Real Intent

6/30-7/6
Monday was just another 그냥 PDAY. We stayed home, wrote letters, and then head to our investigator's house to make banana bread. 심하정S (Sister Shim) is the cutest newlywed house wife. She wants to learn how to cook and bake so today we came over with our convention oven and make delicious bread together. I never thought I would be able to become such good friends with an investigator. We really do love her and I think that because of the genuine love and concern we have for her, she has become more open and perceptive to the gospel message. It's cool to see. When the bread was about done she realized that her husband would arrive home from work soon... She panicked and scrambled to make 오므라이스 (spicy rice covered with a seafood omelet egg). We had no choice, but to stay. So we ate together and taught a lesson before heading out the door. It was a PDAY well spent.

We met up with the 부평 (BuPyong) sister missionaries to drop Sister Mineer off with them. Tomorrow is MLC and since we are the only STL companionship with a non-STL sister, Sister Mineer would have no choice but to attend our six-hour meeting. I figured that sounded like the opposite of fun so I set up a day for her to spend with her good friend and MTC companion, Sister Holmes. After dropping her off, Sister Gapinski and I traveled another 2.5 hours to the mission home by train and subway. We were both exhausted but happy to be greeted by two wonderfully comfortable beds. Let me say that again, we slept in BEDS with multiple PILLOWS! It was phenomenal.

Tuesday was MLC. It also happened to be the one year anniversary of the Korea Seoul South Mission! There was a chocopie cake to commemorate this monumental event ha. The meeting was good but long as always. I think the highlight was the time we spent on a mission motto. Incheon zone was dead set on YOSO (you only serve once). While that sounds childish we somehow twisted it to become a synonym for consecration haha. By the end we were out voted by "We are the message."

After the meeting we picked up our mail and made the long trip home. On the way we had the 부평 (BuPyong) sister meet us again but this time I left for BuPyong with Sister DeBuse while Sister Gapinski, Sister Mineer, and Sister Holmes went to our area for another appointment with 심하정S (Sister Shim) and 이지웅B (Brother Lee). From what I heard, it was awesome! They now have a goal date to be baptized! The evening in BuPyong was mostly frustrating. We taught a new investigator (김혜진S) but because this area has been hurting for investigators, Sister DeBuse was too apprehensive to say anything that might scare her away. This investigator didn't even know that we read from the Book of Mormon! I jumped in and talked about that, prophets, and baptism. Surprisingly enough this investigator was very interested and had so many awesome questions. I tried to make it a teaching moment not just for this investigator but also for Sister DeBuse... Tomorrow we have another investigator appointment scheduled so we'll see how much sunk in.

Wednesday morning we waited and waited for an investigator but they never showed. Instead we spent most of our day looking for less-active members. It wasn't successful but we were able to get a lot of contacts. Just before unsplitting we met with as very active family- the wife and sister-in-law are Filipino and the husband is Korea. They were SO kind. They all were baptized a few years back but they talk as if they have been lifelong members. It was actually really cool for me to see that recent converts can become just as dedicated and devoted to living the principles they have been taught as those who grew up never knowing anything different. It gives me hope for all of those I have helped bring into the covenant of baptism. We taught a short lesson and left. Once we unsplit our evening was spent contacting. I am happy to be back in 만수 (Mansu).

Thursday we had zone training. Elders Clawson and 김재겸E (Kim), our zone leaders, asked Sister Gapinski and I to train on real intent. The whole training covered the importance of the Book of Mormon in conversion. The lead in to our portion was, "If the Book of Mormon is true, why doesn't everyone believe it after they've read it?" Answer: they need real intent while they read. When I stood up I started by saying, "And stupid question number two, what is real intent?" We had an awesome discussion and heard a lot of cool stories. By the end Sister Gapinski talked about Moroni's promise found in Moroni 10:4-5 in the Book of Mormon. Since you cannot convert someone further than your own conversion, we committed everyone to read and test this promise. I feel like we did a good job. Zone leaders too- they were super inspiring!

Incheon Zone

Our stewardship

When the training ended we took a few pictures and I did "Teacher Improvement" AKA "Pass Off" with Sister Nebeker. She is so awesome. I admire new missionaries that have the courage to speak Korean because I sure didn't! When I was a young missionary I was too scared of sounding like an idiot that I just looked like an idiot because I chose not to speak... Nowadays I speak and while it is enough to fulfill my purpose, it's still frustrating because I can see and feel how much more I could do, save I grasped more of the language.

Once we were back in our area we went to a relief society dinner before traveling to our recent convert's house with 이두례S (Momma Lee). The lesson was going well until I became very aware of my earlier mistake of eating 돈까스 (fried pork cutlet) for lunch... I was about to be sick. I excused myself and Sister Mineer as we made a run for it toward our house. It was probably one of the most embarrassing things I've had to do but it proved itself to be inspired. As Sister Mineer and I ran back to 정현지S (HyonChee)'s house we saw a woman who was clearly having a hard time. She was sitting in a gazebo with a number of empty alcohol bottles laying next to her. It was clear that she was upset so I knelt down next to her, placing my hand on her knee and asked how we could help her. She looked at me and buried her face in her hands as she continued to sob. Sister Mineer and I sat on either side of her as we just held her. She feels alone. Her parents both died a long while ago and she had been living by herself with no one to talk to. Sister Mineer bore a simple but strong testimony that God loves her, that He is aware of her, and He wants to help her. She cried and cried. From behind her tears she thanked us for stopping to sit with her, for listening, and for comforting her. She told us that a number of people walked by without the slightest acknowledgment of her existence. We had to join back with Sister Gapinski and our member before their lesson ended so we gave her one last hug, learned her name (명희S), address, and phone number, and continued our run back to HyonChee's house. Despite my embarrassment of now being gone for about 30 minutes, I was grateful for the opportunity that Sister Mineer and I had to have hopefully helped MyongHee in that dark moment of feeling alone. We wrapped up the lesson and called it a night. What a day!

Red, white and blue fee dazee

Friday, HAPPY INDEPENDENCE DAY! To commemorate this beloved holiday Sister Gapinski, Sister Mineer, and I proudly wore the colors of the great American flag. We met up with our investigator, 심하정S (Sister Shim) to eat a true American-style lunch. We first stopped at McDonald's then Krispy Kreme. Fat Americans for the win! We had a good time and were able to answer more Sister Shim's gospel related questions before she head to her mothers house for the weekend. It was an awesome lesson!

When she left, we held our weekly planning meeting in the lounge of Krispy Kreme. It was awesome. Our next appointment was with our member, 이은성S (Sister Lee) who we asked to meet us to drop by one of our investigator's houses. It turned out to be a fail because the bus stop where we decided to meet, is one of 4 with the same name that are not exactly close to each other. I don't think I will even come to understand Korean addresses or public transportation. We both did a lot of back and forth but all the time we had was eaten up so we finally just rescheduled and boarded a bus to meet our last appointment for the day, 정예림S (Sister Jeong, our English class coordinator). She fed us dinner, we played a game with her daughter, and ended with a practice lesson. By the end we committed her oldest daughter, 김윤빈S (YoonBein) to bear her testimony during testimony meeting in Sunday. She practiced a few times, prayed, and we left. It was a lot of fun.

Krispy Kreme~

Saturday morning we met the ward to play soccer again. It was a blast! The member we visited last night, Sister Jeong, her husband came this morning to play. He was by far the best player on the other team so I took it upon myself to block everything he did. Once again, I will be the first to admire my inability to play soccer but on the other hand, for some reason, I find pleasure in running full speed at whoever had the ball to body slam them or steal the ball. More often than not I fail but like I said, it's fun. When we finally went home we showered, studied, and then head back out to make it to English class. It was boring. The rest of our day was spent visiting potential investigators and talking to people on the street. No immediate success yet. Oh! But Sister Mineer did end the evening with a bang... or should I say a thud. ㅋㅋ After a superb street lesson Sister Mineer decided she wanted to know what it would be like to fly on the ground. Actually she just tripped but based on the bump on her head and the cuts on her knees, hands, and arms we have come to the conclusion that dirt is in fact the most uncomfortable element to land on and needless to say, flying on it is also a counterproductive activity. She is fine now but anyway is was funny slash sad.

