안녕하세요 fools [week 20]

Well hello! before we get started, I would like to apologize. This is not a BCC email, which means there will be a "reply all" option.  Oops. You can click it if you want . . . but please don't. It was an accident, But it is a happy accident BECAUSE when putting in your contacts, (which takes a while on a phone that doesn't allow google contacts) I miss some of you because I added you to my list after I left, and that means you're in an inferior contact manager. 

If you really love receiving my emails, and you didn't get one last week or the week before, then send a reply message to me, and you will automatically be put into the more convenient contact pool on my phone. If you don't like receiving my emails regardless of all the info above you can send a reply asking me to please stop. This probably won't happen because who reads emails they don't want to read? When I got annoying missionary emails I just deleted them or didn't check my email for months at a time. That's all of the announcements we have prepared for this meeting. I now turn the time over to the fun Truman Renfroe.

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OK! enough of the shenanigans with all the boring email nitty-gritty. It's time to hear about cool spiritual experiences and crazy Korean cultural stuffs! So the other day, my companion and I did some 길 전도 (street proselyting) and we played basketball with some 11-year-old boys. This last Saturday was the second time playing basketball with them, both occasions were chance meetings, so it was probably divine intervention and they will most likely be members within the next week or so (but not actually).

Then we talked for 20 minutes to a Korean man who said he respects us and the work we do. He came to us just to say how much he respects us, which was super nice. Then when we asked where he lives, what his number is or even his name, he was just like, "No, no, nononono, I no want your religion." Weird, but it's cool we have his respect. 

Later on, this jolly good 길 전도, (not sure if I'm spelling that correctly, but neither are you! I love being linguistically superior) we met a super cool Baptist pastor. He spoke perfect English, and was super nice. He handed us a pamphlet, and when we tried to make it a trade, he said (in English) I already have one of those. So we chit-chatted about his church building whereabouts and what our favorite Korean and American foods are. He spoke fluently, but whenever we asked a question like "do you like Korean pizza as much as American?" he would say in a super high, relaxed, raspy, drawn out way: "NOOOOooo." It was super fun to talk to him. He respects missionaries as well. He had missionaries over to his house once to give his American buddy someone to talk to. I like him! 

After meeting these cool fellows Elder Titensor and I walked on home, and on the way we passed by a restaurant that the Russians of Nonsan (there are more Russians in Nonsan than most other foreigners) like to hang out around. We have talked to them before, and this time we met a new Russian guy who speaks Russian and English. The other Russians we have met only speak Russian and Korean, which makes sense. Anyways this cool English-speaking Russian was named Vladimir and he was either slightly drunk, or just very extroverted. We talked about how all people can be friends and about political matters a little bit. Or he waxed political and I listened because I don't get the news out here on the mission. All the Russian guys we have met are SUPER handsome. That's not something I say, because I'm a dude, but these guys were a threat to my chances of getting any young lady to take a look at the Book of Mormon. I like them! But I'm not going to be going on a double-date with them any time soon. 

A funny and cool spiritual experience I had was this: I was teaching and preaching this person on hello talk (a language exchange social media) and I start seeing some red flags. Like "hmmm this person compliments me more than is normal" (and it's already normal to compliment me A LOT because I'm just so amazing.) And this person's English varied in fluency depending on the day. So I asked my companion and he was like, "Yeah this dude is not interested in the church, its a scammer." I was so saddened, and I wasn't sure if I wanted to give up on this "seemingly eager" investigator. So I went to the Gospel library to be uplifted, and the first article I saw was titled "How to Recognize Satan's Counterfeits." I read it and came to the conclusion that I was being scammed by a stinky counterfeit Satan-follower. That was a cool revelation huh? I thought that was pretty cool. 

PICTURES!

There are two pictures of the Larsens. They are awesome, they came and taught me and Elder Titenser how to cook some delicious 움식. It had dok and onions and it was yummy.

