feb 3, 2014

Hey familia,

My week wasn't too eventful this past week. We only taught 3 lessons, two of them were with active members to just get to know them and such. The other one was with our investigator. The rest of ours was busy with classes, work, and agency just gets in the way!! GAH. But we've received a handful of referrals and potentials and we're trying to get a hold of them. 

This email really is going to be short because nothing has happened. The state fasted for rain yesterday. California this summer is going to be in the biggest drought in over 100 years if we don't get more rain soon. If we don't get rain we're going to have to start shipping in water. Farmers are selling their livestock because they can't take care of them because they're lacking water. Crazy right? We woke up to a good rain yesterday though. My first thought was "The church is true!" haha. And our testimony meeting yesterday was really great -- everyone ended up bearing testimony about having patience and enduring trials. How fitting it was for the past few weeks we've had! We're really trying our hardest to help this ward grow and bring people to the gospel. 

The visitors' center has been a little slower, too, but everyone says that this is the slower time of the year. This time of the year and when the temple closes for a month and a half in the summer time. But it's still always having miracles all around! The person I've been keeping in contact with over email had to push her baptism back, but she's getting baptized this week for sure! She and her son are going to! I got her phone number from her and talked to her vocally this past week too. It was a little awkward because we didn't have anything to talk about but it was awesome! I'm so excited!!

Did I mention the Cambodian investigator too? If not, she's getting baptized on the 23rd of this month! She came into the VC with the Cambodian elders and long story short, the elders waited for her as we took her around because they didn't have a third male and we committed her to baptism! It was the most amazing experience ever! And luckily I see and talk to the Cambodian elders all the time, so I keep in contact with her through the phone and then ask them how she's doing as well. 

And funny side note, of the elders is from North Ogden and the other is from Provo, but originally Korean. I had a quick connection with both of them ha. 

Anyway, that's pretty much it. Just praying a lot for rain! It's crazy because it's definitely a sign of the second coming, but we still want to survive!

And ELDER COOK IS COMING THIS FRIDAY AND I GET TO GO TO SAN FRANCISCO!!!! :D

GAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHH. I'm so excited if you can't tell!!!!!! 

Ok, well that's about it for me. Like I said, not much has happened besides that. 

Well, I love you family. I hope you're well. Stay healthy, eat right, and exercise!! Pray for snow and rain for Utah and California! I hear Utah doesn't have snow either... :( 

I love you family so much. I miss you guys. I hate telling people how long I've been out on my mission now because it's already coming around the corner.... :( 

Ok, until next week. Love you.

--Sister Kim

      --Yunberg 

PS With Chinese New Year last Friday, we had a ward party and made some 만두

And here's one of the many beautiful sunsets in Oakland, California....

jan 27, 2014

Hi Family!!!

So first off, great news.

Next week, we're having a special mission-wide conference just for us full-time missionaries in our mission. Guess who's coming to speak to us.....

ELDER QUINTIN L. COOK. 

WHAT. How exciting is that? it's not for anyone but us! I'm totally pumped. I get to be in the same room and be spoken to by an apostle of God!! How wonderful!!! There are 250+ missionaries in our mission, but still. Compare that number to how many people are in the world....we're REALLY lucky :) 

Anyway, this past week ended on a really great note. We were on exchanges and Sister Campos and Sister Chipana (my old companion) were in Berkeley on our full-proselyting day (which means they don't serve in the VC that day) on a Saturday. We scheduled so many appointments that day and they met all of them but two! And we added two new investigators and taught our investigators this week! After weeks and weeks of nothing and working hard and hard, the Lord blessed us in our endurance and labor. We still have a few potential investigators to contact as well. This week is pretty full as well. We must continue being obedient and positive and faithful to the Lord in this missionary work! 

I also just need to say again that I'm so grateful to be serving in the Visitors' Center. What a blessing it has been to be there and still be there! I think if I served in the Visitors' Center my whole mission, that would be the best blessing ever. 

I have extended baptismal commitments to people multiple times the past couple of weeks and have committed people to be baptized. One of them was an investigator for the Cambodian-speaking elders and they were so surprised because they've been trying to meet and have her come to church in general. And she's wanting to get baptized! 

