April 8 2019
Another great week in good old Korea! Another week of miracles, blessings, and unforgettable memories! I hope you all enjoyed conference, we haven't been able to watch it yet, so looking forward to that this week!
Some highlights:
- We rented some 2 person couple bikes and had races with some other elders. So that was fun, we had a bunch of old korean people cheering us on from the side, haha
- Met a group of drunk people while doing some group street contacting and one of them almost stole our marker
- Climbed up to the top of a mountain with our mission president
- Got a baptismal date! (i'll mention a little more later)
- Me and my companion bought some really fun mirror glasses and tried to have a nerf war with them
- I bought a shirt with a Doggie on it :)
Something interesting: we got a referral from some other Elders, and apparently the referral said he would be willing to be baptized! But the other elders said he was a little awkward, haha, but we just set up and met yesterday! He's a high school kid who's super into Stocks, Alan Walker, and War History. We couldn't get a good conversation going without him asking if we had heard such and such song by Alan Walker or him pulling up a WW2 flag or something and talking about it. So it was an interesting meeting, so we're just praying it turns out well!
A Date! So we met with our main guy a few times this past week and realized that we needed to talk about and extend the invitation for baptism. So we had a really good discussion and after we talked all about what he was he asked "So if I want to be baptized, do I have to say something first or do the missionaries?" haha, so we just asked him the question and he said yes! (haha, sounds like a proposal) so we're planning to prepare him for the 21st of April.
So it's been a great week! I just love love this work! I wish every single person in the world could experience the joy I am here! This gospel is true! the Savior is living and knows each of us personally!
Much Love,
Elder Hanks
Pictures - there's some of us on our bikes
some on the mountain when we went on a hike 
the glasses me and my companion bought 
the shirt I bought and really enjoy, haha
March 31 2019
MISSIONARY WORK IS JUST SO AMAZING!! I just love being a missionary for the Lord. I mean everyone tells you how great it is, but words really can't describe how great it is. I have already been changed so much and it's only been 8 months! I can't even imagine what the rest of my mission is gonna be like! But i'm excited!
But anyway yeah it was a good week! Our weeks usually start pretty slow, and then pick up and we get really busy on the weekends cause nobody has work and school and stuff. So the week started with just a day of 9 hours of proselyting! Those are always memorable and make you never want to do it again. But it still turned out pretty useful. My companion also told me a story, that he made up along the way, for 3 hours!!! A 3 hour story! I don't even know how you talk for that long, and it was one of those stories that like ends on a cliffhanger or with no punchline, you know? so I was just like mentally and physically exhausted after that day, haha
Church of the Week: "A Good Neighbor Church". I don't know much about this one, but I’m pretty sure State Farm found them and asked to be a sponsor or something
Sad news second: I finally torn one of my pants, I knew it was bound to happen sometime, and it finally did. We were playing ping pong with people we're teaching, and it just happened! haha, but I just went home and whipped out my trusty $5 missionary sewing kit and sewed that baby back up!
The weekend! Weekends are just always so great! But especially Sunday! I think that because Sunday is the Lord's day, He just loves to have fun and bless us with miracles. We had a few people at church who we're meeting. And because it was 5th sunday, there was a group meeting during the 2nd hour of church. And the golden guy we're teaching asks if he can make a comment again! So this time he goes up in front of the whole branch and makes a comment for like 5 minutes about the discussion! Then another person we are wanting to teach went up and did the same thing! Then there were tons more miracles after that, but I’ll spare you all from a novel ;)
Just know that this work is active and it's moving forward! It won't do you much to try and move against it or just sit on the side and watch it go by, make sure you are all actively involved in this church and this work! There is a happiness that comes along with it that can only be described by the Holy Ghost!
Love you all,
Elder Hanks
pictures!
Our golden person who I seriously love so much!
This beautiful country of Korea
It's the famous Cherry Blossom season!
Our person we're teaching took us all out to lunch!
A pic we just took with a Dino :)
March 24 2019
First we had transfer day last Monday, which my companion had 7 boxes and 2 suitcases which we had to mail to his next area, then he took more suitcases with him! Haha, so that was an adventure! Then I got my new companion... So I always new I was pretty short, but I really realized how short I was now that I have my new companion. His name is Elder Adams and he's 6'6"! So I’ll attach a picture someone took of us so you can see the difference, haha. But it's been a humbling experience for me :)
Also call me a handyman! We got a new oven last week, like a full sized oven! which is weird cause most missionaries here just have toaster ovens, but one of the Mission presidency members visited our apartment and was like, so do you need a new oven? So we got one and just had to install it ourselves, and it works just perfectly now! :)
"there can be miracles when you believe!" (sang by Miriah Carrey, however you spell her name) So we didn't have a lot of people we are teaching when this transfer started because our 2 main people were just baptized (one got the Holy Ghost yesterday!) So we just prayed at the beginning of the week for a miracle and for someone to be sent to us... and he was!! This guy randomly texts us and asks if he can come to our english class, and long story short (if you want to hear how cool the whole story is you can ask me) he came to our English class, and walked out with Gospel Library on his phone and a Book of Mormon in his hand. Then he came to our Chinese class, had lunch with him, attended our other English class, and went to like a Stake activity with him! We spent almost 10 hours with him that day! Then he came to church the next day and even made comments in Elders' Quorum! So frankly if this wonderful son of God doesn't get baptized, i will honestly be blown away! But please just send prayers for him! He could be such a great member!
Church of the Week: The church of the week this week is "the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints" Because it is just so awesome! We did an activity with our district of trying to teach a lesson without using the truths restored in this dispensation, and it was quite hard. So just so thankful to be apart of the Lord's restored church in this day! What a blessing it is to be able to teach that to other people!
This Gospel is amazing! Just take 1 minute out of your day and think about how the church has blessed your life! This Church is just amazing! And if you aren't already, make sure to be reading the Book of Mormon everyday along with the New Testament Come, Follow Me program :) I promise it will bless you life!
Much Love,
Elder Hanks
Pictures (in I don't know what order)
My companion and I on the street (for size comparison, haha) 
Our "stake" activity that had a lot of food
We had some Chicken for Elder Adams' birthday this week 
my last companion's stuff he had to send!
blurry picture of our new, self-installed oven (yes i am very proud of it :) )
March 17 2019
 |
| Death of my last watch that I brought from home...... |
First off we had a baptism! This kid was actually supposed
to be baptized last month, but he can only meet on weekends, and even then,
it's hard to meet him. But he had the desire for baptism, so we just worked
really hard for him! But he wasn't even supposed to be able to meet this last
week, so we thought we were gonna have to reschedule his baptism again, but we
gave him one more call and he could meet that day so we set his interview and it
went great and he was baptized the next day!! So what a miracle!! Funny thing
was that my companion didn't memorize the Baptismal prayer, so we had to do the
baptism like 4 or 5 times, haha. But it was a success in the end!
It's also transfers today, I'm staying in this area, and my
new companion is an Elder Adams. I haven't met him yet, but I just know that
he's 6'7" 😂 so it'll be fun! We are transferring today
Church of the week: The Neptune Church! So yeah like the
planet Neptune. So I don't really know what that is supposed to mean, but it
just makes me more curious about Neptune now
If you want to listen or read a good talk this week, go find
"Mercy- The Divine Gift" by president Monson, I think it was the
April 1995 session.
This gospel is so amazing!! I hope you all realize the huge
blessing it is and all the blessings it brings!
Love you all so much,
Elder Hanks
