Week of September 23, 2013: Harvest Festival

Dear Everyone,

This was a really good week, with lots of good people helping each other and things like that. Weather is pretty much the same---it's weird to think it was so much more hot just a while ago, and now that it's just a little cooler everything seems different. But if there's one thing I think I've learned the most repeatedly and emphatically, no matter how things might change, it would be that I can always learn from the examples of people around me in some way. 

A few of those people: the members of our branch generally, and the sisters specifically. We visited this week a family who are pretty young---they have a daughter, a son, and a baby girl, who are all funny and crazy and cute. The husband and wife both work at a restaurant together, and invited us to come and visited them. When we went, the mom and all the kids were there together, while she was working. The daughter kept asking if she could go to the playground across the street even though there were no other people, and the son was doing funny things. They work pretty far away from where they live, and where their kids go to school, and it seems like it is pretty hard sometimes, but they're always happy and nice and working hard in everything. It's really inspiring to see them, and they're so helpful. We asked the mom if there were any less-active members she knew we could help out, and she told us about a few people and helped us to be able to find them. It was really nice. And during church, they also give talks and are teachers for classes of groups of people that are hard, and teach primary and everything---I don't know. I just kind of realized this week after visiting them how awesome they are.

We also talked a lot with one of the investigators who the missionaries were meeting for a while before, but kind of just stopped for a bit. He's a really interesting person---his name is 장 (Jong), or John, and he teaches kids after school like a tutor. There are lots of places students go to study after school, that are a little more official, but he just teaches them in his house. He also speaks English pretty well, because he lived in San Francisco when he was in the Korean army and stuff. Basically he says he believes in the philosphy of Buddhism, but is pretty suspect of religion in general, and so doesn't really subscribe to any one. But he really likes learning about different ways of believing, and so goes to lots of churches, including starting to come to ours randomly a few weeks ago, even without anyone directly inviting him again. So we decided to try to meet with him to see why he specifically wanted to come back to our church. We visitied him at his house and talked just briefly about God, and read a bit of the Book of Mormon together. He said he doesn't deny the existence of God, but that he doesn't know for sure whether he believes if He exists. After that the kids he tutors came, and so we talked with them a little bit, and then played about 5 minutes of a game kind of like "Monopoly", except with different world cities, and a space travel involved. That was interesting. 

This week also was a pretty big holiday, about the harvest, called 추석 (Choo-suk), and so part of it was kind of hard because we weren't supposed to go visit people without being invited. So some of the other people in our district, from a different part of Ulsan, came to our area and we went and tried doing a survey-type thing in a big area near a lot of stores where there were lots of people walking around. It was fun, but a lot of people were kind of focused and busy with buying things. But we still talked with a lot of people who said they were going to their hometown to meet there family and do stuff with them, and how fun it was to do that. It made me think of you guys, but also of how important and special it is to be with our families, and how everyone does that at whatever big time of celebration, and just how good it is. That night we met with the guy named John again, and talked for a long time about churches and religions. We agreed that religion should help us to be happy and do the right thing, and that a lot of other churches and other institutions don't really help us with that. But he said he'd come again to church and learn, because it seems like it would be helpful. It was an intersting discussion, and my companion, Elder Judd, bore his testimony really strongly and I think it was really meaningful for him.     

Also this week, a little less interesting and meaningful, we changed our phone plan. So everyone got a new phone, and the old one died, so that there was a time where we couldn't contact each other, and then we didn't know the new phone numbers. The Sisters in our area also didn't get theirs for some reason, so there was no way to contact them at all, which made certain things a little harder (planning activites, etc.), but I guess reminded us that it's possible to do things without phones. We went to the bus terminal to pick up their card, which people do a lot here, just sending things on the bus, and then met them for the English class we do on Saturday. One student we met a long time ago, who's been busy and hasn't come since then, came again, and it was good to see him again. Then we went out to dinner together, and gave him a copy of the Book of Mormon---he said a while ago he got the Bible as a present from a friend of his, and so we thought it would be a good idea. He seemed really to be grateful and interested, and even though he'll be busy said he wants to meet again soon. So things were pretty nice---and then we just walked around a lot, and Elder Judd got to talk with lots of people and see the great and intersting and pausing things about our area. He's a really funny, nice, cool guy, and I'm glad to be able to be here with him. 

