So our 2nd week in the MTC has passed and I'm still loving life! So story time:
First off, my whole life I have been blessed with the gift of confusing people on my race... In Israel, I almost walked onto the Dome of the Rock during call to prayer because they thought I was Arab. In Morocco everyone kept saying "Ni hao" to me thinking I was Chinese. After saying "no...", they would ask Japanese? no... Korean? no.... I've been asked what island I'm from and I would just reply with "Arizona!" Well here in the MTC, people see me, my nametag, look back at me and are confused. Then when the people are confused, literally every Filipino will come up and say "Oh he's Filipino!" (except in Tagalog). Since I don't speak Tagalog, it turns into an awkward staring contest as the Filipino waits for me to respond back in Tagalog, and I just stand there thinking ".... I don't speak very much Korean, but I'm like 51% sure that wasn't Korean...." So my gift continues as I have been able to confuse the Filipinos into thinking that I'm one of them.... My last name doesn't help because Filipinos have hispanic last names too...
So with this in mind, there are many missionaries here from all over the world. A ton of Filipinos (literally every Filipino comes up to me and asks if I'm Filipino, or stares at me waiting for me to greet them in Tagalog as I walk past them), Chinese, Korean, Japanese, Polynesian, Europeans, etc. During Sunday & Tuesday Devotional time, they try to place all international missionaries on the ground floor closest to the speaker so they can get a better experience and usually so they can provide them with translation headsets since all the talks are given in English. I know crazy. So during meal times on Tuesday and Sunday, the MTC has assigned a man to wait by the door as missionaries leave the cafeteria and give out flyers to the international missionaries so they know where to sit for the Devotional. Well you would think that a good approach would be, "Hey Elder/Sister, where are you from?" Simple right? Well apparently it's too much to ask, and apparently he is the master at knowing the difference between missionaries from the States and those from abroad... I would beg to differ. So my companion is full Korean from Chicago, and thus looks Korean. Mind-blowing I know. Then there's me with my wonderful gift. I bet you can guess already what happens every Tuesday and Sunday. Yes, we get "racially profiled"??? I don't know if that's the right word, a little harsh but that's what happens. This man comes up to us and gives us these flyers and tells us, "Make sure you sing in your Native language!"....... So in addition to learning Korean, I've added Tagalog to my studies so I can play the part. Plus side, we get front row seating for devotionals and impress a lot of people because of "how good your English is!" after we tell them we speak English as they try to give us headsets that interpret the speaker's words to our "Native language"....
For those curious about how my companionship is going... Well we agreed to disagree... I finally sat him down after an argument, pulled him into our room after he left because he didn't want to be in the same room as me. Sat him down, told him we're gonna be adults and talk this out. To this point, we had been disagreeing on how the rules were being kept. I argued that we should be obedient and should keep the rules to a tee, since "obedience brings blessings, and exact obedience brings miracles". He argued that they don't need to be kept exactly to a tee... So you can see our disagreement. It started off with arguing about the little things that were bugging each of us. For me, it was during class or during meetings when the Spirit is being felt, testimonies being shared, and while everyone completely in tune with the moment he would be sitting with feet on another chair or desk playing around with his pen and everything completely going over his head. I didn't want him to be like me, make bed, workout, be very regimented. I just want him to be in tune and act in accordance to the name that is on his chest, "Jesus Christ" and take these things seriously opposed to walking around trying to have fun as if it were a college dorm when we had free time to prepared for the next day, study the scriptures or language. There is plenty to be done. His argument was that I was uptight all the time, kind of "kill joy" whenever he made jokes, and trying to make him into me. I was basically inviting him to grow up and take things seriously, and he was telling me to chill.
Prior to this argument, I had prayed to know what to do because we had 2 other conversations like this, we weren't working together, he always hangs around the other Elders when we should be together, taking off without me even though we're supposed to be together since we're companions, and just annoying each other by are very different perspectives. The Spirit had whispered to go to the scriptures. So I went to where I had left off in my personal studies, Alma 4. In this chapter, the people of the church were beginning to wax proud because of their excessive wealth, turn away the sick, needy and afflicted, persecute those who didn't join them, and create a bad image of the church for those who were not a part of the church. This caused problems to Alma who was the high priest at the time, as well as the teachers, priests and elders of the church who were being persecuted by these wicked members of the church. Being saddened, Alma decides to give up his position as the chief judge of the Nephite nation to go around the nation and begin stirring up the people in remembrance of their duty to the church. The only way he would be able to to do this would be by "bearing down in pure testimony against them". So being inspired by that, opposed to just letting our companionship go down the drain, I did such.