There is a picture of a Styrofoam squishy thingy on the side of someone's car. In Korea just about all the cars have door-ding-preventing squishies on the side of their cars. 

There is a picture of my phone hooked up to a keyboard and usb -> usbc converter which I got for ￦8000 (about $6). Sweet right?!?

Okay, I love you guys. Stay in school, don't do drugs, read the Book of Mormon. 

요! Yo! [week 14]

 안녕하세요 여러분 어떻게 지내세요? What's up my fellows? (That's not a literal translation, that's just me saying "what's up my fellows?") This week has been a good time. On Tuesday we ummm... I forgot. On WEDNESDAY we uh... well I forgot that too. It's in my journal, read that when I'm dead if you want to know what happened those days. I do remember the cool things that happened this week, just not when, so let's just talk about that. One time (some time this week don't ask for specifics because IDK) a guy honked us down and asked if he could take English lessons from us and we were like "네!" That means yes! 

Today for preparation day, Elder Titensor and I went to a 목욕탕. (Mogyoktang) for those of you who don't speak Korean, I will describe to you what a 목욕탕 is, so you may better grasp the tale I am about to tell. 목욕탕: imagine a cluster of hot tubs underground, with soothing music, saunas, and . . .  everyone is naked, because they are not hot tubs, but are in fact public baths. That's it, that's a 목욕탕. It was neat. Don't you worry about nothin' though, this was a gender specific  목욕탕. (As they all are in Korea nowadays) Unfortunately because of Korean privacy laws that prohibit sharing pictures of people which include their face, I cannot give you any of my 목욕탕 pictures. Also everyone was naked so I elected TO NOT take pictures.

It was the first time I tried a sauna, so that was cool. Also I like to be clean, and I like hot tubs. So it was like a win win win LOSE sort of situation. Just kidding, it was chill. It's pretty normal here. Missionaries are allowed to do it, because they used to not have showers in certain apartments, so it used to be a necessity. I actually think it's a neat bit of Korean and Asian culture. I would give this Preparation Day eight out of eleven thumbs up. Three out of three and a half stars, for sure. 

And this other time, we taught a 13-year-old girl and her dad English lessons. It was the first "find" of the transfer in me and Elder Titensor's area. It was my first find in my entire life! I'm super excited to teach them English and about the gospel. Missionaries in Korea are not allowed to teach English unless we incorporate a gospel principle because we are licensed to proselyte, not teach English. That's a good thing. It's easier to teach people who are hungry for English about the gospel if they can't have English without the gospel! That's called logical math magic.

This week has been awesome because of the people we found to teach! I haven't written about how dry this area has been because it goes against my positive nature, but it has been hard! But now we have two people to teach and two more on the way. I'm so happy! 

OH! there was also a member meal I went to this week. I understood absolutely nothing which was said, but it was still one of the best nights in Korea, because of how nice the people were. And the family atmosphere that was there was awesome. I love those members!

OK, I love you guys! You're all awesome. Thanks for your prayers and encouragement. Love you. 

Truly, Truman
PICTURES!

I saw some vintage cameras and I was like "huh neat." and I took a picture. There it is.

That picture with all the handsome and pretty missionaries is me and my MTC pals in front of the temple. I thought we were doing a smolder picture, but we weren't. I like it.

Outside of a Taekwondo dojo there were two little girls all dressed up in their 기 (gi? Idk) and they were making these cute snow bears. 

There's a picture of me hugging my brother for the last time in 2 (maybe 4) years. It makes me sad. He's my best friend.

The painting... idk if I showed this before, but I'm showing it now either way because it's my favorite painting of all time. 

