Monday, September 30, 2013

Sinakarin Pictures--September 30, 2013

This is the final picture of Sister Slaugh and her "Bangkapi peeps after English class." She describes them as "Some are members. Some are investigators. And some are random people from English class."

Sister Slaugh writes, "I love drinking water from a coconut."

Sinakarin Letter--September 30, 2013

Hey fam! It's great to hear everything is going well in the good old United States. :)

So...I guess I should explain my subject line. (Her subject line in the email was "No longer in Bangkapi.") Last Tuesday we got a call from the District leader that the next day is transfers because the Thai missionaries were coming in. The Thai missionaries go to the Philippine MTC instead of Provo so they come at a different time than the Farong missionaries. It turned out that I was moving. So, I ignored that fact while we had showcase night for English class (it went very well by the way - we reviewed, played a game, and watched Johnny Lingo). Afterwards we taught a lesson and then after that I told the members. It was really sad to leave Bangkapi but oh well. Everyone was telling me that leaving your greenie area is the hardest. Everyone was also really surprised that I was leaving because greenies usually stay in their area another transfer after training. I'm going to really miss the members from Bangkapi. I loved them so much. 

I am currently in Sinakarin, about an hour's drive from Bangkapi. It's another ward so I'm still being spoiled. I am currently companions with Sister Yim. She's from Hawaii but is 100% Chinese. She totally looks Hawaiian though. We are still trying to figure that out. She is super nice and so much fun. She is two transfers ahead of me. She's super easy going. She's around 23 years old and got baptized about two years ago. She looks 20 though. I love being out of training just because it makes me feel like now I can go out and do things whereas before I was "training". I feel like Sister Yim and I have a good balance for the lessons because our Thai is around the same level of ability. It's a lot of fun. 

In the apartment where we live there are two other Sisters as well: Sister Wiganda and Sister Bentley (a greenie that came a transfer after me). It is so much fun being with Sister Wiganda. I love it so much. Sadly she finishes her mission in 3 weeks. She has a lot of responsibility in this mission so it will be interesting to see what happens after she leaves. She is soooooo much fun. :)

So that's pretty much it for me here. Um....

So last night we made dinner at the church and a member helped us (Sister Wiganda and Sister Bentley had a appointment so they didn't get back until we were basically done). The member was cutting the meat and Sister Yim was cutting the veggies. I didn't have anything to do so I read out-loud from the Thai-to-English dictionary. Yup. I flipped to random pages and read out random words. So Thai lesson of the week: there are two different ways to say "suicide": "to kill yourself" or "to think short". Those are the literal definitions. I like the second one but I feel like the first one is more common. 

Another Thai lesson from my reading this morning. "To deliver the prey of the terrible" is, to those that have been plundered (the word plundered said twice but in two different ways) by scary-looking people, "to give protection". I love Thai so much =D

After church yesterday a member was asking us about something but the word he was saying sounded like a Thai word: "lasanya". The end of the word sounded like the word for "promise". He looked confused and we were definitely confused. Finally he said it was an Italian food. "Lasagna". Yup. It may be Italian but it kinda sorta maybe sounds Thai if a Thai person says it. Haha :) Problems like that come up somewhat frequently. A Thai person tries speaking to me in English and we can't understand them because 1, how they pronounce it, and 2, because we're expecting Thai. 

Oh, now that I'm in Sinakarin, I have finally had authentic mango and sticky rice. I hadn't had it in Bangkapi because Sister Orchard didn't like coconut. It's really tasty. But currently it's kinda expensive because the mango aren't in season. It Spring the mangos will be in season. I'm so excited for that. :) 

To Daddy's question: I'm pretty sure when I first got to Thailand, I asked President if I could go on Dropbox and I think he said yes. I can't remember if we actually had that conversation or if I was just thinking that I needed to ask him. I'm pretty sure we did have that conversation though. So.... Dropbox sounds good :) Also, there is a place in Sinakarin where I can print pictures from my flashdrive so I can now print the pictures you have emailed me. Yay :)

