Week Thirty-One: English is So Easy

Dear People,

You are all so faithful and loving and serving, keep it up. 

The Asia North area plan is focused on finding more joy in the gospel of Jesus Christ by: Striving, Strengthening, Simplifying, Elevating, Inviting, and Loving. The things that stood out to me as I was figuring out my focus this week was Simplify, Elevate, and Love. By pure revelation I realized that I can just add those three words to my last weeks three word focus to make:

 Simplify my Time

 Elevate my Words

Love through Service

So that's my focus this week and it's already been so great.

So yesterday I had another miracle journal entry! I got on a bus and noticed two foreigners snuggling in the back. I sat down towards the middle of the bus because people who speak English are terrifying and they looked really romantic and I didn't want to kill the mood, but I looked back at them a couple times and finally the girl noticed me smiled, waved, and pointed me out to her bearded white boyfriend-guy. He waved too so I asked "Where are you from?" and they said South Africa so I naturally grabbed my bag and ran back there, when they asked where I was from I casually said Utah, and they just looked at me funny and were like "uh.. where's that?" It's so weird explaining where Utah is to a white person. Even Koreans know where Utah is.  After we talked for a bit, another of their friends got on the bus, she was from Ohio

Background information: "English Speaking foreigners in Korea are either LDS missionaries or English teachers. English teachers are known among the missionaries as being super weird, unfriendly, social outcasts. They basically never have any gospel interest and you always have a dark feeling after talking to them. 

These people were normal, friendly, and had more gospel interest than anyone I've ever met. It's probably because they teach English in Busan and aren't from here. The English teachers that live in Deajeon mission are sort of the rejects from the cool cities. Anyway, Elder Child joined me, the conversation seamlessly shifted into what our message is and why we chose to come out and share it. We almost finished the entire first lesson before we had to get off at our stop (and avoid going into Busan area). They were so attentive the whole time and asked amazing questions. It made me so ridiculously jealous of English-speaking missionaries. I read Moroni 10:4 to them in English. . . it was just so easy and fun and powerful. It motivated me to get really good at Korean so that I will be able to have that natural of a conversation in the language of the people that I'm called to serve. I wish we had got there numbers, but they got an amazing introduction of the church and Book of Mormon. We've been praying for them to follow their promptings to research the church more.

My favorite scriptures this week requires combining scriptures from two different books to become 2 Mophiah 9/2 : 39, 41

2 Nephi 9: 39

O, my beloved brethren, remember the awfulness in transgressing against that Holy God, and also the awfulness of yielding to the enticings of that cunning one. Remember, to be carnally-minded is death, and to be spiritually-minded is life eternal.
Mosiah 2:41
And moreover, I would desire that ye should consider on the blessed and happy state of those that keep the commandments of God. For behold, they are blessed in all things, both temporal and spiritual; and if they hold out faithful to the end they are received into heaven, that thereby they may dwell with God in a state of never-ending happiness. O remember, remember that these things are true; for the Lord God hath spoken it.

Disobediece always brings sadness. Keeping the commandments always brings eternal life. 

There are no exceptions.

The commandments are instructions for happiness.

I know this church is true. It is against my personality and natural tendencies to be doing what I'm doing out here. I don't like talking to strangers even a little bit. Only a deep and abiding witness of the blessing that come from the gospel could break me from the natural course motivate me to do what I am doing everyday. Read the Book of Mormon. Listen to the prophets.

I love you all,

-Elder Brown