September 8, 2014

Hey everyone!!!

This week was good! My new companion is Sister Fuller. She is really nice! She is from Salt Lake and comes from a family of 13 kids! We graduated the same year and she studied at BYU for 2 years as well. We have been working hard ever since she got here and it feels so good! I really like her and am excited for this transfer to learn from her and to work with her. 

We are trying to find some new investigators so we are focusing a lot on finding right now. We talked to some really cool people this week and were able to set up a few appointments. I followed up on the lady that accepted a Book of Mormon last week and she told me that she has been reading it and it's a little hard but she wants to meet so we can talk about it. So that was a miracle! We will be meeting with her next week. I'm really excited. 

Our investigator/ RC (not really sure what to call her right now) is doing good. She was baptized on Aug. 30th but missed church again yesterday because she was down in Busan again spending Chusok with her dad who is in the hospital. So we were bummed she couldn't come and be confirmed but I guess it's important that she is with her dad. We did see her twice this week though. She wanted to see Sis Jeon before she left so she took us to dinner one night. So she invited a friend to her baptism and she referred her friend to us. Her friend has English interest and not very much interest in the gospel, but we met with her and started the Family English program. I think that 진영선 will be a good example to her. She understands our purpose as missionaries and so we are excited to teach her. 

Sister Fuller and I are trying to work with some less active members in the ward so we have been contacting some members and looking through records. We set up an appointment with one and are planning on meeting with her this week. We are also going to meet with some members to find out who some less active members are that we can go find.

The man who the Elders are teaching that sis. jeon and i met is doing great. He is going to be baptized next week! He comes to church every week and now comes to our English classes. The elders meet with him a few times a week and he is doing awesome.

This week I read Ether ch. 6 about the Jaredite's journey to the promised land in the barges. In verse 6 it says they commended themselves unto the Lord their God" then it talks about the mountain waves and furious wind that blew them. Their vessels were tight like unto a dish so they were protected and the winds always blew them toward the promised land. I thought about their journey and compared it to a mission. I liked the part that talked about commending themselves unto the Lord. Giving it all to him and letting His will become theirs. I think this stuck out to me because President Christensen talked about consecration in Mission conference. I love the part about the huge waves and furious winds. I thought about all of the ups and downs and good times and hard times on a mission, but if we are obedient, we will always be protected. Just like the Jaredites were protected because they obeyed and their boats were tight like a dish. I like that the winds always blew them towards the promised land. I think that the "winds" of our missions will always blow us into the direction that we need to go, and then we will progress and become what the Lord wants us to. I'm thankful for the Book of Mormon and the way we can apply it to our lives today.

Mission Conference was really good! It was on Saturday and it was a lot of fun. President and Sister Christensen spoke to us a lot about prayer because that is our focus for the month, and then about obedience, sacrifice, and consecration. It was so so good! We talked about doing all 3 of those things so we can call down on the powers of Heaven to help us in our missionary work. We had a big lunch and did some stuff to celebrate the chusok holiday. Then we had zone training with our zone leaders and sister training leaders. It was really good. It was so fun to see all of my other friends in the mission! i will send some pics.

rach: love hearing about everything at utah state! sounds like a party!

dman: how's football? did you have a game this week?

ell: the ogden temple looks beautiufl! i'm glad you had fun!

jane: i love that you practice spanish with Scott! tell me more about fault in the stars!

add: your birthday looks SO fun! did you get my letter! watch for it! i thought about you!! happy birthday!!! i can't believe you are 9!!!

rid: i'm so proud of you that you are a beast on the soccer field. i would rather jump off of a cliff into the ocean. what would you rather do?

hey R,D,E,J- so this week i am going to be finishing the BOM so I will be starting it again and i have a challenge for you! Let's all start the BOM this week and try and read it before the end of the year! (personal reading) can you do it? I think you can!!!! tell me if you're in!

i love all of you!!! have a great week!!!

Sister Tara Anderson

 "Me and Sister Jackson at conference"

 "My trainer Sister Koo dressed in traditional Korean clothes for the holiday"

 "Sister Atwater from Kaysville"

"Cute little girl in the ward in her traditional clothes at church"

September 1, 2014

Hi everyone! loved the letters. glad everyone survived the first week of school!