I'm trying to think if there is anything else to report. 
I think because Sister Yim and I have to understand Thai better now, the Lord has really helped us. Beforehand I was with Sister Orchard (who is basically fluent) and Sister Yim was with a Thai. We were always with someone that could understand everything (or basically everything) of what the other person was saying. Now we don't have the luxury. It's totally fine though because the Lord has made up the difference. We don't understand all the ones said but somehow we miraculously know the jist of what was said or what was asked. There have been some times where I've was listening to someone and I kinda understood them but not fully. And then that person asked a question. Somehow - I know by no power of my own - I knew how to answer their question. Even when I didn't really even understand the question. The Lord truly does have a hand in this work. He isn't about to let our inefficiency in the language stop His work from going forth. As long as we open our mouth and have the intention of speaking, the Lord fills our minds and our mouths with the words. The grammar may be awkward and there might have been a better way of saying it but He takes what we have and He makes it work. I have become very confident in speaking to people now. I'm not confident in my knowledge but I am confident in the Lord's promise that if we open our mouth, He will fill it. It's so amazing and humbling to see that promise fulfilled everyday. There is absolutely no way I could do this on my own. Literally no way I could speak as much Thai as I can and understand as much as I do without the constant help of the Lord. It reminds me of what Mom said in her letter about how mindful the Lord is of the Scotch Plains seminary class. He is so mindful of each and every person - each and every thing. He cares sooooooo much about every lesson with an investigator, every lesson for seminary, every hour of our day. He just loves us sooooo much. This mission is definitely helping me understand God's and Christ's love for us better but it is also helping me understand how much more I have to understand about it. Their love for us is infinite. Literally infinite. They care about every single human. Every single one of us whether or not we care for them or even believe in them. Paula is one of our investigators in Sinakarin. Last Sunday she got on a motorcyle and told the driver to take her to church, any church. He took her to ours. This Sunday she wanted to come back but she had no idea how to get back. Miraculously she saw the same motorist from the previous week and he was able to take her back. Another story: orginally Jane and Jeep (from Bangkapi) were planning on getting baptized on the 29th. A week after they picked the date, they felt they needed to change it to the 22nd. Because of that miracle I was able to see two of my favorite people that we worked so much with get baptized. Heavenly Father knows the past, present, and future perfectly. He knows the consequences of every action we could possibly take. He knows what is best for us and He really wants to guide us to the best and happiest path. He truly does love us more than we can possibly comprehend. 


Um...I think that's it for my end. I'm sending some pictures today. Hopefully I remember to bring my camera with me when we exercise in the morning so I can send you all the view from our roof. It's so cool. It's a mix of tall trees and tall buildings. It's so Thai. :)

I love you all so very much and pray that all is well where you are. Thailand is absolutely amazing and I love it here so much. 

~Sister Slaugh

P.S: On Saturday the RS had an activity where they taught Thai dancing. It's not easy. 
P.S.S: We did not watch the RS broadcast. We might be able to see it next week because it probably takes a week for translation. On a related note, Conference. We don't watch it Conference weekend. We watch it the week after because it needs to be translated. Luckily the church usually plays it in Thai in the sacrament room but also has it in English in a different room. Yay Conference! I'm sooooo excited! =D
P.S.S.S: This week someone told me the day I finish my mission. Apparently I should get home on Halloween. No one is allowed to count down the days but I thought you should know. It's really weird to think about. 

