July 20, 2014 - So, What's It Like in Russia?

I'M NOT FROM RUSSIA OKAY??

 

Alright, so I don't react like that, but I get asked almost daily if I am Russian. Probably cause I don't have black hair and Russia's the closest place besides China and Japan hmmm... I have met quite a few Russians though in the foreigner area called Itaewon. Whenever I go there a familiar phrase from that one movie that starts with a T and rhymes with , "Something's familiar about these strangers like me..." Ah sweet nostalgia.

 

And this is not to say that I am comparing Koreans to the monkeys. They're much smarter and have much better skin. And they're hair is perfect.

 

But enough of that! We're not here to talk about Russians or monkeys, now are we? If you're looking for that take your eyes up a little and to the right and there should be a little white bar that says "Search" behind which all the Russian monkeys you ever wanted to see lie.

 

We are here to talk missionary work! Last Monday, our district got together outside an art center in dowtown Seoul and I got to finally use those pastels Uncle Ryan so generously gifted to me before I left. And I used them to draw an artistic interpretation of the Plan of Salvation! They don't really do chalk art here (that I've seen) so a lot of people were really curious. It was such a cool experience and it opened up for so many deep conversations and new contacts! I even made it to the Terrestrial Kindgom before the metal cuffs around my wrists made it difficult to draw... Only kidding! But we did get asked to leave and may or may not have pretended like we could not understand Korean... Hah.

 

We did street boarding again on Thursday too at the same busy college area and my companion and I alone were able to talk to 59 people, give away 18 Book or Mormons, get 4 phone numbers and 3 return appointments! It was so cool and we felt that unbridled excitement usually reserved for Justin Beiber concerts. Or, in Quinn's case, the end of the last song at a Justin Beiber concert.

 

You're probably thinking now that all my time is spent finding people to teach. And admittedly, yes, a large majority of it is. But we do, in fact, have investigators who are so close! Sandy (her English name) wants to come to her answer for herself and needs time. But she was able to attend the baptism of the other Sister's investigator Alice (the coolest girl ever) and she enjoyed it. Then there is 김순애 (kim soon eh) who is lovely and is scheduled to be baptized on the 10th of next month! She loves everything we teach and accepts everything so well. We still have a lot to teach her though. As for Thomas and Leanne, they are the coolest and love what we teach and want answers, but they just opened their own school so they don't have a lot of time.. Bah! And then there is Shinee (her English name. Why didn't you name me that, mama?) and 이근혜 (ee gun heh). They are both volunteer tour guides at the palace and they're super cool. They have hardly any religious background, but lots of curiousity and lots of love.

 

Like I mentioned, we had a baptism yesterday and this area has many more planned for the coming month. The work is picking up! We also have been to blessed to have found so many less-actives and have reactivated many. The other day we knocked on a door and the man opened the door in his garments. What. Are the odds. We also visit this less active grandmother and her mother and they are the sweetest. They kept calling us Miss Korea. I don't know but... Shouldn't Miss Korea be Korean?

 

Just a thought.

 

I love visiting them though, not because they give me a boost of self-confidence, but rather the mother reminds me so much of my sweet grandma.

 

And I suppose now is a good time to mention that transfer calls were on Saturday and I will be getting a KOREAN COMPANION. I'm pumped. This is not to say that I haven't loved my time with Sister Seegmiller. Our mutual love of good food, basketball, funny stories, running, and back scratches has bonded us together and made for a very, very fast six weeks. I am excited, though to be living with two Koreans. Woo!

 

So needless to say I am loving it out here. I love missionary work. I LOVE this gospel. And it's because of this gospel that I'm happier than happy. I've got a smile bigger than Dad's when he came out of the water after "pile-driving" into the sand. :)

 

Give my best to everyone at the funeral and send my love. You're all my very favorite people and I pray for you daily. Muuuah!

 

Love,

The Russian..?

 

Chalk art

Temple day with my roomates

My district. I love my district.

And matching skirts. Thanks to 송혜민 and her
 ridiculous amount of clothes. I'm not complaining.

A really trippy picture. Featuring our neighbohood "Paris Baguette".

Handstands with Sister Seegmiller

Alice

A cute Asian baby

My area

 

 

July 14, 2014- Hey Poppop, I love you.

