Bella Tres Chic: What's On My Happy List?

Sunday, June 05, 2016

What's On My Happy List?

Kyleigh in Korea

mission update-week 55

To start off last week....

Tuesday as we began personal study in the morning I wasn't feeling good. I had eaten an apple and a hard boiled egg for breakfast and my tummy was not liking it. I thought it's okay this will pass...but I could not focus on studies at all. So I stood up and walked around the corner to the bathroom and puked three times. My comp was kind and brought me the wipes. After that I felt completely fine. I think our apples are poisoned cause they tasted funny. That was the first time I've thrown up on my mission.

So we had the sweetest American couple move into our ward two weeks ago. Michael and Brenda Needham are from North Carolina, they have the accent and everything in between. They will be living in Korea for the next two years because of Brother Needham's work. We are already bestest buds with Sister Needham. We went out to lunch last week and she wants to do everything she can to help us with missionary work.

We have been working really hard with our Elders to get people to come to English Class and last Wednesday 19 people came!!! It was a miracle and the biggest English Class I have ever had!!

As I was riding the bus a boy sitting behind me tapped me on the shoulder and started speaking to me in English. This Korean boy had lived in Australia for 2 years and was fascinated with the fact that a foreigner was living in Changwon. So I got his number to give to the Elders because he seemed like a chill dude. Our Elders called him and set up an appointment to meet! Then we found out two days later that he ran into Elders in another area! Like what is this?!!? So our Elders met with him. We thought he was going to get baptized because it was all just too perfect. Sadly Aaron loves the worldly things a little too much. He didn't much like the commandments when the Elders brought it up. Bummer! But maybe next time he meets missionaries he will say hello. :)

So it's the end of the month and we have no money. Some months I am rich and other months I have no money. Like this month. I ran out of money about 5 days ago and my comp only had a little bit of cash. We were running late for a dinner appointment with a member family. So we took a bus as far as we could and then we needed to take a taxi. We found a taxi, hopped in and prayed that we would have enough money! The taxi cost $2.90 and my comp only had $3. It was a miracle!

On Thursday while we were eating lunch in our home the smoke detector went off and started speaking Korean. So I wigged out and called our Elders who told us to call the District Leader. There was no smoke in our house so we didn't know what to do. We called the District Leader who told us to call the police. Then our Korean Elder in our Area offered to call our Landlord. So then our Landlord sent someone over to see what was wrong. So we literally sat outside our house for 15 minutes waiting for some man to show up.... All of our windows were open.. we could hear the alarm going off...we felt bad for our neighbors. So embarrassing! So the man showed up and unplugged it and plugged it back in and left. He probably thought we were crazy. Nothing was wrong. No smoke. Our smoke detector just decided to play a trick on us that day.

It was another week of exciting adventures! Love you all!!! Take care!!!! :)

When our fire alarm went off in our house and we didn't know what to do...

They love their boy bands in Korea.... Go ONE DIRECTION :)

Sister Needham from North Carolina!

*****

Kyleigh's companion's email:

Well Well Well...

Here we are again. I hope you all had a fantastical week. But now it is time for me to tell you about mine!

So I have been getting some questions through your responses about cats. I see where your standards lie and I find them commendable. So the cats here look and seem to act about the same and your normal house cat. But people are very much crueler to them here. Aside from the possibility of them becoming lunch, people are just so mean. You can tell a lot about a society in the way they treat their cats. So here when they no longer want a cat, they cut off the end of the cat's tail and kick it to the curb. People. I just can't. It is all too much and I just want to cry when I see the cats and I just want to take them all in and give them a bath (for they are COVERED in dirt) and love them. I feel many many sadnesses everyday for the cats. So sad. Because I love them. 🐆

Anyway, enough about my cat sorrows. Before my mission I thought about coming to South Korea to teach English, but it turns out that while I have been serving a mission English is pretty much the only thing I have really taught. There are not many people who we have talked to (meaning really no one in this area so far) who want to hear about the greatness that is the gospel, but only want to learn English. So I got my wish and I am teaching English in Korea. 😬 We have been doing Englishsticker boarding with the Elders two days a week in the downtown area of Changwon and outside the University here to get more people to come to our English classes that we hold at the church. And our efforts to spread the English language have been working. Our numbers went from about 8 (most being to children) to 19 on Wednesday!

