Shine On

Hey everybody!!

 

I hope all of you had a super awesome fourth of July!!! Luckily... our English class just happened the be on the fourth of July and we had a lot of people come so the American missionaries threw a little party and everything we taught was fourth of July themed :) I think it's safe to say that everyone in the Onyang Branch will always remember the phrase "God Bless America." hahaha. 

 

This week has been pretty incredible. Starting with the fact that it's supposed to be monsoon season, and everywhere is sold out of rainboots, and it hasn't rained at all! So my feet are doing super well :)

On a more serious note, there's actually an amazing family that moved into our branch and is planning on getting baptized next Sunday! Their last name is Shin and they lived in both Chicago and Utah for a long time!! They have two young kids and are seriously just golden people. One of the Elders serving in our branch once said he got a suntan standing next to them because they were so golden- I believe it... While they were in Utah they fell in love with the family atmosphere and how kind the people were. When they came back to Korea they knew they wanted to learn more about the gospel and come to church even though they didn't have a perfect knowledge about everything.

 

I remembered having that same feeling when I first started to meet and spend more time with all the people that are now my best friends. Because this Sunday was fast and testimony meeting, I was able to bear my short testimony about this experience and I just felt so much love for this family. I know God guides every person throughout their life to places they need to be in the exact moments they need to be there. And when we recognize those moments I think we feel His love especially strong. That was one of those moments for me- everything just came together so perfectly. 

We also had dinner at our Ivory Coast friends house again! Latif&Rokia and their daughter Nadia. When Nadia came to the music night at our church on Saturday everyone couldn't stop taking about how beautiful she is because she has such big eyes :) They call her princess, and she really is, it's sooooooo cute!

 

We are going to the spa in Onyang today! If you search Onyang Hot springs on google I think it will come up, but it's basically what Onyang is famous for and I'm super excited! I'll let y'all know how it is next week!

Love you all soooooo much!

 Love,

Sister Weston

 

Wings

Going Traditional Style

 

 

Climb Every Mountain

Hello Everybody!

This week was full of super fun stuff and a lot of miracles. 

On Saturday our branch hiked a place called Dogo Mountain. Its about 480 meters high, so I have no conception of how high that really is hahaha but I know its nothing like a Utah mountain. Still, it was sooooo beautiful and actually really challenging. All of us missionaries went along with some of the people we were teaching. Because Korea is so hot and humid in the summer, we found ourselves in a great bonding experience as we shared any available water and gave piggy back rides to the kids :) One of the girls we are teaching, Amanda, is especially fond of piggy back rides so that was a good exercise for me, haha. But she's so adorable-and sitting with her at the top of the mountain was so worth it.  

When we reached the top of the mountain and we were able to look over the area we were serving in, I felt so much gratitude to be where I am right now. This coming week we will reach the 6 month mark of my being on this mission and that's just insane to me. As I've reflected on the past months that have gone by, I realize that every moment is so precious. The time I've been given to serve these people is really so short and I feel I still have so much left to learn and to give them. 

God has a will and a plan for everyone. Everyone I meet teaches me this lesson again and again. Everyone needs to feel loved, and when we have the opportunity to give that to others we should never waste it. My one hope for this next year is to help other people feel the love God has for them. 

Sorry this week is a little shorter, but I think this message is simple and doesn't need much else :) 

I really can't tell y'all how much I love you, 

all the best and all my prayers,

Sister Weston

Da Climbing Crew

Climbing Buddie

Amanda

 

This is my day!

Hey Y'all!

I'm going to keep the email a little bit short this week because I have a lotttttt of pictures I want to send! But there were two big big miracles we saw that I need to share with you :)

The first happened on thursday. We had just finished weekly planning and desperately needed to clean our fridge and so we were a little flustered leaving our appartment. I was kind of stressed about how the day might go and was really just hoping for the best. While sister Kim and I were on the bus, I took the seat on the very back row because it gives you an opportunity to sit next to multiple people instead of just one. No one was on the bus, and I figured probably no one was going to sit next to me but it was worth a shot. When we were about ten minutes away from where we were going to get off, a woman got on the bus and when she saw me her eyes just lit up! Of course my eyes lit up too and I said hi! She didn't know me but she really wanted to talk to us and kept saying how lucky she felt that she met us on the bus, and how small the chances were for that to happen. She was a very poor woman but she wanted to meet so we offered to buy her lunch. 

As we walked through the market she held my arm and when we entered the restaurant she said in the most sincere voice I've ever heard, in english, "This is my day!" She wouldn't stop talking about how lovely this day was because she had met us. And we felt the same about her. When we least expect it, God sends us angels to lift us up. 

The next miracle comes from last night, Sunday night. We ate dinner at a families home form the Ivory Coast! We had met the wife on the street about a month ago and gave her our phone number but she never got in touch with us. Then two weeks ago we met her husband at the train station and he wanted us to meet with his wife to help teach her how to read english. When we met with her on Wednesday she said she wanted to cook us food from the Ivory Coast and so she invited us into their home! Y'ALL THIS FOOD WAS SOOOO GOOD! And their family is so amazing. It was probably the most fun night I've had on my mission so far; eating with our hands and speaking a mix of English and french and Korean and talking about all of the things we've been blessed with. 

I really want to write more but I have to send this pictures!

Also cute note for the week.... yesterday the man who owns the pizza store that we often visit got baptized and one of the little girls we are teaching came. After he came up out of the water she gave him a high five and it was so adorable I died. 

 

I love Korea and I will never take for granted this opportunity to serve. When we see the joy other people receive from what we have to give them it makes every thing worth it. 

 

I love yall so much and I hope you're having great summers! Korea is very similar to Michigan in the summer and I love it :) Keep me updated on your many adventures!!

Korean Truck Ridin'

English Class (haha)

Eating Ivory Coast Food

 

 

"Now my brethren, we see that God is mindful of every people, whatsoever land they may be in..." Alma 26:37

All my love,

Sister Weston