Elections--you can count on it

Dear family,

It is election season in Korea. This means everyone has their campaign trucks and is out on the street corners blaring loud music and dancing with their paid grandmas. It's probably one of the funniest things I have ever seen. Unlike in the USA instead of just two political parties there are somewhere around 30 and so there are a lot of street corners with dancing grandmas and people shouting through megaphones, other people dressed up in funny costumes passing out cards and shaking everyone's hand.

We also have transfers today, but I am staying with one of my companions so will probably be here in Junju for a long time (at least the next 12 weeks if not longer). The other day while we were visiting a less active member I came across what is now probably one of my favorite books ever. Because this is Korea and everyone wants to learn English it was of course in English and is called "The Story of the Little Mole Who Knew it Was None of His Business". It's this little mole and if I tell you any more than that it would ruin the story. So go to your nearest library and see if you can find a copy. It's so popular here in Korea that they even have a musical about it.

Spiritual enlightenment of the week- this past week I have been rereading last October's General Conference (because we STILL haven't received the one from May here in Korea...) and I was reminded of why I love our church. We have living apostles and a living prophet to lead and guide our church, how amazing is that?

Every time I read over General Conference I am reminded of that and I find something really neat that I didn't notice before. This morning I was finishing up the General Relief Society meeting and I read a talk from Sister Barbara Thomas (Thompson? I don't know). She talks about "Minding the Gap" and although I can't remember all of the talk there is one part that just made me laugh a lot. She talked about how at one point one of her coworkers asked her how she could still be so active in a church that put so much emphasis on marriage and family when she was single. She replied that the reason was that it is true- she could be just as single and just as childless outside of the church but wouldn't have the happiness of being a member. I hope that I am never her, however, if I never get married or have children or even if I do I hope that I can continue on as faithfully and strongly as she has.

Challenge of the week: Who is someone in your life who you really admire? Why? What are you going to do to be more like that person?

Another neat thing, my P-day is being switched to Monday. That means that I will be able to email you all again in... four days. Pretty cool. So if you act quickly you can finish the challenge of the week and reply before my next email!!! How exciting is THAT?!

I love you all.

Sister Rebecca O'Bryan

An apostle of the Lord and other things

Dear family,

We got to hear from Elder Christopherson last Sunday at Stake conference. It was a pretty big deal for everyone, they prepared for months and they were just beaming when he complimented them on their food and the choir (which I was in) and everything else. I think it kind of sounded like the kind of talk you could give anywhere and it was somewhat generic, but the spirit he brought with him when he spoke was tremendous. I guess it's like the scriptures, it's not so much that you receive a new revelation every time that you read, but the spirit and peace that you get from consistently reading them can really help you through your day.

I don't have a lot of time this week, we went to the public bath house which took a little more time than we thought. However, I would recommend to anyone, I got scrubbed so clean that I literally sqeeked when I had water rubbed on me. Also it was pretty cheap ($4) unless you wanted an old grandma to rub you down and give you a massage, that cost an extra $15. I don't know why we don't have more of them in America, they are amazing, out door pools, indoor pools, hot pools, freezing cold pools, dry saunas, wet saunas, massage water pressure baths and everything. Maybe it's because everyone is naked. (No worries the women and the men are in seperate buildings).

Anyway, I love you all, think happy thoughts and scrub really well.

--
Sister O'Bryan
Daejeon PO Box 38
Daejeon-si
Chungcheong bukdo 300-600
South Korea

Beatboxing door knocking and family reflections

Dear Family,

After the phone call with everyone this week I thought a lot about things, family, life, Korea. The more that I am here the more I realize that I really like Korea. It is different in some ways, but in a lot of ways it has become my home. My companions and I were playing a game of "would you rather" and Sister Jung asked "Would you rather go your entire life only eating Korean food or American food?" I thought about it for a long time. If I never could eat American food it means no bread, which is a big deal because I discovered that I really love bread and that Koreans just don't know how to make it. Could I really go the rest of my life without eating bread? But then again, could I really go the rest of my life without eating kimchi or rice wrapped in kim or car-guk-su? In the end it doesn't really matter because I know that I can eat both, but it was interesting to think about.

I was also thinking a lot about family. While at district meeting the other day I was listening to one of the Elders give a training and my mind started to wonder. I love missionary work, I love missionaries and I love the Elders in my area, but sometimes they can say things that are a little inconsiderate. So while I was sitting there feeling slightly ticked off I suddenly got a thought "what if that was Jonny?" or even "What if that was Louis?" I realized that no matter what they would have said I wouldn't have cared because they are missionaries and I would be proud of all that they had to go through and their determination to be there. Suddenly every Elder in the room became my brother, not like the over arching thought of "we are all children of God" but like my actual brothers. I could see Louis slouching in the chair next to me and Jonny giving a presentation about faith in finding people and Josh flicking paper wads at his companion. And suddenly I realized that's what it's like. That's what God sees us as, his family. We are not just like little paper dolls that he plays with, but literally his children that he knows by name. It was one of those moments where the things that you testify about every day becomes real and it sinks even deeper into your heart.

