I survived this past week!

Well Christmas is one week I'm excited to talk to you guys. I'm probably going to try and call you at 10am--korea time---6pm MST USA time. So yeah I was the victim of an emergency transfer. I am in Incheon. Weird. I'll just say that there were a LOT of issues going on with Sister Newby and Jo in Incheon. I think the Lord wants me here, but inside I still want to be in my happy Anyang world with 방 애 라 with our washer/dryer and bathtub with a shower curtain. This pas week has by far been the hardest week of my mission thus far. After I talked to President last thursday I cried my eyes out all night. Mostly because Iwas just going to miss Sister 방 our investigators, the members, I will never see them again and I didn't even get a chance to say goodbye. My heart was broken. But I know that it was for the best and the best for the people in Incheon--인 천

Here's some adjectives that describe Incheon. Industrial. Its a shipping port. its quiet, I stepped off the subway and there wasn't a million students running around jamming out to annoying K-Pop. It was old men smoking and squatting. Its old its industrial, there is no track to run on. cats, mutant cats, CHINATOWN! gangs, beans, drunk women, oh and there aren't english words to describe the buses. i think we spent 6 hrs on the bust the other day.
But don't worry because I am determined to have a good attitude! I'm serious its the only way to go. I think just about everyone in our mission has heard through the grapvine about it and they are like "oh man thats rough" But not true. I hate whining.

Sister Newby and I are pioneers in Incheon we are opening this stake up where there haven't been sister for 10 months. Foundation is important. Thankfully the elders and members want to help us they do which is great. They have been finding us people to teach. When I meet people on the street and talk about the book of mormon they actually want to listen. We really do see miracles. For example, 조 은 희 is going to get baptized on the 28th of this month. We told President that and he said, "that wasn't supposed to happen" I'm just realizing that this is the Lord's work not mine. If we are diligent, and obedient things will happen. I'm recognizing how much I need my Savior and his Atonement every day. Oh little bio on Sister Newby, she's from Maryland, her mom is Korean, she joined the church in 1965 one of the 1st 500 members of the church here. Her dad served his mission in Korea. After his mission he came back to korea to study and met her mom. She went to University of Maryland and graduated in Painting. We are super different but I know we can work hard and that there are people that need us in Incheon. Well I am excited to talk to you all in 1 week! AHHH!! I'm sad I won't be talking to Mac but I love you. OKay me going to call you got it?? I am going to buy a phone card. If for any horrible reason I can't I am going to email my house phone on another email that you will self destruct right? That is just in case. Don't call me. Me going to call your hand phone or Vincents. 사 랑 해 요

Alsbury 자 매

"Alsbury 자 매 you have really big eyes" -our investigator

Thats not the first time I've been told I have big eyes, I never realized I did, I guess everything is relative right? I'm glad you guys are all doing well and staying busy. Mac--Korea is really bad in the summer humidity, I'm sorry for you, kind of a weak sauce winter here. Actually Sunday morning it snowed, maybe a cm. my comp was so happy too bad it melted during the meeting she wanted to shovel. Reminded me of dad shoveling the driveway like a madman.

Man, I really am blessed. Sometimes I really don't feel deserving of his blessings. Being exactly obedient and diligent really bring blessings. I love being a missionary. Seriously every day is amazing. I ate kimchi and rice for breaksfast with a smile on my face. Today we went to the temple. We are so lucky to get to go often Anyang zone and yeong dong zone went which means I got to see sister hunt & sister toronto. Yayaa I think I am getting a little ahead of myself. Tuesday night we get home its 9 the phone rings, my companion answers sounds really happy hangs up the phone--President Burton is 10 minutes away from our house!! We ran like crazy trying to clean up our house--we really don't have time to clean. As of tuesday night we are temporarily in a threesome (if juliet and Elizabeth Lewis ever read this they will have just laughed) Anyway. Yeah seriously though, I have 2 Korean companions, I think maybe tomorrow it will change. Actually I don't know what is going on really--big problems and I don't gossip because it drives the spirit away. But we are having a good time. I am about 98% sure that Sister 방 and I will be split next transfer (on the 29th) We work so hard together and she has just become one of my greatest friends. She's coming to the lake with us someday. So thanks for sending Christmas stuff. Her parents are Buddhist. P.S. Thank you Vincents for the Package--its sitting under our tree :))

Do you know much 15 kg is? Its 33 lbs. Do you know that Mandarin oranges are in season in Korea? Well sunday a member gave us 15kg of Mandarin oranages (귤)!!! Shipped from Jejudo this island in Korea that a member got for us. I carried this box for a mile on the bus and home. 33 lbs of oranges!! Can we eat them all before they go bad? I'll let you know. We are going to try. Unless our skin turns orange first.

On sunday this member forgot the korean word for priority during sunday school and looks at me thankfully I knew that 우 선 means priority. It was weird. I'm studying hard. Its still really hard. I think it will always be. I'm up for the challenge. I know challenges make us grow my companion is "hardcore training" me i.e. I have to make all of the calls at night and do things that Paige really dust doesn't want to do but it will help in the long run. Insert universal application there.

