serving in the land of smiles: Q&A from Udon

Udon has my heart.

Dearest Family Family Dearest,

It has been a good week!

Mom has asked me to answer a few questions this week, so here we go!

What did you learn that you felt really good about during Mission leadership conference?

What I learned that I felt really good about—I think initially, I felt really jarred by our Mission Leadership Conference. It took me a while to determine what I felt really good about because I needed time to digest what was discussed about changes needed. There was so much truth in what we were taught by Elder Allen. We needed a wake up call to have more balance in all that we do. And I think that is the best thing I learned—working for balance in my labors.

What did / do you feel is your greatest challenge right now?

Balance! Working to make sure I am spending equal time and equal effort in all different areas of missionary work. And also making sure that recent converts are getting all of the support they need. There are so many wonderful people, I sometimes worry that there is no time in all the world to help all of them effectively.

What is your greatest joy as a missionary right now?

My greatest joy is the people that I work with. This week we helped SriThai request ordinance work for his mother, father, and older sister. If you could have seen his face...that was the best moment of my week. More on that in a moment.

Do you still teach English classes?

Yes...........only 6 more .............

Do you have a favorite gospel principle to teach investigators?

My favorite thing right now to teach is actually the After Baptism lessons. Sister Speas and I have been using this fun idea to print out pictures of the First Vision, temples, etc., and teach the corresponding principles and then people write their testimonies on the backs of the photos. Then they always have a reminder of what they know is true with them. We had another activity this week with like 8 or 9 people and everyone got to choose a photo of a temple and then they wrote their goals for getting to the temple on the back. It's fun :)

Are you cooking at home twice a week (the things you learn reading other missionary blogs!)?

We are working on it and making adjustments. We live really far away from the church and the city center so it's really tough to cook at home and only take 1 hour to do it...plus we are so busy that Sister Speas and I actually never eat dinner. Whoops. But we're good at making PB&J sandwiches to bring to church on Sunday :)

What miracles have you experienced this week?

This week I have seen an amazing miracle. Brother SriThai was able to request ordinance work for his parents and older sister. I have never in my whole mission seen anyone have success doing family history work. It is a work that is almost impossible because 1) most people don’t keep or have records, and 2) most people don’t know their relatives’ real names (most just go by a nickname). Brother SriThai beat all the odds and had records and knew peoples' names. This coming week, Sister Zaugg and Sister Stewart will be going to the temple in Provo and doing their temple work. We gave SriThai a photo of the Provo temple and he got a little teary as he told us, "I am so happy." He Waiied us all (us all = me, Sister Speas, and the Browns...we couldn't have helped him get things done without them!) and had the best smile on his face. :)

This week Brother SriThai also bought Sister Speas a new backpack because hers was falling apart...the next day he showed up at the church with one for me. He then said, "The inside is prettier! Look!" I looked and inside my backpack was another backpack. He said, "That one is mine," and then giggled for a good 5 minutes about his little joke. We are now in a backpack gang, which makes him the happiest person in the whole wide world. I love that man.

This week was so good because we spent so much time in service to others. We tried our hardest to be balanced and to make sure we were serving our investigators, our recent converts, members, and less active members all equally. I feel like I am a more well-rounded missionary this week, which is what we all should be, right? Calls to repentance are hard. They're never fun at first. But the result is always greater peace, greater love for the Lord, and greater understanding of who the Lord wants me to be, and who I can become.

This week we shall continue becoming who the Lord wants us to be.

I love you!!!

Love,

Sister Hughes

"We could be home for Superbowl Sunday! We're goin' home, baby!!"

—Elder Brown to Sister Brown : )

Me with Brother Suwaan, Sister Somrudee, and Sister Lam. These sweet people walk a mile through red mud
to get to where they catch an hour long bus ride to the church each week. They get to the church
and then we help them wash their feet and shoes off before we all go inside together.