On saturday our investigator 진영선 was baptized!!!! Thanks for the prayers!!! It was a complete miracle. She was really happy on her baptism day and everything went really well. She said she had a really deep impression and felt really good. It was great! The missionaries all sang the Armies of Helaman and the Spirit was there. She wanted to bring a friend to her baptismal service but her friend got there late and was only able to be there for the very end when we ate food. At least she got to come to our church and meet some members. She was supposed to be confirmed yesterday but didn't show up to church. We were panicking wondering why she wasn't there or responding to any of our texts or calls,  but she text us later on and told us she had to go down to Busan to be with her dad who is in the hospital. She felt bad, but hopefully she can come this week. I am just glad that everything is still OK. I think she is doing really well. Please continue to pray for her! She told the DL the other day that she is going to drink coffee after her baptism. :'( So we're hoping that this doesn't happen. She needs the gift of the Holy Ghost! Hopefully this sunday.

Remember that guy that i randomly met on the street a few weeks ago? The Elders are teaching him and he is loving everything. He comes to church and came to the Baptism on Saturday. He wants to be baptized so bad. He wants to serve in our church too. He believes that the Book of Mormon is the word of God and is so accepting. He has to attend church 3 times and this sunday will be his 3rd time. So he may be getting baptized the following saturday. He is great! 

Again, we were home most of the time this week, but the first few days of the week were a little better. We were able to get out and do just a little bit of street contacting. I met a nice lady who accepted a Book of Mormon and said she would read it. She also gave me her number. I think that because I haven't had very many opportunities to get out and talk to people these last few weeks, I am able to notice the small miracles that do happen more. Somebody accepting a Book of Mormon and saying that they will read it meant so much more to me than it ever has. The little things mean so much more.

This week I got the letter from Dad with the talk by President Monson called "Decisions determine Destiny" Thank you for sending it!!! i love it. It's such a good talk and it has made me think a lot about the little decisions we make that can have large consequences. One part that stuck out to me was when he said "I urge you to not take counsel of your fears." He talked about the consequences that can come if we are too afraid to pursue something because it is too hard or you are afraid of failure. I was thinking about that and I applied it to missionary work. If we take counsel from our fears and are too afraid to talk to that one person, there can be major consequences. A decision to share the gospel with someone can change their destiny and our destiny. I have just been thinking a lot about that this week.

I'm getting a new comp this week! Her name is Sister Fuller from Utah. I dont' know anything else. I'm excited to work with her! It will be good. My first non-Korean companion! i'm so used to being with koreans. I am excited!

Rach: USU sounds like it is a blast! I am glad everything is so fun! Your classes sound good. I loved Sociology. it's super interesting. College is a party huh?! When does track start? Have you started practicing? Whatever happened to the sprint coach? is there a new one? love you!

D-man: your letter made me laugh way hard. Hearing about marv taking kids out in order to score a goal. hahahha. yeah marv! (like yeah mars) and you saying "if you dont' score 3 goals you're grounded." haha classic. marv's a beast. i can't wait to see it next year. classic. oh and the crowd surfing thing sounds so funny. I would have loved that! haha

Ellie: i'm glad school is good! i love hearing about your classes. The teacher that is obsessed with his electric guitar and pokemon characters. eh eh eh eh. hahaha that's so cool you are making a roasting stick holder in sewing for mom! I want to see a picture. you are so cool! Good job on giving a talk in church! I'm glad it went well.

Jane: i can picture the first week of school feeling long because you're used to playing everyday! But it gets a little easier after the first or second week. Think of all of the fun things that happen in the fall like football games and cool weather etc. The rope swing at that pond sounds way fun! 

Addie: i loved the pics of you in your adorable soccer uniform! I am glad you are doing so good! HAPPY BIRTHDAY THIS WEEK BEAUT!!!!! i can't believe you're 9!!! that is so crazy! i will think about you and hope you have a great day!!! send me tons of pics! Have fun shopping with mom and going to the temple open house!

Isaac: i heard you are the BEST soccer player. Everyone told me that you scored so many goals. You are so cool! I like your uniform. It looks really cool. Are your cleats cool too? You are awesome. MVP marv. send me more pictures this week. how is 1st grade?

I love you! Thanks for being the best fam! Have a great week!!! 

Sister Tara Anderson

August 25, 2014

Hey!!

