Letter From A Missionary

Dear Family,

So there is this Korean dessert called pot-bing-soo. It is soo delicious. Lots of Korean foods are delicious. In the summer time in Korea everyone eats Ginseng Chicken. Its like a chicken soup - with a whole chicken. It is supposed to be really healthy for you in the summer. (What I don't understand is why it has to be eaten while in boiling water. Its so hot). I've had it like 3 times. It is pretty good. Also I can honestly say I like kimchi! i'm not faking it anymore! yea! Also I'm getting used to spicy food. Also I realized I like kiwi. So ya, food is good.. it's grrreat!

So its monsoon season in Korea. I'm kinda wet. But I'm still happy.

So there is this investigator, named kim-young-wha. She is in her 50s. She has a daughter and a son ( who is my same age). The daughter is just finishing up grad school and her son is in the army (all men must serve in the army for 2years). She is a difficult one. She is pretty good at english so it is hard when we are teaching her the gospel because she just wants to speak in english with me but we are supposed to teach in Korean. The other week i found a good opportunity to serve her. Her daughter, had her final thesis paper due so she asked me to proofread it for her. I did and thier hearts melted. Since then she has really opened up to us. It is a slow process. I think she is scared or something. But last week when i talked with her about reading the Book of Mormon she said she could see in my eyes that she needed to read the Book of Mormon. She better read it too or else we have to drop her. Which would be really sad because I like her so much. But there are thousands of prepared people out there who are ready for the gosepl now. My companion and i get along so well. She is like a Korean version of me. A little o-sec-hey-o (awkward). We laugh all day. Our washing machine broke this week and our wonderful Bishop and his wife took care of it so fast. We had someone over to fix it the next day. I only got us lost a few times this week : ) Luckly Sister Kim is starting to learn the area so she doesn't have to realy on me so much. We had combined district meeting this week. It was super awesome. We recieved some helpful training on listening and asking inspired questions. In preach my gospel it says who just have to lesten with love and the spirit will guide you what to say. it doesn't neccesarily say listen and understand what they are saying - just listen with love. I'm really going to put that into practice this week. I love this work. I know the church is true. I know the Book of Mormon is true. I love you all!

-Sister Kincheloe

2nd Transfer Week 1

Dear Family,

What a great week. Tuesday was the combined mission conference! Yeah! The Seaoul West and Seoul Mission is completely mixed together now. At the conference we had live transfer calls so everyone found out their new companion. Pretty much every Seoul West Missionary has a Seoul companion and now we are the New Seoul Mission. President Lee talked alot about unity and focusing on the future. He is so great. He speaks in korean so I has to use a little translator. Everyone else switched companions on Thursday, but because Sister Lee was going to be a trainer and moving to a new area I swtiched that day a few hours after the conference. My new companion is Sister 깁지은(Sister Kim. Can you see the Korean characters? if not I'll just write them in English). She is Korean and from MaSan, which is near Busan in the Southern part of the country. She has been here for about 8 months and I am her 3rd companion. Her last area was in Incheon Stake. It was her greenie area so this is only her second area. It has been a fun week getting to know each other. She is so great. She has been very patient with me and my lack of korean skills, missionary skills, and knowledge about the area. But so far we have gotten everywhere we need to go ok. She is really funny. We laugh all the time. Sister Kim isn't as good at english as Sister Lee so my Korean has really improved. Our conversations are really funny. I'll speak in English and then she'll answer me in Korean and then i'll look really confused and then she tries to say it in English and then i try to answer back in Korean or just smile and nod and pretend I understood (that happens alot for both of us)

It was soooo good to see Sister Leishman at the Mission Conference. We hugged, laughed, and even cried a little bit. Missionary work is hard so it was good to have a friend who could relate to exactly what I was feeling and going through. She is doing well. Her companion is Sister Petersen who will be going home in a few weeks but first they are both going to Busan because she is adopted and wants to visit her real family who are Korean.... ya, i don't know. But Sister Lieshman is going with her so that will be fun.

I also got to see Elders Parkllan and Mortensen who were in my MTC district, as well as 4 sisters who were in my older district at the MTC. It was fun to be reunited.

