We love you Hunter (H-Dog). Happy Birthday!
Wednesday, December 31, 2008
Thursday, December 25, 2008
Merry Christmas from Korea
Elder Britsch with Santa
Elder Britsch, Pres. Burton, and Elder WimmerDear fam,
Its Christmas day eve and I only have a few minutes to write, the rest I will have to say when we talk tomorrow or in the next email. I loved your presents. Thankyou for the cards and the digital messages. hearing your voices and encouragement means much more than any physical gifts. The korea book is great, but I actually just bought the same one here - 2 weeks ago. so I will sell my old one to another missionary. Last night I had a christmas party with the ward. We had 3 investigators come. It was neat to see this side of our ward. I played God and another character in a primary play. I had to speak korean in a low voice - it was fun. They even put makeup on us - I refused but had no choice - I think my companion enjoyed it though :). I will talk to u tomorrow as planned. I call the home phone. Can't wait.
Love,
Elder Britsch
Friday, December 19, 2008
Merry Christmas from the Schills
Send your own ElfYourself eCards
Jeff put our heads on these elves, and it is so funny. The picture of Jeff in glasses is of when he was a cop for halloween
Jeff put our heads on these elves, and it is so funny. The picture of Jeff in glasses is of when he was a cop for halloween
Thursday, December 18, 2008
Letter from Elder Britsch Dec. 18th, 2008
Hi, Dec. 18th, 2008
Another week has flown by. The weather is still cold with some rain. Our area is doing very well. We’ve started teaching another family in the southern area of our area – the suburbs. It’s called the country by the rich people in our area who retreat there on weekends, but it still very expensive. The family is living in humble circumstances. The apartment (including kitchen and 4 inhabitants) is close to the size of a double bed hotel room. We sat on the floor and taught. They feed us the whole time – a very kind gesture of respect. We appreciate it, but are full and beyond. I can hardly walk after having my legs crossed Indian style for 2 hours, but I love the family. The 8 year old is very hyper and runs around naked as we teach. The mom is a poet and gave us a signed book which has 10 of her poems – another gesture of kindness. The people in the southern part are much kinder and approachable. The father is well read in the bible and actually uses it to back up what we say comes out of the book of Mormon. The parents said that we are angels sent to them. The 20 year old son sits at the computer the whole time – he wants to be a progammer. I’ve been given a part in our Christmas party program. I will play god and read 6 lines in a deep Korean voice. It should be fun. Many of the other people we teach are in their 20’s. All seem to be very bright. Many attend what seems to be one of the best universities in Korea. During our English program time, I am amazed at the genius minds of these people. One of the kids will major in philosophy and writes essays in his free time. He is amazed that we are learning Korean - he says “It’s not even an essential language.” He compared us to Christ’s apostles. We told him we try to live like Christ but are not worthy of such a statement. One of the girls is studying Chinese Studies and is fluent in 3-4 languages. She is very quick. We are questioned on everything we teach, but she seems to like it. She feels that all religions are true. We explained that all have truth but only one has all of the truth and is God’s church. Many people are very impressed that we do not get paid. We lost many investigators do to false statements and pressure from their preachers or ministers. The investigator will even admit that they believe that what we are saying but just can’t join our church because of family pressure. It is very heart breaking. Church is very much a business here, and many of the people to do not like it. We bring a very different religion, free from the desire for money or status. It is God’s church, not mans’.
One man we are teaching is 44 yrs old, divorced and studying American studies in a grad. program. He is very well read in our religion. He has no religion b/c he has never agreed with other Christian faiths description of the plan and God. He felt God is not fair if things are so black and white with heaven and hell. He loved the plan that we taught him. He told me how he’s read about Brigham Young and the exodus of the saints. He felt very bad that such persecution had existed in a country that proclaims religious freedom. He was very impressed that we held to our beliefs, despite the persecution. He’s also read about our social and charity efforts in America; specifically mentioning our work in New Orleans after the hurricane. He read about it in Time magazine. He also said he read that Pres. Bush thinks favorably of our church. I was surprised that he had read so much. It goes to show that our actions are seen by many people. Knowing that our stake was apart of these clean up efforts gives chills to my spine. This is God’s church. Even someone thousands of miles away, in Korea, has read about our work. The favorable impression that he has of the church comes a lot from the efforts of the members of my home stake.
