Rice. The Breakfast of Champions.‏

So, I've got to be honest- 

..Winning a Korean soccer tournament, you'd think you'd get some applause, maybe a hug from a sweet old Korean man, or like, a token of respect from an ancient Korean Tae Kwon Doe master.. ...Maybe? ..haha, but no.

..We got a world cup soccer ball. 
                                                         ......and some rice.
..Like a big bag of rice.
..And this rice isn't just rice.
..It's glorified, rare, delicious rice.

So when all was said and done, naturally Sunday came and went, and our dear 1st Counselor put both glorious items on the pulpit and explained to our Ward how we conquered the rest of the Stake in the Soccer tournament.

..Did I mention we did that? Hahaha because we did- and man, it was awesome!

..This week, I don't have much to say, and have a younger sister and step-father to wish a Happy Birthday too, but I do love you all tons. 

So, to sum up this week,
We destroyed a stake wide soccer tournament, met Daniel and found out he decided to stop smoking, met with our other investigator Mickey, and heard his testimony of how he already knows our church is true, and took my little son, Elder Ellsworth to his 4-week follow up in Songpa. Everything is going super well! We're working hard this week, and looking for more success! I love you all, have the greatest week!

And to my little sister, and step-dad, 
You two are incredible.

Love you all!!

Elder DeMille

P.S. One thing Elder DeMille didn't mention was that the beautiful footage of young Korean girls in traditional Korean dress singing "I Love to See the Temple" as a part of the General Women's Meeting, was filmed in his ward building. They even go to to help set up for the filming. Super cool!

Another week, another .. year older?

It's that time again! 

Seriously, the days crawl on, and the weeks fly by....

..haha, I wonder if Elder Ellsworth is tired of me saying that to him, it's a very common phrase among missionaries here..

..Anywho, the work continues! And this time.. it comes action packed with rainbow pancakes, purple eggs and Elder Ellsworth's birthday! He's finally 19.. .....Haha.. a whole what, month after I turned 19? Yeesh. He's catchin' up quick!

This week was pretty .. well, packed. We were able to teach our investigator, Daniel, the entire Restoration (which was incredibly cool -- Momma Ellsworth, your son did very well), and he understood it all like you wouldn't believe. Not quite ready to accept the invitation to be baptized, but he's definitely eager to read the Book of Mormon and pray about it.

..The crazy thing, was that this week, we went to the temple.

..And everybody loves the temple! ..But I prayed for a long time the night before to try and prepare myself to receive an answer to my prayers about Daniel. I really wanted him to understand our message (before we taught the Restoration) and know that his Father in Heaven really loves him. ..At the temple, I spent a lot of time in the Celestial room trying to feel that answer.. ..and all I could think about was my mom.

All those crazy experiences that happened before I came out, everything she has done for me, how much I miss her, and how I can't possibly make up for how well she took care of me and helped me to grow. ..But, upon leaving the Celestial room, I felt like I really hadn't received my answer.

..Then, later that night, we met with Daniel (after a really long day of really intense Soccer - Year old missionaries vs. Young missionaries ), we played "21" (Basketball), and threw the football a little bit before sitting down for our lesson together. I felt so unprepared, and thought that these sports and things were going to be really distracting during our time together - that we might be too worn out and things like that to really invite the spirit - But man, it went so well.

We started talking, and before I knew it, I realized Elder Ellsworth and I were teaching in great unity, flying through the Restoration and getting Daniel really involved. He understood it all, and was getting really excited. Then, we talked about the Book of Mormon, and I explained to him how it has always been like another friend to me - a book where I can find all sorts of advice and answers to my questions in times of need. ..He asked, "like what?" ..And then, that long time in the Celestial room thinking about how wonderful my mother was/is, and how thankful I am for her came into play. I shared the story of her aneurysm with tears in my eyes (not coming down though, I'm getting better, I promise..haha) and he was blown away. You could tell he truly felt the Spirit and could feel our connection with the Book of Mormon. Elder Ellsworth also shared a personal experience, and though we were totally late getting home, we nailed the lesson, and touched his heart.

Other than that, this week has been rad - soccer games and other things here and there, with recent converts coming to church strongly and participating more. I love it here, and honestly can't imagine being anywhere else! But! I can't wait to see my family again ...haha.. as far away as that is :P So, know that things are still progressing here, I'm plenty healthy, and that Elder Ellsworth and I are going to enjoy some divine Birthday Cheesecake from Costco later today! Haha! I love you all, and hope that you are feeling the Spirit as often as you can! 

...And one more thing - just a fun side note - mine and Elder Ellsworth's weekly goal is to "PUNCH SATAN STRAIGHT IN THE FACE". 