Much love!!! =D

Bangkapi Letter--September 23, 2013

Heya Fam!
Is it really the 23rd already? How can that be? I was positive that it just barely turned September. I've been warned a lot that the longer you are on a mission, the faster it goes. That scares me because I haven't been out long and it is already flying by. On Sunday I was thinking about where I was in life and about choices that brought me to this point. I realized one of the blessings of a mission is that you know you are in the exact spot you are supposed to be because you don't choose your location, God does. I was at church in Bangkapi in Thailand. There was literally no better place for me to be in at that moment. It's super cool to think about.
The other amazing thing about yesterday was that Sister Jane and Sister Jeep got baptized!!!!!!!!! =D That in and of itself is a miracle. Prior to them getting a date, they kept on saying that their mom wouldn't be okay with them getting baptized. And even before that, only Jane was interested in the gospel - not Jeep. And yesterday they both got baptized and their mom was even able to come and support them. It was so amazing. As cliché as it is, they looked heavenly in their white baptismal dresses. I wanted to cry I was so happy for them. They are so excited to eventually be able to go to the temple and become missionaries too. Last night they helped us go inviting. They were great and loved doing. What better way to celebrate their baptism than by them wanting to share the gospel with others? I love being a missionary.
Everything is going really well here. Last night when we went inviting I talked to a lot of farongs. It is so hard sharing the gospel in English. I can do it in Thai and I don't feel awkward but in English? I kept on wanting to speak in Thai. One of those farongs is now a new investigator though so I couldn't have done that badly. He's curious about the gospel. He gave me his number so I could get him a Book of Mormon in English. He said he couldn't promise that he would believe but he also couldn't promise that he wouldn't. I have high hopes for Brent. Even if we were are just planting seeds for future missionaries, I'm happy.
What else has happened this week?
I absolutely love my new scriptures so thank you again.
Two benefits of seminary that I discovered: I was planning activities for Showcase (kind of like a party for English class; it's tomorrow night) and I was able to adapt some seminary games to my benefit. We aren't actually going to play those games but it was really relieving to know that I had more options available than I had thought.
Benefit #2: Seminary taught me how to study the scriptures really well. I love the scriptures so much more when I am studying the verses than when I am just reading them. This morning I was applying some methods we did in seminary: focusing on the prepositions, seeing how often a phrase is repeated, cross-references, etc. It really helps me get more out of the scriptures. So thanks :)
To Dad's question about the pictures: I can print pictures that I take on my camera but that's it. So if it is possible for you to send printed pictures, I would absolutely love it. And just the normal size would be great. Pictures of ancestors, pictures of family, pictures of what you all have been up to, pictures of friends, pictures of when I was a kid, pictures of the temple, anything really. People really like to look at picture here and I like it too. :)
To Mom's comment about the importance of families in the scriptures: it's amazing how important families are to the Lord. Families have been hit really hard here in Thailand. There are a lot of single mothers. President Senior says about 85% (or 95%, I can't remember) of the members in Thailand are the only members in their family. We are starting to work with part-member families more now. It's really hard on people when they don't have a strong happy family to lean on. I think maybe that's why the ward is really like a family here in Thailand. Church is where they feel comfortable. Church is where they feel at home. It's really amazing how strong these people are. It makes me so grateful to have been raised the way I was. Mommy and Daddy, thank you so much for being strong in the gospel and loving each other so much. And for letting us kids know that you loved each other and loved us. Thank you so so so so so sosososososososo much.
To Delsa's letter: I love the idea of going TV (and the like) free for a week. I used to think the computer and Internet were really important pre-mish (as showed by me being on it a lot) but it's so freeing to never go on the Internet (except to email) while on a mission. It shows me what's important. And I love that your girls reacted so well to it. Go Audrey and Rachel! Also, everyone here thinks that Rachel looks like a young Dakota Fanning (or whatever her name is - that actress in a lot of children's movies).
To Lorri's pictures: Your son is absolutely adorable and I love him. I'm excited to hug him one day :)
Another miracle from this week: When Sister Orchard and I were finishing up tracting for the day on Friday, a girl came up to us, wanting to talk to us. She said that she wanted to be Christian and could she please have our number. We were very happy to oblige. Apparently her brother is a less active. What makes this even more amazing is that prior to that, we were asked to focus on 3 less actives or non-members who could receive the Melchizedek Priesthood by next February. I think Heavenly Father was telling us someone He wanted us to work with. Another miracle (because I love sharing these stories) from yesterday. There is a member who we work with a lot who, for a while, was dancing on the line of inactivity. He is 20 years old. Apparently before he got baptized he used to be a really not great guy but has shaped up a lot since then. He has an amazing testimony but is also currently going through a lot of trials. His parents aren't active even though they were the ones who introduced him to the church. We work with him a lot and he loves to help us teach. We're buds. For the last month we have called him every Sunday to wake him up so he can be on time to take the sacrament. He hasn't been on time in soo long and still hasn't. But here comes the miracle. Lat Prao is currently splitting off from Bangkapi and so is starting to hold church service a couple hours after Bangkapi does. Jane and Jeep were giving talks in Lat Prao so we went to support. And we brought this member with us. And he was able to take the sacrament. Woohoo! I was so excited.
On a related note, something I am learning on my mission is that church attendance is so important. Investigators improve so much after attending church. Once they realize the importance and after they make the attempt to go, they progress so much faster. The sacrament is so vital. It is so so so vital. If people want to understand this religion, they need to go to church and take the sacrament. Partaking of the sacrament is one of the most important things we can do in this life because it renews our baptismal covenant with Heavenly Father. I love the sacrament sooo much. So much.
Um... I think that's pretty much it for last week. It rains basically every day here. I love it. I love chocolate milk too. It's great. And pineapple. Fresh pineapple is heavenly. And yesterday a member made a salad for after church (there is a linger-longer every Sunday) and I was so happy. It was so good. I love salads. They aren't spicy and they don't have rice or noodles. I love rice and noodles but salads are happy breaks.
Much love!!!!! =D
~Sister Slaugh

