Letter from Sister Morrise (Mission President's Wife)

Brother and Sister Sloan,

I hope you and your family are well. I took a picture of Sister Sloan with her new companion, Sister Tovar, a few hours ago and I thought you might like to see it.

I also wanted to tell you how much we love your beautiful daughter. Sister Sloan is a wonderful missionary. She works so diligently and is a natural leader. The missionaries respect and love her. She has been asked to do hard things--like having to wait a week for her new companion to arrive, and traveling long distances to pick her up (twice)-- and she never complains. We feel so blessed to have her in our mission. Thanks for sharing her with us for a little while. 

May the Lord bless you and your family.

Love, Sister Susan Morrise

Moving Apartments & Mihwa!

Mnday was strange. It was PDAY and most missionaries had to buy some appropriate clothing for the fast approaching winter. Our district met for lunch and shopping. I mostly wandered as everyone took forever! I eventually bought some awesome wool leggings to wear under my skirts. Maybe it sounds dramatic, but they are the coolest things. Even though everyone was taking forever, soon hunger got the best of us. Because half the missionaries were going to a meal appointment later, we didn't eat together; instead we left to be back in our respective proselyting areas. After 6PM Sister Hammerl  and I hit the streets hard and talked to so many people! I am getting a lot better at having more natural conversations. After exceeding our goal of conversations, we head to our appointment. It was a YSA FHE/dinner with the missionaries, 이상훈B, and 정태호B. It wasn't as productive as I would have liked but it was a good time.

Tuesday felt lazy for the most part. This week we are moving houses and today was the day we received we the new keys... or should I say the codes for the new apartment. It is only two years old so it is pretty high tech. The only downfalls are the fact that it is a little smaller and about 20 more minutes away from the church. Regardless, I am grateful.

Once Sister Hammerl and I met the landlord and his wife, we struggled to understand all of the information that they were trying to convey. Eventually we found that charades was the best form of communication haha. We all looked retarded, but now we understand the water heater, filtered water system, complicated code to enter the apartment building, as well as many other things. I'm so grateful for all the time they took with us to help us understand. After that ordeal they invited us into their apartment on the floor above us. The wife served us some sweet potatoes and tomato juice- so kind. After chatting with them, we head back down to our new apartment to clean before move-in day. It took forever but it was worth it in the end. When we finished, we hit the streets to talk to some more people, buy a new English book for English class, and then we ate dinner before heading to class.

This week is the first week that our English class has moved from just Wednesday to both Tuesday and Thursday. I'm not completely convinced that this is an effective use of our precious missionary time but for now we are trying it out. Class went well! We used the new book and played games to help consolidate what they had just learned. We even received a new student that wouldn't leave my side- she kept saying how nice I was and how much fun class was. Booyah! It ended up being a good night.

Wednesday was fun! Before district meeting we all decided to do a potluck for lunch. I brought a bunch of 김 (seaweed) and sweetened radish in order to make 김밥 (Korean style sushi). It was fun to make the food and even better once it was time to eat. The training was boring. Elder Breckwoldt is a great missionary but I think he forgets about his weekly training every week. His lack of preparation is really distracting but anyway, it was fine. After, Sister Hammerl and I confirmed several wrong addresses of some less-active members. It was sad but at least it was productive. Since the potluck was so big, we skipped dinner and them spent our night passing out English flyers with the other missionaries.

Just before we were going to end, I received a call from someone waiting at the church for English class. Since this is the first week that we changed the class times and dates, we hurried to greet her and correct the misunderstanding. It turns out that she is literally CRAZY! I tried to explain things but she would repetitively interrupt and ask me, "Wait, is this South Korea?" First red flag. Next she began speaking English but mixing up the order of words to match the Korean sentence structure. It was strange. We tried to get her on her way but it took about 40ish minutes to figure out where she needed to go and see her off in the right direction. It was so strange! Anyway, besides that crazy lady my night ended in a high when I saw a package for me from my mommy!! I made a mistake of opening it in front of people because most of the candy included is now gone haha... just kidding, sharing is fun... and stuff. But seriously, my mother included a scarf that I think literally saved me on our 20 minute walk home. Thanks mom!!

Thursday, moving day! The morning went by quickly as I packed and cleaned everything in the apartment. When I was done, it was about time for the office elders as well as the elders from the district to come help move us. Since all the food in the house was gone, we quickly ran to eat lunch and then made it make just in time for us to load the mission van. The whole day was quite an ordeal. The streets around here are pretty tight which makes it hard to squeeze a van through. It is needless to say that two hours later, about a 1,000,000 point-turn, and 5 Korean men helping later, the van fit through and made it to the front of our apartment. EVENTUALLY, the house was moved and unpacked. When it all finished it was 6:30PM... We all had 30 minutes to get to English class. It was stressful but ended up being alright. We even received another new student At the end Sister Hammel and I shared the spiritual message. It went well.

On our way home, we were STARVING! I forgot that he hadn't had dinner, again! I hope Sister Hammerl doesn't think that I am anorexic or something because since we have been together we literally have skipped at least one meal everyday- whoops! Anyway, we desperately wandered and finally found the only restaurant that was open. We ordered food then literally had to run home in order not to be late haha. It's good that we ate in privacy because I think we looked like starving cavemen that hadn't seen food in months haha- very becoming I know.

Friday was a failed day. The 신갈 elders in the district were also moving and they specifically asked for mine and Sister Hammerl's help to clean the new and old apartment. We did a little until it was time for us to goto a series of appointments. Long story short, American logic and sense of direction DOES NOT work here in Korea. We got so lost and of course both appointments had to be rescheduled. I was feeling so incompetent and retarded but maybe it was a blessing that we didn't teach because I was far from having the spirit with me in order to teach effectively. Poor Sister Hammerl was following me around and trying so hard to cheer me up. She is so kind and I need to apologize to her of how I was acting today...

Our day ended with unpacking and weekly planning. It was strange to have weekly planning because my new greenie arrives next week and when she does, Sister Hammerl will head to her new area. Despite the strange situation, I encouraged Sister Hammerl to help me plan even though she felt it was pointless; she is still a missionary for this area and has as much stewardship over them as I do. It ended us being an awesome planning session. Her input was so inspired! This church is so true! What a great end to the day!

Saturday was a crazy day!! It was an early start in order to arrive in 영든포 for a combined mission tour. This is a strange occurrence but because two area seventies where in the area, both the Seoul and Seoul South missions met to hear their inspired words. (Side note, when the mission split 79 missionaries came from the Seoul mission and 20 came from Daejeon- NOW there are over 150 missionaries in each! Missionaries are increasing like crazy!!) Of course their training and counsel was good but my favorite part was all of the new information of how technology will be available soon for missionaries here in Korea! ...while that is exciting, when I say soon that probably means in a year or so. Anyway, it was a great meeting. After the meeting we were all given time to socialize and see friends from the other mission. It was fun until it was time to leave and literally everyone that asked to travel with us home would not leave. I think people think I'm crazy but I don't care, Sister Hammerl and I had an appointment to get to ha.

On the subway home I turned on my American logic again and got up on the wrong line. It wasn't a terrible mistake but it is always annoying. We eventually made it to our appointment only a few minutes late. We met with 신숙희S and her six-year old daughter. It was really hard to teach and feel the spirit because her daughter was so rowdy. She kept sticking stickers on our faces as we tried to talk. We thought that ignoring her would work but instead we looked like idiots with hello kitty stickers all over our foreheads. Despite the distraction, the lesson went as well as I think it could have. Directly after we had to quickly travel to the church for the Saturday session on stake conference. It was hard to follow along but after was the best! Somewhere in the middle I saw someone walk in, looking for a seat. When I saw them I jumped up to get their attention and offer mine. As I stood up several familiar faces were in the congregation. Immediately following the closing prayer, I wasted no time running to greet members from my first area. The woman don't usually hug but I didn't care, I gave them all such huge hugs- I didn't realized how much I still miss them! My Korean mother especially was so happy to see me. She would not let my hands go as we moved from person to person to say hello. These Korean saints have such big hearts! I love them!!

