Yet Another Week

Well. It's been another eventful week. It wasn't until I became a missionary that I realized that EVERY single passage of scripture can be applicable to missionary work. I was reading in the New Testament and came across a couple of scriptures in particular that I really liked. First, Acts 1:17-18. It talks about us; all of us. God has blessed us in so many ways. He "pours out" his spirit upon us on a daily basis and through doing so, He asks us to go out and share the blessings and knowledge He has given to us with others. Because He blesses us, He asks us to act. Which makes me think about Nephi and the promise that the Lord gave him-- when the Lord commands us to do something He will provide a way for us to accomplish it, no matter how difficult the task at hand may seem. Sometimes we let our fear get in the way of our faith. It's hard to be a missionary! And as missionaries, there are a lot of really difficult things that we have to do. 

And that's where the next scripture comes in: John 20:21. "Then said Jesus unto them again, Peace be unto you: as my Father hath sent me, even so send I you." Jesus Christ is our very best friend. He knows us better than we know ourselves because He sees us as we can be rather than as we are. Because of this, He knows what we are capable of doing as long as we allow ourselves to trust Him. He hasn't asked us to do this alone, but He has asked us to stretch ourselves beyond our own limits enough to grow and improve. None of us are truly capable of the calling we've been given if we are relying solely upon ourselves. This is the Lord's work, and in order to do it, we must rely on Him. Jesus Christ knew what He was called to do and He did all that He did because He loves us. Likewise, because we love Him, we need to be willing to do all that He has asked us to do. 

Anyways, we've started teaching another new investigator. She's an asian grandma and she's quite the sweetie. Korean grandmas have the tendency to ramble on and on about a lot of random things and never expect an answer in response. Yesterday we got to hear all about Kenya, Thomas Edison, and grandpas (more specifically, her husband.) At various points throughout the conversation she's throw in, "Oh! You're so pretty!!" and then just keep talking. Once we got her on the topic of the gospel, however, things actually went pretty well! 

We were headed back to our apartment one day this week for lunch and a woman who was selling a bunch of clothes on the street stopped us and gave us a couple of free skirts for the "good work" we're doing. That was pretty exciting. The skirts are grandma skirts... and mine is bedazzled. But we were still pretty pumped about it! 

MLC was this week and since Sister Sloan is the Sister's Training Leader in Incheon we got to go and spend the night at the Mission Home.... which meant we got to sleep on BEDS! Whattt!? I forgot those things even existed. Long story short-- I had a hard time falling asleep because I'm too used to sleeping on cardboard (.... that's what Sister Sloan and I call our beds at our apartment. They're mats we throw on the floor. Super comfy.) Also-- pardon my sarcasm. Koreans don't get it. And it's the only language I'm currently fluent in.

I've been missing you people a whole bunch this week, I'm not going to lie. Being away from my loved ones is the strangest thing. I miss you every single day... but at the same time I'm in love with the people of Korea so I never want to say goodbye to them. I guess you could say I feel really conflicted and whatnot... but it's fine. Just know that I love you and that you're always in my heart! Sounds cheesy, but tis' the truth.

We haven't had the opportunity to watch Conference yet because in Korea we watch Conference a week after it's broadcasted so that they can get it all translated. (Don't worry, I'll get to watch it in English... just in a room separate from the rest of the ward.) I honestly CAN'T even wait to watch it. ENGLISH! But also, more specifically, CHURCH stuff in ENGLISH! I'm beyond excited to just sit back and let it all soak in. 

Anyways, that's really all I have to say this week. We're working hard and smiling every step of the way. The weather is getting warmer and the flowers are getting prettier. And I'm just really excited that I get to start shedding layers. Life is good, I love you all!

xoxo,

Sister CaLea Bagley

It's Official: Six Investigators!

Okay, okay. First things first: last week sounded really ridiculous, and yes, we had a lot of really strange experiences... that being said, I promise we're not bad missionaries! At least... not intentionally! We're actually trying really hard every single week to be good missionaries and somehow really strange things tend to happen to us. On the bright side, our extreme amounts of laughter are keeping us from getting fat due to all the members who want to feed us. :)

So, yes. We've got six investigators that we are teaching now. We are officially teaching an entire family! Remember the miracle investigator who showed up to church one Sunday all by herself? Now we're meeting with her whole family! They're so prepared and so incredible and I feel so blessed to have been given this kind of an opportunity even though I'm not the best teacher when it comes to Korean. This is just an example of how important it is to always do your best even if you don't see the results of your efforts-- other missionaries planted seeds and now we are seeing the miracles that have come from that work. We extended two soft baptismal invitations on Saturday. Maybe that's the scariest thing in the whole world to do... but I always just have to remind myself that it's not my work and that my fear shouldn't be getting in the way of the Lord's work. 

