Kenzie+Korea: The One When 진해 was a Miracle Machine

Hello everyone!!!

What a week! I can honestly say that this week I worked harder than I have on my entire mission and maybe even my entire life. But we saw a miracle every single day this week, picked up two new investigators, and by the end of this week we could possibly have four new investigators. Finally my 3+ months of hard work in Jinhae are paying off!

Okay, so Monday's miracle was insane. After P-Day and Area Meeting, we still had some time to do missionary work, so we decided to go to a random apartment near our house and 카카호호 (knock on doors) at a random apartment complex near our house. After rejection after rejection and a few very scary, very angry old ladies answered the door, we decided to do just a few more before going home. Well, the last door just happened to be the house of a former investigator that they had just dropped when I got to Jinhae. She invited us in and gave us grapes and chestnuts and we taught her a little of the first lesson and about prayer and how God lives. The spirit was so strong. She really wants her kids to do the 30/30 English/gospel program again, but her work hours are too busy. But she is going to send her boys to English class. And she said we can come by any time she's home and talk. What a miracle!

On Tuesday and Wednesday, we saw more huge miracles. During General Conference we were fasting to be able to find new people to teach and to be able to meet with an investigator that randomly fell off the face of the Earth right before I came to Jinhae. On Tuesday, we were walking to the church and I felt like I needed to talk to this student who had just gotten off of the bus. So I asked her if she liked English (in Korean...lol) and she kind of just ignored me. But I just kept talking to her and she said she had met with the missionaries before. And somewhere in the back of my mind I knew this was our former investigator we had been searching high and low for. So we kept talking and I asked her what her name was. "윤자빈" she said. And immediately I got chills and it felt like the spirit had struck my heart with lightning. I was talking to the girl I had been fasting and praying for for three transfers. God really does answer prayers and He is so aware of us. And I know he loves 윤자빈 (Yoon Jabin) because he is sending big neon arrows telling her where to go and what to do. If only she could recognize them! So later this week we took cookies to her house and we are praying for an opportunity to meet her again. I would love it if y'all would pray for her to. Also on Wednesday we met with the investigator that we teach with the Masan sisters and she is really progressing. We watched President Uchtdorf's general conference talk together and she really loved it. After that, we went to a the 국수 (noodle) restaurant by the church that another former investigator owns. We ate and talked and she has been really great friends with the sister for years. She invited us to teach her how to make American cookies with her that Saturday...and she gave us free food! We were so excited! After that, we went to the church for English class and when we were setting up a time to do the 30/30 program with Hong Yeji, Han Mihyung (the cute mom) said that she wanted to the the program too! She and Hong Yeji have become friends at English class, we they decided to do it together! Yay!

On Thursday, we had our lesson with Hong Yeji and Han Mihyung at Han Mihyung's house. After the 30 minutes of English, we started to share our message by asking our friends what role religion had played in their life. As usual, Hong Yeji gave a beautiful answer. But Han Mihyung opened up and told us that she is searching for a religion right now and she likes ours, but she still has lots of questions and she doesn't just want to join right away/make a brash decision. Thank goodness! She already doesn't smoke, drink, drink tea/coffee and I know she has been prepared for this happy message we have to share for a while. But I know it is going to take some time to soften her heart. We just have one problem. Her needs and Hong Yeji's needs are so different. But we are praying to figure out how to work it out. Please pray for both of them!

On Friday, we worked our butts off. We met with this crazy lady we always run into on the street. She is literally insane. Haha. But we helped her a little at her house, so it was good service I guess? After that we talked to EVERYONE! We knocked on doors for hours...and hours...!! And then sticker-board jundoed with the Elders, I saw a woman in a wheelchair and felt like I should say hello to her. She started trying so hard to speak English to me. I think she maybe has Parkinson's Disease. The man with her told us they really want to do the program even though it will be hard. We talked for a little bit and learned that he is her boyfriend and he has been taking care of her for years. We are going to start teaching them English with the Elders. Pray for them and pray for us to be able to teach them well! I really hope we can serve them and give them some hope.

On Saturday, we made cookies with the lady who owns the noodle restaurant. She is the best and so much fun! We all immediately became friends. She wants me to start teaching her and her son (who is my age, so she really likes me because she said I feel like a daughter) English. There's just one problem: her son is studying to become a preacher and we heard from some sisters who served here a long time ago that her son hates our church. Please pray that everything will be okay and that we will still be able to teach them some how. I know miracles can happen!

Well, that's all the news for this week. I love my new companion and conference was great! We eat really healthy! When my companion said that she liked brown rice I was just like "did we just become best friends?!" She's the best! She doesn't speak really any English, but it's okay because she helps me a lot with my Korean.

I love you all please pray for us and for our investigators! We love them so much and we want to help then so bad!

Also, I would really love it if everyone would just send me like one sentence letting me know they're alive because I have been so homesick lately. Lehi was so right: there is an opposition in all things. At this amazing and happy time on my mission all of my friends and loved-ones are having babies and getting married and finishing their missions and I just want to make time stop so I can be there for it all. I just wish I had a time turner like Hermione so I could be there for both my beloved family and friends and still be here to teach our investigators. My heart is just breaking! I would love to hear from a few of you!!

Well, that's all!

사랑해요!!!

I you love

Sister Johns