Week 61 photos: A trip to the beach

At the beach with Brother Kim and a bunch of other people

I can see Japan from this beach! (Not really, it's too far away)

I wasn't here, but it's pretty (📷: Elder Bond)

I stopped making silly faces too early

We taught Jasmine English again. Except she's fluent. So we just told her about eternal families. She lives in Seoul now

I love art

Post this on social media and I think you can get something cool

I (no joke) have been going to HoengSung since this rice was planted. It's about harvest time now

Week 61: My country was invaded

An afternoon at the beach.

Discover Pirate

Yarrr and Harrrr

Short plank for a long walk

Stop the Problem 

How?

Cruise for a Bruising

The Proof is Leviosa

Pirate

Happy (late) Talk Like a Pirate Day! And Hermione Granger/ Sister Gottfredson's Birthday! It's a party all up in last week.

So yeah, we did things this week. There was exchange. Also huge Dancing Carnival. We had investigators reading Books of Mormon, and even investigators at district meeting, but none of that matters because I went to Seoul on Thursday and so did my uncle. 

Why was he there? How did he come?* We don't know. All I know is now I have enough toothpaste to last me through college I swear. Or I need to brush 10 times a day. I might need to with all the Nutella though. Oh well. Thanks, Jeff. Hope you had fun in my country. See you around or something

Also we somehow got home in time for our appointment which was sick

And then we had Friday, which was a pretty nice day except I had to do weekly planning. 

And yeah, Saturday and Sunday were our days in Gangneung. I loved it. We slept in a mansion. And had a zone activity of 20 or so missionaries. It was so many. I streetboarded with Elder Gilmore as he played ukulele and I played clarinet.† It was sick

Also President Sonksen helped a lot with our musical number in the end. He even played the piano for it. It was super great, and the missionaries did so nice. It was great. Good session of District Conference. 

And yeah, then there was Sunday. It was fun, and most of Wonju came out this time around. It was great. Even the two sisters with cancer made it, and the less active-ish old man Elder Law baptized. The meal after was delicious, and I met old Branch President's sister and her kids. She married one of Brother Kim's friends. He said it was weird and he didn't like it. It was funny.

Also because of hour-and-a-half meeting on social media, and accidentally going with new Branch President to the beach (don't worry we found a potential investigator for Gangreung, so it was effective), we didn't get home til late. On time late, but still like later than usual.

Also the best way to make Primary kids happy is 6 pounds of gummi bears. I guarantee it. 

Pictures are separate, 

Best Wishes,

Elder Newton

 

* He was in Seoul on business, having traveled there on an airplane.

† Unfortunately, no photos of this exist, because Elder Newton was spreading the word of the Lord and did not have his camera.

Week 60 bonus post: More photos of buildings and food

Elder Lee guards the temple

Elder Bond has such a good camera

I am always distracted

Oh hey, I looked

Pretty waterfall

Near cafe (probably)

I think this is near Christmas Cafe?

Wonju

Wonju at sunset

It's a Library Cafe, isn't it so cute? It even has a piano

Our recent convert without a hat

Nice socks

It had Sprinkles ^^

Hidden Olympic Rings in 강릉

I MADE PANCAKES WITH FRUTA

Also the Maze Market at night is sick

Behold

Week 60: A Shop, a Cafe, a Convenience Store and a McDonald's

From left: Azza (who came to church and served in my home mission), her husband (who was AP over all of Mongolia), me (nerd), Elder Saguinsin (a Filipino), Buya (the one we've been meeting with. I translated for him at church twice before. His brother-in-law who couldn't make it is a throat singer in the Mongolian National Throat Singing Choir), Tamira (who is probably the funniest person you'll ever meet), and Buye and Tamira's niece (I forget her name, but she's a contortionist and fly at Korean)

Discover Mongolia

Shiver and Shake

Hard Work but Light Hearted

Stop the Problem

How?

Pack the Cow

The Proof is revision

Mongolia

Hiya all. This week's Discover Poem is a shoutout to some of the coolest people I've met out on my mission and also Gaby Galván who just got called to the Mongolia mission. It has a specific city, which I forgot, but the whole country is her mission, so it's chill.

Anywho, this week was also very missionary-y. So many things to do in so many places, and besides English class, I don't think we met anyone at the church, which gave us an interesting variety of settings for some of the most spiritual discussions of my life.

The first one was really close to the church with a very nice potential investigator. I may have mentioned (probably not, I never tell you anything in these tbh) but we found a Philippine shop by the church doing service a few weeks back, and let me tell you, every time we go I feel like a greenie again. I'm sitting down with someone holding a book that I'm told is the Book of Mormon, it's blue and has our classic font and everything, but I couldn't definitively tell you that that's what it is. Meanwhile my companion is testifying in a language I don't understand, and I'm just relying on pure guesswork to know if the conversation is about the true meaning of repentance or last night's football game.

