another camera bites the dust + some great news!

Okay this will be short but sweet! Sorry! :)

So nothing has changed in my companionship or area, which is good. I think we still have things to learn from each other and ways to help each other.

Yes, I did tell Sister Gilbert about my arm. Because she said it sounded like I had broken it. Well when I was talking to her on the phone she said that if it was it would most likely send me home...I was about to freak out! No way I am leaving! So the next day I got an x-ray, and luckily it is not broken. It is still swollen and I have a bruise that takes up most of my arm. Sorry pics will be next week. I forgot my chip. After Sister Gilbert saw my arm in person for the first time today, she is sending me back to the doctor tomorrow. Let's just say it hurts like the dickens and I have no feeling in a part of my arm.

Our cute investigator couldn't get permission to be baptized so that didn't happen. Welcome to the week that blew up in our face and really tried us. She filled up my water bottle and didn't put the lid on all the way and put it in my bag. Lets just say that my camera was swimming for a good chunk of time. After sitting in rice for a day (bless Korea) it still won't work. I about cried! Okay lets be real, I did! And I am so frustrated and upset! I know there is nothing I could do about it but really?

But huge news!!! So my investigator from my first transfer who has the special needs son that I completely love!! She is getting baptized!!!!!!!!!!! I am so beyond excited!!!! I was talking about it to Sister Gilbert and since the baptism is in Busan (a two hour train ride away), I shouldn't be allowed to go, but she said she would talk to president and get it approved. I am so so happy!! When I found out I cried!!! She was my first lesson, my first investigator, everything and is so so amazing!!! I am so stoked!

Much love!

Sister Cheney

eworld

Hello! We went to eworld today. AKA a theme park. Lamer than lagoon, like a 1/6 of the size maybe and only has 3 roller coasters and other rides. But let me tell you, to a missionary it was the best thing ever!!! We went with some peeps from the zone. But there is this epic awesome ride that we rode twice and at the end of the day, yeah it trashed my arm.... lets just say I have a baseball growing off the side of my arm.... 

Rocking eworld! The girl on the right is Sister Laban.
She's from New Zealand, and we talked on FB before I left.

Also, coolest story! At eworld this girl comes up to us and asked if we were missionaries? For the Church of Jesus Christ?..... of Latter Day Saints? And we are like, yes!!! Well turns out she is from Peru! She is in Korea off a scholarship she got at school. She is with another religion and the whole time they have been trying to convert her and telling her how bad her religion is. She even tried to Google for a church and couldn't find one. It was such a cool experience to lift her up and give her encouragement! This is her in the blue shirt.

So this week was awesome!!! I love the mission and I love my area. This Thursday is transfer calls though so we shall see how things change. Who knows, maybe we will both stay. This is also the last week of the transfer. Which means the last week of me being a trainer. Insane!! Man time flies by way too quickly!

I was looking at the pics taken of the family across from the MTC right before I entered, and I think of who I was then compared to who I am now, and I have changed so so much!! Like I think back to who I was and who I wanted to be, and I am so grateful for my mission and everything I am already learning about myself and life. It's so amazing the way my eyes are being opened!

Hearts from Mama!

friendship night

Getting to see Sister Scott and Sister Burgoyne (from the MTC) 

at training day this past week at training day in Busan.

I hope you are all doing well! From the letters and emails I have received it sounds like it has been adventurous and good! 

So I just wanted to start out by telling you all that I am so happy!! Like genuinely happy!!! My first transfer was the hardest time of my life, and I admit that I almost quit multiple times. But because of all of that, I have learned so much about myself and the Savior's love for each and everyone of us. Life is still hard and there are many unknowns but I am so happy!!! This gospel is amazing and I get to bring this message to the people of Korea 24/7. How awesome!! Also thank you so much for all your letters!! I love each and everyone of you and miss you like crazy!!! I am so sad all the things I am missing out on but I am so grateful to hear about all of them and still feel in the loop! :) So thank you!

Okay so big news!! Kim chi is starting to grow on me! :) This past week I had a craving for kim chi chi gae. It is pretty much kim chi cooked in water and other things to make like a soup. I am still not the biggest fan of plain kim chi but man kim chi chi gae is so so so good!!! Just wait until I get home and stink up the whole house!! :) You're welcome!! I apologize now for the way I will smell and the way that I will make the house smell, but it's gonna happen!! :)

This week we had a ward activity called Friendship Night. It was a huge success!!! We had so many youth there and their friends!!! It was a lot of work together and all my previous party planning slash Pinteresting went into use :) So there you go, it wasn't a complete useless suck of my time! :) It was so much fun and everyone really got into it! At one point our bishop was sprawled out on the floor so he could win a game! So hilarious!!

We went to a baptism yesterday in another area and took our investigator. It was a really good experience and after she asked me if this is how it would feel to be baptized and I couldn't stop smiling!! The Spirit was so strong. Also President and Sister Gilbert were there and Sister Gilbert came up and told me to introduce her to our investigator. So it might have been rough, but I did it!!! I translated between a Korean with pretty much no American and an American with very very little Korean. So cool!!! I felt so accomplished after! Even in all its horrible rough Korean! So awesome!!

