FAM! It sounds like everyone is killing it like always!!
The Thanksgiving plans sound great, it is so weird to me that that is this week cause it is so hot here and they don't exactly appreciate the American Pilgrims/Indians thing the way we do HA! So be sure to take extra raisins on your plate for me this year because even though I'm not there to celebrate with you, I sure feel like I have so much to be thankful for.
I feel ESPECIALLY grateful this Thanksgiving to be where I am, grateful to Heavenly Father to get to see miracles by His hand in my life and in other people's life everyday, and especially grateful for the good week that we just had!
I will do my best to give you some highlights...(to think back on seven whole days in the life of a missionary is like asking a 10 year old to tell you about what he did everyday when he was 7 years old... hahaha so much happens in one week, in one day really, it is CRAZY, but so good) here goes....
So last Monday we went to the Ancient City and it was SO cool! Thailand is beautiful. So much fun with our whole Zone... a ton of the Elders and Sisters from the MTC are in my zone so it was super fun to hang out and ride bikes and take in all of the beautiful scenery! I have a bunch of pics I will attach but they don't quite do it justice!
Tuesday we had to go into Bangkok and renew my work permit which actually consisted of LOTS of Taxi driving, LOTS of waiting, and one signature. hahaha. Also Sister Croft and I are convinced that Taxi ride hangover is a real thing.. After you have ridden in a Taxi here for a long time you just feel like you have been hit by a bus. hahaha but the conversation is always good and they are always amazed that 2 falangs can speak Thai (especially Sister Croft...she is SO gang)
On Wednesday we did a trade off and Sister Coates and Sister Jackson from Sapan Sung came! It was awesome, for half the day Sister Coates and I were companions, then for the other half I was with Sister Jackson and I learned SO much from both experiences. It was so fun to have the opportunity to teach real actual people with Sister Coates after teaching mock lessons together for 9 weeks. It was a tender mercy from Heavenly Father to get to see how much we have progressed in our ability to speak and teach in Thai and our ability to facilitate the Spirit. Then with Sister Jackson, this is also her last transfer (Sis Coates and I are both killing our trainers!) and I just learned so much from the way she teaches so simply and to the investigator. We taught Fern, the 11 year old girl we have been teaching since I got here, and she had this great idea to get some seeds and teach the Gospel of Jesus Christ and revolve the whole lesson on her faith being like the seed and building it from there. Fern was able to understand it so well and was so engaged, and it also allowed her to have a personal understanding of the BOM as we read from Alma 32. It was so fun to not only teach in a creative way, but to really think about her as we prepared (teach people not lessons!). I am grateful to be able to be continually learning different ways to teach and to have so many different people to learn from.
So on Thursday, we had a ton of lessons lined up to teach and we were so excited about all of the potentials.. Well literally EVERY SINGLE person pitted on us! Thursday ended up being such a reminder to me that this is not my work. We plan and schedule to show the Lord that we are actively seeking to do the work, but he is really the Master Planner. As our appointments fell through and we found ourselves in different places around town, we met different people we wouldn't have met otherwise. One of them being Bratin! We were walking and met him, he is Thai and he studied at Berkley, so he speaks perfect English! He invited us over and it was so good. Friday, we walk up to this gate that had one of those call buttons and are just like who is this guy?! He had the most beautiful house/mansion and garden (seriously AMAZING) and we taught him the Restoration. Sister Croft and I just really both had such an impression of the light of Christ in this man and are so excited to keep teaching him. On Friday we taught Amanda, a girl who speaks little English and primarily Chinese. She is AMAZING. This is a girl who has grown up her whole life not knowing anything of Heavenly Father. I can't tell you how special it is to be a part of someone's first introductions to the precious truths of the gospel, and to get to watch these personal miracles happen in their lives. Like when she lets us know she has always felt so alone, but when she prays she feels like He hears her, or watching the expression on her face as Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ appeared to Joseph Smith while we watched the First Vision in Mandarin. It is the greatest high, something I will never tire of.
So Sunday was sooo good... It was the Primary Program, literally the BEST THING EVER. These are always cute in English, but in Thai, you just can't even handle it. Sister Croft and I were laughing so hard last night because like when they all stood up for their parts for some reason it is like the norm/respectful that they all say the equivalent of each little kid starting with "good morning my beloved Brothers and Sisters each and every one of you, I am little little girl Sister Sarah Morgan..." hahaha I don't even know if that seems funny, but it is so funny. Then of course after church and eating Sister Croft had the 3 hour Choir Practice to end all Choir Practices (I would dare make the parallel between the Soup Nazi and the Choir director) hahaha they are performing in Stake Conference next week so everything has to be perfect, and it ended in a long discussion on each members personal responsibility to stay healthy and protect their voices in the coming week. Also Sister Croft was told if she couldn't find a matching orange shirt she might as well cut her own head off... hahaha they are serious about their singing! I love them so much. Other highlights of the day... They got out their Christmas decorations (YAY!) and they had endless amounts of kettle corn left over from a ward activity on Saturday... Now the entire ward knows my love and devotion to the world's one and only greatest food.... and I am not even ashamed. haha Mom you would have loved it.