The MokDong area is still going strong. We had a baptism on the 3rd and we had a baptismal date for later this month but sadly we are having problems with family opposition : ( The girls mom is really opposed to her getting baptised. She is a freshmen in college so we don't really need parental permission but it would make everything alot better for the invesigator - Lee-Sun-Geoung. She is such a sweet wonderful girl. We are meeting with her later today so hopefully we can get things figured out. I love you all i know the church is true and I know the Book of Mormon is the word of God. Keep up the good missionary work in Modesto!

-Sister Kincheloe

Pictures

-Baptism of Kim-Hee-Jung

Almost 5 Months!

Dear Family,

Happy Fourth of July! I hope the 3rd of July Party was fun and you found something good to do on the 4th. Last year we had to go to Livingston. What did you do this year? I feel bad for you that you had to be there with all our family, with all that good American food, enjoying the American spirit together. It is really a shame. I wish you could have been here with me. I got to go to my investigators baptism on Saturday and then her confirmation on Sunday. Her name is 김허정 (kim-hee-jung). She is amazing. She is the niece of a recent convert who was baptized on March 20th. She is about 13. Really sweet girl. She is a miracle. She came with her aunt to the first baptism we had this transfer. Afterward we had a lesson and set a baptismal date right there. She also came to kim-seo-young's baptism. Its funny cause her mom and grandmother really wanted her to get baptized and start coming to church because they want her to be a better person. I guess she had started a bad habit of lying. She really likes coming to church now and has made some friends. I'm so happy for her. I'm glad I got to be apart of her success.

I also got to go to our Relief Society President's House on Sunday night and had really dilicious Korean food - in cluding Korean pizza ( the closet thing I can compare it to is kish (quish sp?)). At the dinner was two recent converts and one investigator. It was great being surrounded by all the people I love here in Korea. it hit me again that this is why I am here. To gather zion. To bring people home.

So it doesn't stop there. I don't know what people are complaning about - missionary work is easy! Well at least the way we do it. You see, all you have to do is go outside and talk to people and then they meet with you and then they get baptized - or in the case of Kim-hee-jung, they just show up at a baptismal service and ask for a baptismal date. So like 1 1/2 weeks ago or so we were street boarding and we got a phone number of a girl named 이선경 (Lee-sun-geoung). We meet twice that week and then she came to the baptism and then she came to church yesterday and we set a baptism date for july 24th! Yeah! It is so exciting. She is such cool girl. She goes to yun-seh university which is pretty prestigious, is studying enviornmental engineering and she plays bass guitar. She is a freshmen - so like 18 or 19 i think. I'm so excited for her. She really seems to enjoy church and being with the members. There is no way I can credit for all the wonderful miracles we are having here in Mokdong. I don't even know whats going on half the time. These people are prepared and that is all there is to it. God has blessed me so much to let me be apart of his work.

Ok, so we found out what is going on with transfers. My companion- sister lee is going to go to an area that has previously been elders and open it for sisters and she will be training again. She is pretty stressed. She'll either be training Sister Wadsworth or Sister Moffett who were in my younger district at the MTC. I will be staying mokdong and will get a new companion. I don't know who. I will find out on Tuesday I think. The thing is Sister Lee is leaving tuesday and transfers aren't until thursday so i will have a temporary companion - Sister Kim, who's companion will also be training next transfer. So far as I know we will be working in mokdong together until thursday. I've met her a few times. She is really nice. She is Korean and isn't very confident with English - so that'll be interesting since I don't speak Korean. But its all good. All survive.

Tuesday is the Full Mission Conference and the first time all the missionaries from both missions will be together. It will be exciting. Last wednesday my zone had a mini conference with President Lee - the Seoul mission president. He really focused on how we are going to unify the missions. He has been the Seoul mission president for a year already so I trust him completely. We had an interview - it was funny. He spoke in english and I tried to answer in Korean but failed miserablely. I'm a little worried being left in the area as a greenie. I don't really know every one's name of the right buses to take. But I know how to get to the church : ) That's all I need right....?

I love you all so much. I was joking before about the 4th of July. I do wish I could have been there. But I tried to be patriotic in my own way. we have a little american flag in our apartment so i sang the Star Spangled Banner and did the Pledge of Alligience. My companion thought I was wierd but whatever. Nothing has made me appreciate my country more than being away from it. We have no idea how blessed we truly are to be born in the United States of America. Everyone is jealous of us. Seriously. Even if they don't admit it they are jealous in one way or another. People over here are obsessed with learning English. It is how we get lots of investigators. They study for years and years and years but still they can't speak fluently. So thank God you were born in the US and can speak English - it is a great blessing.