We are a light on a hill, our light shall not be hid, but shall be for all to see and come unto. He is very interested in our church. Our actions each and everyday are so noticed, even in distant lands. Thank you to all the church members who have contributed time and money to these welfare and charitable efforts. I love you all. Thanks for your letters and prayers. Remember, people are searching for truth. After all, Righteousness is happiness. And who doesn’t want to be happy?
Love,Elder Britsch
Another week has flown by. The weather is still cold with some rain. Our area is doing very well. We’ve started teaching another family in the southern area of our area – the suburbs. It’s called the country by the rich people in our area who retreat there on weekends, but it still very expensive. The family is living in humble circumstances. The apartment (including kitchen and 4 inhabitants) is close to the size of a double bed hotel room. We sat on the floor and taught. They feed us the whole time – a very kind gesture of respect. We appreciate it, but are full and beyond. I can hardly walk after having my legs crossed Indian style for 2 hours, but I love the family. The 8 year old is very hyper and runs around naked as we teach. The mom is a poet and gave us a signed book which has 10 of her poems – another gesture of kindness. The people in the southern part are much kinder and approachable. The father is well read in the bible and actually uses it to back up what we say comes out of the book of Mormon. The parents said that we are angels sent to them. The 20 year old son sits at the computer the whole time – he wants to be a progammer. I’ve been given a part in our Christmas party program. I will play god and read 6 lines in a deep Korean voice. It should be fun. Many of the other people we teach are in their 20’s. All seem to be very bright. Many attend what seems to be one of the best universities in Korea. During our English program time, I am amazed at the genius minds of these people. One of the kids will major in philosophy and writes essays in his free time. He is amazed that we are learning Korean - he says “It’s not even an essential language.” He compared us to Christ’s apostles. We told him we try to live like Christ but are not worthy of such a statement. One of the girls is studying Chinese Studies and is fluent in 3-4 languages. She is very quick. We are questioned on everything we teach, but she seems to like it. She feels that all religions are true. We explained that all have truth but only one has all of the truth and is God’s church. Many people are very impressed that we do not get paid. We lost many investigators do to false statements and pressure from their preachers or ministers. The investigator will even admit that they believe that what we are saying but just can’t join our church because of family pressure. It is very heart breaking. Church is very much a business here, and many of the people to do not like it. We bring a very different religion, free from the desire for money or status. It is God’s church, not mans’.
One man we are teaching is 44 yrs old, divorced and studying American studies in a grad. program. He is very well read in our religion. He has no religion b/c he has never agreed with other Christian faiths description of the plan and God. He felt God is not fair if things are so black and white with heaven and hell. He loved the plan that we taught him. He told me how he’s read about Brigham Young and the exodus of the saints. He felt very bad that such persecution had existed in a country that proclaims religious freedom. He was very impressed that we held to our beliefs, despite the persecution. He’s also read about our social and charity efforts in America; specifically mentioning our work in New Orleans after the hurricane. He read about it in Time magazine. He also said he read that Pres. Bush thinks favorably of our church. I was surprised that he had read so much. It goes to show that our actions are seen by many people. Knowing that our stake was apart of these clean up efforts gives chills to my spine. This is God’s church. Even someone thousands of miles away, in Korea, has read about our work. The favorable impression that he has of the church comes a lot from the efforts of the members of my home stake.
We are a light on a hill, our light shall not be hid, but shall be for all to see and come unto. He is very interested in our church. Our actions each and everyday are so noticed, even in distant lands. Thank you to all the church members who have contributed time and money to these welfare and charitable efforts. I love you all. Thanks for your letters and prayers. Remember, people are searching for truth. After all, Righteousness is happiness. And who doesn’t want to be happy?