Yesterday, we walked to the house of one of the American families in our branch who live here, and ate with them. We talked a bit with them, he liked their kids, and then we talked about the Book of Mormon. Both of the parents had a lot to say, but also made the kids talk a lot---and then my companion also shared his feelings. I remembered all the times the Book of Mormon has helped me, but more how it's helped people around me, and what an amazing and good thing it is that Mormon abridged. I was grateful again for a family who also believe and seek hard to personally, and also to help each other, understand the things it teaches. I'm grateful and think about and love you guys all the time, and I hope you know that. I promise to be as good a representative of you as I can. I know the Gospel is true, and it's brought us all together, and will bring us all together with eveyrone else around us. I love you guys---thanks for everything. Keep it up.

-Elder Campbell 

Week of September 16, 2013: Shoes That Squeak

Dear Family,

 

This was a pretty good week.  First of all, as dad mentioned, it hasn't been too hot---or too cold at all. It was a little windy for a bit, but it went off. And now it's just good. I don't know why some of you didn't get the e-mail from last week, but that was a good one, too, ending with going to a different area with Elder Lee (Ee), from my last district, to his area in 포항 (Poh-hong), in a different part of Ulsan.  We bought a chair for the house there, and then went to teach their English class, which was interesting. There are always different people around there, but usually are all interested in English and less-common phrases and things. One of the members who attends there came, because she lived in Utah for a long time, and it turns out she also went on a mission to Taiwan, and so speaks all languages. It was fun and interesting. Then we went back to Busan to the mission office, to meet the new people who came. They were all interesting. After just having a meeting with them we did a practice-proselyting activity, as usual. We just walked around the city and rode the subway, and everyone I was with was really excited to meet and help the people in Korea. It reminded me of how great it is to be here---to serve all the students, all the older people, everyone with their phones, cute little kids who wear shoes that sqeak every time they step. Then we came back the next morning and found out who our companions were. My awesome, really cool and great new companion is named Elder Judd, and he's form Syracuse, Utah. We didn't actually do the activity together, and so we pretty much met each other for the first time then, but he's really great, smiley, tall, nice, humble. After we figured out everything, we waited for the office missionaries, both of whom I know pretty well and are really nice, to finish taking other people places, and then they drove us through the city and over to where we could take the bus back here. We rode the bus, and he looked out the window pretty much the whole time, really excited to see everything. We just talked about the area and the people here, and then got off and tried to go back to our house with a bunch of huge bags to take. We ended up taking a taxi, and talking to the driver, who's been working here for about six years or so, and said this last summer was the hottest one he remembers. We got back to our house, and took everything up there, and just talked about everyone here. We have a book with pictures of all the members in it, so we just looked at that and talked about it. It was nice.

 

The next day we took a long bus ride and went to visit a less-active member who hasn't been to church for a long time but likes the missionaries, and really likes the "Liahona." He still gets it every month, and apparently studies it really deeply and thoroughly. He says he likes how the things it talks about are easy to understand, and can really be applied in our lives. He also asked us to help him to buy something for his work from a website in English. Really the problem was just a silly computer thing---required fields, and so on. But he was really excited about it. He showed us all the things he could do with that computer program---saving things, downloading them and putting them in a different place. It was interesting, and nice because he was so excited about it. Then we went and talked about something from the last General Conference---it was President Uchtdorf's talk to the young women about journies. It was really good. His daughter and his wife were both there at the time, which was pretty different. His wife isn't actually a member, and the past times we've met him she usually stays in a different room or doesn't really talk. But this time she stayed and listened, and even asked some questions about the pre-mortal life; it was pretty great. Elder Judd bore his testimony very sincerely, and everyone was able to feel how strong and nice of a person and missionary he is. It was a really great experience. Then we met the next day, after our English class, with Brother Hahn, the member who was baptized last week. He's doing really well, and we just talked about Joseph Smith, the priesthood, and others with him and one of our members who just came back recently from a mission. It seemed like he was able to understand some things he was confused about, specifically what the priesthood is, and why we have it. While we were preparing for it, and talking about it, I personally thought about and realized how great it was that Heavenly Father provided a way for us to recieve the blessings of the gospel and to serve each other. I don't know---it was really good. Then on Sunday, we had our first long weekly planning time, which was a little hard at first---but we were able to finish it, and go and talk with some people just around our house. They were all nice, especially to Elder Judd, since he's still learning about things.