...Ladies and gentlemen, 
WE FEAR NO MAN!!!

All the love,

Elder DeMille! 

So.. Good Thing I'm Certified, Right?‏

This week was pretty intense! ..And by intense I mean.. haha.. possibly the most exhilarating week by far. We've progressed a lot with our two investigators, and are hoping and praying to give Daniel a baptismal date this next meeting. He came to church this week at 10am, after working a 10-night shift mind you.. , and is loving it. He's used to waving his bible around and clapping and yelling and stuff but, haha. I think he really respects the different feel.

However, the craziest parts of this week were as follows, haha. (I've gotta keep this relatively short, I have a girlfriend to congratulate..) 

We started off with our "Korean Thanksgiving" celebration, called 추석 (Chuseok) and went crazy with a 9 hour meeting. We had super fun activities all day long, had a crazy talent show, did skits and proselyted a ton, and well.. long story short, we ate tons of food, and it was seriously such a blast.

Next, the couple following days were pretty simple, but then, well.. two days ago the universe pretty much decided to explode. We got a referral from Songpa (our AP's), and called the number, only to find out it wasn't the guy who was interested in the gospel but Dr. Yang Huo from Utah Valley University. We got talking and I told him I was interested in business and .. ha, go figure he's the professor of their Business Management program. Cool huh? And SO random. What are the odds we call this professor, (A Korean member), who is in Utah, borrowing his mother in law's Korean cellphone...?? So anyway, he'd like to take me to get some Kimchi when I get home, haha but that's another story.

Right after that, we were waiting for Daniel to meet us at the church so we could treat him to some dinner (because he's just that cool) and he called us to tell us he was on his way. ..So, we asked him where he was, and figured we'd just meet him next to the closest subway station so we could just walk to the church together rather than having to backtrack a little ways once he made his way to our church. Elder Ellsworth and I embarked (fun side note, we have been fasting all morning at this point, searching for an answer to our prayers.. ..and, well, Elder Ellsworth doesn't do so well without food for long periods of time) , and once we got to the station we saw Daniel waving to us cleeear down the street. Haha, do we really stick out that bad? Anyway, we waved back, and then.. 

..Everything went crazy.
A huge truck to our right decided to take a spontaneous U-Turn, and completely T-boned a young man on a delivery motorcycle. His bike was smashed, everyone on the street stopped, and you could feel this incredibly ominous presence in the air. We looked at Daniel, I pointed to him, and then pointed to the accident in the middle of the street. Before I knew it, we were all running to help this young guy. ..When we got there, he didn't look so young, maybe mid-late 20's, tattoo sleeve on his left arm, strong, capable looking guy. He was laying about a lane and a half away from his smashed bike, just coming back from a small lapse of unconsciousness. ..I entered EMT mode.
..but man, I was resourceless!

I started asking questions, trying to see if he could respond, asking if he knew where he was, and what he was doing, but my Korean was just too slow for the circumstances. He started to stand up, and supporting him, we tried to help him get his bearings - but he was way too hurt. His whole right side of his right leg was road-rashed, and he had a large laceration on his shin that was soaking his sock and led me to find his bones slightly out of place with his ankle in the complete wrong orientation. I turned to Elder Ellsworth and Daniel and asked if they had a shirt, or cloth or something I could use to stop the bleeding (about ready to take of my shirt or tie) when Daniel just whipped off his shirt the second I finished my question. Haha. Too cool. I double checked with him to make sure it was okay, and he said, "Just do it." --Kinda like a movie, pretty cool-- anyway.. I took his shirt, used it to cover and provide pressure for a big laceration above his right eye which was pouring blood all over his face and in his eyes, and used Daniel as a translator for the other questions I needed to ask him. We got the bleeding under control, but he was still in a ton of pain. I sent Elder Ellsworth for water - still in sight and sound, haha don't worry - and used it to keep him hydrated (he was losing tons of blood) and wash the blood off his face and out of his eyes. This entire time, everyone was super helpful. People on the street were calling the EMTs, and this sweet old lady was by us the whole time, asking over and over again "Aren't you busy? Aren't you too busy?" .. When the actual EMT's got there, a few of this delivery guy's friends had come (also on bikes) and were giving the EMT's other personal information. We found out this guy was only 16 years old. ..A sophomore in High School.

Then, the EMT's came to us, asked us about how we found him, and as I was using Daniel to translate exactly what I wanted to say, Elder Ellsworth (fasting, remember?) just decided to make things a little bit more interesting and pass out. ..Haha. Seriously?! He started moving kind of weird right behind me, passed out, his his chin on a ledge, and luckily fell straight toward me so I could catch him before he hit the ground. Haha. He's heavier than you'd think! And don't worry, his chin is fine, just a small cut :) Everyone looked at us like we were crazy, haha. 

