감사해, May 18

This week was pretty great.

 

Just alot of really normal missionary work.

 

This week I had two experiences with investigators this past week. One was I met one of our investigators on the street for the first time and I got to introduce myself to him and set up an appointment. We should be meeting him this week. It was so good to finally meet the face behind the name.

The second was a new investigator that we met with this week. He was a referral from the Office Elders that had english Interest and has really never gone to church before. He came to English class last Wednesday and we met him again on Saturday. The lesson went really well. We taught him the first lesson. He seemed to accept everything pretty well. He said he would keep his commitments so I am very happy. But he seems like a solid investigator. Elder Lee and I just need to figure out each others teaching styles more so we can teach him even better.

This week for study I studied a couple of different topics. One of the things that stood out to me the most was in Doctrine and Covenants Sec 121 and Sec 124:18. I love reading about Liberty Jail and the suffering Joseph Smith had there. It helps remind me that my trials and sufferings are only a small point in time and If I endure well then I will be blessed. Then in Sec 124:18 I love the phrase "I will bear him up as on eagles wings" With God as the air under our wings we can soar to new heights! It is a really interesting saying. It was a great study this week.

We are starting a new thing in our ward where the missionaries go with the Home teachers to all member visits. It is a cool Idea because we can have a member present at a member visit! ;)

This week  we went to go visit a newly wed couple with their home teachers this week They were very grateful to us because it was their first visit since they have been together. We talked alot about Home teaching and a few various other topics. It was a very spiritual visit. The man is american the girl is half korean. They gave us an American Style Brownie........oh my gosh soooo good!!!

Another miracle of mine this week was this week i have been humming and singing the hymns as I walk down the street. It has been a huge blessing! I have had alot less distracting thoughts and have felt the spirit sronger this week. Good miracle, Hymns have power.
 

That was my week!!! Lovin Life, Lovin You, Lovin the Lord!!!!!!!!

LOVE YA!!!!!!!!!!!

Elder Miles Diede

Mother's Day Phone Call

Great to hear his voice and visit with him.  He loves it and serving the Lord with all his heart and soul.  We are proud parents.  We are grateful for his example to his family.   Loved the phone call.  Best ever Mother's Day gift !  

Giant Buddha statue, little eaten octopus and prawn, and me Elder Landford and my comp, Elder Lee

New Area Paju

On the map look up Paju, or Geumchon. Then you can find where I am at. The area is huge but not as big as Wonju.

 

Well don't got a lot of time today email has to be cut down a little bit. So i gotta type fast.

 

Well This area is pretty awesome. It is really really pretty!!!!

 

My Korean Companion is nice, but he mumbles and talks really fast so it is hard to understand him but I have been pretty good so far. He speaks NO English. I just taught him the work Elder the other day.

He has a few kinks we need to work out, like wanting to stay at members houses all day, but we are trying to work on it. There are some pretty big problems with him, he drove his companion up the wall so I am going to try to be more Christlike this transfer.

 

 I am in the area with Elder Jang, the Korean from my first area. Elder Rhodes from my second area and Sis. Kim from Wonju so It will be super fun to serve here.

 

I gotta say I am really jealous of all of the Rafting, biking and stuff back at home. I really want to do them but hey I'm a missionary so whatever! Missionary work is just as fun!! I'm glad the wedding went well and that is cool how you can feel people in the temple. I haven't gone to the temple in 4 months i should be going this month!!!!

 

This week I have done nothing but sit at members houses.... Not missionary work. I have given out a total of 3 cards this week. Not very good, but whenever I try I am cutoff by my companion...not fun.

 

I just realized this letter sounds awful. Its not that bad. My comp has lots of problems but I am not complaining The only thing I can complain about is 2 people in my house are slobs....so I am cleaning almost 24-7 but hey Trials make us Grow!!!!  I'm sorry this letter is so awful!! I have to go buy some food.

 

I'm happy I get to call You this week!!!!!!!!!!!!

LOVE YOU!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Elder Miles Diede

 

 

 

금촌 Transfer

Hello Family.

How are you doing?!? I remember the mini mission thing..i hated it at the time...I also do remember my first MTC day. I was super shell shocked and didnt really know what was going on. Now looking back on it is SUPER FUNNY!! Question: Did Grandpa and Grandma sell the house or renting it? Im excited for them to put in their mission papers!!

Well some news. I have been transfered. I am going to 금촌 (Gimcheon) and being companions with 이중형 (Elder Lee) All I know about him is he has been on his mission for 3 months, he is Korean and he speaks little to no English. It is going to be a challenging transfer, but a fun one. I am going to the other side of Korea and my area is very close to the DMZ. I am told you can see North Korean people from the border, im going on a pday. but not crossing the border, dont freak out ill be fine. I am also going from a 30 member branch with 6 missionaries to a Giant ward with 12 missionaries. Im really Really REALLYYYYY sad to leave but i guess it is time to move on.

