So what did we do with our leftover chili? We didn't have any food trash bags and so the Elders thought it would be a good idea to bury our rice chili in the garden

 Whelp. I'm training! I get my new companion on Wednesday and I'm just praying that my greenie won't hate me!  I definitely don't think I'm cut out for this, but all I can do is rely on the Lord, love my companion and do my best! Training is such a critical part of missionary work, in my opinion. The trainer shapes that trainee's missionary life from the very beginning! I don't know how great of a trainer I'll be, but I do have a favor to ask, PRAY FOR ME! 

 When we got the calls, we found out Sister McNatt was leaving the area and I immediately knew they were going to tell me that I was training. Thanks dad, you jinxed it! (he had a feeling that I was going to train..bumb) These next two transfers should be interesting, especially within all the craziness of Gang nam. But I'm determined to go into it with my head up! Not even letting giant cockroaches get me down.

Other than that, we went biking along the Han River with my district and Sister Gooch's district! It was a blast, but afterwards I think we all had a hard time sitting down at times. Not biking for a year and going all out is not a good idea! Super fun though! We biked to the graffiti tunnel (:

And also I got some chili packets for Christmas and we decided to eat it together with the district before district meeting while on exchanges with the STL. I had accidentally put too much water into the mixture and so it was pretty soupy chili. How did we fix it? We just made rice to eat with our soupy chili! That was another bad idea.. The chili was.. Umm.. Not so good. A few of the missionaries were able to finish their meal, but a few could not. 

So what did we do with our leftover chili? We didn't have any food trash bags and so the Elders thought it would be a good idea to bury our rice chili in the garden of the church. Which we did. That was probably the funniest day of my mission!  It might sound a little strange, but we're missionaries and we gotta make our own fun, right? 

Haha and to make the day even better, at the end of our exchange there was just soooo much drama with some of the english class members and LA.(Less active)  To say the least, it was a very interesting day! I love missionary life!

Have a wonderful Easter this week! Love you all and check this video out(: www.mormon.org/easter

Sister April Johnson

Pics: Biking in the graffiti tunnel and our chili..

I can't even count how many times I've sung as a missionary. It's fun though!

We met with our investigator that LOVES alcohol. In fact, she drank for cans of beer right before we came. Sooo. She was a little tipsy to say the least. We actually got to talk a lot about the gospel though and as I kept digging around, we found out that the reason why she started drinking is because she hates her husband. We found the source! So now we just have to find a way for her to be able to love her husband and stop her drinking addiction. It was a very interesting lesson, that's for sure.

Our house is infested with cockroaches. HELP. Okay not infested, we only found two. But when there's one, you know there's more!

In Gang nam, the Han River is in our area! So we explored it this week(: We can go on the bridge that takes you to Seoul Mission, but we can go about halfway before we're breaking the rules!  There's also a cool graffiti tunnel where the city allows graffiti to be done during the late hours of the night. Every time you go, there are different designs!

Stake conference was this weekend and our ward was in charge of doing the special musical numbers! We sang a few songs and I can't even count how many times I've sung as a missionary. It's fun though!

 I got to meet more of the Korean Sign Language members in Korea! After stake conference, they came up to me and talked for a long time! I tried to guess hand signals and things, but it was hard so we resorted to writing on a piece of paper. One was writing in Korean cursive and it's really hard to read it and I was having a difficult time so sometimes he'd resort to English. I found out that they knew my mom from youth conference and how my mom did a Kung fu show for everyone?!? MOM?!? That was quite the surprise. It was cool getting to talk with them though. I want to learn Korean Sign Language now. But maybe I should just focus on learning Korean.

 Have a great week! 

 Sister April Johnson

It's amazing that there are missionaries in Korea that are starting to learn KSL ( Korean sign language) & teaching deaf people!

A member invited us to a golf expo this week, but he had to leave early for another appointment so he left us. Four missionaries. In the convention center. A lot of golf booths. Free food. He had already paid for us to go in so we took it as a time to proselyte and look around. We got free samples and even met a famous person! I didn't know he was famous at the time, I just assumed he was cause he had a cardboard cutout of himself and there were random people wanting pictures with him. We met him and he was super nice so Elder Knapp got a picture with him.

 I thought about it, but if this guy wasn't actually famous, I didn't want a picture with a random person! Now I totally wish I got a picture with him. There is this HUGE tv show that has a lot of foreigners from around the world that are really good at Korean and they kind of act like the UN. It's a big hit and the guy that we met was one of the stars! Alberto from Italy. The Italian Stallion. Just kidding. That's just what we call him. 

But I DID get to meet someone famous in Gang nam! We showed some members the picture of the Elder and the famous guy and they were all freaking out! Now I really regret not taking a picture with him, haha!

