Pre-Christmas, Exchanges and more

Awesome graffiti

Things are going good here. My companion is district leader now so I've been getting to go on a lot of exchanges which are always fun. On Thursday I got to go on exchange with Elder Ee Yeong Je. He is like a four foot tall Korean guy who barely speaks English so it was really helpful learning Korean. I also got to go on a short exchange up in Busan with Elder Ockey who was with me in to MTC. That was fun because neither of us speaks Korean. But not too much else going on here. We had two investigators come to church on Sunday and one of them came to our soccer activity.

This Christmas season we are focusing on service in our ward. I shared how we gave food and hot chocolate to homeless people last year to some members and they thought it was so cool. Thinking back on it now it really was a cool experience. It sounds like you guys are doing really good back home helping others and staying positive. President Barrow's famous quote to the missionaries is "keep going." He says it every interview, every talk he gives, and even every time he just has a conversation with us, It always ends in "keep going." Love you guys have a great week.


Love you all,
Elder Mica Matua

Elder Ee Yeong Je

Meeting new missionaries

안 녕 하 새 요 ! 

Another week in good ole 한국.

Nothing too exciting happened this week. We had mission tour with Elder Whiting which was good. It's always fun to have meetings like that because I get to see all of my MTC homies. I'm still with my trainer for another transfer but we did get a new elder and sister in our area. Elder Fox from Utah of course. And Sister Qaga (Kanga) from Fiji. She said she knows the Tuilevuka's and the Whippy's. I think she even said Josh dated her older sister. Oh and I don't know if I told you about this but on my first day here I met a sister and the first thing she said to me was,"are you Kingston and Chase's little brother?" She said we were in the same ward in West Valley, then she was like, 'You were a such a little kid and now your serving with me.' I think her name is Sister Feinga.

The ward members here are awesome. There's one guy who talked about football with me for like an hour yesterday. He has like all the NFL rosters on his phone and knows so much about the teams. On Saturday morning we played soccer with some members and some investigators. Koreans love soccer. They celebrate Christmas here since one-third or more of the population is "Christian" but its a lot different from America. For a lot of people here Chirstmas is just like a Valentines Day. It's gonna be very different from what I'm used to. I'm grateful that our family really focused on Jesus Christ on Christmas and I know that's what you guys will do this year.

Have a great week and stay safe.


Love yall,
Elder Mica Matua


Not a lot of pics this week but we did get these quick shots when we got on a bus that took us out to the middle of nowhere. We were both worried that we would not get another bus back into town.

Searching high and low for a bus

Me and the homie in the country

When I get bored on P-day...

More exchanges, Thanksgiving and jailhouse lessons

Elder Ee Je Bok, my comp
and me

Happy Thanksgiving.

You guys look like you had so much fun on Thanksgiving. All we did was go to KFC. It was sad not being with you guys for Thanksgiving but I know I'm doing the Lords work.

This past week was great. I got to go on exchange in Miryang which is the boonies compared to Changwan. I was with Elder Ee Je Bok who is one of the funniest Koreans I've ever met. We got to go visit the jail to teach one of the inmates who is an investigator. He was a young guy and I don't know how long he has been locked up but he was really happy. We only got to teach for about 15 minutes before a buzzer went off for us to leave but it was still really cool. While we were sitting in the lobby waiting to go in, a group of guys walked in. There was one guy dressed in a really nice suit with sunglasses on who walked around like he was a big deal or something and he was followed by five other guys covered in tattoos. There was also two little buff guys with shaved heads with huge devils tattooed on the back of their heads who were like their body guards. They followed them around, stood at the doors, and held their cell phones when they went into the cells. It was so funny, it was like something out of a movie. And when they walked in, the Korean sister next to me leaned over and said, 'Korean gang.'

District Meeting and lunch

But the exchanges are really fun. Last night we got to eat at one of the members house with a bunch of other families. I am still trying to get used to real Korean food.

I didn't get transferred. I'll be with my trainer for at least another 6 weeks. After that I'll probably stay in Dogye for another 6 weeks. I just got really jealous when I read that you guys played touch [rugby] at the IPF.