김도훈B came to church!

Sunday was great. It was fast Sunday and it was super hot! We really felt like Satan was teasing us all day... For example almost every elevator we waited for, when it arrived a pizza or chicken delivery man would walk out as we got it. The mouthwatering aroma was just cruel. Church was great though. A family friend, The Arnold's, have been hosting a foreign exchange student (김도훈B) from Korea and he is here on summer vacation to visit his family. Guess where his family lives? In Mansu ward boundaries! Small world. We greeted him as well as a recent convert (조수인S) who is also Korean but has been studying in France, she was baptized there and will be here in Mansu area until September taking care of her mother. There were a number of new faces and the ward was super excited. Oh! Also, I found a more modest dress for HyonChee and she wore it to church!! Members were in awe, she looked so pretty. In sacrament meeting, Sister Mineer bore her testimony and took 김윤빈S (YoonBein) with her. They both did so well! Overall it was a great day at church.

When we left church we went to 인천대공원 (Incheon Great/ Big Park) to find people to talk to. It was super successful! On our way home we visited a less-active young woman. We were greeted by her active parents and we said we just wanted to drop a note off for their daughter. She was MAD! I hope we didn't do more damage but it was super sad. Her poor parents are heartbroken over how much their daughter has come to hate the church. The daughter did ask us how we came to believe the Book of Mormon. Sister Gapinski did a good job answering but this young woman was rolling her eyes the whole time. I've come into contact with my share of hard hearted people but this girl was beyond feeling...at least for now. We promised her that when she does need help, God will always be listening. We prayed and left. It was sad knowing that we probably left their house with more contention than when we arrived. We felt terrible.

Once we got home for dinner we all hit our knees to break our fast before devouring every edible thing in sight haha. It was a delicious and in less than 20 minutes we had inhaled our meal and were off to the church to end our day with our missionary coordinating meeting. It was a great meeting.

This week was busy but still no huge success in finding the new investigators we need. We are getting close though! Thank you for all of your prayers!!

Before I go I want to redirect you back to the sixth paragraph and the 116th word that begins the sentence of our commitment that Sister Gapinski and I gave to our zone at our zone training. Well, I'll say the commitment again and challenge you too, to read and try the promise for yourself. It is found in The Book of Mormon introduction as well as Moroni 10:4-5...

"We invite all men everywhere to read the Book of Mormon, to ponder in their hearts the message it contains, and then to ask God, the Eternal Father, in the name of Christ if the book is true. Those who pursue this course and ask in faith (*with real intent) will gain a testimony of its truth and divinity by the power of the Holy Ghost."

I continue to study this promise and have found great power in it as I continually pray about it to receive a newfound testimony of the truthfulness of the inspired book, the Book of Mormon. Will you all do that this week and next week in your emails to me will you let me know how it goes? Also if you so desire to further your study, I would like to recommend the fifth chapter of the missionary guide, Preach My Gospel. It is my FAVORITE chapter. You can learn SO much about the purpose and importance of then Book of Mormon. Have fun!

Have a great week and I love you all.
Sister Sloan

The party continues

Is a Body Slam allowed in Soccer?

6/23-29
Last week I was made aware if how unnecessary long my weekly letters are. Frankly, I didn't care too much but then as I reviewed my last email, I recognized that I am not a fan of long-winded individuals... This week I am going to try to be concise- I'm not making any promises but anyway here I go.

Monday, aka PDAY. The 만수 (Mansu) missionaries got together to watch the movie '17 Miracles.' It is a movie about a group of Mormon pioneers traveling from England all the way to Salt Lake City, Utah by boat, train, and foot. The illustrations of their hardship was heartbreaking... to say the least. It was the opposite of a happy movie, but it was well made. Most of us wrote letters as we tried to hold back our tears. It really is amazing how merciful The Lord is to His children. Most of the time we teach our investigators to be aware of the little things that The Lord gives and does for us but I think all to often we forget to mention the miracles that He is more than capable of providing save we have the faith to ask. The movie today was a good reminder of that.

To end our day we painted our nails before heading to 이순애S (Sister Lee)'s house for dinner and a practice lesson. We sat, ate a full meal, and taught. As we wrapped things up, the door bell rang. Chicken had just arrived. What the?! We were soooo full!

Tuesday started off well with a lunch appointment with our relief society President and her family at Mr. Pizza. She ordered us lobster, shrimp, and meat pizzas. It was... interesting. I mean it wasn't gross but it wasn't delicious. Next we met the 연수 (Younsu) sister missionaries for an exchange. I brought Sister Stastny to 만수 (Mansu) with me while Sisters Mineer, Sister Gapinski, and Sister Hammerl went to Younsu for the day. The day wasn't too eventful so we talked to people on the street, ate dinner, and went back out to talk some more. Because I hate walking without a final destination in mind, I decided it would be a good idea to walk allllll the way to 정예림S (Sister Jeong)'s house. You know how sometimes when you imagine the distance to a place in your head and it seems extremely short because your brain takes you down the streets in hyper-speed? Well, that happens to me a lot where I underestimate how long we would be walking. My 30 minute estimation turned out to be more like 2.5 hours... My bad. We talked to a good amount of people, delivered a small note to our ward member, and then caught a bus home. Long story short, missionaries need GPS systems.

Wednesday began with district meeting. Sister Gapinski and I had purposely set up this exchange to overlap district meeting so that Sister Mineer could finally experience a good, spiritual district meeting. From what I heard it was awesome for her and Sister Gapinski. On the other hand, Sister Stastny and I had to suffer through another unproductive meeting. Elder Berry really is capable of SO MUCH but he just chooses not to care. Each week I get my hopes up just to have them shattered all over again. If only we realized how badly everyone wanted him to succeed.. It wasn't a spiritual meeting but we all had a good laugh or two.

When it was all said and done, we hopped on a bus to unsplit. I am honestly so grateful that we only have to schedule one exchange per week as opposed to two... Sister Mineer was a trooper last transfer. Once we were back in Mansu we dropped by to see a semi-progressing investigator. She is a grandma that never stops talking but she is super sweet. She is close to being dropped but for now we will try to see what we can teach her. Her attention span was that of a rats tail, as they say, so we didn't stay too long. Before heading to our last legitimate appointment for the day, we joined a member from our ward as well as all the elders for a meal together. This member is a strange individual whom refers people like crazy! I appreciate his enthusiasm but I think it's time to put a filter on him because EVERY referral turns out to have zero gospel interest and most even don't have English interest... What do they want from us? Anyway, we exchanged a few pleasantries over a nice, boiled pheasant. It tastes like chicken of anyone was wondering.

심하정S (Sister Shim) and her husband, 이지웅B (Brother Lee) were anxiously awaiting our arrival. I honestly feel like we have become the best of friends. Today Sister Shim told us about a new neighbor who she happens to be afraid of. Long story short, this lady is a paid-proselyter from another church and has being pretty sneaky in her attempt to befriend Sister Shim but Sister Shim sees straight through the scheme haha. She went on to tell us that she appreciated that we are honest and straightforward with our purpose; we wear name tags and get right to the point to find, teach, and baptize. We were happy not to be compared to the 전도사 with ulterior motives. Once our lesson was in full swing, we totally altered our game plan because these two had a TON of questions. I appreciate people like them.  Similar to our purpose, they are clear and upfront about their concerns. We enjoy teaching them.

Thursday we met up with Sister Shim. Yesterday we got to talking about the word of wisdom and the importance of not drinking coffee, tea, alcohol, or using drugs or other harmful substances. We were not allotted the proper amount of time to teach it well, so today we head to a cafe to teach and drink delicious drinks. Sister Shim is most concerned that her friends will hate her; she had an experience in the past where her friends rejected her when she decided to be a 'believer [of God and Jesus Christ].' We talked about the story of Joseph Smith loosing the 116 pages while he was translating the Book of Mormon. In that story there is a verse that essentially states that Joseph feared man more than God. She understood well, sighed, and promised to take the word of wisdom for a test run. We love her.

