Week 1 in the Field!

This week has been crazyyyy!!! I can't believe that I was in two different countries and did so much in just one week!

My week has been blessed with so many blessings and miracle~ I am so amazed at the extent of Heavenly Father's hand in my life!! 

I don't even know where to start...

Let's start with all of the amazing people that I said goodbyes to at the MTC. 

I am so very grateful to all of my teachers and all of the friends I made in our zone. 

I will forever be grateful to the examples that they have set and for their love for me, each other, the gospel, our Savior and our Heavenly Father. 

Sister Painter, Brother Sugi and Brother Tirrell

Brother Merkley 

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Brother Saunders

Sister Du and Brother Yuen 

I am so blessed to have had all of these wonderful spiritual giants be my teachers at the MTC, preparing me to be out in the field!

Thank you so so much!! I will forever be grateful~
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Elder Gray and Elder Biggs, our Zone Leaders!

It was a pleasure serving with these two great elders, along with Elder Munsey and Elder Allred (the Zone Leaders before these two...regretfully I don't have a picture with them!)

I learned much from their examples of leadership, service and diligence. 

Good luck Elders in your field! 

Question: How many family photos does it take to get a picture where everyone looks good?

Answer: IT"S IMPOSSIBLE!!! 

We have definitely become family with our Nong Thai's!! I am so excited to be serving with all of these great missionaries in the same Mission!

And here we are in Thailand....

This is our Mission Office!! 

Our cute little office dog~ 

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Goodbyes to my MTC district!! We have become so unified as one! 

It's going to be so weird to not see them every single day!!

Good luck to you guys!! Love you so muchhh!!! 

Assigned area: Srinakarin, Bangkok Thailand! 

My new companions!! This is Sister Bin (who will leave us shortly to go the MTC in the Philippines for a while) and my Heaven sent Trainer, Sister Hayes!

She is one of the most patient, loving person I have ever met. And most importantly, she LOVES the work!

Her diligence and love for the work pushes me forward! 

Even though I am sometimes terrified of being a missionary, watching her talk to every one she sees and her bright smiles and optimism, and her ability to see the miracles each and everyday, makes me love being a missionary!

I want to become just like her as a missionary...being grateful for everything that the Lord has blessed us with, loving the people wholeheartedly, and loving the work! 

First time on a SongThaew !

Basically it's a pickup truck with seats in the trunk...

Costs about 25cents to take a ride! ^^

Now... for one of the most beautiful moments of my first week in Thailand! 

This is the home of Sister Phan. 

It looks decent at this angle...but let me try my best to paint a picture of the conditions of this house... 

The yard it piled high with rotting garbage...

The door step is wobbly and cracked...the door, not much of a door...

The floorboards are so old and cracked that one wrong move would result in falling right through the floor...
​Most of the little home is empty except for the rotting floorboards and layers of dirt and musty air...

The only room that has life is cluttered with bags and containers and boxes piled high...a dirty, tiny little fridge...an old t.v...

But right in the center of all the rubble, on a worn, ancient looking bed, sits the most beautiful thing that I have ever seen...

Right in the heart of this crumbling home, on this old old bed, sits Sister Phan.

I don't know how else to describe her, except that she is perfect. 

She is an old lady in her late 70s, who is entrapped in her bed because she can't walk...

She has tubes running out her excretes into a container by her bed...

But the light that she shines is so bright! 

The spirit that she holds, fills the room and cannot possibly be denied.

By her bed is a single picture of Christ, and a picture of the temple.

She has a Liahona open that she's been reading, and a set of scriptures too. 

Her smile is radiant. 

This most precious, glorious, most brilliant daughter of our Heavenly Father is nothing short of perfect.

I didn't understand everything she said, but it did not matter. 

Her faith, the light of Christ that she holds was so strong that I was certain it was tangible. 

She cannot go to church, and lives in this lonely home... but she is happy, truly happy.

I know that this is only possible because she knows the true meaning of the Gospel. 

Adjusting to missionary life is hard,  but Sister Phan has given me so much courage and motivation to keep moving forward! 

I am so so wonderfully privileged to get to visit her each week.

I am so excited to learn from her wondrous example! 

She is a live miracle! 

One of the other wonderful things about being a missionary and inviting people on the streets is the opportunity to invite those who have nothing to come unto Christ. 

I have had two opportunities this week to share the gospel with homeless men. 

I actually didn't say much, but listened as my companion or the member we were inviting with would share the beautiful message of the gospel...