Love,Elder Britsch
Wednesday, December 10, 2008
Letter from Elder Britsch Dec. 10th, 2008
Dear All,
Korea is still great and getting colder. Last Saturday and Sunday it snowed all-day. It is rare, especially in December. The big flakes and white streets were a gorgeous site, but it had all passed by Sunday night. The weather goes through 4 days cycles of frigid and cold. The weather’s been a little colder than the usual. Many days it is in the low teens. A few days it was in the low single digits. The Siberian winds are deadly (we call them the death winds). Going straight through your body to your bones. Dropping the temp another ten degrees. Despite the weather, we are in good spirits. I just have to smile and laugh every time the wind picks up around a corner. People seem to be less willing to listen to our message in these circumstances, but we just work harder and we are always blessed to find someone. My companion says that this is the hardest place he has worked in because so many of our appointments fall through because of their busy schedules, fake numbers, or other reasons, and therefore we do more finding people than is typical. The Korean culture is very good about keeping commitments, but he says in this area, commitments are often broken. All in all, it is great. We are finding people. The other night we taught a college age guy and he promised to live the word of wisdom with no excuses and without additional explanation. He said wanted to be healthy and to be a holy man. I was surprised how easily he accepted God’s health code. Drinking is a huge social pressure and activity for businessman here. They use it as a way to build associations and get promotions. Almost everyday, employees will leave work to go drink for a few hours. Smoking is also more acceptable here. However, when we explain the importance of obedience to god’s commandments, people are very willing to live it. Many small miracles happen throughout our days. As we try to recognize these miracles in our live we see that they are happening everyday. It is so cool to see the happiness that comes into someone’s life as we provide an atmosphere where they can feel the holy ghost and we can teach them about the truths that god has restored to the earth. Our mission president has said the apostles (4 of whom have visited in the last year) have said that the blood of Israel flows strongly in the hearts of these people. The Korean people are great people. I will send some pics by mail to be posted. A few random tidbits. -I saw a Buddhist monk the other day.-I talked to a man from sudan.- we introduced ourselves to a group of Chinese businessmen.- I talked to a Buddhist man at a bus stop, and we compared our beliefs.- We’ve talked to a lot of Koreans who have learned English in Australia. - We’ve spoke to a few soldiers home on a weekend leave, none of them have liked the army. Korean men must serve in the army for 2 years. My roommate served in the army and is now on a mission – which means he will have 4yrs of service by the end. You can see a big difference in the maturity of levels of those who have served in the army and those who have not.Well, my time is up. I love you all. I hope you are enjoying the Christmas season.
Love,
Elder Britsch
Korea is still great and getting colder. Last Saturday and Sunday it snowed all-day. It is rare, especially in December. The big flakes and white streets were a gorgeous site, but it had all passed by Sunday night. The weather goes through 4 days cycles of frigid and cold. The weather’s been a little colder than the usual. Many days it is in the low teens. A few days it was in the low single digits. The Siberian winds are deadly (we call them the death winds). Going straight through your body to your bones. Dropping the temp another ten degrees. Despite the weather, we are in good spirits. I just have to smile and laugh every time the wind picks up around a corner. People seem to be less willing to listen to our message in these circumstances, but we just work harder and we are always blessed to find someone. My companion says that this is the hardest place he has worked in because so many of our appointments fall through because of their busy schedules, fake numbers, or other reasons, and therefore we do more finding people than is typical. The Korean culture is very good about keeping commitments, but he says in this area, commitments are often broken. All in all, it is great. We are finding people. The other night we taught a college age guy and he promised to live the word of wisdom with no excuses and without additional explanation. He said wanted to be healthy and to be a holy man. I was surprised how easily he accepted God’s health code. Drinking is a huge social pressure and activity for businessman here. They use it as a way to build associations and get promotions. Almost everyday, employees will leave work to go drink for a few hours. Smoking is also more acceptable here. However, when we explain the importance of obedience to god’s commandments, people are very willing to live it. Many small miracles happen throughout our days. As we try to recognize these miracles in our live we see that they are happening everyday. It is so cool to see the happiness that comes into someone’s life as we provide an atmosphere where they can feel the holy ghost and we can teach them about the truths that god has restored to the earth. Our mission president has said the apostles (4 of whom have visited in the last year) have said that the blood of Israel flows strongly in the hearts of these people. The Korean people are great people. I will send some pics by mail to be posted. A few random tidbits. -I saw a Buddhist monk the other day.-I talked to a man from sudan.- we introduced ourselves to a group of Chinese businessmen.- I talked to a Buddhist man at a bus stop, and we compared our beliefs.- We’ve talked to a lot of Koreans who have learned English in Australia. - We’ve spoke to a few soldiers home on a weekend leave, none of them have liked the army. Korean men must serve in the army for 2 years. My roommate served in the army and is now on a mission – which means he will have 4yrs of service by the end. You can see a big difference in the maturity of levels of those who have served in the army and those who have not.Well, my time is up. I love you all. I hope you are enjoying the Christmas season.
