2015-1-18

HELLO!!! 안녕하세요

Okay this week was really good we hit must of our goals this week! WHOOT WHOOT! Yeah that is what missionaries get excited about! So last P-day we just stayed inside and watched a movie with Sister Holt and Sister Hurst. They live super close so we see them a lot!

 And also later that night we had a lesson with one of our investigators (조하니)at our member's house. Okay, let me just tell you this old couple is so faithful but... they can be a little 부담 which is like pressure or burden. I don't know how to explain it. It has a different expression in Korean. But they first stared off with a OOOOLLLLLDDD church video and then we ate and they were asking here the weirdest questions. It was kind of strange. Then after that we watched another OLD video for 30 minutes. This investigator though was really strong about it and took it well. They were asking her what is keeping her from baptism and and she is worried about keeping the Word of Wisdom and Law of Chastity in the future. She is keeping it now but she is worried for the future. Our members told about their experiences and with work. It went really well. But, it is hard to explain they are just a little too bold at times ㅎㅎㅎㅎ

So we are hoping that will have a baptism in February for her. I am really excited. We also have another investigator (이지선) and she is really good. She is just having a hard time with her beliefs about Joseph Smith. She keeps wondering why it had to be him. She said she has been praying about him but she hasn't received an answer. We explained to her that sometimes we don't get answer immediately and in the way we think we will get them. Sometimes we have to study for a long time until we know for sure. Like I didn't know for sure everything was true until I was in High School and I actually tried to know for myself and not from my parent's testimony. I grew up in the church but I think back and I just relied on my parent's testimony but because I strived to do what is right and had a desire to know for myself I received that answer. We have to put in our part. Like continiously going to church and not sleeping in. Reading and Praying everyday even if we are tired and "we don't have time". Honestly we always have time. The time we are spending on our phones or watching TV we could do 5 minutes of reading our scriptures. All it takes is 5 minutes. I study for an hour or up to 3 hours. I know you can do it. 

The other hard part about teaching her is she doesn't understand our Korean and she understand our English better but not quite. She is has been living in Canada for awhile and the Korean there is a little different so we don't know quite how to teach her but she is slowly understanding us. Last night, she said it was the first time that she had felt this "spiritual feeling" and that is really good!! :)

This week we also had Zone Conference. We were combined with two zones. It was a really good training. The President and his wife came and trained us, We talked about Stewardship. I think that is really important to have this quality in our lives. Stewardship means to be reliable to be responsible. As members of the church we must continue be able to have this quality so that God can trust us with any kind of work he has in stored for us. I think that I haven't really had that so this next week I am going to be reliable. During our Companionship Inventory I came up with the 3 P's:

Proactive

Punctual

Positive

I am really slacking on these things and I can't do anything alone so I would ask that you try to try to have missionary opportunities and to use these 3 P's. I will follow up with it because that is what I do is I ---> Follow up, Teach, and Give a commitment ( should count this email as a lesson) haha but please help me do this! :)

Okay well that is it for this week. The Quote of the week is:

"Oh, SWEET MOSES!' - Sister Stastny

I love you all and I hope you have a wonderful week! I pray for you always!! 

Sister Leavitt

(the reason I am emailing so early is because we are going to President's house. Sister Morrise is have a Sisters Day. It should be really fun)

Thursday Basketball

2015-1-11

Family & Friends

This email is going to be short because I am trying to respond to all my emails. 

So this week I got a new companion! WHAT, WHAT?? Yeah this will be my 5th companion. This is very rare. She 10 months into her mission and I am her 5th companion.

Her name is Sister Stastny. She is from Meridian, Idaho! She is super sweet. Her ancestors are from slovakia! She totally looks Europian!! It is crazy!! haha We are both really weird so we get a long really well! I first met her when we got stranded at North Korea so we bonded really fast :)

Since she has been here we have been working really hard. We are now visiting all of our members that even I haven't met with, we are doing lessons all the time! It is really good to stay busy.

Even when you are at home, try to stay busy!! If there is one bit of advice I could give to you all is to use your time wisely. STOP WASTING TIME!! Okay, that is it. I have noticed that since I have been out on my mission, when I was at home I was super lazy. Here, I have no time to be lazy and sometimes it is hard!  hahahaha so yeah. Read you scriptures, pray, repent, and remember our Savior DAILY!!  Please don't get lazy! Always serve. 



Mosiah 2:17
17 And behold, I tell you these things that ye may learn wisdom; that ye may learn that when ye are in the service of your fellow beings ye are onlyin the service of your God.

Okay, I want to make my email short this week. So one cool thing now that we are doing in area is that we play basketball, soccer, AND volleyball all on different days of the week! Korean are sometimes amazed that an American GIRL can play decently. I will say I have lost a lot of my talent but hey this is really good way to get investigators and become close with our ward!!