We had the opportunity to teach a crippled old man (not the one in this picture) about our loving Heavenly Father and our Savior, Jesus Christ.

We gave him a Book of Mormon and prayed with him.

To think that it was his very first time hearing that he would have a whole body after this life, one where his disfigured leg would be perfected...

What a miracle is it to be able to share the beautiful message of the restored gospel to people like him! 

What a miracle the gospel is to be able fill someone's heart, even when they have nothing else. 

I sincerely hope that he will be able to recognize our Heavenly Father's and Savior's love for him and that he will know that our Father in Heaven is waiting for him with open arms. 

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Weirdest thing I have eaten....

It was actually pretty good...but creepy looking.... 

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Week 9 - final week at the MTC!

My final week here at the MTC is finally coming to a close! 

I don't really know how I feel.... Some part of me is so excited to FINALLY be leaving the MTC....

Another part of me is terrified that I am not ready to be in Thailand... 

But this past week has been filled with the tender mercies of our Heavenly Father that have reassured me that "It will be okay"~ 

(I am now convinced that Heavenly Father will guide me to Thailand kicking and screaming if He has to.... OR I can have a much better attitude and accept His will with joy and full purpose of heart!) 

Here are some of the highlights of my week, and the Lord's hand in my life!

The first experience happened while I was at the temple on Monday.

As I was praying in the Celestial Room after an Endowment Session, I was pleading with the Lord to give me enough strength to get through this mission... 

I wanted to follow His will, but I was having such a hard time feeling ready, sufficient and focused. 

A significant part of me just wanted to pack my bags and go home. 

As I was praying, I suddenly remembered something that is said in my Patriarchal Blessing. 

It says that when I am at the Temple, I will feel close with my ancestors for whom the work has be done. 

As I was reminded of this, I started to talk in my heart, with two of my grandparents. 

This wasn't the first time I've talked with my ancestors through prayer, but this time was definitely special. 

At the time, I was wearing a necklace that has been remolded from rings that my grandmother had owned, and a ring that had once belonged to my mom. 

As I focused on the necklace, I talked with my grandmother. She passed away when I was about 6 years old, so I don't remember her very well, but I do remember all the stories my dad has shared with me.

She was the perfect example of love and compassion, and faith. 

Growing up, she wasn't just someone who had these qualities... To me, she WAS those things.

So, as I prayed, and talked with her, I could feel her support, and draw strength from her spirituality. 

Next, I focused on the ring, and as I did so, I talked with my grandfather. 

I never knew him because he passed away when my mom was only about 9 years old. 

But my grandmother has told me so many wonderful stories about him growing up.

He was the body guard to the President of Korea, and a war hero!

He was someone who had so much courage, and always bold in standing up for what he believed to be right. 

Although I never personally knew him, I could feel his protection, and his strength supporting me.

I could feel that I was drawing the courage and boldness I needed.

As I talked with my grandparents a little longer, thanking them for their love and support...

I had the impression that my grandmother was there, standing beside me and giving the most warm and comforting hug.

I am so very grateful to my grandparents (one from each side of my family) who have been such marvelous examples to me. 

The second experience I had this week is a little hard to explain because I'm still confused at exactly what happened.

It was during one of our practice lessons with an investigator...

In the middle of the lesson, Sister Smith started to cry because she was so stressed and overwhelmed with many different things...

I was so lost, and didn't really know what to do...but tried to endure through the lesson by trying my best to meet the needs of the investigator.

I was soon joined by Sister Smith, and together we did our best.

Needless to say, we both felt dazed, and weird after this lesson...

We were trying to put ourselves back together before we headed back to class...

When our investigator, now turned back into our teacher, approached us and thanked us for caring sincerely for our investigator.

He told us that to Phi Jom (our investigator), it wasn't just missionaries, but two angels who had ministered to him....

Our teacher advised us to thank our Heavenly Father for enabling us to do this.

I was shocked to hear this. 

I thought of how unprepared I had been walking into that lesson, and how we had struggled through it.

However, here was someone who was telling us that the lesson had been effective...

Sister Smith and I knelt down in prayer together and we each took turns vocally saying a prayer.

I thanked our Heavenly Father for helping us to show love to our investigator and for helping me be a successful missionary, even though I was so imperfect and lacking in many many ways.

This experience helped me to know in my heart (not just in my mind) that when we are on the Lord's errand, He will help us. 