It is only apropo to begin this letter with a bit of an ode to my sweet Poppop, who passed away earlier this week. For those of you who never met him, picture the sweetest wrinkled smile settled beneath warm brown eyes and a bit of a bald head. Then put some Andrea Bocelli in the background and get ready for a make-any-day-better hug. He was a man to be reckoned with, whether he was behind the gears in the cock pit, looking through the lens on his camera, or in front of the stove cooking up a storm. I can speak for all of his adoring grandchildren when I say that he will be dearly missed.

 

Thank you for all the memories, Poppop. I (and all those who have been lucky enough to cross you path) love you to the moon and back.

 

As news of this sad event reached my ears, I think about the message of hope I am here to share with the world and I'm so grateful for it. This week we taught Thomas and Leanne, a young Korean couple we've met with just a few times, and taught them about the PLan of Salvation. He asks so many really deep questions, which should have kept me on my toes, but were easy to answer with the Plan of Salvation. As we wrapped up he simply said, "If what you are teaching me is true, this is groundbreaking. Everyone needs to hear this." And he couldn't be more right (righter? more correctest? most correctister?). If this is true, which I know with more surety everyday, then there is no more important message to be shared. I'm so grateful for my family and for the knowledge I have both of this restored gospel and God's plan, through which I can live forever with my family. 

 

And I can't believe that tomorrow is my six month mark as a missionary. Six months! Can you believe it? You may think that it has been a long, laborious road full of potholes, of which, yes, there have been many. But rather, this has been a road much like that on which I learned how to drive a stick shift. I am learning and growing so much and picking up speed faster and faster. The work here is picking up and we are looking forward to a baptism on the 10th of April, and a few more in the works.

 

Gee, this letter has been pretty deep, hasn't it? Only as deep as the mud in Utah Lake will let me go, I suppose! To bring us back to the surface, where the water is a bit warmer, here are some things as of late:

 

The humidity has hit and by golly it was a homerun. Let's just say it gives whole new meaning to the phrase "It's like an oven in here."

 

I met an old Korean man named Irvine who learned English from watching Gregory Peck movies and who sounded exactly like the original Albus Dumbledore when he talked. And then he sang me a song. I love Korea.

 

And today, I suppose in honor of Poppop (and a shout out to Uncle Ryan), I am going to sidewalk chalk the streets of Korea with an artistic interpretation of the Plan of Salvation. We are going to do it right outside the art center near a University and I couldn't be more excited! There will be pictures to come.

 

Oh! And tomorrow is our temple day and it's also my six month mark. So that's pretty cool I guess. Oh and transfer calls are this week too. Which seemed to go by much too fast. Ah!

 

That, along with some really great lessons, great food, and the fact that today is Jenna's birthday (hey jen, happy birthday or whatever), is all I've got for you today, folks. I love you all and I hope you know you are always in my prayers. And in the pictures on my wall. And sometimes in my dreams too.

 

Love,

me

 

P.S. Us at the temple with Sister Wen, our Chinese recent convert, and a little drawing that made it's way from my hand to my notebook sometime during sacrament meeting. Still not really sure how that happened. And, us getting ready for bed.

 

 

July 6, 2014 - Hey America, happy birthday.

As many of you American dwellers may have noticed, this past week that big homeland of our celebrated it's independence! I feel inclined to voice a big "Congratulations!" even though I am some thousand miles away. But you may be pleased to hear that I did, in fact, have a celebration to remember. Complete with fireworks.

 

You heard right.

 

FIREWORKS.

 

Only my favorite thing next to thunder and men with facial hair. (who said that?)

 

Thanks to the Seoul mission having the COOLEST Mission President out there, my companion and I got to stay a little later on the American army base with Wen, the Chinese recent convert, to watch the fireworks. We even topped off the amazing display of explosions in the sky with hot dogs and ice cream! Boo yah.

 

What does not need to be celebrated, however, is the fact that it is already July. What the. I am but a short way into this big adventure and yet the vicissitudes of life are passing me by much too quickly! I can happily say, however, that I am enjoying every moment. Every rain-filled, giggle enducing, food consuming, mind boggling moment of missionary work. I love it.