Soon we were all heading back toward our homes and or appointments. We saw Sister Shim off at the bus stop and we walked to the church. We arrived a little early to prepare for 김하나S (HahNah)'s appointment. We focused in the first part if the plan of salvation. It went well. On our way out of the room she again told us of her fun plans to go drink with her friends that evening. I sighed, sat back down, and invited her to sit as well. We have danced around the fact that drinking isn't good but today it was time to get serious, because now she is at the point were she is preparing to receive baptism. She knew it was coming and wasn't too welcoming to the idea but we taught it anyway. After tonight she promised to try it out and to pray about it. We'll see what happens.

Our next appointment was with 이두례S (Momma Lee) so we slowly made our way as we found people to talk to on the way. She initially invited us over for dinner to eat and then leave together to teach 정현지S (HyonChee) together but she sent out an invite to all of the elders as well. She is so generous with all that she has and we are grateful. However! The elders literally arrived, ate, and prepared to leave. On their announced way out the door, Momma Lee stopped them and asked, "Wait who is sharing a spiritual message?" They all looked at each other with confusion as if they had never been invited to do such a thing and to Momma Lee's disappointment she let them off the hook and walked them to the door. How lame is that?! Sister Gapinski, Sister Mineer, and I stayed to wash the dishes and clean the kitchen before piling into her car to head to HyonChee's house. The recent convert lesson went well. We discussed missionary work and challenged her to pray about which of her many friends she can begin sharing the gospel with. HyonChee is super shy so this might be hard for her but she never let's us down. It was a good day.

Friday did not go as planned but after our weekly planning meeting we made a few attempts to visit former and current investigators. The only person home was Seblewongel, our former Ethiopian investigator. We wanted to stop in and see how her and her husband's interviews to obtain working visas went. Nothing is going well for them anymore. We all feel so sad for them but the only way we were able to help was to encourage her and her family to continue relying on The Lord, His merits, timing, and wisdom. We left her home with a prayer and spent the remainder of our day on the streets talking to people.

Saturday was by far my favorite all week. For morning exercise we met members of the ward for a couple games of soccer. It was SO MUCH FUN! I am probably the worst soccer player in the world but today my strategy was to merely charge, full speed at anyone with the ball. It didn't work every time but I was able to steal, block, or totally alter the course of the ball because some of the youth would get scared and mess up. Also, I accidentally body-slammed a few adults because neither one of us wimped out in our game of chicken toward the ball. Man, it was so fun! Immediately following our last game, everyone apparently was heading to the ward farm to harvest potatoes. It was tough work but we ended up with maybe 30 sacks full of potatoes! It was crazy. Once everything was loaded and then dropped off at the church, bishop was volunteered to take the missionaries out for lunch. We politely declined as we were instead driven home in our relief society president's Audi. Booyah~

By about 2PM we were all showered and ready for the day. We ate lunch before heading to English class. Today's class was good. A few people we met on the street showed up, that was cool! Besides that our class was pretty monotonous. Before leaving the building, we decided to set up the chairs for sacrament meeting because we have noticed that our poor bishop is left to do it every week. To end the evening we walked to 인천대공원 (Incheon big park) for some quality proselyting time. I was able to teach an awesome street lesson to a man who claims not to be a believer in God or Jesus. He had many preconceptions about our church so I was first able to set a few things straight by teach him about the restoration. I offered him the Book of Mormon that I had been teaching out of and he was very grateful. We received his number and promised to refer him to missionaries near his home (maybe three hours by bus). It was so awesome! For some reason this week there have been so many opportunities for me to teach and testify on the street. I am very aware of my inability to speak but today especially I feel like The Lord was able to open my ear to be able to understand all that this man was asking me. The gift of tongues comes in a variety of ways and I am grateful.

Sunday was slow. 정현지S (HyonChee) came to church and I spent the first hour with her in young woman's. She is possibly the cutest human being I have ever met. Her shyness and the utter horror that creeps into her eyes when someone asks her a question is more of less adorable. I love that she still looks to me before giving any response. I just smile and pretend like I know what's going on haha. As church went on HyonChee and I sat together in sacrament meeting. In a quiet moment while we waited for the sacrament to be passed, she turned to me, flipped open my hymn book to her favorite hymn, and said "Sing." Her very first Sunday, 15 weeks ago, we sang "Sweet Hour of Prayer" and she has loved it ever since. Per her request, we sang it at her baptism as well and on a number of other occasions. Throughout the course of my time spent as a missionary, I have learned more fully the importance of prayer. The importance lies in every aspect of the word. For me and for anyone else seeking guidance from God, our Heavenly Father, our communication needs to remain constant. Whether we express our thanks or "In seasons of distress and grief, [our will always] find relief." Through Him we are able to grow and learn. Just like the conversion process for me, prayer is an absolutely essential tool to help in aligning our will with God's. HyonChee is only 15 and has already come to understand this principle. I love her and the example she set for me as well as for many others, is unreal.

When our meeting concluded, 유경숙S (Sister You) invited all of the missionaries to stay and make 만두 (essentially dumplings). After making a bunch, she whipped up some 떡국 (rice cake soup) and served us lunch. It was delicious. We cleaned up and then left for a 같이 전도 (district proselyting activity). Once we all split up it proved to be successful. I was able to teach another street lesson! The Lord is really blessing us but unfortunately each lesson taught on the street with referred-return appointments were all with men... Our elders better get to work to return the favor haha.

By the time dinner rolled around Sister Mineer wasn't feeling very good. We were all dehydrated but Sister Mineer has had bloody noses at least five times this week. We aren't totally sure what's up but she laid down for a nap while Sister Gapinski and I ate dinner and called almost every potential investigator that we have on record. It proved to be a productive evening. We planned and called all of the sister missionaries in our zone while Sister Mineer slept on. The sisters were all pretty talkative so by the time we got off the phone and in bed it was passed 10:30PM. We were all happy to finally be able to sleep and end another good week here in Mansu.

I love you all! Have a good week!
We still are desperately searching for new investigators, pray for us!
LOVE YOU!
Sister Sloan

Sister Shim

Coffee Bean with our favorite~

Since when are their horses on the streets in Korea?

How cute are we?

How beautiful?! This is the nicest park in Incheon, we love it.

Making banana bread with our favorite  :-)

The Physics of Arm Wrestling

6/16-22
Monday was a fun day! We were planning to meet up with a number of missionaries to go shopping together but it ended up just being the three of us. I wasn't disappointed though, we had a good time together. I really need to stop looking for clothes, because I will ALWAYS find way too many things that I like haha. Before we called it a day we grabbed a bite to eat at a cute like restaurant called 밥버거 (Rice Burger). It was so delicious! But that was dinner #1.... Next we head to our Bishop's house (김우식B) to meet with his wife, 이현자S (Sister Lee), for a 20 minute practice lesson. Instead of teaching and leaving she decided she wanted to feed us too. Dinner #2.... I had to eat all of my food and even some of Sister Gapinski's because we were all dying!  It was a good appointment though. We are trying to find ways to serve our bishop so we made a plan to come back at the end of the week to make their family a delicious dinner.

To end the day, we taught our cute couple investigators, 심하정S (Sister Shim) and 이지웅B (Brother Lee). They are always so much fun!! Right off the bat, Sister Shim asked if we had eaten. Typically I would politely welcome food, but with them I felt comfortable saying that we were stuffed. Despite my answer she let a whinny squeal saying, "No~! You must enjoys my french fries." Haha so that is what we did. Koreans are so giving and tonight my stomach really felt the immense generosity that just a few had showed us tonight haha.

After eating, we somehow got to talking about arm wrestling. Sister Shim challenged me and I gladly accepted. She was shockingly strong!! She won with both arms! We were confused, because she had told us that she cannot do a single push up, but she happened to beat all three of us athletic sister missionaries in a simple arm wrestling match... I then challenged her to show us a push up. It was HILARIOUS! She really can't do it. Something about the physics of tonight made zero sense. It was so much fun though. I really feel like we have become super good friends. It feels like we are meeting up to eat, play games, and enjoy a nice gospel discussion. This is the most natural we have ever felt with any investigator and we love them. Tonight's gospel discussion was all about Joseph Smith and proper priesthood authority. They have so many awesome questions! They are so fun to teach. It was a good night. Before we left, we assigned them a few conference talks to read and challenged Sister Shim to come workout with us in the mornings. She was excited, we hope she comes!