But yeah, we had a lesson there with a guy named Alvin. He's a nice man, and Elder Saguinsin taught him very well. I didn't understand anything, but from the translation, and the spirit I felt, I knew that it was a good lesson. He can't meet for a bit because of work, so he's not an investigator yet, but he totally will be. Let's pray Elder Saguinsin isn't transferred this time around. 

We were on a little loft. It was sweet

Then a couple days later, just a little further from the church we were sitting in a (pictured) library cafe in the Maze Market with our recent convert. Every time we talk to him, I get a small sense of how much he loves this gospel, and how much he gives up. We ended up discussing everything from his concerns about temple marriage, to some very legitimate questions about repentance. It was a very long talk actually, but feeling his spirit in that time is something I never want to forget. 

From left: Elder McKinnon, Elder Hipps, Elder Newton, Elder Bond and Jasmine. She's 5 and better at English than the man in Advanced Class who has studied English for 30 years. She's great. Elder Hipps taught her like Primary. She now knows she's a daughter of God.

Finally on Saturday, I had an exchange with Elder Hipps, our zone leader. Because we had a free morning, we decided to visit our member who just had eye surgery. (Also a couple Sundays ago I blessed consecrated oil in Korean for him. I just remembered.) Anywho, he's doing great, and he had a referral (is that the right word in English?) for us. The guy was a little drunk, like the fumes were giving me a headache, but he was so nice, and he listened really well to the message we had prepared. He also bought us ice cream and saw us to the door of the convenience store. And the greatest miracle is he liked us so much he stopped drinking for that afternoon and Sunday morning so he could go to church sober. He was the first investigator to sacrament meeting I've seen in a while out here. 

And finally we go back to where we began with the Less Active Mongolians. (Well, one isn't less active, she made it to church and I translated for her. It was fun. Also it's so hard to translate church classes. No one has their comments thought through and it's a grammatical and logical mess.) We met them in McDonald's, as we have for the last transfer and a half (sorry Mom), and we ended up on the second floor alone, which was sweet. I'd love to go deep, but time is failing me, so I'll try to be brief.

Basically we talked about the gospel of Jesus Christ, and ended up with a big testimony meeting of how the church has blessed us, our families, and all of us to meet in Korea. They all had such deep thoughts, and the one who couldn't speak English well bore his testimony in Mongolian with his wife translating, until Tamira had to take over because the wife was crying. It was sweet. Also the 17-year-old girl (who is fly at Korean) had the purest testimony of eternal families. And yeah, I love Mongolia now. It was weird saying goodbye to Tamira and Buya. They're so good, and they'll be great members of their home ward in Mongolia. I think Buya is second counselor in the bishopric actually. … And yeah, that's the memes. There are some pics, but until you see those,

Best Wishes,

Elder Newton

Week 59: A varying number of musical numbers and arrangements

Elder Saguinsin, Elder Newton and Elder McKinnon

Discover Evee

Turn and Tumble

Captured attention on Released creature

Stop the Problem

How?

Trip in the 시장*

The proof is egg

Evee

* Market

So this week was one of the craziest times of my life, and the only connecting thread is our grand ol' subject line, so let's get right on it. 

We start last Sunday, back where we were last week, after the Primary class we talked about last week. The beginning of the end of Elder Newton is to be found here, as he discusses with Brother Kim ways to perform on the clarinet this transfer. For the last two transfers we've been scared that I'll disappear, and as time goes on, everyone else becomes more convinced I'm leaving. I still think I'm here until I die though, but yaknow. 

So anywho, as we talk, we realize there are a few district (church, not missionary) activities coming up, where music would be nice. So Brother Kim called the district president that night, and instead of giving us one musical number, he gave us two. However, because even after a year it's rather easy to misunderstand Korean, at the end of Sunday night I was under the impression I would be playing only at a barbecue the next Saturday. 

Because Monday is P-Day, nothing much developed. We just met our Mongolian members as usual and got us some Evees, and spent until like 10 o'clock discussing and asking zone leaders how much permission I'd need to go to this fireside/barbecue. (Oh yeah, and on P-Day we went to a super cool market right by the church and it was sweet, but anyway)

Tuesday was crazy, because we had like 3 appointments and English class, but a couple punked, so it was OK in the end. But Tuesday night was the night I learned that I actually had two musical numbers to prepare for, and one would be played at district conference. Also for that one we needed to arrange some way to have a good portion of the zone participate. So that was cool, and takes us into Wednesday

Wednesday also was a day of running around to a couple farther corners of our area, and having appointments fall through, until the last and farthest-away appointment in which we got a new investigator. That was sweet. His dream was to own 20 car shops and know two languages, and at the moment he owns 19 and is already kinda solid at English. So yeah, we're just helping this man achieve his dreams and come closer to Jesus. 