So many humans!

On Thursday we went to visit a woman who has daughters who joined the church but have moved away. Her husband (like most husband in Korea) doesn't want her or their family to do with anything in the church, but we sister missionaries are made of sterner stuff and continue to go visit her. Anyway, She is this adorable little woman and we have visited her twice now, but Thursday we were invited into the house. So we sat down for a little chat to see how she is doing and her husband (who had throat surgery and now has a hole in his throat and can't speak normally anymore). It was an interesting experience for sure. So as we were sitting there she offered us like 7 Bananas (we each ate one, though both my companion and I detest bananas) and then she cut up 2 apples and 4 HUGE tomatoes for us to eat also... People. We were not allowed to leave that house until all the things which had been offered us were eaten. So much food AND we had just eaten lunch. I think I was going to die, but we ate those 4 HUGE tomatoes, apples and 1 banana each (because there was no way that the other 5 were going to make it down) and survived. We did it. With the Lord on our side, all things are possible.

This week we also had a lunch with a member and a dinner with a member family. First the lunch was with Sis. Needham of North Carolina. She arrived about 2 weeks ago and is just so adorable. Her husband is here for work and she decided to join him for the adventure in Korea. And the Dinner was with this adorable family with 4 crazy kids. Both foods at each meal were very much delicious and no squid was involved... or tomatoes, apples, and bananas (to my relief). All good things.

We also had district meeting in Miryang. A small city about an hour away. We took a train to Miryang and a bus back to the great Dogye! My area is actually quiet large. The city/area is called Changwon and it is known for being the Young city because there are so many companies here that have brought in a lot of younger people (and international people) to work. It is all very interesting!

Also this week we went with the Needham's to a learn Korean class and all sorts of people were there learning Korean. But just as the class was beginning in walks a Chilean family! What a small world! The people of my father in Korea! CRAZY! You never know who you will meet!

Well, I love you all and I hope you are doing okay! Thank you to those who have responded you always make my life better.

And for those of you with no responses. Shame.

Shame you.

Shame on your cow 🐄 and shame upon your entire family!!!!

With love, Sister Cordero

Me and Sul Bing
(a shaved ice made out of condensed milk, bless these Korean people and their frozen treats).

The Changwon city skyline

*******

In other family news....

Memorial Day Hike with extended family...

We hiked Adam's Canyon!

We basically hiked along a river up to a waterfall! Round trip was 3 1/2 hours.

The scenery was gorgeous! I LOVED THIS HIKE!

BBQ after at my brother's home

and swimming for the kiddos...

*****

Goodness me...this last week for me was a doozy!!! I'm telling ya...JUST TOO MUCH.

If this is any indication what my week was like...I crawled in bed Friday night at 7:30 and took a three hour nap before bedtime. ;) Here's a few pics capturing our week....Unfortunately this blog only tells the 1/4 of it. haha

Had a kid in for drug test {new job} and tb test {for volunteering}. Reduced one to tears.

New sidewalk and driveway...

The noise and chaos about drove me bonkers...

Truth be told...part of the time Kate and I hid inside from the mayhem and worked on Legos.

*****

End of Year Activities...

Off to the Yearbook Party!

helped with Kindergarten Field Day!

Fireman came to spray the school kids...

hangouts... with best friend and Kyleigh's friends...

Graduation Prep....

Our Graduate!

We are super proud of this girl!!!! She graduated with honors from the National Honor Society and with a career cord in Social and Human Services. She was ranked 21st out of her class of 454 students with a GPA of 3.956. If she passes her three last AP tests, which we'll know the results in July, she will only be 9 credits shy of getting her associates degree from Salt Lake Community College! She received a scholarship from the Volunteer Advisory Council at LDS Hospital and an Honors at Entrance Scholarship from SLCC where she will finish up her associates, as well as start at BYU this Fall through the Salt Lake Extension Center.

Way to go Emmsie!!!