We were able to meet with our investigator 진영선 (Jean young son) on friday and she said she has been keeping the word of wisdom!!!! We taught her lesson 4, and she took everything well. We brought up the baptismal interview questions and asked her the first one: Do you believe God is our loving Heavenly Father.... and she freaked out. She thought we were doubting her past faith (she has always believed in God) and so she got so upset and told us she didn't want to be baptized anymore. (totally unexpected reaction). We helped her calm down but we ended off with her saying that she didn't want to be baptized but that she would continue to keep the Word of Wisdom and come to church on sunday and meet with the Bishop. I asked her if she still believes everything is true and she said yes. I think she just got a little worked up.

 Yesterday she did come to church and met with the Bishop. She is planning on being baptized this Saturday and she said she has still been keeping the Word of Wisdom! Some members at church were nice to her and made her feel welcome. I think she feels comfortable with everything. We are meeting with her on wednesday and she will probably have her interview with the DL after. I hope she can take the interview ok. Cross your fingers. :/ ehhh.

Pray for her this week please!!! She is a huge miracle! At the beginning of the transfer (before we even met her) Sister Jeon and I circled August 30th as a day we wanted to have a baptism. We set a goal to find someone and teach them and have a baptism on that day. We prayed and asked Heavenly Father to help us achieve our goal. 3 days later we met 진영선. She has to be baptized on Saturday!!! 

This hard time has given me the opportunity to study Christ's life more and focus on the way Christ would act in tough situations. I am so thankful for the scriptures and for the strength they give me when I read them. I know that by reading the scriptures daily, we will have those thoughts in our minds and be able to react more Christ-like in any situation. There were a few times this week when people said some really hurtful things. There was one time that I wanted to defend myself and say things back, but immediately I thought about Jesus Christ and what he would do.  The scripture 1 Nephi 19:9 came to my mind and I said it to myself in my mind. "And the world, because of their iniquity shall judge him to be a thing of naught; wherefore they scourge him and he suffereth it and they smite him and he suffereth it and they spit upon him and he suffereth it because of his loving kindness and long-suffering towards the children of men." I am so thankful for the example of Jesus Christ who gives us a perfect pattern to follow. It is not easy, but when I think about Him and they way he reacted in certain situations, I truly feel strength to act as he acts and do what he did.

random:

Sister Fulcher, the sister from Brisbane Austrialia likes to run so she has been running with me in the mornings lately! Yay! Also, we hung out together this p-day because the 2 koreans went shopping and she is so fun! We are really close and have so much fun. We went and ate lunch at the new Popeyes that is by our house! It was way fun!

Rach: good luck this week at USU! you will love college! so much fun!!!! tell me about track! you are the next USU track star! :) i love you!

D-man: good luck at school too! you rule the school now. what what. have fun with football! goodluck! love you!

Ellie: have fun at school! help the new students to not be afraid! you will be awesome! i love you!

Jane: don't be nervous for school! you will do good. it will be fun to see all of your friends and stuff again! i love you!

Addie: i'm sorry that your soccer game got cancelled! :( i can't wait to hear how it goes next week! send pics! i am sending you a birthday letter today! love you!

Isaac: I would rather see a sun devil because they are the best!! what would you rather see? i can't believe you jumped off a cliff! you are brave. i love you!

Have a good week! good luck with school! dont' be nervous. find someone who looks afraid or lost or someone who doesn't have friends and help them! i love you! xoxoxox

Sister Tara Anderson

August 18, 2014

Hey Everyone!

Thanks for all of the emails! Sounds like everyone is having fun :) I can't believe it's the last week of summer. Are you excited for school? Good luck! You will do great!

This week our investigator, 진 accepted a baptismal date! This week we taught her the Plan of Salvation, and she liked everything. She takes notes on everything we teach her. She loves it. On friday we taught her the gospel of Jesus Christ and taught her the Word of Wisdom- this time more in depth. She has an addiction to coffee so she is having a little bit of a hard time with it. She can understand why we don't drink alcohol or smoke, but she doesn't understand coffee. We told her we don't understand everything, but because we know that Joseph Smith is a prophet, we know the Word of Wisdom is true and we obey it. She believes in the Restoration and everything we have taught, so I think she believes that the Word of Wisdom is true, it's just hard to understand. Yesterday Sister Jeon and I fasted for her. She wasn't able to come to church but we talked to her on the phone and she is trying to keep the word of wisdom. She still really wants to be baptized and really wants the bishop to baptize her. She heard his testimony the first week she came to church and really likes him. We will keep praying for her to have the strength to overcome drinking coffee. She has to keep the word of wisdom for 2 weeks before she can be baptized. So in order to be baptized on the 30th, she has to keep it until her baptism. Pray for her! :)

