The only thing constant in this world is change. That's a really trite and hackneyed phrase, isn't it? Of course, it's true. Everything changes. The weather changes from monsoon season to typhoon season. Buildings change-spiders spin their webs and mold starts to grow, making something that was once shiny and new older and mature. We all get older. We lose skin cells. Mosquitoes annoy people the world around.

We're all changing, even when we're not noticing it. I suppose the reason change is on my mind is that I've been transferred. I got a call from President Perriton on Tuesday morning saying I would be, and by Wednesday night, all of my things were in my new apartment. I said goodbye to the people I met and taught, and am now going to have to introduce myself to two new wards (which is something I'm not particularly looking forward to due to my limited vocabulary and ability to speak Korean). I have a new companion, and now live on the tenth floor of an apartment complex. I don't partiularly like heights. This change, obviously, was a big one. Big changes happen in the blink of an eye. Sometimes they make our lives better--like the birth of a child--and sometimes they can make us devastated. Big changes are really easy to notice.

But I want to focus on small changes. Everyone is changing every day, and if we're not careful, we might never realize what's going on unless we measure how far we've come. For instance...I feel like I can't speak Korean any better (or maybe even worse) than I could at the MTC. But this morning as I was practicing reading in the Book of Mormon, it only took me about five minutes to make it through a page and a quarter. The first time I read from the Book of Mormon in Korean, it took me ten minutes to make it through one column. And I'm sure my pronunciation was terrible. Of course, my pronunciation is still not very good, but when I read with investigators, I don't feel like I'm a baby anymore. I feel more like I'm about to go to kindergarten. (Someday I'll understand what it is I'm reading...)

I've also lost weight in Korea, though it doesn't feel like it to me. Actually, I've been losing about 1-2 kilograms each week. But I can't notice the change. Which is why it's good for us to point out changes in other people for the better. Compliments are wonderful. Koreans are great because they compliment everyone...so, I encourage you to be more like them. Say something nice to everyone you talk to today about some change they've made. Encouragement helps us all continue to change and be better.

Have a great week!

Sister Oates