September 14, 2021 - Quarantine in Suji, Korea

It's real! I am in Korea! It's a little surreal and a little scary, but I am also so excited! I have to type these updates out on a phone now and I am also pretty busy, so I will likely be keeping things shorter, but I also have a lot to update you on so I'll try not to keep it too short!

At the start of the week I was in Park City with my family. It was a wonderful last hoo-ha. I love my family, and I am so glad I got to spend so much time with them during the MTC. Once we got back we went full swing into packing, and Thursday morning we got up bright and early (2am) to catch a flight! Mostly everyone was there, including a couple of my friends, my family, and even one of my MTC teachers! His brother was in our district though so he was there for family. And obviously, a majority of my district was there to catch the same flight! The flight was long and I got less sleep than I wanted to, but it went smoothly otherwise. 

More exciting than the flight, of course, is the destination! We got to Korea at about 3pm Korea time, but by the time we had escaped customs and baggage claim, it was about 5:30. At that point we split from the missionaries going to the Seoul mission and met up with those coming from other flights. And of course, the mission president! Brother and Sister Sargent are so amazing! I'm sure I will have more to say on them in the coming week, but even though I have just met them, I feel they will be perfect for me.

 It was a long and semi-conscious drive to our quarantine apartment. We got there around 8. It is a bran spankin new apartment! We are the first group of missionaries to stay in it ever! It's also almost completely unfurnished. We have the essentials, and we even have 4 AC units, as well as a gorgeous view on the 20th floor! We started out with no salt and pepper or cooking utensils, but Sister Sargent (my mission president's wife) got us food from Costco, so I haven't had to adjust to Korean food yet. I am quarantining with Elders Ferrin, Evans, Patterson, and Harmon. Elder Ferrin and Evans have been serving in the states for a couple transfers, and Elder Ferrin actually served a couple transfers in Korea before they kicked the missionaries out of the country! The other three of us are as green as you can get, but it seems like we're in good hands.

We are using HelloTalk and Facebook to reach out to people, even in quarantine! We have already been able to have some great talks about the gospel despite being kept locked up. It is truly amazing how social media can be used to meet people to teach! It is going to be a long learning process, both on how to missionary and how to Korea, but I feel nothing but comfort and excitement from the spirit. I love you guys! 

Thanks for all the support!

Elder Wardle

Pictures: Arriving at the Seoul Airport, Views from my quarantine apartment, Various pics of our apartment, Walking through the streets of Suji on our way to get our Covid Test















Location: Suji-gu, Yongin-si, Gyeonggi-do, South Korea

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