So for transfer day,
everyone who is transferring goes to Busan, and then just anyone else who wants
to go. But only the people who are transferring get refunded on travel
expenses. Neither of us transferred, but there was this lady doing a test
thing for her Doctorate's degree where she needed foreigners who spoke
Korean. Elder Payne was one of the lucky chosen ones, so we got
refunded. Transfer meeting is just 10am-12, and all the missionaries who
are leaving bare their testimony, the office elders and the APs give
announcements, and President and Sister Barrow give talks. And there are
usually a few musical numbers. We had to get up at like 5 in the morning and
catch a train at 6 so we could be there in time, since Gimcheon is so far away.
We didn't get back until close to 6pm because of Elder Payne's test he had to
do. But it was good since I got some good nap time in :)
We spent most of this
past week preparing for a play we did on Saturday as part of a fireside in
Gumi, just showing the ward members what missionary work is like, and then
talked about how they could help. It turned out really well; one lady told
me afterward that, based on what I said in the play, she thought that I had
been in Korea for at least a year. It almost made me feel good about
myself, except the play was completely scripted, so not really. :)
You like the wallpaper
in my apartment? That's Korea for you; almost all apartments are like
that in Korea. Elder Jung and I are standing in front of a less-active
member's house. It's not decorated for Valentine's Day; missionaries just
heart attack members' houses to make them feel loved. :)
For Korean chicken, just
imagine fried chicken that is way better than KFC, and then put indescribably
delicious sauce all over it. And if you're smart, you get it without
bones. It's basically the closest thing to heaven that I've ever come
across. Yes, it's spicy, but that's a good thing. :)
So something pretty cool
happened this week. We were on the train back from Gumi, and Elder Payne
and I had separate seats. After I sat down, an older guy sat down next to
me and said, "how are you?" in English. I was like, sweet, he knows
English, this is going to be easy...but it turned out that he didn't know much
more than that. But as I started speaking in Korean to him, I was somehow
able to say what I wanted to, without really having to think about it. It just came.
And I was able to understand most of what he said, which is a miracle, since
older people are really hard to understand. I'm not joking, it's like
they speak a language other than Korean or English. I talked to him for a
while, and he said he was a Seventh Day Adventist. I tried to give him a
Restoration pamphlet, but he totally rejected it. Apparently he has seen
missionaries a lot before, and talked to them. He said he lives in Busan,
so there's not much we can do as far as teaching him, but it was a really cool
experience. When we got off the train, Elder Payne said when he saw the
guy sit down next to me, he was like, "get him, Elder Hines" and then
immediately started praying for me to have the gift of tongues. And it
totally worked! It was so cool. :)
Have a great week, I
love you!
Elder Hines
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| Elder Hines & his district |
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| Bulgogi (beef in sweet marinade) & Garlic pizza, delicious Korean chicken |
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