Dear People,
So much has happened that I haven't written about.
The greatest memory of my mission so far took place a couple weeks ago in the middle of nowhere when our grandpa investigator, Eun-jun accepted our offer to help him in his rice fields.
While we were standing watching some other rice farmers and trying to figure out what we were supposed to do a young attractive guy who was almost as out of place as Elder Kang and I were showed up suddenly. Eun-jun came following and explained that this was his son. We had no clue he even had a son. His name is Young-ju
"Dad's going to go get some medicine at the hospital so while I'm gone just have a good talk with the missionaries."
He drove off stranding his son with us in a beautiful country side with nothing to do but talk.
The conversation naturally steered toward missionary work and the church. Everything just flowed. He had all the right questions. We ended up talking for three hours because Eun-jun didn't get back until 12:00.
It was one of the best three hours of my life. A memorable portion of the conversation was events being God's plan rather than chance. It wasn't chance for the three of us, each which no interest or relation to rice farming to be sitting by a rice field talking about God.
We met a super cool family last week. I was at the post office, trying to figure out the most economical way to send a package. The sister working there was going to be certain that I did it the best way possible. She was unreasonably helpful, running back and forth looking at charts, giving me tape, telling my what parts of the packing slip needed to be in English etc.
We found out that her son is mentally handicapped but unusually good at English and she asked if we could come over and meet him. His name is Wan Seok. He is 26 and he has savant syndrome meaning that although he has some disabilities (struggles to carry on a normal conversation about anything besides animals or Disney movies), he has some crazy other mental abilities.
First off, even though he always sounds like he's reading a book aloud to children when he talks, he's fluent in English. He understands everything I say to him even though I'm the first native English speaker he's ever met. His mom explained that when he was young he was really slow in learning to talk but when he was introduced to English he started picking it up really fast.
He is very gifted in art and has drawn thousands of animals and movie characters in Adobe Illustrator. He gave me a bunch of his whale drawings when He found out that that's my favorite animal. He also freehand sculpts impressive disney characters out of clay.
All his art and handreds of books are carefully organized and his room is spotless.
The superhuman thing though is that he remembers everything he did every day of his life since he was about four years old. I would pick random dates and he could recite what he did.
His mom and dad are super cool and ready for the gospel. The dad said he likes reading everything except fiction. He now has a Book of Mormon and the commitment to find out whether or not it's fiction.
I am transferring, which is bittersweet because I don't want to leave this family but I'm also super excited to be going back to Gunsan, my first area and likely my last area! My Korean was pretty rough then, so It will be nice to be able to have a conversation with the members in Korean.
It will also be a dream to meet Sister Baek again, who was baptized when I was there but she still hasn't been to the temple! That will be the goal. That and baptising the rest of her family.
Sorry this was sort of informative rather than spiritual. Next week I promise a good email!
love,
Elder Brown
PS Sorry for giving no explanation to the recording I sent last week. That actually wasnt me, that was Sterling and Starr at their seminary graduation singing a song our dad wrote.
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