Monday started early as Sister Mineer and I hopped on a few busses and subways to make our way to the 가정 and 답동 sister missionaries house for an exchange. Even though it wasn't PDAY we still still took time to email home. All six sisters went to the same PC방 (computer room) and then we swapped companionships. I brought Sister Bassett back to 만수 (Mansu) with me. We were in the MTC together and that automatically makes us friends of some sort. We had so much fun! I don't think we stopped talking all day!
Our first appointment together was with a semi-less active gossip queen of the ward, 오진수S (Sister Oh). The day before, I asked Sister Mineer to make an appointment with her to do a practice lesson but Sister Oh was so confused and invited another set of elders to come too. Instead of teaching anything, she took us to eat an early dinner. For me it was more like lunch since Sister Mineer and I spent all morning and into the afternoon traveling. It was an okay meal. The member is way good at English, but she wanted to spend her time talking about ward gossip to Elder Park. Us Americas got into our own conversation. It was enjoyable but less than productive haha.
Next was another 20 minute practice lesson with the bishops wife. Sister Bassett wanted to practice different proselyting approaches so we did. After the first try she gave some suggestions about how to use the Book of Mormon more. In our re-practice I tried. It took me about ten minutes, but I did get my point across. As I was teaching, bishop arrived home. He quickly changed from his suit and joined us. We talked some small things about the Book of Mormon and our current investigators. I love being in a ward where all of the members are so on board to help! I feel so blessed. We got to talking so long that bishop got hungry and asked if they could take us to dinner. The four of us got in the car and went to their favorite 갈국수 (noodle soup) restaurant. It was delicious but we weren't hungry haha. We cleared our bowls and I mostly listened at Sister Bassett talked with them. It is funny because I am interested in getting to know people, but I learned that I don't like to talk that much haha. It was a productive use of time so I was content just listening. I love Sister Bassett! She is so good at Korean and I am so grateful that she came and was able to help build a stronger relationship with our bishop and his family. They drove us home after. Sister Bassett and I talked the whole night away. I was tired, but it was fun talking so I'm not complaining.
Tuesday was a normal morning until we began to travel and exchange before Sister Bassett and Nebeker had an appointment. Once back with Sister Mineer, we had about three hours until our next exchange would begin. We went home for lunch and then head back out to prep Sister Mineer with directions of how to arrive at all of the scheduled appointments we had.
We met the 연수 (Younsu) sisters and I paired up with Sister Hammerl to serve in her area. Before having dinner at her home we spent a good amount of time finding people to talk to on the street. Sister Hammerl is filled with this renewed enthusiasm for missionary work. It was incredible to see! She is literally sleeping, breathing, and eating missionary work. Because of that, we had an awesome time together! By 7PM we went to an appointment with a woman Sister Bagley and I found when we were doing callbacks one night in Mansu. Her name is (Sunny) and her daughter 이연수 (Younsu- yes the same name as the town where she lives haha). This mother and daughter are incredible at English so Sister Hammerl started out the lesson in English. We read the story of Ammon from The Book of Mormon stories and they loved it. Sunny and her daughter are so prepare to hear the message about this gospel, it is incredible to see! The spirit was so strong throughout the entire lesson. By the end we ended up talking about prayer. The daughter is 11 years old and she already prays and has been praying on her own for years. I felt prompted to ask why and she said, "It is just my instinct." What kind of child says that haha? Her mother was previously apprehensive and reluctant to pray but when she heard that her daughter has and continues to do so, she decided she wanted to start too. To end the appointment we invited Sunny to pray. Her and her daughter did like a tag team prayer where they would take turns talking and then ended together in unison. It was adorable and so sincere! I love them.