Briggs are you going to send me your Christmas concert CD? Or you can sing to me in 2 weeks when I call. Speaking of that are you going to be at home. I'm going to call you. Jill's going to be in Utah? I can't 3 way from Korea. Let me know the plan.
Sunday night we had a district activity caroling near this subway station. It was awesome, we passed out our english program flyers and got a lot of phone numbers. This week we have gotten so many 소 개 referrals from the elders. Truly a blessing. People who are prepared for the Gospel are out there. Sometimes I feel like there are just way to many people here. But its good because there is always someone new to talk to.

We had zone conference on Saturday. They talked a lot about remembering our purpose as a missionary and our Mission Scripture which is 3 Ne. 5:13. It was really great. President read part of an email from Chase Hilton from Dillon who served in our mission and how much he just really wished he was back in Korea being a missionary. I really needed that. President really is inspired and leads our mission. I never what that much stress. my comps. just called me by my new nickname. Since korean family name are only 1 syllable they just call me by the 1st syllable of Alsbury written in Korean. 알 ,which sounds more like arrrrh 자매님. They are cute. I love my family so much. Briggs continues to be the biggest hearthrob people ask if he has a girlfriend to my self I'm like "no way he's too busy going to the 'nitty store and using an entire thing of conditioner in one bathtub" among your other past hobbies. Don't be grown up though okay? Thanks for supporting me. I love you all. Hey mom do you ever hear from Edgar Benevides? You should send him my emails. His email is in my gmail.
사 랑 합 니 다
Alsbury 자 매

P.S. If you guys go to bed before 9 every day the korean elf might bring make a stop at your house. I'm just saying there's a chance ;)

December 4

Your emails were especially awesome today muchas gracias. (Sometimes when I am on the street people I speak in spanish and they all freak out because the think that everyone who looks like me should speak english--rightfully so)
Yeah so thanksgiving was awesome, the Marsdens were great, it was weird being in an "American house" it seemed huge. Elder Choi of the Seventy was their as well as a stake president and his wife, I think my favorite was the pumpkin pie and chocolate pie. My companion liked it, she loves american food. Sometimes companionships in our missions have problems because the korean missionary wants rice all the time and the American doesn't, thats a blessing among all of the many other blessings I have received as a missionary.
We did the crazy pressure point therapy thing again, where you walk on the different surfaces of rocks and it kills so bad. It was fun all in the name of health. We have this investigator who is sick and the things that she and my companion and this member were doing to "help" her were CRAZY! I won't go into details.
Last Saturday we went way up on the North part of Seoul in the Seoul Mission and all the korean missionaries had to take an english grammar test if they score really well they can go to BYU-H or something, it was nice because I got to relax for 2 hours during the test with the other Americans. I heard about Elder Wirthlin he was so sweet his conference talk seems to always pop into my head when our investigators drop us, the wind is blowing its cold and we still have 3 more hours of street contacting and there isn't anyone to talk to. Come what may and love it--I will try. So much about missionary work is attitude. Hey guess what? We have a Christmas tree! Its like 3 ft tall and even has lights. We found it in our house. We sleep on our mats in our living room and its quite soothing to sleep by a christmas tree. Its my companion's first christmas tree she likes it but not as much as I do. Last week was her hump day (9months) So we burned a stocking in her honor.
I'm glad Briggs is singing a lot I wish I had worked on that more. People always ask us to sing in church and I'm pretty much not very good, oh well.
Way to random sorry
Korean culture time. K-Pop. Ringback tones. They all seem to like the same 4 songs and they play them everywhere and on their phones everytime I call its the same whiny song. Did you know that cell phone in korean is "hand phone"--but koreanized pronounciation.

This transfer is going to be 2 weeks shorter so that the returning missionaries can go to school. We have implemented a "hardcore training" program in our companionship. Which mean 1000x more stress for me. But I know I am learning a ton more korean and handling the stress. Last night we were eating with this member and somehow I understood what she was saying, and trust me the content of the conversation was not easy vocab. I know Heavenly Father is helping me every day. Like D&C 1:23 says I am weak and simple but I have been called by a prophet to preach the gospel here. read Silvia Allred's talk.

We have this investigator 김 나 영 (Kim, na-yeong) She's great. When we first started meeting her I thought for sure she didn't have any interest but that was 2 months ago. We taught her the 3rd lesson and the spirit was so so so strong. It was such a wonderful experience. She told us something along the lines of "I hear your words but its my heart that is feeling" it was amazing. She felt the Spirit, thats exactly how we learn its by the spirit. There isn't enough time ever to say what really happens or express in an email. Maybe next Christmas huh? Just know now that my testimony of our Savior is strong and I am so glad I am doing what I am doing know, I know it is all true.
The phone call. I don't really know details now but I will probably call you guys Christmas morning that means Christmas Eve in Montana. So maybe let me know when you are going to be home on Christmas Eve okay?
Jill good luck on finals. Are you going home for Christmas? Briggsy boy swim fast, do you BYU application faster. Trade. me send you hot korean 라 면 you send me mail okay? Mom and Dad I love you so much keep being good missionaries and thanks for putting up with my weirdness. Mac I dust miss you. Anybody else out there I love you, I'm happy ;) xoxox

알 스 베 리 자 매
Sister Alsbury