 

I realized this week the importance of being excited and working hard to do the things we've been asked to. My companion is really enthusiastic and excited, and I just hope I can show a good example and help him to have a really great experience. I know you are all doing that for other people around you, helping them to be good, being excited and working hard with all the things you do, and making the world a better place. I don't know---maybe it sounds silly, but I love you guys. Thanks so much for everything---keep it up.

 

-Elder Campbell 

Week of September 1 2013: The Most Important Thing In Your Life

Dear Family,

I hope everything is going well on the other end of things. I think about all of you every week, especially when it comes time to write like this to you---about you're good examples, you're funny things you've said, all the things we've done together, and then I imagine the things you're all doing right now and the people around you who are so lucky to be a part of it. I'm reminded of you guys by the people in our branch. I guess it is a group of people pretty similar to a big family, in most ways---everyone has their different roles, but all work to help each other and have a good, enriching time together. This week we got to see them a bit, but also just to walk around, too, partially to tell people about a big activity we did this week. I don't know if I mentioned it before or not, but a few weeks ago the sister missionaries were thinking about, as a branch, watching and inviting non-member people to come and see one of those church-produced movies the kids are always talking about. Everyone was pretty excited about it---we talked about it a lot, and then realized kind of until this week, right before we had to do it, most of the preparation was still unfinished---inviting people, figuring out who would bring what and set it up where, and other small things. So we figured it out, and then went out to tell people about it with all of
the missionaries in our area (seven, total). There's a particular kind of activity we've done before that a lot of people seem to like, and so we tried it again to share about this activity. Basically there's a big poster-board someone made a while ago, with five or six sections---money, family, friends, health, etc---in answer to the
big question written at the top, "What's the most important thing in life?". There's also a layer of vinyl covering the board, and aspeople come up, they put a sticker on whichever one they agree with.  Maybe it sounds silly or not very reverent, but apparently people are very interested in those kinds of things, and afterward are pretty
willing to talk about why they picked what they did, and it seems to be helpful for some things. So we tried it at a place around here where a lot of students are walking around at night, when they're done with school. We were able to talk to a lot of people, and some of them seemed a little interested in coming---although it's pretty hard to
tell sometimes. On the day of the activity, we also had to teach our English class, during which we tried reading the introduction to the Book of Mormon aloud, and talking about the contents. That actually turned out pretty well---but as soon as we finished, we had to start getting ready for the activity. One of the Sister missionaries
apparently knows how to make slushies, and also learned from one member (the wife of a foreign family here) how to make caramel for popcorn. So they started making slushies with a blender, and popcorn in a pot on the small burner in our church's kitchen. Both of those reminded me of things---the first of a time while we were walking around and went past a slushy machine in front of a convenience store, with no other markings on it but a big sticker that said in plain text, "Fresh Slush!". The second reminded me of a lot of some memories I've had with all of you. It was pretty late, and so I made some of the popcorn since all the other stuff was done. Unfortunately, the pot was just too big and the burner just too small to get very hot very quickly, so the popcorn actually kind of just sat for a while and some got kind of burned before it would even start to pop. But in the end
it worked out okay, and lots of members came. The movie was "Joseph Smith: Prophet of the Restoration", which luckily I've seen a bit before. After finishing all the other food stuff, we went in to watch
the rest of it. Maybe it was just the event, but there were some parts that were pretty powerful---healing kids sick with malaria, things like that. It reminded me of the amazing blessing we have to live in this time where we already know about these things. After it finished, one of the Sisters bore her testimony about Joseph Smith, very nicely and very simply, and it was really cool. It also turned out there were some new people who we met during that activity before, and we got to talk with them for a bit. Some were maybe people who wouldn't usually have anything else to do on Saturday night---one I remembered seeing during our activity, who kept walking back and forth past us after participating. But they were nice, and I know those are the kind of
people Jesus would have gone to and invited and talked with the whole time. After the members all left, we finished cleaning all the leftover stuff, and took a taxi home pretty late. But overall, really good.