I know this chruch is true. It is truely the House of Israel. I know Jesus Christ is our Savior and Redeemer. I read Elder Scott's talk today from Conference. It is a good one. Be happy. i know I am : )

-Sister Emily Kincheloe

4 Months Out. =]

Dear family,

Thank you so much for all the emails! They are so uplifting to me. I love hearing about Stake Conference. President Wasden is so great. I love that he talk about missionary work.I get a letter every month from the Stake Presidency. I guess we have alot of missionaries getting ready to go out. That is good. One thing I have really learned from the members here in Mok-Dong is the power of a member. I think alot of members want to help the missionary work in their area but they just don't know how. My companion has taught me that as a missionary it is my job to teach the members how to be missionaries. My companion is so good at getting members to all our lessons. They bear testimony and share personal experiences. They help answer difficult questions (because really they've been in the church longer than I have and have a little bit more knowledge on certain topics). Also they are a little less frightening because they are normal people. As children of the covenant of Abraham I know it is our duty to gather Israel. And so I challenge you to ask the missionaries when you can go to a lesson with them. Just pretend the missionary is me and I KNOW you would come to my lesson ; )
I want to give a shout out to Megan and Sarah Kenley. A few weeks ago I was passing out English Flyers (Flyers advertising our free english class) when I got an unexpected phone call from the Office Sistes, Sister Brancroft (who is basically the light of my life/couple missionary going home this next transfer - so sweet and loving). Sister Brancroft passed on a warm, loving message from Megan Kenley. The Kenleys were in Korea visiting places their Dad saw on his mission to Korea. Sadly they weren't able to visit me because that is against the rules : ( But just knowing they tried to see me fills me heart with warmth and happiness - like a Hershey's Chocolate bar. Thanks Megan and Sarah! I hope you weren't too bummed and you had fun in Korea! I love you!
That day we found a new investgator too - so good day all around.
This week we had our last Zone Conference with President and Sister Burton. Tomorrorw they are leaving for home in Murray Utah. As of that day my Mission President will be President Lee who is currently president of the Seoul Mission. The Seoul West and Seoul missions will combine becoming the new Seoul Mission. It is a sad yet happy event. Sad because we will all miss the Burtons. Even though I've only had them for less than a transfer i can feel their love and their power. When I first met Presdient Burton I was a little surprised. he was just a regular guy. He joked around with the Elders , drove a mini-van. I don't really know what I expected - maybe someone really stern and serious. but no, he is the most kind, loving person. he is really Christ-like. And his wife, Sister burton has been so helpful and loving and uplifting. I knew right away she loved me. So it will be sad that they are leaving, but is good they will get to be with their family again.
The combinations of the missions is very exciting for Korea. I don't know why or how exactly, but I know it is. President Lee is Korean so I will have to use a translator headset at all the meetings, but I think it will be really good having a Korean mission president, cause, well he knows Korea, cause he's Korean. On Wednesday we have a conference with him and then interviews. Also at the zone conference we found out that every companionship will be splitting up this transfer (except couple missionaries - that'd be wierd). So either me or Sister Lee are leaving mok-dong : ( We both love it here so much. We have seen lots of miracles here. I've been trying to memorize the area just in case I'm the one who gets to stay. So Korean names only have 3 syllables but for the life of me I am having the hardest time remembering people's names - something I am usually pretty good at. It is still confusing to me - the whole last name first deal. And it is wierd because Kincheloe has 3 syllables so people just call me kincheloe. Don't know how I'm supposed to take that. I was taught in the MTC to repect my calling and call Elders and Sisters by their titles. I feel like Korean culture gets in the way of missionary culture quite a bit. For example we are instructed to only stay at members houses for an hour but in Korea they don't even start cooking the food till you get there. Then they have dessert - usually fruit and then we give our message. It really bugs me. and since my companion is Korean it is hard to express my frustration. I don't know exaclty what to do but I'll figure it out.
We had a baptism on the 20th - Kim-Seo-Young. And so she was confirmed yesterday. When she came into church she was a little upset. Her friend didn't go home the night before and the girls parents were calling her to find out where she was. We prayed with her and Kim-Seo-Young prayed silently to herself too during sacrament meeting. After the closing prayer she got a text message saying her friend was ok. I was so thankful to the Lord for answering Kim-Seo-Young's prayer. I think it really strengthened her testimony of prayer. This gospel is for the individual. It fills all our personal needs and the needs of families. I know our family has been tremendously blessed by the gospel of Jesus Christ.
Last Pday our Zone went to Lotte World - which is the Korean equivalent of Disneyland. It was pretty fun but I felt wierd being at an amusement park as a missionary. Which I think is good. I think it shows that I am truely trying to keep myself set apart from the world and focussed on my calling. In our mission it is not against the rules to go to amusement parks on pday but in the Seoul mission it is. So we had to go this transfer before the missions combine.
I've met so many wondeful people here in Korea I want to tell you about all of them. But I simply cannot. I'm keeping a good journal so I can tell you all their stories when I get home. I love you all and I am so happy to be apart of this eternal family. Keep up the good work. I tell everyone I was spawned from missionary work - its pretty much true. Thank you for all your wonderful examples : )