Life is good. I am so so happy to be here. Sister Croft is the best companion I could ask for, and the work is hard but fun. We should have the baptism of Fern and her mom this week and we are so excited! I love these people, all of them. I am so grateful to be a missionary in Thailand right now when the Lord has opened the windows of Heaven and we get to help find these people He has prepared. He loves all of His children, and He is good to His missionaries of that I can assure you.
Happy Happy Thanksgiving.. I AM SO THANKFUL FOR YOU!!!!!!!!!!
Let's not forget to be so Thankful this week for the single greatest knowledge and gift we have been given in this life, and that is our Savior Jesus Christ. I am reading Jesus the Christ right now and I just read about the necessity of a Redeemer. I never seize to be left speechless and awestruck as I think of the Savior and what he has done for me and for all of us. Read the words to I Stand All Amazed and think of yourself as the speaker/singer.... Do we not have SO MUCH to be thankful for in this thing alone??
I love you all so much, have a great week and eat some Ruth's Chris sweet potatoes for me!!
Sister Morgan
Here are the answers to a few of your Qs...
1) How is your workout situation? you running there? Does Sister Croft run too?
we work out every morning in our room, it is awesome!
2) People have told me that Thailand is not very safe...many have asked if I have seen Hangover 3? Thankfully I havent, so I have no idea what they are talking about. Just be sure that you are safe and conscious of your surroundings. Do you feel safe?
Mom I dont want you watching Hangover 3... hahaha but I am safe! Dont even worry!
3) How is your money situation? Do have enough to cover your needs?
I need money and lots of it as usual.... haha just kidding I have plenty, I think I have only used like half of my money for the month, but I have been pretty frugal, i dont know? I am for sure good though. I will let you know!
4) Do you shop for groceries on Monday and then is there a fridge to put them in? or do you have to go everyday?
We just make breakfast at our house and eat out every other meal! It is cooked to order and so cheap and fresh and delicious
5) What types of things are you making for yourselves? Can you find the foods you like at the grocery store?
There is nothing I really like at the grocery store, I just get egg whites and oats for breakfast! that is why I want you to send me some stevia!
6) Is your area all within walking distance or do you take taxis or busses?
we take these things called song tows ( 2 rows) sometimes or thug thugs or taxis, but lots of walking! I havent bought a bike yet... probably not till my next area.
8) How is your heal holding up?
it is WONDERFUL!!!!!!!!!!!!! Mom start wearing crocs is all I can say... hahaha did you ever think I would say that? Tell jourdan to hold off doing surgery on his patients with severe foot problems until he has tried putting them in a pair of crocs for about a month... it should do wonders
9) We looked on Sister Croft's blog and noticed that she will probably be going home after this transfer and before Christmas ...is that true? That was the same with Tyler and Elder Luu... Glean all you can from her!! :) Give her my email and phone number because we would love to go to her homecoming. Or at least meet her. (Remember when we went up to Elder Luu's homecoming and Parker forgot to bring any church clothes!?! That was classic...Thank Goodness for Walmart at 11:30pm!!! And then Dad crashed that car at the gas station and the attendant said, "Oh its a piece of crap...don't worry about it!" haha ...memories)
hahaha literally dying thinking about that whole incident, but ya I will give it to her, she is awesome and probably won't talk too much trash about me so I will allow you to go! hahaha
10) What is your daily schedule like?
630 wake up pray, start working out immediately
7 shower
730 eat breakfast
above things done while listening to conf talks or church music
8-9 personal study
9-11 companionship study- since I am training it is 2 hrs instead of 1
11-12 language study- it is only 30 min after training
12 leave house to go eat
rest of day BUILDING THE KINGDOM/FINDING THE ELECT/ PREPARING THAILAND FOR A TEMPLE
eat dinner somewhere between 5 and 7
invite for at least 2 hours during the day
9 return to house and call EVERYONE IN THE ENTIRE WORLD and plan
930 cage fight Sister Croft
10 sleep
11) Are you going to be able to have a Thanksgiving feast at all?
we got invited to someones house to have a thanksgiving dinner on December 6th so that should be great!
Also our condo complex is called Cassia, I think you asked about that last week!
Mom I love you so much!! I think about you and hope you are so happy. This week I remembered that time when you surprised me and flew down to see me at school. I remember I just felt your love and devotion to me so strongly and was SO grateful. I love you and I really mean it when I say, I have the best mom in the whole world.
Also I wanted to say, don't stress about feeling like your whole schedule you are used to is SO different than before. Like with feeling tired working out and playing less tennis and stuff. I am learning so much that change is so good. it is so good, and so essential. and also, that this life is so much more than perfect workouts and work out plans. You are doing so much good mom and i hope you arent too stressed about that all changing cause it all works out!! I love you and I know that you are doing so good and this wasnt meant to come across annoying, just that I love you and we are basically the same person so i want you to be happy and feel fulfilled in every aspect of your life. you are superwoman. just think, we are skyping SO SOON!! can hardly wait
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| More pics of the Ancient City |
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| Elders in our zone |
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