fam!
before anything else--
Its November 2nd here already so I am just going to do the honors of wishing BIG BRAD a BIG HAPPY BIRTHDAY before anyone else!
it really is a big one too-- EIGHTEEN. It won't be long before you are wearing your name badge teaching the people of ___________ in the language of ___________ ??????????
hahaha--- I am hearing Dad chime in "Boise, Idaho-- Hmong speaking" sooooo classic
Anyways! This has been the best week here in MxangThai. So many miracles- both personal and in our work for reaaaaaaaaaaaaal.
This week President Johnson came back to ChiangMai and interviewed me and one of the things he asked me was something that has lingered in my mind....... he said,
"So, Sister Morgan, has your mission met the expectations of all you thought it would be?"
As I thought about it for a minute my answer for him was so clear, no hesitation at all. For sure, my mission has opened my heart and helped me see with more clarity so many things... I will quote from the talk by John H. Groberg that I have been pondering on this week to paint the pic of the greatest realization I am continually awakened to everyday--
"I learned that just as rockets must overcome the pull of gravity to roar into space, so we must overcome the pull of the world to soar into the eternal realms of understanding and love... What did matter was how much love I had in my heart. I knew I needed more! I knew that our joy now and forever is inextricably tied to our capacity to love."
I think I have told you about those moments I sometimes have here just sitting in sacrament meeting looking around at all the people and just feeling the most overwhelming warm all encompassing love. Every time I get that feeling, a TASTE of the thing most precious and most desirable to the soul, I am reminded that one hundred fold my mission has exceeded anything I ever thought it could be........
So I think today, as I tell you some of the stuff that happened this week, I want to highlight some of the very people that I love just so much!
We started this week with FHE at Sister จันทร์'s (Jan's) house. She is the COOLEST/ most hilarious lady in one of the branches here. She runs a clothes washing/ ironing business from her little house and loves helping the missionaries. It was so cute watching how much her customers adore her, and how much she adores them when they came to pick up or drop off clothes while we were there. We can always count on her to make our investigators feel sooooo loved-- sometimes we just fear them feeling a little too loved (she will just like maul/hug/occasionally kiss their cheeks when we introduce them in the investigator class that she teaches HAHA its so awesome) If I was to give you the most accurate description I can, she is your most loving grandma mixed with a little Kelly Kapor mixed with a female version of the voice of the brother on Rat Race with the infected tongue ring SO AWESOME we are besties for life.
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| Sister จันท์ (Jan) I cannot wait for you to meet this woman!! haha <3 |
Then later this week we had a fun outing and went to visit ชล (Shone) one of our investigators at his work.. he is always SO busy with work so we figured it would be a nice gesture to go eat at the restaurant he works at. He was so excited when we got there... but not as excited as we were to be there! He totally left out the part where he told us that his workplace is the literal replication of the Garden of Eden... like SOOOO incredible. Probably one of the most beautiful things I have seen in Thailand. We went with Sister ฝน (Phone) and Sister ป่าน (Baan), two RCs here that we love. Both always so willing to help and have the strongest testimonies (and they are preparing to be missionaries too!!) Sister ป่าน (Baan) is honestly sooo funny-- her motto in life: "EATING IS MY FREEDOM" hahaha -flashbacks to another motto I have heard from someone else at an earlier time in my life about butter being a favorite food group or something??? HA! Seriously though, Sister ป่าน (Baan) has been such an awesome fellowshipper for ฝน (Phone, our investigator with cancer, not the one who went to the restaurant with us) she has just taken her under her wing and loved her so much. I'm sure its like when you see kids at school playing with your little kid you are just SO grateful. yeahhhhhh
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| dinner at ชล's (Shone's) restaurant..... exquisite! |
So yes, ฝน (Phone), such a JOY teaching her this week.... then she got baptized on Sunday! It was so fun putting together her baptismal program with all of the people that have helped us with her... Sis จันทร์ (Jan) said the opening prayer, Sis ป่าน (Baan) spoke, Sis ตะเกียง (Thaagiang), a sister in the branch that she works with) spoke, and Sis ลิ้น (Lin?), the one who brought her to church in the first place!) said the closing prayer. So cool to see the support and love of these sisters for ฝน (Phone). I can't even describe the spirit that filled the room with Sister ฝน(Phone) shared her testimony right after the baptism. She shared about the peace and strength that has come into her life as she has learned the restored gospel and about how no matter what lies ahead, or how much longer she has to live, she will be faithful to the covenants she has made. I can't even describe it you guys. There was not a dry eye in the chapel as we all sat there and witnessed such faith right before our eyes. She will be such a special addition to the branch here that is for sure!
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| ฝน (Phone) and her crew on her baptismal day! so much LOVE for this girl! |
Sunday brought other miracles too, with others that you already know and maybe even love by now... Like Brother Brayoon came to church! This week when we went to visit him, we downloaded the Gospel Library apps for him (he was soo funny and clueless about how to work his phone... but he is all good to go now!) and he gave the best insights on the scriptures we shared. Funniest thing ever... introducing him to the new Branch President here in the hall after sacrament, President นคร (Nakkon) who has only been a member for about 4 years and was called last week to be the BP... bless his heart, he goes "Oh is this your investigator?" and Brother Brayoon was like "yeah! Today is my first day here!" hahaaaaa The BP is all welcoming him etc then when he realizes that actually Brayoon has been in his place before and then some, his eyes were just so big and admiring. hahaha it was kind of a Serena Williams walking into the Court Club type of moment for him and they will be homies for sure. Plus other awesome miracle of Sunday... Sister อ้อย(Ooi), the mom of บรีม (Briim) who got baptized last week, was way stressing because at the end of October her work schedule was going to change again and she would be working during the day not just at night. She (and us too!) have been praying that it would all work out, and lo and behold, right before the end of the month, the other worker just randomly quit because she did not want to work nights anymore-- opening up the night shift for her and also allowing her to spend the daytime with her daughter (especially SUNDAYS) coincidence??? not at all................ her faith is so amazing!