Wednesday was a good morning. The night before I got ready for bed quickly and was sleeping before Sister Hammerl even got out of the shower. I slept so well! After the routine we ran a few errands before unsplitting for district meeting. I had previously tried so hard to have our exchange overlap a district meeting (because Elder Westbrook cares about training and Elder Berry doesn't). I was sad that it didn't work out. After 만수 all arrived for our meeting- guess how long it lasted? 20 minutes!! Normally they go for an hour and a half! It blew my mind and I was so sad. Instead of training Elder Berry was shockingly productive. We prepared for the zone proselyting activity that would be in our area. So while it wasn't training, I'm grateful it was something. For the proselyting activity we came up with four teams, they are as follows:
- Alpha- English survey/English class flyering
- Beta- sticker board, gospel survey
- Charley- free hugs
- Delta- taekwondo/street boarding
We chose a location where all four teams could semi be spread out but still in the same vicinity. It was the best activity that had happened thus far. As soon as the activity was over, all of the 만수 (Mansu) missionaries had to head to the church to meet a member. This member is so kind and takes us to eat fairly often. There were so many of us and Elder Godfrey was loud enough, that we (me and my companion) didn't have too much of a chance to talk with the member. I felt bad just eating and leaving but he was just grateful that all of us made time. The ward members here are AWESOME!
Thursday was the day that Summer began. Out of NOWHERE the humidity and heat kicked itself into high gear! Thankfully it was PDAY and temple day so we spent a good part of the day away from the heat. Today, the temple session was EXACTLY what I needed. Once it was over I took a seat next to my go-to Elder Pruner. He too is from California and we have an unspoken pact to stand together amongst all of the Utahans haha. Today I was feeling a little down. I was worrying about my family as well as some friends. I expressed this concern to the three missionaries sitting nearby (Elder Robinson, Pruner, and my companion). My mind and heart felt so burdened with wanted to help and be home with those I love. The reasons I came to serve can be numbered with the people whom I want to help- most of which include my family members and relatives. Amidst my soon-to-be-meltdown Elder Robinson shared some words of wisdom. He told me, "Just like in the scriptures, miracles aren't found in the absence of an example but in the presence." *insert mind-blown noise* that was exactly what I needed to hear. Maybe we came to serve the Korean people for 18-24 months but we are are here being conditioned to help our families, future families, and dear friends for the rest of forever! I love that and it was so motivating to keep working hard in order to learn all I could so I could fulfill my role as this magnificent plan that God himself created for us!
After an extra hour of praying, pondering, and talking- we were the last four missionaries out if the temple. I love the temple! Waiting outside for us were other good friends who were getting impatient and hungry. We made our way back into our mission boundaries and found a buffet that would satisfy everyone's tastebuds. Among those who came I made sure to sit next to my favorites- Elders Knapp, 오성택E (Elder Oh), Oscarmiller, and Nixon. Maybe I don't know them all super well but they are HILARIOUS! Even though we spent over two hours at the buffet, it was definitely PDAY time well spend.
Sister Mineer and I made our way home to meet our first appointment for the evening. It was with 조재순S (Grandma Cho). She is the grandma who doesn't care too much about our gospel message but will sit through it for her 7 year old granddaughter to practice English with foreigners. Just a side note: I initially thought this kind-of-investigator was a waste of time but in my heart I came to a conclusion that in fact it is good. We were called to Korea to testify about how this gospel blesses our lives. We then invite others to take it for a spin but if they choose not to, that is okay. This investigator maybe doesn't show interest right now but I feel that later on, our testimonies will be like a planted seed within her heart that she will eventually listen to. Anyway, the lesson was okay. We at least felt the spirit as we taught. We quickly made our way to 정현지S (HyonChee's) house for our final appointment before her baptism this weekend! We focused on families and our fabulous member 김소정S (Sister Kim) came with us. We taught about family home evening and they committed to hold one that coming Saturday together. They are so amazing! The lesson was perfect and the family just felt so open and happy. It was a great meeting.
Friday was such a good day! It started off a little weird when a man came to fix our refrigerator and he happened to be my age. In normal life, nothing would be wrong with that but having been living in this missionary bubble of rules and guidelines, I felt weird. While he worked Sister Mineer and I took our studies outside. It was fun. We stayed on our balcony and in case anyone doesn't know, I am 5'3" and she is 5'11". As we looked over the balcony I was able to see a beautifully gray sky but she was able to see a little higher over the balcony wall and enjoy a nice view of the city below. It was a hilarious realization. When the fridge was fixed we came back in and had our weekly planning meeting. It was a good meeting.
