Week Three in the MTC

Happy Tuesday everyone!

I have made it through three weeks for the MTC! Korean is crazy! We still have sooo many grammar forms to go over. My brain is a little scrambled. P-day is definitely an inspired day to let missionaries recoop from the crazy schedule.

This last week was awesome. I have two progressing investigators that Sister Stradling and I teach. Yesterday we taught a lesson about prayer and Joseph Smith. It went really well. I shared the personal experience about when we moved and I wanted a friend so bad and God answered my prayer with Aggie Gerhardt. I wonder how she is doing.. I fell bad we lost touch. Anyway, the lesson was received very well and she committed to read the first vision and pray about it before we meet again on Wednesday. Our Korean is broken, but we are able to get our point across with hand gestures and attempting Korean words we kind of know. We are constantly reminded that communication is our goal, not perfect Korean.

Along with progressing investigators, we had TRC (teaching resource center) on Saturday. This is where people volunteer to come in and let missionaries practice teaching. Sister Stradling and I were pretty intimidated, because we were out numbered. There were three brothers in the room we were assigned to. Two were native Koreans (one having been in the US for only a year) and one just got home from his mission in Korea. They spoke so fast!! But they were very helpful and patient. It was actually a confidence boost; not because I spoke Korean well, but because we had the spirit and were able to teach. Pretty cool experience.

Sunday was my favorite day this week. Our ward had 96 missionaries (10 districts).  As of today we are down to 30ish (3 districts) haha. Sacrament meeting was amazing!! The 23 native Koreans sang the Army of Helamen and Sisters in Zion medley. I promise there was not a dry eye in the chapel. I am falling in love with the Korean language. I think that song sounds more powerful in Korean. I love it!!

I am sad to see 2/3rds of our ward go; however, I am so excited for them to be in Korea and "Blaze the Trail" as President Shin said. Saying goodbye and signing memory books was sad and exciting. Just before everyone had to return to their residence, our whole Korean branch lined the halls of 7M to sing all three verses of "God be with you til' we Meet Again" in Korean. It was awesome!! I cannot wait until I can read the words as fast as the natives.

Also, I am so happy that Derek surprised me when my district went on a walk to the temple. I may or may not have cried.  A sister looked at me and said, "Wait, is that your brother?" I guess I show my pictures to my district enough that they can recognize my friends and family. I think I might have gotten whiplash as I turned around to see if it was him. As soon as I saw him, I took off running. The tears started the second I saw him, see me. I love him so much. If anyone else is in the area on Sundays...I wouldn't mind more visits :)

Thank you for all of the letters and prayers. I have a lot of letters to reply to today so I will try to get to them all. At 1PM today we are doing a session in the temple with the whole Korean branch...or everyone that is left. Also, after that I will get back on the computer and send some pictures. My laundry is almost done and I forgot my camera.

I love you!!

Sister Sloan

Look who happened to be at the Temple today!

Very soon we will be on opposite sides of the world.

Danimal and I in front of the stupid bike statue

"This is my favorite brother"

DISTRICT Christmas Pic

AWE

My host missionary that was ALSO in my zone!

Some of da gurlz

Week two in the MTC -TODAY IS P-DAY... aka PANTS day

This week was a good one. Sunday meetings and Tuesday devotionals were so uplifting and exactly what I needed. On Sunday, Branch President Shin was released. Him and his wife are taking time to prepare to serve there three year mission as Mission President in Daejeon, Korea. They return to the MTC in June for training then will report to Korea in July. It was been pretty awesome getting to know him on a more personal level before he is my Mission President.

President Shin and his wife are both the cutest Koreans I have ever seen. They are always smiling and when they so smile... the eyes.. they disappear. I love it! Their English is awesome and President Shin has even taken the time to learn slang and clichés. It always catches me off guard but he makes me laugh.

After our normal Sunday meetings President Shin called all missionaries going to the Daejeon mission for a 'special meeting' haha. There are 23 native Koreans here in the MTC, 12 Elders and 11 Sisters. They are only here for two weeks then are headed back to Korea to serve. It is awesome having them here because now when we sing hymns in Korean in meetings we sounds SO MUCH BETTER. Anyway, President Shin talked to us about the areas in the mission and got us all really excited to see all the beautiful places. He promised zone meetings in beautiful places and cultural activities if we promised to work hard. I am excited!! Along with that he told us some statistics on the mission. The baptismal rate had been declining as well as the sacrament meeting attendance. We are going to change that. He is optimistic that if we do so, we will be blessed with a Daejeon temple haha. I am sure every mission president wishes for that but he is so cute with his optimism.