Sunday was a fun day. The night before Sister Bassett and Sister Goines, from 평택, stayed the night for the Sunday session of stake conference. Getting ready all together took me back to college. I really miss having more girls around. I hope that I'll have an opportunity to live in a four-person house at some point on my mission. After breakfast and a group companionship study, we walked to the chapel together. The wind is getting so intense!! It was a long walk but once we arrived there were more familiar faces. The first I saw was 박진비S, a cute little girl from the first ward I served in. I ran and gave her a hug and we played for a little while until it was time for the meeting to begin. There was a separate room for native English speakers which most of the missionaries were asked to sit in. The conference was broadcasted and we were able to hear from Quintin L. Cook, Robert D. Hales, as well as a few other people. It was a great meeting! All of the speakers stressed the importance of families and holding a weekly family home evening. These speakers were talking directly to people in Korea so I think they did a great job honing in on the needs and specific troubles that families in Korea face. It is amazing how perfect this gospel and church organization is, it literally works in every country and every culture. The Lord is pretty brilliant.

By noon the meeting ended. The missionaries talked with the members until a majority of them left. One of the last sisters to leave was Sister An. I squeezed her arm and told her how much I missed her. She smiled and pulled me into the other room. The night before she had seen how cold I was so today she decided to pack two pairs of thick nylons haha. She pulled one out of her bag, made sure I liked the color, then gave it to me and said that we could be twins because she was wearing an identical pair haha. She is so adorable and giving! This is the same sister who keeps the missionaries in the 곡반정 ward fed and happy. She is amazing. After seeing her off we left to eat lunch at home. I convinced Sister Bassett and Goines to stay and we ate 김지 지게 (kimchee soup) together and then saw them off. They are so fun!!

After lunch, Sister Hammerl and I cleaned up and then head out to door to visit a few members of the ward. Not even five seconds after we arrived at our bus stop, the phone rang. It was a number that I didn't have saved. I had a mini heart attack as I answered the phone in Korean. Fortunately, it was a kind voice on the other line asking for my old companion, 한다솜S. I explained that she transferred but then in English the voice asked if I was Sister Sloan. I was little take back as well as relieved as I confirm that I was Sister Sloan. As soon I did, the voice introduced herself as 임미화 (Mihwa) from my home ward in Monterey, California. She told me that she was visiting her sister for the next few days and wanted to introduce me to her. It just so happened that we had time, so I quickly found a bus that would take us to the right place and we arrived maybe 30 minutes later. It was such a fun visit! The house warm and Mihwa and her sister Miyeon were so welcoming.  They had just returned from Geju island so they had plenty of pictures to share. It looks beautiful!! I want to go there someday! Mihwa was pretty on top of everything and she kept the conversation going in order for us to better get to know each other. A few times Miyeon would stand up and prepare fruit and 약밥 for us to eat, then join us again. Mihwa kept saying that they were like Martha and Mary in the New Testament- one constantly making side dishes and the other talking haha. They are a fun family!

I realized that time had gotten away from us when Miyeon's husband arrived home. We introduced ourselves again, shared one of my favorite scriptures for a spiritual message, and left them to enjoy their evening together. I was sad to leave the warm house and good company but we had a few more visits to make before heading home. They greeted us at the elevator and we said our goodbyes. I hope we have to opportunity to meet with this family again- they are awesome.

The rest of the night was bitter cold. We tried to drop by some members houses but no one was home. As a back up plan we ran home to grab warmer clothes then we hit the streets for a few hours to try and reach our goal of taking with people. Very few people were out considering the piercing wind, so we wandered and were able to talk with 16 people. It was a good end to a good day.

Happy Monday, today is PDAY and the zone is meeting to play soccer again. I am bundled up and hoping all these layers will be enough to counter the cold weather and the wind- we'll see! I hope you all had and will have a great week! I appreciate all the love and prayers that you are sending my way. I will need that especially this week when I begin training for real. Ahhh!! So excited!
Love you all!!!
슬론 자매

Miyeon, Me and Mihwa!

Sister Hammerl

Welcome Sister Hammerl

11/4-10
Monday was our last PDAY of the transfer! As such, it was majority vote to go to the folk village. I was the only one that had been before so my veto was quickly outnumbered. Of course it was fun so I'm not complaining. I really love my district so we had a good time watching some traditional dance and archery performances, as well as learning a little more about Korean history. This time around I really enjoyed the mini exhibit for the tradition masks. I love them! Before I return home I want to buy one to mount on my wall at home! Anyway, we had perfect weather up until it was time to leave- the temperature dropped pretty dramatically! It was like night and day... Haha get it? (Hint: it was now 6PM) hehe. We all walked to a nearby pizza place to eat a delicious meal together. It was delicious. By the time Sister Han and I made it back to our area, our only appointment cancelled so we were left to proselyte on the street until it was time to head home. It wasn't terribly successful but we were both still in such a good mood from the fun day we had, it made the bitter-cold night, bearable.

Tuesday was mostly uneventful. In preparation for the sister missionaries in this ward moving, I asked Sister Han to help figure out the new bus system and bus stops. I am directionally challenged here in Korea so I wanted to make sure to have this figured out before I was paired with a greenie that knew less than me. It took us about two hours, but now everything is written down and squared away- thank goodness. We spent the rest of the day talking with people. When the evening came, we meet Elder Breckwoldt and McLean at the church. I was prepared and ready to pass-off the first lesson to my district leader! I passed off over 200 vocabulary words, 6 memorized scriptures, and taught every principle of the first lesson! All that in less than an hour.... ALL in Korean. Booyah! Ever since going on splits with Sister Goodnough I have had a confidence boost in my speaking ability, so I am now finally passing off to help give President Morrise a gauge of where my language ability is. It was a good night.

Wednesday was zone training again. Like always I organized the meal and set everything up for everyone to eat together at 11:30AM. It wasn't anything special- just normal but for some reason today ALL the elders started calling me mom by saying "thanks mom" or "mom where are the napkins" or "can I have seconds mom." All of the Koreans were speaking sincerely but the Americans and foreigners were absolutely being sarcastic. It was somewhat annoying but all in all I wasn't too bugged by the nickname; mothers are notorious for being all knowing and selflessly serving (at least mine is^^) so it wasn't all bad.

When the meeting ended, we cleaned up and hit the streets. No real success came out of that but we worked hard until dinner and then went to English class. This week is our last week teaching on Wednesday- our English class coordinated and decided to switch to twice a week (Tuesday/Thursday class). We will see how that goes but today's class was fun. Nothing to report, just a fun evening with my brilliant students.

Thursday was just like Tuesday, preparing for transfers. After organizing our areas books and such we met our cute investigator 심성경S (Bible hehe). We met at the chapel for a quick lesson and then went out to drink hot chocolate together. She is such a fun girl. Soon it was time for her to leave and pick up her little sister from school and we had to hit the streets. We confirmed a couple less-active member houses and had some conversations with people as we walked. By the time it was dinner time, we met with Elders Gamble and 정 to head to a meal appointment together. We went to 이은미S (Sister Lee's) house. Like last time, we played with her sons and then ate a snack. All the missionaries were told it would be dinner so we acted a tad like starving neanderthals when the snack food was served haha. After we ate her 16 year older son, arrived home. For some reason the younger son wanted his brother to arm wrestle everyone. It turned into a game with everyone challenging and battering each other. I am really ashamed for my performance.. I really mis having a gym and plenty of time to workout. Oh well, I'm building my spiritual strength right? Haha anyway, it was a fun night.

Friday was a spectacular day! As it was mine and Sister Han's last full day together, we went hard! We scheduled two appointment in the morning. First was our golden investigator, 홍성봉B (Brother Hong). We met him and his mother at his grandmothers house again for the lesson. Today we taught the whole lesson about the Plan of Salvation. Since this lesson answers so many questions of the soul- like where we came from, why we are here, and where we will go after this life- it made for a length discussion. It was a lot of new information but Brother Hong was soaking it all up. He asked a lot of awesome questions and I testify that the spirit worked through me to answer them. I was so impressed how much came our of my mouth as I taught. After the lesson I was on cloud nine trying to figure out what had just happened. It was awesome! Before we left, 박순애S (Sister Park- the grandmother) asked to take a picture with us since it was the last time with Sister Han. As I sat next to her, she rested her head on my shoulder and said, "사랑해요!" which means, 'I love you.' I wrapped my arm around her, one arm around her back, and one hand on her cheek, it was a tender moment. It was a blessing to hear her say that because all this time I thought she disliked foreigners. She is really hard on my for not being a better Korean speaker but now I know that she has felt mine and the Saviors love with every visit.

