February 29, 2016

To my friends and family,

So this week was a little wack, but at the same time it was also amazingly fun. Elder Johnson went home so most of my week was dedicated to taking him around Korea to go see all the amazing people he has met. That time also included me wrecking people in basketball and getting to go to the temple again. I also saw someone that I baptized before I left Korea randomly on the street far away from where he lives, so that was beyond crazy...

Ookay so for culture bit for this week: the 형 and 동생 relationship. So the 형 is the older brother and the 동생 is the younger brother. It is not just in families, but also in friend groups. If you are the older brother, you are responsible for protecting the younger brother, but also you can basically get him to do anything you want and he has to listen. As the younger brother, you do what you are told but you know your older brother will take care of you. But ya it is an age related tradition and super important.

This week I also taught my first lesson to someone who was not a member since I have been back in the country. I was super rusty with everything and the lesson did not exactly go the way that we planned it (actually not at all, it was terribly organized) but I learned a really important lesson from it. The topic of the lesson was the resurrection and our life after death, and the person we were teaching simply did not believe in what we were teaching. That’s totally fine, and the best part is that he wasn't offended when we shared what we believed. He understood that we were still close friends and that we were just trying to share things that we love with him. Anyway, the important lesson that I learned was that we are so blessed to have the Bible and the Book of Mormon. I love the bible; I read it every day and I find comfort in the words that I read, especially when it teaches of the Savior. I love the Book of Mormon, just as much, if not more than I love the Bible, because it teaches those principles that are found in the bible more simply and gives further testimony of Christ. This week in the Book of Mormon I found comfort again in the teachings of the resurrection. The scriptures teach simply that because Christ died for all of us, we will all rise again and live eternally. I am so grateful for that truth, especially because I have lost people that I love very much. I know that I will be able to see them again.

 7 And if Christ had not risen from the dead, or have broken the bands of death that the grave should have no victory, and that death should have no sting, there could have been no resurrection.

 8 But there is a resurrection, therefore the grave hath no victory, and the sting of death‍ is swallowed up in Christ.

 9 He is the light‍ and the life of the world; yea, a light that is endless, that can never be darkened; yea, and also a life which is endless, that there can be no more death.

I am so grateful for God's gift of his beloved son, and I am so grateful to be able to have the opportunity to serve him and teach people of this incredible gift.

I love you all,

Elder Coleman

I will not leave you comfortless

February 22, 2016

My family and friends,

John 14:18- I will not leave you comfortless: I will come to you.

I'll start my email with that and also with a big thank you to all of those who said prayers for me this week and also sent emails making sure I was okay. You are all incredible and you are all great examples in your own way.

Since I am restarting this blog I guess I need to add Korean culture tidbits in here; I actually had a lot this week that I had forgotten or about or at least realized again, but the big one today is 부담 (boodam. Translated: pressure or something like that). You give boodam to someone when you constantly pressure them to do something (ah nag, that’s a good word for this I guess, but it’s not exactly the same thing). This past week I loved watching one of my companions pressure tons of people into coming into church. It’s related to the word 기분 (that means like inner peace fealings) in that if you pressure someone too hard, they can be offended and that’s like a big deal in Korea. Anyway back to my scripture in John.

So whenever we change our situation, whether it is where we live, if we are trying to exercise more, to undergo a spiritual change, whatever; whenever we try to change, we are generally uncomfortable at first. So, naturally I experienced a small amount of discomfort this week. Compared to the rest of my and others’ human experiences, it was fairly minor. So this week when I went into the temple with the rest of the missionaries in my area (a temple is not like a meeting house, it is a place where only dedicated LDS members go and it is sacred for people who are members of the church), I was having a difficult time trying to be grateful for what I had and I was also having this pressure and change on me again. Anyway, in John 14, Jesus Christ talks about the spirit, or Holy Ghost, that He will send to all those who sincerely ask him. There are a ton of famous scriptures in this section of the bible but for some reason this one stood out to me. As I read it, I was reminded that Christ sacrificed his life to take all of our burdens away, not just the big ones. I was again reminded that even when we feel alone, or out of place, and sometimes worst of all when we feel guilty; at these times, the Lord has promised to send His spirit to comfort us, and that He will come to us, maybe in the form of a friend, or in the form of a peaceful feeling. But I testify that He will always come. God knows all of His children personally and He knows how to best help us all. The invitation has been extended to all of us.

 28 ¶Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.

 29 Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls.

 30 For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.

I love you all,

Elder Coleman