Who would have thought a Military Relations Mission translates to a CES mission - COOKING EVERY SECOND!

They tell me if you feed them, they will come!  I use to love to cook and I am learning to love it again, now that I have people around who gobble it up!  Our single and unaccompanied people seem to very appreciative of any thing I bring to the activities - I don't imagine it's fun for them to figure out food all the time or to eat dorm food - so we try to have things for them.  I have learned to branch out from just sweet treats but there is a fun store here called Daiso - and if you know- you know!  It's a dollar store on Steroids!  They have these really cute treat bags that seal shut for less than a dollar a package and there's usually around thirty in the bag - so it's made it a little extra fun to bring them treats that way. We have FHE with the branch singles on Monday night, Wednesday night we do a gospel study on the base.  We call it "Come Follow Conference". Those that come bring a conference talk that relates to some principle in the Come Follow Me lesson for the week. On Friday night, we try to keep it geared towards an activity that someone from any faith feels comfortable coming to.  Usually a game night at the chapel on base.  The first Friday of the month, Elder Lowe and I take them bowling.  We are trying to find more airmen who are lonely to join us.  I've been told there is a lot of depression and suicide here  because of loneliness - so we are trying to fill the void. We have made homemade bagels, scotch a roos, sandwiches, pizzas, cookies, garlic rolls etc. Most days we are volunteering around doing various things.  Helping with the Red Cross, USO, Library, or just trolling looking for people who might need a friend, but, we have had a few Fridays where I can just bake and fill the freezer for the next time a treat is needed. The Red Cross needs treats frequently. We have decided that the military relations mission is to support the whole community and each week we seem to be guided to a new opportunity to serve.  We are not allowed to proselyte on the base, so we don't have the teaching experiences of some missionaries - but we are really beginning to see the benefit of having a visible presence.  We may not be teaching with words but we hope our example will touch hearts.

Before I forget - if you read my last weeks blog - you probably wondered why I named it black and white and color all over - I realized when I reread what I wrote that I never explained myself about the black and white. We had been here for six or seven weeks before I realized that most of the cars on the road are black and white, a few silver and tan but if you see another color of car it is generally a foreigner driving it. When I told Elder Lowe about my discovery, he said yes, and I notice it in the way they dress as well.  I mentioned it to one of our missionaries and they said that is the culture here to be conservative and not stand out.  They are counseled to not be to bold in their dress.  I love color, so I probably stand out more than I should, but generally we are on the base, so I think I am ok. If you google "why are there only black and white cars in Korea" there are some interesting thoughts to think about! 

Below is a picture of one our family night groups!  We have been know to have five different languages presented at our FHE's .  The missionaries were doingt the lessons when we got here, but we have transitioned to getting the members involved in the teaching.  The whole purpose of the church states, Member led - missionary supported - so it has been fun to see the members grasp the idea of giving the lesson. It is pretty simple and we use google translate to put it in too all the languages. After the lesson we have an activity of sorts and then come back for treats. We are grateful for the couple missionaries that were here before us for getting these programs up and running.  

So after district meeting one day - we need to help the Elders and the Sisters with some projects - so we took them to lunch first - we like to take the missionaries to lunch, because they have discovered the good places to eat - and they know how to help us order the food. Two of these missionaries have been transferred to another district! We already miss them - they were so much help to us as we got here and worked at getting use to the culture and getting around! They are making their parents proud as they serve - such valient young men and women! We are looking forward to getting to know the new missionaries who have joined our district.

So Thursday mornings have become a fun time for us!  We call ourselves Grandma and Grandpa Osan for the little preschoolers that come to the library for a Wiggles and Giggles class - we sing, dance and throw a couple of stories in the mix. There's anywhere from a dozen kids to twenty or thirty. Some are toddlers and babies and others are a little older - it only lasts about thirty minutes and then the library always has a cute little craft for them to do afterwards. Elder Lowe gets to know the parents and I play with the kids.  Helps me not miss my grandkids quite so much

This is a picture of our Friday night bowling activity! WE may not be the best at bowling, but everyone has a great time!

