I'm Finally in Thailand

(All of these girls are older than Auburn)

Hey Guys!!

I finally am in Thailand!! First of all just let me say that Thailand is AWESOME. I really like it. It is literally insane though. There are like 0 rules in Thailand. I have so much to say so I am just going to start at the beginning from what I remember. 

First of all before I forget on Christmas I get to skype at around 9ishAM Thai time. Make sure to have the computer ready for whatever time that is for you the day before. I really don't want to miss you guys.

Okay so the flight to Thailand was LONG. But having the plague of all plagues was kind of a good thing because Elder Webb gave me some Nyquill and I slept... for almost the whole 15 hours. Talk about awesome. Everyone was so jealous! I kinda freaked out a bit when the plane was landing, I looked out the window and kinda thought oh man what am I getting myself into, because Thailand is really different from anything I've ever experienced. But I pulled it together and got off the plane, gathered my luggage and met President and Sister Senior. They are so awesome and funny. They showed us the video they put out so you kinda know what I did all that day. One of those arms getting blood taken was mine BTW hahah. On the first day they also introduced us to contacting..Thailand style. We went out with some of the really experienced missionaries and walked around Bangkok. Bangkok is crazy. There are literally no rules, cars just zoom around and scooters as well, and when you want to cross the road you just pick a random spot (no crosswalks) and the cars and scooters stop/ dodge you. Anyways contacting in Thailand is crazy. You literally just walk around asking people (in Thai of course) if they want to wash their sins/go to church/want to be baptized. That's it. Most people kinda look at you like, "what the heck." But then you will get someone who is like..."Actually yeah I do want to wash my sins." And then they give you their phone number and you teach them. SO awesome. 

After that whole experience we had dinner with President and Sister Senior at their beautiful apartment and I was so tired I can hardly remember anything. The food was really good though!

The next day it was transfer meeting and after all of us new missionaries introduced ourselves they put up this power point, that is kinda like a lottery or a game show, of where people are going. The pictures pop up of you, your new companion and area, and everyone cheers. It's crazy, and you run up and hug your new comp. I am in Chiang Mai and my companion is Sister Ellis. Chiang Mai according to everyone is the best area to go to in Thailand and the most beautiful. It is like 15 hours away from Bangkok though...hahahha. Everyone kept telling me how awesome Chiang Mai was going to be and how awesome Sister Ellis is...both true. Sister Ellis is 24 and is from Idaho. She only has 3 months left on her mission so I may be her last companion. She is super funny, nice and is a really good trainer. Oh and she's super cool. 

So after transfers meeting Sister Ellis and I had to find a way to get to Chiang Mai...Like 15 hours away. So along with the Elders in our district we take a taxi (with our luggage and Christmas packages squished in) to the train station. I was literally sitting hugging my knees in the Taxi we had so much stuff. We get to the Train station and after a lot of deliberation in Thai (on the part of the Elders and SIster Ellis)... I literally understand like 20 percent of Thai... we finally get them to load our luggage onto this sleeper Train. We all had like a tiny bed with a curtain all around it, and it was like so sketch. I was so scared about all these randoms on the train with me and so tired and overwhelmed about Thailand that all of a sudden, I was not scared at all. I was so scared that I just wasn't, if that makes any sense. And then I proceeded to sleep...on an old train for 15 hours...with random people from all over Thailand/the world sleeping around me. I was just so tired I didn't even care. We get to Chiang Mai at like 10 AM the next day, and I gave a pass along card to some lady from the Netherlands on the train and told her to look up Elder Wilson when she got back to the Netherlands.

Chiang Mai is so pretty its all in the mountains and apparently you can ride an ostrich/elephant/hike up a mountain to a super pretty wat. For P-day today I think we are having the dead skin eaten off our feet by fish. haha

