Lukerless and other updates

March 23, 2014

I miss Elder Luker. Seriously, he did such a good job in taking care of our work and in serving and loving me. He was funny and I felt at home... and now it's like a different work without him. When it started getting really obvious that his time to leave was fastly approaching, we would throw it off because we wanted to focus on the work and not focus on how sad it would be after he left. Because we did that, it didn't really feel like goodbye until one morning I woke up in my room and he wasn't there! I hope there is some super sick travel system in heaven where we can just kind of like poof inbetween America and Korea without airplanes, and Elder Luker and I can just hang out in an exalted Korean culture once in a while if he's not too obsessed with his wife and has no time for his good old pal Elder Buckwalter.

anyways.... at least the juice he left me was good, and the cereal, and the candy.

 Last Thursday, I got my new companion. He's tall. He is obsessed with Korean and that is totally a good thing. We speak just as much Korean with each other as we speak English. I've gotten good, but I have a feeling that this companion will get me great. Elder Luker could speak great Korean and I didn't worry about my Korean last transfer too much because I knew he could catch me if I fell. This companion though, has like an addiction or some kind of high to using Korean correctly. It's his favorite thing to do, speak Korean and help me with my Korean. I thought it could've gotten anoying, because I knew my Korean was terrible and barely made sense, so he's constantly correcting and advising and teaching me. I'm not sure if he knows as much as he is making it out that he knows but... I like it. I'll take it. Heck, I have a feeling that with him I will shoot up. I am never offended when he's advising me in Korean because I really do want to sound as correct as possible. I'm grateful he is always doing that service to me.

Elder McLeod

So anyway,

our missionary work hit a kinda bump in the road, and I'm guessing that's expected at transfers because you're still figuring each other out and you have to get on the same page. Last week we were really focusing on Elder Luker and going to lot's of meals with members and investigators that wanted to say goodbye and our proselyting stat went down. We'll pick it up though. I know that as we try our best, God does the rest.

March 30, 2014

The hiccup is over. I have learned a powerful lesson about how to be patient and humble and compromise. I wanted to do everything Elder Luker's style and 화양 style... but I needed to trust Elder McLeod when he wants to do things that in my experience weren't as efficient or in my oppinion weren't as necessary. I don't do missionary work in the same way anymore, but I like the small differences, I've been humbled and I've learned that different fashions can just as effectively bring people to Christ. The real heat of the matter is whether you are in unity with your companion and whether you are following the spirit. It doesn't matter too much if you spend more time proselyting or visiting members or calling old people from records long dead... however you can find people to teach, just do it! Work! Find them!

I won't forget the things I did with Elder Luker, but I also am glad that I know more than one way to bring people to Christ.

 

January 5, 2014 Woot! Holy Missionary Batman!

Woot! Holy Missionary Batman!

Or as I said in the MTC, "holy time to teach a lesson Elder"

You just replace Batman with Elder, the guys really liked it. Anyway...

This week has been a little hard. We got a tiny bit lazy and we didn't meet the goals we set like we've done the previous 2 weeks. yikes!

Lee Yun-Jo 이윤조 is honestly the perfect investigator. He recognizes the good feelings that come from the spirit and he wants to keep our commitments. He's been to church twice and he only needs to attend one more time before we can get him baptized. He accepted the soft baptismal commitment which is, "Yun-Jo, as you keep the commandments and as you feel the promptings of the holy spirit, will you be baptized if you indeed receive that witness that it is true?"

We haven't got him with a date yet because he says, "Yes, I will get baptized but I don't want to go so fast you know, I used to be Buddhist and these things take time, I don't know like, I kind of want to see Salt Lake City first before I make a decision to join your church and all, don't get me wrong you know cause I like um, I like you guys and I love your church it's very clean and simple and usually has good food but, we will see. Yes when I know that it is true and maybe after a bit of time I will get baptized, yes."

-kinda thing....

see what I mean. 

We gotta get him reading the book of mormon and praying you know! Come on man!

