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| TWENTY ONE IN THAILAND |
I love love loved all of the updates, the pics were unreal, I can't wait to bike Zions someday. Cause I am a biker people... hahaaaa last night all 8 of us missionaries were biking home from dinner at the Stokers in our "I'm A Mormon" fluorescent safety vests and I just started laughing so hard and was like, "you guys, would we have ever guessed that in our twenties we would just like totally be in a Thai bike gang?".... hahaha never ever, but that is our life!
Plus also so much more better, cooler stuff than just biking.... we're talking the teaching, the inviting, the miracles, and the TWENTY FIRST BIRTHDAY celebration that happened this week too.
It was a b-day for the record books that's for sure... how fun is that that the Johnsons were here?! We had a big lunch at this Northern Thai restaurant with all of the missionaries and the Johnsons then we went up to ดอยสุเทพ (Doi Suutabe) this way cool stairway/wat up in the mountains. The views were so stunning, look up pics and I will send a bunch too.
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| climbing the stairs <3 |
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| beautiful!!!!! |
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| a few snapshots of everyone... |
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| Cute Jenese... I ADORE HER! |
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| spoiled to have the best of the best in the TBM that is for sure! Love the Stokers and the Johnsons! |
So clearly the week started out on such a fun note- and just got BETTER! We had the best lessons this week with our recent converts, less actives, investigators- some new, some that we have been teaching for a little while- and I just want to scream or cry or jump up and down a lot thinking back on this last week and the beautiful things we got to be a part of... oh my goodness.
I will start with ฝน (Phone), one of our new investigators who came to District Conference with one of the members here and just LOVED IT. I think the only thing that comes to my mind when I try to explain our feelings about her are, in the words of Bob Wiley (with all due respect and seriousness actually), "...WE'RE NOT WORTHY" ฝน(Phone) is about 30, married, no kids and she has stage 3 breast cancer. She is seriously so cool and without a doubt, has been prepared of the Lord. The light and peace about her are so tangible and really not that expected of one who is in a sense, staring death in the face.. and she attributes it all to the Savior. After our first lesson with her (which she just relished in the teachings of the resurrection, forever families, and baptism like I have never seen) she told us about how right before she came to church last Sunday, she was having so much pain from chemo and just pain in general. So much pain, she couldn't eat or do anything without just hurting. She didn't know what to do, so she went and did บุญ (boon, it is a Buddhist belief of like basically paying for your sins to go away or for you to have good luck and blessings) at a wat. Nothing happened, and she knew in her heart nothing would.. and in her anguish and despair she had an image of the Savior come into her mind. She said she began calling upon him without really knowing how to pray to please take away her pain. She said she was suddenly so comforted, stopped hurting and could eat. Then she came to church with her friend and now here she is with a baptismal date, filled with hope and assurance of a loving Heavenly Father who knows His children, answers prayers, has a plan, and has restored His truth. She is an angel, literally.
Ok next coolest thing-- we have this LA we have been visiting since we arrived in ChiangMai, น้อย (Noi) who was a SUPER strong member at one point but has just had a hard time over the recent years. He is actually from Laos and at the time when he went to go to the temple in HongKong, he had a problem with his Visa and couldn't get into the country which just really shook his faith. Then on top of that, a few years later he got in a way bad motorcycle accident and from the injuries in his leg got a way bad infection at the hospital (very common here) that has basically eaten away his bones to the point that his leg is incredibly deformed and is going to need to be amputated. His frame is so frail and sickly (I think he has some sort of skin disease as well) and it really just breaks your heart to see him as he is. We have been visiting him at least once a week, and always leave with him saying he will come to church, but Sunday comes around.. and nothing. Elder and Sister Stoker have been helping him too and after a visit from the Funks last Saturday, he totally came to District Conference! In our visit with him this week, he was just GLOWING. Seriously he was so happy and told us that he was really just SO afraid for that first time back.. but now that it's over and it went so well (members were so thrilled to see him!) he is so freed. I think we can all relate to those feelings. We felt prompted to have him share with us his testimony of the Book of Mormon and never have I heard someone give a witness of the truth like he did. He had a very very special experience and it was such a moment for me to remember and be so thankful that Heavenly Father speaks to His children (who right now are my investigators and my members that I care SO much about) personally. You bet he was at church again this Sunday just happy as can be.