Sister Sloan and I haven't worn coats for the past two days... that means the weather is finally warming up! It's so exciting. The cherry trees are all beginning to blossom and it's so beautiful. And this is just the beginning! I can't wait to see what it all turns out looking like when spring is finally officially here and all the trees are fully blossomed. So cool. In celebration of the changing weather Sister Sloan and I bought a baby cactus. I'm really really excited about it too. I know that may sound odd, but I've always wanted a baby cactus. For no real reason at all other than just because. So now I can cross that off my bucket list! 아싸!! 

Also, it's a sad thing when you realize you're suddenly really bad at English when English is the only thing you've ever been good at in your whole life. Last week I was reading over the email I sent home a little bit while I was waiting for Sister Sloan to finish emailing... and I realized my spelling is AWFUL! Which is extra pathetic because my Korean is also awful so I have no real excuse for suddenly being really bad at English. I live a sad life. But I'm happy so it ain't no thing. 

Anyways, I AM SO HAPPY! 

Life is good. 

Hope you're all doing well!

xoxo, 

Sister Bagley

I Guess I'm a Potato Farmer.

This week has been absolutely amazing. I really want to be able to speak Korean. I've always looked at it as a tool to do what I've been called here to do-- teach the gospel. We're called to teach the gospel, not speak Korean. BUT, Korean is an incredibly valuable tool in teaching the gospel in Korea (obviously). Many times in the MTC I'd get really discouraged by my lack of ability to remember grammar forms and vocabulary. I'd focus on the things I couldn't do rather than the things I could do. That mindset made Korean feel more like a barrier than a tool. This week as I've been studying Korean and really adding the finishing touches to my language study plan, I was reading over the "Learn the Language" section in PMG. I couldn't help but to feel a little bit of discouragement. I love the people of Korea. I want to be able to be their friend and their guide as they come to know the way that the gospel can bless their lives but I'm no where near where I'd like to be with the language. That being said, I flipped open my Book of Mormon to the chapter I'd left off reading and lo and behold the first thing I read was Alma 29:1-3. Hello, the Lord answers prayers! He directly responded to the emotions I'd been feeling and offered me peace through the scriptures. That's exactly why I love them so much. I continued on and read verse 6 and it really hit me again: I'm here to teach the gospel of Jesus Christ. The Lord will help me and bless me as I work hard and put in the effort. The language will come-- it's already beginning to come, maybe slowly, but it's coming-- but even if I feel as though I cannot speak as well as I'd like, I can always love. I'm a missionary, I'm excited to be here and I'm honored to get to see the Lord's hand in my life so much each day. 

Miracles this week? Our incredible ward members! We've interacted SO MUCH with our ward members this week and it's been so incredible. We've started bringing ward members to all the lessons we teach to our investigators. The spirit they bring to the lessons is incredible. Yesterday we also went on splits with some of the women from relief society and ended up tripling the number of people we'd talk to on any other given day. The ward to is excited about missionary work and so willing to help in any and every way that they can. It was way funny because they'd run up to people and say, "Hi, this is a missionary, they're really cool. Hey, Sister Bagley, tell them about the gospel...." So awkward. But whatever. 

Now that the weather is getting warmer, every Saturday we become immigrant workers on one of the member's farms. We planted potatos. Hello. So yeah, I'm learning valuable skills and having the time of my life. The men in our ward love Sister Sloan and I because we're not your typical girl.... they say, "Oh, this is a job for the Elders..." and then we prove that we're just as tough. It's real fun. 

Flirting isn't allowed when you're a missionary. BUT... flirting with grandmas is okay. They love it. They just sit there and say, "Ohhh, pretty!" over and over and over again and then give us a bum-pat and candy and send us on our way. It's real entertaining. We get lots of candy.

This week I accidentally replaced the word "patience" with "body oder." I told one of the less-active members we met with that Sister Sloan's boyfriend has a lot of body odor. We laughed about that for quite a while...