When I got to Chiang Mai the Elders, Sister Ellis and I loaded our stuff and their bikes into this truck thingy, but there was no more room to sit down so we just hung off the ladders attached to the back. We get dropped off at our new house.  It is like the most ghetto thing ever. I am pretty sure no one had ever cleaned it. There were piles of dirt everywhere and bugs and a cockroach....and ya it was gross. So sister Ellis and I spent a couple hours cleaning because it was literally uninhabitable. We live in this house with 2 other sisters too. Sister Black and SIster Tirdamphon (a cone Thai). Sister Tirdamphon is going to the MTC in the Phillipines this week, so Sister Black Sister Ellis and I will be in a tri-companionship for 3 weeks until she comes back.We all may have to go up to Bangkok this week again (yay for another 15 hour train ride) to drop her off... Anyways, we all moved our mattresses (...so ghetto) into the only room with AC that worked, and all the dressers into the other room. I sleep on a mattress on the floor and none of the doors to the outside of our house really close, so pray that I won't have a giant bug attack me while I sleep. haha  Bathrooms in Thailand are really weird too...the shower and Toilet are all one room and its a tiny sprayer instead of toilet paper sometimes. 

Okay so after all the cleaning we went to the Recent convert Book of Mormon class which I understood like 0 of, but then there was game night where tons of Thai people that were YSA age came too. They explained all the games in Thai and again I really don't understand Thai. I can understand when missionaries speak Thai/falangs (foreigners) but Cone Thais all speak so fast and with a lisp almost that it is so so HARD to understand. Seriously pray for me... I need all the help I can get! I played the funniest games with all the missionaries and the like 20 Thai people at game night and they were so funny. I'll explain more when I skype. I was so tired at this point though from like everything so I don't think I was smiling. And as soon as I wasn't smiling this Thai girl named Phone comes up to me and hugs me and tells me she wants me to be happy. Thai people are literally so nice. It was the same when I went to Church too. They all just hug you and tell you that you are awesome and beautiful and that they love you. Seriously awesome. 

Anyways, all the days are blurring together but I think it was the next day that this falang invited all of the missionaries over to her super nice house for Thanksgiving/Christmas dinner. She has lived in Thailand for 15 years and owns the fly fishing company. ("Rainies" I think it is. Ask grandpa if he's heard of it.) I think she said they make flys. We ate the best food and she had fake snow outside and we all sang Christmas songs. It was awesome. 

The next day at Church I bore my testimony in Thai...man that was hard. Everyone chuckled a little when I said I'd been on my mission for about a week. All the members are super nice though and every sunday after church everyone makes food and we eat together. At this point I don't know how I feel about Thai food, but I am sure I'll get used to it. We also did some more contacting yesterday where we got a bunch of people together from the ward and sang christmas carols in this huge market and handed out fliers for the Christmas activity. SO many people wanted to take pictures with us falangs. It was hilarious. 

Oh and this email is totally out of order and probably makes no sense but another one if the days when Sis Ellis and I went contacting we ran into this less active 17 year old boy named Dan. His family has kinda all fallen away but he agreed to meet with us on sunday at the church. Sister Ellis talked to him a ton about just being a good example for his family and shared a scripture with him. I was really scared to talk, but I felt like I should share something. So at the end I quickly shared what a good example my brother Wyatt has been to me, and how things he's done have really inspired me in my life. I shared with him that if it wasn't for the support and example of my younger brother that I probably wouldn't be on a mission right now. He was really impressed and I think it helped him. 

Anyways I love you all, congrats if you read this massive email! I am excited for this week! 

Rak,

Sister Rem (Thai people think my name is too hard to say so they all call me SIster Rem)

P.S. please pray for me to learn Thai...I need some serious help.

PPS Thailand is awesome everyone should come pick me up in 16 months

PPPS. I will try and send some pics, hopefully it works!

A street by my house

Street food

My house and Sis Ellis

  

  

Prison Break!

Hey family,

This week I contracted the plague of all plagues....AKA the worst head cold of my LIFE. Elder Darby gave me some as he calls it, "witch doctor" essential oil stuff that his mom gave him, that according to the little book that came with it cures everything from stress to cancer. I'm not too convinced it worked, so I am sticking with some Advil. I'm glad I can sleep on the plane haha

 But its all okay cause GUESS WHAT?!!! Today is the day I go to THAILAND! I am so excited but also a little scared! 

My teacher Sister Painter this week told me all about some crazy stories from her mission to Thailand. She said the craziest stuff just happens there, like the crazy and random stuff that happens to me all the time. She said it was like living in a movie! Never a dull day. It made me catch the vision a little bit more of why I am going there. My district also voted me as the person, "the most likely to end up on the news", because of all the crazy stories I've told them...Good times. 

