Week 104 June 27, 2016 "He truly does love me and has blessed me with a lot of trials"

     Well this is my second to last email and I can't believe that I go home in 11 days. I have said this many times but I will say it again time flies when you are having fun. I think time flies extra fast when you are having fun as a missionary. Being a missionary in South Korea has been such a good experience and I have loved every minute of it. I for sure had a lot of hard times but I was able to learn a lot. For that I am eternally grateful to my Heavenly Father. He truly does love me and has blessed me with a lot of trials. Yes I did just say trials. In my opinion you cant receive blessings without getting some trials here and there. Life isn't supposed to be easy and I have came to receive a testimony of that on my mission. As I look back on my mission and the hard times I had now I realize how important they were for me in that time. I feel like Heavenly Father knew exactly when it was time for me to improve and he helped me in every instance. I am in Gangnam right now and just ate lunch with the Seocho bishop. We had a good meeting and I took the opportunity to bare my testimony. I love the Seocho ward and being with the Seocho bishop got me all choked up. I couldn't help but shed tears of gratitude for the Seocho ward and for all they gave me. That ward loved me for who I was and they appreciated all of my hard work. I have been blessed to serve around and with so many awesome members here in South Korea. The church here has some amazing members. Kevin and Grace were baptized two days ago Saturday. Their baptismal service was super spiritual and an experience I will never forget. Our other investigator, Christopher, will be getting baptized this Saturday so I am excited for that. A member in the Humphreys ward referred us Chris a while back and now he is getting baptized. The military branches here are very good with investigators and have been such a good help. I love this gospel and look forward to being a member missionary back in America. I can't wait to start the next phase of my life and continue trying to become the Daniel Jackson Picard my Heavenly Father desires me to become. 

Love, 

Elder Picard

Week 103 June 20, 2016 "Happiness is essential in progression"

    We had Zone Conference yesterday and hiked 남한산성. It was a decent hill but for sure wasn't a mountain if you compare it to any mountain in the states. Everyone there, sweats like crazy but it was really fun. We had some really good trainings and I got some nice tips on how I can finish off these last 3 weeks strong! I also received a lot of revelation on things I need to continue to do after my mission so that my progression of becoming who God wants me to be isn't stopped. 

    One thing President testified on is how important our ability to choose is. He talked about how it is a choice to be happy and a choice to be angry. We must choose to be happy and doing so will make everything go well. Happiness is essential in progression. So let's just be happy. Sorry this is really short but I gotta go! 

Love, 

Elder Picard

Week 102 June 13, 2016

 I don't have too much time left so just let everyone know I am working to finish strong. I have appreciated all of the love and prayers throughout my mission these last 2 years. I don't have any big spiritual message this week but I will think of a good one for next week. You can just write a little message for me Mom that sounds a little like this. I don't know if what I am typing is making sense because I am typing so fast because I don't wanna think about home too much today. Email time is still kind of hard because everytime after email I just wanna see my family. I don't wanna stress or be anxious so for the next few weeks my emails may not be the longest or the most in depth. I apologize in advance. We can talk when I get home and I will answer all of the questions you have. I love you Mom!!  I bought two suits and ordered my Mission plaque this week. I will be sending home another box this week, of books. I didn't ever realize how much stuff I have picked up throughout my mission. My interview with the Mission President is on the 24th, and Kevin and Grace are getting baptized on the 25th! I imagine that I will be very busy, these last few weeks!! 

Elder Picard

Week 101 June 6, 2016 "Pat yourself on the back every once in a while"

     I am down to the last month of my mission and man is it hard to believe. I am so excited to see my family but I may be more excited to finish my mission out strong. My message today is simple. Pat yourself on the back every once in a while. This for me has been hard. I always can notice the things I am bad at very easily which leads to me putting myself down. In my opinion putting yourself down and being hard on yourself is not the best thing to do. Since I am about to go home and all I have had a lot of good talks with my companion about life and stuff. Talking with my companion and getting another person's opinion on things has helped me to realize a lot of things. One of those things was how hard it is to see the good in another if you can't even see the good in yourself. Just think about that for a second. If all you do is put yourself down and never look for the good inside you will never learn how to do it. Looking for the good in yourself will help develop the skill to look for the good in another. This is one thing I have realized lately and am trying to do a better job at. My companion believes that there really is no need for negativity and even though at first this was hard for me to understand I think he is right. Being positive is always the way to go and it all starts with being positive about yourself. I know Heavenly Father views all His children as wonderful individuals that are so full of good. I know that by seeing the good in yourself will make it easier to compliment others and see the good in them. Also by doing so I know that relationships with others will be strengthened. 

