2/15/16... This week... was just the icing on the [heart shaped, frosted in bright red] cake of everything that Heavenly Father has been teaching me so specifically in this the final stretch of my mission

Sister แชมป์ (Champ) got baptized!

FAM!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Thanks for so many fun updates and pics from EVERYONE! And I love that it is a full house right now with so many fun visitors. YAY!

Nothing like leaning over, "hey meet my dad Sister-- here he is dressed up as Cupid" to spread some Valentines Day cheer with the ole companion in this our usual internet cafe HAHAHA

she definitely loved it and also noted, "Wow Asians would never do that................" 

ANYWAYS

Ok seriously I can't even write this letter without just saying it- BEST WEEK EVER. We have been just running around like chickens with our legs cut off (HAAAAAAAAA please tell me someone got that reference...) 

Sons of Provo.... eww I am so gross for quoting that movie but bottom line- we have been soooo busy and seeing the COOLEST MIRACLES!

Amidst some Visa interviews and check ups, a trip to the old greenie stomping grounds to reunite with my fav guy ever, Bro พรชัย (Pawnchay) for Sister Wi's Patriarchal Blessing, we have been busy busy with our investigators- most of them fresh new ones ready and SO PREPARED to hear the good news of the Restoration. But you have to know before we get into their details, that Sister Wi totally passed her Visa interview (YAY!) and that it was so so good at her Patriarchal blessing. Not only was it an honor to be with her on her special day, but it was such a treat to reunite with พรชัย(Pawnchay)- He wanted me to tell you guys that our whole family can stay at his house when I bring you back to visit because he is redoing his downstairs room to be an extra bedroom. haha how cute is that?? WHAT A GUY!

At Brother พรชัย's (Pawnchay's) house for Sister Wi's patriarchal blessing- AMAZING! love him

So here we go on a few of our new investigators:

First of all, Sister แชมป์ (Champ) got baptized! Seriously she could not be any cuter, and this last week could not have been any better with her. SO much growth/ she just really opened up... While we taught her on Thursday I asked her why she wanted to be baptized, and she said "Because I know Jesus Christ is real and I want to follow Him." MONEY.... I can't even begin to say what that means, especially when it comes from a girl who has not had the ideal childhood (mom works in a different province and she lives with her alcoholic/abusive granddad) If there is one that can ease the burden and pain of heart I know she has dealt with, it is the Savior. You should have seen this girls face on Saturday at her baptism, then on Sunday after Sacrament where she got the HG. I love her so much

HOW CUTE IS SHE?! แชมป์ (Champ)

This is Sister จินตนา (Jinthna) and crew- แชมป์'s (Champ's) "family"
We have been working with them for the past month

Sister แตงกวา (ThaangGwaa aka Cucumber) is the CUTEST girl ever who we have been teaching and meeting with a lot. She is 30, and is from the South (She totally hit it off with Wisan's wife cause she is from the South too) and came to church last Sunday on her own. She said she had been thinking a lot about what was going on in her life, just feeling sad and needed relief in some way... when she woke up on Sunday she didn't have plans to go anywhere, but she just had this image of the church pop into her mind and she knew she needed to go there...... how cool is that?! She has been meeting with us lots and doing so so good. She will be baptized around the end of the month if all goes as planned!

We met with Sister หน่อย (Noi), this other way cool walk in who has been coming for about 2 weeks now. She is the cutest little career woman who drives a smart car and is so put together. She is way hard to meet with-like never free! But she LOVES everything she learns at church and had totally read way far into the BOM and highlighted stuff she liked. Way cool. But yeah, this week we walk outside to grab her for our lesson, and this other car drives up too! And this lady comes walking toward us and is just like " Hey, I am Christian and I just really felt like I should come to this church this morning to find out what you guys teach!" So we totally taught both of them together and they are both SO awesome. The Christian lady's name is ภวานา (Pahwahnah) and she knows the Bible super well. When I called her to follow up this week she had been reading the BOM and just totally gave the most perfect explanation of why the BOM was necessary in addition to the Bible. We are so excited about both of them and ภวานา(Pahwahnah) totally  has a daughter she is going to bring!