Love,
Elder Britsch
Thursday, December 4, 2008
Elder Britsch with Companion and Mission President
Elder Britsch with companion Elder Wimmer and Pres. and Sis. Burton
Elder Britsch's contact info
Here are Elder Britsch's Contact imformation:
For letters his address is:
Elder Carl McKay Britsch
Korea Seoul West Mission
Song Pa PO Box 31
Seoul Korea 138 - 600
For packages:
Elder Carl McKay Britsch
Korea Seoul West Mission
24-1 Ogeum-dong
Songpa-gu
Seoul-si
Seoul-jikhalsi 138-130
To write him an email his Email Address is elderbritsch@myldsmail.com
You can also send letters through Dearelder.com and they will mail the letter for you.
His PDay is on Thursdays
For letters his address is:
Elder Carl McKay Britsch
Korea Seoul West Mission
Song Pa PO Box 31
Seoul Korea 138 - 600
For packages:
Elder Carl McKay Britsch
Korea Seoul West Mission
24-1 Ogeum-dong
Songpa-gu
Seoul-si
Seoul-jikhalsi 138-130
To write him an email his Email Address is elderbritsch@myldsmail.com
You can also send letters through Dearelder.com and they will mail the letter for you.
His PDay is on Thursdays
Letter from Korea Dec. 4th, 2008
Hey everyone!
I’ve now served on my first area for a whole week. We have been extremely busy. Thank you for your email and letters. I don’t know how to begin recapping the week. We are serving in an incredibly rich area. Koreans dress my the latest fashions and always look their best. And in our area it is common to see Armani, prada, Gucci, etc.. on guys and girls. Whether rich or poor the people look their best. I have seen about a dozen Bentleys, an Aston martin, hundreds of Mercedes; and Lambo and Ferraris dealerships are in our area. It is also very fascinating. Although this is not the norm, the Korean people as a whole are a very clean, sophisticated, polite, handsome people. English is so important to them. The government may soon require english for most jobs. Due to this, we teach English a few times a week and get most of our investigators through a program called 30/30 – 30 mins of english (pronunciation, and free talking) and then 30 mins of our gospel message. Furthermore, I have been able to teach a lot in english – which is good because I want to help but bad because my Korean is not being practiced as often. My new ward consists of 30-60 people, mostly retired. Our bishop is a retired nuclear engineer and is currently a ceo (multi-millionaire) . He bought us burger king on sat night. The ward has been sleepy on missionary work but the bishop gave an hour long talk about in our combined meeting on Sunday. He seems to have a new invigoration with our arrival. It helps that my companion was an AP, he gets a lot of respect from the members. Sunday was also the primary program. The kids are so cute. (my companion was forced by the bishop to take pics during the program- he tried to say no) There is one young man in the ward and maybe 2 young women. I sat with a Japanese man who has an interpreter who translates to english for him, in sacrament meeting – so I actually got to understand it. Another blessing. My companion told me that he was expecting to stay in the office for his last 2 transfers. However, Pres. Burton woke up one night from his sleep and had the distinct impression that Elder Wimmer needed to train someone and got to kam-nong (our area). So he became my trainer. And we are whitewashing one of the dreaded places to go in the mission. I really don't see why it is so dreaded but maybe thats just because i have a succesful companion and we have been blessed by the Lord. We now have a number of investigators and a likely baptism (s)before Christmas. We feel very blessed. A few events from the week:- we saw 2 car accidents in one hour right by our church. The church is in a hard to find spot nestled on a hill between narrow one lane roads, with no stop signs or lights. Korean driving does not include following many laws anyway. Red lights are more for show. We walk the hill atleast 5 times daily as we meet people at the subway station for appointments and show them how to get to the church so we can teach them english and the gospel. - the church has one toilet but it has a heated seat and built in buo de (however you spell that crazy French word ). Great after the 30 degree rainy weather.- I like the food, though I admit kimchi for every meal is hard. Most of it is spicy but bearable. The hardest thing is actually sitting on the floor. I have uttered many silent prayers during the 1 1/2 – 2 hr meals with my legs crossed. I am stretching often. A few people have asked if im ok when I fail to hide my pain as I stand up very slowly so I don’t fall over. I’ve also dropped slippery noodles in my lap using chopsticks – the members laugh.