Love, 

Elder Picard

Week 100 May 30, 2016 "Time is just such a blessing, never take it for granted!!"

     My new companion is awesome and we are doing great together. We have seen a lot of cool miracles together and it has only been a few days. The Lord for sure is blessing me with a lot of happiness and success my last transfer!! God is good and I know my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, loves me and will be with my every step of the way as I finish my mission. We have really been trying to work with the youth lately and have seen quite a bit of success. No baptisms but we are building really good friendships with a lot of high schoolers and they even view us as their older brothers. We have been playing a lot of basketball and proselyting at this one park in particular so now pretty much everyone knows us and likes us. I am not sure where my basketball skills have gone and hopefully I can get them back soon. I haven't played in too long and I need them back haha. The military branches are helping us out a ton with our investigators and there are so many great member missionaries. Members are necessary in missionary work and finding success in teaching investigators without members I have found to be very difficult. I can't wait to go home and help the missionaries in my future wards teach their investigators. It will bring back so many happy moments and I cant wait! 

      Time is a hard concept to grasp right? I think it is for sure. I remember coming out on my mission and thinking it would never end and that I would never be in my last transfer. Thinking like that was foolish of me. Instead I should of realized I can't control time and the only thing I could do was work and be happy. I didn't focus too much on the end because I never wanted it to happen but now that I am almost there I am realizing a lot of things. I think it is good to view a certain future goal or event with happiness because then you know all you have to do before you get there. Focusing and working hard in the present allows God to bless you later on because He realizes you aren't worried or scared of the future. Moving on from the past is tough and not worrying about the future likewise is difficult. Understanding time and how to view it period is tough. I have came to know that God knows all and He will help me find success and happiness. My head hurts haha. So I have no idea if I am making sense or not but hopefully you get my point. Time is just such a blessing, never take it for granted!!

Love, 

Elder Picard

Our family LOVES watermelon! 

New companion, Elder Young from Vernal, Utah!

Week 99 May 23, 2016 "I am not just going to finish, I am going to finish STRONG!"

     Well Ladies and Gentleman, Elder Picard officially has one transfer left starting Wednesday! I have flat out loved my mission and learned so much! I do not regret one bit coming out. It has been the bomb.com! So we got transfer calls and I will be getting a new companion. His name is Elder Young and he is from Vernal! Crazy huh? Who knew that on my mission I would end up having a comp from Vernal, Utah? I sure didn't.  Elder Miller is also getting a new companion. His new companion will be Elder Arredondo who was trained by Elder Knapp back in Gangnam. I am pretty stoked to have two new Elders around and it should be way fun serving with them. I may have Elder Arredondo even teach me some Spanish. Since we will be loosing a lot of Elders next transfer when my group goes home they will have to shut down a lot of areas. Since we were aware of that we were guessing that two new missionaries would come in to become companions next transfer when Elder Miller and I go home. I am not sure if that is what will actually happen but that is what we were guessing will happen. So if that does happen there will be only 2 Elders and 2 Sisters here meaning that the military branches may officially lose missionaries for a bit. They still have the McPherrrons, the senior missionaries, so I think it will be okay. Also when I leave our mission will get a new mission president. President Morrise leaves before me so I will know the new mission President for about a week. President Morrise will still do my exit interview so I am stoked about that because it would be weird doing it with someone who doesn't even know me. I look forward to my last transfer and am going to leave it all on the field for sure. It is time to FINISH! I can't give up now. I am not just going to finish, I am going to finish STRONG! I look forward to a transfer full of proselyting and preaching the gospel of Jesus Christ. I have found so much happiness in teaching the gospel and will continue to do my best inviting others to come unto Christ! 

Love, 

Elder Picard 

Week 98 May 16, 2016 "I have come to learn on my mission that the hard times are the best times."

  I know the Lord has a plan for each and every one of His children. What He has in store for us may not be what we expect but what we need. I know that to be true. We must trust in Him and not think we know what is best for ourselves because we don't. In those times we think things should be a different way, we miss so much. When we are focused on ourselves and the most ideal life situation with no problems or trials we miss all that we could learn in the hard times. I have come to learn on my mission that the hard times are the best times. I love my Savior and my Heavenly Father so much! I also know they love me because they have helped me grow so much these past 2 years. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints is true and although I take this badge off my chest in a little over a month and a half I will never stop being a missionary!! 

Love, 

Elder Picard