Elder Chizzys May and June adventures!

May 25

One of the sisters in my District was kind of having a hard time so she asked me for a blessing and quite honestly, I had no idea what she needed or anything... I was just riding the bus on the way out to district meeting and I just kept thinking about what I should bless her with. Then something that you shared with me awhile ago popped into my head. You shared with me about when you were getting read to give Eisley a blessing and how you read in Alma 14 about Alma saying that it was not the will of God that they should save all of those people and how after reading it, it made you think even more about how when we use the priesthood, we truly are just acting in God's name... Pretty cool and then I was able to give her a blessing. I just remember talking a lot about God loving her and how He was willing to bless her if she relied on him... I still don't know exactly what was wrong with her, but I just thought it was cool that I was able to give that blessing... And then afterwards she told me that she had never really asked for a blessing before that so it was just kind of a cool experience... Anyways, you are a great example to me dad and I love you lots... Then somebody at church yesterday asked me if my parents had taught me anything that had affected my life.... Haha weird question.... but they asked for a specific thing that you had taught me and I just told them about your example of being worthy for the priesthood and how you had taught me lots about it!! So yeah, I thought a lot about you this week!!!

June 2
We kind of had a lot of different meeting and stuff so we really didn't have a ton of time to proselyte and what not, but it was good. We were able to work hard the last three days to kind of make up for the first four days... Funny how that happens... When you wanna get stuff done, you just get it done!! We got transfer calls and I will just stay in Ilsan, and train a new zone leader... So just get a new companion. He is korean too so I guess I just get to finish off my mission speaking a bunch of korean so that is cool... He is a little bit older in the mission too so he knows what is going on which will be nice:) His name is Goo Yeong Jin... I have talked to him a couple times and he seems nice enough... I will miss Elder Smith like crazy though, man I love that kid.

So Korea is a very interesting place and there are still some things here that I just cannot understand.... So, as for our apartment, we have no dishwasher or dryer or air conditioning.... Mainly because almost no one in this country has those!!! (Do we live in a civilized country or not???) Haha so we stay cool be the fans that I talked about last summer.... They truly are life savers... For a long time, in Ilsan, I slept on the couch for a long time, and then I found a mattress.... Haha on the side of the road that was really nice so now I sleep on that which is really nice!! (don't freak out... I kind of
.. I kind of cleaned it:)) Haha we also found another couch on the road not to long ago and it is super comfy which is nice:):) Haha other stuff... It is hot... And humid:) Woohoo... For meals... Lately I have been going through a cereal phase... I eat cereal a lot cuz it is so easy... In the morning, I have a protein shake which consists of ice, milk, chocolate protein powder, peanut butter, and bananas.... It is really good:):) Then I have sweetened corn flakes.... Not really frosted flakes but close usually with some granola for lunch... Then I just kind of eat random stuff for dinner... Sometimes pasta, sometimes pizza, sometimes chicken and veggies... Haha anything that is short and easy to make, I make:) I make salads sometimes, but that stuff is expensive!! Milk is way expensive too... So I spend a lot of money to eat my cereal and shakes... Hmm... There are lots of "american" style buffets out here and those are always fun!!! we are going to one today so that will be good:):) They have kimchi with pretty much every meal which is fun... I really do like kimchi!! It is super good and I will miss it.... Most korean food just has random red sauce on it with rice... This week I ate something with fish eggs in it... Kind of strange.... Anyways, grocery stores are pretty much the same... A little different cuz it doesn't have the same food, but pretty much the same.... Our church building is probably the nicest one in korea.... Super super nice and pretty new... At least in our mission. It doesn't have pews like most churches in america, but it is still nice... It is kind of out in the middle of nowhere... But that is ok:) You will see when you come!! We are going to a really cool park today... It is called lake park and it has a really nice man made lake... Not many lakes in korea cuz all of there mountains are actually hills..... Hahahaha kind of funny how that works... Um.... Food in general is just quite expensive and we ride the bus pretty much everywhere so that is fun.... I dunno... anything else you want to know?? There isn't a ton of culture stuff....They are very busy, all the time, even though they really aren't.... That is ok though!! They are nice. I like korea a lot!! It is a nice place:)
June 8
 I say that I am grateful for you and Dad all the time, but the thing I am most grateful for is that you pointed me in the direction that I needed to go.... I read the Book of Mormon for the first time before I was baptized and quite honestly, I don't remember anything from it... Haha I just remember you telling me that I needed to pray about it cuz that is what it says to do.. (Honestly, I didn't even know where it said to do that.... Haha you just told me too!!) I don't remember if you were there our not, but I remember that I kneeled down next to my bed, haha those old bunk beds in the Santaquin house, and I had that little blue book in my hand... I prayed about it and I don't remember a specific feeling, but throughout my whole life, I have felt such a desire to read the Book of Mormon and understand what is in it.... I always felt bad if I missed a day or something back at home and it always bothered me when I didn't feel like I should read it... But I think I just knew that it was true... Obviously coming on my mission has helped me understand the gospel way more, but I am just soo incredibly grateful that you and Dad pointed me in the right way, let me lean on your testimonies until I got mine, and then let me find mine. That is something I am grateful for.