Tuesday was a crazy day!! I have come to love the days were we leave the house early and don't come back until late. Today was one of those. First we a had a lunch appointment with 김정은S (Sister Kim). Her family doesn't have much money but she is always so giving! When we arrived there were a couple other woman from the ward there. 박미영S (Sister Park) left not long after we arrived but 이미영S (Sister Lee) stayed for the whole thing. I love Sister Lee! She served her mission here and was companions with a number if Americans, which means the foreigners introduced her to the language of sarcasm- to which she is now fluent. We laughed as we ate and when it came time for the practice lesson, I asked Sister Mineer to take it away. I love that she is so willing and eager to do whatever is asked of her. She is going to learn SO much, SO fast if she keeps going at the speed she is. She did great, we ended with a prayer, and were off.

Attempting to visit the same less-active members was a fail. One came home as we were writing a note and she, 금경화S (Sister Kum) was less than excited to see us. Sister Kum has cancer and I feel sad for her but I am at a loss of how we can help her. We delivered a bag of cookies and said goodbye. Before heading to our next appointment we went to drop a note off to 정차연S (ChahYoun), 김미란S (Sister Kim)'s daughter. We figured the mother would be at work and the daughter at school but to our surprise the mother came home from work to eat lunch with a couple other church members. We met so many members already and it was only 2PM by that time. We joined them for some fruit, a spiritual message, and we again were off. We had to quickly walk to our relief society president's house for another practice lesson. We decided to practice and role play a lesson before she joined us with an investigator. All went well and we hopped in her car to greet our investigator 조재순S (Sister Cho).

This was the beginning for a very awkward appointment. Even though we had confirmed the appointment earlier that morning, one of her friends were there and I think she was pretty embarrassed to know us. She went as far as to not even look at us, it was so weird. I asked her quietly if we could teach her and she said, "Not today." Her nephew, another investigator of ours, was there so she recommended that we just teach him. We did all we could but she left and was no where to be seen. It was really strange. Our member felt uncomfortable and she too was asked if she could leave- and like that we found ourselves alone with this 35ish year old man wanting to listen about our gospel and a 7 year old girl who was anxiously awaiting the opportunity to look miserable as I would attempt to teach her English. You could say we were in quite a pickle but it all worked out for the best. I played with the girl as Sister Mineer and Sister Gapinski taught 최준민B (Brother Choi).

To end the evening we decided to walk home. On the way, we passed by a huge shoe store where a few rain boots caught my companion's eyes. They both are in desperate need for rain boots seeing as monsoon season is fast approaching. As they browsed, I did too. I found some super cute knock-off Birkenstocks. Somehow I was able to convince the shop owner to sell them to me for half price. I think he was charmed by the fact that we all were speaking Korean haha. It works right? We were in and out in no time. As we continued on our walk home we decided to stop in at a Caffe Bene for some 팥빙수 (ice flakes with red beans). Today is Sister Gapinski's one year mark in country and that is a good enough reason to celebrate! Quality time was spent talking to people in the street too but anyway those are the fun things worth mentioning.

Wednesday was such a fun morning! On our way out the door to exercise, we received a call, it was our investigator 심하정S (Sister Shim). She lives two buildings away from us and this morning she was calling to say she was ready to exercise. We picked her up and showed her what we did- a few laps and a CrossFit exercise routine. She literally looked like she was about to die... It's good for her though. It really felt like I had a mini CrossFit class again. It was a fantastic way to start the day.

After getting ready for the day, we were able to welcome President and Sister Morrise into our humble abode. This transfer for interviews, President and his wife were interested in seeing all of the missionary's homes. It was our turn today and President's reaction to the size of our tiny apartment was hilarious. Of all the houses in Incheon, ours in by far the smallest yet we were the only companion that was asked to become a threesome. I don't mind the crowdedness but it's true, our house is a little crammed at the moment. As we proceeded with interviews, President Morrise and I wheeled a couple chairs to our changing room. He propped his briefcase on top of my suitcase and against a small folded pile of the exercise clothes I had worn that morning... I didn't say anything though haha. We had a good interview. Once President interviewed everyone, we took a picture, and walked them to the elder's house.

When we arrived back home we completed our studies, ate lunch, and left to meet our zone for a proselyting activity. We ran into President and Sister Morrise as we head out of our apartment and they offered us a ride. We took them up on the offer real quick! I really miss the convenience and comfort of a car! The ride was nice and the activity was average. As STL, sister missionaries do pass-off with me so today Sister Nebeker asked if she could. She did so well, but after she taught she broke down. She is struggling with a lot of things back home and all I could do was hold her as she cried. Something she said broken my heart- "I have been studying and preparing to teach about how this gospel can bless families but little do people know, my family needs it just as much at the next." Poor girl. Keep her in your prayers.

After we got Sister Nebeker on her feet, we wrapped up the activity and began an exchange. I brought Sister Mineer and Sister Bassett with me to 만수 (Mansu). After dinner we head to an investigator appointment. Sister Shim and her husband, Brother Lee, prepared a small dinner for us when we arrived. They are the sweetest. We had some fun then got straight to their gospel questions. Today there weren't as many as usual but still we stayed for over an hour. I seriously LOVE them. Today they continued to bribe me to stay and live with them instead of head back to America haha. We are up to free rent, a laptop, and a cell phone. Mom and dad, whatta you got? ^^

Thursday morning we met Sister Shim again for exercise. She tried to get out of running but we hardly gave her a choice haha. I promise nothing is cuter than to hear a Korean girl whine. Maybe it used to be annoying but it is cute now. We worked her hard before letting her go back to sleep.

Our day began with an appointment with 김하나S (HahNah). She was almost an hour late but it went well. We discussed a little about her baptismal date and she decided to push it back a little. We committed her to continue praying about it so we will see. Since things ran a little late we had to immediately catch a bus in order to meet our companions to exchange back. It was nice to see Sister Gapinski again. I love Sister Bassett and we had a blast talking about everything but there is just something about getting back with your companion.. Sounds stupid now that I wrote it but there it is.

We quickly walked to our next appointment. 조재숨S (Sister Cho) cancelled our appointment with her but we never heard back from her nephew, 최준민B (Brother Choi), so we showed up and I'm not entirely sure if it was the right thing.  When Sister Cho saw us walking in she immediately flipped out! She was yelling and telling us that she cancelled. I tried explaining that we weren't there for her but instead for her nephew. She then yelled at him saying, "I told you not to reply to them!" Rude. He hadn't but he stood up for us and said he wanted to meet us. When she finally stormed out we said a prayer to invite the spirit as we taught. We taught the second lesson all about the Plan of Salvation. He was super accepting and super on board about how to learn about how he can better fulfill his purpose here on Earth. He brought up the Ten Commandments so I showed him a fun way to remember it- he was excited and said that we wanted to study it later haha. This man is so golden. Before we left we even got to talking about the word of wisdom. He told us that sometimes his friends call and invite him to drink. Even though he never wants to be respects the culture and does what he is told- but get this he said the following to us, "I always feel bad because The Bible teaches us that our bodies are temples and I don't want to destroy the temple that God has given me." I was speechless. Before we left we received his permission to refer him to the elders near his home. It will be super sad to see him go but I know it's only right to let the elders teach and baptize him.

To end the evening we met up with 이두례S (Momma Lee) to teach our recent convert 정현지S (HyonChee) about the priesthood and auxiliary positions. It was a good lesson. HyonChee is the best and her little sister sat in too. We committed her to coming to church with us on Sunday- we'll see what happens!