If that wasn't enough, we had another appointment with a new investigator! Her name is Sue and she is a frequent English class attendee.  She is a mother of a 23 year old son who was home when we arrived. Our appointment was around lunch time so Sue demanded her son to sit and talk with me (to practice his English) while she prepared a meal. Both Sue and her son, his English name being Anthony, lived abroad in New Zealand for nine years! They are fluent and even have an awesome accent. Anthony was an interesting fellow, when I asked him his hobbies the first thing he said was "drinking alcohol" dream big right? It was pretty sad that of all the wonderful things to do in this world, drinking alcohol with his friends was his favorite. As I later pried I found out about all the traveling opportunities he has had- and yet he kept wanted to talk more about his friends and alcohol. Sad. When lunch was prepared, he ran off and Sue then kept us company. It's sad to see how much she loves her son but doesn't love his choices or friends. Once he left the house it quickly transitions to more lively conversation. It was a great time and her cooking was delicious! When it came time to teach- guess what?! I use zero notes!!! I'll say it again, ZERO! I was so proud of myself! Maybe I made mistakes but I felt the spirit and Sister Han and I taught an awesome lesson about the restoration. Sue really enjoyed it too. By the end we extended a soft baptismal invitation and she said sure. She went on to say that she thinks 'us Mormons' have endurance haha. So funny but so true! She has always been impressed with the young men and women that volunteer to serve as missionaries; she is not only impressed with our sacrifices as missionaries but also all members of our church choosing to live a clean and pure life. It was amazing praise that I did not feel worthy of but I definitely walked away with an increased desire to live up to the standard that she sees in so many members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints!

Are the lesson we made our way home to end our day with weekly planning. It was a good night and a good way to wrap up Sister Han's time her in this ward and area. We then packed, cleaned, and prepared for bed. It was a great day!

Saturday was quiet interesting. The morning was normal until it was time to gather Sister Hans things and head to the mission home. It took about two hours and the whole was we had to transfer into four packed subways... Not fun. When we finally arrived, lunch had been served. Immediately after lunch was training with all of the trainers and trainee. They made us wait for a whole 2 more hours to find out who we were training! Rude. Finally when the time came, President Morrise made it as awkward and dramatic as he possibly could haha. Hijole. Finally he asked one of the last sisters to stand, he said, "Sister Wright you will me serving in 신풍...." Pause, that is my area so I shot up in excitement to greet my trainee but then President Morrise finished his sentence. "...with 한다솜 (Sister Han)!" I stopped in my tracks, looked at Sister Han and President Morrise and asked in desperation, "wait, which one?" As I points to Sister Han. President buried his face in his hands as he apologized and said he to confused and the greenie would be opening 감동 with Sister Han. Dang it. I took the walk of shame back to my seat as Sister Han greeted her trainee. President continued to apologize and announce that my greenies was still at the Provo, UT MTC. So disappointed!! Apparently she had a couple ingrown toenails and they made her stay for surgery and the allotted time to heal. She will arrive in Korean on the 19th and until then he told me that I would be serving with a Sister Hammerl. I felt bad that I looked so disappointed when I greeted my temporary companion. She was sweet and apologetic of not being who I was expecting ha.

Sister Hammerl is from Australia and just finished her training period. She was preparing to transfer to a threesome but was asked to step in for a total of 10 days. She is 20, very talkative, and very fun. I am looking forward to our time together.

Once the training ended, we gathered her huge suitcases and set out in the rain to the dearest subway station. It was a miserable walk. I had to keep stopping to fasten my hood to cover my hair- the acid rain here is a real thing! Science lesson: acid kills protein, hair is protein, and I am NOT going bald. We looked like such foreigners trying to navigate back to our area with the suitcases and our confused faces with the 14 subway lines to figure out. We finally figured ourselves out and were on our way. As we traveled we were given the opportunity to talk with so many different people! Blessings! I noticed that Sister Hammerl's understand bypasses mine by far! However, several people told me that my pronunciation was impeccable! 아싸! I guess there are pros and cons to having Korean and foreigner companions. Now that I will probably be with foreigners for a while, I hope and pray that my understanding grows drastically. Anyway, we were a good pair as we talked to many grandmother that were amazed by the size of the suitcases and our strength. Seriously it was ridiculous. When we neared the last line, I made a call to the elders asking for help to lug everyone on the buses home and up our four flights our stairs to the apartment. They are so kind to help and I was so grateful to have a break. The night went by quickly as we finally had a changed to eat dinner at 9:30PM and the. Were in bed just after 10:30. Crazy day!

Sunday was great. We had ward conference but here they call it 'Ward Birthday.' Cute right? The choir all matched (very Korean style) and all the men wore boutonnières. I bet the talks were great too but remember my whole understanding ability is lacking? Yeah, nothing has changed since yesterday haha. It was a great day though because the whole ward was very welcoming and understanding to the stranger situation that Sister Hammerl and I were in. After meetings was our weekly dinner as a ward. To end the evening we talked to people, confirmed less-active member's houses, and finished the day with language that we had missed out on earlier in the day. It was a happy day. All happy except for the chilly winds that nevers seems to cut us a break- it's finally starting to feel like autumn it is getting ready to welcome winter. Wah :(

This week was full of surprised and miracles. I love being a missionary. When else could all of these bipolar, crazy changes be generally normal and accepted? Haha it's the best! I love you all and miss you. I hope everyone has a great week!! ^^ 사랑합니다!

슬론 자매
Sister Sloan

Training an American Next

10/28-11/3
Monday, sadly was not PDAY. We were only permitted to email home and expected to go about normal missionary work. For lunch, we met our Ward Mission Leader (안재석B) at the church for lunch. He asked Sister Han and I to buy ten packs of ramen that we could cook for us. The elders came too and it was yummy. The purpose of the lunch together was to discuss our investigators and such, but he never sat down to talk. He is also the grounds keeper at the church so he kept busy fixing and cleaning things. It wasn't productive for what it should have been, but it was a fun time with half the district together. After eating, a majority of the day was spent visiting less-active members (amazingly we haven't meet everyone yet!). After confirming some addresses, we headed home for dinner. Soon after we met our investigator, Estee. We scheduled to have dinner and spend FHE with a family in the ward. It was a lot of fun. We taught a lesson about the Ten Commandments when we played a board that I made. It was pretty proud of how it turned out and the kids that we played with they really enjoyed themselves too. #winner! It was a good night and the family did a fantastic job fellowshipping our investigator as we were together and played.

Tuesday was a failed day on my part. After our normal study routine in the morning, we set out to visit less-actives again. Normally, I ask Sister Han to be in charge of navigating us around town but today I wanted to take charge. I was again reminded why I always needed Sister Han to do it. Have you ever tried to read a Korean map? Well, it's really confusing and there are a million apartments whose names are SO similar. I was grateful for Sister Han's patience with me, but I seriously feel like we wasted valuable time wandering around as I tried to navigate.

We went home for dinner then later met up with 이상훈B and the elders to make and pass out new English flyers. It was boring cutting all of them out, but we eventually hit the streets to pass them out. Sister Han and I had some interesting experiences with drunk and mentally ill men trying to talk to us but besides that, it was a fun night.

Wednesday was district meeting. Today was fun because like last week, a YSA from the 신갈 ward attended. He is preparing to serve a mission in Austria soon, he is a stud! We were trained more about extending commitments and how to follow up. I really enjoyed the many stories and experiences shared, I was again reminded that I need to rely on the Lord more through prayer. Also, I was reminded of the talk by David M. McConkie in the most recent general conference which said, "This is why you cannot fail... you are on the Lord’s errand." It's so true! When we are working to build the kingdom of God, we need to utilize His help and with that help we cannot fail.