In class this week, I had a cool experience. We were having a spiritual discussion after we started reading 1 Nephi. We only got to verse 14 because everyone in the class had so many comments and things to share, it was awesome. For some reason in the discussion I felt prompted to share and invite my district  to pay attention to their dreams as we are focus on the gospel and drawing nearer to our Heavenly Father through our constant study and prayer. I had no idea why I felt like I should share that. Immediately after I finished my thought my teach, Brother Tanner who served in Busan, Korea (the mission East of Daejeon) thanked me for my comment and agreed. He said that Koreans are strong believers in dreams and the significance of them. He said they believe that their it is the most commonly recognized form of personal revelation. I thought that we pretty awesome because I know I have received answers to prayers in dreams that I have. Brother Tanner said that as we share our personal experiences with dreams, the Korean people will be really attentive.

Last week was a good week for the language. On Saturday I was able to memorize and retain the phrase, "We are missionaries from The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints." It took me a whole hour of repetition but I feel so accomplished!! Do you know how many times I will be able to say that over the next 18 months? haha I am proud. I wish I had a way to record myself saying it and send it to you. Is there a more modern version of a tape recorder that uses an SD card?

So last week went well with the language but yesterday was a train wreck. My companion and I have two new progressing investigators. Preparing lessons everyday IN KOREAN is tough and yesterday it was overwhelming. I cried. ...idk. After Sister Stradling and I taught a lesson that I think I blew, I mentally check out for the rest of classes that day. I was not interested in a new grammer form because I am still not retaining the first three we have been taught. I was super frustrated. I did get a few letters yesterday which helped but I was still sad. Today I am so grateful for no class. My brain needs a break from Korean. I am loving the language, I just am having an overload.

All in all I am doing great. I am now praying in Korean... or at least the beginning and end is partially memorized. Also, in all of my meetings I am reminded why I am here. I feel so blessed that I have The Lord on my side. I am here for Him. I wear my name next to His on my name tag, over my heart. What a fantastic reminder every morning when I put my name tag on. I know that He is laboring with me because I am doing His work. I have a testimony of His church and gospel. I love him and am grateful for all that he does for me. I wish I was on a Korean keyboard so I could type my testimony in Korean.. I will figure out how to do that soon enough. For now just look out for it in my letters. I love you all!! Thank you for writing and helping me stay positive.

FYI we are only supposed to write letters on P-day so I apologize if my letters take a while. I have SO many to respond to today so sit tight and don't stop writing!

xo,

Sister Sloan

PS. The picture attached is Sunday, ST. PATRICK'S DAY haha. My district is awesome!!

Week One in the MTC

Hello Family,

For one, send more DearElders. The letters can be short but they are free and I love them :)
For two, I love hearing from you all and about home. I look at the pictures I printed on a daily basis. Send more!! Also, in your emails or letters end with questions.. I'll answer all of them.

Companion: Katy Stradling from Snowflake, Arizona. She is quiet but we get along and she is super in tune with the Spirit. We are on the same level with the language so we practice a lot and speak as much as we can. WE LEARNED HOW TO SAY A PRAYER in Korean! So cool.

District: AWESOME. There are four Elders and six Sisters. We are all pretty focused and determined which I love. There is one in particular that I really like, Elder Kai Jorgensen. Him and Derek are the same person down to his manorisms.. idk  how to spell that. But this Elder keeps me sane because I miss talking to my brother. I miss all of you but this Elder is Derek's twin I think haha.

Korean: SO AMAZING. Remember how much I love puzzles? This language is just that and I love it. I can pronounce anything!! I feel so smart. We have learned some simple phrases and such. I am trying to build my vocabulary and it is going great so far. Thank you for all of the prayers, I can definitely feel The Lord working in my life. You all are the best!

I used to be nervous, not even a little anymore. This is such an organized place (duh) but it is pretty awesome. My teacher is THE BEST. He got back almost two years ago and he really connects with the whole class to help us all learn in our unique ways.

On day three my companionship taught our first lesson! We are scheduled to teach lessons Monday, Wednesday-Friday... all in Korean. Our speech is broken but the Spirit and gift of tongues are so real. Last night in our lesson we taught Sister Kim how to pray. We explained why we pray and how we do it. I offered a prayer as an example then she followed with a simple prayer. I am so proud of myself because I understand a lot more than I thought I would. The church is true.