Another story is I was on a chat online through mormon.org a long time ago with a woman who was excommunicated from the church. She wanted to meet with missionaries again and get active once more and so I kept in contact with her and answered questions for her and everything. Long story short, she is supposed to get baptized this weekend! She and her son! I'm so happy to hear that! 

There's a couple more exciting stories that are in progression, too. The Visitors' Center really is full of the spirit and can testify of the truth of the gospel to everyone who comes in! I love it! I really hope I stay in the Visitors' Center for longer. 

That's about it though for this week. Nothing much stands out to me. My Spanish is just picking up though!! Hurray!! I'm still struggling to form sentences correctly, but I'm understanding what people are saying better than ever. And I just need to understand them with heavy accents ha. 

Anyway, gotta go now family. I love you lots and miss you lots. I hope you're all well and happy. I pray for you all all the time. 

By the way dad, do you happen to know a Lynn Poulsen who was an administrator at Utah State? He worked there for 30 years and he was in charge of financial, graduation, etc. He said he knew people with the last name of Kim so I'm just curious. He's our new visitors' center director. 

Also, sister and Nelson, Elder Clement (our old VC director) and I talked about Bethanne and how the Clements know Bethanne and Elder Clement is actually the one who baptized Bethanne's husband over in Europe. He shared the story with me and it's awesome! Such a small world. 

Oh and dad, do you know the DeLange's in our stake? Dr. DeLange is a doctor here in our mission and his parents live either in or by the retirement home community that's behind Manor Care. Another small world moment. I described to him where our house is and he knew where that was! I had a hurt elbow a while ago and had to go to the doctors. I ran my shoulder into a pole when we were running one morning and it happened to hurt my elbow more than my shoulder. BUT! do not worry family I'm totally fine!!

Ok, I'm going to send you all pictures and then I'm going to head out. I've been here for too long and my fingers hurt. 

Love you family so much. I miss you all a lot! But I wouldn't give up this mission for anything! I LOVE IT HERE!!! 

Love you!!

--Sister Kim

      --Yunberg 

I haven't blogged for my sister in so long...

So i will post her most recent email and vow to post every email every week for the rest of her mission! here is her email from last week!

Hey family. 

Ah....why did my debit card have to be stolen?!?!? This is my second time in my life that this has happened! Man....thanks for all your help though family. And don't worry about me and money. I'm really going to be fine.
Anyway, I'm out of time right now, but I just wanted to send an email to you all. Sorry there isn't a nice long email, but....not much happened unfortunately. It was a slow and disappointing week. But we will not get discouraged. We will keep working! Agency may get in the way sometimes, but it'll all work out in the end. 

Ok, really gotta go now. I love you family!!

--Sister Kim

     --Yunberg

Sept. 19

Hi family!!!

I'm actually going to send a quick email to you all because I'm going to have P-day on Monday, so in like 4 days. And not much has been happening for me in the past couple of days. Just teaching a couple people, going to institute with our investigators, getting fed there, going to FHE, and loving the YSA ward!!

Working with people my age is a little weird still, but it's so much fun! And they make the missionary work so much easier. I love that they do their own missionary work and then refer their friends to us. It's such a blessing to be here in Berkeley! And I love this campus and school! It's really tempting to consider transferring or something after my mission haha. 

But the people are so nice!! We also had stake conference this past Sunday and it was awesome. And!! We went to the temple this morning! AH! So good! The new movie is phenomenal. The church really knows what they're doing :)

Anyway, I gotta run, but I'll tell you more stuff on Monday!! Love you so much family! Hope you enjoy the pictures!!!

--Sister Kim

      --Yunberg

PS What is mom's church calling again? And just curious, have you sold my car?

Last week's email:

Sorry i'm behind!! Hopefully I will be able to keep up with them.... Here is Sister Kim's email from LAST week.  She won't be emailing today but will email on Thursday.  I will post her email some time on Thursday night.

Hello again family~

So. I've received a transfer call! I'm leaving San Leandro tomorrow and I will be serving in.....