After district meeting was less-active visits, dinner, and English class. English class was a lot of fun! I love my students, they are so smart! It was pretty funny, because today I decided to focus on building action verb sentences and the B and V pronunciation. They are so dramatic when they repeat after me- jokes on them though because it is actually really helping to improve their pronunciation haha. When class ended, all the missionaries had to leave quickly in order to arrive at the mission home before 10:30. It was a late night, but an enjoyable trip talking and joking with them. I may or may not have accidentally overloaded on candy so I think I entertained and kept everyone awake for the 2 hour subway rides. I had a blast and luckily crashed the second I laid down to sleep. I really miss beds and normal sized pillows!

Thursday was a fantastic day! For one, it was Halloween and for two, it was temple day!!! Traveling wasn't fun, but by the time we arrived I was so happy. For a while now I have had several questions that I desperately wanted answers. So in preparation for temple, I prayed and had those questions in mind in order to find an answer. The session was fantastic! When I was waiting for my companion to finish with the Korean session, I had a cool experience. As I sat and waited, I offered a prayer of gratitude for everything that I have. When I ended my prayer, my questions quickly became the only things I could think of. I then had a thought to ask someone; as I looked around I didn't feel impressed to ask anyone specific but eventually President Morrise walked in. As soon as I saw him, I had overwhelming feeling that he was the one to ask. Literally it was like a huge, undeniable wave of the spirit that came over me. I immediately stood up and was given an amazing opportunity to pick President Morrise's brain. And boy did I get the answers I was looking for. He is an amazing mission president! I am so grateful for him and I am so, so grateful for the opportunity to attend the temple every transfer!

After the temple, it was time for PDAY! We lingered on the temple grounds to take pictures with our district and other missionaries that attended. Soon our hunger got the best of us and the Americans all voted to make a pitstop at Taco Bell on our way home. It was pretty expensive for fast food but hey, it's Halloween! Also in the spirit of the holiday, we made another pitstop to enjoy the special flavor at Baskin Robins. Before we knew it, between all of the travel and eating, PDAY was almost over. It was time to head back to our area and end our night doing more less-active visits. It was a good day!

Friday was slow. Weekly planning was our whole morning. We were able to spend some time on the street after planning and before heading to a members house for a meal appointment. Despite our lack of success it felt good to put some quality time talking to people we met. The meal appointment was pretty fun. The woman is a widow of over 40 years due to a devastating car accident where her husband, brother-in-law, and a nephew were killed. Even though that's really sad, she is a very happy lady and she loved having us over for the evening. She made SO MUCH FOOD. My poor companion has about negative 7% body fat ha so she was dying. Every time this member would go back into the kitchen to grab more food, I would quickly take my companions plate and dump all the food back into the serving dishes where they originally were. It was hard for her to stop laughing when the member would re-enter the living room. The member was always very impressed by how much we were enjoying her food. Don't get me wrong, it was delicious but it was just wayy too much. Regardless of my strategy to eat less, my poor companion was about to throw up after we left. We took our time and walked home to help her stomach settle. I felt bad, but I did all I could to help so I earned a little room to laugh as she struggled to walk home haha.

Saturday was uh-mazing! Early in the morning 윤현미S (Sister Yoon) and Sister Goodnough came to our apartment for a split! Sister Yoon took Sister Han back to 곡반정 area and I was paired with Sister Goodnough for the day. Originally, I was realllly nervous to have our regular appointments without a fluent Korean speaker, but it ended up being a miracle day! After a quick companionship study, we were off to see 신숙희S (Sister Shin). She was pressed for time so we were only able to teach her half of the plan of salvation. Even though it was really rough around the edges, I was AMAZED how much she understood and loved what we taught. I am very grateful that she is so sweet and had so much patience, it was much needed and appreciated.

We had no time to stop for lunch before going to our next appointment with 홍성봉B (Brother Hong). He is the nephew of the sweet, old, less-active member that Sister Han and I have visited every Saturday since I arrived here in 신풍. Not only was 박순애S (Sister Park- grandma) there but also her daughter, 호성영S (Sister Ho), Brother Hong's mother. That meant that it was a double member lesson! I felt a lot of pressure because we were teaching the first lesson about the restoration. I have taught it several times but never with another inexperienced American (in regards to speaking/teaching in Korean).  As we began, the spirit was present from the beginning! I was amazed how quickly I could speak and read the things in which I had planned to say. Sister Goodnough did an amazing job teaching and inviting the spirit too. Both Brother Hong and his mother had several questions. He is fantastic at speaking English so he would ask us things in English. Sometimes I would reply in English and when I would he would then translate my answers to his mother and grandmother. It was really powerful because he understood so perfectly! Also, it was like killing two birds with one stone because we are taught that once someone teaches what they have learned, that's when they really come to understand. I literally could not stop smiling during the lesson, it was awesome. I was even able to recite the whole first vision account of Joseph Smith without notes! And by the end I invited him to to be baptized on December 8th... guess what? HE ACCEPTED!! Gosh, it was the best lesson!

Directly after the lesson, we head back to 곡반정 area to meet all of the young single adults from the stake at the bishop's house for an activity. When we arrived they were finishing making cookies. We helps the bishops wife prepare for dinner and we set up and served about 30 people. It was a lot of food, but it was soo delicious! After, we cleaned and left before the YSA started a movie. I really miss movies... I hope people back home are keeping a list of all the must-see movies I'm missing. Anyway, we made it back home just in time for us to have our daily planning session to end the day. It was an awesome day to review- we were very proud of ourselves! I couldn't wait to report back to Sister Han about all the success we had. ^^ As it grew closer to 10:30 (time for bed) we were supposed to have received transfer calls. Like last transfers, they lost our temporary phone number so we did not receive the much anticipated call...

Sunday morning, at exactly 6:30AM, the phone rang. It was the AP's. They finally found our number and told us about all the changes that were happening. GUESS WHAT?! I am staying in 신풍 and will TRAIN AN AMERICAN?! As I type this, my new greenie is peacefully staying at the Provo MTC. I am scared out of my mind and I cannot believe that I am officially senior for this area, for taking lead in.... EVERYTHING, and in the ward! This probably means that I will be in this ward for another 12 weeks while I train. Ugh! Pray for me! I need all the help I can get. Sister Goodnough calmed me down by reassuring me that God qualifies who he calls- let's hope so, because I need heavens help not to ruin this greenies mission from the start ha!

As I continued to process the news, I took a shower and got ready for the day. Since it was an odd exchange that started Saturday morning, we were unsplitting on Sunday morning. Because we were unsplit at the 곡반정 church, I was able to see some familiar faces that I have missed so much. It was a happy morning. When Sister Han and I arrived home- both of our appointments before church canceled! I was totally bummed, but that gave us time to have personal, companionship, and language study before church. Since Sister Han will be transferring (and opening a new area and training- wow!) she was asked to be one of the first to bear their testimony. Typically missionaries get emotional and are sad when they give their parting talk but Sister Han couldn't whip the smile off her face haha. She has had a hard time here so I can understand her excitement to learn a new area, but still, at least act sad! Anyway, church was good. For the last hour, we taught Young Women's again. We prepared an awesome lesson just to find out that we prepared for the wrong one... It was fine. However, because we were teaching on the fly, my speaking ability... umm maybe wasn't too great haha. But oh well, Sister Han did a great job saving us, plus the Young Women are sweet so they were fun to teach.

Immediately after church was our Missionary Coordinating Meeting. Like always, it lasted only a few minutes- I really wish the leaders of this ward were more involved. Oh well, I'm working on it. As we walked home, our mission coordinating leader came with us. Not only is he the groundskeeper at the church, but he also works closely with all missionary housing to make sure everything is up and running. I think I forgot to mention that our boiler isn't working which makes for REALLY chilly mornings and even colder nights. He tried to fix it while Sister Han and I desperately made food as fast as we could. I love fast Sundays, but this Sunday my stomach was not happy with my decision to skip two meals- oh well our dinner was ready in no time and it was delicious.

