Yeah, it is freezing here. For me. I don't have the greatest blood circulation due to my low blood pressure, and being tiny. To rectify the situation, Elder B has put me on a gain diet and I'm now working out his way, which is less strenuous, but for some reason I feel more sore. Hopefully I get huge.
Family Home Evening: every week on Monday in the Pihl's apartment, which is in the same complex as ours. The missionaries and a couple of recent converts come, but it is mostly for LAs and potential investigators. [The Pihls] are both from the Utah area, I think. He's a retired jet pilot from the Air Force. Fun people. Took us to a haunted house this week.
Elder Whitlock with an FHE buddy. Photo Credit: the Pihls
"FHE fights", complements of Sister Pihl
Trip to the haunted barrick on base with the Pihls and the children from the orphanage:
With the director of the orphanage (and who knows what else!)
"Say, 'chem chee!'" Sister Pihl said, "Great night. This is a first for the Korean children...
They don't celebrate Halloween here." Photo credit, Elder Pihl.
The branch has maybe a hundred people who come. I'm not sure how many less actives there are out here, but there are quite a few stronger members as well. Much bigger than Chuncheon ward. The leadership is also good. President Peden is actually new, he just barely got his calling on the first Sunday I was there, but he runs a nice MCM (first one of those I've been to besides one in Gireum where they forced it because a 70 was coming). He's got lots of leadership experience. He's the camp’s Command Sergeant Major, which puts him at basically the top of the Sergeant tree (So most officers are above him, but not all, and there is only one of them in each major installation. He's pretty successful.)
Actually, this week wasn't the best. We got 14 lesson stats, which is a fair week for me in any other area, but this place is supposed to be the promised land and of those "lessons" we actually only met with two people. Everyone else punked their appointments. So I jundoed for the whole week, but it turns out that this is actually a terrible jundo area because no one is really around.
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| I thought it was funny that it advertised "musical and coffee." There is a lot of dumb advertising here. |
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| Yeah, this is my city. Pretty empty, huh? |
So yeah, just another "Why am I even here?" kind of week.
The only guy we met for more than 10 minutes is.... African-American-Korean. Dad was a soldier in the war who went home when it was done. Raised by his Korean mom. Speaks Korean and some English. Interesting guy. The fun thing about him is he told us about a dream he had where he wakes up in the night and rolls over and sees that his wife is Buddha, with the massive earlobes and mustache and everything. Then a bunch of his anscestors appear to him and tell him that since they didn't follow Christ they are being blocked from going to heaven by the gods guarding the path and that he has to do something about it. Needless to say, we'll be having a good look at D&C [138] next visit.
Love you!
Elder Whitlock