Then totally humbling/ so fun, we taught all of the Laotians this week and they are SO CUTE! We taught them at Sister เขียว's (Kiaw's) house which is so fun/ perfect when we can work through the members. Humbling in that they only kind of understand Thai so its like I am semi-useless and fun in that Sister Wi just totally SHINES. She is such a good missionary. Also some of them can't really read, but we are going to go over and read BOM for them to listen (by that I mean she will be doing all of the reading, I will just be sitting and smiling and encouraging the Spirit HA) and keep teaching them. They have a date to be baptized at the end of the month. BOOO YAAAAAAAAAA

SISTASISTAS @ Zone Training + the dress of all dresses (so many compliments on it hahahaha) 

We also had way killer Zone Training and it was just the icing on the [heart shaped, frosted in bright red] cake of everything that Heavenly Father has been teaching me so specifically in this the final stretch of my mission. Very very tender lessons about love-- because in the end that is what I came here to increase, to learn about, to feel, to give, and to someday master as He has. In our discussion of the WHY of our missionary work, one of the Elders in attendance at the training, kind of tongue and cheek/ to be a little funny pointed out, "Do you want to go home with a heart full of numbers or a heart full of love?"

We all know the answer, and the humility to have the WHY of our missionary work or literally anything and everything we do in our lives- be LOVE is wherein lies happiness and fulfillment. That cliche mission statement that every Elder or Sister hears one thousand plus times, "It's not about the numbers" could be rewritten and rebuffed to save lots of Elders and Sisters from searching and wondering, "If its not about the numbers, what on earth is it about??"

Maybe something more like, 

"Its not about the numbers or the area or the Vietnamese Food or the transfer meetings or the thrift shop dresses or the baptisms or the pictures or the ward size or the bike riding blues or the rain or the companions or the elephants or the key indicators or the Crocs (I could go on, but you are getting the picture...) its about LOVE."

I have never really been able to pick "favorite scriptures" or anything like that (what can I say, I love them all), but the favorite scripture/new theme for my entire life that I got from this my final Zone training in this the final month of my mission (FINALLY, I HAVE BEEN WAITING FOR THIS THE LAST 18 MONTHS OR PERHAPS THE LAST 21 YEARS OF MY LIFE.....................................)

are the humble words of the Savior from the New Testament that so perfectly lay out the WHY:

"And he that sent me is with me:  the Father hath not left me alone; for I do ALWAYS those things that please Him."

I know for sure love pleases the Father, and to me this scripture makes it so apparent just how easy the choice to love is and in essence reminds us that it is the WHY. 

Love for Heavenly Father=Love for EVERYONE= HAPPINESS FOREVER

for realzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

so I feel like now it would just be fitting to say I LOVE YOU- cause I really do love you guys so much

have the best week ever and make sure dad doesn't start wearing that outfit for fun around town or anything

xoxoxoSISTER MORGAN

You know you are about to go home when you see the Area Seventy at a leadership training and he greets you then asks, "Sister this has got to be like the thirtieth month of your mission or something???.. I have been seeing you for a long time!" hahahaha Elder Funk is such a rockstar, I still remember my very first Stake Conference as a greenie where he spoke and talked about how we need to help the Saints show HF they want a temple........cheeeeeeeeeeeeeee just look how far we've come

and its not over yet homies...................... 

BAPTISM! such a special day with so many special people there <3 I LOVE THEM ALL!

Elder Curtis..............

This is GRIT-- Sister Forte&Smith's FUNNIEST investigator ever- we all love him so much
and it was SUCH a great day seeing him get baptized after a few months
(Especially the XXL baptism jumper he wore omgomgomg)

another angle- idk it was so funny/precious. he looked like an angel

pictures of people taking pictures of people............. THIS IS MY CUTE COMPANION- Sister WI

cutest chic-est Valentines Day market we invited at this week!

there is a huge strawberry celebration going on right now...... again, I have no idea why??

dinner at Sister Ging's house this week.................. this was on her wall??
Asian Cowboy art...? I DON'T EVEN KNOW?!

this is Asia............... hahahaha where did she get all of these...? I DONT KNOW?!

2/8/16... This has seriously been such a SOLID week... I am still in Don Mueng -YAYAYAYAYAYAYAYAYAYA I LOVE THIS PLACE!!!!

MY GIRL PIM <3

HEY!

famfamfam

So glad to hear everyone is doing so well and that SORELLA BRUNSON made it back to the motherland....... I can hardly believe it. In that I can hardly believe the time has come, not that I can hardly believe she made it to the end of her mission hahahaha 

Seriously though, sometimes out here when I am saying my prayers and thinking of my friends serving missions I have thought of something Ty said to me about when all of his buddies were going on their missions all around the world, and he just had this peaceful feeling that someday they would experience that joy that the sons of Mosiah and Alma the younger experienced when they met up after being missionaries. Katie, that joy will be ours [soon?! what the....] and I know it is going to be oh so so sweet.

ANYWAYS, back to real life people, back to the good stuff. 