He will make sure that angels take our place when we invite others to come unto Christ because the worth of one soul really is great in the sight of God.

This is His work, and our imperfections and shortcomings will not stand in the way. 

I am so grateful to my Heavenly Father for trusting me to be a missionary, and for our Savior, Jesus Christ for the pure love that He has for each and every one of  us, here on the Earth. 

Passing over our responsibilities to the next Sister Training Leaders!!

Stripe Day! 

Bababeble~ 

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It's HERE!! My Thai nametag!!! 😱

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Week 8

I can't believe that the weeks have flown and I am leaving in just one week!

We received our flight plans on Friday! We are leaving the MTC at 2:30am to catch a 6:30 flight to Chicago, then to Hong Kong, and then finally to Thailand!!!

The days have been long, the weeks very short. 

In a way, it feels like I've just been at an extended YSA conference, boot camp style and at the end of this week, I will be going home again.

It's mind boggling to think that I will ever actually make it to Thailand. I don't think it will sink in until I'm there.

The weeks here have pushed me to my limits, and helped me to grow in leaps and bounds. 

I stumbled and fell more times than I can count. I've prayed more than I have ever before. 

And I've really had to rely on my faith and trust in the Lord because there was nothing else I could do.

There were so many times I wanted to just quit and go home. 

The battles seemed endless, and many times it felt like I wasn't progressing.

Countless times I wondered: Why am I here? What is my purpose for being here? Do I truly have enough faith to pull through these next 18 months? Am I really meant to be a missionary? Am I good enough to reach out and serve those around me?

I don't have the answers to all of my questions, and I don't think I'll get all of the answers... But as Elder Neil L. Andersen said during the last General Conference, "Faith never demands the answers to everything, but it asks for the strength to endure." As I have spent the weeks here at the MTC, each week I have tried my best to not only "endure" but to "enjoy" through the trials and challenges. I am so very grateful to my Heavenly Father who places obstacles in my life so that I can learn and grow from them. I am so grateful that He loves me enough to push me to my limits. I know that it is through the trials that we face, that we are refined into becoming our very best selves. Although Heavenly Father gives us many challenges to shape us for the better, it's reassuring to know that He doesn't just leave us in the dark. He has given us Christ, who has suffered through every trial, challenge, heartache, disappointment and anything else that we could ever face and more. When no one else understands, Christ does. And He is always within in arm reach. The only thing keeping us away from Him is ourselves. All we have to do is simple go to Him in sincere, heartfelt prayer. During our Fast and Testimony Meeting, one of our zone leaders said, "Kneeling in prayer is the most comfortable position to be in." This is such a powerful statement, and it is true! I have a testimony that Heavenly Father and Christ live, and when we go to them with our questions and concerns, they are always willing to help us out in the best of ways. We don't know everything, but the Lord does! They have the bigger picture, and they know how best to guide us and lead us down the path of happiness. 

I am so grateful for the opportunity that I have had to be here that MTC, to learn from the examples of so many of the wonderful people that have been placed in my life.

As I learned from the others in my zone, our teachers, and others here at the MTC, I have come to know that my Heavenly Father really does care about me as an individual. He loves me, and He has called me on a mission at this specific time, to this specific location because He knows that the people that He has placed me with will help me to progress in so many amazing ways! I am so grateful to be surrounded by the people that are constantly around me physically, or in spirit. 

On Tuesday, we had the privilege of hearing from Elder Neil L. Andersen during our devotional here, at the MTC. He talked a lot about sacrifice as being a part of who we are. He told us that every missionary had to sacrifice something to be here! This is very true! As I have observed the other missionaries in my zone, it's amazing to hear their stories and to learn from their examples of courage and faith, the tremendous amount of courage, and love for the Lord that it took to be here right now, to follow the Lord's will!! I love these missionaries more than I can express! I wish them all the best on their missions, as we all head out to the places that we have been assigned to reach out and help others to come unto Christ!

It is my sincere hope, that each one of us can continually strive to be converted unto the Lord each and everyday, that we may never fall away. The gospel is true! Heavenly Father and Christ LIVE!

All of the Thai's! 

With our Cambodian Sisters!

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A friend from Korea! Sister Kim~ Unexpected meeting here at the MTC for the first time in a YEAR!

Our cute little Sister Htwe!! 

Halloween at the MTC!! 

Date with my companion!! 

Sister Howardddddd!!!!! <3 Happy Reunion at the MTC! I am so privileged to get to see her here from time to time at TRC!!! 