Our leaders had us think a lot about what we are thankful for this past week and my answer is always my family. I think about you guys every day and it wasn't until I came here that I truly realized how lucky I am to have you guys. Every time we teach someone in the streets we always teach how important families are and that we can live together forever. I am grateful that Heavenly Father gave us the opportunity to have eternal families and feel joy.


I love you guys so much. Have a great week.
Elder Mica Matua

This area is called Miryang

Dinner with a member family

Pretty good Korean food

Korean KFC

Exchanges, English classes and Masan

View over Masan

Bula,

안녕하세요

I feel so bad for the Tarawhiti's. Tell them I'm praying for them. And I'm trying my best to keep my teeth healthy. I feel like I've had so much work on my teeth that I never want to see a dentist again. And it's good that people are visiting our house with you guys getting so close to becoming empty nesters, haha just kidding. I was always worried to bring my friends over because all the food would be gone and the house would get trashed. That's why we always went to the Levys' basement; they didn't have any food and their basement already looked like a war zone. LOL

My Zone Leader and I in
Masan

But things are going good here in Korea. I'm getting used to the missionary life and slowly learning the language. It is still coming pretty slow and I'm still pushing through with my companion. This week was good. we had an English speech contest for our English class, then we watched "Meet the Mormons". I also went on an exchange with the Zone Leader over in Masan, which was way fun. It sounds like the ward is doing awesome.

It looks like you guys had a blast at Thanksgiving Point. That was a very interesting group that went with King and Chase. Is that Lono? and who is the black kid? That's so cool to hear that Stan [Raass] is the young mens president. Tell Kenyon to have fun catering hahahaha. Oh and hopefully Grandpa John is still there when I get back. Tell him he needs to start eating a lot of Korean food. The people over here live for like a thousand years.

We usually have the same morning schedule, and then either go to appointments with investigators, less actives, or just go proselyting. My shoes are good and I got a coat and a sweater. I'll send you a picture. It's a big warm coat, and it's pretty nice, and it only cost five dollars at the market, 5 bucks.


Love you and have a great Thanksgiving.
Elder Mica Matua

A large market we found

Lots and lots of fish in the market

My new $5 jacket - straight fire

My other $5 jacket - more fire

My $5 monk robe - tiiiight!

My gas station spam roll

English class Speech Contest

Americans, drunks and pounding food

Our new friends (drunk guy in blue)

Hey family,

Sounds like the US is having some troubles. I still cant believe Donald Trump is going to be the President. Hopefully the US will still be there in two years for me to come back to.

But everything in Korea is going good. I'm still trying to get used to the mission. The ward members are really awesome here. Our ward mission leader is named So Moon Soo and he has helped us out so much. We have still been doing a lot of street contacting. A few days a ago we met a guy named Chris from New York. We were just walking back to our apartment at night and we stopped to talk to him. He teaches english here to little kids. He guessed that we were Mormons and we started to teach him about our church. His dad is Jewish and his mom is Catholic but he was still really interested in our message. We gave him a Book of Mormon and told him to email him next week. At the end of our conversation he told us that he has always known about the Mormons and he has sort of been waiting for some to come talk to him. It was good to talk to someone in English for once and hopefully that goes well.

Still eating at McDonald's

On Wednesday we were walking back to our apartment and it was about 8:45 p.m. when we saw a man walk out of a resturaunt to feed his dog that he tied up outside. Right when he saw me he was like, American? Then he started asking me all these questions about Trump and Clinton but I had no idea what he was saying. Then he was like, 'come inside and eat.' We tried to tell him we had to be home in a fwe minutes but he basically dragged us in. He was so drunk. He walked us in and sat us down at his table with two of his friends and gave us food. It was probably one of the funniest nights here. The drunk guys just went off telling jokes, making faces, and standing up doing random things. We tried to leave because we were supposed to be in our apartment but he said we had to finish all the food so we pounded so much meat in like two minutes. I'm starting to get used to being in Korea. I miss you guys a lot.


Love ya'll
Elder Mica Matua

Bought this sweet new backpack for $10

Don't hate the playah

Korean advertising cracks me up

Our pet

Working hard, investigators and political rallies

안 녕 하 세 요!