He says that he tries reading a little from the book of mormon, but it's often confusing, sometimes has hard words and it talks in a kind of old style of language like the bible. So instead he'll go on the internet or whatever and learn more about Brigham Young and pioneers and stuff! It's crazy how smart he is and how addicted to research he is. Like what's up man, you're not going to feel that it is true from an internet article about native americans... you got to open the book man!

Anyway, of course I'm going "slow" with him as he asks and not pushing him past his limit. We'll get him soon. I think this week we could have a baptismal date from him if he prays and reads like we've always committed him to do.

Lee Hyun-Suk 이현숙 didn't come to church again. We visit him a lot. Often he isn't there, but also often he is there, says that he will come to church with us and then doesn't answer the door! Ouch! What are we going to do with that kid.

There's some others and what-not but those are our highlighted work efforts. We are really focusing on those two and as usual street contacts so we can get more investigators. I definitely need to puck up and testify to these intimidating Koreans. Usually they like Americans, but I still don't know how to talk and it's often awkward and challenging for me. I try bearing testimony and sometimes they'll like run away and I have to chase them down and give them a simple mormon.org card with our phone number on it. phew.

But I am really happy about Lee Yun-Jo. He's going to be baptized I know it. Meeting with him lifts my spirits and lets me know that the Lord has prepared his children to come back to him and that some of my efforts are working in favor of a souls salvation. 

I was a little down about not trying my best and not knowing how I'd ever get the language and not meeting our goals when a ward member pulled me outside the church and opened up her trunk. She told me that she wanted to show how grateful she was because of how hard I've been trying, so she gave me some expensive truffles. It really made me happy. I know that I have all of you praying for me and rooting for me waaaaay over there in America, but it's hard sometimes when it's just us two against Korea and no one really says, "good try Elder" or "keep it up, you'll get one next time". Having a Korean rooting for me really lifted me and gave me some more energy to keep trying. I think I'll be good. So much work though....

So now just for some fun info, not missionary stuff.

Korean Culture is kind of awesome! Guess what we did for new years. So instead of trying to stay up for just midnight and drinking some sparkly or whatever... it's not bad, but I like this is better!

We woke up at like 5:30 and went outside to meet the ward. We hiked up a mountain in Seoul and waited in the cold for the sunrise!

Wow!

A bunch of sky scrapers and lights of the city....

gets a little brighter

Sky starts turning a little big orange and now you can make out the river...

gets a little brighter

More people start showing up and the whole mountain top is stuffed with Koreans all on their phones and cameras trying to tell all their friends about it or taking pictures of it instead of actually enjoying it haha...

gets a little brighter

Then, then then, the sun slowly peaks out and everyone is drenched in orangy-yellow light and we all cheer.

Then we hike down and make sure our hands are still circulating and eat the traditional New years meal with the ward. (Koreans eat a traditional Korean dish - Dak mondu guk (떡만두국) - and it's kinda like how Americans eat a specific dish for thanksgiving, turkey potatoes yams stuffing, except for Koreans it's rice and mondu (만두) cooked a specific way.... yum.)

So.... later in the week.

We're 전도ing along (proselyting) and we hear some Asians canna speaka da english! 

So we're like, Woah!

So we chase em' down and start speaking english with them.

One is a Chinaman another is a Japanese and the third is a Korean.

The Chinaman really liked how I could speak Chinese and Korean and English, he thought I was a genius. They tell us that they're all English teachers and that's why they speak together in English, cause that's their common tongue. They are celebrating their last day in Korea before the three friends split up and go back to their original countries namely, Japan and China. They wanted to eat a crazy Korean Dish!!!! We asked if we could join them.... so....

What do you get with two Americans, a Japanese man, a Korean and a Chinaman in a fish restaurant.....?

I'll tell you.

Octopus!!!

Woah!!!!

They bring it out on a plate freshly chopped up, and I guess the nerves of Octopi don't die very fast because the whole plate was alive and wriggling. I'll send you a video! gah!