- I found out that our roommate/d.l. elder hatch saw someone get cut in half by the subway. After one of the yearly tests that decide your future, many college age suicides occur. Many by jumping on the tracks. He witnessed one of these deaths. He has been having nightmares for the last 4 months. Very sad.
- Mcdonalds delivers, and no tipping in korea.- the best mall in asia is in our area but we are not allowed in it for obvious reasons.- many of the sidewalks in our area are made out of track rubber for running and walking. They replace them every year – miles of it.
-I was contacting people (in Korean) and ended up talking to a college age kid who didn’t speak much english but told me that he could meet anytime and anywhere - this answer is unheard-of. I gave him a book of mormon and he said he would read it. We are often “punked” 3-4 times a day with people who don’t show for our appointments. Due to the high business positions of many of the ward members, it is hard to get them to lessons.
- We meet people from all over. Yesterday on the subway we spoke to a german man from munich who was visiting seoul by himself for his vacation. He was very interested in the church and we referred him to mormon.org so he can meet with the missionaries in germany.
- Today I went to the temple. It is on a hill in the middle of an urban area. It is cool how quite it is on the grounds. I love korea. I have been very happy. I feel that many of the people are searching for truth but don’t know where to find it. I’ve also noticed that my little language skills are not a big issue in finding people. I have gotten a few contact numbers without understanding most of what is being said. The spirit helps a lot. I also don’t remember the phrases I study until I have used them in my teaching or contacting. Once we are lost in the work and really love it, all else does not matter. The cold, continuous overcast skies and 10’s of miles walked each day go unnoticed. Being able to teach just one person, and see and feel the happiness that the message we share brings to their souls, is enough. How great is the joy in our souls of invite just one seoul unto Christ. And how much greater is our joy as we invite many to receive of the fullness of the gospel of Jesus Christ. I wish you all the best. I am well in the great land of korea.
Elder Britsch
I’ve now served on my first area for a whole week. We have been extremely busy. Thank you for your email and letters. I don’t know how to begin recapping the week. We are serving in an incredibly rich area. Koreans dress my the latest fashions and always look their best. And in our area it is common to see Armani, prada, Gucci, etc.. on guys and girls. Whether rich or poor the people look their best. I have seen about a dozen Bentleys, an Aston martin, hundreds of Mercedes; and Lambo and Ferraris dealerships are in our area. It is also very fascinating. Although this is not the norm, the Korean people as a whole are a very clean, sophisticated, polite, handsome people. English is so important to them. The government may soon require english for most jobs. Due to this, we teach English a few times a week and get most of our investigators through a program called 30/30 – 30 mins of english (pronunciation, and free talking) and then 30 mins of our gospel message. Furthermore, I have been able to teach a lot in english – which is good because I want to help but bad because my Korean is not being practiced as often. My new ward consists of 30-60 people, mostly retired. Our bishop is a retired nuclear engineer and is currently a ceo (multi-millionaire) . He bought us burger king on sat night. The ward has been sleepy on missionary work but the bishop gave an hour long talk about in our combined meeting on Sunday. He seems to have a new invigoration with our arrival. It helps that my companion was an AP, he gets a lot of respect from the members. Sunday was also the primary program. The kids are so cute. (my companion was forced by the bishop to take pics during the program- he tried to say no) There is one young man in the ward and maybe 2 young women. I sat with a Japanese man who has an interpreter who translates to english for him, in sacrament meeting – so I actually got to understand it. Another blessing. My companion told me that he was expecting to stay in the office for his last 2 transfers. However, Pres. Burton woke up one night from his sleep and had the distinct impression that Elder Wimmer needed to train someone and got to kam-nong (our area). So he became my trainer. And we are whitewashing one of the dreaded places to go in the mission. I really don't see why it is so dreaded but maybe thats just because i have a succesful companion and we have been blessed by the Lord. We now have a number of investigators and a likely baptism (s)before Christmas. We feel very blessed. A few events from the week:- we saw 2 car accidents in one hour right by our church. The church is in a hard to find spot nestled on a hill between narrow one lane roads, with no stop signs or lights. Korean driving does not include following many laws anyway. Red lights are more for show. We walk the hill atleast 5 times daily as we meet people at the subway station for appointments and show them how to get to the church so we can teach them english and the gospel. - the church has one toilet but it has a heated seat and built in buo de (however you spell that crazy French word ). Great after the 30 degree rainy weather.- I like the food, though I admit kimchi for every meal is hard. Most of it is spicy but bearable. The hardest thing is actually sitting on the floor. I have uttered many silent prayers during the 1 1/2 – 2 hr meals with my legs crossed. I am stretching often. A few people have asked if im ok when I fail to hide my pain as I stand up very slowly so I don’t fall over. I’ve also dropped slippery noodles in my lap using chopsticks – the members laugh.