Our English card - I'm the good looking one in the back

It's been another very long week. Very long days. But I feel like I have grown so much in just the past few weeks. We proselyte most of our time here which can be really hard. We either get an old man who talks about random stuff for 30 minutes or we get a kid who is too scared to say anything. But we have three investigators now.

On Saturday we met with one of our investigators late at night down in the middle of the city. When we walked out of his office there was like thousands of Koreans marching the streets with banners and flags all shouting and chanting something. They even set up a huge stage  and had a Korean guy with a mic yelling stuff and the people copying him. So it turns out that everyone hates the President right now. I guess she did some scandal or something and now all these people want to get her kicked out of office. SO that was pretty interesting.

Lunch?

Not very much stuff happened this week. And yes, my companion is very strict. All of the other missionaries say, 'your campanion is awesome but i dont know if I could be his companion.' And I'm like, 'You have no idea.' He is great tho, very faithful.

I'm going to try and buy a coat at some point. Oh and the other missionaries in our aparment are awesome. Im so jealous of Kingston [attending an All Blacks game]. And did the All Blacks really lose to Ireland?

It sounds like you guys had an awesome sunday. I miss you guys so much and think about you all the time.


Love you guys,
Elder Mica Matua

An interesting water dispenser

Lunch at the apartment

More sketchy food

More eating

At a baptism

What the....?

Long week, dinner with Bishop and an awesome Ward

That's me eating pig intestine soup - yum!

How's it,

Our Ward is awesome. It is one of the larger wards here with a little over a hundred people. All of the members here are awesome. My companion and I sit in the back with the English speakers so he can translate for them, and me. We had dinner at the Bishops apartment a few nights ago which was great. He has five kids, and his little baby is so funny. He is barely old enough to walk but when you bow to him he puts his hands at his side and bows back.

Things are going good with my companion. It's hard to connect with him because we are from two completely different lives. I would have taken more pictures but my companion doesn't like me taking pics while we're out teaching. I guess we'll see how the next transfer goes.

It's hard to connect with any Koreans here because all the youth do is go to school from 7am to 9pm and when they aren't in school they are playing computer games at the PC bong.

It has been a very long week. Im still trying to figure out how to do this but I know it will come. I'm glad to hear that we finally beat Herriman. I've noticed that I have always wanted to beat Herriman because of their fans and coaches and not because of their players.

Today is my fist holiday in Korea. It is going to be sad not having Thanksgiving or Christmas with the fam this year.



Love you guys,
Elder Mica Matua

New place, new companion and English class

We're leaving the MTC!

안 녕 하 새 요 ! 

Whats up!

Korea is amazing. The whole place is like one giant city. Everywhere you go you are surrounded by huge buildings with lights, colorful signs, and Korean words covering them. It puts New York to shame. It's my sixth day here but it feels like I've been here for six months.

My companion is named Elder Oh. He's a native but he speaks really good English and I have never met anyone who wants to work non-stop like him. All we do is street contacting 24/7. The second day I was here we did it for like ten hours and I say the same thing every time. Once my head hits the pillow at night I instantly pass out.

The Korean people are really nice though. I am serving in a place called Chang Wan. The Ward members are awesome. Twice a week we hold an English class for anyone at the chapel. The person in charge of it is named Ee Ho Jong. His son served in Hawaii and he said he knows who Kingston is but I think he changed his last name to Lee in English. There's also a Filipino guy named Robert who comes to help out. He's so funny because he's just a F.O.B.

I live in a four-man apartment, and the other two elders are awesome. Their names are Elder Royce and Elder Jenkins. I still don't really know any Korean so it's really hard to talk to people in the street, even though that's all we do. Hopefully I can somehow pick up this language.

I hope you guys are doing good at home.


Love you guys,
Elder Mica Matua

Inside our apartment

One side of our apartment

Meeting President and Sister Barrow for the first time

Meeting my new companion, Elder Oh

Practicing before we head out

First day - we got our companions, our assignment, a Book of
Mormon. Then we were told to go out and proselyte

Elder Bednar came and spoke to us last Friday. He did
a Q&A session with us

At the market they gave us two whole, deep fried chickens
to eat. An old Korean lady broke it up for us and gave us
gloves to eat them with

This is her. She thinks she's going to be famous in America

Us eating in our apartment

Eating Korean Musubi on the bus

At a baptism with the guys