Monday, March 28, 2016

Week 91 March 28, 2016 "Happy Birthday to the best big brother EVER, I love and miss him the mostest!"

    "Ever since I've been eating this stuff I have had diarrhea since Easters." For those of you that don't know what movie that is, it's from Nacho Libre. The Picards like to quote that movie a lot. Well we quote a lot of movies so yeah. I just wanted to start my email off this week with that because I miss laughing and watching movies with my family. Hopefully you all got a good laugh reading that quote because I laughed typing it. 
Easter as a missionary is the best. It was especially great getting to teach an investigator the Plan of Salvation and testify of Jesus Christ. I hope you all had a great Easter because I sure did. I even got to hide eggs for an Easter egg hunt! They wouldn't let me find them because I am too big but I got to hide them :) Sometimes I wish I could go back to being a little kid because Easter egg hunts were so fun! All kids do is have fun. All you kids out there enjoy it while it lasts. Before you know it, you will just have to work work work. I like being a big missionary guy it is fun but definitely in a different way. As a kid you get the thrill and fun by eating candy and looking for eggs but as a missionary you make things fun by serving others and being able to teach about Jesus Christ. I had a cool experience yesterday talking with a guy on the bus. I felt like I should talk about Jesus Christ and bear my testimony so I did. He took it really well too. We fear things sometimes that shouldn't be feared. Sharing your testimony of Jesus Christ shouldn't be scary. I mean who wants to light a candle and put it underneath a bushel? I sure don't. That is no fun. We gotta shine the light and pull our candles out from underneath the bushel if they are. I know that as we testify and shine our light that we will receive strength and courage to do so. With conference this weekend and still in the midst of Easter season it is the perfect time to testify of Jesus Christ to our friends and invite them to watch conference!! 

Love, 
Elder Picard
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즐거운 부활절 되세요! 🐣🐰






Monday, March 21, 2016

Week 90 March 21, 2016 "The time it is most important to be courageous are in the moments you are most scared to be"

    This Easter will be my last Easter in the mission field as a young missionary which is sad because holidays that are centered on Jesus Christ as missionaries are the best!! I love being able to proselyte and hand out cool cards that our church makes about Jesus Christ, it is the best. The cards they make are so much cooler than the boring old "I am a Mormon" cards. Every time they do initiatives with the cards I get to talk with so many more people about Jesus Christ! I am not sure why, but it is great. I try my best each and every day to testify about Jesus Christ but as I look back on the past little bit I think I have been not testifying enough. I have a goal to testify of Jesus Christ multiple times  everyday until the end of my mission. It will be hard because Koreans aren't too accepting, but I know I will be able to figure out a way how I can do it. I have realized throughout my mission and now that I am close to the end there are a lot of times where you just fall into doing the motions. Which isn't necessarily a bad thing but it is always better to be a little energizer bunny and do things you maybe don't want to do or things that may be hard. Many times I have seen that I fall into just talking to people about the fact that I teach English for free and man is that a big "no no" to not even mention you teach about Jesus Christ. It is just really easy in S. Korea to do that because that is what people want from you. In finding investigators you sometimes have the fear that you will scare them away if you bring up religion and why you are actually here. I feel like I have witnessed a lot of times where missionaries have tried to just beat around the bush and not ever hit the most important part. The most important part is Jesus Christ and we shouldn't be scared to say that. We have been promised multiple times in the scriptures that if we trust in Christ all of our fears and worries will be washed away. The time it is most important to be courageous are in the moments you are most scared to be. We must not fear man but fear God. I think I have seen myself fear man too much at times. I know if we fear God and seek each and everyday to do all of the things He has commanded us to do that He will provide us with help to do whatever is needed to be done. I have personally experienced this on my mission many times. Whenever I go out of my comfort zone to bare my testimony it always feels good afterwards and I am able to be more happy throughout the day. 

      I was reading the story of Jonah today in my personal study and it kind of relates to what I just talked about. Jonah was commanded by God to go to Ninevah and preach repentance to the people there and what did he do? He fled. He tried to take the easy way out and run without having to cry repentance unto anyone. We as members of this church have been counseled to be missionaries and testify to help our brethren that don't know Jesus Christ and His gospel. We sometimes are like Jonah and say "It's okay, I don't want to testify to anyone I would rather run away." The thoughts and responses can vary but I think you get the point. We need to testify more. Jesus Christ is our Savior and some people don't know that. It is our responsibility to help them. What more of a perfect time to start then this week because it is Easter. Let's remember all that Jesus Christ has done for us and do our part. If you compare it to what all Jesus Christ did for us, testifying to someone is a very little thing. It may be a little thing but it is a thing we are indebted to do. We must help our brethen. We must show them loving kindness and help them come to an understanding of who Jesus Christ is and what role He plays. I love you all so much and I really appreciate all the support you have all given more throughout my mission!!! 

Love, 
Elder Picard


We were in Seoul to attend the temple and met up with Femme for lunch.

Ola, Abby, Kevin and Grace. Kevin and Grace are so golden! Kevin wants to wait until his semester is over to be baptized so that would be June. We found someone to help teach Grace in french.

Monday, March 14, 2016

Week 89 March 14, 2016 "Ola & Abby are baptized and confirmed!!!"

Ola and Abby were baptized on Saturday and it was perfect, except for the fact I don't speak Nigerian and didn't do the best pronouncing their full names! They are so kind and polite that they didn't correct me. We had two potential investigators attend also, Grace and Kevin. Grace doesn't speak much English so we are finding someone who speaks French to come help us teach. President & Sister Morrise surprised us by showing up to the baptism so that was great.
Played basketball with a bunch of Korean teens and at the end they were using alot of American swear words, thinking it was cool. SO we took the opportunity to teach them the law of chastity, some of our other beliefs and had good discussions with them.
Love,
Elder Picard





Sunday, March 6, 2016

Week 88, March 7, 2016 No email, pictures tell the story this week :)

Elder Picard didn't have time to write his weekly email but did send pictures. We will let the pictures tell his story this week. Pray for Abby & Ola who will be baptized this coming Saturday. Elder Picard loves them so much and tells us over and over how incredible they are.


I'm pretty sure this is Abby & Ola. They had their baptism interview and it went super great! They have asked Elder Picard to baptize them this coming Saturday, March 13.  Elder Picard found them by just being himself (very social) and talking to them. God has people waiting to hear the wonderful plan of salvation, we just need to open our mouth and be bold in sharing where our true happiness comes from.