Dear Family and Loved Ones,
We had such a wonderful week with Elder and Sister Choi (pronounced Chey) there is no way to really express it. All of the Seventy we have met are brilliant, charismatic, genuine and focused. They could be successful in whichever career they might choose (and many of them have had great worldly success) yet when they are called upon to do so they choose to dedicate and consecrate their lives, talents and testimonies to building God’s Kingdom.
We picked up the Chois from the Long Beach Airport Wednesday night and brought them to the mission home for a light dinner. Over a very simple meal of stew they focused on Ben and Mari, they spent our time together building them up, telling them how valiant they were in the premortal world, how amazing they are and how much their sacrifices are appreciated. It was a priceless experience and I’m sure Ben and Mari will always remember it.
The next morning after getting Ben and Mari off to early morning seminary and then school we drove to our first half mission zone conference. When we arrived at 9:30 a.m. the missionaries quickly gathered for a photo in the cultural hall, Elder and Sister Choi then greeted each missionary. Elder and Sister Choi are from Korea, their English is very deliberate, but they have the confidence that the Lord will make them equal to their assignments and He does. We then went into the chapel and for the next two hours Elder and Sister Choi taught us about, the language of the Spirit, what the Lord expects of us, the Doctrine of Christ, helping others to come unto Christ by loving them. Sister Choi shared that her husband is an “ordinary man” but when he is on assignment for the Lord he has authority and can do anything. The Cerritos Stake provided a delicious meal for over 70 missionaries. We really appreciate how the members take care of our missionaries.
After lunch the Sisters had a few minutes to meet with Sister Choi separately, she shared a secret with them, the secret is that men and women are different, men are simple, they aren’t complicated or detail oriented and God made them that way so they could do the very difficult things required of them in their priesthood assignments. She encouraged the Sisters to support the Elders to respect them and to realize that though they may seem young and immature at times they have been called by the Lord because He can work through them since they are able to focus on their task and responsibility without being distracted or becoming too emotional.
We all returned to the chapel and Ted and I each talked. I talked about the role of the Book of Mormon in conversion and Ted talked about prayer. Elder and Sister Choi spoke for another two hours! It’s was amazing. The Chois used many personal stories to teach us and we soon felt like we knew them, understood them and loved them. They have given up so much to follow the path that the Lord had in mind for them. Elder Choi always wanted to be a Five Star General in the Korean military but chose to serve a mission instead, his mission was interrupted because he was drafted into military service (an obligation for all Korean young men). He became one of nine body guards to the President of Korea and was offered a full time position after completing his mandatory three years of service. Elder Choi knew that the job would mean financial security for him and his future family but he chose to reapply for missionary service which he did. He shared many other examples of choices he made between career paths that would have been financially rewarding but would have made it difficult to serve in the Church – he always chose the option that was best for his family and which would allow him to be an active member of the Church. Elder Choi shared all of this personal information to make the point that we can have a plan for our lives but we need to always remember to keep planning. We must always be ready to alter our plan to be in harmony with our Father in Heaven’s will. Jesus Christ is our greatest example of someone who always does the Father’s will.
Thursday night our seven stake presidents and their wives came to the mission home for dinner and to meet Elder Choi. Elder Choi reminded the Stake Presidents that the missionaries are here to help them with their missionary work, the members should find those who are ready to learn and the missionaries should teach. We really enjoyed getting together with our stake presidents and need to do it more often.
Our zone conference on Friday was similar to Thursday’s except in the afternoon meeting Elder Choi spent a lot of time talking about marriage. He made sure our missionaries understood that marriage isn’t a suggestion, it is a commandment and should be a top priority for each of them after they complete their missions. That shook up the missionaries who will be returning home soon.
The Chois invited us to have dinner at a Korean Barbeque restaurant Friday night. We were a bit nervous and didn’t know what to expect. We went to Korea Town in Garden Grove, the Chois loved the area and were able to do some shopping at one of the Korean supermarkets. Elder Choi’s sister, who lives in Garden Grove met us at the restaurant. She is such a sweet lady, she is single and is studying traditional Chinese medicine (acupuncture, etc). We were pleasantly surprised with how spicy and delicious the food was. The meat was grilled at the table and there were many side dishes (we counted fifty bowls on the table). We really enjoyed our experience.
Saturday the Chois met with returned missionaries in the area who had served in Korea. They had a great time reminiscing and getting updates on how the Church is growing. We served El Pollo Loco: chicken, rice, beans and tortillas for lunch. The Chois loved it. Ted then took Elder and Sister Choi to the Newport Beach Temple where they met a former missionary companion and his wife and the temple president (Pres. Borquist). Elder Choi has responsibility for 35 temples including all of the temples here in California. It’s a new assignment for him so he didn’t even realize how close the Newport Beach temple was and hadn’t planned on seeing it on this visit but it all worked out.
The Chois spent the night with their friends in Los Angeles and spoke at a fireside there Sunday night. We drove Elder Choi’s sister up to the fireside. She wanted to go but was worried about driving on the freeway. Elder Choi’s sister speaks very little English but somehow we communicated pretty well. She became a Christian in the last few years after coming to the United States. She attends a local Korean speaking Episcopalian church. Elder Choi’s sister was really touched by the fireside and the Chois were so happy to see her one last time before they go back to SLC.
We also had Stake Conference this weekend in Huntington Beach North. Ted spoke at a Priesthood Leadership Meeting Saturday afternoon and we both spoke in the General Session Sunday morning. We love the Huntington Beach North Stake they have a wonderful Stake President. He knows Preach My Gospel and he scriptures inside and out. He loves quizzing the missionaries and they really love him. It was especially nice to meet Elder Higham and his wife. Elder Higham is an Area Authority Seventy and lives in Orange County. He and his wife gave great talks but the highlight was a talk from a tiny, little girl (she was probably ten), who gave an excellent talk about why she loves Jesus Christ, she then shared her testimony in both English and Spanish. It was great!
As you can see we had a busy week, more importantly we had a very special week. Our mission was encouraged and inspired by Elder and Sister Choi, they are great servants of the Savior and represent Him so well.
We love you all,
The Long Beach Buberts
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