Once I got her all of the senior missionaries told us to just make it until Sunday and everything will be okay. SO TRUE. We were able to listen to President Shin. He shared something I that really put things into prospective for me. So when we earn money we pay tithing. Once we seal the envelope and hand it off to the bishop that is now consecrated money and the Lords money. A similar thing happened when I was set apart as a missionary. Once the blessing was sealed on my head, my time and efforts are the Lords. I am working as hard as I can to make sure none of that time is wasted.

On Sundays we are all given a topic as a ward, we all are required to prepare a talk and once in the sacrament meeting people are called on to speak.. AT RANDOM. A side from the topic we are required to speak three minutes in Korean and two minutes in English to sum up what we were trying to say haha. It will be a cool experience but also very scary.

Also last week (Wednesday-Sunday) was considered my first week. So I will be here for a total of 9. So I will be in the same room with all the sisters from my district for the whole time.... idk. Just kidding. They are easy-going and so helpful.

So what were you guys doing late Saturday night? Probably something fun. I was busy getting sick. wah. I had a stuffy nose, sore throat, and achy eyes. Sunday morning I woke up with goop sealing my eyes shut! GROSS! Since that was the opposite of normal I spoke to the Doctor on call. Since it was Sunday I was escorted off campus to pick up some eye drops from the local Rite Aid (AKA, I used my credit card pa). The drops didn't do much the first day so my eyes were bright red and they hurt. The attached picture is nasty but just in case you missed my beautiful face... jk I was crazy swollen and the goop was so yucky. Monday night I asked my Elders to give me a blessing, the church is true and I am back to normal.

GOSH so much to share and so little time. Sunday we were able to take a walk to the temple and today we did a session with my whole branch. 95 people!! It was awesome. I got back like an hour ago haha.

Idk what else to say but send more letters. Also, my baptismal picture (printed), also deodorant in Korea is scares... so maybe send that when I am shipped over seas, and also mama can you send me panties please. Smell knows where my stuff it.

I love you all.
I love the language.
I love my district.
I love the church.

xo,

Sister Sloan

Cliche Mission District Picture

Look who I found at the temple!

District Sisters with our Dork Dots. First day.  Stradling, Me, Cheney, Hilton, Burgoyne, Scott

Temple day

The first rule I broke.. accidently touched him...

Friend from Las Vegas airport going to Ohio

The nasty eye... I just threw up

Derek's real twin

sesh at the temp with the branch

Favorite Sister Missionary

The tag

First Letter Home

The following a typed up version of the first letter Sister Sloan wrote home.

Hey family!

I finished my first day!  When I walked in everything was set up like an EFY-very organized.  Itr was like an assembly line.  First was my name tag!  Oh hey, I have an official missionary name tag. :-)

After getting my room key & picture ID (they used the picture I uploaded when I submitted my papers in the first place) & books (a huge bag compared to others) I was taken to my classroom.  There I met the 10 members of my district (6 girls, 4 boys).  We went over the alphabet and three key phrases.  WOW!  This will be tough.

Time flew in class.  We met for a new missionary meeting.  I keep seeing that Elder going to Ohio (we met him in the Las Vegas airport on our way).  Even though I don't know him, it is nice to have a familiar face smiling at you.  Next was lunch.  I mostly ate fruit and a side of mixed veggies and a lot of water!  I want to buy a water bottle from the bookstore this week.

In the cafeteria everyone was friendly, but I kept my eyes peeled for Elder Kiuttu.  Instead he found me.  Ha.  TOday is his P-day and he sat in front of the MTC hoping to greet us the second we arrived, but we were late so we missed him.  I gave him a firm handshake and a huge smile.  I am so happy I saw him.  He bought me a Korean hymn book.  Very sweet of him.  We hardly spoke, because he had to go.  He looks awesome in his missionary attire.

Later was more class, then a "teaching experience."  YIKES!  The language was crazy, but this part was equally scary when I was called on randomly.  I had too many thoughts so I blew it.  Ha.  Everyone struggled though.  By the end, I learned the importance of the basics.  We just wanted that person to feel the spirit and God's love for them.  Great exercise.

Last we met our zone leaders.  Tomorrow they will assign district leaders.  If they pick me, mail is first on my list to retrieve for my district!  Also, my P-day is Tuesday.

This is tough, but my whole apartment is all six girls.  This should be interesting…we are all pretty similar so it is easy so far.

I love you.

Sister Sloan

She's gone...

This is AnneMarie's dad.  On Wednesday, March 6th we woke up about 4am got ready and headed to the San Jose, California airport to take "Sister Sloan" to the Missionary Training Center.  This is the first step to her 18-month long journey of preparing and subsequently teaching the Korean people the Gospel of Jesus Christ.  The MTC offers intensive language training.  She will be there for eight weeks before heading off to Deajeon, Korea.