Earlier in the day we had texted our Ethiopian investigator, Seblewongel. We wanted to meet her but she never texted back to our diplomatic text which in fact implied no real need for a response. We didn't give her much of an option, we just said we would stop by around 5:30PM. We met our member, 이은성S (Sister Lee) and then arrived at Seble's. She told us that her phone is over on minutes and texts so she couldn't text us back but that she was expecting us. I was so grateful to hear that! Sister Lee talked all about baptism before the adorable baby started to cry. In order to maintain the reverence, Sister Lee scooped up the baby, grabbed the stroller and took her for a walk, giving us an opportunity to teach. It went so well!! She hasn't committed to baptism yet but she definitely has it in the forefront of her mind.
The meeting went a little late but we got out the door and into a taxi in order to make it to 이두례S (Momma Lee's) house for dinner. Before we arrived I was having the BEST conversation with the taxi driver man. We were cracking up about everything! I think he was delirious because he had been working for almost a full 24 hours straight! I felt bad for him but it was so much fun. He spoke zero percent of English and it amazed me how well we could communicate! Korean is a crazy language and sometimes I surprise myself with my ability to carry on conversations and what not with complete strangers. Once we arrived, I went to pay and he gave me back 100₩ aka 10¢ and yelled, "Discount!" Haha it was hilarious.
Momma Lee fed us so much food and was so happy to see us. Like always I ate wayyyy too much but I told her I was doing it for her because I loved her. I know I didn't have to but seriously, that's a thing here. The more you eat, the more your show your appreciation and love. It was a great way to end the day.
Saturday was another (and I think the last) combined mission tour. Quentin L. Cook from the quorum of the twelve apostles came to speak to both the Seoul and Seoul South missions. He and his wife are fantastic human beings! That are literally the most adorable and sincere people. I love them! I learned so much about love and charity. One scripture he shared was in Doctrine and Covenants 31:7. It says, "I will open the hearts of the people, and they will receive you. And I will establish a church by your hand." By my hand He (Jesus Christ) will go about establishing His church! I just need faith that The Lord will do his part. He went on to promise us that if we have more faith, we WILL see more success. Immediately I thought about our not-so-committed investigators... I need to have more faith in them that they are listening and yearning for the change that God can help bring into their lives! I learned so much, it was a phenomenal meeting.
We quickly ate at the nearby Costco food court before heading back home for our appointments. The trains and buses didn't line up super well so we ended up being about 20 minutes late for our appointment with 구혜연S (Amanda). She was fine and our member was on time and kept her company with her two crazy kids. The lesson was short but anyway it was good. After was English class but our other investigator, 김하나 (Chloe) was only available at 3PM, the same time! While Sister Mineer took lead in class, I took Chloe to the other room for our appointment. It was so much fun!! We are 동갑 or same age so it just felt like friends hanging out. When it came time for the gospel message, I was SO impressed! We gave her the talk called, "Protection from Pornography-A Christ-Focused Home by Linda S. Reeves. So I first want to start off by saying that I DID NOT know the title of that talk when I printed it off. I just read my notes and thought she would like it. When it came time to talk about it I was SO impressed with the questions she wrote and the parts that she marked as important. She continues to amaze me. We did have a semi-awkward conversation about pornography and the evil that it is but all in all, the spirt was there and it was great.
After English class and that appointment we made out way home for dinner. We ate quickly and were able to make a few items in preparation for HyonChee's baptism. It was a productively stressful evening.
Sunday was quite the day!! In the morning we had church. HyonChee came as always. Today it was my turn to be in Relief Society. It was so fun to be able to announce the baptismal service that would be held later that evening. So many women have been preparing the food and anxiously awaiting this baptism. I love this ward so much! For Sunday school HyonChee decided that she wanted to attend Gospel Principle's class instead of young men and young woman's class. It was impressive how much she learned and participated. She is so amazing! Sacrament meeting was also great.