Another miracle that happened this week happened on tuesday. We were out walking down the street heading to find a less active address when a man stopped me and asked who we were. We told him we are missionaries for the church and he recognized our church. He also asked about a book we have so we showed him the BOM. He said he was really interested and wanted to meet with the Elders. We got his number and met with him and the elders yesterday. We did some how to begin teaching and then taught him part of the first lesson. He said that he wanted to become a member right then, but we explained baptism and told him he needs to be taught everything first. He accepted a baptism date of September 20th. Elder G. and Elder M. will be teaching him and they are meeting again on thursday.

This week in my scripture study, I read Helaman 5: 12. This is one of my favorite scriptures and I have been thinking a lot about it. I also read a talk from the April 2010 conference by Elder Wilford W. Andersen. He spoke about the hard things we go through in life, but that we can get through anything as long as we have Christ as our foundation. He said, "I speak to all who suffer, to all who mourn, to all who now face or who will yet face challenges or trials in this life. My message is to all who are worried or afraid or discouraged. My message is but an echo, a reminder of the constant comforting counsel from a loving Father to His children since the world began." Then he shared Helaman 5:12. I am so thankful that as long as we build our foundation on Christ and trust and apply the Atonement in our lives, we can withstand anything that comes to us and the  Atonement will protect us. I am so so thankful for Christ's Atonement. I have seen the power of the Atonement as a missionary more than I ever have in my life. 

Random things: 

Lately I have to play the piano for the ward choir and our ward choir is the most intense choir and it's so stressful. It's like the most stressful part of my week. Trying to understand what the director is saying to me in korean while playing the piano. hahaha but it's fun too :)

The other day I was at the market and this wayyy old sweet little man came up to me and asked me where I was from. I told him I am from America and he bowed to me and said thank you. thank you. In Korean culture, old people never bow to younger people. We always bow to people older than us, especially if they are a lot older than us, so this was very unusual. He was so sweet. Koreans, especially older Koreans are so thankful for America because of the help America gave during the war.

The September Liahona or Ensign has an article about Korea! There are pictures of members of the WonDang ward (my last ward) that I love! If you look on the little square pictures on the left page, there is a picture of an old grandma  praying. She was one of the members i loved visiting in wondang! I think i sent you a picture of me with her and some of the other sisters a few months ago. At the bottom of that same page is another member holding her daughter. Remember that adorable daughter i sent pictures to you of? She is also the member who posted that pic of us on facebook before i transferred. haha anyways, i wanted to tell you who those people were in those pictures. 2 of my favorite members!

I'll write more to you all individually in a different email. love you!!

Have a happy week!

Sister Tara Anderson

August 11, 2014

Hello!!! 

Well, this week has been interesting. This morning the missionaries all went to a funeral for someone in the ward. He is actually not a member but his son and daughter are, and they are in the ward. Funerals in Korea are totally different and it was kind of an eye opening experience. We all (the missionaries, other close friends and members, and the family) all rode on a massive bus all the way up in the mountains to this tomb place and we all gathered around the spot where they bury the body. Someone spoke and said some things and then we all sang a few songs. Part of the whole funeral thing is actually literally burying the person who died. So each person in the family helped bury him. It was so different than anything I have ever experienced. His wife and another daughter were not members and were having a really hard time. Another daughter and son are members and were handling everything well. it was sad to see people who don't believe in the Plan of Salvation and feel like it's the end of everything. I am so thankful for the plan of Salvation and the knowledge that we have that this life is just a short part of the plan. We will see our loved ones again and this life is not the end. It was a really eye-opening experience and it made me so thankful to have the gospel and knowledge we have in my life.