Oh yeah, also since an appointment fell through, I had time to prepare some music, and then I got a call where the fireside musical number was canceled, which saved a lot of stress, but suddenly I was meant to take the lead on setting up the multi-missionary musical number. So yeah, I spent that night calling missionaries determining their musical ability. 

Thursday was spent running to the Christmas Café, and then running back to Wonju because our appointment changed both time and place. That was fun, but it all worked out. We had some time to make calls and practice clarinet. It was a less stressful time.

Then Friday was just lost to zone conference, but it was a good meeting featuring long bus rides. I did a roleplay with President where I interviewed him for baptism. Good times. He passed. 

Saturday involved English class, a sudden interaction with the entire Relief Society of the Korean equivalent of a state, and making a daily scripture calendar for the members. Luckily clarinet practice fell through, because we barely had enough time to eat. That was the theme of this week really. I think I brushed my teeth at 10:27 or later every night this week. So many things. 

Then Sunday I spent stressing because it was the deadline for setting the music, and I needed to translate a fifth-grader's English class homework. But it led to a good lesson that night. Oh yeah also we had to run out to the bus terminal and meet a Vietnamese guy who is pretty dang good at Korean and we thought would have no interest, but instead took a Book of Mormon, said he'd been to our church three or four times before, and the next time we see him will probably become an official new investigator. Then I spent every other waking moment planning either in my mind or out loud how to do our musical number. But I think it worked out.

Oh yeah, I never said what we're doing. 

It's "The Spirit of God" featuring clarinet and piano and a missionary choir of about three missionaries per voice. It'll be nice. Hopefully I get a video

And yeah, that was only one facet of the week. There are so many things. We should just sit by a fire in a couple of years when I get home. 

Best wishes,

Elder Newton

Week 58 bonus photo post with thanks to Elder Bond

Elder Saguinsin, Elder Lee and Elder Newton at "the big recreation place by our house"

The elders use their streetboard as an umbrella

Eating all that pizza must have worn Elder Lee out. Oh wait, they hadn't started eating the pizza

I asked if they always eat and sleep in the same room and Elder Newton said "When we eat together, yes."

Happy birthday, Elder Bond. "I had to buy Elder Bond a Happy Meal with a Minion toy. Don't judge me" (Also, note Elder Bond's grandma pants)

Elder Newton will miss Elder Lee

"Yes, that's me. I can use chopsticks"

Eating cold noodles. L-R Elder Lee, Elder Bond, new member Jeffery, Elder Newton, Elder Saguinsin

Week 58: Dangit, I was going to name it after my pics, but I forgot my SD card reader

Discover Savage

Wrend and Rip

Light bone, but brutal force

Stop the problem

How?

Cut the ties

The proof is molding

Savage

Hi everyone! It's September, isn't that great? I love September. I went to Hogwarts this week, thus explaining the lack of pictures (ever since Colin Creevey, pictures have never been the same out there. Plus I only had a digital camera, which screwed me over). Don't worry though, because Elder Bond gave me a bunch today, so you can see my past, but not my present. I don't know what I'm talking about. I just love Harry Potter. I tried talking about it in English class. The members all got confused because they thought Hogwarts was a real English word and not a magic school. But what can you do?

As for district leadership, it's pretty simple without sisters. I just have to make sure the elders aren't going apostate. They're all nice. It's been a good week, but it's been sad without Elder Lee. He was a good man. We still listen to "Spiritual Whirlwinds" to remember him

'You're selfish.' 'You're judgmental.' One even compared me to a slave owner.

Stuff like that.

But yeah. Um, it was a good week. We did a lot of things, oh yeah, we made banana bread and did a surprise visit with Anderson, one of our investigating people. He's so nice. He had just gotten up from a nap, and he invited us in to talk. We had a great discussion, and I would encourage everyone to read John 6 with banana bread in mind. Also his testimony of following Christ's example is growing, and I love him.

Then, since time is low, we will just share how I got to go to the CTR class in Wonju. It had all three of our baptized primary children, and 김원희 is the teacher, which is an extra bonus. We learned about persecution, warning and pioneers. In Korean Horne and Haun get Konglished into the same sound, and so the kids kept asking about Elder Horne and his ancestors. They enjoyed my ancestor who lost his hip.* Shout out to music night for learning that in Korean. 

Also it was hilarious. Brother Kim's son started complaining how all our prophets were American. "Why were there no Koreans? When I was younger I thought the only thing there was was Koreans." Kids are fun, I plan on attending more in the future. Apparently having missionaries helped the atmosphere a little, and yeah. It's a good time here in Wonju. Enjoy the separate pictures, sorry I forgot to add captions, whoops. 

Best Wishes,

Elder Newton

 

* Elder Newton is a fourth great-nephew of Alma Lamoni Smith and a great-great-great-grandson of Willard Gilbert Smith, the other Smith brother who survived the massacre.