All of the other Elders are staying and The Sisters are both leaving one is going to be in the same zone as me and the Korean sister is going home because she is super sick, but she isnt being released she will come back after 1 transfer.

I did all of my last stuff in Wonju because I knew I was leaving so there are a few pictures of that for you.

We had a baptism!!!!!!! The lady that I found took that step to follow Christ. Elder Roskelley baptized her, but I got to stand in the circle to give her the Gift of the Holy Ghost really cool experience. Her service was very spiritual and I was very happy I was there.

We also had a Mission Tour with 2 zones, president and Elder Scott D. Whiting from the Quorum of the Seventy. It was a very good meeting he talked alot about NEphi and the qualities that set him apart fro the rest of the world. He is a super funny man but SUPER STRICT. After the meeting was over Elder Whiting wanted to interview some people so the APs picked a few people, I was not one, but I was assigned by the APs to push everyone out of our church and keep them quiet around the room Elder Whiting was in and shuffle the people being interviewed in and out. I was talking with Elder Whiting alot one on one. I can now say i was a bouncer for a Seventy. kinda cool.

Well That was pretty much it this week. Well I am running out of time I gaoota go but LOVE YA LOTS!!!!!!!!!!

Elder Miles Diede

The pictures are

Korean resturaunt called Shaba Shaba

Wonju Branch at the baptism

A cute kid in the branch

Easter Sunday

Well this week was an alrighty week.

 

first off I hope you like all of those pictures.

second yes we hear lots about the boat that was sunk. We hear lots of opinions ranging from it was an accident to it was North Korea's fault. It is a super sad story.

third I will get my package this Wednesday.

 

One of our Zone Leaders came here to do exchanges with Elder Edwards and he is a hilarious Korean. We started to wake up at 6 to get up and go play sports.(elder Edwards thinks frisbee is a sport, I just play basketball). Elder Moon our ZL is awesome at basketball and kept teasing me he was going to beat me. Lo and Behold I creamed him.

 

The Sisters in our area got super sick this week one just had the flu but other one is still going to the hospital. President thinks she needs her appendix removed. Really Tough situation. So we had district meeting without the sisters, and that was good because I had to give a training this week, and without them I could just focus on the Elders. We talked a lot about being a consecrated missionary. Really fun.

 

None of our investigators met with us this week either. They are all super busy or dont want to meet with us anymore. We have been trying to find more new investigators but all of the appointments we set on the street fall through, but oh well that is just missionary work. We do have a few really good potentials that should meet with us this next week. Same ole same ole.

 

It rained a little bit this week and i had my holy shoes on so they got pretty wet. not fun, but Hey holes mean you work hard!!

 

We went to a Korean Air Force base because one of our members wanted to feed us, so she took us to watch an air show and took us to a really cheap store. Then a security guy got scared and told us we had to leave because we were 3 big foreigners and 1 small foreigner standing on the sidewalk looking at the airshow. Super Funny!

 

One sad piece of news. The other Elders investigator didn't show up to his baptismal service yesterday. He wouldn't answer peoples calls either. Apparently he got in trouble with the police but we are still trying to figure it out. really sad, Elder Edwards is super depressed, it doesn't help that he has a cold either.

 

Sorry this email is so lame but not much else happened this week. This upcoming week we have a Mission Tour with Elder Whiting of the seventy and Transfer calls im on the chopping block to be transferred so I will keep you posted.

 

 This past week I was thinking and studying a lot about Easter. I read all of the stories in the scriptures and in Jesus the Christ. I have thought a lot about the Atonement and what it means to me. It literally means everything because Christ suffered for me I don't have to suffer. He made it possible for me and all people to live again! Holidays like Easter and Christmas are a lot different on a mission because there are no Santas and Easter bunnies only Christ and His Gospel. And That is literally the best present of all, even better that Marshmallow Santas or Peeps:) I know Jesus Christ is my Savior and Redeemer! He Lives, I know it and we can conquer Death because he paved the way for us!

LOVE YOU SOO MUCH!!!!!!!!!

Elder Miles Diede

 

Lots of pics as I promised

Buddhist temple pics

the sign says watch your head

 Elder Edwards and me

 awesome huge hornet sting hurts like heck

53 grapes in my mouth
cleaning the font

 Easter Sunday Me and Elder Rosekelley

awesome paper dragon that breaths fire

LOOK MOM I FINALLY LEARNED HOW TO IRON MY PANTS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

me and a tea pot

More Consecrated Missionary

Hello!!!!