Last story-- So a few weeks ago when the Funks came and did the training for us, Elder Funk shared the coolest story from his mission that taught him the importance of planning in detail so that the Lord knows where you are going to be so He can arrange to have the prepared there for you. To give you the 20 sec version, he and his companion had prayed and decided to act on a prompting to go way far out and visit this house, they get there and no one is there.. way bummed why did we have the prompting? they had planned to tract in this other area, so they make the long bike ride over there and end up meeting this family who has now had several generations in the gospel- and the family said it was crazy cause if they had come 30 minutes earlier no one would have been home... the Lord had set things up for them to arrive at that time, that is why he had gotten the prompting to bike all the way out to the place that fell through. So way cool story, you are like sitting there thinking "man that is way cool, I am going to plan in detail for sure, I wish that could happen to us too........ etc" haha well what do you know!! Last week, we are going on a little marathon bike ride out super far to visit the family that President James gave us the referral to teach (they are awesome, just never free!) and James calls and says that the fam won't actually be home tonight... and we were all the way so far out. I am just riding thinking "dang it.. what are we going to do?" We were coming upon MAKRO (The Thailand Costco) and so I figured we would never be out here with a little bit of time so we could just run in and grab some oatmeal and invite a little. (hahaha totally admittedly that moment on Best Two Years when his companion is like way impressed, "how did you know we should go to the Supermarket to find him?" and he is just like "umm, I was hungry?") So yes... we are inviting a few people and I start talking to this cutest mom with her little toddler who is loading stuff on her motorcycle... We met with her on Satuday at the church and she is SO cool! Her name is บุ๋ม (Boom?) and she is a single mom and has really lit up about the idea of families forever... not to mention that she basically already keeps all of the commandments. So if the Lord needs us to make plans just for them to fall through, bike around this whole place 10 times around, to meet the prepared at the right time... we will do it. You bet we will!
ahhhhhhhh so many good times this past week. Can't even handle it. Some extra tid bits:
-I finished the Book of Mormon in THAI! haha I actually finished it on the very exact day that marked living in Thailand for 1 year, I thought that would be significant............... and don't worry guys, I can testify, it's still true no matter what language!
-Sitting with Sister แช (Shea) another one of our FAVORITE helpers here.. she is the definition of selfless service. She is always cleaning the building on Saturdays and always trying to help get less actives back.... So seriously the funniest thing ever. She is showing us her texts to one of the LAs we are supposed to take care of who is IMPOSSIBLE for us to reach. She has like 100 texts that she has sent..... and she starts with ones like "Hey, everyone misses you at church!" and "Heavenly Father loves you!" etc, no response from her, but does แช (Shea) give up?? hahaha next thing she's all "Hey Sister I am getting married in a few weeks and I really want you to come!" just to see if she could get a response out of her.... OMG we literally died (cause she is totally not getting married), if you know her it is just so unexpected, and like bizarre, but it really just shows how she will take any measures necessary-- even a little white lie here and there (hehe)- to serve the Lord! I love her!
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| Sister แช (Shea) |
-We started teaching these two 15 year old boys that remind me of PJ and his friends.... tears! they are so cool!
-4 square is getting seriously HEATED these days on Friday sports night.. hahaha all of the dads have started to come and bring their sons (mostly like age 10-14) and they play with us and the YSAs and it is sooooooo fun/ hilarious.
-Then probably the weirdest moment for me this week........ I am asking Gabe, one of Jenese and Troy's sons who is 12 what he is going to be for Halloween. I am just like telling him about how the boys and I would sort our candy and stuff after we trick-or-treated and he goes......"Wait, did they even have Halloween when you were a kid? I mean like how long have they been doing Halloween?" -------------- hahahahaha I was a little dumbfounded... never have I had someone question my youth!!!!!!!!!!!
how funny is that????????
So in all of my years of wisdom and old age, I will leave you with just one more tidbit of John Groberg's talk that us old folks really learned a lot from back in the day,
"When filled with God's love, we can do and see and understand things that we could not otherwise do or see or understand. Filled with His love, we can endure pain, quell fear, forgive freely, avoid contention, renew strength, and bless and help others in ways surprising to even us."
I add my testimony to his, when he closes the talk and says of the Lord, "I know we can feel His love here and now. I know His voice is one of perfect mildness which penetrates to our very center. I know He smiles and is filled with compassion and love. I know He is full of gentleness, kindness, mercy, and desire to help."
yep, its true people. I LOVE YOU GUYS!!!
have a good one this week, I know we will... it's Mags birthday on Saturday and we are really good at celebrating birthdays around here!
xo
Sister Morgan
I sooooooooooooo think you should all read "The Power of God's Love" by John H. Groberg if you want your world to be rocked
yes, he is the one from the Other Side of Heaven
and yes, that is the one with Anne Hathaway in it
haaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa read it!
More pics of the restaurant ชล (Shone) works at. See what I mean... it is the literal replication of the Garden of Eden... sooooooo beautiful.
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| hellowehavearrivedinheaven |
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| EATING IS MY FREEDOM herself in the flesh |
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| trying to reign in the troops during primary..........hahaha they are INSANE |
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| sometimes things get risky around here......... |
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| Sis Lor inherited some pastels from our old house... she is really becoming quite the artist |
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| Sis ป่าน is so good at english, like so good, so we took the opportunity when there was a word she didn't know yet to play a little joke.... hehehe "being told you are psycho is super enduring, like the highest form of a compliment..." |
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love this district.....
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