serving in the land of smiles: Sisters, can you make some brownieeeeeeeees?

Me and Sister Wiganda in the floods of Bangkok.

Hello from Saphaan Suung!! I'm still in the Promised Land with all of my favorite people and I couldn't be happier. :)

This week was really good. On Tuesday night, Elder Hunsaker casually walked past us in the church at English and said "Oh hey, Sister Weed, you're moving." Initially I was shocked. Both Sister Weed and I had thought I would be the one to move. Besides being shocked that I was staying, and sad that Sister Weed was moving, I was really really really happy. SO happy. I love this area and these people more than I can really comprehend.

On Wednesday we had the most epic day of all days. Sister Weed finished packing and then we had district meeting for the last time. Our district was split in half at transfers, so we are now the Saphaan Suung District— just the 6 missionaries in our ward. Sister Wiganda, one of the Thai sisters from Srinakharin, was also ending her mission, so we met together as sisters before district meeting and had lunch all together and then waded through the floods to the church. At district meeting we did tim tam slams, it was no big deal. We were all just really happy. Haha. :)

That evening, just as we were leaving to go contacting, we got a call from aweosme Pa Gua, who had organized an entire dinner for all the missionaries who were leaving (Sister Weed, Elder Hunsaker, and Elder Angkham). He said, "Seeeeeesters, wee will beeee eating deeeeeener at four thirteeeeeee, can you make some brownieeeeeeeees?" We laughed and agreed, so we made some brownies and then had a huge family home evening sort of activity with a bunch of members and investigators. It was really, really sweet.

When I had originally thought I would be the one leaving, I had decided to give Ploy my Thai Bible. She had told me countless times that she wanted a Bible because she wants to learn everything. (I'll talk about her conversion in just a minute because I realized a few things this past week, and it's a total miracle.) So I used my language study time to write her a whole letter on some pretty paper and I taped it in the front of the Bible and had it all ready to go...and then I found out I wasn't moving. But then, just before we left for the dinner at the church on Wednesday, Sister Weed asked if I wouldn't mind giving Ploy the Bible that day. She wanted to see Ploy when she received it. So we took the Bible to the church and found Ploy. We pulled her into a room and I told her to close her eyes and hold out her hands. We put the Bible in her hands and when she opened her eyes, she couldn't believe it. She sobbed and sobbed. Sister Weed and I cried, too. We just stood in a little circle together crying for a minute or two. When Sister Ploy stopped crying, she gave me the stink eye and said, "Sister Hughes, I'm supposed to be sad about Sister Weed leaving. Why did you do this to me?" Then we all were laughing. I'm so glad we had that moment with Sister Weed before she left.

So Sister Ploy. When we first got to the area, Sister Weed and I were worried about her. She had accepted a baptismal date, but at the time, she was a little more converted to her missionaries than to the gospel. And because Sister Weed and I were so new and white-washing and were kind of dumb, we had forgotten that we are supposed to make daily contact with our investigators. It was one of those greenie mistakes that we have long since fixed, but at the time, we had no idea. Anyway. So we met with her frequently, but we didn't make daily contact with her. And since she got baptized, she has just shot off, spiritually. And thinking back on the whole situation, I really think that she needed Sister Weed and I—because we didn't know to make daily contact with her. She progressed from being baptized for her love of the missionaries to being baptized because she had time to keep learning and loving the Gospel more and knowing its truth. It's kind of the craziest, backwards miracle, but a miracle nonetheless. Even though Sister Weed and I didn't do something we were supposed to do, Sister Ploy still let the gospel into her life and change her. God works in mysterious ways, is all I can say about that.

So then on Thursday, we had transfers meeting. Sister Weed and I felt sick all morning haha—just because we didn't know what was going to happen, who were going to be our companions, etc etc etc. But it was also super fun because I got to see everyone from the MTC and a bunch of other people that I love that I don't get to see all that often. So in transfers meeting, Sister Weed and I were sitting there feeling sicker and sicker and sicker and then it was announced that I would be companions with Sister Zaugg! She and I were in the MTC together for just a little bit and it's even funnier because when we were in the MTC, everyone told us we were twins. We have a lot of really awesome goals and I have so much I can learn from her. She is such a great missionary. We're both really excited for this transfer and can feel that good things are going to happen. :)

This week Sister Zaugg and I were wrangled into singing in this Christmas Choir! Yesterday at church, President Suchaad turned around and asked us if we would be willing to sing in a Christmas Choir. We didn't really know what that entailed, but I am SO glad we said yes. It is going to be such a cool experience. Basically, in December, the stake puts on a Christmas Story performance; the story of when Christ is born. President Suchaad is directing the music. We will be performing in December, right before the transfer ends. It's going to be so cool. We also are super excited because it's a really great way to work with the members.

Speaking of which, Brother Ice, are you reading this? :) Haha. I found out Brother Ice and Sister Isrin read my blog each week. So consider this a special shout out!

So that's about it for this week! Things are going really well, and Sister Zaugg and I are super excited to be serving together. We're going to see miracles, that's for sure!

Love,

Sister Hughes

Highlight of the Week

Being in 7/11 and talking to a woman whose chihuahua waiied me and Sister Zaugg. That happened.