- I found out that our roommate/d.l. elder hatch saw someone get cut in half by the subway. After one of the yearly tests that decide your future, many college age suicides occur. Many by jumping on the tracks. He witnessed one of these deaths. He has been having nightmares for the last 4 months. Very sad.
- Mcdonalds delivers, and no tipping in korea.- the best mall in asia is in our area but we are not allowed in it for obvious reasons.- many of the sidewalks in our area are made out of track rubber for running and walking. They replace them every year – miles of it.
-I was contacting people (in Korean) and ended up talking to a college age kid who didn’t speak much english but told me that he could meet anytime and anywhere - this answer is unheard-of. I gave him a book of mormon and he said he would read it. We are often “punked” 3-4 times a day with people who don’t show for our appointments. Due to the high business positions of many of the ward members, it is hard to get them to lessons.
- We meet people from all over. Yesterday on the subway we spoke to a german man from munich who was visiting seoul by himself for his vacation. He was very interested in the church and we referred him to mormon.org so he can meet with the missionaries in germany.
- Today I went to the temple. It is on a hill in the middle of an urban area. It is cool how quite it is on the grounds. I love korea. I have been very happy. I feel that many of the people are searching for truth but don’t know where to find it. I’ve also noticed that my little language skills are not a big issue in finding people. I have gotten a few contact numbers without understanding most of what is being said. The spirit helps a lot. I also don’t remember the phrases I study until I have used them in my teaching or contacting. Once we are lost in the work and really love it, all else does not matter. The cold, continuous overcast skies and 10’s of miles walked each day go unnoticed. Being able to teach just one person, and see and feel the happiness that the message we share brings to their souls, is enough. How great is the joy in our souls of invite just one seoul unto Christ. And how much greater is our joy as we invite many to receive of the fullness of the gospel of Jesus Christ. I wish you all the best. I am well in the great land of korea.
Elder Britsch
Monday, December 1, 2008
Email from couple in Korea that had Elder Britsch for Thanksgiving Dinner
Greetings from Seoul. We are the Marsden family and we live in Seoul. We had the opportunity to have your missionary in our home for dinner on Thanksgiving. We had a great time getting to know each of them. They are doing well and seem really happy. Elder Britsch had only been in Korea for less than 24 hours, but he seemed to be coping with the jetlag! Please know they are safe, healthy, and happy and doing a wonderful job speaking Korean and sharing the gospel. Our daughter is serving in the Seoul West Mission as well, but we don't get to see her, so we are as excited to get pictures or news about her as you are about your missionary!Have a happy holiday!
