Bible Bashed in Korean

Hey Merry Christmas everybody🎅

This week a big change was that I got a new companion. I am still training Elder Chang but we were also unexpectedly joined by Elder Hsu from Taiwan. He's been out for over a year and loves basketball. So now the three of us are in a trio. And I've officially been companions with every Chinese missionary in our mission. It's pretty fun. 

This week we had some awesome experiences. The Spirit is strong here in Sydney.

We were planning a lesson for our friend Lily who we've been visiting for a while. We wanted to really connect with her and help her see how the gospel can affect her life. We sat there for a long time trying to come up with a lesson that we felt good about and we were just hitting a wall. We couldn't come up with anything. Finally the thought came that we just needed to ask questions. I remembered the promise from Jeffrey R. Holland that says if you ask questions and then listen, people will always tell you something that the gospel can help them with. So, we put it to practice. We went to her house and started talking. After a while we asked her what her biggest fear was. Usuallt Lily is a very talkative person but this question made her think a little. Then she began telling us how her biggest fear is her kids getting sick. Before we said anything else she went on to share with us about how when she was little, her brother got sick and passed away. I felt the Spirit telling us so strongly that THIS was a way that we could use the gospel. It was the perfect bridge to the plan of salvation and being able to share with her how she can truly be with her family again. 

Christmas Eve was an awesome night over here in Australia. We had dinner at a member's house and they had invited almost half of the ward. It was so nice to be there with all of these good people, get to talk to them and enjoy getting to know them. I've never done Christmas Eve when it's so hot outside and everyone is speaking Chinese, but I loved it. Then we gathered together and began reading the story of Jesus Christ's birth. Right when we did, a miracle happened. Rain started pouring down outside and everyone was so happy. Australia has been in serious need of rain because of all the bushfires, and seeing the rain put everybody in a mood of gratitude. Then we listened to the rain while we read the Nativity story. There were about 15 little kids there and I would stop once in a while and help them imagine what it must have been like to be a shepherd or somebody in the story. Their eyes got wide and I could tell that for some, it was their first time really thinking about the story. The parents felt a lot too. Many of these members are great people but have many challenges as well. I was praying that through the story, they would be comforted and strengthened. Finally, we finished the story. We asked a question to the group: "what would be different about your life if Jesus Christ was never born?" Members answered and shared their testimonies. The Spirit flooded into the room. I felt I should share a thought as well, and suddenly I knew what to say, and the testimony just flowed. My words were no longer my own, I could feel that the Spirit was speaking through me. The feeling in the room was one of peace, a peace that heals and lifts away burdens. I asked everybody to take 30 seconds to just feel the Spirit, to remember what it feels like, and then to strive to feel it more often. I shared that I know that because of Jesus Christ, we are supported in overcoming ALL trials and ALL hardships and that we have somebody by our side, supporting us with whatever we go through. I was looking around at all the members and was really touched to see in their eyes that this was meaningful to them. It was a peaceful and uplifting night. We left in the rain, so full of joy and full of the Spirit.  

Being on a mission has changed me and I appreciate experiences that help me realize that. On Boxing Day, (the day after Christmas) there are these huge sales in all the stores. Everything is like 50% off or more. Since it's a public holiday we aren't allowed to do missionary work, so all the missionaries go shopping to see if they can find something cheap. We were walking around this mall with thousands of people and all sorts of different stores with every variety of anything you could want. But the big sale came with a downside. I was looking at those people passing us or walking near us, and I didn't see anybody smiling. Everyone was too busy finding a deal or buying something new that they didn't take time to be happy in that moment. Then I looked at myself and my companion Elder Chang. We both felt 'in the world but not of the world'. There was no desire in us to buy anything, not new clothes or appliances or anything. I could distinctly remember a few years ago when I would go shopping and look for clothes that would make me look cool or want to buy some new gadget or toy that was fun. But now I feel that the joy I seek after comes from serving others and from being closer to Heavenly Father. 