Yeah, not much happened this week besides getting a new companion and showing her around and scheduling for the first couple of days. Today for P-day we decided to just stay home with some other Sisters and watch a movie! We really need one of these days. So hopefully I can send you all a letter.. but we will see :)

Love you all! I pray for you daily!!

Be Safe,

Sister Leavitt

The apples are huge here.

North Korean Border!

Okay this week has been interesting... So last P-day .. I literally went to the border of North Korea. There is this exhibit there that you can look across the water and watch people. :The crazy part about it is that all the buses left when we came out so we were stuck there. It was on the foggiest of days and it was the eeriest expereince. We had to sit there for an our in the middle of now where next to the barbe wired fence that seperated North Korea and South Korea. There military men everywhere and we couldn't go back inside because the exhibit closed.. CRAZY, right?! We almost had to hitch hike back and we got into someone's car but then someone found the taxi's number and we had to wait there for another 30 minutes until it came to pick us up. Seriously this was like a scene in the movies. Let me discribe you the setting. So there are 3 white girls and 1 Korean standing on the snow on the side of the street. Probably one of the coldest and foggiest days since I have been in Korea. You could hear dogs barking 100 meters away. Occasionally you woud see a baby deer prance across the empty street. You would see a car pass drive every 20 minutes and you had to just sit and wait. 1/4 mile away you could see the fence tat kept North Korea and South Korea divided. Hahah okay seriously it was spooky but so funny.. I will send you pictures. I also gave out my Book of Mormon to the Taxi Driver and he seemed really happy to receive it. So the power of getting stranded.

Border

Peace Notes

Christmas 2014

2014-12 Couple of Videos

Ward Children and Making Kimchi

November 16, 2014

Nov. 16

Hello everyone!!

This week was a not too eventful. This week we had to perform in the Stake Relief Society Musical Festival. Hahaha that was too funny. We didn't have much time to plan and our young women didn't really know how to dance but it was still so much fun to do. We performed to a Korean song call,"Must have love" hahaha it is kind of a carol. Look it up and just imagine us and the young women in our ward trying to dance/sing to it and then spraying snow from a can bottle.. Yeah, it was pretty interesting. 

Anyways, last week we went ice skating for P-day and there were sooo many skaters there like being trained. Koreans are extremely talented! I used my Go-Pro mom, don't worry, I have some videos of it.

It is starting to get cold. Here are a few pics. 

Eating with a member at a Pig Meat place.  We ate pig leg/foot

My Companions and Mission President and his wife

1st time Proselyting

Eating with the District then Service

Hans River

My Bishops wife and his kids

This week, we taught a lot about the Plan of Salvation. I have been gaining even a personal testimony of studying it and sharing it. We taught 김태홍 (kim Tae Hong) again and he just loved it. He asked so many questions and now is contacting us much more about questions he has. In our last lesson with him he said that he really wants to learn from us so we have been trying to bare testimony a lot more when we meet with him and it seems to be working really well. The more I try to share my sincere testimony in Korean the stronger it seems to get. We also met with 강진 자매님

She seems to love the gospel but her spirit seems blue so if you could keep my investigators in your prayers. Oh the family I was talking about last week, the postponed our visits for a few weeks which is really sad. Hopefully we will see them soon. 

I have even seen it when we teach our members. I have realized that even 20 minutes lessons are powerful. When I first went into a 20 minute lesson I thought it was going to be a "practice" lesson for us. It definitely isn't. The more 20 minute lessons we have I have come to realize that they really need to hear the message. Our members are struggling to do their own missionary work and build their own testimonies and I think this really help. So please share just even the smallest thought with anyone I would truly love that.

A lot of our appointments dropped but we saw lots of little miracles. I know the Lord is still watching over us.

I was doing my personal study today and I was reading the New Missionary President Seminar by Russel M. Nelson and it talked about Enduring to the End. 

I just thought I needed to share with you all that temple work is extremely important. We can't endure to the end without temple work.

So to answer all the normal questions:

Yes, the language is still hard. I learning but I am not good at all yet.

Yes, it is getting cold 

Yes, I love my mission. It is hard but I really enjoy every minute of it

Yes, I love the food... except Kimchi which is the most popular thing here. But i am slowly getting used to it

Yes, I LOVE my companions. They work me so hard and are really good supports. We seriously have a lot of fun together

Well that's all I have to say this week! I love you all sooo much!! I forgot my camera today so I will send pictures next week!!

Love 

Sister Leavitt

                                                       Salt Lake Airport on her way to Seoul South Korea

October 27, 2014

HELLO FAMILY!!

Okay things are going super good here in the Seoul Hood, haha.. Okay So let's see what happened this week.