BERKELEY YOUNG SINGLE ADULTS. 

I'm officially going to be serving amongst my fellow college-aged members of the church. As well as my companion is my MTC companion, Sister Miller. She's been there the past two transfers and so she is the senior companion (though younger than me, oh well). I hope that it'll all work out. 

Everyone has been saying that Berkeley YSA is perfect for me and my personality and that I'm going to do a super good job there. I hope that's true. It's weird going to be serving with YSA but I've been told it's super fun! So I'm excited for what lies ahead. 

The funny thing though is that I've been meeting Korean people in San Leandro almost every day this past week or so. There's a less-active in our ward who's Korean, I met a Korean guy on the street while tracking down a less-active. I met a couple from Korea on temple grounds, and I just had a Korean lady help me at the post office. So much Korean being used here and now I have to leave! 

But I've realized something. Man, when I was told I was getting transferred I almost started to cry because I wouldn't see my investigators anymore! And I won't be with this ward either! :( And then it hit me just how much I've come to love San Leandro and the people here. And then I thought: If it hurts this much to leave an area I love, imagine what it'll feel like when I have to leave the mission and come home! :O I'm beginning to understand and see why missionaries miss their mission soooooo much when they get home. 

Time is going by so quickly! I can't believe it. It's going by faster each transfer and I can't believe just how lazy I was at home! I can't sit around and do nothing out here before I begin getting anxious. You can be so productive in a day! There's another thing I've learned on the mission! 

Anyway, yes, my investigators and the ward found out I was leaving yesterday at church and it was a sad moment. But I'm going to always remember everyone here! I'm excited to go to Berkeley. Funny thing, everyone seems to already know I'm coming to Berkeley! Yesterday at the Visitors' Center and at a fireside all the missionaries were like "Sister Kim! I hear you're going to Berkeley!" or "Sister Kim! How do you feel about going to Berkeley?" and I'm just like "How do you even know this already?!" Word spreads fast in the church haha

The investigators here are doing so awesome! The mom and daughter are progressing so much! Especially the mom, who hasn't been smoking for about a week now! :D She's doing so great and she tells us all the time just how much easier the gospel has helped her quit smoking. I can't wait for them to get baptized next month!

Our other investigator is still at 1 a day -_- but we have faith that he can finish it off soon! He really does have a strong testimony of the gospel and loves it a ton, but he is also really prone to procrastinating...a lot. Guh. I told him yesterday at church that I'm going to check up on him through the sisters to make sure he's reading and praying everyday! 

Hmm...other than that, I think that's about it this week. Nothing too exciting has happened. I keep finding opportunities to play the piano though! That's been nice :) And I was reading my patriarchal blessing yesterday morning and it talks a lot about how if I use my talents for good that I can help bring the spirit to the lives of others and such. Just like I did when I first got my patriarchal blessing, I felt the same spirit and reassurance that I was supposed to serve a mission and that everything I've gone through and done was to help others come unto Christ while on a mission. I feel so blessed to have the spirit tell me these things!

I also was told by the spirit over the past couple of days how much I need to change myself for the better. I'm such a stubborn person!! I think my biggest challenge on the mission is changing my own self to have more charity and humility, as well as to always remember that it doesn't always have to be my way! Gah. I'm so sorry, family, for how stubborn I've been these past years! And even when I am aware of all of this, it's still so hard for me to change! I've been grateful for the Atonement and the many chances it gives me to keep trying everyday. Hopefully by the end of my mission I will be changed! 

Anyhow, life is good. I'm getting so excited for Christmas-time at the visitors' center! My chances of being there during that time is good for now! We shall see what happens. 

I'm excited to report about my new area next week! And we get to attend the temple next week as well! I'll finally be able to see the new endowment movie that everyone is raving about. :)

I love you so much family. You guys are the best. Dad sent me a BUNCH of pictures of you guys and Auden and I show them to everyone. Everyone always comments about how adorable and precious and cute Auden is and then how pretty and beautiful mom and sister are. Sorry dad and Nelson! But in the end everyone always says that we look like such a happy family.