We're like poking at it, "wake up!" you know and the suction things will stick to your chopstick.... so creepy....

Everyone ate one (including Elder Luker) and I couldn't believe it. You put it in your mouth and it moves around and sucks onto your tongue and teeth and the top of my mouth. I had to bite it dead..

. I didn't want it to go down still sucking and choke me to death. It was very chewy and I got it to stop moving and then swallowed it.

Yep, haha. And don't call me gross, you gotta embrace the culture, come on! live a little, no regrets, that's like my only chance to do that, plus, what a story! haha

So 화이팅 (fighting!) everybody! Love ya!

I'm in Korea! and my p-days are Mondays for me (you're Sunday evening)!

So I'm in 화양 (hua yang) area, my church is right next to sejong dehakyo maybe you can google earth it. My companion's name is Elder Luker and he has 2 transfers left on his mission.

We had a Christmas Party and it was really really awesome! :D I barely understood anything but everyone is so talented in our ward.

It's weird, but when they call people up to do anything, first they have to answer some kind of riddle if they're going to be the one picked for the activity or if they get a treat. Everytime anyone is called to do something, they go up and try to answer the riddle and then they either sit down or do Kai Bai Bo (rock paper scissors) or something.

 

 

Some things that might be weird to some Americans:

-We sleep on Mats

-Our floor is heated, that's how we keep the house warm

-The shower is the bathroom. There's just a drain in the middle of the floor and you can take the shower head off and spray yourself off, hang it back up and turn it off. It's just hanging there right next to the toiliet

-It's the law to sort trash from foody trash and just trashy trash. If you put too much crumbs or stuff in the just trashy trash, you could get a fine.

-There's a costco here, so I actually still eat like half american food and half Korean food. But we eat plenty of Kimchi and rice and noodles and pepper paste! I love it, I even tried pigs-feet :P.... okay so I didn't like that

-It's like New York, tons and tons of people (all Koreans haha) just walking fast to the subway or in packs towards a bus or across the street. Sky scrapers and cars.

-The cars can just park and go wherever they can fit, they try to drive on the sidewalk alot. There's really no rules to driving, except watch out for people. It's kinda scary

-Everybody likes to try to speak the english they know to me. I proselyte to every single Korean man I can. We are careful with the Yoja (women) because we don't want to have a flirting image of our church. So any man anywhere, I might start a conversation like, "hello, merry Christmas" and they look a little surprised, grab my arm or something and try to say, "yes yes, merry christmas, wh-e-re are you fuh-rom?" then I start speaking Korean with them and they flip out even more, "you-re Korean is Very-well" they might say. Then I try to testify if they don't run away, and hand them a mormon card with my phone number, (the senior companion keeps the cell phone... we always pray they'll call us and ask to meet again).

My voice this past week has been sorta gone.

So pray that it will get back, cause I really miss my crisp tenor tone. Every morning I wake up and grab my pitch-pipe to see if it's getting any higher and back to normal. I was a bass five days ago, and now I'm back to baritone where I am sounding nearly normal. I wish for my tenor tone back, but to be honest I will miss the full bass sound I've been using. They asked the missionaries at church to sing a carol (musical number) and I got put on bass and I rocked it! :D haha. The lowest I was able to hit one morning was a low c with ledger lines below the bass cleff. It felt awesome, I am going to miss the low sound as I recover. I remember on the plane over, I was whispering to everybody, but the Lord is blessing me and now I can talk with substance, I'm glad he gave it back cause come on! I need to do the work you know.