Last Tuesday we had a zone conference and we talked a lot about setting/keeping goals and A LOT about relying, recognizing, and feeling the Holy Ghost. I just want to first say that not only missionaries have to rely on the holy ghost everyone at home should also be doing their part of trying to feel the spirit in their lives. For some reason it has been really hard for me to recognize what the spirit is prompting me to do. I can definitely feel but sometimes I don't know what it wants me to do. So In the next few days I am going to try to pray hard to feel it, search scriptures to apply it, bear my testimony, share experiences with people so that they can relate to it, and lastly express love to the Lord and to people around you. In lessons especially it is extremely hard to do theses things because I am not even close to knowing what the language is (sometimes I think I have gotten worse, but I keep trying) but I promise that even not in lessons and you express these things to people they can know for themselves the things you believe. This will help you bring the spirit into the home, school, work.. So my suggestion to you is to try to bring the spirit where every you go. It requires a lot of work. Pray often and show your love to the people around you. So I am going to ask you all in a week how you have done this and I better get a response back haha. I don't write this stuff for fun because honestly my hand is crmaping up write now so please try this next week to be a better example of the believers. We also had this Fireside last night (which was in half Korean half English because everything was translated depending on the speaker) talking about media. I know we hear it a lot but we have to spread the word of the gospel because I think we would be wasting our time on earth. "The worth of Souls is great in the sight of God" So just think about that okay... Facebook anything that Christ would post, ( I am not sure if that is appropriate to say haha but just pretend) Tweet uplifting gospel quotes, Instagram a picture of service.. I don't know you all have brains use them for good! haha seriously though what good have you done today? Elder Whiting (of the quorum of the 70) talked in our English branch yesterday and fireside and he talked about sacrifice. What must we sacrifice in order to become the men and women god would want us to be... Do something differently in the next week. I am going to check up on you all so... DO IT! Please :)

So let me just tell you what I have experience so far since I have been here. I have eaten octopus jerky, lots and lots of rice (hopefully my stomach doesn't explode) lots of different spicy soups. My trainer Sister Kim cooks us Korean lunch everyday so hopefully I will pick up from her.

That's me in my 2 Week. Everything is good so far.Pray for me! I pray for all of you! Love you all! Remember God loves you!

Sister Leavitt

레벳 저매 (ohh yeah a lot of people call me sister rabbit because Koreans can't say certain letters so that is one of my names 토끼  or 이 하나 (lee hanna) which is very korean name)

2014-10-10

HELLO EVERYONE!

What? I am in Korea... This is so crazy to me that I am here. Uhh... yeah... I still don't understand a word anyone is saying but I love it here. I also love my new companions. I am in a tri-o. I have my trainer who is Sister Kim and my other companion which is Sister Allred. I am sooooo blessed to have them as my first companions. My trainer works me hard which I love. She is from America but she has lived in Korea and is full Korean so she knows the country and the language super well. I will be her last companion. She will be leaving in December which is super sad!! Sister Allred is awesome!! She works so hard even tho she doesn't think she does. The are too nice to me too!

 I am also blessed to be in the best area in Seoul! 영등포 (yongdunpo) our area has literally everything. The members here are amazing. Even tho there isn't a lot of them. Ohhh... let me just tell you... We are learning KSL. Korean Sign Language. It is way awesome. We are apart of a deaf/Korean ward and english ward (which is huge, about 400 people). It is really awesome. Also in the english ward there are a lot of Filipinos so I probably will learn like one or two words in tigaglyon. (have no idea how to spell that) Like in a few weeks the English ward is singing tigalyon music in one of our firesides I think so... yeah. A lot of new learning. We also see a lot of Chinese and Japanese people. My companion knows a little bit of both so I hope to pick up on some of that as well. 

This week was crazy good. So we first started off the plan by proselyting on the subway and then going to the Mission home. We had dinner all that fun jazz. Woke up did some meetings and then met our new companions and headed to our new areas. And on our way there had to do more proselyting again. The next day we met with a investigator that I couldn't tell you her name right now because they all kind of sound the same to me at the moment haha. Anyways, we also met with some of the young womens. Every Thursday and Saturday we play basketball with the members and (future) investigators. We also teach a english class every Thursday and Saturday which is really cool. I never thought I would be using so much English here. But I am striving to get better at my Korean. Hahaha it is funny because sometimes when we are proselyting I only know like two phrases when we are handing out our English flyers and our Gospel Question cards and its. "Is your english good?" and when I say that they hurry say no and like run away and I have to chase them to say "its okay we teach English classes" so my trainer said I have to find a new way to say that because it is intimidating hahah. The other thing I know how to say is " can you play basketball well" to invite them to basketball but most people don't understand me enough so I get embarrassed and start laughing and they get all confused and walk away. Ohh I guess there is another thing I do say and I say it wrong every time is. Have you had these questions before?" (pointing to the question card) They never understand so they eventually take it and hurry off. I actually like proselyting but the only hard part is keeping a conversation. So that is when Sister Kim does her magic and gives them a Book of Mormon. So that what I do is scare them until Sister Kim comes and saves them. hahaha

Ummm... food here is amazing... I haven't had anything too weird yet. One night as like a 10 o'clock snack we had octopus jerky... It was weird but they made me still eat it haha.. 

