Friday, September 11, 2015

Over the Top of the World

09/10/15

Hello Family!!  안영하새요!

This time at the MTC has been a good nine weeks.  Since time is relative, it seems like it has been both a short and a long time.  Even though it felt long at times, I have enjoyed it thoroughly for both the influential people and the huge feeling of the Spirit that is present here.  I'mg going to miss my teachers and my district so much!  Sung 형제님 and Driggs 형제님 are some of the best people that I have ever met.  Sung 형제님 is very ADHD, but he is very funny, so class is always great when he is the teacher.  He is naturally Korean, but he speaks tons of English to us in class.  Driggs 형제님 is a little more strict when it comes to English, which is probably necessary.  He is also really funny, but his humor is a little hard to recognize sometimes.  I am also going to miss  my district  so much.  They have influenced my a ton.  I'm not going to relate my impressions of them, because they are all just about the same as they were in the first email I sent.  They are all such great people, and have made me really strive to become a better person.  

Our first baptism is on Saturday!! How crazy is that?  I'm kidding a little bit.  One of our investigators/teachers has a baptismal date scheduled for Saturday.  His name is Gorrell 형제님. He is the investigator that Sung 형제님 roleplays for.  I really enjoy teaching people now.  It's pretty fun to see how the Spirit can affect people in such a way.  

Just think, in four days, I will be on a plane on my way to Korea.  Our flight plans are:  We fly out of Salt Lake (Monday) at 7:30, and land in Detroit (What??) at about 1 o'clock.  Then, at about 3:30, we begin our flight to Korea.  Apparently, we get to fly from Detroit over the top of the world, through the Arctic Circle.  How awesome is that??  I am so excited to go to Korea, and have some food with superior quality.  I am getting tired of the MTC food.  But it's okay.  

I'm going to finish by sharing a short testimony, first in Korean, then translating to English.

저는 예수 그리스도가 우리의 구주 라는 것을 알고있습니다.  저는 몰몬경이 잠된 책 라는 것을 알고있습니다.  저는 예수 글기스도의 속죄를 통해 우리가 깨끗할수있다는 것을 알고있습니다.  저는 복음을 통해 우리가 하나님의 면전에 돌아갈수있다눈 것을 알고있습니다.  예수 그리느도의 이르미로 간즣 드립니다.  아맨.

I know that Jesus Christ is our Savior.  I know the Book of Mormon is true.  I know we can be clean through Christ's atonement.  I know that through the gospel, we can return to God's presence.  I say these things in the name of Jesus Christ, amen.  

Thank you for all you've done for me!  The next time you hear from me, I will be in Korea! (and then I will be sending you tons of pictures. :) )

Love,
Elder Tyler Brett Conley

Here are some pictures...
1. A picture of me and Elder Polley
2. A picture of my full Korean name tag
3. A picture of a lion turtle, because that is a Korean legend/myth thing



Wednesday, September 9, 2015

I am so excited for this new adventure I am going to be on!!!

09/03/15


Dear Family,
Thanks for the email!  It's exciting that you get to substitute for organ!  I know that that is one thing that you really love to do.  And Mom, thanks for those pictures!  They totally made my day.  I really like that morphed one of Grant.  That one was hilarious!  It's funny that Spencer biffed on that glorified tricycle.  I can definitely see him doing that. That is so many songs to practice for Mom.  That is an insane amount.  I could never do that.  

 The Pictures:




                                                                           
  
I do get my flight plans tomorrow.  Isn't that exciting?  I also get my full Korean name tags, which I think is just a little more exciting.  Just think, by the time I tell you my flight plans, it will only be five more days before I head out.  I'm so excited to get out there and begin working.  A couple days ago, Brother Driggs was our teacher, and he started some personal interviews with some of us, but he only got to me and Elder Sabey.  During that interview, he told me something that changed my perspective on the MTC.  Not a ton, just a little bit.  If we were here just to learn Korean, they would have sent us out here like two weeks ago.  We are really hear to recognize the promptings of the Spirit, and to learn to act on those feelings.  That was a good thing to learn, because a lot of the time, I am complaining about just wanting to fly out to Korea.  
How is everyone doing with school?  Are they enjoying it all right?  I really liked school, so it would make me a little sad if one of them hated it.  
During TRC this week, we got to Skype a person in Korea.  He was in a car, riding through Seoul with his friend.  It made it a little difficult to understand on both sides, so he ripped us apart  in his evaluation of us, when it was really that we couldn't understand him because he was in a car. 
Companionship inventory was a little interesting this week.  Elder Polley sort of fell for a sister missionary in our branch who will go unnamed.  Let's just say, it's probably a good thing that most of my friends would come to me to sort out their woman problems, because that gave me some experience in dealing with this subject.  On Sunday, though, he got ripped apart by most of the leadership in the branch, so he's still working on it, with quite a bit of progress, and I am proud of him for that.
We got some more new missionaries this week, and I already know them better than the missionaries that came before them.  The reason for that is that they are in our residence hall floor, and the other age group is not.  They are pretty cool, but most of them are pretty much punks.  Almost all of them are pretty obnoxious.  Our district has started something that I think is quite humorous.  Whenever we see anyone in our branch, more or less, we both say "Oh," pretty loud and then say hello in Korean, which I can't type out right now, because there is no Korean keyboard on this computer.  
I got to see Elder Mikesell about seven times since the time he's gotten here.  He left for Canada yesterday, and I am so excited for him.  I got to talk with him about a lot of things, but not for very long.  One of the times we talked, he told me he was grateful that he had played DnD, because it gives a lot of experience in role playing.  The other times, it was mostly talking about things that had happened at home that Ben had told me about, because, besides you guys, he is my only link to home.  I am glad for that, though, because I consider him to be one of my best friends.  
We taught three different lessons yesterday.  We taught both Brothers Sung and Driggs, and also taught a lesson with Elders Rees and Sabey.   I would say that they all went quite well.  The Spirit was present in all three of them, so that is pretty awesome.  I actually enjoy teaching lessons, and it makes me excited to go to Korea, and to teach the people there.  I am so excited for this new adventure I am going to be on!!!
Love,
Elder Tyler Conley
P.S.  Mosiah 3:17 is my fave scripture