 

I think it might also be good to explain a bit of the logistics, you know, the useful, boring stuff that only parents want to read. Feel free to stop here and skip onto the next paragraph is you are less than intrigued by facts. My area, Sindang, used to consist of three different wards that got combined into one. So my area is gigantic and my ward is pretty big too. Sadly, because of the combining, many members were lost and stopped attending because the new ward was so far. So a lot of our time is spent much like that of Sherlock and Watson in search for clues and navigating our maps in search for people. We are getting quite good, I must say, at navigating these crazy streets of Seoul. Pretty sure it's another blessing Heavenly Father gives missionaries because I am quite sure some of the homes we find would never be found otherwise. As for our investigators, we've got Sandy (her English name) who is SO ready for baptism, but doesn't want to commit because she doesn't know if she can endure to the end. But she's coming along. And she's wonderful! We are teaching two other women, separately, who are mostly english interest, but they are growing in the gospel. We are also working with several less active members and have watched many become reactivated. Which is so awesome! But we are always looking for new people to teach and we talk to everyone everywhere we go! Yeah. And Korean is really hard.

 

So that's pretty much my life as of now! That and we found a Mexican restaurant the other day, probably one of one in Korea, and ate smothered burritos. Oh, and Sister Seegmiller is wonderful and goes running to the river with me every morning and is totally going to be in the Church General something someday (you can quote me on that). And there are supposed to be torrential rains this week which should probably make me nervous, but instead leaves my heart leaping with anticipation. Oh and PJ Rogers and the BYU Hawaii basketball team gave us a fireside last night which was pretty cool. Oh, and have I mentioned how hard Korean is? Well, it's really hard.

 

So the work moves on here in Seoul and it's wonderful. I thank Heavenly Father everyday for the wonderful opportunity I have been given to be a part of this great work. I really am so grateful for the knowledge I have that I can be with my family forever and love sharing that message of hope with everyone. You are all in pictures on my wall and in my prayers to Heavenly Father. Let Poppop know I pray for him everyday and Grandma, too.

 

I love you all (more than fireworks and bearded men. That's saying something)

 

Love,

Sister McCloskey

 

P.S. Burritos, cool hanging umbrellas, and fireworks!

June 29, 2014 - The Sorcerer's Stone?

Okay, do you want the good news or the bad news first?

I think it's better to start with the bad. Don't worry, I'll make it quick. Like a band-aid.

Korea is out of the world cup.

Whew. That wasn't so bad, was it? Not for you, no. But that band-aid ripped out a few hairs on these Koreans and may have even left a scar. But life goes on.

Good news is that we were street contacting at 광화문 square the night of the big game and we got to see the fans all decked in red surrounding a huge screen with flashing lights and loud music. It was like a dream, and though we refrained from participating the festivities, we cheered in our hearts. It also opened up for a lot of great conversations on the square that night and some return appointments!

Speaking of return appointments, we went street boarding this week as a district for my first time. You may be wondering if street boarding means hitting the streets on a skateboard, I too had a similar misconception. Street boarding does, however, involve a board--a board that serves a much less exhilarating and dangerous purpose. On the boards we had written several questions of the soul: "Have you ever thought about what happens after we die?" "What do you think the purpose of life is?" "If you could ask God one question, what would it be?", etc. We set up on a busy square in a university area and offered passers-by a sticker to simply place on the question they have wondered about most. It opened up for so many great conversations and we were able to give out so many Books and get so many return appointments. And there are so many foreigners in this area so I got to talk to people from Singapore, Malaysia, Finland, Holland, Puerto Rico, Vietnam, and France. The girl whose nationality was the last of those listed, Beatrice from France, was especially memorable. She was a doll and she was genuinely interested in what we were doing and why. And we are going to meet with her next week to share with her more about our incredible message.

The work is moving along faster and faster these days. We proposed to our long-time investigator, Sandy (her American name), the potential baptismal date of July 13th which happens to be her birthday. So she is working toward that now! And we met with several new investigators this week with a lot of potential. And we had four of the less-actives we have been working with show up to church on Sunday which was awesome. I am just so grateful for the knowledge I have of God's Plan of Salvation. It really is amazing how it was all planned out from the beginning. Not to compare J.K. Rowling to God, but it's kinda like how she had the Harry Potter serious planned out from the beginning and how it all just works out so perfectly. We're all part of something bigger, a grand tale of adventure and uncertainty, and this isn't even the climax! The sorting hat just sent us to Earth and now we're here to learn and prepare. Cause Voldemort sure ain't dead yet!

In other exciting news, is Mr. McClostco reading this? Cause I went to Costco last week on P-day. You heard right. They have a Costco in Korea! Complete with samples and a food court. Boo yah. Also, Sister Sieverts, one of the other sisters in my apartment, was a former gymnast and is teaching us the ways. I've almost got a handstand down. Next stop? Why, the Olympics of course.