It was painted by my high school art teacher, Andy Berg, you can find more of his stuff on Facebook. I hope it's OK I put this here, Andy! I love you and your work.🙏  

If you read this whole email and your thinking "man when will it end?" I apologize, but if you read anything, read what Andy said about his painting. Here it is: 

Feb 16, 2021
I just finished this painting called "The Carpenter's Gift. "
In this painting, a little girl holds onto a rudimentary straw horse, while the carpenter extends his hand, to see if she is willing to give up the valued possession. Behind him, he holds a gift, a delicately carved wooden horse, that he longs to give her.
Sometimes, Jesus Christ asks us to give up some of our favorite things. The straw horses that we cling onto that only offer a crude resemblance of something important, but never last. They offer temporary comfort, excitement, or pleasure but eventually unravel, fray, and decay.
But, unbeknownst to us, the second we offer up our sacrifice, His gift is given. A gift of substance and heart, that is everlasting. A gift crafted by the hand of the very creator of the universe, and specifically tailored to its recipient. The most wonderful gift you can imagine. 
"But as it is written, Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for those them that love him." 1st Corinthians 2:9 
"Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and dust doth corrupt... but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven...
For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also." Mathew 6:19-21
What is your straw horse? Are you willing to give it up for the Carpenter's Gift?

I Got Out of Quarantine! [week 11]

 Hello! 안녕하세요 여러분. 어떻게 지내세요? Guess what!?! I got out of quarantine today and it was a most joyous experience. Most joyous indeed. INDUBITABLY JOYOUS FOR A SURETY, WITHOUT A DOUBT! Me and the quarantine 선교사 (Sonkyosa missionaries) got to go to a sushi buffet with some other elders. It was a jolly good time. Then me and Elder Binks split off from Elders Prock and Dickey, and we wandered around 대전 (Daejeon) for a couple hours it was great! Lots of stores and sculptures and art galleries and big buildings and people. EVERYTHING! 

I'm talking to this guy named 규 (Kyoo) right now, and he is a chill fellow. I met him on HelloTalk, which is a language exchange social media, and we are going to play some 장기 (Janggi, Korean chess). Then after I destroy his face at Janggi, I'm going to resurrect his face with the Book of Mormon. 규 seems pretty cool. He agreed to meet already now we just need to figure out when. 

Elder Dickey has found TONS of people on HelloTalk. He found this woman who is Iranian, and she is super interested in the church. You can tell she could feel the church is true. Unfortunately, Elder Dickey found out that if she converts to Christianity, her government will sentence her to death. So he sort of had to stop teaching her forthwith. 

I saw four baptisms over zoom, that was awesome. Three on the 12th and one on the 5th. It was very nice to watch. The kids on the zoom call went crazy! They all wanted to get in the camera and say nice-to-meet-you. And they make head hearts and peace signs. They are happy little guys. 

We had Korean etiquette training yesterday. It was most informative: 

• Give and receive everything with both hands
• Don't put your hands in your pockets when talking to someone (especially oldies) 
• Stand up and bow when someone older than you walks into a room
• Don't point
• Use exact titles
• Don't hang up the phone until after three seconds of silence (hanging up has always been a struggle for me, so having set rules on how to do it is nice)

Elder Prock beat me at Janggi... again. The score is 3 to 1 now. 

OH! I forgot to mention this a few emails ago, but my uncle Eli sent me a bunch of super cool wood cuts of Christmas ornaments and tie pins for the mission. He made one for each member of my MTC district and for my mission president, and he made a Plan of Salvation puzzle in Korean for me to use when  teaching. 

He is a super cool uncle! I remember when he went on his mission to England, and I wrote him a letter or two. I thought of missionaries as superheroes back then, and I looked up to Eli so much, along with my other uncle who went on a mission to Japan, uncle Kevin.  I love those guys! I never had any doubt about going on a mission because of theirs and my dad's example. I'm glad I get to be out here to share the gospel of Jesus Christ. It has brought me so much happiness and peace, and I'm going to spread it around. 

Alright! I love you guys! Have a good week, merry Christmas! 

Truly Truman 

PICTURES!!!

I went to two art galleries today. One in an underground mall, and one in an above-ground-not-a-mall. The picture with the tiger was the above ground place, and the bird and horses and nice smiling lady were in the underground mall.