love,Dave and Kristie Marsden
Elder Britsch's email on Thanksgiving day - Nov. 27th, 2008
My preparation days are now thursdays, we have an hour to email. 2nd try, I sent a letter already but it may not have worked. I am in Korea! Im sitting in a Korean library with my new trainer, elder wimmer from Hawaii (but he is white). This morning all of the trainers came but they were not assigned until later at the testimony meeting- at the meeting pres. Burton choose our new companions on the spot through inspiration. Last week I prayed and fasted hard for my trainer and I am seeing the blessings. My trainer was just released as an AP. The current AP who served with him, told me that he is a very special missionary. Other elders told me that he has the best Korean in the mission, and perhaps the best missionary. I'm very blessed! I will learn all I can from him. After the meeting we grabbed my luggage and walked to the subway in the rain. The subway was dead silent – Korean manners. We carried my heavy luggage up many stairs – good thing we had gym in the mtc:) . I love it here! So wonderful. Our area is the richest part of seoul, which makes it the richest part of Asia. It is all urban, like Manhattan but bigger and busier. Millions of people. We have a house that is located on a hill, comparable to san fran but asian style. Its one of the nicest houses in the mission. We sleep on yos (small pads) on the floor. Our house is actually not in our area. Tonight we are blessed to be served thanksgiving dinner by the u.s. military ward. Pres Burton and his wife made me feel like family, actually he was very excited that we are distantly related. Sis Burton’s sister lives in the tomball ward, last name Harrison. I'm extremely impressed by them. The food has been good. Spicy. Yesterday we walked by places where you buy squid and other live fish. After we got off the plane, the AP’s took us on a bus for 2 hrs, it was super hot but I had a great conversation with 28 yr old Korean who spoke ok English and is an aviation engineer for asian airlines. He was my first Korean contact. He lived in Idaho for 2 months with an lds family to learn English. I bore my testimony to him and had him read from the book of mormon. Being catholic he was reluctant. He asked about differences in beliefs. I told him about eternal marriage and explained the apostasy. He said he’d read the book of Mormon that I gave him. Unfortunately I did not get his number. However, I think he lives in my area. Maybe I will see him again What a blessing to have my first conversation go so well. It was 1hr and 45 minutes long. The Lord is at my side as long as I'm humble and trust in him. I hope all is well at home and that you are enjoying Thanksgiving. I would love your cooking mom, but I'm in good hands. I have yet to really feel jetlagged due to the spirit and busy schedule. The Korean people are super polite and loving people. I practiced teaching last night with a convert of a year. His American name is “hansome”. It was cool. My Korean needs lots of work but he understood a lot of my message. I feel so blessed. This country is so exciting and fun. Its another world. I feel that with my trainer the work will begin to boom in our area. The last msisionaries had no investigators but my trainer has found 5 in 3 days. The message of happiness that we share is one that all people need. We will pray and work hard to find those of God’s children who are prepared to receive the fullness of the gospel of jesus Christ. I love you all . I love korea. I feel so happy and excited. This is life!
Elder Britsch
Elder Britsch
Elder Britsch's first email from Korea - November 25th, 2008
I am safely in korea. im at the mission home. i placed 2 book of mormons yesterday, one in korean on the bus. i will email more tomorrow. i love you all and hope you are well. elder britsch
Elder Britsch's last letter from the MTC
Dear Fam, Nov. 20th, 2008
I’m very busy preparing to head out. I apologize for not answering your letters personally but time doesn’t exist. I want to mention a few things that did not make it in my email.
1st – I watched “Mountain of the Lord” on Sunday. Some interesting points –
*Utah was going to be named Deseret but Utah was chosen instead. Utah means “top of Mountain”
*Prophets prophecied Zion would be built on/in top of mountain
*Also, temples are mountains of the Lord.
*Some interesting prophetic prophecies answered in Salt lake temple building.
I also watched “Desires of our hearts” A devotional film of Elder Oaks. He said we all face
1. Change
2. Achievement
3. Becoming
Also we had an address about the song “Come Thou Font”. I love the song.
Some interesting things about Korean
_ The bible in Korean is not King James but a Portuguese rooted translation. Baptism is described as a sprinkle not immersion in King James, so it’s not used.
- The word order is nuts but actually makes more sense than English by logic. Math-minded people learn easier than others. Adj. comes before nouns and have clauses within clauses.
- Example – English – The missionaries that will be going to Korea will proselyte.
Korean – Korean going missionaries will proselyte.
Or indirect question
English – Do you know how we can find the truth?
Korean – We truth how find can exist thing know do you?
I am looking for a good root book on Korean. By a root book I mean something that breaks down the words to the root meaning enabling me to find patterns and decifer word meanings instead of pure memorization. I’m finding something on my own, but it’s a tedious process.
Our teacher gave us some culture things to expect and follow:
Dinner appointments:
-Shoes off
-Kneel when asked
-then sit comfortable on pad on floor when asked
-oldest starts eating first
-slurp soup
-Don’t stick chopsticks in rice
-Don’t dip in multiple
-Always finish rice
- no head of table
-never blow nose
-they won’t let you help clean up
-often times women won’t eat with you but will continue preparing food
-Everyone uses same soup bowl
-if good friend, you can swipe things from their chopsticks with yours
-always use two hands to accept anything, bow head too.