Our flight was at 6:30am, we stopped briefly in Las Vegas, Nevada and eventually landed in Salt Lake City, UT just about noon.  She was supposed to report at 1:15, but we were late.  We arrived at parking lot in front of the MTC close to 1:30, but we met some family (brother Derek and cousin Andrew Allen) and friends (Lyndsey Bair Miller and JaNae Fuller).  Derek brought some pizza from the Brick Oven, since we didn't have time to eat breakfast or lunch.  AnneMarie was quoted as saying, "I need pizza more than I need air."  Thanks Derek!

We took some pictures.  It was a nice way to say good bye before we got back into the car, drove across the street to officially drop her off curbside.  We unloaded two huge pieces of luggage that are both over 50 lbs (a girl's gotta have her stuff, I suppose).  We briefly, ducked behind a tree to give her a Father's Blessing and then more hugs, shed some more tears and then she was gone.  It was quick, but not so painless.

Danielle, Sister Sloan and Mom

Mom, Sister Sloan and Dad

Dad & Mom

Mom, Andrew, Danielle, Sister Sloan, Derek and Dad

Danielle, Sister Sloan, and Derek

JaNae Fuller and Sister Sloan

Sister Sloan and Lyndsey Bair Miller

The Cousins.  Andrew, Danielle, Sister Sloan and Derek

Sister Sloan and Derek

Another Korean Bound Missionary here to help Sister Sloan

And she's off…see you in 18 months!

This is it!

My last post before my parents will take over and post my weekly emails!
Goodbye world and all social media!
I am counting on all of my friends and family to reacclimated me into real life when I return. Keep a running list of good movies, songs, and new technology!

As preparation for my mission I created a mormon.org account. If anyone is interesting in seeing it the link is as follows: My Profile. This is a little profile talking about my testimony and beliefs.


Starting March 6th 2013-September 2014 I will be serving a full-time mission for the church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. I will have access to email once a week as well as pen palz for the next 18 months. I would love to hear from you! Send lots of pictures!!

anne.sloan@myldsmail.net

Sister Anne Marie Sloan
MTC Mailbox #199
KOR-DAE 0507
2005 N 900 E
Provo, UT 84604-1793
(This is my address for the first 8 weeks while I am in the Missionary Training Center in Utah)

Sister Anne Marie Sloan
Korea Daejeon Mission
Daejeon PO Box 38
Daejeon-si
Chungcheong-bukdo 300-600
South Korea

Peace out!

AM

Life is changing

Over the weekend my beautiful best friend married her high school sweetheart. I couldn't be happier to see them end up together. When they were pronounced husband and wife, it was surreal. It finally hit me; our lives were drastically changing.

High school has been over for a few years now, college life is in full swing and serious jobs are on our minds. For me, college and work has been put on hold as I am taking a huge step out of my comfort zone to serve as a full-time missionary. While preparing I have often stepped back to look at how far I have come. Reuniting with old high school friends at the wedding especially helped me see the changes  I have made in my life just in the passed couple of years. One friend in particular was introducing me to a group of people. They were drinking and asking if I wanted a drink. Before I had time to respond, this friend stopped them and said, "AnneMarie doesn't drink. She can hang but since high school she has been going back to her church." It was cool to see the reaction that statement provoked. I pounded some knuckles and gave some high fives haha. My religion has become a huge priority in my life and I am happy that my friends see and respect that.

With change comes the unknown. This part scares me. Although changes occur everyday, it never seems to get any easier for me. I have always been a planner; schedules and details always give me peace of mind. As I have prepared to enter the mission field, I have spoken with a number of people. They all tell me the same things, such as:

• Prepare to work hard
• Follow the rules
• Be ready to face a lot of rejection
• Embrace the culture
• Make mistakes and love them (pertaining to the language)
• This will be the best yet hardest thing you've done thus far
• Be yourself
• Put all your truth in God
• Be believing

With this advise, I am able to gauge how I will do in the field. Realizing all that I have ahead of me is overwhelming. I have been filled with so many different emotions that it is exhausting. All in all, I know the nerves are good. The nerves are a result of me wanting so bad to do all that I can, learn the language, and love the people of Korea as well as the other missionaries I will serve with. Aside from nerves, I am excited. I am ready.

Change is good and it makes us all better. Just as clay changes to create beautiful pottery, I am completely putting myself in The Lords hands to shape and mold me to who He wants me to be.

Embrace the change. Life goes on with or without you.

AM