Transfer 4 Week 4 a.k.a. Christmas

12/23/2012

Hello! Well...there's not much to say, and also...I'll be talking to you all in less than 24 hours soo...yeah. This week was great, we met in Geumjeong as a whole mission to celebrate, but it was a lot of work because we had a presentation to make, and we also sang a Christmas Card for you all, check it out! It was good to see everyone, lots of great friends here, some of the best ever. We have a ward Christmas party...I'm Santa...Ho Ho Ho... We may have a few investigators come...finally! Things are looking better here in Sujeong. It's really cold, -7 today. And really windy, but we wear lots of warm clothes. so its ok. Tomorrow after the call we're going to the mission home for an open house, its our P-day. Koreans don't really celebrate Christmas, I think the biggest thing they do is not go to school. But its ok, we're having fun. Other than that...not much happened. So yeah. That's really all that happened. Love you lots, Merry Christmas!

Love, Elder Honda

We had a most awesome time talking with Elder Honda. We had 3 conversations going on at different times as we were all in different places at different times. But we have been uplifted to hear his voice and know how happy he is! The Mission made a video Christmas Card that I will attempt to attach on here.

http://youtu.be/a_oUgYABMjQ is the link for the video Christmas card.

Transfer 4 Week 3

12/16/2012

Hello! ^v^ Life in the mission is going well. Not a lot of super
eventful stuff happened this week, but the weather changed a lot. The
beginning of the week was freezing, then it got warmer all the way
through till yesterday, and it was beautiful. Its usually between 5-10
deg. C, so high 50's-low 60's. So, the memorable highlight of the week
was on Friday. It was raining, really hard, but not as bad as typhoon
season. It was coming in sidewards. We were walking back from Daeshin,
which was the first branch organized in Korea, and we were waiting to
cross the street. Keep in mind, it was raining really hard, so the
sides of the street were flooded almost above the curbs. I heard a bus
coming, so I looked to see which one it was, and...I saw a wave taller
than me coming from under the wheels of the bus, and...I had my first
surfing experience. I think I got wetter than when I shower in the
mornings. We went to Costco on monday, got some good stuff like
oatmeal and chicken. Still no luck finding people to teach, and we
spend hours every day looking for them. But its ok, because my
companion and I are working really hard together, and we're trying the
best we can. This week we're meeting as a full mission on Thursday for
a special Christmas devotional. Its going to be cool. Speaking of
Christmas, I got the packages in the mail I think on Tuesday or
Wednesday, thanks so much! We're waithing till chrismas. So when you
call next week, I still don't know how you want to divide up the time,
but I only have 1 hour total for everybody, so please have that in
mind while you're calling. I'll check up next week on Monday by email
to make sure there's a plan, and make sure it'll work out. Here's how
to call: Dial the calling card number, and do what it tells you to do.
Then dial 01(international code)+82(country code)+10(cell phone
access)+Again, that's the calling card instructions, then
01+82+10+I cannot and will not pick up unless its Christmas
Day my time, Christmas Eve afternoon your time, sorry, President said
so. The best time to call is between 3PM-5PM On December 24th. We
don't have much of a P-day today because we're meeting as a Zone to
prepare for the devotional, we're making a presentation of the book
"The Giving Tree", then singing The Prayer (yes, like Andrea Bocelli
and Josh Groban do :)), and we need to prepare a lot for it. Other
than that, not much news to report. But...I love you all. Have a great
week, study hard, work hard, play hard, and love. Study the Book of
Mormon. "The crowning characteristic of love is always_________" Elder
Jeffrey R. Holland.
Love, Elder Honda
혼다 장로