Friday morning we held our weekly planning session which seemed to eat up a majority of the day. I know it is a productive meeting but sometimes I really get sick of sitting inside talking about missionary work when I know I could be outside doing it. We were able to accomplish a lot though so it wasn't all bad. When time was up we packed up and met our district at the church for a delayed district meeting. Between interviews with President Morrise on Wednesday and a Elder Berry loosing all form of motivation to do anything, we rescheduled our meeting from 3:30-5. It was okay. I honestly am so disappointed with the first impression that Sister Mineer has had with district meetings... I had awesome experiences early on in my mission which really set the bar pretty high and frankly, our district is pathetic. Sigh. We keep brainstorming ways of how to help it improve but we'll see what we can actually control.

To end the evening we went to the bishops house. we had previously asked if we could serve him by making him and his family dinner. We bought some meat and made them hamburgers and fries. It was a greasy American meal that I'm not totally sure they enjoyed but anyway, we loved it haha. The family was very appreciative so at least we won points there.

Saturday was an interesting day. Nothing seemed to work out the way that we had previously anticipated but anyway it was a fun day. The first noteworthy thing that happened was English class. It was alright... Hardly anyone showed up but me, Elder Berry, and Sister Gapinski were assigned to teach the intermediate table. It was just... 근냥, nothing special. Afterwards the elders were on their way to help a member move his office to a different floor in the same building- this member happens to be my favorite, 백용실B (Brother Beck), so we tagged along to help too. It was all finished after about 30 minutes and after everything was in its place, he announced that we would give us missionaries a special deal. He works as a custom foot-soling person so he sat us down and made custom soles for each missionary. Brother Beck is so kind! Before we left, he and his wife took us to dinner. The sisters went with his wife, 유경숙S (Sister You) and as we braced ourself to run to her car in the pouring rain, we ducked in a real-estate office and picked up a new investigator. Sister You really is an awesome missionary but every time she is with us, she always creates the most awkward missionary moments but hey, at least she helps. I love her.

Dinner went well and we ended the evening with a few hours on the streets trying to find some less-active members as well as people to talk to. It proved to be productive on the street but the less-actives were not happy to see us. Oh well.

Sunday was awesome! 정현지S (HyonChee) and her little sister, 정호경S (HoKyong) came to church together! They are just like any set of siblings, always bickering so it was my job to keep them from killing each other and to at least pay attention to some of the meetings. I didn't know how much I actually helped but anyway it was a good day at church. After the meetings, the relief society served the ward lunch and it was delicious! Just as the meal ended it began to pour rain outside. Most people walked to church today leaving everyone stranded at the church without any umbrellas until further notice haha. It wasn't all bad though. I talked with Momma Lee and taught her how to use DeadElder.com to talk to her daughter, as well as a few other members about attending our investigator appointment for the week. I seriously LOVE this ward. Even though I have only been here for just under 5 months, I really feel like this is the place I'll miss the most. In the last two areas where I served I was able to build strong relationships, but in 만수 (Mansu) ward I feel like I am totally myself and the members love it. I love it!!

After lunch we traveled with our ward mission leader to proselyte with him and his kids. It wasn't all that productive but it was super fun. Sister Gapinski and I split off and did our own thing, it was a blast. I really like her. When we all met back together we went to our separate homes for dinner. Before our missionary coordinating meeting at 8PM we talked to people on the street and dropped off a birthday present as our our investigator's house. Oh, it was also Elder Berry's birthday too. After the meeting 박동규E (Elder Park) brought out ice cream that we all ate together. It was yummy.

All in all it didn't feel like a very busy week. We had an investigator drop us and we referred one to the 연수 (Younsu) elders. Our number are getting smaller BUT I asked Sister Mineer to be senior this week. I know she'll keep us busy and we are setting out to find a bunch if new investigators. ^^ Pray for us! Have a great week.

Love you~
Sister Sloan
슬론 자매

Asian Games Winner!

Exchanges with Sister Mineer and Bassett

Most Wanted Poster. No matter the disguise, they will find you.  hehe

Met and Englishman on the street today with the biggest dog I've seen in Korea.  His name is Apollo~

Dinner with Mamma Lee

A Party of Three

6/9-6/15
Monday was a super fun PDAY! We met up with the elders, ate lunch together, and played games at the church all day. In no other world would that even sound fun but it was a blast. While they all played Settlers of Catan, I played my music and relaxed. Eventually when they finally we got to the fun games like ping pong, some quarter game, and a few others I joined in. Despite the lameness that oozes from our newfound definition of fun, both Sister Mineer want another PDAY just like it next week. When the time came to hit the streets, we went to work. Yesterday our ward mission leader, 오광철B (Brother Oh) gave us an assignment to pass out 200 flyers and pamphlets everyday. Let me say that again.. EVERYDAY!! All of the missionaries excepted that impossible task and tonight was the first attempt. On average we only are able to have 20-30 productive conversations with people throughout the day so 200 was quite a jump. We ended the evening satisfied and exhausted with 34 in just an hour. We are AWESOME~!

Tuesday was biz-aye! Sister Mineer had scheduled three back-to-back appointments. First we went with 김하나S (Chole). She is progressing slowly, but still progressing. Today our focus was on what she had read from the Book of Mormon- we used the followup as the lesson and it went so well. The spirit really guided our words. By the end, we also had discussed baptism again and committed her to a goal of being baptized next month on the twelfth! She was super hesitant, but she is now willing to work towards the goal she has set. It. Was. Awesome!

Once we saw Chloe off, Sister Mineer and I had less time than we needed in order to make it to our relief society presidents house for a practice lesson. After setting the baptismal goal with Chloe we were both on cloud nine- which may or may not have attributed to the tremendously fast pace of our walk. As we walked we didn't let teaching opportunities pass us by and by the grace of God we were 5 minutes early!! I still cannot make logical sense of how perfectly everything worked out but I do know it was a tender mercy and miracle from God. We were both so grateful. The practice went well and 배이슥S (Sister Bay) was so helpful and pleasant. I really appreciate her.

Lastly was our appointment with 조재순S (Sister Cho). She didn't complete her homework so we sat and read her assignment from the Book of Mormon together. It was time well spent! Initially Sister Cho had no patience for mine and Sister Mineer's slow Korean but something has clearly changed in her; she is happy, she is patient, and she is always happy to see us. It is a cool change to have seen. All in all it was a good lesson and another fantastically-busy day behind us. Sister Mineer is SUCH a hard worker. I am so grateful and I feel so blessed to have a greenie who is here for all the right reasons and does all she can and more. Today starts the 70 day-countdown that I have to find, teach. and baptize all of those whom God has prepared for me. I know that if I'm with Sister Mineer until the end, well see so many miracles and burn holes through our shoes doing it! I love her.

Wednesday was a strange day... In the morning was transfers so Sister Mineer and I went to 신도림 (Shindorim subway station) to pick up our newest addition, Sister Gapinski. It was so much fun seeing all the missionaries at transfers. A few people came up to me and said, "This is probably the last time I see you before you go home." That threw me for a loop! I still have three months left but I suppose they are right because we won't have a mission party or activity until a couple weeks after I leave. So sad!! Anyway, we soon left and were on our way back home. The rest of the day kind of turned into waiting around. Sister Gapinski had mailed all of her things so we had to await its arrival. We introduced the area to her but were mostly killing time. Once the things arrived we received a call from the office elders telling us they were on their way and for us to await their arrival with everything our new companion needed. It was so lame! I feel like we gave Sister Gapinski the wrong impression of the kind of speed and business that Sister Mineer and I are accustom to. Tomorrow will be better.

To end the evening we finally left the house and taught 심하정S (Sister Shim) and her husband, 이지웅B (Brother Lee). Today the plan was to talk about the restoration. We got a little sidetrack at first but eventually we got around to it. We ended up being at their house for two hours! Whoops! Next time we have to leave time for all of their awesome questions. One funny thing that happened was when I was popping in the Restoration DVD on their laptop. I made a joke that I should just take it home and then the husband said, "You can have it if you stay in Korea." I quickly remarked back, "Can I live here?" The wife's eyes lit up and she clapped her hands as she squealed, "Oohh!! Yes!! Please!" I love them. I love that I can totally be myself around them. It is now a thing were they ALWAYS make comments of me staying. Even though I have only known them for two weeks, we are definitely already lifelong friends. I love it when that happens. :) It was an awesome ending to the day.

