Two updates in one - Goodbye President Barrow

Dinner with Ward Mission Leader

Yesterday we got to go to president Barrows farewell for the Ulsan stake. We get a new mission president in two weeks. He is a Korean guy from Seoul. A lot of the missionaries know because they are from the same ward and he is the father of one of the sisters in our mission.

Last week we had a stake sports day which was really fun. We had a soccer tournament and our ward won. We got all of the kids that play with us every Saturday to come which was cool since they are almost all non members. Yesterday we met with one of our investigators who brought four of his friends and we are now teaching one of them who lived in Texas as an exchange student.

One of our investigators runs an English academy and we met with him on Thursday. He was really busy so we sat there for a while. But the whole time we were waiting we were talking to this kid and teaching him English, and about our church. English is actually a big way we find people. Besides that nothing much else going on.

#thechurchistrue

Laughs with little Giungmin

Elder Profitt couldn't hang

2nd Update

Sweet az ride

Anther crazy week in 한국. On Tuesday I went on an exchange with elder Youngblood over here in Hogye. Our plan was to un-exchange Wednesday morning at zone conference since we were having it at our chapel here in Hoyge. But on Wednesday morning, when we woke up and started showering we get a call from the zone leaders telling us to get our 72-hour kits and our passports and head to the mission office. We were really surprised for the change of plans since we live 3-hours from the mission home, but we got our stuff together and hoped on a train. When we got there the whole mission was gathered. We ended up having a huge mission conference for President Barrow's farewell. It was really good to see all the missionaries that I haven't seen in months.

President Barrow instructed us to start doing companionship and language study outside, at the library or in a cafe so we can be around the people more. It has worked out really good. We have already met several people just while studying. We have had a few people just walk up to us in the library and ask if we teach an English class, which we do. a little bit racist but its chill.

We had a little boy get baptized on Friday since he just turned 8. There was some drama between some of the family members and some of them ended up leaving but it still turned out to be an awesome baptism.

I hope everyone is doing good back home.

#예수그리스도 후기 성도 교회


Love you all,
Elder Mica Matua

Visiting one of many Buddhist temples here

Korea-Busan Missionaries farewell President Barrow

Another week in Hogye

Exploring and climbing The Dragon
King rocks in Hogye

This week was pretty neat. A lot of nature around these parts... but anyways it was a good week.

We haven't really been able to meet most of our investigators because they have all been "busy" but that's just the Korean life style. But we did meet a really cool kid who is 22 and loves the NBA. We played basketball with him and the whole time he ran around yelling, Lebron! or Curry! in his Korean accent every time he shot or dribbled the ball. He just finished military service and said he wants to starts meeting with us.

Up here in Hogye its just a branch but the members are awesome. We just got assigned to teach the primary once a month and we still do a lot with the young men. Tomorrow we have a stake sports day where we are going to go smash all the other wards in soccer.

Besides that the mission life is going good. Hogye is awesome, the church is true.

Mosiah 2:21


Love,
Elder Mica Matua

My Korean style kicks

Exploring with the Elders from the pad

Pausing for a photo op

Some random Inca street performers

Visiting a Buddhist temple

Flat mate Elder Jaebok

Hogye is awesome

First week in Hogye (May 28 Update)

Exchanges with JaeBok

Another great week in 호계 (Hogye). Not too much happened this week but we did get a visit from Elder Oaks. The whole mission met up in Busan and we got to hear from Elder Oaks, his wife, the Choi's, and Garret Gong from the Seventy. They all gave really good talks. and Elder Oaks roasted Texas since that's where President Barrow is from.

On Saturday we played our weekly soccer game with the young men. We have four young men who are recent converts and their families all hate the church, But they are really good members. they have to leave their church clothes in the missionary room and change when they get to church so that their parents don't know that they are coming to church. On Saturday they brought a bunch of friends to soccer. we had about 20 people there. We played non-members vs members. We are actually teaching a few of them right now.

We are still working on finding new investigators and trying to help the ones that we have. Its a really nice area, a lot smaller than Busan, a little bit country. But still has more people than the entire state of Utah. Things are goin good here.

Check out Mosiah 5:15


Love you all,
Elder Mica Matua

Hogye is country!

Pretty cool street art here

Sportin that Granny Yeezy gear

Exchanges with the Zone Leaders

Out and about with Elder Profit

Transfer #6 (May 21 Update) -- Hogye

Final investigators in Yunsan

Sorry we're late updating the blog. We were so excited to speak to Mica on Mother's Day that we've been slacking ever since.

I just got transferred to 호계 (Hogye) up in Ulsan. It is a lot different from the big city Busan. Me and one of the new Elders had to take a 30-min train to a bus station and then take a two hour bus to our area. It was a miracle that we didn't get lost. It was both our first times in Ulsan.

My new area is a lot more country. It takes us over an hour on bus to get to district meeting. The Branch here is really awesome. They have quite a few young men but not any young men leaders so the missionaries are in charge of that. We teach Seminary, Sunday School, and play soccer with them every week. Most of the young men are recent converts and are the only member in their family and their parents hate the church but they still come ever

y week. And they are really good at bringing friends along with them.

Failed final Zone pick before
leaving Yunsan

Yesterday when me and Elder Profit were proselyting we were walking through this huge market and we heard a concert going on. We walked down the street and there was a huge crowd of old people watching a concert of some old Korean singers. As me and Elder Profit walked past we just started clapping. When the song ended the man who was hosting or the Emcee said in Korean, "Everybody get into it like these two foreigners back there." Then he asked us where we were from and when we replied in Korean he was so shocked. When the next group started performing he ran through the crowd, grabbed us and pulled us up on stage and made us dance. It was pretty fun. Hopefully we get some investigators out of that since we're famous now.


Love you all,
Elder Mica Matua

Final pic with the homie Steve-O