<3 Sister Kincheloe

another baptism =]

Hello Family!

What a great week I've had. Yesterday we had another Baptism. Last week was 윤미 숙 and this week was 김서영 . This week's baptism was a 17 year old girl. She is a miracle. My companion found her on the bus and our second meeting with her she had a baptismal date. She has so much love and faith. Also this week at church was Elder Che - a member of the 70. He was great. I couldn't understand what he said but I could feel the power. We had district meeting this week as well. Super fun. The Jordins - who I met at the mtc and are Sister Leishman's Mom's cousins - are in my district. We met at their house and they made us waffles and eggs and muffins. It was so delicious. I hadn't realized how much I missed real food. I do really well with the Korean food. I'm just no to the point where I would choose it over waffles and eggs. I eat kimchi. The members love it when they see me reaching for the kimchi - it is basically cabbage fermented in spicy pickle juice - mmm, tastey. It is a little too spicy for my liking but it makes them really happy when you eat it so I eat it. My companion sister lee is great. She is really good at focusing on our goals. It is the mission standard to have every week 6 lessons with a member, 20 lessons total, 3 new investigators, and to talk to 140 people (talking means sharing a brief message about the restoration and the book of mormon, bearing testimony, and giving a commitment) and then to have 1 baptism per transfer. So far we have had hit the standard every week. I love you all and I am glad to hear spencer is recovering and robert got his bike fixed and everyone is home safe. Thank you for your emails and your love. I know this church is true and I know the Book of Mormon is the word of God.

-Sister Kincheloe

6/14/2010

Hello Family!

Apparently you're all together. That is good to hear. I'm there too in this email. Not much time again this week we had a Sisters Luncheon and it went over a little, you know what happens when girls get together, talk talk talk talk talk. I love you all so much. I am so happy to hear spencer is alive. It is just like him to fall down a mountain... just like dad.. lol. I had my first baptism this week! It was such a great experience. We had some investigators there and at the confirmation the next day. Super awesome weekend. Lots more baptisms to come. I am alive and well and healthy and happy. I'm so happy to be here and to be a servant of the Lord. I know the Chuch is true. Thank you all for being such wonderful example to me. It makes me so happy to hear that you all rushed to spencer's aid, that is what family is for. We are a great family. I'm so grateful for all the love and support I recieve from you. Now, get Spencer healthly again. Until next week!

-Sister Emily Kincheloe

Just a little note, pictures soon!

Sorry, not much time the pictures were giving me trouble.
I'm having a great week. I had zone conference and we had 3 investiators at church on sunday. It was amazing. My comp and I are teaching up a storm. Lol. She is so great. I love Koreans. they are the best.
At Zone conference we learned about adjusting plans and contacting investigators daily.
We live really close to the church so that is where we do most of our teaching.
At English class this week I taught the Nature lesson so I got to talk about Modesto. I just tell everyone it is by San Francisco because they know where that is.
We ride the bus and the subway and we walk alot.
I'm doing great with Korean Food. I love seaweed! Seaweed in speghtti is thee best! I know the church is ture and I know the Book of Mormon is ture.
P.s. my pday is monday except for when it is on tuesday because we are going to the temple