Military Relations

Every now and then I review previous posts to check for overlooked typo's. Sadly I often find them! I need a professional editor. My husband does his best to proofread and catch errors but despite our combined efforts, they are still an all too common problem. So "mi ahn hab nee dah" (I'm sorry).

Today as I was reviewing previous posts I realized how seldom I focus on the primary purpose of our missionary service here. The basic purpose of all of our missionaries is to invite others to come unto Christ. This is our purpose also. Yet our mission has a special focus. We are military relations missionaries. Our primary role is to offer some support to American servicemen and their families. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints sends senior couples to many locations in the United States and around the world for just this purpose. Military life brings its own unique set of challenges and trials. It can place a great strain on families. It can also place single servicemen in an environment which makes it difficult to live true to their own values. We are here to help, support, teach, encourage and most of all just to love them. Each military relations couple finds their own way to serve. They follow personal inspiration. They receive assignments from the mission president and the local church leaders. They reach out to those they are inspired to contact.

What do we do? Well, mostly it seems like we feed them. I mean feed them real food- not just spiritual nourishment. We also spend time with them. Time teaching them, listening to them, answering questions, playing games or whatever it takes. We try to make our home theirs. This little apartment is their home away from home. We love this part of our mission. We love these amazing soldiers and their wonderful families. We often feel like we don't do enough. Like we just can't do enough. Our country owes them so much. Our Heavenly Father loves them. His prophet sent us here to do what we can to lift their burdens just a little.

We are having fun here. We love to explore Korea, to meet Korean people and learn of Korean culture. We will always have a soft spot for almost all things Korea. Yet we can never forget we are here to serve those who serve our nation. It's a privilege and a blessing.