Thursday was back to the normal speed. We studied in the morning then immediately had back-to-back appointments for the rest of the day. Four to be exact. First was 이경호S (Sister Lee). She is crazy and super talkative grandma who is so afraid of the world and all of the evil in it. Because of exchanges I haven't been able to meet her for a long while now but I can tell Sister Mineer has been doing a great job of teaching her while I've been gone. Today we tried to address her concerns about agency. She really struggles with understanding why there is so much evil in the world. We taught the second and third lessons of the plan of salvation and Jesus Christ's gospel. It was good.

Next we met our investigator 조재순S (Sister Cho). We had previously been contemplating whether all three missionaries and our member should attend the appointment or if we should split. At first it was a lot of people across the table from Sister Cho but in no time our member, 류시옥S (Sister Ru) had everyone laughing. It was great. Again we read the Book of Mormon together and when time was about up her nephew, 최준민B (Brother Choi) joined us. He is Korean and was born here but when he turned two his family moved to the Philippines. Because of this he can speak Korean (but cannot write or read it), English, and Tagalog. He speaks to us in English and he had so many questions about the Book of Mormon. Sister Mineer and Gapinski began teaching so I stepped aside to teach the granddaughter English. We each separately had successful lessons. My lesson being successful because she didn't start mocking and mimicking until the very end and theirs being successful by setting up a baptismal date with him! Wow! They are so awesome. This whole threesome-party thing seems to be proving itself successful.

To end the day we were at 이두례S (Momma Lee)'s house for dinner with her daughter 김소정S (Sister Kim). Sister Kim begins her mission on Monday so tonight was a little bitter sweet. I am really going to miss her but in the flip side, I KNOW that is she going to be an awesome missionary. I need to write her often. She will be in the California San Fernando Mission so hopefully I'll be able to make a trip out to see her before she concludes her missionary service. Oh! Or maybe her mom will pick her up and my family could meet her! That would be awesome!! Anyway, after the delicious meal we practiced a short lesson and then were on our way. It was such a fun visit. I really feel so at home in this ward. The love I have for missionary work has really grown since I began investing more time in our members. These are relationships I want to cherish and maintain forever! I love 만수 (Mansu) ward!!

Friday was weekly planning. Our morning appointments cancelled so we completed weekly planning on time. The only event worth mentioning is the dinner appointment we had. There is a member in our ward, 김현주S (Sister Kim) who was super solid, counselor in the Young Women's and everything but decided to be offended after a small thing that she had with a man in the ward. She told bishop that she wouldn't be back for a while and she was true to her word. The other day Sister Mineer and I dropped a birthday present at her house and the next day she called to invite us over! It was a blessing and this was the answer to our prayers. We ate and enjoyed our time together. I have really missed her. I told her that she promised to come to church. For the spiritual thought we sang her a song. It was awfully executed because Elders Godfrey and Park are 100% tone deaf but it all worked out because we decided to stop after a verse and a half haha. At least everyone got a good laugh.

Saturday there was a special missionary meeting for all district, zone, and sister training leaders. It was held because MLC had taken place just a week before transfers and the movement of leaders was exceptionally high this transfer. We learned all about being builders of wards and branches again. I learned about the importance of prayer to help all of those in our stewardship whether it be the sisters we are asked to watch over or the ward as a whole. I especially loved the training that Sister Morrise gave to us STLs. She is such a sincere woman, always speaking straight from her heart and teaching out of love. I really admire her.

When the training ended Sister Mineer, Gapinski, and I made a quick pitstop to Costco for some much needed food. We were quick and home in time to stop by Seble and Abraham's house before the evening ended. At first it was all going really well but then the lesson took a turn for the worst when Abraham informed us of what his family and friends thought of our church. We tried to testify and were loving but all they kept saying was that they were not willing to leave their family traditions and beliefs behind for our church. I tried so hard to explain that they wouldn't be leaving them or abandoning their beliefs or traditions. They are extremely strong Christians and we are simply adding to what they already treasure, as PMG says. I was heartbroken to say the least. It was hard to simply thank them for their time and then say goodbye. We have already come to love them! How could they just walk out of our lives? I grabbed a taxi for our ride home and I cried silently as we drove. It was a hard ending to our day.

Sunday was a happy day. It was Father's Day in America and it is needless to say I was missing my poppa, however our busy schedule was able to keep me focused. In sacrament meeting Sister Gapinski introduced herself and 김소정 (Sister Kim) gave her departing talk. It was so sad! She looked so scared. It reminded me a lot of my talk in church right before I entered the MTC. I not only was nervous to speak but I was also realizing the realness of what I was about to get myself into. I have full confidence in her though- I made sure to let her know. Once church ended we had a meal together and then walked 정현지S (HyonChee) home. We still needed her father to sign her baptismal record so we greeted him and he invited us all in for some pumpkin tea. It was delicious. The rest of the family drank iced tea and I saw HyonChee looking at it longingly. She saw that I saw and she freaked out haha. She told me that she missed it but that her pumpkin tea would suffice. HyonChee is adorable. We said our goodbyes and went to visit a few less-active members.

The first few people wouldn't let us in but last minute I remembered a member that wasn't at church today, 김미란S (Sister Kim). When we knocked on her door, her youngest daughter, 정차연S (Sister Jeong) answered. She has been less-active ever since one of her teachers gave her anti-Mormon material. She informed us that her parents went to her mother's hometown for the weekend. I asked if we could just share a short message with her but she was SUPER hesitant. I didn't want to make things awkward so I just asked to get her cell phone number. As she watched me type her name wrong she let out a sigh and said we could come if for just a moment. We ate yogurt together, shared a scripture, gave her a reading assignment, and were on our way. It was definitely a miracle that she was home and that in my ignorance I spelt her name wrong haha.

As we walked away we received a call from Elders Godfrey and Park. They invited us to dinner at 나선경S (Sister Nah)'s house for dinner. Her and her whole family are so lovely. I am super grateful for solid members like them. The food was delicious and it was a good time. We ended the evening with our ward mission leader and his kids passing out fliers. It was fun and the missionary coordinating meeting that followed was very productive.

This week has been a blast and I am loving being in a three-party (that may sounds super lame but it sounds more normal than three-some). ANYWAY, we are doing well and seeing SO MANY miracles everyday. Today we are going shopping, so dad watch out for the credit card bill ^^ hehe just kidding.

LOVE YOU ALL!
Sister Sloan

Costco in Korea

Elder Oh grabbing some yogurt.

Our three-party~!  Sister Mineer, Sister Gapinski, and me.

Full Speed No Matter the Task

6/2-8
Monday was a blast! I was so grateful to be back with Sister Bagley again. Even though we stayed up all night talking, there was still so much more to talk about! So that's what we did... all day... at least with the time we had together haha. It was a rainy day so we paired up under my umbrella and resumed where we left off last night but this time with the addition of our companions. We emailed, ate lunch, and they paid a visit to a 목욕탕 (public sauna and bath house). It was awkward last time and this time was no different. There was one worker in particular that thought we were all so cute so she just followed and stared. She was an adorable little grandma so it wasn't THAT creepy but anyway, not one of my top ten favorite moments. After about an hour, we were done.