We also met again this week a few times with the investigator I mentioned before. He's really cool---before now we were really only able to meet once a week, and that was more than I think he thought he could because of his schedule. He studies at the college here, but also lives pretty far away, in a city between Busan and Ulsan, and so he usually has to take an inter-city bus to meet us here. But he's also just studying for a lot of tests all the time. Not just for school, but to apply for jobs, which is what he says he's most stressed about. One time this week when we met, he said he had just finished taking one of them, and was completely mentally exhausted. So we just talked a little bit about what he's doing, how we can help, then ate and prayed together. But he's okay---he's doing really well, actually. I think I mentioned before how he was worried about God's
foreknowledge, and how he believed that God existed but kind of said himself he resented Him. But after talking for a long time with us, and especially with one member who really helped him, he said his idea of God has changed, and that it feels right. He's also been pretty miraculously able to stop drinking coffee---he said himself it's not that addictive, but I know especially that students who need to study for a long time, diligently (which is exactly him) often need those kinds of things, and it's hard to stop, but he was able to. We're planning to meet with him at least a few more times, and especially to read the scriptures/the book Mormon abridged together, since he says that's still sometimes confusing to him. But I know God has helped him and us, and it's really great to be here with him.

Lastly, I keep thinking about time and how it's gone by---and then I think that it has been going by for a long time, and other people have worried about it, too. And then I think about scriptures that explain that God is the same, unchanging, and constant. I know that because of Him, and Jesus Christ, we have all reason to hope, and to know things will be well. I love you all, and hope you're happy and know how much love all of you and know these things are true. I also recently read Matthew 14:23, and I think it is pretty good. Keep it up.

-Elder Campbell

Week of August 25 2013: Bugs and Birds Were Making a Song

Dear People,

I really can't believe every week how fast things have gone by. I know
I've said that a lot, and then said that I know that I've said it a
lot after that, but it's still true. But I think it's a good
thing---if time didn't go by, we wouldn't be able to experience any of
those things that happen over time. Which I guess leads me to how this
week went. It was pretty similar for a while weather-wise, except the
past few days started to get a little cooler, and it rained a bit. I
don't know---instead of the weather, maybe I should talk about some
people instead. I don't think I've actually mentioned it before yet,
but our area also has sister missionaries, which is actually pretty
different from before, in a good way. There are three of them, and
they're all from Utah, which is great. They're all really funny and
happy, but also work hard and do things they're supposed to, so it's
really good. We usually all meet together at the beginning of the week
to plan for what we're going to do, and to make sure plans aren't
colliding or anything. We talk about who we're planning to visit and
things like that, with a chalkboard in the church, and when they go up
to write theirs it's almost always really full and they have a lot of
specific people they plan to visit. Whenever they see any members
around, they always say hi all together, and everyone always smiles
and is happy to see them. We also teach English class together with
them, which is pretty great. Usually there are a few crazy kids, or a
few of the members bring theirs, and a lot of middle-aged women who
want to learn English, and the Sisters can actually help them/calm
them down as needed. A week or two ago, after introducing ourselves,
as part of the class we sang "Popcorn Popping", out of the Primary
Songbook. The actual singing was fun for, even though most of it is
pretty esoteric and kind of more difficult---language-wise and just in
terms of the ideas presented ("It wasn't really so/But it seemed to
be", even in English can be a bit troubling to think about). And of
course, the Sisters were singing the loudest and clearest so everyone
else could hear well. It was just nice, is all.