So you know your a missionary in Korea when....

+ you get on the subway and there is a man with 2 birds on his hat!

+ you get on the subway in your area and it is sunny and hot and you get off at home and it is horrible down pour and you have no umbrella so you run home soaking wet!!! Like literally soaking!! Nothing dry on me!!! So  funny!!!! Man I love being a missionary!!!

Love you all so so much!!! Thank you for all your love and prayers!! I feel your prayers and am blessed greatly by them!!! Thank you!!!

Love,

Sister Cheney

The epic Hawaiian display in the mall!

happy fourth!

So my week. Last p-day (Monday) we went to 반월당, a huge shopping area. I got two epic five dollar skirts that are so light weight and heavenly. :) And we took these epic sticker pictures. Its a huge thing in Korea.

Tuesday our whole day pretty much fell to pot and felt wasted. I hope that something happened that was beneficial on that day...

Wednesday was the marathon day. We ran full force after our bus for like a half mile, like straight up sprinting and missed it by literally ten seconds but they dont stop for anyone. Not even two crazy Americans running after it. Our investigator 추지민 was helping us find our member's house so we could drop off a message card for her less active daughter and we saw many miracles. Aside from wandering lost for an hour and a half in the hottest weather and sweating to the point that I couldnt sweat anymore because there was no more water left in me, it was amazing! We got two new contacts who are very interested. Right there when we were talking to them our investigator started being the best missionary ever and telling them to meet with us and learn more about Christ and to come to church and that she would even pick them up and take them. It was so humbling! We have had many fears about if she was really ready for baptism or not and that really helped settle my fears. That day was seriously the most exhausting of my life!!! I got back home and collasped on the floor! We also had to full force run to meet with a member and seriously the Lord was carrying me there because I didn't even have the strength to walk. So many blessings! When we got there she was like "Oh you're all wet!" Why thank you. Yes that would be my sweat.... Hahahahah!!

Thursday we all dressed up for the 4th of July. Even Sister Choi Han-na dressed up with us. It was pretty funny because everyone ended up wearing at least one item of my clothing. 

In the morning we had an appointment, and we had some time before so we were walking through the park in the rain. Well this man runs up to us and stops us and proceeds to sing songs in English for the next twenty minutes. In the POURING rain!!! I was trying so hard not to die of laughter!!! He was not the best singer, and only knew one verse if that and kept singing it over and over again. And then we were going to be late to our appointment because he wouldn't stop, so we had to book it to her house so we showed up with dirt splashed on our legs and soggy feet. :) hehe Gotta love being a missionary!! The investigator again asked what type of man I like....Bless her heart!! She needs to just let it go!!! 

That night be had corn dogs for dinner. But you see in Korea they roll them in sugar and put ketchup on them. We also had McDonald's fries and red, white, and blue ice cream. We were trying to be as American as possible. The cute sisters we live with also bought a cake and sparking juice. The cute Korean sister, Sister Choi also bought us all party hats that were white with blue stars on them. We had ice cream the next morning - hey it was still the Fourth in the States! :)

Friday we went to a Hawaiian restaurant with Pearl our less active from Guam. Not too bad. They even had Loco Moco! Mind you it was all fancy and Koreanized. :) 

Saturday my English class starting talking about their favorite alcoholic beverages....bless their hearts! But I had an awesome opportunity to explain our beliefs on the matter and even talk about polygamy and the church's position with it all. Really cool. That night we went to a less actives baby's 100 day birthday. It is huge here!! You go to a really really nice restaurant  and they pay for everything and have a whole production. It was really cool to be a part of it. That night we ended up getting home late. Like past the 9:30 late mark. Which apparently means it is reported to the area 70.... awesome.... No idea what that means. I guess I could be kicked out of the mission soon. ;) Hahahaha no just kidding!!! I don't think anything will even be said. It was just our first time. Okay well it might have happened my first transfer, but I can't remember.... :S Hahaha.

On Sunday, our cute investigator sat by me at church and wrote me the cutest note in Korean saying that she loves meeting with us and that she prays a lot and really tries to be good. It was so cute and tender! We had dinner that night with members and our elders. It was so much fun! The sister is an amazing cook!!! I was dying it was so good!!!

Okay well that is the general low down on my week. I love you all so much!! Thank you for all your emails and love. I can't even try to express how much it means to me! I love you all so much and miss you like crazy all the time! The mission is so awesome and I love it! I pray for you all and can't wait until we are all back together. Keep the faith and stay strong. Even the rain is beautiful. Trust me I would know! Thank you for the amazing people you all are!!! 

From the bottom of my heart and with all my love!

Sister Cheney :):) ^^ ^^ ^^ ^^ :):):)

Me and giant Picachu!

Popping Soup - the best on hot days!!

 For p-day we went with our whole district to 해인사. It is Korea's biggest Buddhist temple.