Elder Lowe and I helped the Red Cross at the hospital event last week honoring Nurses week - It was fun to get to know the people and meet some of the hospital employees! There are some wonderful people volunteering for the Red Crossand we feel honored to be able to help with their events!

I have to put this picture in.  We made our first trip to Costco a couple of weeks ago. The parking lot is massive and you have to go down two levels of escalator like this to get to the store - all three of these were filled with people but by the time i got my camera out to take a picture, it had thinned out - but Koreans love their Costcos.  We can get a lot of the Kirtland Items that we get in the United States and much much more of the Korean items - It's an adventure in and of itself. There is one opening about five minutes from our house on June 12 - I'm excited to say the least! The cool thing about all these stores is they have figured out a way of magnetizing the grocery carts so they don't move while you are on this moving sidewalk that goes up and down - pretty cool!

Last week we were able to go to see the Indpendance Hall of Korea in Cheonan. It's about an hour from out apartment. It's all about the independance movement from the Japanese occupation of Korea in the early 1900s.  It was very interesting and we will need to go back because we didn't really get to see it all.

Below is another opportunity we had to help with the Red Cross. Osan Air Base had an Air Show last weekend and they had thousands of people come. On Saturday, we helped at the Red Cross booth in the morning and the Lost Child booth in the afternoon. It rained hard most of the day, but that didn't discourage the Koreans from coming out in droves!  We froze! The winds were very strong, so none of the aircraft flew that day but on Sunday the Sun came out and it was a beautiful day - we didn't go back on Sunday but the Korean Air Force has a group called the Black Eagles which is the equivalent of the Thunderbirds in the US  and they were able to fly and do a show. It seems as if there is always something going on at the base!

Randy really enjoyed seeing the aircraft - but after living by Hill Air Force Base and the museum - it wasn't super exciting for me - He was funny - and said "Gee I wish I was back in the army!"

The nice thing about being a senior missionary is we don't have rules about when we can talk to our family.  I'm so grateful we are able to visit with our family!  They are growing up so fast and I would be so sad if they forgot us - so we get to visit with them about every day.Thank goodness for Signal and FB messnger which allows us to see them! 

Another Red Cross event!  Korea Air Bases are going from unaccompianied tours to working at everyone being able to bring their families - so this was a family rediness event we helped with. The goal is to have it family ready by 2035. Thist opportunity gave us a nice opportunity to meet and mingle with the folks who work and live on Osan Air Base.

These two missionaries have moved on to other areas - we are SO SAD!  They helped us so much to adjust to Korea - they will be an important part of our lives in our memories!  We hope our paths will cross many times in this life! We have some other wonderful missionaries that we are working with now - it just makes my heart swell and I wonder how much it can hold with all the beautiful people we are meeting!

 On Friday night we went to bed about 930 and woke up at 1230. to be at the base to help with the Four Chaplains Run.  It was a pretty amazing event. We helped with set up and cheering them on. We were there until about 8 am and then we came back to the apartment and crashed!  I took a video of them as they started out - but I can't figure out how to share it to the blog! They all had a ruck sack on their backs with a minimum weight of 50 lbs.  It's pretty impressive that these folks want to be in shape for the needs of the military.  Elder Lowe said it remined him a little bit of how Helaman must have felt with his Stripling Warriors. There were military members from the South Korean Military and the US  - I think they had over 1200 people  in the race. If you have a minute, it's worth your time to look up the Four Chaplains on the internet and read the story of who they are honoring when they do this run.

I feel like there is so much more I could say - but I'm sure you all don't have time to listen to me ramble on much more! We feel blessed to be serving here in Korea - we have had sweet experiences - it's also very hard to be away from our family - but as we keep so busy the time is flying by so fast!  
We'd love to give you all a bit of our hearts for being such a valuable part of our lives!  We feel so blessed with our friends and family and the support we receive from you all!

Keep loving the people in your lives and being a force for good!

WOW! SIX WEEKS IN KOREA -BLACK AND WHITE - AND....LOTS OF COLOR!

LOOK at these beautiful flowers!!  They are everywhere we go and so beautiful!  They came on right after the cherry blossoms fell off and I've been told when they go away we will see roses everywhere!  Flowers make my heart sing!

