HOLA

Daddy!!! 

oh i love it here so much, the people are so nice and super patient when i try to speak. the area im in they know english pretty well so if i dont know a word i can ask them in english and they teach it to me in korean. but i normally dont remember it so i have to ask them over and over again haha ive never had that feeling that everyone has about thinking it was a different language, i think because i knew coming in i wouldnt understand anything. they all talk super fast so i normally can only pick up one word if im lucky. so my companion always has to translate for me. 

ive really come to love Jacob 5 the past few months because you really have to try to understand it to understand it. and once you take the time to read it you learn so much. we all have a work to do to spread the gospel because everyone deserves a chance to know it!

one of the best parts of not knowing what people are saying is when they reject you or dont want to talk to you they tell you but since i dont know what they are saying it doesnt affect me haha but im sure it will affect me later! 

sorry for the short and lame email, im trying to catch up on all the emails from the past 2 weeks!

love you so much and pray for you all the time!

love 

sister hemenway 

On Mon, Sep 4, 2017 at 2:25 AM, Greg Hemenway <HemenwayGM@ldschurch.org> wrote:

Did you like my subject line?  That is as close to Korean as I know!!  So how was your first week there?  It is really strange for us because now we have absolutely no idea what you are doing.  In the MTC we sort of knew how the schedule went and Raquel's schedule wouldn't have been much different that what we had when mom and I served, but yours would be completely different.  I can't imagine how exciting and frustrating it must be all at the same time.  They say that the first few weeks are so hard in a foreign speaking mission because you leave the MTC feeling like you have made progress but get out to the field and realize how much you have to learn.  The comment is always, "that isn't the same language I learned in the MTC!"  You will do great!!!  Don't let yourself get down.

I was reading last night in Jacob 5 where it talks about the olive trees and the grafting in of the wild branches.  I was thinking about you and how that is what your assignment is.  You are one of the laborers that have been sent to take some of the wild branches (non-covenant people) to graft them into the tame trees (covenant people).  Remember that it takes time for the branches to take hold and the gospel is still very young there in Korea.  I have no idea how successful the work is there, but I do know that I had areas where there was very little success and it was frustrating.  Always remember that this is the Lords work and not yours.  Even when you graft trees it is many times many years before the fruit is able to be gathered.  Some of the branches never quite take hold, but your job is to make sure that everyone has the chance to make the decision for themselves.  You will want to just take peoples agency away from them because you will be able to see how much the gospel can help them, but the Lord lets them make that decision for themselves.

We pray for you always and I add your name to the temple prayer list every week when I am there.  During your hardest times, turn things over to the Lord and let Him help you.  He will give you the peace that you need to keep going.  MIssions are very hard, but you will learn things there that you would not be able to learn any where else.  The Lord is preparing you for things that you can't even imagine right now.  He really knows what He is doing even though sometimes it is hard for us to see it.  I am so proud of you and all that you are doing.  I talk about you all the time.  Mom is doing better this week.  She was so proud of herself for not being very emotional when you left, but when you left for Korea that all changed (you know your mother)!!  

Well, I love you sweet girl.  Have a great week.  We are excited to hear about your adventures!!

Da