Oh, and do you all remember Minsoo? That one exchange student we had from Korea who liked Norah Jones, eating mom's salmon and sleeping in? Yeah, well, he and his girlfriend took my companion and I to dinner this week. So that's pretty neat.

You know what else is neat? I get to ride an elevator everyday.

All in all, another fantastic week here in sunny Seoul. Sister Seegmiller is so fun to work with and keeps me laughing and singing and eating good food. I hope you all are doing the same. Everyday.

Luff,

me

P.S. Minsoo and our local market!

June 22, 2014 - "A Piece of Mom's Heart in Every Dish"

My new companion Sister Seegmiller biking on our P-day

Jin

You can thank a neighborhood restaurant slogan for the subject of this email.

 

Oh Koreans. Gotta love 'em.

 

This week was so so good beginning with a bike ride along the river trail with our district for p-day! It was so pretty and felt so good to be on a bike again. Then that night, Sister Seegmiller and I took to the hills in this area called Itaehwon which is known for a lot of sketchy foreigners. It has a very wierd feel over there and we're told to avoid it at night. But as we were walking down this hill we smiled, bowed, and said hello to a Korean lady we were passing (as is customary among the missionaries) and she stopped us and said "You have such beautiful smiles! Foreigners never smile." It opened up for a converstation about who we are, what we are doing and why we are smiling. And she agreed to meet again! It really goes to show that there is something different about us and that, even though we don't always realize it, it is evident.

 

We also had a funny experience this week that brings a smile to our faces whenever we talk about it! We were teaching a less active grandmother and her son, as we have for the past few weeks. She's the sweetest lady, but has a lot of doubts and a hard heart toward certain aspects of the gospel. We knew she loved hymns, so we decided to sing "I know That My Redeemer Lives" with them in Korean. We were about halfway through the second verse and we don't really know what started it, (we think we h\may have both struggled prounoucing a word) but my companion giggled a little, which made me giggle, which led to us shaking trying to hold in more giggles which ultimately led to us not being able to breathe or sing--only laugh. I haven't laughed that hard in a loong time and it felt so good. I felt bad at first, hoping that the Spirit of the song wasn't gone, but as I looked at her and her son through tear filled eyes and saw them both laughing as hard as we were I knew that Heavenly Father was laughing with us. It took several attempts to regain composure from the four of us and a lot of effort to stop the laughter. It actually ended up being perfect as we were sharing Moroni 2:41 and talking about how God wants each of us to be happy. I have no doubt that Heavenly Father really does have a sense of humor and really does want for each of His children to be happy. And I know that this gospel brings that happiness and I love that I am here to share that with the people of Korea!

 

This week we also got caught in the rain on a number of occasions, which always brings laughter. We are getting pretty good at getting caught in the rain, but it makes for some good conversations when we hop of the subway, dripping wet.

 

And Quinn! Guess what! This week we got to go on the army base and meet with a recent convert, Sister Wen. She is from China, but she is an American citizen and the coolest part is that she is a soldier. That's such a cool phrase, don't you think? "She's a solider". Boo yah. But I definitely got to brag about you and it reminded me a lot of you seeing all the military get-up. It was such a cool experience and we get to go back every week which will be awesome!

 

One more cool experience. Word has gotten out in my new ward that I can draw. Bad news. So this week they had a ward service thing where they sold clothes and food and the missionaries got to help out and they had me draw a big advertisement for it on the chalkboard. It was a lot of fun and a big hit. I really feel so blessed whenever I get the oppotunity to use my love of art and drawing as a missionary.

 

Uh... This letter is all over the place. Did I miss anything?

 

Oh! I did final pass off this week! (which my companion and I celebrated with some tubs of ice cream and the other sisters surprised me with a cookie tower thing--don't worry. we go running every morning) But as one of my commitments, the AP told me to say the first vision in Korean during a lesson. And two days later I got to do just that! We were teaching the restoration to this new cutest couple and I did it. The Spirit was sooo strong and it was such a cool experience. Everytime we teach I feel like my testimony grows that much stronger that this gospel is true as I feel the Spirit testifying through me. It is one of the many amazing priviledges of being a missionary!

 

I love my companion, the sisters I live with, the rain, the people I get to teach, Korean food, Korean people, whoever is reading this (so my mama and pop ;) ), all the other missionaries out doing this same work, and most of all the Lord.