Sorry this is so late we went hiking to a buddhist temple today and it was SUPER SICK!!! but I forgot my camera cord todayㅠㅠ so lots of pictures next week!!!

 Gavin is huge, driving and eating heavy duty. Scary.

 

Well This week was a pretty good week.

 

To start off I went to our ZoneLeaders area on pday to do exchanges. Elder Farr, our zone leader, also of Farrs Icecream, came back to Wonju with me. We had a great time on our exchange we got a few return appointments and we talked about alot of stuff. I have known Elder farr since my first transfer so it is awesome to get to serve with him for a couple of days. He gave me a talk about concecration and I have set some goals to be a more consecrated missionary. Elder Roskelley and I have worked harder than we ever have before and I am really pushing it because transfers is in 3 weeks and im pretty sure i am leaving wonju and I want to contribute as much as I possibly can to this little branch I love so much! So yeah it was awesome.

The only down side to the Exchanges was that Elder Roskelley got to visit the beach in Elder Farrs area. Oh well....

 

A less active took Elder Roskelley and I and the Sisters to a Steak House this week it was special because it had american sized cups. Super good. This is the second steak house in a month. Boom.

 

Well General conference was amazing! the Olympic talk was one of my favorites(maybe because I am away from sports) also Elder Uchtdorfs was really good as well. The first session we had a kid come in and bother use the entire time. He is just a punk of a kid Hes 8 years old, He was throwing stuff around, trying to steal all of our treats and was turning off the computer. and because we are missionaries we couldnt do anything he was driving us insane. There during the next session we locked ourselves in another room. he kept pounding on the door but atleast he was out. Man I cant wait to have kids. So i didnt really concentrate on conference and Pres Eyring spoke he is one of my favorites. I have to watch it again.

 

During the middle of sunday morning session a Russian lady came in our church. Elder Roskelley, sister Kim and I met her.  The only problem was that she spoke no English or Korean, only russian. After a few frustrating moments of trying to talk to her we got on google translate. We were able to help her watch a session of general conference. We figured out she was a member of 8 years and had been in Korea for 5 of those years. She was super grateful to us and we were very happy to help.

 

Next sunday the other Elders have a baptism and the lady i found will be baptized the following week. Sad story, She picked Elder Roskelley to baptize her. I gotta be honest I shed a tear over not being able to baptize her, but a soul to God is a soul to God. I am just glad she is being baptized.

 

Well I gotta go I am running out of time. I LOVE YA LOTS!!!!! HAVE A GOOD WEEK.

Love Elder Miles Diede

Solid Week, April 6, 2014

Well this week was a solid week.

 

Cherry Blossom season has started here in Korea so the trees are all so beautiful!! See attached picture.

 

This Pday we went to the church and pulled the ping pong table outside and I DOMINATED all games, just so you know none of you will be able to beat me in ping pong when i get back. Then we played wallball for a little bit and i dominated that as well. It was tons of fun, i love getting out to do sports and be even more active!

 

I had the wonderful opportunity of eating something this week that is one of my first "I hope I never eat that again" thing. The lady with the baptisimal date that I found fed us Sea Slugs. Long story short I hope I never eat it EVER again! They were so salty and chewy and gross.

 

We met with our investigator this week and we taught him the Plan of Salvation. At the End of the lesson we gave him a baptisimal commitment and said he doesnt want to commit to anything yet. It was kind of a big downer because we really thought he was going to accept. but we will meet him again this week and see how it goes.

 

Then we had Zone training meeting so we traveled to the site of the 2018 olympics and had our meeting we have a new Korean zone leader Elder Moon and he is super awesome!! Our mission focus for this month is the Doctrine of Christ, so I have been focusing my studying alot this week on Christ like attributes and Doctrine of Christ. It has been a pretty good study!!

 

Lots of ordinary missionary work. I have walked alot more this past week because we are exploring unknown areas. On the plus my knee is alot stronger now;)

 

We had an appointment with one of my favorite members and she made my favorite food she is super awesome!!!!!!! We taught English class a couple of times.

 

We went to go visit a less active and helped her with some of her English students. We were paired up and we played a speed guessing game and me and my partner DEMOLISHED again. Im just way too good ( also the most humble) :)

 

 Thats just about it!! LOVE WONJU!!!!!!! I LOVE KOREA!!!!!!! I LOVE MISSIONARY WORK!!!!!! but I LOVE MY FAMILY MORE!!!!!!!!!

LOVE YA!!!!!!!

Elder Diede

 

pictures are:

some cute ward members kids ping pong

cherry blossoms