There is one particular picture dad sent me of Auden laughing; it's a GREAT kodak moment because he has this HUGE smile on his face. And I've been talking to people about that picture and how it perfectly shows why we need to be as a child: humble, meek, submissive, innocent, and trusting in others. Auden's laugh and face is just so pure and full of the spirit. As I look at that picture I think "That is how Heavenly Father sees me!" I love it.

Thank you all for being such great examples to me. I miss you guys so much each and every day. Keep being yourselves and showing the light of Christ. Moroni 7:45-47! 

--Sister Kim

     --Yunberg

            --ddong

                   --the cooler sister

Another email

Hey family!!

The visitors' center (VC) is a lot harder than I expected! Not only do we learn about conducting tours and such, we also have to do online proselyting, which is doing the mormon.org chatting as well as phone calls. Conveying the spirit to people over chat or phone is really hard! But it's so awesome to be part of a missionary work where (literally) the world is your area. It's really tough, but I love being a VC missionary. Everyone is always saying VC sisters just stand there pretty or don't really have a true call, but being a part of it now makes me see that everyone doesn't know what they're talking about haha.
Yesterday, we had volunteers come in so we could practice talking to them as VC sisters, and it was really great. My companion and I had a girl come in who said she and her friends were doing a bunch of "churchy" stuff to get spiritual again and to support their friend who was inactive but is now going on a mission. She said they come to the MTC and volunteer every so often and she's just been ok with it, nothing too special. I asked her how often she reads her scriptures and she then went off on a long response on how she's been reading a lot lot more than she's ever had and she's trying to find that fiery passion of how she knows the Book or Mormon is true and all. When she finished she was like, "Sorry for the long response to your question; I don't even know if I answered it." Well, she definitely did. And it was so so amazing to see that that was her testimony! She had showed her faith and brought in the spirit so strongly and she didn't even know it! We saw the light of Christ in her so much and it was amazing. My companion and I told her just that and encouraged her to keep going strong, because we could see so much potential in her! We shared relatable stuff as well and we all became teary-eyed actually. In the end she told us that she felt like we were the answer to her prayer, that she felt like she needed some acknowledgement from Heavenly Father to help her keep going strong. We felt so special and we all just felt the Spirit more. I hope that she'll continue going strong and that she can feel Christ's love for her. It was an amazing experience, and that feeling that you get is just amazing. I can't wait to help others come unto Christ as well, especially in the VC where there are some people who are willing to talk to missionaries there than in their homes.

Life is going pretty well! I leave the MTC in 5 days! Time has flown by fast, and now that I'm comfortable here (and still in Utah), it now feels surreal that I'm leaving. I'm actually going to be out and in the field in 5 days! I'm super excited for all the stories and adventures I'll gain.

Happy father's day Nelson and Dad!!! You two are so great. I love you guys so much.

Here are some pictures for you all! Make sure to show Auden my face!! I'll be sending multiple emails because they limit 4 pictures per email. 

-the temple on our first Sunday temple walk here

-my companion, Sister Miller, and I on our first Sunday here

First email

Hi family!

The computer I'm using right now doesn't let me change the keyboard language so I'll try and send you another email sometime later today in Korean.

Thank you so much for the email, Dad. It's been really hard seeing everyone else in my district getting mail everyday and not getting anything for myself. It's been really tough here, but I know that Heavenly Father loves me and my family loves me too.

The MTC is really hard. Mom and dad will be reading one of my letters that I sent. I really wanted to come home a few days ago. I didn't want to cry in front of my roommates or district so I didn't cry until I started praying to Heavenly Father that night. I don't think I've ever cried while praying to Heavenly Father. I really felt alone and I didn't know what to do. I asked him to help me feel loved and to have peace. Heavenly Father truly answers prayers. As I finished my prayer and laid down to sleep, I felt this peace within me and a reassurance that I'm never alone! I needed to practice what I preach -- that I'm truly never alone and Jesus Christ has already suffered my grievances and trials and knows what I was feeling right then. I cried some more but the peace helped me fall asleep very easily.

