HEY!
This was a really intense but good week. On Monday and Tuesday we were going back and forth from Miryang, Busan and Pohang as we prepared for the trainees to come. It was stressful, but we were having a really fun time. And then on Wednesday we met the new missionaries! We did a proselyting activity together, ate lunch, and then were assigned our new companions.
My new companion is Sister Kim Youngshin. She is awesome. Actually, she is a really special situation. She is going to be serving in an island next to Madagascar, speaking French. As she waits for her visa, she is temporarily serving in Busan. So she hasn't even been to the MTC yet! (She will go to the Ghana MTC before she goes to the island.) She is from Seoul, but went to some school at BYU Hawaii and speaks English really well. We have a fun time together. She was a little quiet at first, but as she got more comfortable she started talking quite a bit more. She works very hard too. While it is always hard for new missionaries to talk with people at first, she tries very hard and has already progressed a lot.
HBY has still been doing well! There are some things for us to work on, but she has a lot of desire and is progressing well. She is really cute. When we met with her on Saturday we asked if she had been reading the Book of Mormon and she proudly announced that she had made a goal of reading a verse a day...of the Bible. We smiled and commended her, and then explained a little more about why we need the Book of Mormon, as well as the Bible. She said she would read two verses a day now: one from the Bible and one from the Book of Mormon. It has been incredible how much the branch has helped her. On Saturday the young women invited her to come out for lunch with them, and then after a lesson she attended a young women's activity. On Sunday, while she came a little late, we had a great lesson with one of the American sisters and then one altogether in Young Womens. We did invite her to prepare to be baptized on the 24th, but she said she doesn't feel ready yet. However, I feel and am praying that the Spirit will touch her and that she will have the courage to take that step. Please keep praying for her! She is awesome.
We have been pretty busy, and this week will be even busier. We might have to go up to Seoul this Thursday to work on Sister Kim's visa, which will take a lot of time, but other than that we have several appointments we have set up with potential investigators we've met recently. Hope it works out!
We had another mission tour with Elder Whiting, a member of the seventy. It was wonderful. the best part, though, was seeing several other missionaries I haven't been able to see for a long time. Especially Sister Lee Wonji. Goodness I love that girl. I think I embarrassed her because I kept bawling during the meeting or when we had to say goodbye. She said again, "Do you still cry every day?" Uh oh. Not the legacy I wanted to leave.
We have already seen a lot of miracles since Sister Kim came. The coolest thing is seeing everything more through a new missionary's eyes. I didn't realize how incredible some miracles that I have started to see as commonplace are. When we pray to know how to act in a situation or for help and we get the answer, Sister Kim is in so much awe. The more I see how she reacts, the more I realize again how incredible this work is. The Lord really is in the lead and is helping us. I am so grateful for this opportunity to be a part of it!
I love you!
Sister Stapley
Pics: My daughters. And then last pic: All the trainers before we met the trainees. We were pretty stressed. Sister Kerr, who leaves with me, is training too!
This was a really intense but good week. On Monday and Tuesday we were going back and forth from Miryang, Busan and Pohang as we prepared for the trainees to come. It was stressful, but we were having a really fun time. And then on Wednesday we met the new missionaries! We did a proselyting activity together, ate lunch, and then were assigned our new companions.
My new companion is Sister Kim Youngshin. She is awesome. Actually, she is a really special situation. She is going to be serving in an island next to Madagascar, speaking French. As she waits for her visa, she is temporarily serving in Busan. So she hasn't even been to the MTC yet! (She will go to the Ghana MTC before she goes to the island.) She is from Seoul, but went to some school at BYU Hawaii and speaks English really well. We have a fun time together. She was a little quiet at first, but as she got more comfortable she started talking quite a bit more. She works very hard too. While it is always hard for new missionaries to talk with people at first, she tries very hard and has already progressed a lot.
HBY has still been doing well! There are some things for us to work on, but she has a lot of desire and is progressing well. She is really cute. When we met with her on Saturday we asked if she had been reading the Book of Mormon and she proudly announced that she had made a goal of reading a verse a day...of the Bible. We smiled and commended her, and then explained a little more about why we need the Book of Mormon, as well as the Bible. She said she would read two verses a day now: one from the Bible and one from the Book of Mormon. It has been incredible how much the branch has helped her. On Saturday the young women invited her to come out for lunch with them, and then after a lesson she attended a young women's activity. On Sunday, while she came a little late, we had a great lesson with one of the American sisters and then one altogether in Young Womens. We did invite her to prepare to be baptized on the 24th, but she said she doesn't feel ready yet. However, I feel and am praying that the Spirit will touch her and that she will have the courage to take that step. Please keep praying for her! She is awesome.
We have been pretty busy, and this week will be even busier. We might have to go up to Seoul this Thursday to work on Sister Kim's visa, which will take a lot of time, but other than that we have several appointments we have set up with potential investigators we've met recently. Hope it works out!
We had another mission tour with Elder Whiting, a member of the seventy. It was wonderful. the best part, though, was seeing several other missionaries I haven't been able to see for a long time. Especially Sister Lee Wonji. Goodness I love that girl. I think I embarrassed her because I kept bawling during the meeting or when we had to say goodbye. She said again, "Do you still cry every day?" Uh oh. Not the legacy I wanted to leave.
We have already seen a lot of miracles since Sister Kim came. The coolest thing is seeing everything more through a new missionary's eyes. I didn't realize how incredible some miracles that I have started to see as commonplace are. When we pray to know how to act in a situation or for help and we get the answer, Sister Kim is in so much awe. The more I see how she reacts, the more I realize again how incredible this work is. The Lord really is in the lead and is helping us. I am so grateful for this opportunity to be a part of it!
I love you!
Sister Stapley
Pics: My daughters. And then last pic: All the trainers before we met the trainees. We were pretty stressed. Sister Kerr, who leaves with me, is training too!