The two cute chubby monster statues were also in the mall.

The plate of delicious food was from the buffet. This was the first good meal since the MTC, and the first really good meal since my mom's cooking. 

First Week in Korea! [week 10]

Hello 여러분! (Yall)

어떻게 지내십니까? How are you doing? 

I for one am doing fantastic! Korea! Woohoo! It's a good time in Korea. I'm in quarantine right now. I got to leave to get tested for Covid-19, and that was neat. 

My first taxi ride on my way to get Covid tested

I rode in my first ever taxi, and I could not communicate with the driver (he got much better at English when it was time to pay though). Luckily Elder Binks was there to speak for both of us. He is pretty darn good at Korean for learning in the MTC. 

Some neat factoids about Korea that I have discovered in my 2ish days of being here

1. You can block other cars in when you park, just straighten your tires and leave your car in neutral, so whoever you blocked can just push your car out of the way. 
2. There are drawers in every residence dedicated to KimChi, and food garbage. Its a slightly refrigerated drawer to keep it nice and fresh, or as fresh as fermented cabbage and pig slops can be. They recycle their food garbage to pigs. I am a huge fan of that! My family has chickens and we give our leftovers to them. This is the way. 

So the flight over from Salt Lake to Dallas to Korea was an adventure. We had a 50-minute layover in Dallas, so it was like 17 hours of straight flying. The food on the plane was good. Or the first meal was good, the second was OK, and the third made my face mask smell like absolute crap for the next five hours. Getting through customs for Covid and being a foreigner was a long and boring and stressful process, but we did it! 

Saying goodbye to my district and other districts from the MTC was super hard.😭 I love those guys. It was super hard. I LOVE  those guys! Seriously, they are already some of my closest friends after nine weeks of knowing them (some of them more like seven weeks because I didn't meet the other Korean district until I got to the MTC), and I'm going to miss them. I'm going to keep in touch though. But mostly I'm going to miss them. I love those guys and I could talk about them forever...so I will. 

1. Sister Peterson was so super duper kind and nice! I'm glad I got to know her, she just makes everyone feel cool. And she can play the piano and the HARP like a musical wizard. It was sad to see her go to the Seoul mission when I'm in Seoul south.
2. Sister Fenberg is SO nice, and uplifting to everyone. You can't be in a bad mood when she is around. And she had some hecking genuine compliments that made my day. Will miss 10/10
3. Sister Johnston was cool. She was super positive even when the going got rough. She was positive. I feel like a silly guy for ever complaining about anything, because she doesn't ever complain EVER! and we had some cool chit chats about religion and family. She is so cool!
4. Sister Hong was awesome.  She was always happy, and she could surprise us with some witty sarcasm every once in a while, even though you would never expect it from her. And she always complimented my ties which made me feel above elder Dickey in style points. (And he is the king of stylishness) She was so cool and fun to be around. Seoul is lucky to have her!