To end out PDAY we met up with the 연수 (Younsu) missionaries for bowling. It was so fun! I am not good at bowling but anyway it was fun and I didn't get last place~! By 6PM me and Sister Mineer found ourselves at our relief society president's house for a practice lesson. She was pleasant even though it didn't seem like she was paying much attention. We wrapped things us quickly and head to a potential investigators home for an appointment. This potential investigator was a woman calling off of our English flyer. (심하정S) Sister Shim is 27 and three months before she was married. After speaking some small things in Korean, we switched to English to give her time to practice. She already knows grammar but she just lacks vocabulary so it was adorable to watch her speak. She would get so discouraged and just say, "No~ too hard~!" When her husband, Brother Lee (이지웅B) arrived home she prepared dinner for us as we talked to her husband. Apparently they both studied Russian in college and moved to Russia for a few years separately. Eventually they met in Russia, dated for two years, and came back here to be married. Now she is a house wife and he is working as an accountant two hours away in Seoul. In the ward we already have a cute couple whom we refer to as cute couple but no worries we were creative and decided to refer to them as, cute couple #2! ^^

The appointment went later than expected but I didn't mind too much, I felt like we were exactly where we needed to be. Our next appointment was to join 백용실B (Brother Beck), his family (유경숙S and 백하영S), 이두례S (Momma Lee), her daughter 김소정S (SohJeong), and 정현지S (HyonChee) and her family for a huge combined FHE (family home evening). We invited cute couple #2, they were interested but the husband said they couldn't because his wife was in no condition to leave the house... I thought she looked great but he said she needed makeup first haha. It was definitely rude but I had to remind myself that we were in Korea and that is a thing here. We are blunt and we speak very factually; people feelings are in no way tiptoed around in this culture haha. I'm surprisingly used to it. Anyway, we said our goodbyes and made an appointment for Saturday. When we arrived at FHE, everyone had finished eating dinner. HyonChee and her little sister, HoKyong, looked right at home. HaYoung was playing the traditional Korean harp, the women were cleaning up dinner, and everyone was talking and laughing. I have to say that it was the most beautiful thing I have seen in a long time. When we proselyte on the street I tell people a lot that we are sharing a message about how to strengthen families. But if everyone could see have seen what I saw tonight... Three families, four missionaries- gathered eating, laughing, and playing games. It was so beautiful. The women quickly sat me and Sister Mineer down to eat (dinner #2) at a table off to the side of it all. We had the best seats in the house to take it all in. Mansu ward members are fantastic. HyonChee's family is perfect, they fit in so well. I am grateful for this opportunity. The privileges I have been allotted on my mission are unreal. I don't know what I did to deserve this chance to witness such a beautiful family begin their journey into the church and family of our Almighty God. This church is true and the message that we continue to share really does bring families closer together.

Tuesday was Mission Leader Council (MLC). It was a good meeting but I think my favorite part was when President Morrise gave us leaders 20 minutes to come up with a mission slogan. These were our best ideas: 그냥해! (Just do it #NIKE), YOSO (You Only Serve Once), We are the message, and Always be desperate. Pretty good huh? When we were shouting out our ideas, President Morrise was cracking up. He promised not to talk so I think it was hard to keep his commentary to himself. I love the chance we have to attend these meetings because I always learn so much and I especially love when we are given these opportunities to leave our marks on the mission.

Another favorite part of the meeting was when Sister Morrise brought us STL's up to her home and gives us an opportunity to talk and collaborate together. We were discussing exchanges and so many sisters were expressing the hardship that comes along with them. I am in charge of the second largest zone with 10 sisters. Sister Mineer and I have been going on two exchanges every week (after this next week we will have been with each sister). I rose my hand and said, "Well the way I see it, as STL one of the only things we are asked to do is take care of the sisters by going on exchanges. I would feel guilty doing anything less than what was asked of me." Sister Morrise then read to us what the guidelines say regarding our calling- my thinking was correct but apparently it is standard to have a companionship of STL's (meaning exchanges would be done in half the time). She then followed that up by saying, "I don't want to discourage anyone from doing anything less than what they are capable of doing but in your case (looking at me) we all know Sister Sloan is always going at full speed no matter the task." I was taken back with that comment. I do feel like I work hard but not any harder than when I would expect all missionaries to be working. Anyway, I was flattered.

When the meeting ended Sister Mineer went directly to our appointment with 조재순S (Sister Cho). She was surprisingly happy to see us. After a pointless 30 minutes of teaching her granddaughter English we transitioned to our gospel message. Tonight's lesson did not go as planned but it was for the best. Once again she did not do her homework assignment so we got to the bottom of why she wanted to meet us. She very plainly said she didn't, she was simply meeting us for her granddaughter. I told her that of course we love serving, but why not make our 30 minutes of gospel study productive and uplifting? Sister Mineer and I told her that as missionaries, we are just wanting to increase people's faith in God. Her defensive attitude quickly warmed to being a little more open. It was cool to see. Hopefully this is will continue to be the start of her mind and heart being opened to accepting the gospel of Jesus Christ. To end the night we met up with the 가정 sister missionaries for an exchange. I went with 이소민S (Sister Lee) to 가정 (KahJeong) area. It was a late night, but it worked out because falling asleep was not hard.

Wednesday was a great morning! Sister Lee and I had an appointment first thing with 최정미S (Sister Choi). Tomorrow is Sister Lee's birthday and today happened to be Sister Choi's daughter's birthday. There were two cakes, but unfortunately her and her daughter had gotten in a fight the night before and things were still bad. Her daughter was yelling at her when we arrived. Sister Choi came and sat with us at her dinner table and took a deep breath. She said, "Everything is okay." Paused and said, "Well actually it isn't..." We could see the hurt and heartbreak in her eyes. After eating cake we got to talking about many things including motherhood, feelings of the spirit, baptism, and the atonement. After a yelling match between the two of them in another room, I felt prompted to sing "Where Can I Turn For Peace" with Sister Lee (이소민S). As we sang the spirit was immediately back and Sister Choi began to cry. I know that she knows what the spirit is. She's talking about just wanting a new life and to start over. I also felt prompted to tell her that preparing herself for baptism will be the new life and that actually baptism itself will be her new start she is longing for. She was touched. We were all feeling the spirit SO strong. When it came time to end with a prayer I was asked to offer it. As soon as we bowed our heads, her daughter burst out of her room yelling again. But Sister Lee and Sister Choi didn't flitch; their eyes remained closed, arms folded, and heads bowed. I was questioning whether to wait or not but obviously these two great women hadn't the slittiest worry. I prayed and when we left I gave Sister Choi a huge hug. I really do love her. I have had the opportunity to teach her twice now and she came to HyonChee's baptism service. I hope I can see her all the way through her conversion process.

Sister Lee and I made it to the zone proselyting activity where we had planned to unsplit. Sister Mineer and I didn't stay for too long before we hopped on a bus home. On the bus ride home Sister Mineer, Elders Berry, and Meeks filled me in on all the things that I had missed while I was gone. The morning that she and Sister Blickenstaff had together was hectic but what topped it off but to make it worse, a man had jumped off the balcony right outside of our front door to his death... We live on the fourteenth floor... Some weeks before I was tired of having so many extra chairs in our tiny house so I took them outside and apparently the man that jumped, first used our chair to stand on the balcony, and then processed to jump. None of the missionaries saw anything but they did see the aftermath of his body on the ground. How scary!! It was an eerie topic to hear about and even worse to come home to the csi teams and police getting everything taken care of...

We didn't stay home too long before leaving for an appointment. The less-active member that we normally visit every week had recently moved in with her boyfriend down in the Daejeon mission boundaries so we haven't been able to see her. We continue to text every night to remind her to pray but it was so nice to see her today! She took us to dinner and it was delicious! It was a loud restaurant so we ate quickly and then found a table outside in the restaurant's garden to chat. We eventually made our way around to the topic of patriarchal blessings. She wants to prepare to receive one but we have to help her be an actively faithful member first. The lesson was great and we all felt the spirit so strong. I hope that she will take this preparation seriously so that she can receive the extra guidance that she needs from God.

Thursday was zone training. Just before the meeting we had district leader council. There is an area in our zone where people are petitioning our church pretty hard and handing out a bunch of anti-Mormon material. Most of our time was spent trying to figure out the best solution. A good idea that 배성혜E (Elder Bay) had was to set up a booth with a sight that said, "Ask me what I'm doing!" Maybe it will be scary at first but at least people will have the opportunity to ask US what WE believe and come straight to the source. The other idea was by Elder Clawson; he said he has seriously been researching and contemplating whether or not we should ask President if we can dust off our feet to them. Pretty intense stuff but he was so serious! Anyway no final decision yet but it was a productive meeting.

Zone meeting was also productive. I was asked to give a training on how to better utilize and take advantage of our planners. Organization is more or less of an instinct for me so it was hard to put things into words. I used the conference talk, By Elder L. Tom Perry Of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles titled, "Obedience through Our Faithfulness." I showed an example of how I use my planner, testified about the importance of planning, but focused mostly on being moldable and willing to change as the spirit directs. The zone leaders focused on being builders of wards and branches. It was good.