I realized today - we have been in Korea for six weeks!  It has flown by - we have kept very busy! It has slowed a little bit and we are taking a moment to focus in on what meets our missionary purpose - and maybe what doesn't quite as well - you can be as busy as you could possibly want, but we have learned we better pace ourselves or we may burn out all too soon!  It is an awesome feeling to  be set apart as a missionary - I believe we are being given extra strength and also being helped with missing our family and friends! Technology is great as we are able to communicate and know that all is well at home. 

This week, however, I told Elder Lowe I was worried about what might happen next with our family.  Since we have been out, my nephew was thrown from a motorcycle 100 feet and injured, my niece had a brain tumor removed, my grandson was in a car accident and my granddaughter broke her foot - As I thought about all these events I was reminded by a dear friend here in the branch what the blessings were for our family - each one of these situations could have been far worse and she told me "See how the Lord is protecting your family as you serve Him". I felt humbled by that comment and decided I better get back to work and let the Lord do the protecting - I can pray for them and put their names in the temple halfway around the world from them - and I CAN BE THE LORD'S HANDS! 

We have had some tender experiences - at times, I wonder if we are meeting our purpose and doing all we can - but when we take a minute to serve as a volunteer on the base or go and visit a family in the branch or work with the young missionaries or enjoy time with our newfound single and unaccompanied friends here - I realize our lives are being blessed in ways we could never have imagined!  When you are serving the Lord - somehow,  He always rewards you with way more than what you put into.  This week we visited a family and they, like all of us have some hard trials with their children - we had such a spirit filled visit - they blessed our lives and we feel like we were able to bless theirs and let them know that we are all imperfect people trying to Come unto Christ and feel of His Joy.

I've been thinking of Moses 1:39 where it says: "For behold this is my work and my glory - to bring to pass the immortality and eternal live of man."  It is glorious to help others.

Well 

On the 24th of April I began my time as "Grandma Osan" at the library on base.  I will go each Thursday and sing and dance and read stories with the preshoolers and toddlers - it's a hoot!  This week the fire truck came and Sparky was with them.  The intent was they would get to go and see the truck and take a picture around the truck - well just as we were driving onto the base, a downpour came out of no where - the temperatures here are similar to those in Utah and Idaho but the moisture content is much higher and when I say downpour  - it's not like anything you will see at home - but the sweet thing was as soon as it was time to start the rain stilled for a minute and they were able to get their pictures and then come in and have the firemen read to them.  Next week is about Mother's Day - I think we will enjoy this part of our mission- it's only an hour out of our day - but we are having an opportunity to meet and be supportive of many of the young mommies on base.  Our job is to support the whole military - not just the members of our faith- so this has been very rewarding!

April was the month of the military child and we were able to help with the event at the school yard with the Red Cross - another chance to get to know and help the families of the community. There are some delightful people here with some very fascinating stories.

We also completed our certification to help with the USO - we have not been able to work in a time yet but we look forward to serving there a day a week helping to encourage and uplift our military personel

Aside from helping the military, we also are called upon to help the junior missionaries with their access to the base and needs they may have.  This week, our Sisters needed their foreign cards stamped and our Elders needed access to the base. So after our district meeting, we took them to lunch (We enjoy doing that because they know where the good spots are and how to order and they are great company!)

So we divided and conquered, I took the Sisters and Elder Lowe took the Elders then I rode the bus (MY FIRST TIME ALONE) to the base and eventually found Elder Lowe - he had left his phone in the car, so needless to say after many calls and calling the elders, I got a lot of steps in before I found them!

Each Monday night we hold a Family Home Evening with the singles, YSA, Missionaries, and unaccompanied military members. We hold a lesson time and then an activity of sorts and then we have treats of some sort - this has been a very rewarding experience! At times, we have five different languages there. We try to get the quotes and scriptures in all the languages so each member can feel valued!  We have English, Korean, Sinhayla, Arabic, and Spanish!  Pretty Cool!  Last Monday, I made some salsa and queso to celebrate CInco de Mayo! Needless to say, I find myself in the kitchen in any spare minute I might have!  It's not required, but I know food brings people and it makes them feel a little extra loved! We are doing things with this group on Wednesday and Friday nights as well.  On Wednesday we call it "Come Follow Conference" and we ask the participants to bring a conference talk that speaks to one of the principles in the Come Follow Me lesson for the week.  On Fridays- we gather at the chapel on the base and have a game night.  On the first Friday of the month we take them to the bowling alley.  We are loving the relationships we are building with our friends! We have a friend of another faith who has been joining us for the past three weeks - kind of fun to see love in action! 