That next day was this past Sunday. Everyone says that if you can make it through Sunday, you can make it through the MTC. I think those are wise words because Sunday was full of uplifting words and testimonies. I bore my testimony in Sacrament, and I listened very carefully to mission conference and devotionals. I also got the opportunity to make new friends! I love seeing all the missionaries going to Korea, and I always at least say Hi to them when I see them. However, when we were in line for the Sunday night devotional I saw two elders studying Korean. I asked them which mission they're going to (Busan) and we started talking. I answered a few Korean questions for them (grammar) and we exchanged emails to keep in contact. The cool thing was they were from England and Australia!

I wish I was going to Korea sometimes. Because then I could have a chance at talking to our family about the Gospel. But I know that I'm needed in California; who knows why, but that's where I'm going and that's where I'll be. And I'm sure these missionaries going to Korea will do a good job. If it weren't for missionaries, mom and dad wouldn't have joined the church and you guys wouldn't be able to raise us in this wonderful Gospel. It's thanks to the missionaries that our family is here where we are now. Those missionaries who taught you two, mom and dad, that started a whole generation of a family who will love and grow in the Gospel!!

My companion is two years younger than me and she's from Ohio. She was a cheerleader in high school, and she has a very very strong personality of taking over control too much. You guys should know I'm not that type of person to let people do that to me, so it's been tough. I've definitely been practicing patience. Every single girl I've met also has a boyfriend. What's up with that?! So every night my roommates talk about their boyfriends and blah blah blah...bleh. 

I'm definitely practicing patience here. And I need to keep having a positive mindset because talking about things negatively only bring me down.

I've also been crying a lot whenever I talk about you guys. The importance of family has grown soooo much more as I've been missing you guys more than ever. Yesterday when we were meeting our investigator from the TRC I was relating to her about family and talked about you guys. I said that our family has learned to be really close because our extended family all live in Korea. It was really tough as I tried not to cry a lot in front of them. I love our family!!! I wouldn't trade our family for anything. We truly are a blessed family. Especially now with Auden! Man, I miss that sweet little boy. Just thinking about him saying "immo? immo?" puts a smile on my face. It touches my heart a lot.

I have some pictures to send to you guys! Except I don't have my camera right now, woops. I'll try and send them later today as well. My P-days are on Tuesdays; I'm in the laundry room right now and just emailing the few people who have contacted me.

Sister, is it possible if you could maybe get some addresses for me so I can write them? Or tell people to send me letters or use "DearElder"? I would love getting some letters. It really is hard seeing everyone else get letters. Emails aren't near as great. I see why missionaries love letters now.

What else to say...I think I'm improving as a missionary. It's so hard work. A set schedule that's mainly studying is difficult. Going all day, from 7:15-9:30, is tough work. I've never been more drained in my life. I miss music, dancing, sports, the piano! But my companion and I got called to be the music organizers in our zone. So pretty much we just pick what hymns are being sung in church and finding musical numbers. We also find people who can play the piano and lead as well. Even though it's not much, for me it means a ton. Music can bring in the Spirit and set the tone so easily. Music is so much to me and at least being able to be involved with it some way or another is all that I need.

I don't know what I'll be doing for P-day yet. Usually I'd be sleeping right now if I were at home haha. But I'm just glad I can be in normal clothes and be able to take this chance to rejuvenate. 

I love you family. I miss you more than anything right now. I wish I spent more time with you guys, not just before the mission but in general. I hope that you can feel the love I have for you guys. My teacher taught us that our first investigators to worry about is our family. And so everyday I pray to Heavenly Father, thanking him for your love and for you guys and ask him to bless you guys more than anything and to let you guys know that I love you. 

We've done one week! Now only 78 more to go. Actually, I was told that missions for girls are actually 17 months because of how transfers go. So only 74 weeks to go! I think... you may have to check my math out, but that's about the right number.

Please keep me updated on everything! Send me pictures, letters, "DearElder"s, emails, all through the week! The more I have to read on P-day and throughout the week, the better.

I love you family. I can't wait to bring you blessings for this work I'm part of.

--Sister Yunnie Kim (aka Yun-berg) (aka Ddong)

PS I don't have Nelson's email unnie. Send it to me maybe?