And after that crazy event, we decided it was time for some dinner. We washed blood off with the extra water, and enjoyed some sweet shrimp stir-fry. 

Haha in a nutshell - that was my week. A few more crazy things here and there, but one of our members actually saw us while we were helping that guy - so there should be a picture or two! 

I love you all tons! Make sure you drive safe - look both ways - listen to the spirit, and are prepared to use your skills in whichever way the Lord might need you to! 
All the love in the world! 

Elder DeMille!

Woohoo! I LOVE BEING A MISSIONARY!!

Back home ... my sweet girlfriend was baptized this weekend. My siblings were all there to support her for me. I love that they brought me along too. 

And our very own Sister Bagley was able to special deliver a hug from me all the way from Korea.

And Then There Were Two

Let me start off by saying, ...Elder Ellsworth is the MAN. He learns SO fast, is so incredibly fearless, and really seems to enjoy missionary work, as well as Korea - no matter how different from Kansas it is, haha. Just the other week he turned to me and said, with .. the biggest eyes I've ever seen.. "Elder DeMille.. ..I just saw the population of my entire town at that intersection." ...Hahaha. Love this Elder!

This week, we had a few cool events- most of which just ended up in my journal - but one of which is really exciting. We've finally found our first investigator! In the 3 sets of missionaries to serve in this area (as the 3rd set of Elders in this area -- kind of confusing..), which was first Elders Johnson and Jeung, then Elder Johnson and myself, and now Elder Ellsworth and me, we've become the "chosen ones" in finding the only investigator to have existed thus far.

...Can I get a high five?
Bam.
..thank you.

Haha and, well, not only did we find one investigator, but.. we got a second one this week too! Two weeks ago, we came to this same PC cafe (room, 방, whatever you want to call it..) to email you all. At the end of our time, a new kid was working the register, and we decided (Elder Johnson and I at the time) to talk to him. We approached, gave him our cards, said hello, and he said in perfect (and I mean perfect) English, "..You guys speak English, right?" Hahaha. Meet D. He's lived in Indiana these past 6 years or so, finishing high school and such, while his mom was working on a Master's Degree at a University there. He's 18 years old - or, just turned 19 on the 6th- and is so fresh! The week after we met him and got his number, (a.k.a. last Monday) we saw him again, and invited him to come hoop with us after we emailed. Of course, being from Indiana he played tons of ball, and was thrilled to come play with some Americans on a nice court. So, we did that, met him again on Tuesday for a while for some ball and a lesson, and we left him with a Book of Mormon and a soft baptismal commitment. Crazy, right? He's a smart, relaxed, knowledgeable kid. When asked if he would be baptized after coming to know these things were true, he was a little hesitant- but for the right reasons. He explained to us that baptism was a huge commitment, and that he had to be sure he was doing it for the right reasons, and not just 'to be baptized'. He said he had to be sure that he was really willing to change and accept our church's standards, and it was probably the coolest response I'd ever gotten out of a baptismal commitment. Then, he was so incredibly interested in the Book of Mormon it got Elder Ellsworth and I too stoked about it. Hope everything keeps moving here! 

Other than that, we had the photo shoot with Elder Buntz from the Seoul Mission for "The Wall" - as they're calling it - and that was super cool too. It should be up some time within the next two weeks in the Korean LDS "Newsroom"? I think it's a website -- but if you do some searching I'm sure you'll be able to find it. The internet is amazing. Then, we had mission tour on Wednesday, and that was sweet - Elder ...Uh.. Aoyiagi? I have no idea how to spell it - came and spoke to us, and it was a really neat meeting, though nothing crazy happened, haha. Just another training. Also, our other investigator this week came from a referral from Elder Lundberg in Seoul Mission (my old firefighter friend), so if you're in touch with him, give him a big thank you for me!

Today, or rather, this weekend, we've got 추석 going on, and there are.. zero people on the streets. Haha it's pretty cool to be honest. And tomorrow we've got a big event- some talent show and other things planned for all the missionaries (since no missionary work can really be done), so that will be cool! 

Other than that, it's my girlfriend Abby's birthday today, and I'm wishing her the best! 

But hey! That's all from Elder DeMille in SoKo! I love you all, and wish you all the best day ever! Haha, scratch that. Have a great WEEK! 

All the love,
Elder DeMille! 

(HAPPY BIRTHDAY ABBY! WOOHOO!)

Meanwhile, back home, the mother's of Elder Meek, Watts, Grossgebauer & DeMille paid a visit to Sister Bagley. She was happy and cheerful and full of light. She was also happy to tell us all kinds of stories about our boys.