Directly after the meeting I was able to have Sister Telford pass off the second lesson. She is always so prepared, I really appreciate her and her hard work! Oh! But right before that there was cake... It was 이소민S (Sister Lee)'s birthday and her companion bought ice cream cake with Spider-Man on top. Sister Lee literally began to cry as Sister Blickenstaff walked towards her with the cake. It was a tender (but mostly hilarious) moment. Sister Mineer and I made our way back to Mansu and met with 조재순S (Sister Cho). First was time wasted teaching English. Today instead of repeating after us like she normally does all she kept yelling was "A" or "AyeGaye." Don't ask me why. The gospel lesson went well. We asked how her reading went and she had actually done it!! We are having her read Mosiah all the way through so today we discussed and answered questions about what she had read. It was good! Like Sister Cho had prepared dinner again so we are as fast as we could. It was good but we were late for our next appointment.

We hopped in a taxi and met up with 백용실B (Brother Beck) before heading up to 정현지S (HyonChee)'s house. Brother Beck wanted to answer all the questions that the parents had so he did that as Sister Mineer and I taught the two daughters about the Recent Convert Checklist. HyonChee decided that she was most interested in learning about tithing and baptisms for the dead. So that is what we will do. I love hanging out with this family! They have seriously become my dear friends. I love them.

Friday was an eventful morning. The routine was interrupted when we were invited to come to the church for a wedding. Brother So was getting married after only three months of his first wife passing away. It was a strange and tacky wedding but it made for an experience. He wife is definitely adorable but they are just so old. After the ceremony we all went to lunch. All the missionaries hurried so we could go back home for our weekly planning meeting. We finished just before dinner and before eating we had to meet up with the 부평 (BuPyong) sister missionaries for an exchange. We met at their house so I could do a cleanliness check of their house before bring Sister Holmes to 만수 (Mansu) with me. They were waiting for us with dinner served! How sweet are they! The evening was well spent talking to people on the street. Even though Sister Holmes is a new missionary she is not only ready to work but is not scared to do what she knows is expected of her. It was a fun night.

Saturday was a great morning! Sister Holmes and I met cute couple #2 and it was such a fantastic lesson!! Our English time was spent using a book that had small comic strips with empty speak bubbles, it was up to them to narrate and fill in the speak bubbles. It is a brilliant method because they are able to use the vocabulary that they already know and put it into sentences. I thought it was brilliant. After they would practice, they asked me and Sister Holmes to do it too so they could learn different idioms and expressions. We had a good time. When it came time for our gospel message we taught about the restoration of Jesus Christ's gospel. They are already awesome Christians so we told them that we just wanted to add to what they already know to be true. Specifically when we started talking about prophets and Joseph Smith. Brother Lee looked up James 1:5 in the Bible and began deeply reading it. He interrupted me and said, "It says ALL PEOPLE so that means I can become a prophet too!" I tried not to laugh as we went into details of the priesthood but he said, "No but I had a similar experience as Joseph Smith!" He proceeded to share an awesome dream that he had but I replied with a similar experience that I had too. He sat in amazement and said, "Wow! So you're a prophet too?" Haha I couldn't help but laugh that time; I had to clarify that no body in the room was a prophet haha. Eventually we wrapped things up with the feelings of the spirit and prayer. They are so open to learning! Initially they were just interested in English but clearly that are our perfect investigators that have interest in the gospel too! I was so grateful to be able to teach them with Sister Holmes, she is a great teacher.

Not long after the appointment we had another with 구혜연S (Amanda). She is leaving on vacation to England for a month so today we showed her the different temples and church that our church has there. She was excited to potentially make friends with other church members as she visited those sites haha. Amanda is adorable. After that appointment we had English class. We had a huge turn out today! It was SO loud but it was a blast. By the end, our companions showed up and we unsplit. It was a fun exchange. To end the evening Sister Mineer and I made our way to Seble's house to pick her and her family up to go to dinner with us. 이은성S (Sister Lee) and her husband 오광철B (Brother Oh) had invited us all over for a delicious meal together. Their whole family is pretty good at English so it was fun to encourage all of the kids to ask Seble and Abraham 'get to know you' questions. Also their three month old baby was being passed around. It was so cute to watch each kid, especially the boys just love this adorable little baby girl. It was a perfect meal and lesson that followed. On our way home we were running a little late and President Morrise was calling us... I totally forgot that it was transfer calls tonight!!

Here is the news: Sister Mineer and I will become a threesome! I will remain her trainer and STL but the addition will also be a STL. Her name is Sister Gapinski!! I love her!! We are both so excited! This transfer President Morrise organized everything so that all STL's are a companionships. Man it is going to be a blast!

Sunday was such a blessing. 정현지S (HyonChee) came by herself... I was disappointed but her family went to help their grandma so I couldn't be mad for long. I was with HyonChee for Young Women's class. A new family moved into the ward so after small introductions 이은성S (Sister Lee) proceeded with the lesson. Guess what it was about? The priesthood! Guess what HyonChee is receiving today? The gift of the Holy Ghost by the power of the priesthood! I have a huge testimony about the time of God in all things. He is amazingly brilliant about giving people what they need in the moment that they need it. Sister Lee shared a Mormon message where Elder Hales speaks about baptism and confirmations. He specifically said that once we have taken His name upon us through baptism and confirmation, we have the right to act in His name. What an amazing promise!! The video included many pictures of baptism and confirmation- seriously it was so perfect! HyonChee loved it too. Combined young men/young women's was a similar topic too and Sister Lee taught again. It was awesome. Last was sacrament meeting. When Bishop called HyonChee up to the front he sat her down, the elders assumed their positions around her, placed their hands on each and her head, and Bishop began the blessing. I wanted to cry. It was so beautiful. She looked so comfortable. I only wish her family could have seen her but I'll ask her to tell them about it later. I couldn't stop smiling. HyonChee is amazing. I love her so much!! After church we saw her and most members off. We ate lunch with a couple members before we too were on our way. I love church and Mansu SO MUCH! I cannot write about it enough. They are amazing members.

Sister Mineer and I finished our weekly planning, visited a few less-active members, and concluded our evening at our missionary coordination meeting. It felt good to report all of the lessons and hard work that we had done all week. I love missionary work. After arriving back at home and planning, Sister Mineer turned to me with tear-filled eyes and asked if she could talk to me about something. She proceeded to tell me that ever since that man jumped from our balcony, she has been having nightmares. She isn't able to sleep well and she keeps having the same dreams every night where her and Sister Blickenstaff are trying to convince him not to jump but in the end he always does. I think her seeing his dead body on the ground traumatized her- which is absolutely understandable! She asked for my help but I knew she didn't need me, she needed a blessing of comfort from God. We called the elders, President Morrise to get permission, elders again, and finally met them at the church. I know that the blessing was for Sister Mineer but when I saw these four boys again preforming a blessing in the Name of God, I was overcome with the spirit. How amazing is it that God trusts them to work in His name for and in behalf of His children. Like I learned from the young women's lesson today, once we have taken the steps to follow Jesus Christ's example, it is our right to act in His name. I love this church. I am so grateful for the restoration of Jesus Christ church. I know it is on the Earth again. Just as people from the times of the old were members of the Church of Jesus Christ, we are still number with them as Latter-Day Saints. We are The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. God has restored His priesthood and power for us to use in these, the latter-days. I know this is true. I know it through the spirit. 하나님의 성신을 통해 이것을 참된 다는 것을 알고 있습니다.

If you don't believe me, that's what prayer and scriptures are for. Whether your doubt or disbelief is small or big, I promise God will answer any question you ask Him if He hasn't already done so.

I love you all. I am so happy to be a missionary. I am so grateful for the spirit that I can feel on a regular basis. It is an amazing feeling to know that I am exactly where God needs me. Have a great week!!

Sister Sloan
슬론 자매

Dinner and lesson with HahYoun.

Attended a wedding today ~ they are both so old, but anyway it was good...but mostly funny.

The wedding.

Fun night at Sister Lee's house with her family and our Ethiopian investigator.