Yep Sunday..... always a good day, but how special was this last one with Sister อ้อย's (Ooi's) daughter's baptism! (I don't know if I have told you guys her name or not yet, formerly thought it was บ๊ม (Biim), was informed yesterday after all this time teaching her that no, it is actually บรีม (Briim) hahaha Thais do that all the time... just like don't correct you on their name even when you are consistently BUTCHERING it. like I think if someone was calling me Sister Morfan all the time I would consider it common courtesy and just be like 'haha wait, you maybe heard me wrong the first time, it's actually Sister Morgan" HAHA it's really a lot more funny than it sounds now that I have written it out, but whats done is done, I'm leaving it.) So yeah, she was so excited the whole day and gave the cutest most humble testimony after.
I am always so grateful to witness families progress in the gospel, there is really nothing better. I just think of where this single mom and her daughter have been and my heart is heavy (think, as we are teaching fasting and ask Sister อ้อย (Ooi) to share her testimony of fasting with her daughter, she tells of a time when she had to fast for 3 days because she didn't have money to feed both of them.. In the back of your mind you're going "ok that is not necessarily what we were looking for.." trying to address it and build on it, teach the principle and at the same time not just cry) But then, I hear their testimonies and see their faces on this special day and remember one promise that I know with my whole heart is true,
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| mom&daughter |
that "as it is written, eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him." (1 Cor 2:9)
I remember Dad telling me of a time on his mission where he sat in the house of a Puerto Rican family on their dirt floor in just way meager circumstances. I remember him saying he sat and played with the little daughter who was about the age of Angie, at the time Dad's cutest little first niece. How he totally thought about his life and Angie's life of opportunity, security, gospel nurturing, etc and just felt like he would do anything to give them what he had, even just a piece of it. My heart has been feeling that a lot this past week with these different dear dear friends I have told you about. I know what you mean Dad, I would do anything. But amidst an impossible desire to give them Jeff and Chrissy or have them sleep one night in my bed and eat make your own pizza for Sunday dinner or sit by our fire place and just listen to Dad share his thoughts on something he read in the scriptures, I am extremely comforted that this promise is true. That one day, for each and every one of these people, and each of us, as we have spent our days loving God and keeping His commandments, we really cannot even imagine in our little minds and little hearts the blessings that await. Who is excited???
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| BAPTISM!! |
And I think we shouldn't forget-- Heavenly Father does not just want us to wait for the day of happiness... So much happiness is ours to be had here and now and one thing that has been on my mind ENDLESSLY this week is THE TEMPLE. The temple=happiness! All things point us toward the temple, and with our investigators, recent converts, less actives no matter what stage they are at, teaching about it has seriously brought the most special spirit into our lessons. We have shared this video lots this past week: https://www.facebook.com/mormonthai/videos/924579697574313/
the best thing ever right?
** the first guy that speaks in the vid was my first bishop here! Then his daughter and wife are in it too! So fun.
But really, after watching this this last week I would just like to make known that my list of top things to do when I get home is as follows in no specific order:
-hug the family, catch up
-see the Nicholls
-lay on the CARPET
-eat a Costa Vida salad
-lock self in personal space and memorize the Taylor Swift cd that I missed
-TEMPLE SESSION
yep.......
so really, such an awesome week. We are seeing miracles and working as hard as we can. The Lord is with His missionaries and is in His work, of this I am sure.
prayers and love x10000 your way from yours truly, Sister Morgan
xoxo
ps the house better be on major Halloween deck out... give those neighborhood kids a thrill HA
A few more birthday pics of at ดอยสุเทพ (Doi Suutabe)...
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| "GET THAT CORN OUTTA MY FACE" |
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| Sister Ong! |
... more from the YSA activity / Birthday party at Troy and Jenese's...
it was truly a birthday for the books!
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| make a wish! |
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