This week we also spent a bit of time looking for the houses of people
who are less-active, who we called and their phone number is either
deactivated or didn't answer. I know that doesn't sound very fancy,
but something that eventually has to be done. It's something I
actually like, even though it usually takes an hour too long to find
the address. But it's always good to get to go to a new neighborhood,
since we're around our church most of the time, and to actually see
the real people around there and what they're up to. I probably have
talked about it before, but most of the actual houses here are older,
since most people live in apartments, which around here are really new
and fancy. It's pretty interesting/cool to look across the river that
runs through here and see big green hills with trees, and right next
to it big tall towers or stacked clusters of pretty high-class
apartments (a few of the names: MajesTower, Exordium, Exilu). A few of
the people we've talked to, including one less-active member we met
last week who has lived here his whole life, said Ulsan didn't really
become a big city until about 20 or 30 years ago. Before that, most of
the area was just fields and farmland, which some of it still is, but
that when he was younger, all of a sudden one day apartments started
to be built. So it seems like most of the houses here are from that
era, and are really cool. They usually have a fence around them, and
on the outside stairs leading up to the roof, and in front usually
tons of plant boxes, water tanks, or other assorted old things that
don't really look like anyone uses them. We tried to visit a lot of
people who live in places like that, and it didn't turn out too
well---but we did get to meet some interesting people on the way, and
hopefully will be able to see them again.

I guess now, since we don't have too much time, is the investigator I
think I mentioned before---Brother Hahn, who speaks English well and
worries about fore-knowledge/pre-destination. We were able to meet him
again this week---he's pretty busy, since he's a college student and
is applying for a lot of government jobs---and it was really good. We
talked a bit about commandments, and why we have them---something that
it doesn't seem like we stop thinking about ever. While we were
thinking about how to help him learn about them, we found a scripture
in John 14:23, which I really liked. Sorry I don't usually share
scriptures that much in e-mail; I figure you guys have most of them,
but this one I think was very special for us and for him. He mentioned
before that he really wants, it's one of his greatest desires, to have
a heart-to-heart relationship with God, but he's had trouble feeling
it at other churches, on his own, and just doesn't know how to find
it. I think honestly this is something I've wondered and thought about
a lot personally. But when we found this and talked about how we could
share it with and apply it to him, I really felt its truth for me, and
know it was something I needed to learn as well. I know that Heavenly
Father places things, experiences, and people in our lives that are
exactly what we need, because I have felt that so much, even when I
was too stubborn to realize it.

This week we also sang something in sacrament meeting with all of the
missionaries---since one of the Sisters got transferred because
someone else is sick and she has to go help them out. It was "Joseph
Smith's First Prayer", which I don't think I've ever really sung that
much before. We sang it, and one of the Sisters who plays violin
really well also played for part of it. Except the regular accompanist
didn't know what the plan was and stopped playing for the second verse
when the violin came in, so she suddenly was just playing by herself.
Everyone else looked over a little surprised/freaked out, but I think
it was actually the best part of the whole thing. It was pretty
powerful, actually. I also, after singing it for a while, started
thinking about the lyrics a bit more. The second line of the first
verse, I think is really cool---벌과 세들 노래 하니/온 숲이 으막이었네, which means
roughly "bugs and birds were making a song/and so the whole forest was
music". Especially lately, with all the bugs and everything, I think
that applies to us pretty well.

My companion is great, and doing well---it's interesting to see how
similar we are in a lot of ways, but also the differences that help us
to learn from each other. I'm so grateful for him, and everyday for
all of you. I know this gospel God has given us means we can always
have this happiness, and I love you so much. Thanks for everything.
Keep it up.

