HAPPY THANKSGIVING!

Happy belated Thanksgiving! Our District went to Outback for a Thanksgiving lunch. It was really fun, but we all missed home of course. This week has been fun but fairly uneventful. We were able to go to the mission home and hear from a gentleman who served in Korea many years ago, came back as a mission president in Pusan, and is now a professor of Korean studies at BYU. He had very interesting insights about genealogy and Korean culture.

There are some cultural challenges in the missions here in Korea. For the most part, American missionaries and mission presidents tend to do things the "American way". Sometimes Korean missionaries feel offended or confused by the way we do things. The language barrier is also a huge obstacle. We don't understand each other's humor and so forth. It is hard sometimes, and it is easy for feelings to be hurt. We all work very hard to overcome these difficulties.

We are focusing on motivating the members about missionary work. We might be seeing some success, as we have received quite a few member-referrals recently. I can testify that working closely with members (when they bring friends to the missionaries) is the best way to help others come to Christ. We can proselyte all day, knock doors, get phone numbers, but one member referral is worth days and days of that. Working with members is the way to go.

One such member referral is the young man who we've spent some time with: Jung sung ook. He was baptized a few months ago and he loves this gospel so much. He is hungry to learn more about what God wants him to do and how to be a better person. He wants to serve a mission and bless others with what he knows. He's just a great young man all-around, really. It's so cool to see how the gospel of Jesus Christ can change someone's life like that.

An interesting note about Korea: they have mixed feelings about America just like everyone else, but they especially hate american beef. They are very proud of the fact that they serve "Australian beef" in their restaurants. They think that American beef has mad cow disease in it, and huge demonstrations are held in Seoul every year to protest our beef. Interesting...

Well, the Church is true. I still love it out here and love preaching the restored gospel of Jesus Christ. I know that this message is meant for all people, and all people can be blessed through it. There is a prophet of God on the earth today, and it is a great expression of God's love for us. Just like Israel of old, we have guidance and direction for our lives today. This is the message we bring to the world. Christ lives, and He invites all to come unto Him.

Take care, thank you for the support. Elder Bocchino