We went back to Matthew's house (a 40 year old Australian guy) to bring some chocolate as a Christmas gift. We wanted to teach him a short lesson, but we were a little worried that we wouldn't have an opportunity. Last time, his mom (who didn't like our church) had asked us to leave. But on the way over, I had a feeling that his mom was the one we would really be teaching that day. Before we left we said a prayer that the Spirit would touch and soften her heart. Sure enough, when we knocked on the door, Susan (Matthew's 70 year old mother) opened the door. When we handed her the box of chocolate she started crying and was overcome with the love she felt from us. It was amazing to see the difference in her between when we first met and now. At the beginning she wanted to kick us out and now she was telling us how grateful she was. She told us that her husband had passed away unexpectedly and that being alone was overwhelming. We got to tell her that we knew she could be with her husband again. She told us that this was just what she needed and she knew she wanted to listen to our message. She told us she saw the light in us and it made me so happy to be able to uplift her. This is the power of the gospel. The Spirit came in and changed her heart and now we have an opportunity to share the truths that will bring her comfort. I love being a missionary.

We made a goal to involve the Book of Mormon in the work more. We focused on it while we went finding. It was really cool to see how we could get into conversations really quickly with people and bear testimony of the Book of Mormon. We faced more rejection this way, but the Spirit was stronger as we shared truth. I truly felt like a representative of Jesus Christ.

We ran into a unique situation when we knocked on this one guy's door. He opens the door and we talk long enough to learn that he's Korean and he doesn't speak English. I whip out the Google Translate and we get right to work. He comes out to look at the phone and the door shuts behind him, leaving him locked out. Keep in mind, we're on the second story and this porch is tiny. So now he's surrounded by three missionaries in close quarters with no way to escape. I have to give it to the guy, that didn't stop him from totally bashing us. Through the help of Google Translate, this brave 5 foot Korean man told us 3 missionaries that he doesn't like our church, our fake Bible or the message we want to share. It lost some of the dramatic effect when we read his bashing on the phone, but I still appreciated the experience. He still had no way back in but it was pretty awkward with us 4 just all on that tiny porch. I used what Korean I knew and told him thank you and we dipped. Not sure how he got back inside but as we walked down the street he yelled at us through his window. Only on a mission.

At out English class I employed a new method of teaching. I told the students we would practice describing situations. Then I pulled up the Church-produced Safety Zone videos for missionaries. They have a lot of security camera footage of people almost falling off things or just in dangerous situations. I would show the video and all the Chinese people would go 'oooooh'. Then they got right to work as they completed their assignment of writing down what happened with as many details as possible. My favorite was one who said "2 men wanted to cross the river. One go then dangerous. 1 meters. Almost accident". 

The first day Elder Hsu came to the area, we were studying together. We focused on the baptismal invitation and how direct and simple it can be. I was thinking "it would be nice if we could put this into action sometime soon". Later we went to visit a friend named Menik. We just went to knock the door since she hadn't responded to texts or calls for over a month. I had pretty much given up on her but figured we could just to visit. We knocked on her door and she opened with a smile on her face. It was a miracle because they had just returned from another city that morning. We got into a lesson with Menik and it was going super well. She remembered everything we had taught her before. The Spirit was there lighting up her face. Then she left for a second to go in a different room and we all turned to each other and agreed to invite her to be baptized. She came back and we connected what we had been talking about back into the gospel of Jesus Christ. Then we simply invited her and asked if she would prepare to be baptized. She said yes and I was so excited. It was so natural and I'm so happy to see her make this decision. We put her on date for February 1. So in the next month we will be helping her prepare and get ready. The Lord works in His own way. Here we were, working hard and feeling like we were getting nowhere, and then we go back to this lady we hadn't talked to in forever and she wants to be baptized. Happy missionaries.

It's going well and we're working hard. There are always new things to adjust to but it helps me rely all the time on the Lord. I know He lives and that this gospel can bless every single person. I love being a missionary.

我正在忘记英语

Elder Halverson