- for prayer, you never cross legs
- and many more I will discover, likely to late (smile)
Elder Holland spoke to us on Tuesday night. It was incredible. He and his wife had no notes and gave powerful talks. He talked about converting yourself before anyone else. He was very intense, funny, and clear. His wife testified that He is an apostle of Jesus Christ. She said he is never critical, judgemental, or mean. Earlier that morning I had told my roommates that I thought Elder Holland was coming. We felt very blessed to have him for our last devotional.
I have enjoyed the MTC. This is likely my last letter from here. I have grown immensely. Each day I have become better. I feel ready to leave. I’m excited to apply my learning and help people. Yesterday we took a shuttle to a dermatologist because of a rash on my face. It was very strange to see the outside world. At the Doc.’s the receptionist asked us for help on her Y.W. lesson. I offered some stories and a quote. As we waited to be picked up, 20 or so people walked in the doors as said hello to us. Leaving the MTC, we really realized how much we stand out and what we stand for. An elderly blind lady sat down on the bench we waited on, and talked to us about her time in the Mo Tab. It was cool. I’m actually grateful for the rash because of this opportunity to help and guide people.
We also watched Finding Faith and the Lamb of God. I would highly recommend the family watch both. I’m out of time. Thanks for your love.
Elder Britsch
I’m very busy preparing to head out. I apologize for not answering your letters personally but time doesn’t exist. I want to mention a few things that did not make it in my email.
1st – I watched “Mountain of the Lord” on Sunday. Some interesting points –
*Utah was going to be named Deseret but Utah was chosen instead. Utah means “top of Mountain”
*Prophets prophecied Zion would be built on/in top of mountain
*Also, temples are mountains of the Lord.
*Some interesting prophetic prophecies answered in Salt lake temple building.
I also watched “Desires of our hearts” A devotional film of Elder Oaks. He said we all face
1. Change
2. Achievement
3. Becoming
Also we had an address about the song “Come Thou Font”. I love the song.
Some interesting things about Korean
_ The bible in Korean is not King James but a Portuguese rooted translation. Baptism is described as a sprinkle not immersion in King James, so it’s not used.
- The word order is nuts but actually makes more sense than English by logic. Math-minded people learn easier than others. Adj. comes before nouns and have clauses within clauses.
- Example – English – The missionaries that will be going to Korea will proselyte.
Korean – Korean going missionaries will proselyte.
Or indirect question
English – Do you know how we can find the truth?
Korean – We truth how find can exist thing know do you?
I am looking for a good root book on Korean. By a root book I mean something that breaks down the words to the root meaning enabling me to find patterns and decifer word meanings instead of pure memorization. I’m finding something on my own, but it’s a tedious process.
Our teacher gave us some culture things to expect and follow:
Dinner appointments:
-Shoes off
-Kneel when asked
-then sit comfortable on pad on floor when asked
-oldest starts eating first
-slurp soup
-Don’t stick chopsticks in rice
-Don’t dip in multiple
-Always finish rice
- no head of table
-never blow nose
-they won’t let you help clean up
-often times women won’t eat with you but will continue preparing food
-Everyone uses same soup bowl
-if good friend, you can swipe things from their chopsticks with yours
-always use two hands to accept anything, bow head too.
- for prayer, you never cross legs
- and many more I will discover, likely to late (smile)
Elder Holland spoke to us on Tuesday night. It was incredible. He and his wife had no notes and gave powerful talks. He talked about converting yourself before anyone else. He was very intense, funny, and clear. His wife testified that He is an apostle of Jesus Christ. She said he is never critical, judgemental, or mean. Earlier that morning I had told my roommates that I thought Elder Holland was coming. We felt very blessed to have him for our last devotional.
I have enjoyed the MTC. This is likely my last letter from here. I have grown immensely. Each day I have become better. I feel ready to leave. I’m excited to apply my learning and help people. Yesterday we took a shuttle to a dermatologist because of a rash on my face. It was very strange to see the outside world. At the Doc.’s the receptionist asked us for help on her Y.W. lesson. I offered some stories and a quote. As we waited to be picked up, 20 or so people walked in the doors as said hello to us. Leaving the MTC, we really realized how much we stand out and what we stand for. An elderly blind lady sat down on the bench we waited on, and talked to us about her time in the Mo Tab. It was cool. I’m actually grateful for the rash because of this opportunity to help and guide people.
We also watched Finding Faith and the Lamb of God. I would highly recommend the family watch both. I’m out of time. Thanks for your love.
Elder Britsch
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)