Lame Email

I wrote this email yesterday but right as I pushed send the internet in the whole library went down. Luckily the spirit told me to Copy the whole thing into the computer memory first...so I just put it on thumb drive and got permission to send it later. On top of that I got an email supposedly about the new Church email system and when I opened it it was just a bunch of gibberish....sounds like a good omen...


The following was written yesterday.


Today is only a half P-day ('til noon) because we had a full P-day on Monday for Soh-Lahr---Basically Chinese New Year, but the Koreans would never admit it's Chinese. The only problem is it was a holiday on Monday so all of the places to Email were closed. Thus the half P-day now. Anyway, that's not important, really.

Thanks for getting the housing stuff worked out. I was looking forward to living with Julene again, but that's the way it goes. I figure after the vast number of people I've had to live with on my mission and their various different styles of living I can live with just about ANYONE and survive. I probably won't be in that apartment very long anyway. I'm glad I'm still in 63rd Ward. That's the best ward ever. Pumpkin-stealers beware...I'm sneaky :).

Now it's much quieter and I'm much less frustrated than I was last week. I have realized that one of the things that makes my mood foul really fast is when things get really loud---so loud I can't think. It just makes me feel panicky and discombobulated. I'll just have to work on having patience in that kind of situation. Anyway, I'm grateful it's quiet now.

Our investigators have been stuck in a stagnant swamp this past week. Lee Jung Min is getting frustrated that we keep teaching her the same principles...hopefully she'll realize that 90% of learnign and living the Gospel is RElearning the Gospel---because we never live it perfectly so we have to keep reviewing. I'm trying to come up with more creative ways to teach her so it doesn't feel like we're teaching her in circles. I keep praying for her and doing all I can to help her progress. She'll come along eventually.

You know you're a missionary when you make a count-down calendar to General Conference. 43 days...if you were wondering...plus the week for rebroadcast in Korea makes 50. That's just over one transfer...it'll be here in no time :).

I'm really excited to eat Bu-deh Chee-gae today. It's this really yummy soup. Bu-deh means "Military base" and Chee-gae is just soup. It's named that because back in the Korean war when the vast population was starving to death they would eat ANYTHING. So, when the spam and ham that the American soldiers had brought went bad they'd give it away to the hungry people. The people would boil it with whatever vegetables (which were also usually rotten and/or pickled) they had, and, to cover the rotten taste, add a bunch of go-ju (a really hot red pepper). Nowadays they make it with (fresh, not rotten) spam and stuff and throw in Kimchi...it's really good. So yeah...we're going to a restaurant to get it and I'm excited. And it's cheap, so that's good. Anyway...that's just one little exposee on the gourmet of my life :).

This week has been a good week as far as learning Korean goes. I feel like a lot of people have been saying extra prayers for me---so thank you---and keep up the good work!! This language is coming, slowly but surely.

I had interviews with Pres. Jennings again yesterday (those come around really fast...). I like having interviews with him. Partly because it's fun to have someone who understands my English around (most of the American Elders no longer qualify as fluent---particularly on matters of science and politics :)). I'm glad that Heavenly Father provided a structure in missionary work where you have a whole network of people to support you and help you out in your weaknesses. Heavenly Father is quite intelligent.

It was really nice to get those last couple of pictures of Em and Luke's little one. ipood...very clever, Old Man. :) Now, if I can get some more recent pictures of Kayla... :)

My brain is kinda empty at the moment, so I guess I don't have a whole lot of other important things to say. I pray for you all in Korean---which means a lot because God listens to Korean more :). Read your scriptures, sya your prayers and go to Church!
Love,

Ogreby Sister-missionary