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Tuesday, December 27, 2016

Week 100! - Chad...Now That's a Name I've Not Heard In a Long Time...A Long Time (Part 4-Conclusion)

Title - our 4th (and final!) call home!

Pics - Stake President luncheon; lunch; Ward Christmas party; Christmas; "family" photos part 2

Date: Mon, 26 Dec 2016 12:29:16 +0900

Hello My Adoring Fans!

Merry Christmas!

I hope everyone's enjoying the Christmas season with their family and friends as they celebrate the birth of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.

This week has been really awesome!  Although there was a lot of excitement and things to do as a result of the Christmas season, we were able to do a lot of missionary work and see a lot of miracles!

On Monday Elder Fehlberg and I went and took family pictures with Elder Baird and Elder Hipps! 

  








On Tuesday the stake president, President 송병철 (Song) invited all of the missionaries in our zone and any investigators or recent converts that could attend to his house for lunch!  It was really awesome!  He even put money on the transportation cards of all the missionaries so that we can have a little extra as we go from place to place.  It was way cool!  That night we went out to the 닭 갈비 (Chicken rib) buffet with the other elders and some of the YSA and young men who graduated high school this year.  It was really cool to get to talk with them and get a feel for how they're all doing spiritually.  It was a blast!







On Thursday we got to be out all day proselyting and visiting people and we saw a ton a miracles!  We met with a less-active brother in his 70's and committed him to come to church for Christmas.  We then met with a new investigator who we're going to teach English to.  Along the way we visited less-actives and were able to meet a lot of really cool people, including a kid who met with the missionaries a few years ago, attended church and almost got baptized.  It was awesome!

On Friday our ward mission leader, 김영기 (Brother Kim) took all of the missionaries out to the American-style buffet, Ashley, and we ate and wrote letters to some of the less-actives in the ward.  It was amazing!  Afterwards we went to a high-foot traffic subway station in our area and did a caroling activity as a zone.  It was a blast!  Elder Hipps dressed up as Santa Claus!


On Saturday we had our annual Sanggye Ward Christmas Party!  It was so fun!  In Korea when they do Christmas parties, all of the different auxiliaries (including the missionaries) prepare skits or musical numbers and then perform them for the ward.  The young men did a really funny skit about life in Sanggye Ward and their take on the foreign missionaries was absolutely spot-on.  The missionaries in our district sang a "O Come All Ye Faithful" and then just for the heck-of-it danced to "Feliz Navidad".  I want my brother Luke to know that my performance goes out to him "from the bottom of my heart" (he'll get it when he reads it).  The ward really loved it and we (of course) had a blast putting it on.  Elder Hipps reprised his role as Santa Claus and came and brought presents for everyone.  The party was really well-attended and the kid we met on the street a few days before came as well as some less-actives, part-member families, and some non-member friends that the members brought.  It was awesome!


(Check this out... because it's hysterically awesome!!!)

https://www.facebook.com/100002549175694/videos/1225283637566597/












Sunday was the big day!  Christmas!  We had our ward's special Sacrament Meeting and it was really good.  We were hoping to have a bigger turnout in terms of non-members, but we worked really hard to invite people and help them to come, so it's okay.  The sisters' investigator from English Class came and I think that she really enjoyed it!  After Sacrament meeting, we borrowed some devices from the ward members and were able to Skype our families!  It was so cool to see my family again, but it was also really surreal because deep down I know that I'll see them a month from now.  Aw jeez.




After we Skyped our families, we spent the rest of the days out on the streets proselyting and caroling to members as a district.  We had the merriest of times.

I am so grateful that I have been able to spend this Christmas here in Korea as a missionary.  I originally would've felt a little bummed that I will have to wait another year to spend Christmas with my family, but this Christmas in Korea has proved to be one of the best of my life.  I really think it's because during this Christmas, more than any other Christmas, I really did my best to focus on others more than myself.  As I did that, I think that I came to more fully understand the meaning of Christmas.  It's about giving of ourselves the way Christ would---being a light unto the world as He is.  I know that He lives and that He is my Savior and Redeemer.

Love and Miss Y'all!

