Testifying in Thailand: 4/12/15... I AM MOVING!...but I feel lucky to have come to Roi-et, even if it was for just 6 weeks

Songkran...Thailand celebrates the New Year with the world's biggest waterfight!!!

FAM!!!!! I can't tell you how happy I was to see everything went smoothly with Mom's surgery, I have been fasting and praying and I think the pic of PJ doing the ponytail for her was an answer to prayers...all is well, all is well! haha now it is just down to forcing Mom to sit still to HEAL. That is where the prayers will be focused now "Please bless Mom to not try to do everything for everyone right now..." haha so fun that you guys snuck in a good visit from the fam and Brad killed it on the mound too!

So luckily we found an open internet place this morning because things are about to get CRAZY!!

We are all here wearing our floral collared shirts-- EVERYONE wears the most awful tacky Hawaiian shirts (it is like so adorable though, we're talking babies, old ladies, teenagers, moms, dads, hobos), and over the last few days the preparations around town have been insane! I have gotten a mix of "you should be afraid for your life" and "it will be the most fun thing of your life" from members and different people, so really I have no idea! The branch is having like a 6 hour party at the church and I guess anywhere we go, literally anywhere, we will have water thrown on us.. HAHA. Already last night on the way to a member's house for dinner kids were totally spraying me with water guns and I was just biking as fast as I could screaming "NOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!" So these next few days (It is a 3 day celebration) will be fun for sure! We do have a 6 pm curfew and have lots of rules to keep us safe too.. like we have to stay with our district at ALL times while we are playing and stuff. But ya I love Thailand......................

Anyways, this last week has been insane... I will start with the big news, Haha can you believe it? To be honest, when I got called here, I knew my time would be short and my purpose for coming here was very specific, so I am at peace. But I am not kidding, this area is a dream and I am sad to leave it! The Lord has blessed the work so much and we have taught so many AWESOME people, then there are my แม่s (Mahs) and so many other great members, we live in the CUTEST house, then of course THE STOKERS. I feel lucky to have come here for a time, even if it was just 6 weeks.

With some of the members on our our last Sunday!

With transfers being this Thursday and it being สงกรานต์ (Songkran) everything is absolutely crazy town. All of the bus tickets are sold out, and since it is a more dangerous time to travel in Thailand (Think the way people feel about Thanksgiving weekend or something.. just tons of people commuting) President doesn't want anyone at transfers that is not moving and does not want anyone traveling at night. So as of right now, I think Sister Lor is going to come here from Mahasarakam because she is moving too, and we will travel with the Elders on Wednesday morning. We will see, but either way Mom, I am sorry to break it to you.. but we aren't allowed to have transfer videos anymore! You will have to wait to know where I am going like all the other missionary moms around the world...... haha but for real, please pray that everything is good, that everyone is safe, and pray that President and Sister Senior don't stress out too much (I can't even imagine!)

This week with our teaching everything was soo good. We have people on date for the 19th and the 29th, so I won't get to see them get baptized, but I am so excited for them. Especially Brother บอย (Boy) because this last week, I found out 2 of my old district leaders, Elder Bannagon and Elder Calderon (who were ZLs together here between serving with me) totally taught him, he just didn't end up getting baptized for some reason.. He didn't mention one thing about it when I met him at the market, or one thing about it at any of our lessons until one of the members that came to teach with us was like "Hey, you're back!" I love that it really doesn't matter who is doing the teaching or the finding, that the Lord will make a way for the prepared to receive the gospel according to their needs and His time.

Our week has been way scattered though. We had Zone training on Tuesday, so all of the missionaries were here and it was so awesome. So so special, we got to watch the temple announcement for the first time. TEARS. It was actually perfect, the Zone Leaders and Sister Training Leaders had the training meeting with President Senior the day after we had gotten the news at midnight, so our April training was kind of centered around the temple (I am starting to think President had a pretty good idea the temple was going to be announced.. but literally the missionaries had NO IDEA!)

We also talked about consecration and I am so excited because we were challenged to start a "40 day fast". It is a 40 day fast from 10 things that poke at your spirit, 10 things you want to change about yourself, that will help you give a more full offering to Heavenly Father. It is actually from a talk by Elder Maxwell I think and one of the things from the talk that I loved...

"The submission of one’s will is placing on God’s altar the only uniquely personal thing one has to place there. The many other things we ‘give’ are actually the things He has already given or loaned to us.”

How thought provoking and entirely true is that statement? I am ever learning more and more that giving Him our hearts, or minds, our desires is the only way to be happy as a missionary, and I think the only way to be happy as a person. Here is to 40 days!

On Thursday night we traveled to Bangkok to renew Sister Castell's visa... our bus was like a spaceship and I slept most of the way so it wasn't too bad!

killin' it on the bust to Bangkok!

But nothing like getting to the visa renewal place and finishing your sleep on a nice granite slab. haha luckily the Saranoni was one of the best decisions of the stuff I brought on my misson (A HUGE THANK YOU TO KRISTY <3) (A Saranoni is about the softest blanket ever made.) I take it with me everywhere and it is perfect. Except for the fact that I think I am turning into a bag lady like you, Mom, always bringing stuff to study plus a blanket the size of a small car. hahaha jokes on all of the missionaries that made fun of me for it... I slept like a baby on that granite slab!

We didn't get home until like midnight on Friday... oh the glamorous life of a missionary. I love wearing the same outfit for 2 days, not teaching anyone (in the words of Sister Croft "I loathe that!!!!") and looking like a hobo... its awesome!

It was fun seeing Sister Castell reunite with her MTC district at the Visa place... Your MTC district is like your family, so anytime you see them it is so special. Also we stopped at the mission office and I got the package Mom! Seriously, thank you so much! I had a little moment of silence seeing MINI bags of my Costco popcorn. haha if anyone reads my letters that didn't know me before you are probably going to think that I am a crazy popcorn horder addict. And you are correct. I sort of am. Haha really though, thank you for everything! I can always feel your love in all of the things you send.. so thoughtful!! and so yummy!

We finally got to watch General Conference on Saturday and Sunday and it was SO good. We watched it in English in a small room while the members watched it in Thai in the chapel. We made sure to go in and watch their reaction at the announcement of the temple (even though most of them already knew by now) and they were kinda like "ooooo" and a few people clapped a little. It was cute. We are going to get them SO ready for the blessings of the temple, I cannot wait. I don't have the time or the space to write all of my thoughts from conference... as always it was SO GOOD. But one of my favorite one liner rhetorical questions, was from the Sunday session Elder Causse's talk and it was so simple...

"Is the gospel still marvelous to you?"

I seriously just sat there during that talk with tears in my eyes as I reflected on how marvelous the gospel is to me. I can't put into words the thoughts or feelings that filled my heart- the confirming testimony of the truthfulness of the gospel, the love for my Heavenly Father who sent His son and restored his teachings in their fullness to the earth today for our benefit, the gratitude to get to share the message with the Thai people etc. I don't think I will ever cease to be amazed, and I don't ever want to!

So good...

Anyways, that is all I have, we have to get to the branch party now (it is only 6 hours so def don't want to be late HAHAHA) I love you guys so so much!

xoxo Sister Morgan