We officially are teaching and working with two investigators! The ward members have been so on board with helping us teach them and welcome them into the "ward family." (For the record-- the term "ward family" meant nothing to me until I arrived in Korea. Like, even though nobody is related, every week at church feels like the equivalent of a family reunion.)

I must be really funny. Guess what happened... I made my companion laugh SO HARD that she literally peed her pants on a public sidewalk five minutes away from our house. You know what they say, 80% of accidents happen within a mile of your home. Also-- we learned a valuable lesson from this: as missionaries, we have no control over anything, including our bladders. You've just got to roll with it and wear a smile no matter what happens. (For the record, she's 22 years old and I almost peed my pants too because I was laughing soooo hard at the puddle of fluid she left on the sidewalk.) She was so embarassed that she just jumped up and ran away and I followed behind in hysterics. Welcome to missionary life, it's real awkward.

Hey, but we topped the "peeing the pants" story this week... even though I didn't think it was even possible to do. Last night as we were running home from our meeting with our ward mission leader (we didn't want to be late arriving home) we decided to say "hello" to one last person in the parking lot of our apartment complex. It was a man and his dog... anyways, long story short, a strange turn of events occured and before we knew it we were sitting in a bar across the table from a smoking man and his miniature pet dog and and the waitress threw down a couple of beers on the table. Hello. Sister Sloan then leaned over to me and said, "Um... are we in a bar?" to which I immidiately responded, "Yes, yes, I think we are." It was way strange... we explained that we don't drink or smoke... so he ordered us cokes. And chicken. (I dunno. I really dunno.) And they wouldn't let us leave until we ate it. So we DOWNED the soda (I haven't had soda in such a long time) and then they ordered another one. At this point the chicken was  put on the table and the guy got up to go to the bathroom and so Sister Sloan and I sizezed his absence as an opportunity to dump the plate full of chicken into Sister Sloan's purse. A man in the corner was watching us do this and Sister Sloan pointed him out but I assured her that it was fine because he was so drunk that he wouldn't remember it anyways. Hi, we're really good missionaries-- we conclude our sabbath days in bars with chicken and dogs on chairs and stuff. It's whatever.

Hey, I played soccer and ripped up my leg again this week. Except... it's the other leg this time. My legs look reallllll cute. The koreans kept telling me that I needed to go to the hospital for it... and I might have taken their advice into account had they not advised me to go to the hospital over a couple of pimples as well. Koreans are dramatic when it comes to medical-related things. It's fine. I just rubbed some dirt on it, it ain't no thing.

Okay. So maybe this week's email was full of a whole bunch of unexpected things. It's fine. We have fun. And we never quite know what to expect. I think I write in my planner more with whiteout than I do with actual pen... but the work is progressing and we're enjoying it every step of the way! (Okay... except for maybe when we end up in hole-in-the-wall-bars...)

I hope everyone is happy! I pray every day that you'll get to have missionary opportunities in your own lives. As we've been working with the members I've seen JUST HOW IMPORTANT members are in the work. So get involved with the missionary work in your wards. Seriously, it makes all the difference. You're full-time finders and as missionaries, we're full-time teachers. It's a team effort. So let's do some missionary work!

I love you all and I think about you every day! I'm happy and working hard and laughing a whole bunch. Sister Sloan and I are finally catching on to Korean humor-- we can keep the ward members laughing pretty hard these days. That's a step in the right direction, right? Right. 

Right.

xoxo,

Sister Bagley

p.s. we're about to go skinny dipping in public. Just kidding. But also not. Koreans believe in community bath houses. So..... to embrace the culture, Sister Sloan and I are about to go hang out with a bunch of naked grandmas. Here goes nothing... wish us luck!

A Week of Miracles!

I don't even know WHERE to begin this week. It's been absolutely fantastic. But I guess we'll just start out with a little lesson that I learned that I am certain played a big role in the events that occured throughout the rest of the week.