This week week we have a lot of service for members I will send you pictures of them and the stuff we did.

Keep me updated on life! Love you all! Be Safe!! And may the odds be ever in your favor.

Love,

레벳 서매

Sister Kim and Sister Allred

 Our apartment from the outside. We are on the very top floor on the corner so we have many widows to see the outside it is awesome!!

Looking at the Sunrise from my Apartment

Crazy lady spying on Hanna

On thursday morning I received Hanna's email.  She told me that she goes to the Temple on P-days around 2:00, so what does any abnormal loving mother do? I thought it would be fine to Spy. Hey, don't judge me, she leaves for South Korea in a week.  I just wanted to make sure she had all her fingers and toes. Kind of like when they are born.  Just wanted to check.  So I parked in a parking lot across from the Temple. I was so far away you could barely see it.  There was a road, a huge grass area, and a parking lot separating me from any unsuspecting victims.  I watched the Missionaries as they exited the Temple. They walked off the grounds down to the road on the grass and made a left to the sidewalk and then turned right and headed to the MTC. I was not in the line of fire so I  hunkered down as if I was in a fox hole and aimed my camera.  After an hour and half I saw her come out. Grant it, I was looking through a 400mm lens. I couldn't see her with the naked eye but with my stalking equipment I was able to find her.  When she came out she didn't go as the other Missionaries had. She came straight across the grass and headed straight for me.  She kept looking at the car and then would stop look and then walk again. Finally she met up with some other Sister and walked on down.  I thought I was so busted. I drove around the Temple and headed home. When I got to the light directly in front of the MTC I came to a slow stop.  I looked to my left and there at the cross walk was Hanna I honked and waved as I drove through. I could hear her yelling, "I told them that was my crazy Mother. I knew that was you!!" Awwwwwww I'm so happy.  I could see all her fingers and toes and she was smiling the whole way. Notice the one picture. She actually stopped to smell the Roses. That's our Girl. Love her so much. 

Waiting and Waiting

Smelling the Roses

Her and Sister Johnson

Stop Stop Turn Turn

This is where I wanted to run after her!

October 2 2014 One more week. Let the tears begin.

HELLO EVERYONE!

Time is seriously flying by soooo quickly here. I have been loving every minute of my mission. Yes, it is extremely hard and I am not even in the field yet. This week was a good one.

So after our devotional on Sundays we get to watch a video that they let us choose from. This week I rewatched this Elder Bednar talk. It is really a good one. It was talking about how we need to be turning outwards never inwards. And its talks about how when we are on missions it should never be about us. And he used the Sesame Street cookie monster as an example saying,"I want cookie, NOW!" We all need to remember that the Lord as a place and time for everything and we must not be so selfish and looking inwards and start looking outwards to people. So I have been thinking I will not know everything now and my prayers might not be answered now but they will. We are on God's errand and in his own time.

Okay, so I am going to tell you this super funny story but I might warn you it might be a "you had to be there" kind of moments. So me and my companion were teaching our "investigator" and I start off with my sentence that I had been practicing and I say," Today, we are going to teach you about how we are to prepare to meet God." Let me tell you that is a hard sentence because there is a indirect question and you conjugate different things... anyways... SO that was really good and then my companions says,"How do we feel?" and our investigator was confused so she reapeated the question and my companion was like yeah how do you feel? ( she totally meant to say something different) and our investigator was pondering like this is really deep and she was not answering the question so I say." Where are we going?" And she was like Uhhh I am here... I don't know. I figure out she doesn't understand what I am asking so I went to try to say to her, "After we die, where do we go?" but all that came out was 휘 죽여 which mean "haaeee, DIE!" Because I was trying to ask my companion what the word after was and that is what she told me... our investigator just broke and started to laugh soooo hard! So we started laughing because we had no idea what we said soo I hurried and flipped to the scripture I was going to share and try to forget that I just told her die. Seriously the funniest thing.. Sorry it was like a had to be there moment but it was the funniest thing. 

Other than that I am trying to learn new vocab but I don't have the patients because I forget them the next day so we will see how it goes in the field. Ummm... SO... TOMORROW WE GET OUR FLIGHT PLANS! CRAZY, RIGHT!? SO Next P-day I will let you know what time I can call you and such.  I have one and 1/2 more weeks left here. I hate to leave her but I am excited/nervous to leave to!