I still find it crazy that I wake up every morning and I'm in Korea. . . Holy cow, it's so crazy that I am already here in Korea on my mission! I love missionary work. These past few weeks I have really learned a lot about myself. I have seen my strengths and my weaknesses. I have been trying hard to focus on those weaknesses and make them strong.
Some cool and crazy things I wanna tell you about Korea are the restaurants and the people! The restaurants are crazy! Most places I walk past on the street there are fish tanks out front. In these fish tanks are all sorts of living creatures; for example, octopus, eel, shrimp, squid, tons of fish, and many more! Hahah! When you order it, they pull it right out of the tank and dish you up! I haven't experienced it yet, but I'm sure I will soon!!
One thing I really love about Korea are the people. They are so giving and kind. Every time we visit members or have lessons with investigators, they always have something for you. They are very giving people. This past week I haven't been feeling well and our investigator brought me some medicine and some jam to make sure I was feeling well. He is such a good guy. He is progressing but very slowly. We are really trying to get him to come to church, but he just isn't sure yet. We are praying for him, and I hope his heart will be softened and that he will come to church. This week we taught him how to pray in English, and he totally prayed for me when I was sick. I felt the Spirit so strong! It was awesome. I am fine now and am 100 percent.
This week I want to talk about prayer. Prayer is a very special gift that our Heavenly Father has given to His children. He has given us this gift so that we can communicate the desires of our heart. He wants to know of the things we need and the things we are grateful for. Heavenly Father knows all things, but He requires us to ask him and to evaluate ourselves for the specific blessings we need. This may sound a little weird, but I am really learning how to pray. Prayer is a process. We have to recognize the things we need and then ask. Once we have asked, we must act and look for answers. I have been doing a lot of that this week. On Sunday, I decided that I would just pray and ask and thank during and throughout the whole day. I know by doing this simple act, I was exercising faith and showing Heavenly Father I really cared and was looking for answers.
In conference Pres. Tad R. Callister gave an incredible talk. One thing that really stood out to me was when he said something along the lines of this, "Our morning prayers are our spiritual armor as we walk out the front door into the most wicked battle field against Satan and his armies." That line is very powerful and true. The world is getting more and more wicked, and we must not forget to pray. It is our daily armor we need. We cannot forget it. I encourage you to say your morning prayers. Put a sign on your door if you forget. But we must pray always so we can conquer Satan and his armies. Doctrine & Covenants 10:5 is a great example of this.
I am grateful for everyday I get to strengthen my relationship with Him. I know my mission will go very fast, and I only have this specific time in my life to do this--bring the people of Korea back to Him! How great is my calling! I love the Lord and am so blessed to be able to serve Him.
I have been blessed with so much. I love my family so much. Thank you for your love and support! Thank you for your daily prayers on my behalf. I love and pray for you!
Yesterday I went to a foreigner event. There were people from all over the world! It was awesome! I saw so many Americans! I literally talked to everyone of them. I felt so good haha. I could actually speak and express the desires of my heart through the language I know. One guy I talked to was atheist and I testified that if he read the Book of Mormon, he could know that there was a God and that through reading it he could feel His love. I also talked to this guy who was from Scotland. He was such a cool guy. I ended up giving him a Book of Mormon and bearing my testimony to him.
I am grateful for this work. It is moving forward every day, and I am grateful I can be a part of it. I have been studying the scriptures and trying to apply them to myself and have noticed a lot of small and simple answers. I love this Gospel. It is GOOD NEWS. Have a good week!
Love you guys!
Elder Cole Thomas Johnson
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