Lately I've been really thinking about prayer. It's such an incredible blessing that we've been given to be able to communicate with our Father in Heaven. Lately I've just been feeling as if my prayers were falling into a really repetitive pattern. As a missionary you tend to pray for the same things every single day-- but I realized this week how to change the feel of my prayers. You have to pray in faith. Not that I wasn't praying in faith before... because I believe the very act of getting down on your knees to speak to a being that you can't see is an act of faith-- BUT, as we've been taught, "faith without works in dead." So, this week, with that thought in mind, as I've been praying I've been praying with an action in mind. I asked the Lord to help me find people to teach and as I asked for that I thought of specific things I could do that would help Him to help me find people to teach. (Okay, that sounded more confusing than it was supposed to.) In order to find people to teach, I have to open my mouth. So along with praying for help, I told Heavenly Father all the things I was going to do in order to recieve that help. 

Just by changing that alone-- we've seen so many miracles this week. 

1. At the beginning of the week, we had one investigator and two potential investigators. Now, we have ten potential investigators that we'll be meeting with this week (that have SO much potential). 

2. We've been trying to visit with one of the less-actives for so long now... and after visiting and getting turned down SO many times, this week she let us in. We were absolutely shocked. She said, "You can only stay for a little bit," but by the end of our visit she was feeding us oranges and sharing so many personal questions and feelings that she's been having and we were able to have a full-on discussion about Jesus Christ's atonement. We answered her questions directly out of the scriptures-- it was incredible! We ended up staying there for about an hour.

3. We had a conversation with a woman at a bus stop on "White day" (Koreans celebrate every 14th of the month in ways similar to valentines day... white day is a day where people just give each other candy) and we gave her our number and figured we'd probably never hear from her again. But she ended up calling us later that night to set up an appointment for this week. What?? So crazy!

3. At church we were sitting in Relief Society waiting for the meeting to start when we heard one of the members running up the stairs calling out our names. He ushered in a young girl who had literally come to church on her own because her dad said that he wanted her to come to our church. She came out of nowhere! She was a complete miracle. And we were all so blown away by the fact that we had an investigator with us at church.. it was insane!

Those are just a couple of the huge miracles we saw this week. Literally, every single day I was blown away by the incredible things that happened. God's hand is in this work! Our plans may never go as planned... but His plan always turns out to be much better than our plans. 

I don't have a whole bunch of time to write this week... there's so much to do! But I am grateful for the blessing of being able to see the miracles that can happen on a day-to-day basis. This is so cool. Being a missionary really is so cool. 

I love all of you so much and I hope that you're all doing well! I'll write more next week, I pinky promise. (I have so many cool experiences still that I'd like to share but I just don't have time!) 

Look for the miracles.
No, scratch that.
Pray for the ability to be a part of the miracles.

Have a good week!

xoxo--

Sister CaLea Bagley

Korea is Kool

Hey, kids.
Wait, has it been another week already? Strange. 

First of all, I hope Arica and Sophie had happy, happy birthdays! I was thinking about them this week! So, it's been another amazing week in 만수. I've been so blown away by how much the Lord's hand is in our day-to-day lives. Often times we don't even realize it until we sit down at the end of each day and are going over the events that occurred during the day. Missionary days are compilations of hundreds of little miracles. Earlier this week I was asking for eyes to see the miracles and let me tell you-- I've seen them. 

We've been going through all the old records of former investigators this week and have had such an incredible experience with that! We found a woman who has been going through a certain set of circumstances and has been searching for the kind of peace that the gospel can offer. She literally said, "I have never known God-- but I think I am ready to know Him now. I want to learn more about your church." And we were freaking out because... hello! Golden investigator! Buuut... alas, we discovered that she doesn't live in our area. And so we referred her to another set of sisters. Funny story: we've deemed ourselves as the "referral sisters" because we have found so many awesome investigators and have had to refer them to other sets of missionaries for a variety of different reasons. But don't worry, we're keeping our heads high and working harder than ever. Finding is a very difficult aspect of missionary work-- but we're smiling our way through it-- every step of the way.

We do, in fact, have a new investigator though. She is meeting with us because of English interest but the way that our first meeting went actually really made me excited for the meetings to come.  She said, "I don't believe in God because I cannot see Him." and shared that a lot of the reason why she has a "closed mind" towards religion now is because of the bad experiences she's had with religious people telling her that she'll be condemned to hell if she doesn't believe. Korea is loaded with people who are so pushy with religion. It's actually rather uncomfortable. And as a missionary, it's pretty difficult to get on people's good sides because as soon as we introduce ourselves as missionaries they assume we're going to start telling them to "repent or go to hell!!" Again-- religion in Korea is pretty intense. People want to bible bash ALL the time. Anyways, the only thing I could think to say at that point was this: "I guess in some ways, God is similar to the wind. Maybe you can't see it-- but you can feel it." We shared that we aren't trying to force anything upon her-- this gospel has blessed our lives so much and because of that, we've left our loved ones, our home, our schooling-- everything-- to share it with people who are looking for answers. She seemed pretty uncomfortable when we first started talking about the gospel with her, but by the end of the meeting she seemed to trust us a bit more. 

