Korea - An Important Part of Who I Am

It was 16 years ago this week that I began one of the greatest adventures of my life - serving as a full-time missionary of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Busan, Korean.  This experience has continued to bless my life, as it did this week very directly when we got together for a very special mission reunion.  Every missionary that ever served in any mission in Korea....for the past 60 years was invited and it was WONDERFUL!  I enjoyed seeing old friends and companions, but was particularly grateful for the chance to be reminded of who I was 14-16 years ago.

I was reminded of the courage and quiet confidence I had as a missionary.  I was full of purpose and meaning and confidence....in the Lord and His plan....and great love for a particular group of people.  Being around those people and the language and the memories helped me to remember who I truly am.  I had a strong testimony before I left on mission and I really wanted to share it, but having the chance to share it in Korea helped me to keep it simple and focused on the most important things and words that I knew.  ;)  There was no fear....just faith and love!

There are many things I wish I knew before I went.  I was kind of immature, but I also had an almost childlike faith and confidence.  Being with missionaries and Koreans again helped me feel and remember those experiences and the person I was then.  I'm proud of that person and time in my life.  I feel like these people knew the real me, the person I want to be.  I have grown in many ways since then, but have maybe lost some of the faith and confidence in myself.  I was grateful for the reminder of who these people know me as.  I immediately felt the same special happiness and confidence when surrounded by those memories.  I remember the greatest compliment I ever received as a missionary was from an investigator who told me that I had a heart like a Korean.  ;)

Koreans aren't shy, bu they are humble and teachable, they love and give and care about each other, they're united as family.  Being together as missionaries from several generations with the shared love for this wonderful group of people was uplifting.  There is a unique sense of belonging and unity among Koreans and those who served there - pride, joy, unity, gratitude.  I remember Elder Eyring coming to speak to us at a mission conference in 2001.  He talked about Helaman chapter 3 (see Helaman 3:24-27) and how thousands of people would join the Church in Korea because of the continual faith and prayers of the returned missionaries who loved these people and continued to pray for them.  I thought of this promise and have increased my faith and prayers for these people that I love!  :)

Here is a video of the program from that night.  Obviously it doesn't include the one-on-one time visits which were the highlight, but it does capture some of the culture, and history, and miracles, and blessings of being a part of this group.  One particular blessing I found was at 1:07:20 in the video.  It's a picture of some servicemen in Korea - some of the first "missionaries" - and right near the top middle of the picture is my Grandpa Morgan who was there at that time.  That is something very special that we share - a love for Korea and the sweet people of that land.  I'm grateful to remember who I am....and who I can be because of the gospel of Jesus Christ.