-Elder Campbell

Week of August 18 2013: Four Fans

Dear Everyone,

It always seems like this time is going by far too quickly.
Specifically e-mail writing time. It never seems like I can start
writing to you guys early enough, because I read all the things you
send and think about all of you and the things you're doing. But then
it makes me happy that you guys are all, for the most part, happy and
doing things that help you to be that way. This week has been pretty
great. Elder Flint, my companion, are doing well. It turns out he went
to Snow College last year, and possibly met Nelsen (Campbell) once,
which is pretty interesting. He's really nice, funny, positive but not
in a stupid way---in general it's really great to be able to be here
with him. I think I should maybe describe our house, for my own memory
and for some of those who requested it. We live in a pretty big
apartment complex not too far from the city hall here. There's a
little playground, big parking lot, lots of big buildings---like most
apartment complexes here. Our apartment is on the sixth floor of one
of the buildings, so it's not too high up or anything like that.
Except for the bathroom there are two other rooms---one the other Elders
here use for their clothes, and one we use as our study/clothes room.
We all sleep in the main room, which has the kitchen-related-area, the
other Elders' desks, and then there's the balcony where the clothes
dry and everything. It's a little older---there's lots of other
people's older stuff. There are four fans, which we use usually when
we do anything. When we leave our building, there are usually lots of
people just sitting on the benches and chairs outside, who are all
really nice and friendly. Some people just have blankets on the ground
kind of like a picnic, which is cool. Across the street from our
apartment is a big intersection where lots of people go to
work/school, actually with lots of trees, and usually in those trees
cicadas. The streets here are really wide, also---lots of buses going
around, taxis driving crazily, things like that. Our branch's building
is pretty close---about a 15 minute walk, but it's a nice walk,
including what just looks like a playground but at certain times of
the day when lots of little kids come actually has water coming out of
it, like a little water park for free in your own neighborhood. The
building itself is pretty close to the city hall, so there are lots of
people walking around the street in front of it, and on the opposite
side of the street about 5 different stores that only sell towels. So
it's a nice neighborhood, really. This week we went there a lot---for
English class, to make a flyer for a church tour we were planning to
try. We also met a less active member for the first time, who hasn't
been able to come to church for a long time. His name's 이두선 (Brother
Lee (Eee) Doo-sun), and he's a really cool, interesting guy. He works
with distributing children's books, but also wants to become an
author. In his spare time he also designs lego-like tools/toys that he
wants to sell to a company in Germany, and he studied computers
science at the University of Ulsan, and also was an apprentice to an
artist in Seoul for a few years. We ate lunch together, and then went
and talked on the University campus, since he still lives pretty close
to there. He's incredibly busy with work, but says he'll try to come
to church, and wants to meet with us sometime again.

We also met with one pretty amazing investigator that the other
missionaries already found before I came here. His name is 한요성
(Brother Hahn yoh-sung), and he also studies at a university nearby.
His dad is a preacher at a church around here, and he's gone to church
and read the scriptures since he was young. But he's also worried for
a long time about pre-destination/foreknowledge-type problems---that
if God knows all things, he knows how we will act and what the outcome
of our lives will be, and so there's no purpose in living. But through
meeting with him a few times and sharing about that, especially things
from good old Mormon's book, he's been able to come to understand ore
about our agency and the nature of God's love for us and what he wants
us to experience and accomplish. It seems like he's really been able
to find peace and answers to his questions, which is really
great---and he also says he wants to be baptized, because our church's
beliefs are right and are the real things that God wants people to
believe. He's a really nice, sincere person, and I'm really glad I got
the chance to meet with him and help him a little bit, but I know the
other missionaries did so much more than me. We also went to a branch
activity this week to a valley an hour or so away from the city. It
was a national holiday, so a lot of people actually had vacation time,
and went there together. Unfortunately we weren't able to swim or
anything---it actually reminded me a lot of going to the canyon in
Provo. We kind of just stayed with some of the young men, a few of who
were pretty recently baptized, and got to know them better. After
that, we met with someone who came to the church just to play
basketball, but actually has a lot of interest in learning English and
questions about Jesus's teachings in the Bible. So that was pretty
great. One thing I'm trying to do better is to help the other
missionaries, and always think about them---it's hard, but going well.