Fun fact: So-- my official soccer name is now 김승, or in other words, "beast." Bet you can't guess why... I'm pretty excited about it. Don't be surprised when I end up with a Korean soccer jersey and "beast" written in Korean on the back.

Another fun fact: my companion and I climbed the stairs all the way up to our apartment this week. In case you were wondering, we live on the fourteenth floor. Yikes. 

So when a Korean invites you over for a meal they will literally watch you eat and continue to refill you plate/bowl/cup until all the food has been consumed. Not even kidding. So every time we eat over at a member's house we feel like we're going to die. Funny story: this week we had four consecutive appointments with members in one day. Two of which were meals. We ate two ginormous meals in the time period of two hours. I've never felt so huge in my entire life... it was awful. The food was amazing. But it was awful. The worst part? My comp saying, "Get used to it." Hi, I'm going to gain four hundred pounds on my mission. 

Speaking of food-- I conducted a food experiment this past week. I called it the "Fake it until you make it" experiment. Hypothesis: If I tell everyone that all my least-favorite foods are my favorite, eventually I will learn to like them. Conclusion: If I tell everyone that my least favorite foods are my favorite, eventually I will learn to like them. I'd say it was a success, what about you?

Joke of the week: my face. Okay, Korean weather has made my skin wayy wayy irritated. Long story short, I've been dealing with some acne for the last week or so. That being said, I've had two members (in the last two days) approach me and ask me what's wrong with my face. Once even suggested a hospital visit. Wayyy too funny. Also-- Koreans are extremely dramatic when it comes to medical things. Just saying. 

Well, I'm running out of time but I just wanted to say that I am so happy and that I'm so grateful to be in Korea! I read the entire book of Matthew this week and was soaking up all the wonderful teachings of the Savior. So incredible! One story that really struck me that I wanted to share was the story of Peter walking on the water. In Matthew 14:29-31 it talks about how the Savior invited Him to come unto Him and how initially, Peter had enough faith to walk upon the water because he was focused on the Savior. Eventually, however, he began to focus too much on the crazy circumstances that were around him and because of that, he began to be very afraid. When he lost focus on the Savior, he began to sink. At that point he calls out in desperation to the Savior and "immidiately" the Savoir reaches out to him and saves him saying, "O thou of little faith, wherefore didst thou doubt?" When we focus on the Savior, we can do the impossible. Despite the crashing waves and difficult circumstances around us. Jesus works through our faith and obedience to preform mighty miracles. Trust in Him! (Also-- Luke 1:37)

I love you all! Make someone's day better this week.

xoxo,

Sister Bagley

Losts of Unposted Pictures.

When You Can't Speak, LOVE.

Okay, first things first: can someone PLEASE find my long-lost friend Morgan Evans and kick her in the rear for not emailing me about her mission call!? Thanks. I'd appreciate it. But after you kick her in the rear, CONGRATULATE HER! I'm so excited! Brazil!? So cool. 

Anyways, hello again from Korea! What a crazy week it's been! I'm just going to make up a list of things to talk about and there's no real particular order or connection to the different things I'm going to bring up-- it's just a compiliation of all the occurences in my life from the past week. Ready, set, Go!

1. We got to go to the temple this week and it was suuuch a cool experience! It was just so cool to be in a place I've never actually been before and still feel as if it were familiar. All the 만수 investigators (our investigator and the Elders' two investigators) showed up at the temple when we were leaving and we got to talk to them and hang out with them a bit on the temple grounds (which was way cool!) Our investigator wanted to get a picture with us in front of the temple and while we were posing one of the other investigators asked one of the Elders (while motioning in our direction), "Why do they look so happy?" and the Elder immediately responded, "It's because they got to go to the temple! The temple is such a happy place!" Preach it!

2. We set a baptismal date for our sweet investigator! As part of my greenie training I was in charge of offering the invitation. I was way nervous about it all day but when the pivital moment actually arrived, all I felt was peace. We set a date and everything! April 6th. The only sad thing is that she's moving out of our area this week so we had to refer her to another set of Sisters. Sad to see her go but glad to see that her life is being blessed!

