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| FISH SPA for p day last week! so fun |
I am dying over all of the good stuff going on in the 5-0-9, especially when it involves blended food parties and WEDDINGS of one of my dearest. B, all of my loves to you and Micah and I am SO glad Katie and I were part of it (tears). Just so you know, you are a legend in the TBM for our best halloween costume ever and you know EXACTLY what I am talking about!
Seriously, the best week ever! We are definitely getting this crazy place down, ChaingMai is AMAZING! We are exhausted and have been going so HARD... but as always, we could not be happier!
My heart is full this week.... in ways I don't think I can even express in words. I have probably shared this scripture with you before because it is one of my favs, one that I see CONSTANTLY on my mission where Ammon reminds us,
"Now my brethren, we see that God is mindful of EVERY people, WHATSOEVER LAND they may be in; yea, he NUMBERETH his people, and his bowels of mercy are over ALL THE EARTH. Now this is my joy, and my great thanksgiving; yea, and I will give thanks unto my God forever."
emphasis added, obviously!
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| this is the church property from the road... it is HUGE and so beautiful here! |
It is so cool you guys, ChiangMai literally has people from ALL over the world here, and I have had so many fun experiences this last week with just feeling LOVE for them.. Heavenly Father's children, that I know He knows and numbers. He literally numbers us, people..
Like first example given.... remembering the people of my sweet momma's ancestry when some tourists from Holland came to find out what time church would be on Sunday cause one of the girls was a member... you KNOW I broke out in Longs-ah-salafin to prove my love for the Dutch. HAHA you don't know how many solos of that one I have given to people on the mish for their birthdays...... its a little ridiculous but it is definitely a crowd pleaser
next... our Branch Mission Leader for one of the branches is Italian, probably the nicest guy ever, and at the close of our correlation meeting on Saturday I asked him if he would say the prayer in Italian for us. It made me think of all of my friends serving in Italy right now, especially SORELLA BRUNSON, who can totally pray, talk, and teach in that crazy language. I love thinking about everything that I am doing here in Thailand (finding, teaching, baptizing, etc) happening ALL OVER THE WORLD.
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| THE ELDERS.... we are such a motley crew I LOVE IT |
Then this week, we taught มิง (Ming), the Chinese man that I told you about who came to church. He is so awesome! Literally, speaks no Thai, so luckily we have an RM here who can speak Mandarin (He served in France Mandarin speaking) It was SO fun teaching, not knowing at all what Bro Champ was saying to him, but watching his understanding build and seeing the Spirit work. It was special to feel like I got a little glimpse into what Ty would have been saying to investigators. มิง goes back to China for a bit and will be back at the beginning of October, but he took his Book of Mormon and will be praying and reading-- PRAY FOR HIM, he is SO good!
K next one will blow your mind. We have the cutest member in one of the branches here from the Philippines, and last Monday we were talking at FHE and she gave us a referral for her two friends. It is a couple, a Thai woman, นก (Nok) and her American husband, Keith that she buys fruit from at a market. She has born her testimony to them and just said they are such wondeful people. So we made the long drive out to their house with the Stokers and long story short, if I was going to condense what happened here, I would just say that Heavenly Father literally plucked both of them from their lives and placed them together in a house 40 minutes outside of ChiangMai to receive His message of the Restored gospel. นก is a single mother that has seen a lot of hardship and sadness in her life (grew up Buddhist but lately really felt like she knows God is real). Keith is from upstate NY and get this, sold cars in PALMYRA for 20 years. The Spirit was SO strong, the Stokers bore such powerful testimony, and it has been so cool seeing them make changes because they are so READY. When we follow up with them they are like "yes we prayed as a family last night and are not drinking coffee too!" Plus, they showed up in skirts and ties for church this Sunday and her daughter LOVED young woman's. Pray that they will continue to strengthen their faith and prepare for baptism!
Probably my favorite miracles of the week have been those we have seen with doing less active work. OH MY GOODNESS. We are like detectives these days, just going through our MLS lists, finding people and bringing them back. I don't have time to write about all of them but I think I HAVE to share just one of them. One Sister named ปราน (Pran), I was reading her record and saw she was baptized in บางนา (Bangnaa) aka my birthplace so immediately I knew we needed to get her! I called her and we had the best conversation ever. Come to find out she lives about an hour out of town so it is a little hard to come and she hasn't been in over 3+ years. She came on Sunday and was literally just BEAMING. Not to mention that she brought her husband, son, daughter, plus son's friend-- all of which are not yet members. I can't describe the feelings of watching them there at church together....bliss. plus sidenote, her kids names are JIGSAW and JETSKI... am I becoming too Thai thinking those are cute or????
