serving in the land of smiles: March Madness

That's not rain, people, that is sweat.

Dearest Family Family Dearest,

Yet another great week out in the field. Lampang is hopping with horse buggies and entertaining people and I can't help but smile all the time here. Also, the hot season is creeping up on us, Sister Packard and I now have sweat dripping down our faces while we contact. Free facials all day every day, anyone? Haha.

I don't even know where to start for this week. So much has happened that has been epic. On Monday we had a great FHE with Sister Bun and a bunch of recent converts and less active members. I lost a game and had to dance the Gai Yang, which is the Thai equivalent of the Funky Chicken...I don't even know. It's so funny. I have videos, I'll show you one day.

English classes are really different here in Lampang. Like I've said before, it's a small area. We have an average of 40 at church each week and less than that at English. There is usually only one class and the Elders and Sisters teach together. This week we taught everyone how to sing "I'm a Little Teapot." Elder Hunt played the piano and Elder Cox was on the harmonica while Sister Packard and I sang. I have never had so much fun teaching English before. It was the best. After English class, we were going to teach Sister Gan and watch the Restoration but Sister Packard had the genius idea to invite everyone from English class to stay and watch with us. This turned out to be the catalyst for a huge miracle that we have been hoping for for a long time.

Sister Jane, a woman who has come to English class for months now and always invites the missionaries to come get free drinks at her little drink stand, finally told us that she wants to learn about Jesus Christ and about baptism. We went to visit her on Wednesday and she expressed her desire to learn just as we were leaving her stand. We told her we would come back on Thursday to teach her. So go back on Thursday we did! We went with Sister Anne, the adorable girl in glasses. I'll send a photo of her so you know who she is. Anyway. Her little stand was so nice and quiet and we were having such a nice lesson when suddenly someone called and ordered 30 cups of coffee that he apparently needed ASAP, it's fine, so we had to leave. She said she would call when she was done. She ended up coming to the church that evening and we finished our lesson and she was so excited about the Book of Mormon. She promised to read it every day. On Friday morning, we rode past her stand on our way to an appointment and she flagged us down. She looked at me and in broken English said, "I want change Mormon!" Later that afternoon she committed to be baptized on March 29th :) Miracles!

In Lampang, we have a little band of followers. There are 4 or 5 recent converts who love to help the missionaries with anything and everything—especially finding new investigators. How they have the courage to come out with us and flat out ask people to be baptized amazes me. I love having them come along everywhere. Sister Packard and I were talking about how we feel like they are our little siblings or something and we just herd them along with us. I love riding my bike and looking behind me to see Sister Ann or Brother Ford or Brother Sombat sweating just as much as I am while on their bikes to do the work of the Lord :)

On Friday we went to lunch with a group of recent converts and the elders. I sat next to Sister Ann's 2 year old daughter, Nam Pung (honey). She is the cutest thing and got ice cream all over her face. We also went to dinner that night at McDonald's with the same group of people hahaha. Here's what happened: Sister Packard and I live in the basement of a member's home. There are members who live on every side of us as well. Every day sister Anne will poke her head over the fence and call to us through our window. On Friday morning, she asked if we were going to Central (the mall) because there was a sale on French fries at McDonald's and she wanted to eat some and would we please let her know if we were going because she wanted to join us. After lunch with everyone, we did some contacting before meeting with Sister Jane (the woman who is getting baptized!). On our way to Jane's, we made a bathroom stop at Central, not thinking of McDonald's at all. When we got to Jane's, Sister Ann asked us where we had just come from. We said Central. She put on this pouty face and said, "You went to Central and didn't invite me?!" "Sister, we were just using the bathroom!" "Yeah, you went to Central and didn't bring me any French fries to go?!" Hahaha. We agreed to go to dinner with her at McDonald's that night. It was a good time.

This weekend, we had a mission wide fast for March Madness. We are aiming to have each companionship have 2 baptisms this month. We fasted for miracles. I had a chance to study miracles in depth this week, preparing for this fast. I loved it. And I was reminded of the wonderful miracles that make up Christ's church. Because this gospel is founded upon miracles—specifically the miracle of Christ's atonement and resurrection. It was good to look at the atonement and resurrection as what they really are. Sometimes these miracles are such standard facts in my life that I forget the magnificence of what they really are. It was refreshing and so happy to remember that miracles happen. God's hand can be seen in our lives in a very real way. Miracles are a part of the gospel of Jesus Christ. :)

I was able to end my week doing a bit of translation service for the members in Lampang. They wanted to watch 17 Miracles but only had it in English. Sister Packard and I translated the whole movie for them. It was such a nice way to end our fast and to remember miracles happen now too. The story of the pie gets me every time. I can't watch that one without crying. It reminds me that God will change even tangible circumstances for us. That is how much He loves us.

And that was my week! It was so good, I am smiling all the time, and Sister Packard and I are finding lots of new investigators. Wish us luck as we dive into March Madness!!

I love you!!

OH and PS: I've got a lot of Big Sister Pride going on right now for my brother who just got into BYU. Everyone please give him a round of applause when you see him and make sure to embarrass him for me. That kid is so cool.

QUOTE OF THE WEEK

A random voicemail from Sister Som.

"Hi Sisters, I'm supposed to be getting dinner with Brother Sombat right now...but I don't know where he is so I think I'm just going to go sell my duck eggs. Bye!"