well i am now 20 years old and not a teenager anymore. it would be a lot weirder but it isnt because in korea i have been telling people i am 21 since new years. here they measure age differently so when you are born you are immediately 1 or something. and everyone turns one year older at the new years, not at their birthday. so according to korea i have been 21 since january and my birthday meant nothing.
i had a good birthday though. we met with a recent convert named kim gyoung bong 김경봉 and ate pizza and cake. yeah they have pizza here in korea and it really isnt bad. they do put a lot of wierd toppings on it though. like octopus and junk. but we stick with the potato pizza. do they put potatoes on pizza in america? missionaries here cant decide if they do. i dont think so. its really good, you should try it if you dont. after that we stayed at the house most of the day becuase my companion sprained his ankle and isnt supposed to walk on it a whole lot. luckily a doctor is coming to the mission this week so he can get it all figured out. he had surgery on the ankle a few months before the mission so it could be a big deal. we'll see.
because of my companion's ankle we have been inside a lot. but it isnt slowing our work down too much. we have been working with the area book and have made 2 appointments with old investigators. probably more appointments than we would get from proselyting on the street in a week. i am really excited about one of the people we met with. he is a farmer and is really open to religion. he was dropped because he was too busy but i think things have changed and he will be able to come to church. our branch president is also a farmer and he has been able to work and be a branch president for 4 years so it is possible.
Love,
Elder Wells
ps happy birthday mckay
Tuesday, April 28, 2009
Tons of foreigners!!!
Date: Mon, 20 Apr 2009 04:00:24 +0000
Subject: tons of foreigners!!!
first of all, if you havent heard about the weird foreigners in korea, let me tell you about them. tons of people for whatever reason come to korea to teach english and get away from their own countries. they are usually pretty wierd and the social outcasts at home so they come here where they dont have to communicate with people. they stick out in any crowd of koreans (obviously). as missionaries we try to talk to them but its usually awkward and really funny. they are just awkward to begin with and since we havent talked to other people in english for forever the conversations are rough.
this weekend there was a big ultimate frisbee contest and foreign english teachers came from all over asia to unite and play frisbee. korea, china, japan, and guam actually. we heard about it from a foreigner and came to volunteer. it was cool to meet people from all over the world and it reminded me of how different the world is. their lives are so much different than mine. they live alone and spend their lives working, smoking, and partying. i really could recognize what they dont have and it made me feel grateful for what i do have. i have the restored gospel of Jesus Christ. like one of the speakers in General Conference said, i too can say that i can't remember a time when i didnt know i was a child of God.
I love spreading this knowledge to other people. Not everyone accepts it but i know in my heart that it is true.
Love,
Elder Wells
i also dont think i have told you a lot about the island im on and ive been here for 5 months now so ive learned alot. all my information is my interpretation of what koreans have said to me in korean so its probably not all factual but maybe. i guess jeju was taken over by mongolians a long time ago and they used it to raise horses so there are a ton of horses here and stuff. there are restaraunts that cook horse meat and one of my goals is to eat it before i leave. anyway so the mongolians kind of stayed here and mixed with the koreans so people on jeju look a little different than normal koreans (according to other koreans, i cant tell the dif). also the language here is different. not everyone uses it but its a completely different dialect that is hard to understand. i heard the other day that during the korean war there was an army squad from jeju that spoke in 'jeju mar' during the war to capture a north korean camp or something. the north koreans couldnt understand what they were saying so it was easy for them to take it over. i thought it was a funny story because other koreans can't even understand this language.
Subject: tons of foreigners!!!
first of all, if you havent heard about the weird foreigners in korea, let me tell you about them. tons of people for whatever reason come to korea to teach english and get away from their own countries. they are usually pretty wierd and the social outcasts at home so they come here where they dont have to communicate with people. they stick out in any crowd of koreans (obviously). as missionaries we try to talk to them but its usually awkward and really funny. they are just awkward to begin with and since we havent talked to other people in english for forever the conversations are rough.
this weekend there was a big ultimate frisbee contest and foreign english teachers came from all over asia to unite and play frisbee. korea, china, japan, and guam actually. we heard about it from a foreigner and came to volunteer. it was cool to meet people from all over the world and it reminded me of how different the world is. their lives are so much different than mine. they live alone and spend their lives working, smoking, and partying. i really could recognize what they dont have and it made me feel grateful for what i do have. i have the restored gospel of Jesus Christ. like one of the speakers in General Conference said, i too can say that i can't remember a time when i didnt know i was a child of God.
I love spreading this knowledge to other people. Not everyone accepts it but i know in my heart that it is true.
