January 23, 2023 - Namwon/Suji

When the AP's Come A'Callin...

This week was JAM PACKED with crazy crazy adventures, so buckle up!! I hope to be very compact here, so here it goes:

I went on an exchange with a trainee who serves in Jeonju. His Korean skill is far and away the best I have ever heard out of a missionary in training, and I am excited to see how he develops in the future. But that's probably not what I will remember most about this week because...

I received a call from the AP elders late Thursday morning and was informed I have been called to serve in the mission office. I was also informed that I needed to be on the exact opposite side of the mission in exactly 24 hours, which is a day before transfer calls and a whole week before transfers. Also, I was in charge of my travel plans. After a few moments of freaking out with my companion, we proceeded to the following activities:

In a mad dash to meet as many people as possible, we met two of my favorite friends for dinner and a few others as brushes up. It's hard to say goodbye and harder not to meet any of the members. 

I said goodbye to Elder Kent at the train station. He is a fantastic missionary, and my relationship with him was among the strongest I have had on my mission. He will be training and District Leader this coming transfer, and I could not be more excited to see what great things he will do. I'm proud of what we did in Namwon and feel good about leaving the area where it is

With no companion I took a train, then a subway, then a bus, all carrying way more luggage up and down stairs than any one man should be allowed to carry in a suitcase with broken wheels while wearing a full set of winter clothing. Nonetheless, I arrived safely (if not sweaty) in Suji, my new area, right in time for....

A finding activity with my new district, including the APs and the Mission President. We got some good numbers, and I got to know some missionaries I had never met due to my up-till-now down-south syndrome.

I settled in, received some training from the Elder I will be replacing. He has more than a year of experience serving here, and he has valiantly been attempting to shove that full year onto me and my new long-term companion, who also just arrived in the office.

The ward members are super passionate about missionary work, we have a large number of high potential friends, I have access to the best missionaries at my fingertips, our apartment and area are the richest in the mission, and I get to do the work of a dozen missionaries in the office. 

This email is already long, so maybe next week I can go into detail about office responsibilities and the area, but in the last two days I have already had 4 of the most spiritually powerful lessons on my mission. The Lord is so good, and never have I felt more engaged with his work. It is overwhelming and rewarding, and I hope to hit the ground running so I can step up to what the Lord expects of us all. I have a lot to learn and a very busy schedule.

This week was also the Lunar New Year! In Korea, this is a time to gather with family, do fun Korean traditions, and remember ancestors. It takes on special meaning to saints of the Church of Jesus Christ, as we know that family is central to God's plan for us. Even though this is a holiday with little presence in America, I hope all of you get a chance soon to sit down with your families and enjoy one of God's greatest blessings for us. 

I didn't have time to respond to any personal emails this week, but I read all of them, and I love all of you! I will give each of you a juicy full email next week. In the meantime, I hope you all have a fantastic week!

Elder Wardle 

Pictures: Just in case you didn't know how to eat a burger, Saying goodbye to several Friends and members, Chickens!, Beautiful Namwon, and Elder Kent and I, making food in Namwon, my apartment in Namwon,