June 15
I am doing really good:):) It was been an interesting week for sure.... I am in this stage of kind of freaking out cuz I have a lot that I want to do, and a lot that I really need to do and I am starting to realize how much time I really don't have.... We had a couple of missionaries come home in our ward yesterday and that was so weird... I didn't talk to them tons, but it was just weird cuz they both used to serve in our mission and so I knew them when they were missionaries and seeing them totally freaked me out... Haha and every time I see other missionaries, or members, they always remind me that I am going home in five weeks!! Haha it is kind of crazy, I don't know if it really will hit me, but I don't really want to go home yet.... I want to keep serving... A lot of missionaries say that there comes a time that it's just your turn to go home and that it feels right... Haha it doesn't feel that way yet!!! Kind of crazy that I can only have five weeks left... This week has been weird that way, but, it has also been really good!! My new companion is great and he works hard and so we have been working really hard.. Contacting a lot and we had some appointments and what not... He works well with the ward too and they like him so I am hoping the ward will be able to turn around:):) It was definitely inspired that he came here and the other elder that came, Elder Black, is really good and they are helping me out a lot... Definitely an answer to my prayers!! I miss Elder Smith like crazy, but it is ok.... LIfe is good and this week was an interesting one!!!

This week there was a guy that Elder Smith found and referred to me that we met with and he has a lot of potential which is really cool!! He came to church yesterday and this week when we meet him, we will probably give him a baptismal date and what not!! Really cool stuff:) His name is Park Yong Soo and he is a super nice guy... Maybe 40 years old and has a lot of english and gospel interest so that is cool:) I am excited about him!!!
Another cool thing about this week is that we were able to go to a baptismal service up in the other area in our zone to see a lady get baptized up there and it was really cool!! She is Filipino and is so nice!! The sister missionaries found her on the street not to long ago and it was just a total miracle that she was baptized!!! But I was able to translate for her from Korean to english and then when people were speaking in English, I translated into korean... Haha quite the experience to say the least!!! Kind of weird that I could actually do that:) It was a good experience though for sure!!! Kind of cool how I can do that:)
. I love going out and just preaching the gospel.... It is such a blessing to be able to tell people all the time that I know this message is true and that Jesus Christ is our Savior.... Being able to bear my testimony everyday is such a great blessing and being able to focus so much on him and his gospel is amazing... I read Isaiah 53 this week and I love that chapter so much... It is in Mosiah too in Ch 14, but it is one of my favorite chapters on the atonement, if not my favorite.... Christ really took upon himself everything that we would ever experience in this life.... And he did it because he loved us... I am so grateful for him and for His wonderful example:)