Sisters Fenberg, Peterson, Rich, and Hong

1. Oh my goodness Elder Griswold is the coolest guy! Super easy to look up to. He is good at everything he does, and he is super leader like, and he watches lots of anime, but he doesn't tell his girlfriends on account of it "messing up his image." Super cool guy. He is going to be a good leader in the mission field.
2. Elder Del Priore is a crazy cool guy. He has the strongest personality/aura ever. He was famous at the MTC everyone said hi to him as we walked by. He was super... I can't describe it any other way than strong. He was swole, but I mean his personality was strong. He just did what Elder Del would do. Very cool guy. I want to be as outgoing as him.
3. Elder Livingston. OH MAN! Elder Livingston was a nice guy. We had some fun conversations about religion and Korea and Naruto, and all sorts of stuff. He always had something nice to say. Super nice smart fellow.  I like him.
4. Elder Green was easy to get along with. I love this guy! I don't think I have heard him say anything negative about anyone else. I talked DND with him a couple times, which was so fun. He is a good example of a righteous disciple of Christ.
5. Fallon 장노님 (elder) was a super huge blessing to me. He helped me with the language, and helped me gain some courage to ask for help when I needed it. And he was good at the drums and the language, and he was super fun to talk with. Everybody loves Elder Fallon.  There is nobody quite as dedicated as he is.
6. Elder Harden was one of the best at Korean in our district. And he could trounce me at chess... most of the time. He was a perfect example of what an obedient and righteous missionary is. And he was never negative about others. And he is from Idaho REPRESENT! I love this guy!
7. Then of Course there is Campbell 장노님. Easily the funniest person in all of the MTC. HE IS FUNNY. Just funny, that's all I can think of when  I think of him. And he is super encouraging to people when they mess up, and he was a good sport on the volleyball ball court. I love this guy!
8. Elder Fisher is cool 😎. He had heelies and he played the cello and he looks like a handsome American version of Harry Potter. And he made everything look easy. He was easy going, but also really good at Korean and smarticles. He is cool. I like him!
9. Pestana 장노님 was a missionary among missionaries. He was able to bring the spirit into a room and be a great example to everyone. He helped me out a lot with some tricky times. He is a strong disciple of Christ, and I'm going to miss him.
10. Elder Dickey (with me right now in quarantine) is chill. He is a man of few words, but when you can smolder like him you don't need words. He is so un-unlikeable. You HAVE to like him. He is too cool and stylish and funny to not like. So obviously I LIKE HIM. 
11. Elder Binks (with me in quarantine right now) is the nicest person. AND! he wrote a few songs that are amazing. He is super good at singing, and he is teaching me a ton of Korean right now, and he is just one of my favorite people. He is super nice.
12. Prock 장노님 (with me in quarantine right now) is my companion and I am glad it was him! He taught me how to chill out on the inside. You guys know I am pretty outwardly happy and chill, but sometimes it's because I don't show when I am unchill. But if Elder Prock looks chill then his is CHILL! so yeah. He is a super genuine guy and I am glad that we were companions. And he could beat me at Janggi, so he must be a certified genius.

I can't write this long list of cool friends without mentioning guys from out of my district. I didn't know them as well, but I know them well enough to know they are good guys. I would write a paragraph for each of them, but that would take hours, so just know 'I love you all my other MTC buds!'

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Yup. I love my Korean MTC buddies. They are all awesome!  Here is the rest of my email which I wrote earlier, so get ready for a rough transition sentence. 

When we met the assistant to the president and all the other guys who were picking us up at the airport. I was greeted by a tall Korean guy. President 황 (Hoang) he speaks next to no English, which was such a coincidence because I speak next to no Korean! But he gave me a big hug and kept saying "그" (tall) over and over. And gesturing at how tall I was. He had a huge smile and laughed a lot, and spoke super enthusiastically. I like this guy! The AP (assistant president) speaks fluent English and Korean, so he translated for president 황. Good times!

After that me and Elder Prock and Elder Binks and Elder Dickey went to our apartment, and brought our stuff inside and crashed. I got a 요; A mat instead of a bed. It's super comfy. The beds here are harder than the 요들. (Mats)

What we have done since being here is: meetings, setting up our phones, finding people to teach and learn Korean from on HelloTalk, and studying. Fun times.

Alright! I LOVE YOU GUYS. After quarantine I'll have some cooler pictures. For right now here is what I have.

The picture of the city at night is what we can see from our window. Our apartment has tons of windows which is nice. We can see like 3 lit up red crucifixes from one window. It's not devil worshipers, red is the color of positive energy here.

Then the other pictures are just random snapshots I took while in a new country crazed frenzy.

Love you guys. Remember to say your prayers! OH! I forgot to say, I know that me and my group were helped through the airport. There were many times things went wrong, but they worked out by some fluke. But it wasn't a fluke! The Lord looks out for his own. Especially missionaries. 

OK love you bye

Truly Truman