I love you all so much---you're doing amazing things, and it's because
of your examples that I can do anything. I know this gospel is true,
and am so grateful to our Father who provided it for us, and all of
you for helping me to learn and understand it. I love you---keep it
up.

-Elder Campbell

Week of August 11 2013: Sonic Landscape

Dear Beloved Group of People,

 

This was pretty good as far as weeks go. I think there's a few things I just wanted to mention first. The weather here is pretty much the way everyone says it is---pretty hot. I realized I haven't actually had any way to know what the temperature is for a long time, and what with the differences in science, etc., even when someone told me the real temperature I wasn't sure if it was actually hot or not. But a few days before someone did, and then found the equivalent in Fahrenheit---it was about 37 in Celsius. I hadn't actually thought it was that hot. I guess we've kind of just been getting used to it, what with being here every day and everything. But anyway---that was one thing that seemed pretty important. There were also a few things about the surroundings I wanted to explain about, that I think are pretty interesting. First of all there's the fact that there are so many cell phone/computer/fan/speakers/all electronics stores here, near each other, and that they all play loud music in front of them. Our neighborhood now is pretty much the more dense part of the city, with lots of wide streets and big huge department stores. But just the interesting part is that in some places there are three or more of them right near each other, and they're all playing different songs in front of them, and that it ends up sounding really interesting, or maybe annoying---it can be both, I think. Just the different songs going in and out of phase, traffic, and things like that all combine to make something special and unique. And I guess last of all, which is something that started a while ago but I forgot to mention, is the cicadas. They're pretty much all around everywhere here---they attach to the trees or the big office buildings, and then just make a noise that I really was sure was a machine at first. I'm kind of glad about these things, really, and so I wanted to share them with you guys.

 

This week was also pretty good in other ways---I got to get to know my new companion, Elder Flint, the members here, and the other missionaries a lot better. Last Monday, after e-mailing you guys, we went to the area nearest ours, which is called 방어진 (Bong-oh-jin), which is right next to the ocean. It was pretty cool, temperature-wise, and we just got to sit around and play board games with the other people in our district. It wasn't a super-exciting-planned activity type thing, but it was fun and everyone got to know each other a little better. On Tuesday we ate ith the other missionaries in our house with a family in our branch who work really hard and are really great, and also have a few-month-old baby who hangs around there. We talked for a long time, and got to know them, including that the mom, Sister 오정란 (Oh jung-lan) used to live in Jinju, the first place I served---so that was nice. On Wednesday we had interviews with our mission president, which was great. He works really hard, and is kind of an understated guy, and I'm really grateful to him. We also got to, as usual, talk with his wife, Sister Gilbert, during everyone else's interviews. I think it's easy sometimes to think that I've already heard a lot of these kinds of things before, and that it all ends up runing together---but I realized that the most important part is hearing other missionaries' insights and experiences, which are all unique and different and always help me learn important things. They were all able to share a bit, about their challenges and the ways htey've recieved the Lord's help with them. I don't know---it was just good. We also ate with a cool, funny member of our branch just a few days ago. He teaches at an elementary school, has two twins and one little daughter, and is really funny and nice. His son talked for a long time when we went about the beetle he's keeping as a pet, and how it has different sleeping/eating habits than other beetles, and things like that, which was pretty cute. After we ate and talked for a while, the dad shared about how the missionaries helped his dad a lot, when he was less-active for a really long time, and how it wasn't one specific missionary's visit or message that helped it to happen, but all their service over a long time. I don't know---it was really nice, and reminded me of how many other missionaries have contributed to helping the people here, and that we can actually help the mmebers for good.

