Sun, May 1, 2011 at 9:57 PM MST
Annyonghashimnigga yoreobun! ! ! @_@
So, I'm down living in Suncheon now. It is pretty different from Daejeon..but I like it..better. On Saturday night we were sitting in our apartment, and the rain was coming down so hard outside, I was sticky from the humidity and the warm rain, and I was really happy. Sometimes, I feel like I am living in a really exotic land. I guess to some people, it would be considered exotic. To me, it just feels like the next town over. . with lots of garlic, spicey, shiny suits, glittery skinny ties, and golden teeth.
We serve in two areas: Suncheon, and Gwangyang. Both of them are branches. We switch off every other Sunday which branch we go to, and every other day which place we go to. We went to Gwangyang this Sunday, and there were about 3 families there..It feels like just one big family. Our branch president is like a Korean Mountain man. He killed a boar by himself with a PVC pipe, and then turned it into bulgogi and ate it. He likes to do stuff with the missionaries on P-day. He's planning an activity for children's day, down on the beach this Thursday. We live in Suncheon, and it takes about an hour long bus ride to get to Gwangyang. The dialect is a little different, which Mom already warned me of. But, I hear its not as bad as Busan..kkkk...zach. The food down here is great. The kimchi is so good down here. The other day I ate a big bowl of some spicy vegetables and guksu and kimchi for dinner, and I had to turn to my companion and ask her if there was anything in my teeth. There was. It was at that moment, while I was on the street trying to get spicy red stuff out of my teeth, that I thought..yeah! It has happened! I am eating Korean food, and loving it, and I am picking spicy specks, and seaweed out of my teeth...I am finally willingly, happily suffering those consequences of eating food that I once used to cringe at the sight or smell of. Now we're all just hangin out together--me, the squid, the seaweed, the red pepper paste. God really does work miracles. Oooh, its 12:34! make a wish!
So, this week I have just been getting used to the new area. I love my two companions (and yes, Megan, I REALLY do..haha. No holding back and putting on a good missionary face). I think I mentioned it in my email before..brief introductions about them..or maybe just that they are Mongolian and Korean-American. hmm..I see I have also fallen into the trap of referring to people first as their race..as though it is the most important thing about them. hhhhhhhhh well, it is the first thing you see. So we'll stick with it. I am serving with Amanda Sherwood, and she is from Texas. She is half-Korean, half-American. She is our senior companion, and she is amazing. She has this strong Texas personality, which luckily as some of you know--I loove Texans. Or so it would seem. She is perfect at Korean, she was born in Seoul, lived there til she was 10 and then moved to Texas. She is a strong missionary, and I feel like I'm in language boot camp with her--which I am so so grateful for. She is bold enough to tell me how to fix my pronunciation, and the tone, and flow of my Korean. She has this sweet feeling about her when she talks to people on the street, like everybody is her friend, and I love it. I know I have a lot of things that I can learn from her during this transfer, and I'm so thankful President gave me the opportunity to serve with her down here.
My other companion is Sister Uyanga, and she is from Mongolia. She is the fourth Mongolian missionary in Korea, and her trainer was the first. She is u.n.b.e.l.i.e.v.a.b.l.e. I feel beyond blessed to be companions with her. We both have the same end date of May 10th, and so on May 10th, we will have a big one year left celebration. ~side note: the lady next to me on the computer just burped~ Anyways, back to my companion. I feel like she is so mysterious, and strong, and beautiful, and soft, and when I'm around her, I feel like I could just trust her with anything. And also when I'm around her, I just have this really strong feeling like I want to work harder, and I don't want to let her down..but at the same time..it feels like we're just dancing down the street doing missionary work together, talking to people, walking past shampoo night club, demonstrating what we think sexy dance night is like at shampoo night club, and giving out Book of Mormons to people. And then not to mention, that she's Mongolian--and everybody knows Mongolians are ..I can't think of a word. But, I feel like Mongolia is this place, that people don't know a lot about, but everybody I meet from Mongolia, I always really really love. They all have this really strong, beautiful feeling about them.
Anyways, do you want to know how the church started in Mongolia, and who the first member is? I can tell you! Sister Uyanga's dad is the first Mongolian that was baptized. He was in Germany studying, and he met the missionaries on the street, they gave him a book of mormon, he read it in 2 days, prayed, called them back, and got baptized. He went back to Mongolia, there was no church there, and then about 5 months later ~op, other side note..the lady that burped next to me, is actually a man~ he ran into some Elders that had just been sent from Russia into Mongolia. He tried to explain in German, Russian, and Mongolian that he was a member..but they couldn't understand. Finally, one Elder understood the German a little bit, and they figured it out. The missionaries baptized the rest of his family, Sister Uyanga's family, and they became the first family baptized in Mongolia. And Scott Kyle!! Sister Uyanga says that she knows you--her name on facebook is Uyanga Enkhtuvshin. Do you know her? Anyways, we talked about you this morning! Sister Uyanga has the "in" with all of the Mongolian ladies down here in Suncheon. So, last Saturday we went to this huge baby's first birthday party. There were tons of Mongolian people there, and I had no idea what was going on. I was just holding babies, and eating food, and trying to figure out how they pronounce that L while blowing air through it? I'm trying to learn how to pronounce Mongolian Investigators names, and basic phrases, but..heh. its hard for me. I don't know how you did it.
Well, I think I'm about out of time. We have half of p-day today, and then the fun part on Thursday for Children's day. I will write more later. And I will send pictures sometime, I promise. I love you all, I hope that you are all doing good!
Saranghaeyo,
Cutler Chamae
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