 

Keep smiling! And mom, I'll try to avoid eating your heart, but I never know what I order when I eat out here, so I apologize in advance.

 

Love,

The sister that everyone thinks is from Russia. Everyone.

 

P.S. The letter finally came, so as my family now knows, I cut my hair! I've been with holding many a picture these past few weeks so brace yourself. :)

Right after it was chopped.

Overlooking the city

Baskin and Robbins

The lady we did service for gave us all tank tops and shorts,
but they were all Asian sizes. Translation? One size fits none. Hah!

June 15, 2014 - "Where's Dad When I Need Him?"

Ride a camel.

 

Check.

 

Need I say more? Actually yes, I have so much more to write! But I figured I might as well start with the fact that I did, in fact, find myself atop one of those very large, rather lumpy creatures. In the most unlikely of all places here in Seoul, Korea! What better way to spend a Pday than atop a camel with my trainer! We definitely made the most of our last days together, and the camel was only the beginning! On Tuesday, we visited each of the lovely ladies we have been teaching so I could say goodbye and deliver the drawings I had made for them. I had a strong feeling that we should visit the lady we do the service for at the underpriviledged kids place and so we did just that. We got there and she was just reading the newspaper by herself. I was a little bummed at first  cause the kids weren't there and I really wanted to bid them my fondest farewell. But it ended up working out perfectly. She invited us in and, as always, showered us with love and gratitude. Then she asked us the questions every missionary loves to be asked, "Why are you here?" "What are you doing?" "What makes your church different from all the other churches?". So we taught her all about the restoration and into the plan of salvation and she loved it. She even committed to coming to church! It was such a cool experience and she is such a wonderful woman. (Oh and mama and pop. I should probably inform you that I have invited half of Korea to come stay at our house when they visit Utah, so if any Koreans show up at our doorstep, say "ahnyonghasehyo" and show them to my room. Just thought I'd give you a heads up :) ) After we left and were walking down the street, we heard a little voice yelling behind us. We didn't think anything of it for the longest time and then finally looked back and saw my favorite little girl from the service running as fast as she could to catch us. She really came out of no where and it was such a tender mercy, as that would be the last time I would get to see her for the longest time.

 

Tuesday night, several missionaries from my district and I also got to go with a family in our ward to an old folk's home where we sang "Edelweiss" and the traditional Korean goodbye song. The old folks are the sweetest and this 97 year old woman held my hand the entire time we were there. It was so special and it really felt like home.

 

And THEN came transfers! My new companion is Sister Seegmiller (Seh-gmiller) from St. George and she's wonderful. She's such a hard worker, has the strongest testimony, and is so happy all the time. We're so much alike in that we're both very down to Earth and I have no doubt we will continue to get along perfectly. Wednesday, our first day together, we met with so many great people and went all over my huge new area of Sindang. Then on the way home I sat next to the nicest Buddhist lady on the bus and we talked the whole way. I had run out of cards to give and I didn't know what stop we were getting off on, so when we got to the stop I had to quickly get up and say a fast goodbye. Well my companion and I stopped to get a few groceries so I could survive the next few days and as I was going to pay I realized I didn't have my wallet. My wallet with both my debit cards, my subway pass, cash and my foreigner's card which is what is keeping my in Korea (and my nearly full stamped Paris Baguette card--but that's not really important). I know Dad, you're heart probably did a funny little dance after you read that, didn't it? Funny, because as we went back and retraced our steps over and over, I had to say to myself, "where's dad when I need him?". So my companion and I turned instead to my Heavenly Father in a very heartfelt prayer, putting full trust in Him that He knew where it was and that he knew I could not get far in the work without it. It was amazing how neither Sister Seegmiller and I were even the slightest bit panicked as we left our efforts and went home.

 

The answer to our prayer came via telephone call the next morning. I had not given her a card for my new area, but I had left one from my last area in the wallet and so the phone call came from my trainer in Gireum. The best part is that this is not the end of this tale! We met up with her on Thursday morning (a perfect way to celebrate my sweet mother's birthday) and she took us to a cafe, bought us orange juice, and agreed to meet with us again next week for lunch! It was such a miracle. And such an incredible answer to a prayer.

 

So now my companion and I decided that our new tactic will be to leave our wallets on the subway and train and hope for a similar outcome...

 

KIDDING. This is one of those commercials that has the asterisk at the bottom in very fine print reading, *this is not a real life situation and does not happen everyday. please do not attempt the activities featured above.

