We have about four months left of our amazing Korea adventure. This is no surprise. We were called to serve for 18 months, a fact of which I have never lost sight. Occasionally I have a sense that time has almost stood still and home is but a sweet memory or a distant promise. Those times have been few and far between for quite a while now. More often than that, I have a sense that time is simply evaporating, one week flowing into the next. I have now begun the countdown. It happened our first mission also. This is not intentional and actually just seems to happen spontaneously. Here's an example.
In our religion one Sunday a month is designated as "Fast Sunday". This typically happens the first Sunday of each month, with just a few exceptions. Those who are able to do so, go without food or drink for approximately 24 hours, missing two meals. During our fast we pray for guidance, express gratitude and seek inspiration. We donate the estimated cost (or more) of the two meals we miss to the church welfare fund which offers assistance to those in need. It's an uplifting and strengthening experience. Sometimes I am amazed by how quickly the time passes between fast Sundays, meaning how quickly a month passes. I had that thought last Sunday. It was quickly followed by another thought. We have only three or at the most four fast Sundays left in this mission. That's what I mean by counting down. We have only three transfers left, only one District Conference left, one more trip to Seoul.... see how it goes. It amazes me. Before I know it I will find myself identifying all the "lasts". It's all part of mission life. The hellos and goodbyes of temporary assignments.
During our nearly fourteen months here, we have built a few of our own traditions and expanded on a few that already existed. Even though I have mentioned them previously, I want to dedicate this post to our mission traditions while I still have plenty of time to enjoy them- before I begin to innumerate the lasts!
SUSEONG DISTRICT MEETINGS
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has missions throughout most of the world. They are well organized and fall under a chain of leadership and support that ultimately goes all the way to Salt Lake City and the First Presidency and Apostles of the church. Each mission is divided into several geographic areas designated as zones which are made up of smaller geographic areas called districts. During district meetings we receive information sent to us from our mission president. We also have language training, hear motivational messages and practice teaching.
We enjoy these meetings and love spending time with the young missionaries. We have added the tradition of having the last District meeting of each six week transfer cycle at our apartment. We love to provide a homemade American meal for them. At the end of the normal agenda, they put a chart on our white board. They each guess where each person will be assigned for the upcoming transfer. Will they stay? Then place an "S" in their square. Will they go? Then guess where they are going. If it's the end of their mission guess the date they will be married. It's all for just fun and the guesses can be quite entertaining.
TRANSFER BREAKFAST Transfers occur on Mondays, every six weeks. All missionaries who are being reassigned go to the mission office in Busan to connect with their new companion, and receive some training. Then they report to their new area. Moving to a new area is exciting and also a little stressful or challenging. One of the traditions we inherited is "Transfer Breakfast". It happens the first Monday after transfers. This gives the missionaries new to our area a chance to meet everyone.
It also gives all the missionaries a chance to reconnect with each other. It's really lots of fun. Although this tradition had been established by previous senior missionaries we had to make a change immediately. The number of missionaries in our zone jumped from less than twenty
to nearly forty right as we arrived. So it was not possible for us to hold it in the apartment as was done previously. Now we tote the grills, ingredients, plates.... well we tote everything to our church
building and hold it there. Fred's pancakes are a huge hit, promoting big smiles and sometimes even a tear of joy. The missionaries sure can eat. The typical transfer breakfast includes 120 pancakes and 160 sausages. On special occasions we add some extras, such as muffins or fruit. Such a simple gesture means so much to our young missionaries who are sacrificing to serve others while living far from home and family. American breakfast is hard to come by.
FAMILY HOME EVENING (FHE)
FHE is a common practice among members of our church. It was implemented decades ago to encourage families to stay close and parents to teach their children important gospel principles. The church dedicates Monday nights for this purpose and plans no church sponsored activities or meetings. FHE usually includes a short lesson, an activity and refreshments. We hold FHE here to provide a place for the single and unaccompanied soldiers to gather. We patterned it after the typical family meetings at home. We provide a meal and a short gospel message. Then we play family favorite games such as UNO. The pattern is pretty consistent but attendance is another thing. We have had as few as two and as many as fifteen. It's hard to predict and consequently a bit difficult to plan the meal. Somehow it always works out. We have soldiers, English teachers, Korean singles, members of our church who need a place to go, missionaries and their investigators (those learning about the church). It is common to hear Korean being spoken in one corner and English in another. I love this tradition. I really feel like we are providing a safe and friendly environment- good fellowship!
SUNDAY SUPPER
When we first came we had a goal of inviting every family in the branch to our apartment for a meal. We started within a week of our arrival with a Fourth of July celebration. Over time that changed. We decided it was more important to provide a meal and a home for those whose family was not here. So we began focusing on single and unaccompanied soldiers. Little by little others began to attend. Now we just open our home to anyone who wants to come for a meal after church. I fill a couple of crock pots and maybe add some extra sides. We may have five or twenty. We never know. It can be noisy and a little chaotic, but no one seems to mind. I love the smiles and friendly chatter. We started as strangers but have become family
FOOD!!!! You may have noticed that the traditions I have written of all include food. I teasingly say we were called to feed his sheep- literally. The food draws people. It provides a purpose to gather, but the real nourishment comes from being with people who care about you. The real attraction is spending time with others who share good values. We really do have many duties that do not involve food. We teach and help others in a variety of ways. But this post is about traditions and don't most of our traditions include food? We are grateful for the blessings we receive from our Heavenly Father and the sweet opportunity to share His gifts with others.
We have tried some interesting food since we have lived here. That is definitely a high point of this adventure. I have identified a few favorites that I intend to make when we go home. Well, I guess I will qualify that statement. I will make a version of my favorites depending on whether I can find the exact ingredient or need to use an acceptable substitute. One common food we avoided for almost our first year here is kimbap. Sometimes the kim (seaweed) smells very fishy and I think that may be the reason we were reluctant. Then a few months ago a friend brought some to our home. Yum! We loved it. Now it is one of our "go to" Korean dishes. 
Kimbap is made with a variety of fillings. 