This has seriously been such a SOLID week, so jam packed crazy but honestly so great! And first things first, I am still in Don Mueng -YAYAYAYAYAYAYAYAYAYA  I LOVE THIS PLACE- and I am training a new greenie! She is an angel from Laos who is actually going to serve in Australia, but she is waiting for her visa so she is serving here before! Way fun tid bit on her-- So she and her little sister are the only members in her family, and they were introduced to the church through their Aunt who has a Thai Restaurant in SALT LAKE CITY. Apparently she had frequent customers that were members, and one thing let to another led to Wisan's wife giving their info to the Elders in Laos and now she is here today! 

So bottom line, everyone go eat at Thai Cafe near Temple Square and tell them you know Sister Wijithraworng!

It has been so clear that she is supposed to be here right now, we are going to learn lots together this transfer, and already we have seen super cool cool cool miracles. There is actually this whole group of khon Laos that have all gotten baptized within the past year and a half and have been somewhat/very less active and super hard to get in contact with. Well they are LOVING Sister Wii- We had 4 of them come to church yesterday, and they brought 4 additional investigators, all khon Laos that we are going to start teaching. YES!

And just like total bonus, it is the funniest thing ever for me listening to hear speak Lao...... cause it is super similar to Thai but one super distinct difference is that all of the "ch"s become "ss"s so imagine its like you are expecting to hear "Chrissy" and it comes out "Sissy" or "church" and you get "surse" ..... hahaha idk maybe I am immature but I die a little every time cause it still catches me off guard.

But aside from the khon Laos, that came to church,  yesterday was so killer! Between the 4 Lao investigators, referrals from other members, our own investigators and a few walk ins, Sister Wii and I had 13 investigators at church that we will be working with! Sister แชมป์ (Champ) was there and will be getting baptized this coming week if all goes according to plan. She is doing great. And she totally brought her boyfriend, who is a member but hasn't come in FOREVER that we have been trying to get to come thinking it would be to no avail. 

So many things this past week have reminded me and strengthened my testimony of a scripture that I love and have probably shared before from the Doctrine and Covenants:

"Wherefore, be not weary in well-doing, for ye are laying the foundation of a great work. And out of small things proceedeth forth that which is great."

I love that this scripture can be applied on such a personal level but it also rings so true to lots of the work we do as missionaries. We have maybe had occasion to ask questions like, "Ok is this really worth our time?" or "Are these people even getting anything from the effort we are making?" And the clear answer from this scripture is YES YES YES! Even more beautiful is the confirming reassurances that come in due time that it was so worth the time, or that yes, the people did really get something from the effort we made... We have been blessed with a few of those occasions this last week:

Sister นา (Na) bringing her family to church after we have been visiting them lots and being a little rejected (We walk in the house, all of the kids go hang out in the front yard hahaha) They totally came and little by little we will make them like us!

Sister มุก (Muug) this cutest member here that just like fell off the face of the earth about a month ago. I have been calling her everyday and she will barely answer on occasion and sounds so distant and wouldn't agree to a visit or that she would be coming to church. No idea what happened? But yesterday, she totally came! We sat together and it was way good. 

Brother ประสิทธิ์ (Brasit), our investigator who is the dad of the LA family that we LOVE. He is just progressing so slow, and sometimes it seems like they are just so busy at the gas shop that maybe he really isn't even getting anything from the visits. It was so sweet to hear each of the family members say in their own way how the dynamic of their family/ home has completely changed. Apparently ประสิทธิ์(Brasit) has started to pray while he delivers gas on the motorcycle and has just changed a lot. Who would have thought?

Sister เกด (Gate) a less active mom of 2 kids who were all baptized just over a year ago. At one point I think they were strong, but they can NEVER meet with us because the mom works every single day early early to late late. We resorted to teaching them over the phone whenever they would answer the phone (which is seldom) and have had some opportunities to pray with them and be in the scriptures. This last week when I called, Sister เกด (Gate) so excited when she answered the phone and said "Sister Morgan! HEY! I read the homework you gave me!" To my surprise, she had totally read the chapter in Alma I gave her and had a really cool experience with it. cheeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!

teaching Make! and all of his friends this week... SO FUN!

how cute is this?!

Sister Jai's house where we teach them

The little miracles slowly but surely make the big ones. Other fun stuff from this week/ tid bits you need to know/ things on the mind of sistamorgsssssssssss:

-At the command of Sister Johnson we put together the best 72 hour kits as a district to stash at our houses.... hahaha it kind of reminded me of what mom said to me when I got my ultra expensive optional rabies shot before coming on the mission.... "You dang well better get bit by a dog for the price of that one..." hahaha we are all hoping there is a natural disaster or something so we can pull out our packs............... HEEEEEEEEEEEE 

but not.........

