March 28, 1990 (Wednesday)
After the big move, things quickly went back to normal. In the morning, Elder Benjamin and I conducted our companion inventory, since we didn’t get to do it on Sunday. We realized that with all our hard work, and with three full months behind us, we still hadn’t had any baptisms.
“It’s not without much trying,” I said.
“Yes,” said Elder Benjamin. “The Adversary is working hard to thwart our work. Bo-yeon has gone to America. In-jae died unexpectedly. Ho-sung still isn’t bringing his wife to church. And not to mention all the times we almost get hurt and lost.”
“None of that was our fault, and not always the work of the Adversary.”
“Either way, the Zone Leaders are looking for any reason to split us up. That’s why we need to get a baptism and Do-gyong is our only investigator who has a chance to commit. We need to help him get over the finish line, so tonight is going to be important.”
“That’s only if he lets us teach him an actual lesson,” I said. We had agreed to regular Wednesday night meetings for hybrid English and Gospel learning. The first meeting was two weeks ago (the 14th), and we had to skip last week because of the big move. In that first meeting, we hadn’t proceeded very far with the First Discussion, and spent the vast majority of the time talking about English.
“We’re going to help him understand,” said Elder Benjamin. “If we can’t teach him the Gospel, we’ll have to tell him we can’t meet with him any longer. He’s going to have to decide tonight.”
“You’re right,” I said. “If we can’t finish the First Discussion tonight, it’s never going to happen.”
And so we went through the day’s activities, culminating in our 7:30 appointment with Do-gyong. Oh and I should report: when we had gotten lost a couple of weeks ago, it was because we got off with everyone else — a popular stop. But little did we know that there was yet one more bus stop. It should have been a clue when the bus continued going straight after letting us off. Had we stayed on, we would have had no problem finding Do-gyong’s house.
Same with tonight — as everyone else got off at the popular stop, Elder Benjamin and I stayed on. We got off at the right stop, and then the bus turned around and left us alone. We walked the rest of the way, and Do-gyong was waiting for us at his home.
“Come in,” he said. We took off our shoes, leaving them just inside the door, and entered. We all sat on the linoleum floor in the center. We were quite used to this, especially among the poorer folk. Do-gyong lived in a house, but he was actually renting a small section of it.
He showed us an English pamphlet and asked us to help him understand it. It was about the Grand Canyon, the type of pamphlets one would see at a welcome center.
“Where did you get this?” I asked.
“A friend got this for me, from America. He went to school there.”
“That was nice of him,” said Elder Benjamin.
“Yes,” said Do-gyong. “One day I hope to visit. Can’t afford it yet.”
We spent about 20 minutes on the pamphlet, and he was still struggling. Some core concepts about articles were not clicking, because Koreans don’t have articles in their language. We tried to explain, but he didn’t seem to understand.
Elder Benjamin said in Korean, “Perhaps we can switch gears and finish discussing what we started last time. Do you remember what we learned about God and Jesus Christ?”
“Oh,” said Do-gyong. “I’m not sure if I can concentrate on that until I figure out this pamphlet.”
“We can explain it while talking about our church,” I said, also in Korean. “As promised, we can continue that discussion in English. There’s articles in there, too.”
“Just a few more minutes on the pamphlet, first?”
We continued, and Do-gyong wouldn’t let it go. “That word ‘the’ is all over the place,” said Do-gyong. “It’s so distracting. Like big waste.”
“Well,” I said. “It is the most used word in our language. We mostly ignore it when we hear it. But if you don’t use it, then things don’t make sense. You’ll get used to it.”
And then we spent another few minutes on when to use “a” or “an” in front of words.
Then again, Elder Benjamin said in Korean, “I know what the problem is. We haven’t said a prayer, yet. Do you mind if I say a quick prayer?”
Do-gyong said in English, “Sure. I guess so.” As we had taught him the last time, he bowed his head and folded his arms, and Elder Benjamin said the prayer in Korean, asking for the Spirit to be with, and for us to understand more about the Gospel.
As soon as we said, “Amen,” Elder Benjamin immediately switched to the First Discussion, continuing to speak in Korean. “So, Do-gyong. How did you feel as we said this prayer? Did you hear how we referenced both God and Jesus Christ?”
“Yes,” said Do-gyong in Korean.
“Remember what we said last time about God and Jesus Christ?”
Do-gyong paused and said in English, “Why speak in Korean? How is this going to help me learn English?”
“Sorry,” said Elder Benjamin in English. “I forgot. English it is. But aren’t there some things that are more important than English? That’s why we want to teach you about Jesus Christ.”
“Yes. Jesus is important. But English will help me go to America.” Do-gyong spoke noticeably slower in English while constantly searching for the right words to say. “You promised me you’d teach me English.”
“You’re right,” said Elder Benjamin. “And you promised that we could teach you about Jesus Christ. That’s our main job, and we can do both at the same time.”
“But why Jesus?” said Do-gyong. “He is abstract idea. Story. I don’t know it. I don’t have much time for stories.”
“Same with us,” said Elder Benjamin. “We don’t have much time for teaching English. And remember your articles. You said ‘abstract idea’ but you need to put ‘an’ in front of it. ‘An abstract idea.’ The word ‘idea’ is a noun. ‘Abstract’ is an adjective, and the article ‘an’ goes in the very front.”
“It doesn’t always go right in front of verb? The verb?”
“You’ll get used to it. But that’s the thing. English had so many rules, and we don’t have much time. We can help you get better, but we can’t teach every last rule.”