Re: Christmas is coming

12/09/2012
Hi Mom :) I don't know what else to tell you about the glasses:
they're glasses. They're plastic-like frames, solid black. They are
more for long distance but sometimes I'm fine without them. I had
headaches, but it wasn't from vision, and I don't know what the
prescription is. Thanks for the packages in advance, they haven't come
yet. I'm in the same place i was last transfer, in Sujeong, which was
the 2nd branch then ward in the Busan area, one of the first in the
country. We're by the ports, our city is called Busanjin, which means
Busan Port. Our house is right by the mountainside, but its realy just
a big hill. Christmas isnt a big deal here at all. I don't even think
some people know what it is. So, for Christmas, it's easier for you
all to call me. don't worry about the number not showing up, we know
what calls to answer or not, lots of practice. so it would work better
if Dad called here after your time. If you want, I can make the plan,
but it's still easier if you two call, because its hard to find a
calling card in this area. on christmas day, i can almost guarantee we
won't have an appointment, nobody here cares about christmas, its a
western holiday. so instead its our P-day, and we'll do our shopping
for the week then. The fast food places are all the same as in
america, but i don't think they take american gift cards, so visa
would be better way. I didn't get to help make kimchi, but they told
me about it, and it sounded like a blast, and stinky. Spiritual
thought for the week: be an example. I tell this to members all the
time. If you aren't constantly every moment striving to be perfect,
you cannot expect anyone else at all to do the same. They told us in
the MTC and in the field that you can't lift people to where you
haven't been. So if you haven't strived to keep all the commandments,
you can't tell anyone to either, regardless of who you are. Its not
easy, but it wasnt meant to be. For us missionaries, we can't teach
each other about love if we haven't been concisously trying to be more
loving. Our tranfer theme is the Character of Christ, which at it's
principle base is about turning outwards. We have a challenge to wake
up at 6 every day, and pray only grateful prayer, and keep that in our
hearts. I challenge you to do something similar. Until Christmas, in
the morning only pray with graditude, and make a concious effort to
ask from God and others less for what you want or need, and instead
focus on what you know other people want and need. It's the perfect
season to do so, and we have a Perfect reminder, who has engraven
every person ever to live on this earth in His hands. Our lives
were'nt meant to be lived for us, for those that seek to save their
lives shall lose it, and those who lose their lives for
others--(Mosiah 2:17) which is in turn for the Lord-- shall find it,
and in it shall find a happiness they didn't know before. Love you
lots, hope to hear from you next week! . Anyways,
love you lots! Have a grteat week!
Love elder Honda

Week 2 Transfer 4

12/09/2012
Hello! This last week was great! We spent a lot of time out on the
streets, and knocked on doors for almost 2 hours last night. It might
not seem much, but it's the most I've done in a long time. Work
otherwise is still really slow, but we're trying hard. It snowed on
Friday, just a little bit, but it was still cool. I'ts cold, and
really windy. The high for today is 4 deg, and a low of -4. We're
planning on going to Costco today. On Saturday, (almost) all the
missionaries in the Busan Zones went to Gwangali Beach to pick up
trash, and it was beautiful, and there wasnt' much trash to pick up,
except for cigarettes. Then we taught 2 English classes, 1 for young
kids, and one for our single adults conversation class. We've been
working really hard in our 'spare' time to clean our apartment, and
its really getting there, I'm sure we're cleaning things that haven't
been touched since the apartment was built. Other than that we've just
been tracting around our area, trying to learn it, and see where
everything is. I love my companion Yoon Bo Sub. He's from Seoul,
speaks really good English, but we speak almost always in 한국말. The
language is getting better, still hard, but I learn well. He's funny,
and we joke a lot, and tell good stories. Other than that, we aren't
up to much else, just working hard. Sorry there's not much else to
report. Oh on Wednesday night we went caroling in Nampo-dong, but we
had to stop because of a freak thunderstorm, so we may do it again
this week. Other than that, there really isn't anything else. Love you
all, work hard, be faithful, and think of someone else at this special
time of year. You'll always be with you, but other people won't. Have
a great week!
Love
Elder Honda

December

Hi Mom :) So today was transfer day, and there's not a lot of time for me to type, but I'll do my best. Got a new companion, he's also Korean (4 for 4), but I already like him a lot, he's very kind and loves the work. His name is Yoon Bo Sup from Seoul. . The mission life is going by too fast. I love it, I hate it some days, but I always end up loving it. I can't tell you or anyone else how I have changed, neither can anyone fully know or understand, but it is in a good way. You'll understand when I come back. Our theme for this transfer is called the Character of Christ, I would challenge you to study it, I'll help you as I learn. I got the Thanksgiving package I think on Thursday, I really appreciate it :) and for preparing them, I really am grateful. I'm losing my ability to communicate in English, so just know that I am grateful. Anyways, I'll leave you with a thought. The missionaries that are leaving testify for their last time on each transfer day, and it's just as uplifting as going to conference, because we truly are apostolic. Almost every missionary, even our senior couple, said that now they are going home, they feel prepared to start the work. I feel the same, I'll be ready when it's time to come, but as soon as I can't be a missionary here, I don't want to be here. I've come to love the people here as children of God, and I don't think it would be right for me to be here if I couldn't teach them, so when it's time to go home, I want to go home, and start the work that I already know is ahead of me. I know what it is, I know that it's God's will because it's what I'm teaching to our members right now, and it's the next step in the plan; yes, it will be hard, trying, among other adjectives, but nothing that was ever worth it was easy. Plus, I served a mission, I can do whatever I need to. God didn't make anyone to fail, nor to do what they wanted to do, but to do His will as they understand it, and to glorify them in Him, for we are made in His image. Please say hi to President Weston for me, tell him I love him too, thanks for the email, and that (of course) I am striving to be perfectly obedient every day. :) And I got an email from Alex, he said he's doing drum major auditions. I think it will be really good for him, I'll write to him and try to teach him the best I can,  Love you lots, keep striving!