Love,
Elder Wells
i also dont think i have told you a lot about the island im on and ive been here for 5 months now so ive learned alot. all my information is my interpretation of what koreans have said to me in korean so its probably not all factual but maybe. i guess jeju was taken over by mongolians a long time ago and they used it to raise horses so there are a ton of horses here and stuff. there are restaraunts that cook horse meat and one of my goals is to eat it before i leave. anyway so the mongolians kind of stayed here and mixed with the koreans so people on jeju look a little different than normal koreans (according to other koreans, i cant tell the dif). also the language here is different. not everyone uses it but its a completely different dialect that is hard to understand. i heard the other day that during the korean war there was an army squad from jeju that spoke in 'jeju mar' during the war to capture a north korean camp or something. the north koreans couldnt understand what they were saying so it was easy for them to take it over. i thought it was a funny story because other koreans can't even understand this language.
Everything is good!
April 12
hey,
i love the little city of seo gwee po. it is fun down here. my companion and i are getting along great and we are working hard together. i love having a companion that actually likes doing missionary work. we dont have any investigators so the work is really slow but we approach everything with a positive attitude and we know that it will work out in the Lord's way.
i have a bike now. its my first area with a bike and i think i can say i officially feel like a real missionary. when we ride i look in front of me at the guy wearing a suit and say yeah, i'm a missionary. it is good.
one of my favorite parts about this area is that we play a lot of ping pong here. our house is a little shack next to the church and the church has a ping pong table in it so ya. i bought a paddle and everything. there is an old lady in our branch that used to play competitively so she teaches us.
the members are good. there aren't very many but they are strong. we are trying to work with them and build a relationship with all of them but it is hard when neither me or my companion are really good at the language. i think the hardest thing is that we do not know what to say or how to relate to people and that causes a lot of awkward moments...its all good though. the members understand and try to help us. one family we have been working with is a innactive family. they arent awkward because they are really good at english. i was hoping for them to come to general conference but they couldn't make it. general conference was great by the way. i learned a lot and really enjoyed the testimonies of all the general authorities. their testimonies really strengthed my faith that Thomas S. Monson is the prophet of God and that he leads this church by revelation. i am grateful for this knowledge and for the opportunity to be part of God's kingdom on earth. it is awesome.
Love,
Elder Wells
hey,
i love the little city of seo gwee po. it is fun down here. my companion and i are getting along great and we are working hard together. i love having a companion that actually likes doing missionary work. we dont have any investigators so the work is really slow but we approach everything with a positive attitude and we know that it will work out in the Lord's way.
i have a bike now. its my first area with a bike and i think i can say i officially feel like a real missionary. when we ride i look in front of me at the guy wearing a suit and say yeah, i'm a missionary. it is good.
one of my favorite parts about this area is that we play a lot of ping pong here. our house is a little shack next to the church and the church has a ping pong table in it so ya. i bought a paddle and everything. there is an old lady in our branch that used to play competitively so she teaches us.
the members are good. there aren't very many but they are strong. we are trying to work with them and build a relationship with all of them but it is hard when neither me or my companion are really good at the language. i think the hardest thing is that we do not know what to say or how to relate to people and that causes a lot of awkward moments...its all good though. the members understand and try to help us. one family we have been working with is a innactive family. they arent awkward because they are really good at english. i was hoping for them to come to general conference but they couldn't make it. general conference was great by the way. i learned a lot and really enjoyed the testimonies of all the general authorities. their testimonies really strengthed my faith that Thomas S. Monson is the prophet of God and that he leads this church by revelation. i am grateful for this knowledge and for the opportunity to be part of God's kingdom on earth. it is awesome.
Love,
Elder Wells
Rotten oranges
April 5, 2009
hello family and friends,
i hope everyone enjoyed conference this past weekend. on my mission i have started to enjoy conference a lot more. how amazing is it that we get to hear the council and advice of modern day prophets. it is awesome. i actually havent watched conference yet because they watch it a week late in korea but i am excited to watch it next week. my companion and i visited a less active family this week and told them about conference. the mom used to be a solid member but she went inactive and hasnt been to church in 5 years. the missionary that was here before me got them to come to church and it has really turned them around. we testified of the importance of a modern day prophet and the mom comitted to come to a session this weekend. the members here have to drive an hour to jeju city to watch conference so it is kind of a big sacrifice for her. i love watching the gospel grow in people.
as for my new area and companion, everything is going good. the work here is a little slower but nothing to complain about. we visit an old old lady, that lives alone, every once in a while and we have to bring a member with us because she speaks such a thick, nasty accent that we absolutely can not understand her. she is really nice though. my companion said that our job is basically to make sure that she is still alive. last week she gave us a bag of oranges that were absolutely rotten. she pulled out a completely green rotten one before she gave us the bag. then she made us eat them in front of her. it was probably the worst thing i have ever eaten. good experience.