When church ended, all of the missionaries came with us to meet a woman teaching free Korean to foreigners. This lady had previously flagged us down on the street to teach us about this free Korean class that apparently a number of foreigners attended. It seemed to be a possibly productive finding activity, so we went. It turns out that it was not exactly what we were expecting. There is a church here called 신천지. This church is essentially the scariest one I've ever come in contact with. There whole method is to plant people in different congregations with the objective of placing doubt in the members and bringing them to their church. When they are placing doubts they wait for the priest or some one to make a mistake and then teach people this leader or church cannot be trusted. Strange right? Well anyway, they were kind and tried to be really friendly with us but it didn't take long for us to realize who they were. We left quickly.
Next was baptismal preparation! Sister Bagley and her companion Sister Giles and Elder Meeks arrived so we could practice the musical number a few times before preforming. People started trickling in and they were all so excited to see Sister Bagley. I too was SO happy to see her again. When 현지S (HyonChee) arrived with her family, Sister Bagley and I pulled HyonChee aside to talk about what she would say for her testimony. She was so nervous, but when she began to speak I felt the spirit so strong. This is an amazing girl! I feel so blessed and privileged to have been a small part of finding, teaching, and baptizing her. I love her so much! We quickly got her dressed, took a few pictures, and began the meeting. The first speaker was our true and loyal, 이은성S (Sister Lee). She is always so fantastic. Next I spoke and bore my testimony all about the Atonement of Jesus Christ. I explained that she would become clean after baptism but it is through the Atonement that we can continually become clean. The last speakers were Sister Mineer and Sister Bagley. They are both so cute!
Before the actual baptism 오광철B (Brother Oh- Sister Lee's husband) brought HyonChee up to demonstrate how he would baptize her. Brother Oh tipped her backwards just a little and she squealed because she thought she was going to fall haha it was so cute. All four of us sister missionaries walked her to the font and anxiously waited and watched from the doorway where she entered the font. I held Sister Bagley's hand and I cannot tell you how happy we all where when the prayer was said and she was immersed in the water. Words cannot describe how happy I was. We got her dried off and dressed. Previously I had bought her a dress to wear for her baptism but she thinks she looks fat in it so she wore shorts and a t-shirt instead haha. Oh well. I made her promise to wear it next Sunday for when she will receive the gift of the Holy Ghost.
To finish the meeting HyonChee's parents were asked to come up to introduce themselves as well as congratulate their daughter. They are great people! Next was her little sister, she is 12 and had no idea what was going on haha. She mostly said embarrassing things about her sister haha. Lastly was HyonChee and her testimony. She is the sweetest girl. She starred at me the whole time as if asking for reassurance if what she was saying was okay. It was more than okay, it was beautiful! The service ended with a prayer and delicious food that the women of the ward had prepared. It was perfect! I tried to organize as much as I could but the members went above and beyond what was asked of them. They have been amazing throughout this whole process and I am so happy and grateful to help the church in this area thrive and grow.
Most everyone lingered for over an hour to congratulate HyonChee and to talk with her family. We eventually had to encourage people to leave by 9PM haha. When the church was cleaned and locked the four of us sisters went back to the house for a sleepover! As if it wasn't enough to see Sister Bagley but I was also about to talk with her allllll night. After our companions were fast asleep we continued to talk and talk and talk until 3AM... If this is the kind of reunion that happens from a few weeks of separation, I can only imagine what it will be like to see my family again. ^^ it was a great and I and still on cloud nine after HyonChee's baptismal service.
I love you all. I'm sorry this is so late haha- I am well aware how busy missionary life is but this week I've started to fee like I've had doubt the amount of responsibilities and tasks to accomplish. I'm not complaining though, I love the fast paced schedule! It keeps be busy and totally focused on the work.
Have a great week!!
Sister Sloan
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