Love,

Elder Honda

3 Nephi 5:13 (I have this memorized English and Korean, 

Welcome Back!

11/18/2012
Hi
 This week was better, just trying
to keep going. Anyways, I just wanted to leave a thought
with you. Elder Christofferson had a talk sometime somewhere a while
back, and now it's a Mormon Message. He talks about an old member of
the 12 who used to be in the military. Before a certain tour, he
bought an old farm in Canada? and started to work on it. He severely
down a bush (some kind of fruit? lets call it a berry bush). that was
big, but had no fruit. after he cut it back, it seemed to cry, but he
told it "look, im the gardener here, and i know what i want you to
be". Later he was denied the position of general because he was
Mormon. He was mad at God, and shook his hands at Heaven, saying" How
could you do this to me?" In his mind, he heard "Look, Im the gardener
here, and I know what I want you to be". In short, our will isn't what
matters. It's God's. And He loves us enough to hurt us, to cut us
down, and to help us become who we need to be. Love you lots Mom, hope
to hear from you next week!
Love,
Elder Honda

Transfer 3 Week 5

11/18/2012
Hey! So this week was a little bit better. Monday we had a change of
plans: we were supposed to go to a different area for a Thanksgiving
dinner because the senior missionary couple is from America, but I
guess they had too many people, so another team apparently asked us
not to come...bummer. So instead we stayed at the church and played a
game called Monopoly Deal with our ward clerk. Tuesday, we didn't do
much. On Wednesday, we had our District Meeting and our AP's(
Assistants to the President) also attended the meeting. I taught well
and I was taught well by the rest of the Elders there. Afterwards we
stopped by a hair place for my companion so he could get a treatment
to stop his hair from falling out so much, and the lady that worked
there was really nice. It took a long time though, so we didn't do
much the rest of the day. On Thursday we taught one of our members
Preach My Gospel, because he is planning on serving a mission
relatively soon. Friday-We went back to the hair shop because I guess
the treatment is needed a few times. The lady that worked there bought
us lunch, and said she'd like to learn English from us. Here's the
crazy part: while we were eating, a guy opened the door (an
auto-sliding glass door), and immediately apologized-in English (he
was Korean). So we went back to eating, he says something in Korean,
and then he smashed the door with a crescent wrench (the size that
you'd use to loosen the bolts on the Golden Gate bridge, or beat
someone with). The door was toast. Apparently he was the door guy and
there was a mixup on ordering and payment between him and the hair
lady, and he had been threatening her and her family for a few months,
even though they had been to court and she won. So the police came and
they both went to the station after she finished my companions hair. I
guess it would have been worse for her if we weren't there, so I guess
it's a good thing we went; we were thinking of rescheduling. Don't be
too worried, I had about 4 inches on him (at least). After that, we
went home and baked some cakes for some of our members. Saturday- one
of our members took us out to lunch, kind of an indoor barbeque place
where they stick the hot pot of coals inside a table and lay a grill
on top of it. We helped clean up after a meeting at the church, and
tried to visit some of our members. Yesterday we had a meeting with
our new Ward Mission Leader, and he gave us some things to try to find
people to teach. We visited our Bishop's family too, then went home
and started cleaning a bit. We have an exchange this next week, our
district leader Elder Hoskins is going to work with my companion and
I'm going to Gwangan 광안 with Elder Park Ho Hyoung 박호형 who left the MTC
the same time as I did. This next week is also the last week before
transfer calls come, so a week from this Thursday one of us will
(hopefully) get a call to transfer. We both think it will be my
companion because he only has 4 transfers after this one, and they may
want to make is even for him (2 transfers in each area). Other than
that, just trying to keep plugging along. The language is getting much
better, I can talk with people on the streets and with most of our
members, but older people are still hard to understand because they
use older language sometimes and often also 사트리 saturi, or dialect,
kind of like how there's English, then there's Southern English which
has words of its own. But all will be well. Love you all, hope all is
well at home, remember to study the Book of Mormon, love each other,
and learn true principles and doctrine. Talk to you next week!
Love,
Elder Christopher Honda