May is definetly FLOWER MONTH!  These flowers are everywhere I look - I think they are azaleas!  They are amazing!  Everything is greening up and it's very beautiful. We have discovered a hill with many trails and exercise equipment of sorts that we have enjoyed walking through - it's nice to have a little spot to get out of the high rises everywhere - even though the high rises encircle the trails it's very beautiful.  The other day Elder Lowe was doing a pull up on one of the bars and a Korean gentleman had been there before him - He approaced us and wanted to know how old Elder Lowe was, it's a common question here in Korea - and they wear their age proudly!  He had been doing several pull ups before Randy, and he told us he was 85!  Pretty amazing!  He told us we should come out every day where the air was better and enjoy and we would be in good shape as well!  We need to take that to heart because the gym in our apartment complex doesn't open until 9 am and we are usually out the door to the base by then and when we come home we crash into bed!

WE DISCOVERED BINGZU!!

It has to be the best dessert I have ever had!  There are a lot of treats here that melt in your mouth, but this was so good!  It wasn't heavy!  It's like shaved ice, but better! I think it's coconut milk frozen and shaved. I have no idea what the cream looking stuff on top is just that it is amazing! and of course, the strawberries were delicious!  Worth a trip to Korea just to try the Bingzu!

Elder Lowe all dressed and ready to do his first Newcomers Briefing for the Newcomers. He did a great job! He will be doing this every 2nd and 4th Wednesday for the Red Cross - it's fun and it gives us a chance to meet the new people coming to Osan

Every Tuesday morning we go to District meeting with the young missionaries.  It's usually held right near our apartment but a week or so ago it was held at Camp Humphreys, about 40 minutes or so from us.  Well, there's a Texas Roadhouse on Camp Humphreys so we splurged and went for lunch afterwards.  Camp Humphreys is the largest overseas military  facility and it was pretty cool!  They had the largest commisary and Base Exchange I had ever been in!  Bath and Body works had it's own store there as well - I think we will be making a few trips over there!  Plus, the army spreads things out so there is open space there!

It's nice to get some American food at times - but it's much more expensive than eating the local cuisine!

This is a picture of a couple of our unaccompianed airmen coming to FHE - as you can see- it's a small electric scooter but they still made the effort to come!  We love our goup!  They are dedicated and great friends. The guy in the blue shirt is our Elders Quorum first counselor and by default is our Branch Mission leader - he has left his wife and kids home while he serves his country!  He has helped us with the public transportation to the temple!  So great to help each other!

This is another one of our airman's cars - he has loaded the jr missionaries in to give them a ride back to their apartment!  We do enjoy all being together on family nights - as we are all away from our families!

Did you ever think you would see such a variety of pringles - and yes one of those flavors is Oreos!

Tony's frosted flakes has made it all the way to Korea - we we these everywhere!  There are a lot of similar items but the flavors vary a little from what you would expect!

I couldn't resist snapping a picture of these darling children!  I love the Korean kids - they are so chill and cute! I think this was a daycare out for a walk in our complex because there were two other ladies with four or five kids in their sunbonnets out for a stroll. The Koreans really value their children! There are speed bumps all over around all the schools - Last Monday was a National Childrens Day - it was a holiday.  And today is Parents Day - it's fun to see there reverence for families!

The above three pictures were taken on Easter Sunday!  We had a lovely dinner with our friends and the missionaries - I love Easter - so it was nice to be able to have a special meal with these folks!

I have to close with gratitude for my sense of smell - it was so fun the last week or so of April to walk out of our apartment and smell these lilacs! The bushes were small but they smelled so awesome!  I have so much more to journal about and blog about - but I think I better make this the end for now!

Happy Mother's Day to all you beautiful ladies out there!