Then, I think when I get down to the heart of that scripture from Alma, that the Lord knows and numbers us, I of course think of those around me from ALL OVER THE WORLD, but in the end I think of myself. Dear old me, Sister Morgan, and I can't help but get a little emotional at the fact that Heavenly Father was mindful enough of me to the point that I found myself 1 year ago standing at the curb of the Missionary Training Center, waving goodbye to Grandpa Floyd and Grandma Phyllis.
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| ONE YEAR AGO I wore this Anthro top and started it all at the MTC!!! I figured it would be meaningful to wear it hahaaaaaaa |
In the preceding verse of that same chapter, Ammon says, after totally going on and on about the goodness and glory of God, "Now if this is boasting, even so I will boast; for this is my life and my light, and my joy and my salvation, and my redemption from everlasting wo. Yea, blessed be the name of my God, who has been mindful of [The Thai people, the Dutch people, the Italian people, the upstate New Yorkers, the less active people] who are a branch of the tree of Israel, and [have] been lost from [their] body in a strange land; yea, I say, blessed be the name of my God, who has been mindful of [Sister Morgan], [a wanderer] in a strange land.
In one way or another, we are all a little bit wanderers in a strange land, trying our best to return back to our Father in Heaven and I know without a doubt that He knew I needed to be here in Thailand, not just to help other 'wanderers' but to help myself. I love this gospel with all of my heart and I will boast in Heavenly Father and His perfect, just, loving ways for the rest of my life.
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| companionship selfie! |
To take us home I will finish with some gems as per usual:
This week we weeded at Elder Kannikam, from the quorum of the Seventy's sister's house! She was so so fun.. like she totally loved these Thai riddle things that we were doing with her.
We have a new investigator, ไบรท (Bright), who is SO awesome... he is Catholic and actually raised by nuns. We have a family in our Branch from the Philippines who used to be Catholic and they are going to help us teach. YES! But I really can't help but think of every Nacho Libre quote ever when we are with him. "CAN'T YOU SEE THAT THIS WOMAN IS A NUN???????????????"
There is some WAY good American food in ChiangMai-- we went to this restaurant here last Monday called Dukes, I forgot how much I miss a good Greek Salad. YUM. still loyal to the Thai food though..... the best.
but then.... leaving the Dukes, and walking down the water front telling the Sisters about VT the Vietnamese place in Udorn we always ate at, and WALKING RIGHT UPON A VT.... that is definite righteousness blessings am I right???? ha JK but it was funny and for sure we are going.
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| Vietnamese Food in CHIANGMAI!!! |
Translating for Sister Stoker's institute class about the beginning of the Old Testament/ Adamondioman and stopping every two seconds going "wait are you serious????" haha there is apparently a lot I don't know about the Second Coming! I am glad to have some good study material and glad that I will be studying the gospel for the rest of my life!
เล็ก (Lek) the RADIO DJ---- BAPTIZED PEOPLE!! I taught that man with 5 different companions... and I am so grateful for the foresight of Heavenly Father to have his baptism after I left. He did it because he wanted to follow the Savior, not out of any obligation to me. Sis Forte said of course he gave a little shout out in his testimony (SERIOUSLY FUNNIEST GUY) and that he is SO changed. Also wore a tie to church yesterday. chaaaaa chingggggg
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| เล็ก's (Lek's) BAP!!!!! |
Ok so there it is. I love you guys so so much! Have the best week------------- and don't worry Mom and Dad you guys aren't going to have any grandkids named Puzzle and Steamboat someday but i definitely think I am becoming a little bit Thai these days.
YIKES!
The Land of Smiles will sure do that to you...........
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| love sister mag |
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| fish spa for p day |
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| CUTEST park here... it is breathtaking. I couldn't settle on an angle that captured it all. I think you will all just have to come see for yourselves |
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| THE HALLOWEEN COSTUME OF ALL COSTUMES (Hot Rod--Me, Allie, Beth, Katie--Senior Year-2012) |
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| ok totally have to apologize for the terrible pic quality last week... we were at the worst internet shop! But we were riding our bikes and what do we find, 2 MACS in this way nice hotel right by the church and they are totally were good with us using them!!! ** if there are any weird old English spellings in my letter I couldn't figure out how to get it off.... I remember being bugged at Ty everytime he wrote "baptise" in his letters instead of baptiZe. hahahaha so don't hate........... |
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