Investigators:

On Tuesday  진영  came to English class and then we met with her and talked for a little bit. She asked some questions about baptism and being baptized if she has already been baptized. We explained a little about the Priesthood and told her we have to be baptized by proper authority. She seemed fine with it and accepted it well. She also asked some questions about the word of wisdom and she told us she loves to drink coffee. We briefly talked about it, but didn't have time to do an actual lesson since she was there for English. She came to church though on Sunday and really liked the RS lesson and Gospel Principles lesson. Some members were really nice to her and made her feel comfortable, which was good. After Gospel Principles, she went into the kitchen and was trying to find pans and stuff to make coffee. :( :( Sister Jeon and I were really bummed. She knows that it is against the word of wisdom but she kept saying it's fine! She couldn't understand why we seemed so sad and distressed that she was making coffee in the church kitchen. We were able to finish teaching her the first lesson and she understood everything very well. She loves learning about the Restoration and accepts it all. She wants to read the Book of Mormon but she has a hard time reading so she's trying to find an ap to download the audio. All in all, she is doing really well. She hasn't been taught everything yet so she doesn't understand all of the commandments completely, but she is on her way.

We met with 김선  this week and talked about wrapping up the Family English Program. We are almost to week 6. Sadly, I don't think she has much interest in the gospel. I think she believes our message is good and that it might be true. She thinks our church is good and has good standards, but she says she's too busy to come to church. She just doesn't understand the importance of the gospel and the priority it needs to be in our lives. 

조현, the recent convert we are teaching is doing really well. She is adorable and I love her! This week we talked about temples and baptisms for the dead. She wants to go to Seoul to the temple. This week she is going to meet with the Bishop and get a recommend so we can hopefully go next week with her.

Side note, 김휘  my recent convert in WonDang is doing great! She is still active and we text each other frequently. I love her so much. She is doing awesome.

I met with Sis. K, my MTC teacher (who I LOVE) last monday. She is living farther south. We went to dinner and caught up. It was so fun to talk to her and actually be able to speak some Korean to her. (compared to the MTC) :)

I have been reading Jesus the Christ lately and I have learned sooo much. I love learning about Christ and the way He acted to everyone. He was always so kind and full of patience. I feel so close to Him as I study about him in the Book of Mormon and learn about things He did when He was on the Earth. I know he is close by us and always assisting us in missionary work and helping us do everything he asks. I feel like when I learn about Him and the way He acted in situations, it makes it easier for me to react the way he would and be more Christ-like.

I am so thankful to be serving here. I am thankful to be serving with my companion. I have learned so so much. It hasn't been easy but it is perfectly what I need.

Rach: love hearing about your adventures and taking everyone to the JSM building for Jay's wedding. haha I'm so excited for everything you are doing!!! ;)

D-man: football sounds way fun! I wish i could see your games! Next year! spongebob and swimming. that's the life! haha "cover the tuba!"

Ellie: girls camp sounds like it was a blast!! the cave you went to sounds like it was really cool. did you paddle board and jump on the tramp at bear lake like we did last year?!

Jane: i love the "be happy" theme of girls camp! i love hearing about the devotional and the people that talked. DId you have fun boating?! it sounds like a ton of fun!

Addie: I would rather see a lion than a cougar becasue we never see lions in Utah! What would you rather see? I'm glad you had a fun week. have fun at cooper's party!

Isaac: This week I read in the Book of Mormon about Amalickiah when he swore to drink the blood of Moroni. Moroni is so cool and brave like you. Have fun swimming tomorrow! 

Mom and Dad: I love you! thank you for everything you do to help me. I am so thankful you are my parents. You are the best examples i have in the world. i love you!

have a great week!

Sister Tara Anderson

"After the funeral. (We had to wear all black)"

"Older picture from when I left WonDang - I gave these kids CTR rings"

"Sis Kil, my MTC teacher and I at church on my birthday"

"After a long time of proselyting in the rain, eating my birthday cake!"

August 4, 2014

Hi everyone! Thanks so much for the cute birthday package you sent! You are the best! It was so festive and it made my day happy! I love you!!!! Happy Birthday tomorrow (today in Korea) Dad!!! I love you!  Hope you have the best day.

This week was a little bit better than last week. We met a new investigator, which was a total miracle!!

