September 16, 2013
Dear everyone!
Alright. First off, our mission has been growing so much. Right now, over 50% of the missionaries in the Busan mission have been in Korea for less than 6 months! That's crazy! And definitely lets you know that if anything happens here, it is definitely the Lord and NOT us. The amazing thing is though that things are happening here. In the last few months, our mission has had at least 20 baptisms each month! TONS of less actives are coming back and so many miracles have been happening that I won't even attempt to list them.
Probably the most prominent characteristic of the Busan mission is how strictly obedient we are. There are certain rules that every mission is expected to follow and the Busan mission even has added on rules to that list in order to help us be exactly obedient. The reason for this is because we need a temple in Busan. There is a temple in Seoul, but the church is growing quickly in Korea and there are many families who are not able to go to the temple because of how far away it is from their homes. This has been a focus of the Busan mission for several years, and now with General Conference coming up next month, the anxiousness and desire for a temple in Busan is stronger than ever. Fresh rumors are circulating but all we can do is wait...
Our area specifically has grown a lot these past few weeks. Geumjeong got two more elders this past week, and we couldn't be more grateful. We are especially grateful for Elder Quist. He's one of the new elders here, and he's been in the field for a little over a year. That's more than twice any of us have been here. (My trainer hits her 6 month mark next week.) He's been to more areas and has a lot more experience than any of us. We're all hoping with his guidance that we can help our area grow in the ways Heavenly Father needs it to.
As missionaries, and even more specifically as inexperienced missionaries, there is little we can do without the Lord's help. We give our best, and trust the Lord is using us. Every so often, we are incredibly blessed to be able to see HOW the Lord is using us. But that's basically the bottom line of a mission: trusting the Lord. You leave everything behind, and you entrust everything, your life, your family, your EVERYTHING to the Lord. You leave it all and give yourself to Him. And although sometimes trusting the Lord is difficult and sometimes we do experience trials, we have to hold on to our faith and always believe that the Lord loves us and that everything we experience in this life is for our benefit, because Heavenly Father will never allow us to experience a trial that does not help us develop into the daughter or son of God that He knows you can be.
I know God lives, and I know this is His gospel. This is His work, and we are privileged to be a part of it.
I love you all so much!
Love,
Sister Bonney
