LAST ZONE CONFERENCES - DAEJEON AND SUGI

On July 22 we had our last zone conference!   Because it was our last time to see all the missionaries, we also went to the zone conference in Daejeon.  It was so bittersweet! There are no words to describe the emotions I felt knowing this would probably be the last time I see some of these people!  The above picture is me saying goodbye to Sister Kang.  She and her husband Elder Koo have helped us with many zone conferences - They have been serving a Senior Service mission here in our Mission.  They are so wonderful - it has been one of our greatest blessings to get to know them - we will miss them but they will be in Utah visiting their children this fall so we hope our paths will cross again soon!  She has become so much better at speaking English - I wish I could say the same about my Korean!

This is our beloved Mission Leader, Sister Kwak and Sister Clegg - Sister Clegg served with us last October and helped me make the donuts for the library.  She is always such a happy missionary!  We loved our time with her and look forward to seeing her when she returns home! She is from Lehi, Utah

Sister Kwak and our dear Sister Massera!  She lived right below us for a few transfers but she served in the Korean ward.  She joined the church three or four years ago and her testimony shines as bright as can be!  Because she was in our district, we were able to get to know her! While she was here on her mission- her little brother was baptized - it was a miracle for her! We are so excited because her plan is to come to BYU-Idaho!  We will definitely keep in touch!  She actually is released from her mission the same day we are but her grandma lives here in Korea so she is staying with her for a few days before going home to Oklahoma,

This is Sister Togia from Laie, Hawaii - She served her first transfer here at Osan with us! She is full of the Aloha spirit and we are honored to add her to our adopted grandchildren!  These young missionaries have brought such a light into our lives! They are all part of the miracles of our mission               

The pictures above are the missionaries who are serving in the South part of the mission this transfer - they are missionaries that served with us in Osan and the second picture is the missionaries that served with us in our Pyeontaeck District.  We attend District Council each Tuesday morning with our district and try to take a set of missionaries to lunch each week to get to know them better.  It has been such a joy!

For my own sake, I need to list their names here 

In the first picture are Sister Togia (Hawaii) Sister Clegg (Lehi, Utah) Sister Lowe, Elder Preston Rocque (American Fork, Utah) Elder Lowe,  Sister Massera (Oklahoma) and Sister Stromberg (Rexburg, Idaho) 

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Elder Keate (St George, Utah), Elder Fisher (Gilbert, Arizona) Elder Nivera (The Phillipines) Elder Coder (Las Vegas, Nevada) Sister Togia, Sister Massera, Sister Clegg, Sister and Elder Lowe, Elder Rocque, Sister Christensen (Pleasant Grove, Utah) Sister Stromberg, Elder Berdon (Phiippenes), Elder Smedley, (Wyoming), Elder Moser (Blackfoot, Idaho)

These were the missionaries we worked with in the South Zones - The Parks, Sister Kim, Sister Kang, Elder Britton and Elder Lowe

It is tradition to sing Arriang to the departing missionaries and then have them bear their testimonies at the end of Zone Conference - these are the three from the South that will be going home with us. Sister Massera, Elder Fisher , and Elder Spiker

Here are some more of the missionaries we served with! Elder Carlson from Oregon, Sister Glauser (Family currently in Georgia), Sister Clark (Georgia), and Sister Bowen (From California)

Sister Lee was in the MTC with us  but we have never had a chance to have her in our district. She still has the most wonderful smile! She is from Tucson, Arizona

Southern zone missionaries

Here are some fun pictures of the Senior missionaries we worked with at zone conference in Sugi

Elder Bradley, Sister Lackley and Elder Koo and Sister Kang,

On the way to Daejeon, we go through one of my favorite tunnels in Korea.  As we were driving through this tunnel - I had a life lesson experience.  All over Korea there are mountains and hills,  Instead of going around them or over them - they just dig their way through the mountain and build a tunnel.  This may be more difficult at first but it makes getting to the destination  for those traveling through the tunnel after its completion much faster.  As I compared that to life and it's challenges - I thought sometimes we try to skirt the issues or go around them rather than facing them head on and working our way through them - I am challenging myself to do as the Koreans and dig my way through the challenges in life rather than trying to go around or over them.

Just a few more pictures of our Missionary Grandkids - Elder Neilsen (I think Arizona) Elder Berdon and Elder Rocque

                                                       Elder Wolfert and Elder Woestman

                                                            Elder Nivera and Elder Coder




Below are just a few pictures I took on our many journeys to Daejeon,  I loved the drive!

 

These are the missionaries in the north zones going home with us - Elder Rust. Elder Fisher, Elder Ricks, Elder Lockhart, Elder Willis (Colorado) and Sister and Elder Lowe

At the conclusion of the zone conferences the departing missionaries are asked to bear their testimonies. The above elder is Elder Willis.  He served with us for seven months so it is a tender mercy that we will be able to  leave the mission together,

Thiw was definetly an emotional moment for us!

We went to inspect an apartment in the Choenan Zone and some of the country we hadn't seen before. This bridge is really quite close to our home and very beautiful.  We took the missionaries to lunch at a Seafood Stew place after inspecting their apartments!  It was amazing!