Our evening was spent talking to people on the street and visiting a members house. The couple is an older couple and they are uh-dorable. They have a pretty interesting story, for starters their parents arranged their marriage! What the? The wife is sick and just suffering from her body getting old. Her sweet husband takes good care of her as well as their son and daughter-in-law. The whole family was over when we visited, including the sons daughter, she is 3ish and SO CUTE! We shared a spiritual thought about temple covenants and I briefly talked about my experience on Thursday. It was a good message. They even told me that they understood about 90% of what I said- that's a lot! Not to mention after I prayed they were amazed at my pronunciation and said they understood every word- booyah! That was the confidence boost I needed as I still try to understand why I will soon be training a brand new missionary.. All in all today was good. Sister Han is already packing and getting ready to leave- we transfer next Saturday! Talk about eager haha.

This week was a good one. I do want to take a minute to thank everyone who reads my weekly emails and writes/ emails back. I love the time that I have to communicate with all of you! I'm sorry if I don't write much or don't reply quickly. Many times I read emails and letter but run out of time to reply so I sometime loose tract of who and what I have replied to, sorry!! Anyway, you are all awesome and I love and appreciate all of you. I miss you!

Oh!! Quick side note that I forgot to mention last week... The liver-blood test thing said they was a minor problem but the doctor suspects that it is a temporary problem. Nothing too dramatic but I will receive a blood test in a couple months to make sure. I'm sorry if I freaked anyone out ha. I'm fine! ^^ I love you all and miss you. I hope everyone has a great week!! ^^ 사랑합니다!

슬론 자매
Sister Sloan

Faith, Trust, and a Little Bit of Pixie Dust

10/21-27

Monday was not a normal PDAY, we had a special conference just for sisters! It was a lot of fun thanks to all the preparation by Sister Morrise. The theme was, "You just need faith, trust, and a little bit of pixie dust" a quote from Peter Pan when he is teaching the kids how to fly. It was adorable, because her and President Morrise acted that whole scene out. They are so cute!! To introduce the theme we heard from President first, then Sister Morrise. All in all they concluded that we need to have 'pixie dust' too; which in Sister Morrise's words is, "a little bit of fun!" I admit is is really cheesy, but it was a great training. Next was lunch, a get to know each other game, mini cooking class (to make homemade Bisquick!!), and then the moment everyone was waiting for... exercise training!

Hi, I'm Sister Sloan. I love CrossFit. And I'm a Mormon. If you haven't guessed, yours truly was the one asked to conduct this part of sister's conference. I had a handout prepared (even translated thanks to my awesome companion) and a fun surprise. First I explained some basic CrossFit workout formulas such as 21-15-9, TABATA, and AMRAPs.

21-15-9 = 21 reps of exercise one, 21 reps of a exercise two, etc, 15 reps of exercise one, 15 reps of exercise two, etc, 9 reps of exercise one, 9 reps of exercise two, etc.
TABATA = For twenty seconds do as many reps of the assigned exercise as you can - then rest 10 seconds. Repeat this seven more times for a total of 8 intervals, 4 minutes total exercise.
The score is the least number of reps for any of the eight intervals.
AMRAP = Do as many reps as possible.

Next I gave some diet tips. Last was the best part- exercise demonstration! I asked for all of my past and present companions to come up to the front to help me. I immediately heard groans from them and smirks from everyone else haha- exactly what I wanted. They each took turns showing different movements but as they did it I had them hold uncomfortable positions like an air squat or plank so I could take my time in explaining proper form. Let me say that again, I took my time haha. It was hilarious, because they wanted to be good sports, but their faces showed how they really felt- let's just say sweat was starting to form haha. It was pretty great. Overall, it was a lot of fun and I ended by encouraging all of the sisters to set goals and to go forth and bring CrossFit to South Korea. ^^

When the conference ended, Sister Han and I didn't feel like lingering so we left and were back in 신풍 (Suwon) by 6. We quickly ate dinner and went straight to a members house were we joined them for FHE. We prepared a scripture search game using only the topical guide- in order to teach the family how useful it is. It went really well. Like every Korean mother, she was a great host and brought out a table full of fruit and fish pancakes (fish cooked with egg on the outside- pretty delicious). After eating, it was time to call it a night. Overall it was a fun day.

Tuesday was the beginning of a slow week. In the morning, we spent our time cleaning our apartment since we didn't have a chance to do so yesterday. Also, we were informed that the senior couple was making their rounds to check the cleanliness of all the Suwon missionaries apartments today. It felt like a deep cleaning day again since I had to tackle the task of scrubbing the floor of the enclosed balcony. It was disgusting, but I am happy to report that it is restored back to its original white-tile shade. Not even five minutes after we finished cleaning, the phone rang. It was the zone leaders asking us to come downstairs and guide them to our apartment. They were apparently with the senior couple and we had to hurry. Sister Han and I ran to change into missionary clothes and tried desperately to get rid of the smell of bleach in the air. We looked ridiculous, but it was really funny. We hurried to grab all the trash bags to chuck them into the dumpster on our way out of our apartment complex. I kid you not, the SECOND we finished, guess who turned the corner to greet us. It was impeccable timing. Sister Han and I were very proud haha. We passed the inspection with flying colors... #winners! Here is a direct quote, "This is the cleanest apartment we've ever seen! Great work girls!" The zone leaders rolled their eyes, probably because they were jealous. We saw them off soon after.

Previously we had planned to watch the Relief Society general broadcast with an investigator next, but she punked us. It felt like a movie night as we gathered a bunch of snacks and blankets to watch both the Korean and English version of the broadcast on our 3 by 5 inch DVD player haha. It was an AWESOME broadcast!! I'm glad our bishop finally gave us the DVDs, I learned so much!! After, it was time for dinner. Our meals are getting less and less gourmet as the weeks to by. Everything is running out so all we eat is rice and kim (dried seaweed- super delicious!). I don't mind but Sister Han is always embarrassed about the lack of side dishes that she is used to. Oh well, when we were full it was time to visit some less actives. After three hours we only were able to greet one- sad end to the day.

Wednesday was district meeting. Today a member from the 신갈 ward attended (did I ever mention that our district now includes two wards? 신갈 and 신풍?). Anyway, he is preparing for a mission to Australia in February. It was a decent training but I don't have anything profound to report. After, it was time for less active visits until dinner. We greeted two people, but the best part was that we were able to have conversations with 26 people! Today I was feeling especially confident in my Korean so I was talking to everyone; one man sat next to me on the bus and I asked him where he was going- he said the dentist and then went on and on about how scared he was. It was really funny not only because of all of his fear but also because I think he thought I was understanding everything he was saying... haha I'm just glad he wasn't asking questions so I just kept nodding my head. All in all, I'm pretty satisfied with my language ability this far- it's not great but it gets me by.

The evening ended with English class. Today Sister Han and I had 10 students! We had more students than all three other classes combined! We had to separate the class into students based in their understanding. Sister Han took the kids who barely knew the alphabet and I took the kids who understood, but needed practice speaking. After working on some understanding games and pronunciation, my students were getting bored. I stood up and asked who knew head, shoulders, knees, and toes. A few students groaned and a few excitedly rose their hands. I took them into the hallway, taught them, quizzed them, and then raced them. It was fun. A few mothers sit in on the class (#pressure!) and today they seemed really entertained by what I was teaching- it was a good feeling when they both complimented me as they were leaving. It was a great class.

Thursday was a boring day. First, Sister Han and I had to run errands like getting Sister Han a flu shot and helping the elders set up the haunted house for the party on Saturday. We spent five hours....
-____- and it still wasn't close to being done! It was fun helping and brainstorming ideas but it just was taking too long to come together. Today all of our appointments cancelled so we ended up just visiting more less-actives. Again, we were only able to greet two so it didn't feel like a very productive day.

Friday was weekly planning, less-active visits (three today!), and helping with the haunted house. I spent most of my time getting other rooms set up as everyone else slaved away in the basement. It was productive, just monotonous.