Ya, even when it's cold, all day everyday we just got to keep smiling and keep saying "Anyanghasayo, merry christmas"

My companion is incredible. He is on top of the schedule, wakes up on time, studies on time... what a guy. He always has faith when he talks to people, it helps that we're both Utah, Americans. Honestly, they'd probably not talk to me if I was Korean... They adore Americans. If I send you a picture of Elder Luker, you ladies better be careful. He's a little taller than me, buff, blonde and skinny. He's kind of got a tiny lisp.... but he can speak everything clear and perfect. He is always positive and he's actually our district leader so when I pass off the first lesson I will do it with him. I'm blessed to be put with him, he gets me to work and makes me feel confident. I just need to have faith in my Korean ability and not let him talk the whole time when we proselyte. Sometimes I have to but in to get my testimony in because he's so good at Korean, I've set a goal with him for us to try to get me to talk more. I try so hard, but it's nice to have him when I don't understand and he can say it quick to me in English.

 

 

Other than him, there is Elder Demordaunt and Elder Waite who are our room-mates. We also have a set of sisters in our ward so our district is 6 missionaries big and we all go to one ward: the huayang ward. If we could get more baptisms and set up another ward, we could spread the missionaries out, but we only have enough for one ward in this huge area.

Oh, so I know Chinese right? And I was pretty surprised to find, but once a day I always run into a chinese person. Without fail, (except yesterday cause of church and we didn't proselyte very much) so every day I find a chinese man in Korea. And I speak to him a little in English and a little in Korean and he's cool and whatever.... but then I find out that he's from China! and I lay on him a quick Chinese line and he seriously flips out, his eyes are so big! :D 

Usually they will always give us their phone number saying that they want to meet us again if I can lay that one chinese line on them. It rocks. Although I think when I tried to meet one of these said Chinese men that I've done this too (I think I've done this like 3 times) but one of them didn't show up when we agreed to meet so that made me a little sad.

We also have officially taught a lesson (potential investigator) to a man named Najam and another man named Doba

Now you're right, they don't sound Korean, because they're not. Funny enough these two men are actually from Pakistan and Japan consecutively. We taught Najam (muslim) in English, and he's super hard because he doesn't really believe in Christ as our savior and won't pray... so we don't know what to do with him. Doba we taught in Korean.... and I understood a lot. It's funny how two foreigners speaking Korean, one from America, one from Japan, actually make Korean sound audible and understandable. I have an easier time hearing my companion's Korean than hearing a native Korean. My companion and Doba just sound clearer to me. Umm... we had a real spiritual lesson with Doba and he said we couldn't meet him again. He knows that we will want to bring him into our church and he says that he knows he won't do that so he would not want to meet with us again. I was really sad, because I really liked him and felt the spirit with him and could understand him! But I guess he wasn't ready for this gospel.... man seriously it bummed me out. I tried my best.... but I just have to get better at Korean and have faith that the Lord will testify strong through me. We'll get the next one.

We've also taught a brother Pak. I don't remember his first two names, Pak Hyung Suk my companion just said to me as I asked him now. He actually brought a friend which was awesome! we didn't expect that. So we taught him and his friend who's Surname is Lee (something something, again don't remember, Korean names are hard they all are so similar to me and all three syllables).

Anyway, we found out that he actually lives in the Daejon boundaries, so we gave him a book of mormon and referred him over there. He was nice, I hope he progresses with the other missionaries down there. :D

So ya, other than the occasional appointment here or there, it's all proselyting. Something we call 전도 (zhun do) - it means proselyte or just go out on the street without a said direction or whatever and just talk to everybody. Everybody. Everybody. "hello, merry Christmas, have you heard of our church" (jesu crisido huki seongdo kyohwey is our church in Korean)

We do that for hours and hours in the cold, thank you mom so much for the thermals... they without a doubt saved my life out here. We hand out cards with our number, sometimes we hand out a book of mormon. We try to get their phone number and we call them the next night and ask if we can meet them. They usually say no and then we just go out and do it again the next day.

That's my mission life. :D

December 13, 2013 - My Last MTC P-Day!!!!