Monday, September 16, 2013

Bangkapi Letter - - September 16, 2013

THANK YOU SO SO SO SO SO SO SO SO SO SO SO MUCH!!!!!!!!!
We had to go to the office last Monday to get money for Sister Orchard so afterwards we stuck our heads in the mailroom. I was so excited to get that package. Thank you soooooooo much!!!!! =D I've really missed having a Bible and having a personal set of scriptures. They feel really really nice. I really love them. :) Thanks again :)

Things have been going well in Bangkapi but there is still drama. Some of the young women were too casual with the Elders and past missionaries never did anything to fix the situation. So, my companionship and our two Elders sat down (Order of the Phoenix style) and made a battle plan of how to correct the situation. One of the young women blew up at us a couple of times because we were trying to fix the situation but everything is all good now. That girl and I had a really good relationship before the issue so I think she had a hard time being mad at me. :) Friday she tried yelling at me but she couldn't get totally mad at me. Sunday we were back to the usual being friends. I think it also helps that everyone in the ward thinks of me as a little child and can you really get angry at a child? Things have improved between her and Sister Orchard as well (she yelled at Sister Orchard for a good 15 minutes last Tuesday). So things are on the up and up. :)

Our two Elders and the four Lat Prao Elders are hilarious and so much fun to work with. Sister Orchard just cracks up constantly and she has a contagious laugh. Bangkapi and Lat Prao used to be combined but we are currently working on splitting them. The Lat Prao Elders still come to our church meetings, meetings with the Bishop, and correlation meetings but they are working hard to make a self-sufficient ward down in Lat Prao. Really great things are happening here in Thailand. We are working really hard for a temple. Our goal is to get a temple announced next year. President Senior has asked us to emphasize the law of tithing and to strengthen the Melchizedek Priesthood holders here in Thailand. It's so exciting to be working here at this time. 

We went on another switch-off last week - I stayed in Bangkapi for it. Sister Orchard is a really great Sister Training Leader. She has a lot of responsibilities though. The day (Friday) of switch-off, our two Elders got super sick so I was in charge of Sports Night. I do not like stress. Or having one of my favorite members annoyed at me because of our determination to keep the rules. But... everything got better since that night too. It was a big testimony builder to me. Friday morning I studied about how Christ rescues us in the 4th watch - at our breaking point. There have been a lot of times in my life where I feel like I'm about to break because of issue but it is at those points when the relief comes. We endure and do our best for as long as we physically and emotionally can and when we literally can't do any more, God steps in. He is with us the entire time supporting us but it's at our breaking point that we can most easily see the miracles. "It is by grace we are saved, after all we can do." That's in 2nd Nephi somewhere. Maybe chapter 2? [2 Nephi 25:23]

All in all, this week has ended fantastically. Our two daters passed their interview on Saturday and are getting baptized next Sunday. Their mom is pretty sure she can get off work for their baptism. We are teaching this other amazing girl Pogan. She gets things so easily and is so willing to keep the commandments. She is so sweet and it is so obvious that she has been previously prepared by the Lord. Our other investigators are doing well too. Two of them love learning and are really sincere but their parents are very against them being baptized. We might have to drop (stop teaching) one of our other investigators soon. She loves having us teach her but she won't put forth any effort on her part. Won't go to church, won't keep commandments, etc. We really love her but we've taught her everything already. We can't help anymore and we need to devote our time to people who are progressing. Oh well. Maybe right now just isn't her time and the missionaries after us will be able to help her better. All in all, the work here has been good. I love Thai people so much. I love this ward and all the members. Some members around my age have started teaching me Thai slang because they are sick of me always asking the same questions (like how are you?). I can only use it with them though because those phrases would be really rude if used with people other than your close friends. Good times in Bangkapi :)

Um...that's all really to report. I love it here in Thailand so much. I love the people here so much. It's so sad to think that if I didn't go on a mission I wouldn't have met these wonderful people or learned this amazing language. Or had this fantastic food. I love Thai food so much. I really need to work on eating spicy food though. I'm still really bad at it. Oops. :) 

The members I work with the most: Sister Aay (17), Sister Eve (18 or 19 - Aay's older sister), Sister Jane (18 or 19), Brother Bob (20 - his name sounds like Bop), Sister Gay (40ish, pronounced Guy - means chicken), Sister Janti (33, nickname is Ganster), and yeah. They are so much fun and I love them so much. So great.