Saturday was good and disappointing at the same time. In the morning we went to visit 박순애S, whom we visit every Saturday. She recently had introduced us to her grandson, 홍성봉B and he was interested in starting the 30/30 program. He scheduled to come for an appointment on Saturdays when we met his grandmother- today was his first appointment but he punked us! Instead we shared the monthly newsletter with her while her daughter was busy tidying up the apartment. A few times I saw that she would stand at the kitchen sink with the water running, but had her hands propped up on the counter, she was listening to what Sister Han was reading. The same thing happened when we shared the spiritual message before we left. This time she came closer and was pretending to text as Sister Han shared a special experience about priesthood blessings. The grandmother didn't care at all but the daughter butted in with a few questions. This daughter is the mother of 홍성봉B and is a less-active herself, she is a neat lady and hopefully we will have a chance to teach her someday. After we left, it was more preparation for the party.

By the time 6PM rolled around, the party was supposed to have started. Us missionaries did our best to be ready and have everything set up because the members that had promised to help, still hadn't shown up. It was annoying but it was just a Halloween party so nothing to get upset over. This party was supposed to be an opportunity for our ward members to bring friends and introduce them to the church and eventually us, the missionaries. That didn't happen. We even had investigators show up but we didn't have time to greet them or introduce them to members because we were so busy keeping everything going and alive. By 8:27PM everyone was packing up to go home. It was a sad scene because the party wasn't over until 8:30PM. The mingling was already over and the lights were all turned on to indicate it was time to clean. I am really disappointed that so many members dropped the ball on literally everything that they promised to help with or do. The only member that did his part, was 박삼곤B who was paid to make and serve food. Lame!! At least us missionaries had fun setting up and cleaning up. That's probably the only good thing that came out of this whole ordeal.

Sunday was good. First we met with our investigator, 심성경S. It's been a couple weeks since we have been able to meet so it was fun to see her again. The lesson went really well, we taught her the whole third lesson about the 5 steps of Jesus Christ's gospel. She understood well and even had questions! Before we left, I invited her to church, because I was speaking today. She said she would come!

When we arrived at church Sister Han and I went straight up to Bishops office to attend ward council (which he had been invited to the night before). As soon as we opened the door, our bishop waved his hand indicated that we had been uninvited. That didn't feel good. I think he was disappointed with the party so he was punishing us- it's not the first time. Anyway, we then waited for our mother and son investigators but they didn't show. We were later informed that the mothers, mother passed away so they were taking care of family business. Next was church. I was asked to sit on the stand and speak second- scary!

I had practiced my talk over and over just before church began so I could recite most of it without using my notes. When it was my turn to speak, I started with two questions: 여러분에게 성신이있습니까? 어떻게성신을보입니까? Because I had just taught a lesson about the spirit I got the words spirit (성신) and faith (신앙) confused.... I asked the whole congregation if they had the spirit and how they exercised this spirit- instead of faith. I realized I made this mistake as soon as I looked into the audience to give them a moment to think. Instead of seeing people in a stupor of thought, I saw confusion and my companions face looked panicked. She mouthed me my mistake and I buried my face in my hands. I laughed as I corrected my mixup and then my confidence was shot. Everyone else laughed too, but to avoid any other stupid mistakes, I used my notes for the rest of my talk. I was bummed but I'll do better next time.

The investigator that promised to come did but arrived late and felt awkward walking in, so she left. I was also bummed about that but we'll just stop by to see her during the week. Maybe I can redeem myself in reciting it again ha. Anyway the rest of the day was standard. We had dinner as a ward and socialized with the members. And to end the evening, Sister Han and I stayed out in the cold to reach our goal of 140 conversations with people on the street. It wasn't easy but I kept thinking about my warm sweatshirt and sweatpants that I had waiting at home. When we finally reached our goal is was just before 9PM. I boiled some water for hot chocolate and changed my clothes to prepare for our nightly planning. I have a feeling it is going to be a long winter...

Looking back, this week was slow. We only taught 4 lessons, 3 of which were on the street. Now that the Halloween party is officially over and we don't to have to worry about it, maybe things will start picking back up again. Today is now Monday- but it's not PDAY. President Morrise decided that our PDAY will change once a transfer when we have our zone temple day (Thursday). Today we'll do some less-active visits and hopefully attend a ward members FHE with an investigator- I'll let you know next week! I love you all and miss you. I hope everyone has a great week!! ^^ 사랑합니다!

슬론 자매
Sister Sloan

Sister Han reading the Ward News letter

Harry Potter and Top Gun

I'm So Glad When Daddy Comes Home

10/14-20
Monday was literally the best PDAY to date! As I was preparing to leave the house in the morning, Sister Han stopped me to point out the song she heard me humming- the Primary song, "I'm So Glad When Daddy Comes Home." I laughed and quickly progressed from a quiet hum to a loud solo. She laughed and rolled her eyes. It was very fitting, because not even an hour after emailing home, my companion and I were on a bus to Suwon Station to greet my father! He was traveling for work and was taking a day to spend with me ^^ isn't he the best?! Once we arrived at the correct bus stop, I saw my father waiting on the curb of a bus platform. As soon as I spotted him, I picking up the pace of my walk. I had to keep looking back to make sure my companion was close by. She was keeping up so I began to walk as fast as I could. When I reached the bus platform, I wasn't able dodge the crowd as fast as I would have liked, so I decided to step to the side where no one was standing Amongst the crowd, I spotted someone else that looked very familiar. I squinted my eyes and sure enough, that was red hair in the distance!! My Olympic speed-walking pace immediately evolved to a full out sprint! My sneaky mother was trying to hide to surprise me! I ran into her and gave her the biggest hug I could. I did the same with my father! I cannot express in words how happy I was in the moment. I felt my eyes welling up but I had to shake the tears in order to see BOTH of my parents clearly.

Soon we greeted Sisters Yoon and Goodnough then were off to eat lunch all together. Sister Yoon and I may or may not have chosen a restaurant that was a ways away. After about a 40ish ;) minute bus ride, we arrived. When we got off the bus we waited for my dear friend, 서은영 (Sister Soh) to arrive [for those unfamiliar with Sister Soh, she is the investigator that has often been referred to as "The Atheist". When we were all accounted for and aquatinted, we started our walk to the restaurant. 서은영 (Sister Soh) wasted no time punching my arm expressing her frustration of me not informing her of my mothers attendance. I defensively said, "I didn't know either!!" haha. Thankfully she forgave me and she led us to a nice traditional restaurant that she recommended we try. After a lot of food (including raw cow...) we were full but still had room for dessert- or at least I did. As 서은영 (Sister Soh) scouted out a good cafe for us to eat, I was able to walk my parents through the beautiful park of Metopolas that I have come to love. Once at the cafe we ordered way too much 팥빙수 (red bean shaved ice) but that just meant we had more time to talk.

When we finally felt like we should start heading back, we all walked slowly to the bus stop. 서은영 (Sister Soh) was so sweet to wait and see us off. Of all the people I have met here in Korea, I have come to really love this woman. She has been a blessing to my life and I will forever be grateful. I was also grateful for the opportunity to share such a special experience with her and introduce my parents to Sister Soh. It was an excellent day.

On our way to drop my parents off at their bus stop, we took a quick detour to the 곡반정 church (my first area). There I showed my parents the building and was able to receive a special fathers blessing in the chapel. All day I was holding back tears of happiness, but at that moment when I closed my eyes for the blessing, streams of tears poured down my cheeks. It was a beautiful blessing and immediately after, I hugged my father tightly because I knew our time together was coming to an end. My mother and I went straight to the bathroom to clean our sorry-selfs up from our tears haha. Then we were all on our way. Sister Yoon and Goodnough saw us off at the bus stop, it was a quick goodbye because our bus arrived faster than I anticipated but all was well. I was happy that I chose the bus I did because it made its way back to Suwon Station in a very round about way. I had a little extra time to talk to my parents and tell them all about what I have been up to these last five and a half months in Korea. When the time finally came to drop them at their bus (Red-3000), it was coming up on 4PM hehe. I gave them both hugs then waved as Sister Han and I walked away.

With only a couple hours left of PDAY, we walked into the Station where a big bookstore was located. I wandered as my companion searched for the best book to improve her English.  I think the conversations I had with my parents discouraged her from feeling confident with her English ability. :( When we finished we walked to our bus stop and I spotted my parents still waiting for theirs. Concerned, I looked around and sure enough their bus was waiting at a different platform. Sister Han and I quickly went to tell them but as we raced down the stairs I heard their voices. Probably at the same time I figured it out, so did they. I didn't mind having another opportunity to hug them and tell them I loved them though. I was sad to walk away but was too happy to cry again. It was a perfect end to a perfect day.

