best though.

This week we were also able to go on exchanges. I went to another area to be with Sister Risenmay. She is a wonderful missionary, who is training Sister Forest (probably the most prepared and Christlike greenie I have ever met). We spent a few hours that night making calls to former investigators. We were able to get them an appointment and had a lot of funny conversations. My favorite was an old woman who kept asking for our mission president's phone number. She wanted to call and complain that the missionaries keep moving to often. She went on and on for about 10 minutes about how it was hard for her to get close with the missionaries. We had a good laugh about it after we got her to hang up. 

Things are slow right now, but it has given me a lot of time to think about things with a broader view. I know that this work is directed by our Heavenly Father. I am so grateful that I can be here in Korea to help move it forward. I love and miss you all. Have a wonderful week!

-Sister Rindlisbacher

P.S. If you have time this is an awesome talk that I've been studying lately :) https://www.lds.org/ensign/2016/03/finding-your-life?lang=eng