Merry Christmas!

Called to Serve!

Love,

Elder Huckvale








Week 99 - Hear Me Elder Hold Together

Title - In "Star Wars", as the Millenium Falcon is escaping from the Death Star, Han and Luke are defending the ship using the laser cannons.  Leia expresses her concerns about the integrity of the ship and Han says, "Don't worry.  She'll hold together."  And then, he repeats to himself, "Hear me, baby, hold together".

Pics - Christmas feast; Caroling; Cold!

Date: Mon, 19 Dec 2016 12:17:56 +0900
Hello My Adoring Fans!
 
This week was awesome!  The Christmas season is rapidly building up to its climax next weekend and it's an exciting time to be a missionary here in Korea!
 
On Thursday we went as a zone and sang Christmas carols to the people of Korea!  It was awesome, but our zone caroling day just happened to fall on what was one of the coldest days of the year.  It was very cold.  We'll still had a blast though and were able to play a small part in helping the Korean people to feel the Spirit of Christmas!  I think that our ward mission leader uploaded pictures and videos of it on Facebook so go check it out!  You can see the cold in our eyes!


Not a super flattering picture... but can you see how cold he is????




 
On Saturday we had a pretty busy day.  We met with a potential investigator who lived in Atlanta for 12 years and got hot chocolate with him.  It was really great!  He's got a lot of possibility! 
 
On Sunday we had church and afterwards went as a district to eat dinner with a family in our ward.  The mom, 이선미 (Sister Lee) served her mission in Provo and so she knows about a lot of American Christmas traditions and wanted to give us a good ol' Christmas family dinner.  It was so awesome!  She decorated really well and prepared a lot of food...maybe too much food...










 
Anyways, it was great.  It really felt like home with some Korean fusion thrown in.  It's not a meal if there's not rice and kimchi!
 
After the dinner we went to the church and met with one of investigators who we had to drop.  It was unfortunate, but Elder Fehlberg and I both felt that he was meeting us mostly out of English interest and not to learn about the Gospel.  We encouraged him to start attending English Class and as he does we can keep good contact with him and help him to join the Church at a later date.
 
The Christmas time is so awesome!  It's been so exciting to watch it unfold and be able to help the people of Korea unterstand the true meaning of Christmas!  I love my Savior, Jesus Christ, and I know that He lives.  He was born in a manger 2000 years ago.  He served and taught His own and they rejected Him.  He died.  He lived again. He lives today. 
 
Love and Miss Y'all!
 
Called to Serve!
 
Love,
 
Elder Huckvale
 
 
 

Week 98 - We're Not Out of the Woods Yet

Title - In "Star Wars", after our heroes have rescued Princess Leia from the Death Star, they are escaping in the Millenium Falcon.  Before they get too far away, a squadron of tie-fighters attack them and Han says to Luke, "we're not out of this yet".

Date: Mon, 12 Dec 2016 12:28:47 +0900

Hello My Adoring Fans!
 
This week marks the beginning of my last transfer as a missionary.  That's really weird.
 
Anyways...
 
This week has been really awesome!  We had a ton of meetings in lue of transfers and the Christmas season, so we weren't able to do as much proselyting as we would've liked, but nonetheless we were able to see a lot of miracles and teach the Gospel.
 
On Tuesday we got to go to the temple!  It was awesome!  Afterwards we ate a cheap Korean place near the temple and then Elder Fehlberg and I went to the Korean War Memorial Museum!  It was awesome!  I've been a few times now and still haven't been able to see it all yet. 


The District


Elder Shepherd and Elder Huckvale


Elder Huckvale and his "sons", Elder Jung and Elder Fehlberg, and Elder Mortensen

 
On Wednesday we had our district meeting and afterwards we were able to go out and do some streetboarding with our Christmas Tree streetboard!  We made a giant Christmas tree on two poster boards with the question "What do you want for Christmas?" and then they write it on a sticky note and put it on.  It's been really fun to use and I think really fun for the people that participate.


 
On Thursday Elder Fehlberg and I went to the office for the a training follow-up meeting for all of the missionaries who came in this transfer and their trainers.  At night we were able to meet with one of our investigators and talk with him about the Book of Mormon and gaining a testimony of it.  He committed to read and pray about it!
 