Tuesday was a typhoony day. The weather did a 180 and turned from clear, sunny skies to windy, rainy, and cold. It was hard to be outside walking to our appointments but somehow Sister Han and I survived. The only noteworthy part of the day was the opportunity our zone had to have interviews with President Morrise (pronounced Maurice). I love having time to talk with him, he is literally the best mission president for me! Before he opened things up for questions or concerns, he had to say something before he forgot. He proceeded to tell me how happy he was with all the work I have been doing. He told me that when he first felt impressed to pair me up with Sister Han, he wasn't too certain that that was a good fit. Now he knows that it really was inspired because we have seen loads of miracles and success together. He also made sure to tell me that I am one of his missionaries that he simply doesn't worry about; instead, he has full confidence in me and just feels good whenever he thinks about me. Hello confidence boost! It felt good hearing that from a man whom I respect so much! President Morrise is the best!

Wednesday was busy! First we had our normal district meeting. It was Elder Breckwoldt's first training in the district so I was excited but it was pretty dry. Most everyone was falling asleep as he went on and on about all the appointments he had at the beginning of the week. It was pretty unrelated so Elder Jenson and I decided to have our own little pow-wow because I had loads of questions about my struggling investigators. Elder Jenson is only 6 months ahead of me but he is a spectacular missionary! His advice and recommendations were perfect. I was grateful to have at least gotten something out of the "training" meeting.

Directly after the meeting, Sister Han and I had to rush to an appointment. This lady, 조은선 (Sister Cho) is interesting. Her and her friend are investigating many churches to find which has the truth. Lucky her for finding us ;) just kidding. She is very genuine but hard to teach because she is so skeptical. My companion and I did our best to answer her questions but she told us that we should call her when we have studied more haha. It wasn't quite as blunt or rude as it sounds but you get the point. Next was an appointment with a high schooler, 이도경 (Sister Lee) whom we haven't been able to meet for a few months now. High school students are literally tortured here with the long school hours and incredible competition against each other. This poor girl was so stressed about her last college interview this Saturday. She is hoping to become a flight attendant for Korean Air so for her last interview she is expected to read the whole airline safety intro that is recited on every flight in perfect English. We ran out of time to share our lesson but I felt okay about helping her perfect the script and ease her stress. We literally had to run to English class. The class went well- I am so proud of my students they are brilliant! At the end when we all came back together, Sister Han and I shared the spiritual thought. I read a passage from The Family: A Proclamation to the World and bore testimony of the power and importance of the family. It was awesome. My Korean skills really aren't anywhere close where I want them to be but I was pleased with mine and my companions message delivery.

Thursday was productive but uneventful. In preparation for a Halloween party that all the missionaries from the stake were asked to organized, Sister Han and I had a list of things to buy. After a few hours we were done and then spent our evening finding less-active members again. It took a long time but we were able to confirm a few bad addresses. By that time we were starving.  Fortunately, it was time for a dinner appointment. A member (박삼곤) in our ward owns a small street restaurant and another member (이형구) likes to buy the missionaries food. Combine those two and BOOM, 식사 (meal appointment). It was delicious but there was a new missionary, Elder Gamble that was having trouble stomaching some of the fish and pig intestine. He barely kept the food down.  Poor kid.  I'm not going to say I love that stuff either but I will say that it is a blessing that it doesn't bother me to eat it. Anyway, we had a good time talking with and joking around with they members. They taught us Americans some useful/ funny Korean idioms, then we were off to make it home by 9.. Okay maybe we left at 9.. But anyway we got home safely hehe.

Friday was a good day. It began with weekly planning. Soon it came time to meet up with Sister Yoon and Goodnough for a split!! Once I was with my favorite companion in my favorite area! ^^ Most of the day we spent our time talking to people on the street. Lately I have been apprehensive and too nervous to start an awkward conversation but for some reason today, I had no fear. I think it was because I was with my trusty sidekick ;) we are such a good pair! Anyway, when dinner time came around we had an appointment at a nearby restaurant with an investigator that Sister Yoon and I found a few months earlier. Since Sister Yoon is preparing to complete her mission in less than 3 weeks... Let me repeat THREE WEEKS! this kind lady is trying to make her last few weeks special. It was a very nice meal and fun too. She brought her 6 year old son and he and I spent the better part of the meal making faces and trying the weird concoctions he was making haha. I really enjoyed myself.

Saturday was an eventful day! Since I was on a split with Sister Yoon still, I was yet again given an opportunity to see and spend time with 서은영 (Sister Soh). We met her at a walking festival that was raising money for the poor people living in Suwon. By the time we signed up, got our shirts, and met up with her sister's family... the walk we signed up for was over haha. We didn't mind though because we were having more fun socializing. She jokingly said, "There is no point of transferring or saying goodbye, you're never leaving!" I laughed pretty hard but it's true. I've seen her every single time I've had the opportunity. I love her!

Since we had a few hours and a whole festival around us, we decided to explore. We came across one booth where you could have your blood drawn and within ten minutes they would tell you the results and levels of your blood. Since I am not certain of my blood type, 서은영 insisted that I find out. All three of us had our blood tested. When my evaluation came, there was a problem. They pointed out that there was a problem with my liver (my ALT and AST levels were more than double what they should be). 서은영 asked the doctor a million questions and quickly concluded that she needed to take me to the hospital to have it tested again. She pulled every string she could to get me in the front of the line and with the best doctor. It was quite an ordeal but I'll get the results back next Tuesday. To be honest, I was not very concerned but everyones reactions were kind of freaking me out. Despite the added stress I now had to deal with, I was very grateful to have such a caring friend doing all she could to make sure I was okay. 서은영 said, "You're family is just full of surprises!" (Referring to the surprise of my mother joining my father on his business trip to Korea a few days prior) haha.

After leaving the hospital, 서은영 (Sister Soh) wanted to calm everyone down so we found a small restaurant to have a delicious lunch together. There, I swapped card tricks with her son (Phillip) until the food came. We had to leave for an appointment soon after eating. It was a nice lunch. She saw us off and gave us both big hugs (not common in Korean culture). I hope this wasn't the last time meeting but if it was, I am very grateful for her and all that she does for me!

When it was time to unsplit, we met at the stake center for a service project and a stake Women's Conference. It was a lot of fun. The conference was on the boring side for me because I wasn't able to understand much of what was being said, but I did sit next to Sister Yoon and she translated every funny story told- sparing me the dry moments haha. She's the best!

Sunday was a great Sunday!  Before church, Sister Han and I have been trying hard to work with the leadership of the ward. I know they are busy but it is like pulling teeth trying to talk with them about different things we need their help with. Today was a miracle day because we were able to have every meeting that we needed. AND after the meeting I received a text from a member saying that we had an investigator waiting in the chapel. If that wasn't exciting enough, when Sister Han and I came to greet them guess what?! Not only one investigator was there but THREE! This is literally unheard of. It was so awesome and our members did a great job at fellowshipping.

By the time the third hour began, Sister Han and I were trying to round up all the young women so we could teach them the lesson we had prepared. It was all about Christlike love. I shared several experiences where I have literally had to pray to have God's help to love or tolerate some people. We challenged them to think of someone that they could show more Christlike love. We then asked them to invite that person to the Halloween party that we have organized to have next Saturday. A few of the girls sighed dramatically but eventually agreed. We made them role play which was pretty hilarious. I think it's interesting that I don't understand much but I can sense or get the feeling for what people are saying- blessing! Anyway, our Sunday evening was spent on the street talking to and inviting people to the Halloween party, to English class, and the learn the gospel. We ended up giving away about 100 flyers, a pamphlet about the restoration of this gospel, and even a Book of Mormon! It was a good night.

Today is Monday, instead of a normal PDAY all of the sisters from the mission are gathering for a Sister's Conference! Time is short, I'll tell you all about next week. I love you all and miss you. I hope everyone has a great week!! ^^ 사랑합니다!

슬론 자매
Sister Sloan

Less Active - Papa's coming!