 

But really, it was so cool. We have already started the transfer off with some very cool experiences and I'm excited to have more and more. Our new area really is SO big and is at the heart of many tourist attractions. Our ward, too, is equally as big and the members are awesome. We have a magical garden on our roof and on the roof of our church, and we got caught in a huge rain storm. Two of my very favorite things. And the other sisters I am living with are wonderful and my new apartment is cockroachless and actually has an air conditioner type thing! Woo! There are a million things I have to leave out of this letter due to an insufficient amount of time, but I want you to know how crazy happy I am here. I love what I get to do everyday and I can't believe that as of this week I will have been in Korea for five months. In your next package, could you try sending me some time? I hear it's universal so it'll probably work here. I might have to buy a special adapter or something.

 

Hey, I love you guys.

 

TOO much.

 

Love,

Sister McCloskey

 

P.S. My sincerest apologies on behalf of this internet cafe, but you will have to wait but a short week for ze photos de la camel and of my new companion! For some reason they are not coming through. But here is one of Sister McGill, Jin and I after my last time teaching her. 

June 8, 2014 - Geez Korea, Stop Being So Awesome!

Camel ride!

I think I can speak vicariously for all missionaries when I say that starting emails home is harder than picking out what you will wear that day... For sisters that is. I'd rather pick the purple tie than start an email any day. 

But I suppose I will start this one of with some news I unexpectedly received on Friday night! This news, as those who have served before me well know, is most anticipated among missionaries and comes via telephone call. Yes, you guessed it. T R A N S F E R  C A L L S. Sister McGill and I were nothing less than completely convinced that we were staying together so not only were we shocked that the call came on Friday (rather than Saturday) but our eyes also got a little wider when we found out that we are not, in fact, to be companions any longer. Sister McGill is to stay in 글음 and train again whilst I flutter off to 신당 (Sindang-- sheen dahng) to be companioned with a Sister by the name of Segmiller! My new area is in the heart of downtown Seoul and word of the street has it that my companion is equally as friendly as the members of my new ward! I am excited for this new adventure.

Thankfully Sister McGill and I had a wonderful last week together. We got to go to the temple again last week (did I mention that we get to go once every transfer?) and that was wonderful. And we had some neat experiences going door to door. One old lady let us in and fed us tea and apples and listened intently to what we had to say, but insisted that though we were doing very good work, it just wasn't for her. "I'm too old" she kept saying. And we talked to another man who kept insisting that we don't need another book of scripture. But after we told him about the Book of Mormon and about the need for restored truths after a long period of apostasy, all he could say was, "I've been a Presbyterian my whole life. Go talk to someone without religion." It's frustrating because we really want people to open their hearts to hear our message. Every time I testify, though, my testimony grows and it's an amazing thing to experience. I really do know that this is true and the more I learn the more I want to share it with everyone! 

As for our investigators, I am really sad to have to say goodbye. We had an awesome lesson last week with 유미향 about the Book of Mormon and she really does believe it is true. But things with her dad and the many questions she has about religion are still holding her back. Minnie, the one with the Mississippi accent, didn't show up to church as promised which was heartbreaking... But we had another really great lesson with Maria. I really do love them all and with miss them. As for Jin, we did not get to see her last week as she was taking many tests, but we are planning a good lesson before I go! 

Sister McGill and I also had many an adventure on our runs this week, from finding the Elderly in the park doing zumba to American rap music, to swinging on swingsets, to taking p90x to the roof of a 23 story building. All too much fun. 

And last, but certainly not least, our district got to go to the wedding of one of the investigators in our ward who is getting baptized next month! We sang a song to the happy couple after she walked down the aisle. It was such a special experience and the wedding was incredible. Koreans sure do know how to do weddings, from the decorations to the buffet. Holy buffet. Dad. You would've died. 

And speaking of food, on Sunday our amazing ward held a 식사 for us after church. So after giving my final words at the pulpit and giving lots of hugs to the members we feasted on traditional bibimbop, watermelon, soy milk and leftover wedding cake. I truly will miss the amazing members of this ward.

I think... I got everything! I love you all. Especially my mom. Because she's amazing and she turns FIFTY this week. And yet she's still as young and beautiful as ever, both inside and out. 

I love you mama.

Oh, and the rest of you too.

Muuuuuah!

Love,

Sister McCloskey

The rain

My lovely companion and I sporting our new summer skirts. Boo ya!