YOU MATTER TO HIM

Sister Matsen and I were in the same BYU freshman ward. She is going to Taejon!

Dearest Family!

안녕하세요! How are you all? Thank you so much for your emails and dear elders! It has been a good week here. Next week we will get our travel plans... and it is kind of freaking me out, but in a good way. I can't believe how fast time is flying by. It seems that just yesterday I got here.

Anyways, I think I wrote about Subeen getting baptized, or at least mentioned her name and how I got to teach her during TRC right? Last Saturday she got baptized! Guess who got to go to her baptism? My district! Brother Wade baptized her and since we got to teach her a lesson President Hacking gave us special permission to attend. Anyways, it was one of the most wonderful experiences of the MTC. The story behind Subeen is that a couple months ago she got into a car accident with the missionaries, and then started taking discussions. Brother Wade worked with the missionaries because of the language barrier. So fast forward 4 ish months. One of Subeen's friends, Jeanie was also meeting with the missionaries. She decided to get baptized and then started to teach Subeen about the gospel. That is really all that I know about Subeen and Jeanie, but they are two of the sweetest sisters I have ever met. Subeen was absolutely radiant as she sat in her baptismal clothes and she was literally glowing after she came out of the water. I am so excited that I have the chance to go to Korea to help people come unto Christ. Seeing the light and goodness in her eyes was incredible. I also got the chance to meet President Nally, the MTC president as we were going to Music and the Spoken word, well a broadcast of it. We get to go every Sunday before Relief Society. I just love hearing the music!

This week I got sick. Really sick. Probably the worst head cold of my entire life. I am over the head cold, but now my voice is gone, and I think I have another stomach bug. Tuesday after the devotional I looked and felt absolutely miserable. Elder Williamson and Elder Miller gave me a priesthood blessing.  It was definitely not my finest hour. I was so stressed out and also frustrated that I was sick because it made it nearly impossible for me to study and learn anything. Time here is so valuable and I need all the time that I have to learn and to study and to prepare myself. Anyways, after I cried, I just prayed and prayed and prayed. After praying I had this calm feeling wash over me and I thought Peace, be still. I know that that was Heavenly Father comforting me and helping me to know that it would all be ok. I got the box of sunshine on that day, when it was cloudy, rainy, and I was miserable. Knowing that you are my family gave me comfort and happiness. I love you all so much!

Saturday we had a lesson in class about President Uchtdorf's talk "You Matter to Him" or at least I think that is what is is called. "To God, man is nothing, yet we are everything to Him." Something that I have really struggled with is being way to hard on myself when I mess up and when I don't understand my teachers when they speak Korean or when I can't figure out how to say what I want to say. We have had several lessons about this, but the one on Saturday really helped me. When we feel that nobody around us cares or that we are nothing, it is so important that we always remember that we matter to God and that he loves us. He loves us so much that he sent his son to die for us and to atone for the sins of the world, and not only our sins, but for our weaknesses, our sicknesses, our struggles. I know I write and talk about that a lot, but that is one of the biggest and greatest lessons that I have learned here. That lesson has really helped me out this week as I have struggled with the language and as I have struggled with being sick. Our teachers are truly inspired when they teach us. I know that with a surety.

I know this email is really short, but just know that I love and am so grateful for all of you and for all of your support. It means so much to me! I am praying for you all and I can feel your prayers throughout the week as they uplift and strengthen me. I am excited that I get to call you in a couple weeks! I hope you all have a wonderful week. 

사랑합니다!!!<3 <3 <3

<3 Goodnough 자매

Elders Yang, Kang, and Pak left Monday. They are seriously the funniest elders that I have ever met, but they won't be in Korea.