the other day my companion and i were walking on the street and there was an octopus on the sidewalk. it was still alive and everything. my companion and i wanted to keep it as a pet but a guy ran up to us, picked up the octopus by the head, and threw it into a tank right there on the side of the road. it was so random. a lot of the restaraunts have tanks full of fish and stuff in front of them, especially the ones by the ocean. the city i am in has a port and stuff so we eat a good amount of sea food.
um other things about so gee po..there are a lot of mentally handicapped people here. like really a lot. they all come down here because the air is fresh and healthy or something. one of our members is handicapped and loves the missionaries. he waits outside our door and follows us around. he got the name james bond because he is really sneaky. hes pretty funny. i have a goal this transfer for him to remember my name but i dont know if it will happen. he already knows my companions name so i am pretty jealous.
This week we got to teach the restoration to a 25 girl named yu-na. it was a great experience. she really understood it and comitted to pray about it. unfortunately she is moving to australia but hopefully we can get the missionaries to meet her down there.
Love
Elder Wells
hello family and friends,
i hope everyone enjoyed conference this past weekend. on my mission i have started to enjoy conference a lot more. how amazing is it that we get to hear the council and advice of modern day prophets. it is awesome. i actually havent watched conference yet because they watch it a week late in korea but i am excited to watch it next week. my companion and i visited a less active family this week and told them about conference. the mom used to be a solid member but she went inactive and hasnt been to church in 5 years. the missionary that was here before me got them to come to church and it has really turned them around. we testified of the importance of a modern day prophet and the mom comitted to come to a session this weekend. the members here have to drive an hour to jeju city to watch conference so it is kind of a big sacrifice for her. i love watching the gospel grow in people.
as for my new area and companion, everything is going good. the work here is a little slower but nothing to complain about. we visit an old old lady, that lives alone, every once in a while and we have to bring a member with us because she speaks such a thick, nasty accent that we absolutely can not understand her. she is really nice though. my companion said that our job is basically to make sure that she is still alive. last week she gave us a bag of oranges that were absolutely rotten. she pulled out a completely green rotten one before she gave us the bag. then she made us eat them in front of her. it was probably the worst thing i have ever eaten. good experience.
the other day my companion and i were walking on the street and there was an octopus on the sidewalk. it was still alive and everything. my companion and i wanted to keep it as a pet but a guy ran up to us, picked up the octopus by the head, and threw it into a tank right there on the side of the road. it was so random. a lot of the restaraunts have tanks full of fish and stuff in front of them, especially the ones by the ocean. the city i am in has a port and stuff so we eat a good amount of sea food.
um other things about so gee po..there are a lot of mentally handicapped people here. like really a lot. they all come down here because the air is fresh and healthy or something. one of our members is handicapped and loves the missionaries. he waits outside our door and follows us around. he got the name james bond because he is really sneaky. hes pretty funny. i have a goal this transfer for him to remember my name but i dont know if it will happen. he already knows my companions name so i am pretty jealous.
This week we got to teach the restoration to a 25 girl named yu-na. it was a great experience. she really understood it and comitted to pray about it. unfortunately she is moving to australia but hopefully we can get the missionaries to meet her down there.
Love
Elder Wells
Monday, March 30, 2009
New area, New comp!
this week was transfer week and i was expecting to just get a new companion because my korean companion is done with his mission and going home. however, i got a phone call on friday night saying that im getting transferred. it was really really unexpected. i am really happy about the transfer though for many reasons. first, im staying on the island. i am just moving to the south side of the island to the other branch in a city called so gee po 서귀포. it is a lot smaller branch and my companion is the second counselor in the branch presidency. im the branch clerk. ha i love it. there are about 20 members from what i have heard. i am really sad to leave jeju city but it will be a nice change and i will still be able to see the jeju city members every now and then. im also excited because my companion is a great guy. his name is elder rowley and he's from west jordan utah. he is only a few transfers ahead of me and he has been in korea for 8 months. i am excited to work with him. so that is how the transfers went down.
last week had a lot of ups and downs. we went to the mainland and had a mission conference with a member from the quorum of the 70. his name is elder Gary Stevenson. i got to shake his hand and found out that he knows president and sister Whitesides. he took there spot as mission president in japan. he talked to us about a lot of good things. the main topic of his talk was finding a vision for your mission. this includes setting goals and how we want to grow/where we want to be by the end of our missions. it was something i needed to hear because i am about a third done with my mission and i feel like it has gone by so fast that i havent had time to grow. i know i have but it is just flying by. i also saw elder bennett and my trainer. it was a great day. as for the rest of the week, my companion spent a lot of time packing and being trunky so theres not much to report there. but i was really sick yesterday with a headache/fever/really bad cold. i had a fever of 102. ya so i went to the hospital. but in korea, people go to the hospital all the time, it is kind of like going to the doctors office in america. you can go whenever you want even if you arent very sick at all. so dont worry mom. they gave me a shot and plugged me up to an IV for 2 hours to shoot me up with electrolytes and stuff. im doing a lot better today, still a little sick though.