BEST P-Day EVER!

Last time going to the temple for the next 16 months...gahhhhhh!!!

Soccer Baseball + PERFECT Thai Squat picture with all the Thai's!! :D

Sisters selfie!!

Week 7

Oct 19 2015

We got to skype members in Thailand for the first time today!!

We were so nervous!! But once we were able to get over our anxiety, and let the Lord help us through the spirit, the lesson went well!

I love the people of Thailand! 

Sister Smith and I had the opportunity to talk with Sister Beth.

She was so patient and understanding towards our lacking Thai.

She was sincere, and you could feel her love for the gospel!

We also had the pleasure of teaching one of our teachers, Sister Painter as herself.

This was the testimony arose in my heart as we taught her:

I know that when we put Heavenly Father first, and prioritize the gospel in our lives, we will be able to get through the challenges and trial in our lives with lighter hearts.

We will always have challenges in our lives, but we can either choose to do it with Christ by our side by doing the small and simple things (prayer and reading the Book of Mormon daily) or we can choose to  make it harder for ourselves by loosening our grip and hold on the one hand that can truly help us. Remember that no trial is too big or too small for Christ to lend us a helping hand! 

Our burdens are truly made lighter when we reach out to Him!

Oct 20 2015

I finally finished making script cards for the Thai alphabet!!! 

I have managed to turn all of the constants, vowels, and most of the vowel clusters into pictures to help me remember what they are!

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Best Quote of the Day: "The Atonement isn't like a cleaning service, the Atonement is like your mother" - Elder Blad

As funny as this quote may sound at first...Here is an extremely sound explanation:

A cleaning service cleans your clothes and that's it.

But, your mother is always constantly there for you.

If we have a broken heart and a contrite spirit, we can use the Atonement that is constantly accessible to us.

In addition, our mothers teach us how to clean the laundry, just as Christ and His Atonement teaches us how to be spiritually clean instead of doing all the work for us. 

Oct 21 2015

During Personal Study today, I decided to re-listen to Sister Rosemary M. Wixom's talk from this past General Women's conference.

I loved the following quote from her:

"Because you are His child, He knows who you can become. He knows your fears and your dreams. He relishes your potential. He waits for you to come to Him in prayer. Because you are His Child, you not only need Him, but He also needs you. The world needs you, and your divine nature allows you to be His trusted disciple to all His children. Once we begin to see the divinity in ourselves, we can see it in others."

Elder Blad's Study Pose.... 

Sister Painter's Diagram about what happens to Elders and Sisters in Thailand...

According to her... The Elders will lose weight...

As for the Sisters...

Well...we'll be gaining 'rice cheeks' and lower body fat to make a cushion to compensate for the lack of cushion on the bike seats...

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Oct 22 2015

Today, we had the opportunity to practice teaching a Less Active (LA).

Here's the conclusion that Sister Smith and I came to at the end of our evaluation, after teaching our LA:

We both don't know what we said!

BUT whatever we said worked because as we taught, we could see in the eyes of our LA that he was feeling the Holy Ghost!

At first he wasn't really paying much attention to us, but as the Spirit sank in, he sat up, more alert and attentive.

I learned the importance of trusting your companion. Even though I couldn't understand complete what was being said by Sister Smith, I could feel it was trust and I had trust that she was following the spirit. 

Talking through the heart with sincerity is the KEY! Voicing what we feel and know to be trust is the only way into others' hearts.

Thinking about language is a big nono during the lesson. Trust that you know what you've learned and your ability to apply it with the Lord's help.

What we need to work on: establish expectations in a better way. 

Oct 23 2015

I decided to study out Ephesians 6 !

And this is a summary of what I learned:

  

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Oct 24 2015

Early morning ghosts... Time for Breakfast!!!

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Study Break Pose!

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I love being able to have the opportunity to serve as a Sister Training Leader because it means that I have the privilege of learning from all the sisters individually. 

Currently we have 28 sisters in our zone. Sister Smith and I divide the sisters and each interview 13 sisters, each week.

That means I have 13 constant close up examples to learn from! (Plus the examples that everyone else in the zone sets)

We all have our trials and the sisters in our zone are no different. But their willingness to continually follow the will of the Lord, learn from their trials and persevere in their own ways gives me the strength to do my best and constantly strive to be better. Each sister is different, so I learn something different from each one...whether it's charity, love, diligence, patience, optimism or something else.