This has been such a good week. It has been very intense and I feel like I don't remember half of it, but we had a great time and saw a lot of miracles.
One of the biggest things we did was a huge activity in the branch. They have done it every year for more than thirty years, and they say it is almost bigger than Christmas. We have been preparing for it ever since I came to Pohang. It is called the Sound of Fall. And it was epic. We invited so many people, and many of the members brought their friends. We had about fifteen to twenty non-members and investigators there. It was a great opportunity. It was a little bit like a talent show, and then they read poems that the members wrote at the end. They asked me to play violin, so I played Ashokan Farewell and one of the members accompanied me on it. It kind of has a fall feeling, so I chose to use it. All the missionaries also did a dance. It was crazy. It is a really famous dance in our mission, first done a few years ago in Jeju. It is kind of this Indian dance with flips and all sorts of stuff. It was so fun and the members went crazy. I have a video of it so maybe I can send part of it later. Anyway, after our dance the youth did several songs from the Sound of Music. It was so good! Then we all ate dinner together and talked. We were able to talk with a lot of non-members and investigators, and get to know them better. So good!
In preparation for the activity, we spent a lot of time going out and trying to find and invite less-actives. Our branch is also starting a new initiative to find less-actives and new members and turn our branch into a ward. We are so close! It is going to be wonderful, and we have started making a lot of new goals with our members. We are excited!
A new transfer started too! I have loved serving with Sister Rix. She is awesome and we had a great time together. She is going to Daegu, and I have a new companion coming in from Jinju and Sacheon! Her name is Sister Kim Soo Jung! She is so cute. She is a native, and was actually baptized two years ago. She is incredible and has a lot of faith. I am excited to work with her!
We have really been focusing on using the Book of Mormon when we teach and proselyte lately, and have seen a lot of miracles coming from that. It is incredible how much power that book holds. Especially as I have been thinking and praying about it, I have felt so strongly how it is the key to developing a relationship with Jesus Christ and really coming to be like Him. As we follow what it talks about, our lives change and are closer to His than we realize. I love it.
This was a short one, but I will write more from this week to send next week! I love you!
Sister Stapley