-Lunch at Elder Kanikam's house! He was so cute and made it all himself and was just so gracious/ fun with us. And I am not going to lie mom, way to go on the Funfetti Muddy buddies getting me in with the member of the Quorum of the Seventy hahaha everything was "Sister Morgan say the prayer Sister Morgan come taste test this..." omgomg 

Elder Kannikam's centerpiece at lunch...
We are to be "a light unto the world" haaaaaaaaa how cute is that????????

-We are just seriously so spoiled here because Sister Wii and I had the funnest lunch at President Wisans house this week too-- always a treat. What will I do without the Wisanbanawit family in my life???

-So for those of you wondering "What are the ins and outs of Chinese New Year, how could we make this celebration a part of our lives?" Basically what it comes down to, from two years of sideline observance, just get yourself one of those Mulan dragons and parade around town, especially your local mall, all day long for a few days in a row playing a super loud drum. THAT IS CHINESE NEW YEAR IN A NUTSHELL hahahaha seriously 

THE ESSENCE OF CHINESE NEW YEAR

the kick off celebrations of Chinese New Year..........

-Eternal Families are the best thing that ever happened to this world. Yesterday at church was the first day back for this lady who just gave birth to the cutest baby boy (their oldest son is serving in the TBM right now!)  and they named and blessed the baby, but then both she and the husband bore their testimonies on just how they have no idea how they could receive such great blessings at the hand of the Lord to be an Eternal Family and have these joys. I died.

-And to finish, another one of my cultural faux paux.................. seriously you guys, I am so dumb. This goes in the book next to that one time I totally went to the ancestral offering of popcorn thinking it was a "sample cup" hahahaha 

So in Thailand the head is super sacred and the feet are super "unsacred" for lack of better word. As in don't even think about patting someone older than you on the head or ruffling their hair like you are old pals... or forget pointing your foot at someone or showing them the bottom of your foot or pointing to something foot level with your foot. You get it. So we are at this market and there is this lady selling socks, and on the top of the pile are these socks with the American flag on them........ Immediately I am overwhelmed with memories of the joy the British flag socks brought our entire family when Ty sent them home to us...... hahahah don't even act like we didn't take foot selfies with those things and just relish in the fact that they were from him. Well I am just like yes, I need to bring that happiness to my family once again, THEY NEED THAI FLAG SOCKS! 

So I ask her, "Hey do you have any of these with the Thai flag?" and all the people around just give me this look of disgust like.......... "YOU WOULDN'T DARE"... and she shakes her head and the man next to me quietly/shameful on behalf of me says, "Thailand forbids it........"

hahahahaha I am such an idiot. Of course they do not print the beloved symbol of freedom culture and all that is THAILAND on the lowly, disgraceful appendage that is the foot. never

So- sorry to get your hopes up guys, but you will NOT be getting any Thai flag socks from me when I come home...

and on that note, love you guys sooooooooooooo much, hope this week is the best!

xoxo SISTER MORGAN

Elder Curtis  Elder Davenport Sister Smith and Sister Forte totally did the TBM food challenge- 1 large pizza 8 scoops of ice cream and SLAMMED a pack of authentic Tim Tams--- SO SO CRAZY

they were all doing so well-- then they got to the TIM TAMS

the stairs at Bangkok Hospital where Sister Wii got her visa medical check ups....... YAY

"transfer meeting" hahaha 6 am at the mission office, grab your companion and GO!

how cool is this building..... can you tell what it is??

kind of crazy, the other day traffic was totally stopped for a royal person passing through---
 haha those red lights are the brigade of royalty (the king???!)

2/1/16... The truth of the matter is that my time in Thailand is coming to an end...

fammmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm

So glad you are all doing so well, as always the updates were moneymoneymoney. I love the weekly reminders that amidst all the change and growth and everything SOME THINGS NEVER CHANGE...... hahahaha Tyler is still going harder on the snowboard than his head can handle (YIKES!!!!), PJ is still working the system to somehow go on weekly trips/ miss school, and Brad is still slaying the bball court. I love my threeeeeeeeeeee favorite boys

and I always love my sweet momma and wise dad

This has been the best week. SERIOUSLY the best! Miracles and lessons learned in the most peculiar unexpected ways, which, I have come to learn, is often the way Heavenly Father works. 

Seriously, in the church we are so familiar with the phrase, "The Lord works in mysterious ways", and the beautiful part of that is the fact that as we ride out whatever His ways may be and seek the Spirit as our guide, His divine design, counsel and purposes become ever so clear......