3. I ate pig intestine and coagulated blood this week. I've been eating all sorts of strange foods. Too many to list, honestly. But it's an adventure! I've been taking Dad's tip on not asking what I'm eating until after I've already consumed it. Every single time my trainer says, "Do you wanna know what it is?" and I say, "One sec." and stuff the food in my mouth, chew it up real well, swallow, and then say, "K, what did I just eat?" I thought I'd be more grossed out about it. It doesn't phase me anymore. And for the record-- I eat Kimchi like a champ these days.

4. Miracles this week: One day we were running way late for an appointment and I had no more money on my bus card (but I didn't know it until I'd scanned in on the bus). Normally bus drivers in Korea are kind of rude and don't really care-- but this guy was so kind and just waved me on to the bus and said it was okay. Free bus ride. Also, our timing has been SPOT on this week thanks to the help of the Lord. We've been trying to get a bunch of less-active visits done and normally less-active visits result in people yelling at you through a closed door or just blatantly ignoring you. But twice this week we walked up to doors as the people were returning home-- which allowed us to meet them and share a short message with them. One instance, in particular, was cool because we accidently took a wrong turn and ended up going on a 45 minute detour. So when we finally arrived we were just hoping that something good would come from the visit. Lo and behold, we rode the elvelator with the girl and didn't even know it was her. But when we followed her off the elevator and realized who she was we were instantly grateful for the long and tiresome detour we'd managed to take. So cool.

5. I've officially acquired a Korea mother! There are about five ward members we meet with consistently every single week and the rest are a mix and match of other members. But of the consistent ones, we've found a Korean mother. She deemed herself such this week. I love her to pieces! She feeds us and we teach her lessons every single week. And she never lets us leave without a bag of food. And the best part? We get hugs from her!!! I love hugs. Koreans don't hug. Anyways, her exact words were, "Your real mom is in America... but I am your Korean mother." I was so excited. I'd already considered her my korean mother but now it's official.

6. Turf-burn for days!! With all the soccer I've been playing, I was just WAITING to see when I'd get a huge turf burn. This was the week! I played with a TON of elders and young men this week (I was the only female on the field... this is my life) and I tore up my leg with a sweet slide tackle! It's way gross but way cool. I don't feel complete walking away from a soccer game without turfburn on my leg. 

7. I got to sketch a little bit this morning! I just started drawing an asian-looking dragon and I'm having a blast. There's a picture of it-- but it's just the preview of the final product-- I only worked on it for about half an hour so it's been a pretty quick (but way fun) project.

8. Since my comp is the sister training leader in our zone we go on a TON of exchanges. It's way fun though. This past week I went on my first exchange where I stayed in the area and my comp went to another one-- which meant I was senior companion. Yikes. I was texting people in Korean and making phone calls in Korean and navigating the bus system and freaking out the entire time. Long story short: I'm quite content with being the junior companion for now!

9. We probably walked about 10 miles yesterday. And we didn't eat dinner until 7. What a way to spend fast Sunday! haha. Man we were dying! but it was fun and it was such a beautiful day so we definitely weren't complaning.

10. We had 12-week follow up training this week which meant I got to see EVERYONE I came to Korea with! I was sooo happy! I'll always have a special place in my heart for those kids. I love them all to pieces. 

Anyways, like always, I'm happy and I'm happy to be a missionary! Sometimes I photocopy my face at the church just to make things interesting. I think that life is meant to be enjoyed and I'm definitely enjoying it. I hope you're all enjoying it back at home as well!

Sending you all my love from Korea,

xoxo,

Sister CaLea Bagley

Korea is the Coolest.

Well, another week has come and passed in the crazy cool country of Korea! (I was originally aiming for a life-changing alliteration right there.. and it kind of worked... but it ended up being slightly more anti-climatic than I'd hoped.) Anyways, people keep asking me what it's like to be a missionary in Korea... so uh, here's a short (and most-likely lathered-in-sarcasm) summary of a typical day in 만수:

6:30-- The alarm pierces the silence and I hear my companion say, "...already...??" as we roll out of bed (which isn't that hard because we sleep on the floor) scramble around in the dark looking for our tennis shoes.

