August 29, 2021 - Home MTC

 Hey everyone! It's been almost 3 weeks since the last update. I don't plan on keeping you waiting this long between updates, so don't worry. Sometimes, being at home and being able to talk about what's happening with my family makes me forget that actual documentation needs to be written and shared! That being said, this update is a HUGE one. So much has happened in the last three weeks.

The most important piece of information I have to share is the fact that I've been given a reassignment! I've been called to the Oregon, Eugene mission! There are several other members of the district also called to my same mission on reassignment! Hold all those horses, though, because it's still possible that I'm heading straight to Korea. Everyone in our district has gotten reassignments simply due to how down to the wire our VISA processes are going. It's highly likely most of us will head to Korea on September 9. I've received a call saying my VISA has been approved, and nearly everyone else in the district has as well.

Speaking of the rest of the district, I am now part of what we lovingly call, the MEGADISTRICT. In order to free up teachers for the new Korean district that started about 2 weeks ago, we combined with the district that started at the same time as us. That means there are a whopping 18 missionaries in one district! Our schedule has also been completely redone so that now we have class in the afternoon and evenings. We do have a break Tuesday evening, but at the cost of having class on Saturday evenings. It has been a huge blessing to gather with the other district, who have had experiences in their first 6 weeks we have not. Likewise, being able to share our first 6 weeks of experiences has proven equally powerful. I love these guys, and I can't imagine the MTC without the people I've been able to meet.

I would like to give a brief rundown of all four teachers I've had at this point. Very few people get to say they had so many teachers, so I think a synopsis will be fun! Brother De La Bruere might be my favorite person ever, despite the fact that he is the best at bullying us. He is the only teacher who has consistently outlawed English in class, and that has been a huge blessing. That hasn't limited us from understanding his humor and charm however; in fact his personality is so suited to Korean it almost feels like we can understand him better in Korean than in English! Sister Cho was perhaps a bit more lax on the English side of things, but that was often to our benefit. Under the old schedule, we had Brother De La Bruere in the mornings and Sister Cho in the afternoons. This meant that we were forced to try to do nothing but Korean at the start of the day, and then if we had any questions we were able to bring them to the more comfortable Cho environment. I don't have her as a teacher anymore, much to my dismay, because she was just great. Brother Wagner is the new teacher we have, and he is very chill. Compared to the supersonic speed Bother De La Bruere likes to keep, Brother Wagner is careful and deliberate. Because of that, I can understand almost everything he says! And lastly, Brother Woolwine, who we only have on Thursday afternoons, is a teacher who uses tons of English. I think if he were a primary teacher I could be frustrated by this, but he is also a grammar wizard, and has single handedly helped me understand the Korean honorific system 10 times better than any other teacher has. Having an opportunity once per week to pose our questions and experiment with complicated grammar in an environment where questions in English are encouraged has actually proven very helpful!

Most of the rest of my time has been rather consistent, which is a good thing. Lots of Zoom, lots of prayer, and lots of reading the Book of Mormon. I have had a few stand out opportunities to serve and meet good friends that could not be afforded to me in a traditional MTC environment, and for that I feel extremely blessed. I've also had many opportunities to go to the temple, which has been vital. I'm not sure how many opportunities I will have to go to the temple on my mission considering there is no temple in my mission boundaries, and getting a better understanding of these ordinances as I prepare to teach others has been very powerful. I am blown away by the constant companionship of the Holy Ghost and of Jesus Christ. I know that this would have been a painful and hopeless endeavor if I had set out on it alone, but through the power of the gospel of Jesus Christ, this MTC experience has been nothing but phenomenal. I have little idea what to expect in the field itself, but I do know that the Lord does.  I will be out doing the work of the Lord, and when we are doing the work of the Lord, we are entitled to the Lord's help. In fact, my experience has been that we require the Lord's help every step of the way, and I also expect that to be even more the case in the field. I've only got one week left before I'm either headed to Korea or to Eugene, and I am so excited to see what the Lord has in store for me, and even more excited to meet the people the Lord needs me to meet. 

Thank you all for your support! I'll keep you guys updated more regularly from here on out. Thanks for your patience!

감사해요!

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