I said, “It’s like teaching a man to fish. Do you know that saying?”
Do-gyong said, “I don’t know what that means.”
“It comes from the Bible,” I said.
And Elder Benjamin said, “Kind of. It’s not a direct quote, but it’s inspired by the Bible. If you give a man a fish, he’ll be full for just one meal. However, if you teach a man how to fish, then he’ll feed himself for a lifetime. We can help point you in the right direction, and you can do all the work yourself to get better. The other thing we wish to teach you will also feed you for a lifetime.”
“You’re talking about God again?” asked Do-gyong. “It’s hard to think about him when I work in the office every day, and it takes hour for the bus to get me the home, and I don’t have much time for anything else besides my poetry.”
“Well,” said Elder Benjamin. “It seems we might have a difference of intentions here.”
“What’s ‘intentions’?”
“It’s what you want, and what we want. If we don’t talk about Jesus, then we’re not allowed to continue meeting with you. This could be our last visit.”
Do-gyong sat in thought for a few seconds and said, “That would be sad. You are good friends. When I met you in store, I wanted to know you more. You’re so happy. I also want to be the happy. I don’t have any friends. The people at my work don’t talk to me. They have more money than me, and I’m not worthy. That’s why I want to learn English. To have more friends. Jesus isn’t going to get me more friends. They’ll just think I’m strange. Jesus isn’t a Korean god. They’ll push me away more.”
Elder Benjamin and I looked at each other, as this was a full-blown “Resolve Concerns” situation. As part of the Commitment Pattern we were taught in the Missionary Training Center, people often have sincere concerns. It’s usually a reason that gets in the way: why they don’t want to get baptized, or learn more, or continue talking to us. The Commitment Pattern challenged us to take these concerns and turn them around. Speak to them, analyze them, talk about them, and resolve the concerns by demonstrating how the Gospel could help meet the true desires, all while keeping the door open for further discussions.
“I see,” I said. “You want friends, and you want to be happy like us? And English will help you be more worthy of friends?”
“Exactly. Right now, you two are the closest people I have as friends.”
“Oh,” said Elder Benjamin. “You want to know why we’re so happy all the time? We can tell you the secret. And then when you’re happy, it will attract even more friends. We could talk about that secret?”
“That would be great,” said Do-gyong. “What is your secret?”
Elder Benjamin said, “I think you already know the answer. There is one who can be your friend day and night. Us, you can see only once or twice a week. In a couple of months, one of us will be transferred to another area. And after that, the other one will move away. We’re only temporary, but this secret — it’s permanent, and it’s available any time of the day: 24/7. With it, you’ll be happy, and we can show you how it works.”
“Okay, what is it?”
“We’ve already been talking about him. Jesus Christ is the answer. He’s not just our Lord, but also our friend. We can call on him whenever we need him. He always listens, and he provides answers. Remember last time — we talked about God and his son Jesus Christ? They may sound like abstract distant arbitrary entities, but the truth is, they’re here right now.”
“In this very room?”
“Yes,” said Elder Benjamin, “and perhaps you can already feel his presence.”
“But how can this God be everywhere at the same time? That’s impossible.”
“Not with God. Not with Jesus. They can do the impossible. That’s the best part. We’ll teach you how to talk with them and how to get your answers. He can help you with anything you need.”
“Like my poetry?” asked Do-gyong.
“Sure. If that’s what you need, he can do that, too.”
“And this will help me get other friends? You know — humans?”
“Of course,” said Elder Benjamin. “What do you think, Elder Elder Elder Elder?”
I said, “Entirely true. It’s my secret, too. Not only will Jesus be there all the time, but it will be a source of unending happiness. Because Jesus helps us to have proper perspective, we can see how everything fits together in this universe, and we can see the part that we each get to play in it. He also teaches that each of us are individuals with immense potential. The worth of every soul is great, and that includes you. We are all children of God, and thus have that same potential, and just like any father, God wants us to succeed. His Son and the Holy Ghost together help us to get there.
“And that’s why we seem so happy. We know who we are. We know what we can do. We know that Jesus, God, and the Holy Ghost are always there for us, and above all, we know that we are worthy. We are worthy to live. Worthy to succeed. And worthy to have friends. Armed with this knowledge, it helps us to attract many friends.”
“This all sounds great,” said Do-gyong. “I didn’t know that’s why you’re so happy. Tell me how this secret works. How did you ever learn about this?”
“Prophets,” said Elder Benjamin. “God teaches us these ideas through prophets, who then reveal to us how we can achieve these things.” We then continued, finishing off the First Discussion, teaching him the fundamentals of prayer, and how the Holy Ghost helps it all work.
“The Holy Ghost, “ said Elder Benjamin, “delivers the answers to our prayers, and teaches us what is true. This is how we gain the proper perspective on everything, and it’s the source of most of our happiness.”
“I think it’s worth giving this a try,” said Do-gyong. “It feels right. So, I don’t need a priest or a monk to pray in my behalf. And I don’t have to pay for prayers.”
“That’s correct,” I said. “You can pray anytime you wish and that is your direct connection to God, and you will receive the answers directly.”
We continued talking for another ten minutes, and then ended with a promise to return the next week. Do-gyong said the closing prayer and then we left.
As we got on the bus to go home, Elder Benjamin said, “We did it. Do-gyong is sticking with us, and making progress. He’s our golden investigator.”
“Yay!” I said. “It’s about time we’ve had success.”