Honestly, it's a little weird because they told us the majority of the people leaving the mtc get their ticket for either Monday or Tuesday, but mostly Monday. I'm district leader, and I went to get our notices from the mail, and my whole district is leaving Sunday morning. I swear it was like Christmas that day and I was Santa Claus. "Hey, Buckwalter, are they here yet? Have you checked the mail? where's our travel plans!? Hey Buckwalter!"

and I checked and I checked and finally they came and they said Sunday!!??

We report to the travel office with all our luggage at 2a.m.

We then ride a bus to the Salt Lake airport around 6

I lose my companion as he flies to Denver (haha sucker...)

I go strait to San Fransisco. (so basically half our district for some reason has to go to Denver and then to San Francisco  while I and a few others go strait to San Fransisco and have like 3 hours to chill and maybe get some pass-along-cards out)

After I see my companion again, and the rest of my district, we all get on a flight to Korea. I'll be in Korea like Monday morning I think... Remember time changes

TIME TRAVEL IS POSSIBLE!!!!!   Yes!

Anyway,

My singing last week went great! We have pictures. We all had matching scarves and we sang a capella carols. There was legit Christmas food and staff and it was incredible. Jenny Oaks Baker was also there and accompanied us on a song. She was on the other side of the gym also entertaining. It was way way awesome! We made a lot of people happy and the shrimp was incredible.

Ya that's right, I sang with Jenny Oaks Baker.

anyway. (to some family who care anyway)

Umm, today was our last service project for the mtc. We clean a chapel early early in the morning every Friday. As we clean, there's always this weird old lady who wakes up early to practice on the organ. It's really strange and kind of funny. Every week, we're just cleaning out trash and toilets and she's just sitting in the dim-lit chapel playing quiet hymns. It's kind of awkward and awesome. So today, whether she knew it or not, we got a picture with her playing behind us. :) haha. It's super funny. I'm going to miss that Grandma.

I don't know, just all of us in gloves with our cleaners and this random lady playing hymns behind us.

super awesome! :D

So I love you all. I'm a bit nervous and scared. I just hope that I can use the spirit effectively and do some real work. gah! okay.

yep thank you all! :D

-Elder Buckwalter

December 6, 2013 - Hey Hey!

So, holy cow there is a lot to tell.

I'm district leader now. The Lord knows why, I don't know. But basically I have to get mail and conduct all our meetings and follow up on everybody's goals. If there are problems in our district, I either catch them or have them reported to me and then I send them to the branch president. I have a couple more meetings than I used to, yikes, but It makes me want to be a better example and work harder to be on time and to use all my time and to speak as much Korean as I can. It's more work but it's more blessings.

Tonight I'm singing in a cool caroling group for the staff of the MTC dinner party. I have a pitch-pipe and we're going to be all in matching scarfs (the 9 of us). I'm excited.

My companion and Elder Gehrig are on splits right now going to see the salt-lake temple. All internationals get to go see Salt-Lake. I'm on splits with Elder Flinders, he's on the computer next to me writing his family.

My companion got a Lego Star Wars advent Calendar from his family. Every morning we open a part of the box and build a speeder or a gungan with a spear or something. 

Um, we leave to Korea in 10 days. I feeling a lot of comfort in the language as I prepare to leave. I was working so hard, and now a lot of what I've learned is coming quickly to my head and it makes me happy. I know that the schedule is of God, and that it's time to hit the streets of Korea. If I stayed here, it wouldn't be as productive for my language and testimony as it could be if I just go to Korea. I'm sure I could still learn, but I've capped the rate at which I learn. Now I'm primed for the rate at which I will learn with the natives.

We were going to see M. Russel Ballard, but he got snowed in and couldn't speak to us, but I'm pretty sure we'll get someone Tuesday.

Ya and honestly, just love everyone. There's where I've found the most success. Being a leader and teaching every day is often a struggle. But If you do it with true sincere interest in the welfare of those you serve, it becomes easy and earns true respect. I love my friends and my teachers and every Korean I see. 