Then last night we were teaching a girl. Her name is Han Jung Yun and she is brilliant. She is 12 years old, but doesn't go to any afterschool program and yet she wins awards all the time and is almost fluent at English. So while we were teaching we pulled out the "Family: A Proclamation" and started discussing how the gospel helps our families. The first question we asked her was "How important is family?" She sat and thought about it for a minute. Then she responded "It's like air. You have to have air to breath and to survive. That is how important family is." Then her mom told us about how last summer when the daughter went to Canada to learn English the mother didn't eat kimchi for two months. Because the daughter couldn't eat kimchi the mother decided to commiserate with her by not eating any herself. If you understood how important kimchi is to a Korean you would be really touched. Koreans eat kimchi with every meal. Kimchi is as or more important than rice. As an American I'm not sure if you understand that statement, but just imagine how much you drink water, or how often you brush your teeth and then imagine stopping for two months.

Other things:

• I am going to a cooking hog-won today. Hog-wons are like the staple of Korean education, EVERY child goes to at least two or three, they are like after school programs (ballet, basketball, art, piano, accordian), but then imagine that with the intensity of army boot camp from the time you are 6 and you have Korean education. Our bishop's wife runs a cooking hog-won and so I get to go today
• I am going to see if I can't get some plastic surgery. Korea is known for it's plastic surgery which is amazing cheap and wonderful because everyone does it. My companion is getting a mole removed so I am going to see if I can't get a couple freckles taken off or this weird chicken pox scar filled in. Nothing too dramatic, no worries. We'll see....

Challenge of the week, reread The Family Proclamation and try something new with your own family.

Also, where is Roman? Is he still alive?
--
Sister O'Bryan
Daejeon PO Box 38
Daejeon-si
Chungcheong bukdo 300-600
South Korea

Try and keep on trying until that which seems difficult becomes possible- and that which seems only possible becomes habit and a real part of you.

-Elder Uchtdorf

Mother's Day and other things

Dear Family,

This week I have been thinking a lot about prayer. We have two investigators who have finally started to progress, this means that they are reading the Book of Mormon assignments that we leave them and they are actually interested when we start out lessons and ask questions that you can tell are really from their hearts. Also at the end of the lessons this week we asked if they would pray and they did. It was the first time for both of them, one of them is a lady who says she has been Catholic for years, but yet this was really the first time that she prayed. The other is a little girl who has no religion and so she really didn't know much about it except from the times we have prayed with her before. There is something really neat about being with someone the first time they pray, I always feel so privelaged, it is like they are opening up this communication with their father in heaven who has been wanting to talk to them for so long and I get to be there when it happens. I love it.

I have also been thinking about the Mother's Day call that is coming up in a few days. I talked to mom this morning and she said that on Mother's Day she will try to have people at her house and call from there at about 6pm MST which will be Monday morning for me. As not everyone can come to Mama's house I thought that maybe the rest of the crew could try to do a conference call a little bit earlier, maybe like half an hour before, which would be 5:30PM MST. Any earlier than that and my companion will be talking to her family. If that doesn't work... well.. I'm not really sure. I just know that last time the huge conference call had some issues so I thought with fewer people it might be a little more successful and I would just try to have two calls.

Also, in preparation, if you could find your favorite scripture or a recent testimony building experience to share, that would be great. I love to hear your voices and your questions, but

I only get to hear from you twice a year so I'd like to make the most of it, if you know what I mean.

The first picture I attached is from a birthday party I attended. It was so intense. This little girl was turning one and that is one of the biggest birthdays in Korea so they had a HUGE birthday party. The second is a picture of some of the things we ate. I am always amazed because just when I think I have eaten everything there is some other animal or vegetable that I am served.

The third picture is me at a Buddhist temple jumping off the steps. They had HUGE Buddhas there and other things and then off across this gully was where all the monks live. I thought it was funny because there was this big gate that said "Temple Square training center" and it made me laugh a lot.

Another thing I love about Korea-- the random holidays and festivals. Yesterday was children's day so school was out and one of the wards I serve in went on a picnic in the mountains. So of course we went with them. The mountains in Korea are just as beautiful as the ones in Utah, just with more ancient ruins scattered about, and it was a lot of fun to picnic Korean style and play kick ball and what not. Koreans are really competitive-- always, so it was a really intense game of kick ball with the bishop egging everyone on and lots of yelling and running, things you usually don't do much of as a missionary.

I hope all is well in your neck of the woods, the church is true, God loves you, I love you.
--
Sister O'Bryan
Daejeon PO Box 38
Daejeon-si
Chungcheong bukdo 300-600
South Korea