Tuesday Sister J. and I served in the visitor center. Just as we were about to walk out the door to leave, a man and a woman showed up to the church and walked inside. The man said that he had met elders before, the woman was his friend that was with him. We found out that Elder M had found him and he had come to church a few times. The lady, 진영 wanted to look around our church and was filled with questions. We showed her around and she loved everything. She took a picture of the wall in the visitor center and said she was really interested. We set up an appointment and met with her again on tuesday. She came to the church and she had so many questions. We taught her about the Restoration and answered her questions. We watched the Restoration DVD with her and shared a Book of Mormon with her. She loved everything. While we were teaching her, she said "this is what I've been looking for." She is so prepared. We gave her the soft baptismal commitment and she accepted it. We invited her to church and set up another appointment. She told us she would come to church, but when we called to follow up on Sat. night and Sun morning, she didn't answer. We went to relief society kind of bummed that she didn't come, but 5 minutes after RS started, she came walking in and sat down by us. She stayed for most of church, but had to leave after the Sacrament for something she had yesterday. She loved church though and loved the member who taught gospel principles. We are meeting with her again on tuesday and are hoping to give her a baptismal commitment with a date!

We are continuing to teach 김정 and her son the Family English Program. This week when we met her, she told us that she prayed to understand our message and the Book of Mormon. She always keeps her commitment to read the Book of Mormon, but she hasn't been coming to church lately. I don't know her super well yet, but it seems like she thinks our religion is good, but doesn't see how important everything is and why she needs the gospel in her life. We shared the For the Strength of Youth pamphlet with her and she liked it. We talked a lot about the word of Wisdom and how the commandments and standards we have blesses our lives. This week we are thinking about teaching her lesson 3. I really hope she can come to church this week.

We taught a lesson on Saturday to Sister J's recent convert. She is so sweet and I already love her so much! We talked about Joseph Smith and reviewed the BOM and Restoration a little bit. We also talked about modern day prophets a little bit. She seems to be doing really well. She has been coming to church with her mom.

This week during study, I read a lot about the missionaries in the Book of Mormon. I love reading about Alma and Amulek and the Lord giving them the strength to be delivered. Something that I have been thinking about a lot is praying for the strength to handle hard things, rather than asking Heavenly Father to take them away. I have prayed a lot lately for the capacity to handle tough situations and to be able to do what the Lord needs me to do. As I have done this, I have had the strength to be more patient and understanding than usual. I love learning about the missionaries in the BOM. They were constantly being tried, yet they were instruments in God's hands and became even more solid.

Rach: Kingston sounds like it was a total blast!!! I loved the pics. Good job with the Half marathon! sorry about your foot :'( next year we will race togetha!!! 

Dman: priest's camp sounds like blast. The cliff jumping sounds so fun. Next year we will have to jump off the top cliff by the rope swing for sure. Did you like studying PMG?

Ellie: The manti temple sounds way cool. I love that you learned how to drive stick shift on the Allen's doon buggy. Are you going to girls camp tomorrow? thank you for the cute birthday present and card!!!

Jane: girls camp sounds like it will be way fun!! I love hearing about all of the fun things you did this weekend! The doon buggy thing and 4 wheelers and shooting sounds so fun! 

Addie: your week sounds so fun staying with the Oldroyds!! I'm glad you love school. did you have fun swimming with issy?

Isaac: that's so cool that you rode 4 wheelers with Ryan and got to press the gas! You are so cool. I can't believe you shot guns at George's house. That sounds so fun. I would rather see an elephant because i wouldn't want to get sprayed by the skunk. 

Mom and Dad: Happy Birthday tomorrow, Dad! I love you! I am glad that priest's camp went well. Sounds like it was a lot of fun. Mom, good job in your half marathon! you are awesome! Next long run, we'll run together! :) Thank you for the B-day package!! I love all of the gifts. Thanks for being so thoughtful and sending it! It made my day!

I love you! have a good week!!! xoxoxo

Sis Tara Anderson

July 21, 2014

This week we got transfer calls and I'm transferring to Nokebon. I am so sad to be leaving WonDang, but thankful for every day that I got to serve here. I learned so much from the ward members and from being in this area. I am excited to serve in Nokebon and look forward to meeting new people there. Nokebon is actually in the same zone and same stake so I will be close. I am sad to leave my district and the girls in my house too! We have had so much fun together. I hope i grow to love my new area as much as i love WonDang!