I'm glad to hear everything is going well at home. I'm sending a lot of prayers. Congrats to Chris! How is Mrs. McAnulty? Hope everything is great with seminary. And that's super exciting about Newark!!!!  Yay!!!!! =D [The Newark meetinghouse was dedicated Sunday.  It houses the Newark Ward, Spring Garden Branch, and Ironbound Branch.  The Newark Branch was formed in 1979 and made into a ward around 1996.  Getting their own building has been a long, hard struggle.]  

Much love! =D
~Sister Slaugh

(P.S: If you would like to send pictures for Christmas, I would absolutely love that. And if we have an extra copy of the Testament. Or any MoTab CDs - that's all we are allowed to listen to here. Yup. And Peanut Butter M&Ms. That's currently it. Or any recipes. Like for pizza. I would really like the pizza recipe because it is super expense here. Much love! :)

Monday, September 9, 2013

Bang Kapi Pictures--September 2, 2013

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
   
 
Sister Orchard's birthday party
 
Our elders and two new converts
 
 
me with two investigators and a member.  Look at the Girl Scout uniforms!
 


Bangkapi letter - September 2, 2013

Hey family. I only have about 10 minutes because we have an appointment soon so sorry in advance for the short letter.

First off, I AM SO HAPPY ABOUT CHRIS AND BENJAMIN. In all honesty, started crying. I am sooo happy. So happy. Congrats to Chris making one of the best decisions in his life. I know it will totally bless him forever. I am so excited for him. And I loved the pictures of Benjamin. :)
 
Second, this week l learned so much about revelation and the line of authority on receiving revelation. I can talk more about it next time but a couple of days ago Sister Orchard went on a switch-off and I "trained" a greenie (only 2-3weeks in country) for the day. It is truly amazing how much the Spirit guides. And it is so amazing how he guides. No overwhelming feelings. Just little pokes in the right direction. 
 
Third, weird foods of this week: bugs. Some of my favorite members gave them to me with this comment: Arroy (meaning tasty). They took off the feet first for me. Actually quite good. No joke. Reminds me of pumpkin seeds. I had about three but I would not be against eating them again in the future. 
 
Fourth, Sister Jane and Sister Jeep want to get baptized at the end of this month!!!!!! I am so excited because I love those two girls so much. The day they chose a date, Sister Aay (the member that introduced them) had been fasting for them. What an amazing testimony builder. Right after you break your fast, Sister Orchard being prompted to talk to Sister Jane about baptism. Sister Orchard asked Sister Jane what was stopping her. Sister Jane responded with: "How do you know when you have enough faith?" A little later, Sister Jane and Sister Jeep picked September 29th as their date though they are thinking of changing it to be sooner. 
 
This week has been absolutely amazing. I have been so blessed. Tracting has been a lot of fun. Teaching has been great. I feel like I can understand most of everything that is being said even though I don't feel like I can say everything I want to. The language is not a barrier though. I can say and understand everything I need to though it would be nicer to know more. The members say that I have really improved since when I first got here. Speaking is becoming easier and more natural. The Lord has really blessed me and I know without Him, all this would be impossible. 
 
I have to go. I love you all very very very much! =D 
Sending many prayers,
Sister Slaugh
 
P.S: I am going to a crocodile farm today so there will be pictures next week. Much love! =D

Bangkapi letter dated 9/9/2013

Hey fam!
So....I guess I'll answer questions first:
*Still haven't gotten the scriptures. I'm sure they come soon though. [Abbie's scriptures were stolen from her bike. We mailed new ones August 9, to the mission office.]
*Christmas? Wow that seems far away. My only current thought is Peanutbutter M&Ms. Haha :)