At the end the argument, I just bore testimony to him of how much this gospel means to me. I apologized for being so critical and tough on him, but I told him that the reason why I was such and didn't take the rules and this mission lightly because of how IMPORTANT this work is. We're no longer dealing with our own personal lives any more. We're dealing with people's eternal salvation. Whether we are able to effectively invite and help others come to Christ is dependent on our preparations NOW in the MTC. I said you're no longer Alex Hwang, you're now a representative of Jesus Christ. This Gospel has brought me so so so much joy and happiness in my life. So much so that I gave up everything for these next 2 years. My spot at West Point, where there is a possibility I might not get back in. My family, I only get to call them 4 times for the entire 2 years. My personal desires and pursuits. Everything. So I apologized for being rough, but I said that I gave up everything to be here. I'm here because I love God more than anything. He gave me everything, so the least I could do is to give up these next 2 years. I told him I was rough on him because he is going to New York and could very well end up at West Point. My brothers and sisters are there and if he could share this wonderful message with them and the next time I see them they weren't only just my brothers and sisters in the military but also in the Lord... How great would my joy be. I told him this gospel means everything to me, and it's no longer about us anymore.
I asked, what is God's mission? Why are we here? He complained that we had already been over this and didn't answer because he was pouting, so I said "Thank you, yes you're right. It's to invite others to come to Christ by helping them receive the restored Gospel through faith in Jesus Christ and His Atonement, repentance, baptism, receiving the gift of the Holy Ghost, and enduring to the end.(He didn't respond) Yes! you're right again! God's mission is: 'For behold, this is MY work and MY glory - to bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of man.'" (Moses 1:39). During my bearing testimony and asking these questions, it was only me talking. So I said, "I'm sorry for being rough, but I have a reason. I know we don't get along. Our personalities don't match. But let's at least get along in the Lord when we teach and study. I invite you to take these things more seriously. You're stuck with me for 2 months." Then that was it. We ended that, and moved on from our previous arguments. I bore my testimony and feelings with all my heart and almost all the vigor I could give. I can't say we love each other or are best buddies. It still hasn't clicked in his head, but he knows why I'm so serious about everything and knows my purpose for being here. I told him this is the last time I would talk to him about this since any more times will just go in one ear and out the other. I've relaxed a little, but after listening to Elder Holland's "Missions Are Forever" talk last night, I'm fired up again... This is not only God's work, but this is MY work now. I'm committed; I'm enlisted to this great and noble cause.
I testify that the full Gospel of Jesus Christ and the Priesthood of God has been restored upon the earth. It's found in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Through Joseph Smith, God restored the Gospel and gave us the Book of Mormon. I am forever grateful for this. This is the greatest cause I could possibly be a part of and I am joyful and humbled to be wearing the name of Jesus Christ on my chest. This is my testimony. Jesus is the Christ. God is our Heavenly Father. Through the Atonement we can be forgiven of our mistakes and sins, and move on from them and leave stronger. I love this work and I love my Heavenly Father. I say these things in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen.
"... they had waxed strong in the knowledge of the truth; for they were men of a sound understanding, and they had searched the scriptures diligently, that they might know the word of God... they had given themselves to much prayer and fasting; therefore they had the spirit of prophecy, and the spirit of revelation, and when they taught, they taught with power and authority of God." - Alma 17:2-3
Australia Sydney Mission
My buddy Elder Frangia from West Point going to Malaysia, speaking Malay
Another West Pointer, Elder Holt, going to Honduras speaking.... Spanish
All the “Filipinos” in my district
The view from our classroom
My part of the lesson as we teach to a Korean member about the Book of Mormon and Prophets.
My nametag. 예수 그리스도 = Jesus Christ