On Friday, our ward mission leader, Brother 김영기 (Kim), took all of the missionaries and some of the ward missionaries out to lunch at a meat buffet.  It was awesome!  We  met and discussed misisonary work in Sanggye ward for the year and what we want to accomplish for next year as a ward. 
 
Saturday was a really busy day.  We ate lunch with an investigator and introduced the Restoration and the Book of Mormon and he accepted it pretty well.  We met with him last week and we weren't exactly sure how much potential he had, but he seemed to really enjoy our message and agreed to read and pray about the Book of Mormon.  After we met him we headed over to the church to meet with 한정무 (Brother Han) who's a recent convert who's been struggling to go to church since he was baptized earlier this year.  We shared with him the "Light the World" initiative and he really enjoyed it.  He felt the Spirit as we watched the video and discussed the importance of serving others the way the Savior would. 
 
On Sunday after church, we were able to go with Brother Han and Brother Kim to President and Sister Sonksen's house for his Christmas Open House.  It was really awesome!  It really felt like a good ol' American Christmas!  It was also really good for Brother Han to be there and mingle with people and be able to talk with some of the missionaries who taught him.  It was great!
 
As I get towards the waning weeks of my mission, I've been doing a lot of reflecting.  I've been thinking a lot about whether or not I have become the missionary and person that God wants me to become.  I see so many other missionaries around me who I knew when I first started who are now going home and the change in them is so evident.  I wonder if it's the same with me.  I've decided that I'm going to make this last transfer, my best transfer.  I'm going to offer up everything to the Lord that's keeping me from becoming like Him.  That's my gift to Him. 
 
Love and Miss Y'all!
 
Called to Serve!
 
Love,
 
Elder Huckvale


 
 

Week 97 - Our Last Hope

Title - In "The Empire Strikes Back", when Luke has decided to leave his Jedi training early in order to help Han and Leia, Obi-Wan and Yoda are trying to convince him not to leave. But their not able to, and Luke takes off in his X-Wing.  As he's flying away, Obi-Wan says to Yoda, "that boy is our last hope".  And Yoda replies, "No.  There is another."   

Date: Mon, 5 Dec 2016 13:11:30 +0900
Hello My Adoring Fans!
 
We had a pretty good week here!  Elder Fehlberg are working hard to share the message of the birth of the Savior Jesus Christ this Christmas season. 
 
On Tuesday night we made brownies and were able to deliver them to some active and less-active members in our ward.  We finished doing almost exactly at 9 pm and needed to get to our house fast.  We waited on the street corner, but a taxi still didn't come.  Without anything said by Elder Fehlberg or I, we both said a prayer in our heart that a taxi would come.  As soon as we finished doing so, we saw a taxi appear off in the distance.  It was a miracle!
 
On Thursday we were able to meet with two potential investigators and eat with them.  Both of the appointments went well and we're going to try and meet with them again in the near future. 
 
On Friday night we got together as a district and made some Christmas streetboards.  We're not finished with them yet, but they're turnining out really good so I'm excited to use them in the near future.  Afterwards we had dinner with our bishop at his house.  There we were able to share the "Light the World" initiative with him and his family which was really good.  The initiative is really awesome this year.  We were able to share the initiative with some other members from our ward on Sunday as well.
 
The Christmas season has begun. Especially this year in coordination with the initiative to "Light the World", I've been thinking a lot about the importance of serving others the way the Savior would.  The gift that we can give to the Savior doesn't come in the form of gold, frankensense, or murr, but in the form of rendering service to others and offering ourselves to Him--Giving Him the things that are preventing us from becoming as He is.  I know that Jesus Christ lives and that as we give of ourselves and as we give ourselves, then we will grow in love and understanding for our fellow men.  We will come to know that through Jesus Christ and His Atonement, we all can overcome our weaknesses and find everlasting peace and happiness in this life and the life to come.
 
Merry Christmas!
 
Love and Miss Y'all!
 
Called to Serve!
 
Love,
 
Elder Huckvale