10/7-13
Monday was a fun day. All of the elders from surrounding zones rented a super nice soccer field to play on for the day. Initially, the sisters weren't invited until I received a call from Elder 김재겸. He invited me to join them on one condition, if I brought my nice Nikon camera. I started laughing and said, "Oh! I see! I'm not invited to play, but instead to take pictures of the games- bless your heart I see right through you." :P He laughed nervously as I hear the zone leaders yell from the background, "Come on Sloan, go easy on him." As soon as I heard their voices and smirks, I knew who put poor Elder Kim up to it. Despite the loaded request, I committed to come. It ended up being a blast taking pictures of the game. Koreans are so quick and good at soccer! It was very entertaining.

When the day was coming to a close, Sister Han and I paired up with Sister Yoon and Goodnough to eat dinner together. We decided on chicken and took it to a nearby park to eat. We had some strange people around that ended up that stealing half of the chicken we bought but overall I was grateful to spend time with Sister Yoon. I am really going to miss her when she goes home. She is an awesome example to me! After dinner was an uneventful FHE with the not-so-young YSA. It was fun but my favorite part was the ice cream at the end. ^^

Tuesday was a day dedicated to visiting less-actives. Most of our success resulted from confirming that we have very few valid addresses. It was quite disappointed which matched well with the rainy weather we were given to walk in. By the end of the day, I was happy to sit down and teach a lesson to Estee. She had just come from having a fight with her parents so the spirit was most definitely not present. It was a so-so lesson. Before she got back on the bus I asked if she would like to drink some hot chocolate with us before she left. We found a nearby cafe as I convinced her of the healing power of chocolate. It was nice being in a cafe just socializing- it made me really miss home. It reminded me a lot of the many Starbucks runs I would make with Chaya and Chelsea back in high school. Anyway, it was a nice way to end a gloomy day.

Wednesday consisted of more less-active... address confirmation. Nothing to report. English class was pretty good when it came time to start. It was my turn to conduct the meeting so I really tried to be energetic. I thought I was doing a good job until I recognized the confusion on most peoples faces. We always conduct English class, in English so what was I doing wrong? My companion was gracious enough to save me and translate what I had tried to convey. Once everyone was on the same page, I dismissed them to their classes. Our class was great! We had four new students!! I am constantly amazed at how much these little kids already know. They are far smarter than me, that's for sure haha. When class ended I took some time to talk with an inactive member that is a loyal English class attendee. Her English name is Julie. She is so kind but feels so lonely coming to church on her own since her and her only son is a member (and that son is away completing his required two-year military time). I let her go on and on about her family and work. I can understand her better than most people but I was mostly grateful that she wasn't looking to have a conversation but instead just someone to talk to. It feels good knowing that I still can help people here even though I don't speak this language very well.

Thursday was busy! It was another zone training meeting where the zone leaders asked me to prepare the lunch again. Earlier in the week Sister Han and I coordinated the food with a man in our ward who owns a little restaurant. I told him I had X amount of money and would leave it up to him what he cooked and gave us. He met us at the church this morning with A BUNCH of food. I'm pretty sure he went beyond what I paid him but I know the missionaries were grateful.

The training went well. Elders Keetch and Chow are polar opposites but their training is always fantastic. We focused on Chapter 11 from PMG- we invite, we commit, we follow up. It was great and I have a lot of new ideas of how to better commit people to read and pray as well as follow up with them. I had the privilege of sitting next to the senior couple in our zone, the Ridings. They had just returned from America escorting a blind member of their ward, home to his daughter in Kansas. It was on the news, you should look it up- I think the title goes, after 40 years a father and daughter were reunited...idk something like that (THIS IS PAPA SLOAN, I FOUND THE LINK.  HERE IT IS.
http://fox4kc.com/2013/10/02/father-and-daughter-reunited-after-more-than-40-years-apart/
Anyway they told me all about their experience, they are cool people.

Speaking of cool people, Mom! You're the best! After zone training they handed out all the mail that was delivered to the mission home. I know I told you that I was planning to share the candy with the kids of the ward... BBBuuuttt Halloween is a ways away so we'll see how much is ACTUALLY left when it comes time to share ;) Also, that cute faith sign is proudly hung above my desk. Love you momma!

Friday was a mundane weekly planning session which was followed by some boring errands. A couple times I was reminded that it was Friday by all the couples and people dressed up to enjoy their weekend. Everyone reading this, never take a weekend or day off for granted again! Thankfully Sister Han and I ended our day with a delicious dinner appointment at Julie's house (the woman mentioned from Wednesdays English class). She was home alone and whipped up a delicious Korean-styled spaghetti. It was really good. My poor companion was about to throw up by the amount of food Julie was expecting us to eat, so I took one for the team and cleared her plate for her. I deserve some serious blessings for that because that was hard to do but it was worth making Julie happy.

Before we left I decided to take lead in the spiritual thought. Even though she is inactive I was curious about her conversion story. I asked and then processed to ask what changes she had to make in her life once she made the decision to be baptized. After a fascinating story, I brought it all back to the atonement and how anything is possible through the grace and mercy of God and His son, Jesus Christ. I felt prompted to share a very personal experience of how the atonement was able to change me and my perspective. I was feeling the spirit pretty strong and I hope she was too. That isn't an easy story for me to tell so I pray that it or the principle of the atonement will resonate with her.

Saturday was an exciting morning. We had an appointment earlier than usual with our new investigator as of last week. We taught her the first lesson in her home with her six year old daughter. It went pretty well! I tried to memorize more vocabulary so I could teach more while looking into her eyes and guess what? I was blessed! I remembered more than just the vocab but also the grammar forms I have been working on! Booyah! Blessings are the best! By the end of the lesson we asked if she would being to set a baptismal date, hello November 24th!! Here we come!! She is so humble and willing to learn! I am excited to teach her next week too!

After our appointment, we met the other missionaries at the chapel to watch the recorded sessions of the Saturday sessions of General Conference. My notes are FILLED with new ideas for missionary work. One story in particular that I really enjoyed was by Timothy J. Dyches from the Quorum of the Seventy. The story he relayed about forgiveness was profound to me. I learned that even if you cannot find it in yourself to forgive someone, you can ask The Lord for His forgiveness which is given freely. I found it profound because you can apply that to yourself. For me, ever since I shared that personal experience at Julie's house, I haven't been able to shake the thought of how retard I once was. This talk helped me change my perspective. I am again reminded that we don't have to do anything alone, God will ALWAYS be there to help us because he loves us.

Sunday was another day filled with General Conference talks and inspiration. Where do I begin?! I loved so many talks and stories conveyed! I'll choose just one thought from Adrián Ochoa of the Quorum of the Seventy. I'm sure the title will be called "Look Up" when it is publish online if anyone wants to read it. The personal story about getting caught in a storm and having to find a place to stay for the night was pretty cool. I can imagine how terrified his family must have been when he and his friends did not return home after being sent to retrieve some groceries. I especially enjoyed the ending thought about the reaction he received from his grandmother and family. They had been looking for them all night and he described the relief and love that he saw in each of their faces when they saw that the boys were safe. I really loved this because even though he was just returning home to be with his family, it reminded me of missionary work. I look forward to that same relief and love that I will experience when I help some of my investigators progress and come to better know their Father in Heaven.

When conference came to a close we had a series of meetings which I conducted. I wonder when I am just going to be called as zone leader because I am pretty sure I do more than half of their jobs anyway hehe. After meetings, Sister Han and I went home for dinner. We kept it short so that we could have more time to attempt to visit less-active again. Sad to report all three houses are now offices... Fail. Maybe next week we I'll have some better success.

Today is now Monday, I'll give everyone a little sneak peak into what they can read next Monday... MY DADDY IS IN KOREA AS I TYPE THIS!! My mission president, President Morrise has granted me permission to meet him for lunch!! I AM SO EXCITED!! Well, I better to before I break this keyboard with how fast and hard I am typing hehe. I had a great week and I hope all of you had a change to watch conference; if you didn't you better catch yourself up. I love you all and miss you. I hope everyone has a great week!! ^^ 사랑합니다!

슬론 자매
Sister Sloan