Grateful for the windows of Heaven that opened this week on a few quiet occasions where I was able to receive some "snapshots" of what it's all about....

To share just one: We were inviting at this market after teaching Brother ประสิทธิ์ (Brasit) and his family (the LA fam with the dad we are teaching that have a gas business)... I was standing on the corner talking to people and from the middle of the busy street comes this lady (nearly 60, she was a well dressed teacher looking lady) and this school boy helping a crippled man get across the street (he was severely crippled and every step was very minimal progress with just continual shaking) I thought to myself, the school boy must be her son, the old man her dad, his grandpa and they are just bringing him to the market to get some fresh air etc. As they came closer it became clear that he was definitely a homeless man, very dirty, and that the boy and the lady had no relation to him, nor one another as the boy soon walked off. The shaking got worse, his steps became more labored and even smaller, his legs seemed to crumble at the weight of his body, and she now carried close to the entirety of his weight on her shoulders with his arm around the back of her neck. More people began to gather to help, now his weight was being born by two ladies, then three, then four. Then he was placed on the back of man who had  noticed the situation and quickly gotten off of his motorcycle to offer his help. The man then carried him off into the distance beyond what I could see, but I had seen enough. I stood these stunned as this all unfolded before my eyes this most charitable act of love and goodwill toward man, event "the least of these my brethren". The soft whisper of this Spirit said, among other things, "Sister Morgan, this is who I need you to be, this is who you want to be." 

The truth of the matter is that my time in Thailand is coming to an end, and I have been pondering somewhat on the questions "Who have I become and ultimately who do I want to be?" This scene so clearly answered the prayers in my heart in the most tender way. All fear or uncertainty of the future dispels when we remember the simple truths that Elder Christofferson puts so perfectly: "Men are that they might have joy- a joy that includes a fullness of life, a life dedicated to service, to love and harmony in the home, and the fruits of honest toil- an acceptance of the Gospel of Jesus Christ- of its required commandments. Only in these will you find true happiness, the happiness which doesn't fade with the lights and the music and the crowds." 

And disclaimers on this story: hahaha looking back I totally could have stepped in and tried to help carry him or something but aside from being so taken back from it all in the back of my mind I know from experience how awkward it gets sometimes when the tall white girl with the bun tries to insert herself in the situation that the khon Thais clearly have at least somewhat under control HAHAHA omg 

seriously though- way awesome. 

In other news:

We have been teaching แชมป์ (Champ), a referral from an LA fam we have been working with- It has been so fun to teach in their home- hahaha some of the kids honestly really don't like to be around us, but we just smother them with smiles and love and I think they will come around. But she loves church and has a date to be baptized next week!

We painted the Bishop's house/ "backyard" area. The bedroom was a nice minty green and now his backyard is completely white. yayaya

Sister พิม (Pim) one of the Thai missionaries I met while I was in the MTC totally came home from her mission in Australia this week! Seriously she is ADORABLE and we totally laugh because we can't remember if when we talked at the MTC we spoke Thai or English, cause at that time she couldn't speak English and I couldn't speak Thai HAHAHA. We are going to start teaching her friend this week who came to her homecoming, and she is the BEST fellowshipper for investigators. YAY 

MTC picture when I met Sister พิม (Pim)

Sister Rungthip got her Patriarchal Blessing yesterday- FINALLY! We have been waiting for her to get on the queue since we very first got together, but really I think it was such a special experience for her. Also, you guys, we show up at the Rangsit building, the ward of the Patriarch, and they are finishing their combined 3rd hr lesson. Out walks this man in temple worker/baptism white clothes and black shoes, I'm like "huh, that's odd I wonder who that is?" We go upstairs...... it was totally the Patriarch. (apparently he wears that every single week. way precious/kind of funny)

With the random cold weather spell we had last week I have totally had to use lotion for the first time in my entire mission! I will never forget what Sister Senior said on the MRT subway train to us Sisters right after our plane landed in Thailand and we were all in awe at how WET the air was.... "Yes Sisters, its like a free facial everyday!" haha so glad the weather is getting back to normal!

what am I gonna do in the COLD???????????????????

YEAH.......... BEST WEEK!

I love you guys so so so much, 

SISTER MORGAN

cutest Relief Society activity this week-- it was a food making competition
that Sister Rungthip totally won with her creation "Monster Salad" hahaha love it!

Chayut Na Nongkai added 8 new photos — feeling blessed at บ้าน กีต้าร์ & กาโต้.

February 1 at 5:53am · Bangkok, Thailand · 

FHE with missionaries is the bomb!!

Can you spot Sister Morgan??!!