Email from 2/17/09

RoseE writes:

"Grandma & I already worked out that my Elder Gygi is Heather and Hank's* Cameron Gygi. He knows the cousins' names better than I do, and we have decided that we are sort-of-adopted-cousins-ish. Hey, works for us. I've sent G&G** a picture of my district, an an update on his family, so ask them.

Do we have a Costco membership? Pres. Carlson says a Costco card is a very useful thing to have in Korea.

Our "older" Koreans left yesterday, plus our "real" Koreans . . . all except Sister Lee and Elder Rodrigues, who, for reasons I do not begin to understand, are leaving on Wednesday and are traveling to Korea TOGETHER, BY THEMSELVES. I think they will be mistaken for Jehovah's Witnesses at least three times during the trip. Sister Lee has told Elder Rodrigues that he has to sit at the front of the plane, while she will sit at the back . . . far away from him, but well positioned to keep an eye out for trouble.

I am learning the first Vision in Korean. It is crazy. This is how it translates:

"I my head directly above sun more than more bright light pillar saw and, that light pillar gradually came down a bit and to me arrived . . . this light me above rested when I literally express ability does not exist brightness and glory emitting two personages me above air middle in stand ing thing saw. That middle one person my name call while me to speaking semicolon different one person point speaking--this my loved son is, his word hear! said."***

Needless to say, it's going to take a while.

Yesterday, we were supposed to get a new elder in our district. However, nobody knew about it but President Carlson, and he didn't show up, so we're all a little perplexed and miffed that maybe we made a pretty welcome sign for nothing.

Melanie from camp and her daughter Sarah sent me some toe socks. They are joyous to my soul. :-)

My mission scripture (finally) is D&C 11:8. It's not listed in any index, more's the crazy.

I am thirty pages into the Book of Mormon in Korean. It is abso-dratted-lutely incomprehensible, but on we slog nevertheless. Last week we learned to conjugate adjectives (yes, conjugate adjectives), so that was fun, too.

I am Not Sick. I am Well Rested. I am generally happy and productive. This is good.

Dad, everybody in my district loves getting news of North Korea. I love getting your mission stories. Please keep them coming. Where is that stationery coming from? My companion would like to know what our new president is doing to pass the time until the next election.

Um . . . yeah, that's the news. I love you all!

RoseE"

*RoseE's aunt and uncle on her Dad's side.

**Grama and Grampa Hadden

*** English version of the First Vision: ". . . When the light rested upon me I saw two Personages, whose brightness and glory defy all description, standing above me in the air. One of them spake unto me, calling me by name and said, pointing to the other—This is My Beloved Son. Hear Him!" Joseph Smith, History 1