December 4 2013 - Surprise visit from Ambassador to the UN from Botswana

We had a surprise visit from his excellency, the Ambassador to the U.N. from Botswana. He just was interested in how we learn our language so fast and visited with us a bit. It was a big deal

"On December 2, His Excellency Charles Ntwaagae, Ambassador to the United Nations for Botswana, visited the MTC.  As part of his tour of the MTC, we took him to your missionary’s classroom so he could see how missionaries learn a second language.  Ambassador Ntwaagae is in the attached photo on the first row, far left.  The gentleman on the far right of the first row is Rusty Butler, Vice-President of Utah Valley University."

Happy Thanksgiving!! ... from the MTC

Thanksgiving in the MTC  Thursday, November 28, 2013

The dinner was really great! We had real potatoes! Pie, some weird yummy broccoli, delicious turkey and I loved their green beans. The only thing I didn't like was their yams.

There's a member of our district who is a little off on the holidays.... don't know why.... but it was weird sitting next to him as he grudgingly ate a bowl of cereal on Thanksgiving day. It was weirder having sister Pratt fast on Thanksgiving, what was up with that?

Ya, my first Thanksgiving away from home or family. It was powerful like unto all the thanksgivings, but not MY thanksgiving. I would've liked to go around the table being thankful, or drawing turkeys on the paper-cover of the table, or going to get a christmas tree, or playing games or watching movies or singing songs. Without those things, it was a bit sad. But the MTC people did the best they could do with us, and it was definitely a fun holiday anyways. 

We did a service project.... We made 350,000 meals for the church's humanitarian program. Their just like rice and oats that you can add water to and heat up... but for those in need of humanitarian food.... I'm sure it's a miracle and we all helped save lives!

We also watched a wonderful movie about the willy handcart company called Ephraim's Rescue. It's kind of like the mormony version of thanksgiving... the pioneers.

But the funniest thing we got to do... and I don't know if you'll be able to find a picture of it from Ellsworth or Smith or Bishop.... but the four of us.... okay... hold on....

So The president's wife held a primary program. Seriously. She had us sing "over the river and through the woods"... we did a lot of childrens songs and childrens games. I swear she must have been a primary leader before she was MTC president because she must have done this program before and we loved it.

We told the story of thanksgiving. She was the narrator, and whenever she mentioned a character in the story, whoever was playing that character had to run up to a microphone and say a phrase.

She gave us pieces of paper before the program started, while we were singing prelude songs, and when the time came, we all walked up to the stage to get dressed in our costumes and learn our lines.

The pilgrim men had those big hats and had honker guns, and whenever Sister nally said, "pilgrim men" in the story, the pilgrim men in their big hats (with buckles) walked up to the microphone and said, "bang bang bang!" as they honked their guns. It sounded like the honkers and dingers on sesame street. 'bang bang bang!" (honk honk honk) it was hilarious.

Their were indian men who said deeply, "big and braaave"

Indian woman who said, "shh shh shh"

Pilgrim woman who said, "mercy mee"

a Pilgrim minister who held up a bible and shouted, "Haaaaalelulia!"

And me, Bishop, Ellsworth and Smith were the turkeys that got hunted and shot by the honker pilgrim men.... Whenever she said "turkeys" in the story... we had to go up to the microphone in our funny glasses with a red balloon hanging off of our necks and a bunch of crazy feathers and go, "gobblegobblegobblegobble" as we flapped our elbows up and down.

... And we died and got eaten.

Oh oh oh oh oh oh!! and the musical numbers today were a bit lax, because it was more of an activity instead of a devotional.... so the musical numbers were not hymns but one of our musical numbers were actually the Joseph and Technicolor dreamcoat medley! So a girl with a great voice went up as a narrator and sang a verse or two from all the scenes in Joseph and summed up a bit of the entire musical. She sang things like, "A pharo's story, go go go joseph, way way back many centuries ago, ect."  and we all singed along going, "ah-ah, any dre-e-eam, any dream, any dre-e-am" it was way fun!!! it made me miss you guys and cry a little bit but I had soooo much fun at the thanksgiving program! :D