Sister McNatt had an investigator that moved above the river (Seoul Mission) just before I moved to Gang nam. So we got extra special permission from the head honcho, Elder Ringwood, to go to her baptism! We went to the baptism and I got to meet my younger MTC group! Sister Ness! And found out that that ward was one of my Korean MTC group's homeward too! It was awesome getting to go there and be on enemies' grounds.. hahaha the baptism was beautiful and it was an adventure getting to go there and see some familiar faces(:

We also had this stake relief society meeting this week and a Korean sign language(deaf) member came up to me with one of the KSL missionaries and asked me who my parents were, if my mom was from Gwangju, and if my dad was named Matt. I said yes and the guy knows my parents! 

He came up to me and automatically knew that they were my parents. It's also amazing that there are missionaries in Korea that are starting to learn KSL and teaching deaf people! I was just amazed that he knew my parents! I started crying like a baby in front of him... It was just a cool experience to be able to communicate with him and realize we had a connection.

Anyway, random things have happened this week. 

 Have a great week!

  Sister April Johnson

The LA (Less active) realized the lady was listening and invited the lady to come sit and talk with us.

This week we had a miracle! We met with a less active that is from China and we decided to have dinner together and go eat at KFC. As we were eating, I asked her about her conversion story and she proudly shared it, explaining how if she had never come to Korea, she would have never found the church. During the 30 minutes of her telling is the story, I could  see a lady in the corner of my eye intently listening to us. She was listening to our less active's conversion story this whole time! 

The LA (Less active) realized the lady was listening and invited the lady to come sit and talk with us. The lady politely declined, but the LA was persistent and eventually got the lady to come sit with us and talk. As we started talking more, the lady had so many questions for us. She told us she attended a church close by and my first thought was that she was going to try and convert us to her church. Luckily, that was not the case! She had more questions; especially about the Book of Mormon.

We ended up staying at KFC for a while as we taught her many of the gospel principles. We were also able to pick her up as an investigator! Not only was that an awesome missionary moment for us, but for our less active as well! Who would have known that a simple less active lesson was going to turn into a member present lesson?? I love the Lord's little surprises and blessings He has in store for us(:

Then there was English flyer guy. I guess I forget all the time that I'm Asian and don't realize how strange it is for me to be speaking pretty fluent English on the streets of Korea. Sister McNatt and I were taking the subway back home one night and were discussing our awkward attempts at trying to find new investigators when this guy sitting next to me kept looking at us. I didn't really think anything of it cause we're missionaries and everyone gives us weird looks like that. Well we continue talking and Sister McNatt randomly hands me an English flyer. I didn't know what she was trying to do, so I just held it. 

The guy next to me then asks me if he could possibly have the flyer and continues to tell me that it was just really interesting to see a Korean speaking English so fast and that he wanted to speak like I did.. Hahaha.. I then told him I was actually one of the teachers and I think he was really bummed out. I think he thought that if he came to our English class, then he would be able to speak like me. Anyway, he said he'd still try to come to our class! But then he never showed up the next day... :( But my companion did say that she's now going to use me as bait and tell everyone if they come to our English class, they can become as good as me! Not such a great idea... haha

This week was fun. I hope your week was great! Happy spring!!

Sister Johnson

We also had our investigator pray at the end of our lesson this week. Guess what she prayed for?

I have been a missionary for over a year! I never thought that day would come. Mostly cause I thought I was going to die before then.. Haha but here I am! For pday, my MTC group will be going to Suwon and climb the castle wall! I'm excited to see everyone(:

We went sticker boarding this week at Gangnam Daero. It's the HUGE street that "Gangnam Style" talks about. It's jam packed with people and really expensive brand name stores. Sticker boarding there was like nothing I've ever seen! we literally just stood there and people CAME to us wanting to put stickers on. In Suwon, we basically had to follow people down the street for them to finally put a sticker on! I like Gangnam(:

We also had our investigator pray at the end of our lesson this week. Guess what she prayed for? She prayed so that Sister McNatt and I would be able to find our Prince Charming when we go back to America.. haha not the most ideal prayer we want our investigator to do, but hey it works, right??

This week we met with another potential investigator and she LOVES alcohol. Okay that's and understatement. She told us that her dying wish is to drink the most expensive alcoholic drink in the world. Her job is drinking, her hobbies are drinking, her whole life is drinking. She told us that she stopped drinking that one day for us when we met with her. So that just means we have to meet with her every day so she'll stop drinking, right? How do we help someone with that critical condition? Any ideas?

I also got to meet with my cousins again! They live in the area right next to us! We had a great time and shared a message about prayer. At the end, the mom told me that we can come whenever and do missionary work at her house. Meaning praying and teaching lessons! I think maybe that's why I was sent to Gangnam. To help with their interest in the church!

We met with another potential investigator and we went to go meet with another guy that wanted to learn English.. We ended up accidentally going across Han River... The boundaries for the Seoul mission. Oops! We were freaking out and didn't know how to tell our investigator that we couldn't go anymore.. It was quite the adventure! We ended up having to go to the other guys' house and introduce the correct missionary's number.

That was my week!  Hope everyone has a great week(:  

 Sister Johnson