7:00-- breakfast and shower time! Whooo-hoo! Fun fact about the shower in our apartment... it's merely a shower-head connected to sink. So long story short, when I shower, the entire bathroom showers with me. fun, fun!!

8:00-- personal study. It's the best.

9:00-- companion study. It's also the best.

10:00-- 12 week study. (greenie life)

11:00-- language study. Korean is hard. But not at hard as I'm working! I will conquer!

12:00-- LUNCH. We eat rice and 김 (dried seaweed with salt and oil on it.. and I'm quite obsessed with it, actually.) for...every meal. We're real exciting. (But mostly just poor.)

.... and then we go out and do work. Which usually includes: member visits, more member visits, talking to people on buses/the street/subways, trying to find a less-active member's house... and running from one appointment to the next (literally RUNNING) because there is never enough time in the day, I swear! Sometimes we even forget to schedule meals. We're the worst. But we're working hard and that's what matters. 

So anyways, I have this super huge book that I brought with me to Korea from the MTC (that probably took up about a fifth of the weight of my suitcase on the flight over here) that I've been studying to help my Korean and on the front page it has one of my FAVORITE quotes about learning a language for the mission:

"...you can learn Korean. You can speak well if you wish. The Lord has called you to do just that and He will never fail you if you are diligent in your efforts and desires. I promise you that if you will study diligently, practice tirelessly, bear ridicule and embarrassment good-naturedly, and seek the Lord constantly, you will receive the gift of the ability to speak Korean. Your understanding will open and your tongue will be loosed. It will not be easy-- no, it may be the hardest thing you ever did, but, then, the Lord does not bestow gifts easily." 

So yeah. I don't really have time to talk about how AWESOME I think that is. But I did want to go ahead and share it. Anyways...

This week has been awesome! Our work here is really starting to pay off! Opening an area is definitely not the easiest thing in the world but it IS a lot of fun. We've officially started teaching our first investigator and we have a few potential investigators that we're hoping to meet with this next week! I can't even begin how cool it is to have the opportunity to start applying all the things I have been studying so hard for the past few months. But the coolest part about teaching is the power of the spirit that comes with the message we share. It's such a powerful experience. 

We're told to use our talents in order to help us spread the gospel and this past week I got to do just that... after English class this week a bunch of men (and young men too) went out to the dirt field across the street from the church to play a match of soccer. I've been dying to get out on a soccer field for sooo long and so Sister Sloan and I managed to talk ourselves into getting to play along with everyone else! Typically they don't let girls play... but long story short, near the beginning of the game, no one would really pass the ball to me. But by the end of the game I had people passing to me like crazy and coming up to me and giving me high fives. At the end of the game they deemed me the "MVP" and at church yesterday everyone kept saying, "Wooow. You scored three goals!" and telling me that I'm going to be professional. I definitely feel the love here in Korea. Looks like I'll be playing soccer a whole lot more. (all those years of practice are paying off! It's helping me spread the gospel!) Soccer in Korea is way too fun.

Again-- I'm happy. So happy. I know I say that every week but I mean it with all my heart. There is nothing like being a missionary. And there is NOTHING like being a missionary in Korea. I have been so blessed. And it's such a cool feeling to know that we're not out here on our own. We've got the power of heaven on our side and I definitely feel the help every step of the way.

"We never need to feel that we are alone or unloved in the Lord's service because we never are. We can feel the love of God. The Savior has promised angels on our left and our right to bear us up. And He always keeps His word." -President Henry B. Eyring

Anyways, time is running out! But I love you all and I'm grateful for the prayers and love you've been sending my way. I can definitely feel it all the way over here in Korea. I'm happy to be here, I'm happy to be serving. Miracles are real, I see them in my life each and every day. 

Take some time to feel God's love this week. 

To really sit back and feel it. Life has a tendency to get busy and it's important to slow down long enough to notice all the blessings that we've been given. 

Smile at a bunch of strangers this week. 

All my love,

xoxo,

Sister Bagley

p.s. Challenge of the week: so this upcoming Sunday is fast Sunday, right? I read Alma 45:1 and thought it was a really cool scripture. From what I read I kind of understood that they not only PRAYED in gratitude towards the Lord, but fasted in gratitude as well. That being said, this upcoming Sunday I'm going to fast for all the things I'm grateful for. I thought that was such a cool thing! I'd never thought to do that before.