We met with park een young this week and talked to her about the commandments. We specifically talked about keeping the Sabbath day holy since she works everyday and can't come to church. We promised the blessings that come from keeping keeping the Sabbath day holy, and talked about trying to switch her schedule so she could come to church but she can't and doesn't really want to. We talked a lot about being obedient and the blessings that always come when we obey God. We found out that she isn't interested in the gospel enough to keep meeting with her without doing English. This week will be the last lesson we (or Sis. Ahn) will have with her. 

We got a referral from our ward mission leader!! It was a lady who visited the 일산 ilsan ward. Her name is 김애실 (kim aye sheer). She walked in and asked if it was the Mormon church and stayed for Sacrament meeting. She actually lives in our area and really close to our church, so they sent her information over to our Bishop. Anyways, we met with her and with the relief society president in our ward. I don't know how much interest she has in our church, but she had some questions about the Book of Mormon and about our church. We answered her questions and showed her around our church. We invited her to church and she said she would come. We tried calling her on Saturday to remind her and again on sunday, but she never came.

We met with a lady named Christina as well. We met with her about 2 months ago. (she is the one from Fullerton CA) She is gradually opening her heart up to coming to church and believing in God. She used to believe in God, but when she was newly married she had some hard things happen in her life and kind of gave God the blame. She stopped praying to Him and stopped believing that he was there. She said now days she feels lonely and wants to believe in God. She is being very cautious though and is slowly opening back up. She is starting to look for the truth. She actually said she would come to church in a few weeks. (she just started a job and can't come for a few weeks). She is so sweet. I really think someday she will come to know that this church is true. Right now, it is just taking a little bit of time.

김휘, Kim hooee (my recent convert) came to church again this week. We taught her part of the 5th lesson during Sunday School. We had a member (who is about her same age) come and help us. The lesson went well. We talked about eternal marriage and temples and family history. She had some questions and we are hoping to get her to the temple to do baptisms soon. She is doing great though. I am sad to leave now that she is coming back, but I think the ward will take good care of her. They all love her so much.

This week I was thinking a lot about feeling close to Heavenly Father and the times when I have felt the closest to Him. As I look back, I have always felt close to Him, but I realize that some of the times that I have felt the very closest to Heavenly Father are the hardest times in my life. I was thinking about my experience in the MTC and how my prayers were the most sincere prayers I have probably ever given in my life. I poured my heart out constantly, pleading for help. I felt so alone and Heavenly Father was the only one I could always turn to. I realize that Heavenly Father was and is right by my side every step of the way. I also realize the power of our personal prayers and that the more sincere our prayers are, the closer we will feel to Him. I am also thankful for these experiences that humble me and make me rely on Christ more than ever in my life. The power of the Atonement has carried me throughout my mission. I am so thankful for every day I have to serve. 

Yesterday was probably one of the most stressful days. I had to speak in church since I am leaving, and then they decided to do a missionary fireside and had me and 2 elders speak at it. Also, all of the missionaries sang Armies of Helaman and I played the piano. It actually turned out good. I was so nervous to speak because I had zero time to prepare, so I was writing my talk as we were in the car driving to the fireside after a dinner appointment. ahh. Everyone was so sweet though. I was so sad sayign goobye to all of the cute kids. Some of them made me cute cards that said sister anderson! we love you! always think about us... and tons of cute little pictures. I took a picture with some of them and gave the kids that were at the fireside Korean CTR rings. We all took pictures together. I hate saying goobye. they are adorable! I am so sad to leave this area, but I am SO thankful for the chance I have had to serve here. 

Thanks for all of your emails! I love hearing about all of the fun things that happened last week! 

Rach: your life is one party after the next. :) Everythigns sounds so fun. hiiiiii looonnniee

D-man: how are the braces? i can't believe LeBron is going back to the Cavs! s-bob every night. classic

Ellie: I love that you are making a quilt! Tiff is the cutest to teach you! Lagoon and Cherry Hill sounds fun!!

Jane: the picture of your afhgan is so cool! I'm so impressed! keep sending pics. did you have fun boating?

Addie: Good luck at school tomorow!! think of the fun breaks you will have when everyone else is in school :) i bet your teacher is really nice! 

Isaac: good luck at school tomorrow too!! you will have so much fun with all of your friends. And you get to eat lunch at school! i would rather get eaten by a whale too. a shark would be scarier i think.

Mom and Dad: i love you! Thanks for helping me and praying for me! :) You are the best parents. I l love you!

Love, Sis Tara Anderson