The Seoul Mission

The Browns, Chos, Biesingers (office couple from West Jordan) and Meads in front of the first chapel in Korea, built in 1937 and purchased by the church in 1957. It is now the mission office with a nice chapel right next door. Behind it is a Buddhist temple, where chanting can be heard at all hours!

We traveled to Seoul, South Korea this week to visit the Seoul Mission. Elder and Sister Mead are here from Provo, where he taught family counseling for many years. We four travel as a team and present mental and physical health guidelines and helps to the missionaries in each mission once a year. We have 11 missions and so we travel on an average of once a month. Meeting with these wonderful missionaries and their inspired Presidents and wives is the highlight of our responsibilities here in the Asia North Area.

We had two wonderful days of zone conferences and got acquainted with some outstanding missionaries. President and Sister Cho (pronounced "Joe") were very kind and gracious to us. It is such a joy to see these missionaries in the hands of such outstanding people as the mission presidents and their wives. It is certainly a stressful and overwhelming job that they each handle with dedication and joy. Truly they are all amazing!

Sister Min offers a portuki. Elder Brown said it was "not bad"

Missionary group from 3 of the 5 zones in Seoul

One of the things that has been difficult in South Korea has been the food. It is either too spicy or too strange for the western palate. This trip however, we were introduced to bulgogi, which was a hit with the Browns. Small slices of meat (I did not ask what kind) simmered in broth with a few mushrooms and garlic added to the bowl of rice made for a great lunch.

This is rice and beans rolled in a lily pad and steamed. Our traditional dinner had 14 courses!

Yes, baby squid...crunchy little delicacy

Sister Min (President Cho's wife...in South Korea, the women keep their maiden names) was eager for each of us to try some of the Korean specialty dishes. Sister Mead and I tried to be polite and taste everything, but I did call a halt to the baby squid called portuki.
The visit was a fine success, the church is true and and the missionaries are hard at work in South Korea!