i had the opportunity to talk yesterday in church because i am getting transferred. it is always scary because i am still not really confident with the language. but i was glad to do it. i talked about the things i learned while serving here; especially about Gods love for all of us. i have learned a lot about His love and the sacrifices He has done in order for us to progress and return to Him. im grateful for His love and have felt it in abundance here in my mission.
love,
elder wells
last week had a lot of ups and downs. we went to the mainland and had a mission conference with a member from the quorum of the 70. his name is elder Gary Stevenson. i got to shake his hand and found out that he knows president and sister Whitesides. he took there spot as mission president in japan. he talked to us about a lot of good things. the main topic of his talk was finding a vision for your mission. this includes setting goals and how we want to grow/where we want to be by the end of our missions. it was something i needed to hear because i am about a third done with my mission and i feel like it has gone by so fast that i havent had time to grow. i know i have but it is just flying by. i also saw elder bennett and my trainer. it was a great day. as for the rest of the week, my companion spent a lot of time packing and being trunky so theres not much to report there. but i was really sick yesterday with a headache/fever/really bad cold. i had a fever of 102. ya so i went to the hospital. but in korea, people go to the hospital all the time, it is kind of like going to the doctors office in america. you can go whenever you want even if you arent very sick at all. so dont worry mom. they gave me a shot and plugged me up to an IV for 2 hours to shoot me up with electrolytes and stuff. im doing a lot better today, still a little sick though.
i had the opportunity to talk yesterday in church because i am getting transferred. it is always scary because i am still not really confident with the language. but i was glad to do it. i talked about the things i learned while serving here; especially about Gods love for all of us. i have learned a lot about His love and the sacrifices He has done in order for us to progress and return to Him. im grateful for His love and have felt it in abundance here in my mission.
love,
elder wells
Monday, March 23, 2009
This week was a good week. a lot of exciting things have happened and they are still happening today. tonight all of the missionaries here on jeju are flying to the mainland to an area called tay-gu. theres a big zone conference tomorrow and we are going to here some important guy speak. i forgot his name though. im excited because it will be the first time i have seen other missionaries (besides the 5 here) in over 4 months. including my mtc companion elder Bennett. he is the one that went home in the mtc becuase he was throwing up. well he stopped throwing up and came to korea but now i heard that he started throwing up again. i havent heard much so i dont know what is going to happen to him. i will aslo get to see my trainer/father E. tay Hee. it'll be exciting.
also this week president and sister Jennings came down. there was a district conference and all the members on the island came (about 80 people). the 2 branch presidents and president jennings gave really good talks. then sister jennings gave a talk about love that i really liked. she gave it in english and someone translated for her. i think i liked it the most because i could actually understand it all. she talked about how we need to love our family, friends, and neighbors. i really thought about loving my companion and how i need to love him unconditionally. it's really a hard thing to do but i learned that charity is a gift that we cannot receive on our own. we can receive it by asking through prayer and actions. i know that if we do our best to love others and ask sincerely for help, Heavenly Father will make up the difference and bless us with charity.
this sounds weird and really missionaryish but i really want to challenge all of you to try to have more charity and love in your lives this week. after all, if ye have not charity, ye are nothing.
Love,
Elder Wells
Tuesday, March 17, 2009
yeah last week makes it 5 months in korea and in a week and a half i will have been on this island for 4 months. crazy huh.
well this week went by really fast. i cant believe its already pday. this week was actually a bit better. my companion kinda opened up to me and told me about some of the things that have been bothering him and why things are hard for him. a big part of the problem is that he has a lot of stress and other things he is trying to deal with and when he is frustrated and complaining i take a lot of it personally and think that its a problem with our companionship when it really isnt. so i have tried to understand his point of veiw and not take things personally and its been pretty good. he is still really trunky (lazy because he is going home in 2 weeks) but this week was pretty good.
we are still working with the 26 year old guy named gong dong uun,강동운 (i dont think it translates into english well.) we talked to him about baptism and asked him to think about it. he said he would but he still hasnt found out for himself that the book of Mormon is true so he isnt sure. we have been teaching him for about 2 months now and i understand how frustrating it is when investigators dont keep comittments. we testify of the spiritual witness that comes from reading the book of mormon and praying but he just hasnt faithfully tried it yet.
besides him, we dont have any other investigators yet. we have some potentials though.
Love,
Elder Wells
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