 

There was also one really interesting experience we had this week, which has never happened before. We were buying vinyl sleeves for our area book at a stationery store, and ran into a guy who asked if we were from Utah. He said he works for Hyundai, and that he went to Amercia for work a while ago, to Utah. He said he stayed with a family who were members, and had really good experiences with them, and so has good thoughts about our church. We asked if he wanted to know why they were so nice to him and about the church, etc.---of course, he's really busy, so he was kind of less interested. So we gave him our phone number and left. But about twenty minutes later, he called us, and asked if we wanted to eat dinner together, he said, "to repay the kindness I recieved in America". So we met him and his whole family at (of course) a T.G.I. Friday's in a big department store near the church. We talked for a while, and got to know him pretty well---his family was really nice, and it was really great. They're all really busy, but said maybe we could meet them later on. I don't know---it was just a cool experience, and reminded me of how many other people's effort is helping the work we're doing. We don't have too much time left, but last I guess I just wanted to talk about how recently we've been going to a big park near our house in the evening to talk with people. It's called 대공원 (big park), and we've been going pretty often. We got to talk to some really good families, see some cool trees/skateboarding students, and other cool things. I don't know---I'm so grateful to be able to be here doing these things, and I hope I can do the things the Lord needs me to. I'm so grateful for you guys and everything you've given me, and I hope you're always happy and know how much I love you and know the Gospel is true. Keep it up---I love you guys.

 

-Elder Campbell

Week of July 29 2013: It begins when you start

Dear Everyone,

This week was pretty interesting. I never know what to start with---but I remember Boyd K. Packer saying a few weeks ago that, "It begins when you start". I don't know when everyone else got to see that video, but I thought it was pretty interesting.

 

As for what actually happened this week, there was a lot of time spent on a primary activity that our District had on Friday. It was a camp for the primary kids, so we had to set up a bunch of activities at the church and also figure out sleeping arrangements and things like that. Early in the week the primary President in our branch called us and asked if we could come and help her set up part of it. When we got to the church, we went up to the second floor where the chapel is, and she and some other people were sitting on the ground blowing up balloons---regular ones and the kind that clowns and other professional entertainers use to make dogs, etc.---and putting them together in the shape of something that looked like a spaceship. Afterward they blew up smaller white ones and drew shapes on them to make eyes, and when they put them all together they were shaped kind of like fish. They asked us to tie fishing line to them, and tape them to the ceiling so that pairs of fish would be kissing each other. After we finished tying them, we realized we didn't have a ladder, and so we used a desk to put them up. We also had to use tape to make them stay together because the air conditioning was on the whole time. I also realized after a while that their tails weren't vertical, but horizontal, like a whale's fluke. But it was too late to do anything. After a while of doing that, we went to visit some other people. We came back later and missionaries from the other areas in our District came to help set up a "scary room" type thing in the primary classroom, which is already kind of a scary place to begin with. Apparently the church has Halloween decorations, so we used those, even though it felt a little weird. It ended up that they wanted to make it like an obstacle-course/maze, and so we bought a bunch of big black trash bags, cut them up, and taped them to the ceiling and to desks lying on their side on the ground. We spent a lot of time doing that, and the next day had to do more. But when we came back, it turned out that some of the balloons mysteriously popped, so we had to help put up more. It was the first time I remember having to set up something like that, and made me remember/think about the kinds of things people did for primary way before.

 

In the end, I didn't end up going to the activity, because one of the investigators in a nearby area, 경주, who got baptized this week had to do an interview. So I did an exchange with one of the missionaries there, Elder Meen Song-joon, who came at the same time I did to Ulsan. It was really nice---we threw a last-minute surprise birthday party for one of their English class students, talked with him and his family for a while, and then did the interview with the guy who got baptized. It was pretty interesting---he's a really cool guy. He graduated, and now he's moving to Seoul to work with firetruck repairs. It was just cool to see the great people who there are around here, and how much the gospel will bless him and other people.

 

I also kind of didn't mention it, but I actually got transferred to the nearest area from here---another part of Ulsan. It was sad to say goodbye to the members, especially since it doesn't seem like I've been here that long. But we got to eat together on Sunday, talk, and I remembered how much they and other people have helped me. I know the missionaries coming will help the investigators I told you about before, and I hope they're all happy. I know the gospel is true, and I'm so glad I get to help other people find out about it, and learn from so many great people and experiences. I love you guys, and I'm so thankful for everything. Keep it up.

 

-Elder Campbell