And that's it for questions... I think
 
[Seminary started this morning, 5:45 a.m.  Debra had asked Abbie to give a welcome to the kids in Seminary for this morning.]  As for seminary, I am very very grateful I attended and paid attention during it. It is so important for missionaries to have a firm understanding of the scriptures. How can you bear testimony of a book you haven't studied? How do you hope to learn of Christ if you don't read His words or the words of His prophets? In all honesty, I have had to explain scriptures or other aspects of the gospel that I would not have been able to without seminary. Like about Jewish culture. Or about the Isaiah chapters. Seminary made the scriptures more real for me. It's so much easier to teach these stories and these principles because I know them. I know them and I know they are true. Seminary is mission and life training. On a mission, you study the scriptures for about an hour every day. Seminary taught me how to study the scriptures and taught me to love the scriptures. Because of that, I always look forward to personal study. But seminary isn't just about preparing for the future. I truly believe that I couldn't have gotten through high school without seminary. It gave me the strength to defend and live my standards. It helped me be happy. I realized the reason I was so happy in high school was because of seminary. In all honesty, that is the reason. In college I was not as bubbly and that was because I didn't start my day off with the scriptures. On my mission I do, and I am as cheerful as I was in high school. So moral of the story, everyone should go to seminary.

On a related note, everyone should read the scriptures every day. There are three things we stress with every investigator, recent convert, less active, and other members: the importance of praying often, reading daily, and going to church (sacrament meeting) weekly. Those are the key to having a testimony. I firmly believe that if people are doing those things, they will gain a testimony of Jesus Christ and they will know that the Book of Mormon is true. Agency is so important to God - the whole war in Heaven was all about agency. The only way to have agency is to have knowledge. The only way to gain knowledge about this religion is via praying to our loving Heavenly Father, reading His words - the scriptures, and partaking of the sacrament and renewing our covenants with Him. Sorry about that little rant. I just wish people realized that the Sunday School answers truly are the answers to everything in life. :)
 
So this week. It started off with a trip to the crocodile farm with all the Sister missionaries in the zone. Super fun! I held a baby tiger, fed a crocodile, and rode an elephant. My life is basically complete. 
 
Tuesday we went on yet another switch-off. It was fun though. My companion was Thai which was a lot of fun. It was a good boost of my confidence with Thai because she understood everything I said and I understood her. Of course, when your ego gets high, the fall hurts. A recent convert called (we work with her a lot) and asked me to have Sister Orchard call her back because she can't understand me when I talk. And when we were teaching an investigator, they had my companion resay everything I said. The funny thing is that she often said it the same way I did. Yup. But I know my Thai is improving and reading is so much easier now. 
 
Wednesday was an interesting day. It felt like it didn't even happen. Bangkapi is a fantastic ward but it too has problems. Understandably, the young women are fascinated with the farong Elders. [farong = foreigner] However, this is causing a serious problem. Sister Orchard, our two Elders, and myself had a meeting a couple of days ago and basically made a battle plan of how to deal with the situation. Since then, things have gotten remarkably better. So no worries. 
 
Speaking of our Elders, they are great. We have been working with them a lot and visiting members together. It's been a lot of fun and really good. The Elders are hilarious but also really great workers. Elder Wheeler is from Idaho and Elder Haughton is from California. Bangkapi has improved a lot since they came here. 

So the miracle of the week was yesterday. Saturday night was a hard night (Sister Orchard's wallet is either lost or stolen - we have not given up on it yet though) so we weren't able to plan for Sunday. I was expecting Sunday to be a hard day because of the lack of planning. It was actually amazing. I have never felt so taken care of by God before. He took care of us so much yesterday. A former investigator brought a new investigator to church. Other investigators asked us to teach them. Afterward a member asked us to visit her dad. The bishop came to that as well and afterward he asked if we wanted to visit some members with him. There was another female with us so we did. Afterward the stake relief society president (Bangkapi is her home ward) invited us for dinner and the past relief society president for Bangkapi just happened to be there too. We had been planning on visiting those two for a while now. Literally the entire day was a total miracle. God took us by the hand and guided the entire day. It was so amazing. He truly is involved in this work. He is working harder than anyone else in this work. Last week when Sister Orchard and I were tracting, we ran into two less actives. Total miracle. We didn't know who they were - we were just saying hello to everyone we saw and they identified themselves as members. Those LA's are starting to come back to church. It is so humbling to be a servant of the Lord. We are doing nothing. He is doing all the work - leading us, putting us in the right spot, telling us what to say, everything. It is so amazing. 
 
So that is all for this week. God truly does have a role in everyone's lives. The more you look for His loving influence, the more you will see. 
 
I love you all very very very very very much!! =D
~Sister Slaugh
 
P.S: I am so excited for General Conference!!!!!!!!! =D