I am so excited to call you all in the airport! I wanted to call Destiny and Emily too, but we apparently aren't allowed to call friends...so sad. Mom/Dad/Siblings I'll probably call you super quickly from the Salt Lake airport, and also when I get too LAX for sure because we have a 7 hour layover....

I am so excited to see the Sky during the day, this is probably super dramatic but I've been in a brick prison for 9 weeks. 

Anyways, I'll just quickly update you all on my week, and send a lot of pictures because I have to go finish my laundry and whatnot! I am so scared my suitcases are gunna weigh to much. 

This week Sister Burbank and I were chosen as the demonstration, "People and your Purpose" missionaries for all the new ones coming in. This basically meant we just demonstrated "How to Begin Teaching" with a real/fake investigator in front of all the new missionaries. I literally just said the most random stuff, and everyone laughed at me. It was hilar. I also sawy Brandon Brown and Justin Coleman! So crazy. 

This week Grandma and Grandma Cammy sent me some packages! Grandma Cammy sent me some oranges...which everyone in my zone loves me for because I always share, and Grandma sent me some caramels and ginger bread men. I was so happy. I gave a few select people some caramels and cookies, and here are some quotes from them as they ate them:

"It's melting in my mouth."

"Sister Remington, that cookie made Elder Webb cry."

Suffice it to say they were really, really good!

We are all so excited to go eat some food in the airport...we've been planning what we are going to eat for weeks!! #CostaVida

Something cool I learned this week was reading in Alma...the chapter about the armies of Helaman. While reading it a verse stuck out to me that hadn't ever before. It was, "we do not doubt our mothers knew it." The armies of Helaman did not doubt that their families and especially their mothers had taught them correct principles, and also knew they could face any challenge. This made me so grateful for my own family, and especially my mom who does not doubt. 

I also really liked Ether ch6 I think it is where the Jaradites are in the barges going to the promised land. The wind and storms toss the barges about, they go under the water and over the water... but, "The wind did never cease to blow towards the promised land."  No matter how hard things get, our trials are given to us to make us stronger, and the wind will never cease to blow towards our promised lands. The things that Heavenly Father has planned for us.. The things we want out of life. It's hard, but it really all comes down to trust and faith. Will you trust in the answers you've received to your prayers and move forward? Will you trust that Heavenly Father won't let you fail? I would like to bear my testimony that I know this Church and gospel are true. I know that it will bring people great joy in Thailand, and there are people waiting, that need to hear this message. 

I love and miss you all.

Rak,

Sister Remington

What is the Best Way To Get Over Trials Without Losing Faith Along the Way?

Hey everybody!

This week was CRAZY.Like so CRAZY. Be excited to read this email because of the unrealness of this week. 

First of all we got our travel plans! I'll send a picture, but we leave to Thailand next monday Dec 8th. We leave Salt lake at 4:50pm get to LAX at 5:45pm, leave LAX at 12:05 AM, and get to Hong Kong at 7:40 AM...on december 10th. I skip a day! We then leave hong kong at 9:10:Am and get to Thailand at 11:10 AM on december 10th! So weird! I'll send the picture because I probably mixed up all the details. I'll also probably call from Salt Lake around 2pm and LAX around 6pm. So hopefully you guys are free then! Dear elder me a list of Wyatt and Elliott's numbers! 

Thanks so much for all the dear elders and letters this week, they all were really inspired and helped me so much. The last time they printed them off for us was on Friday, and I've only read the ones sent up to Thanksgiving, so if you sent one after Thursday, I haven't gotten it yet. 

Grandma Cammy! Mom! Thanks so much for the packages, everyone in my zone LOVES the oranges.And Masons, thanks for the letter and quotes. You guys are all the best. 

I also laughed so hard at the quote in Alison's dear elder, "If you can make it through the MTC, you can make it through anything."

Now for the really excitingness (is that a word?). (does that phrase even make sense?)

This week we had Elder Oaks, Elder Bednar, and Sheri Dew come speak to us! We also saw Meet the Mormons, and Vocal point (the singing group from BYU)!!

Elder Oaks gave a great talk, but I want to talk mostly about Elder Bednar. Because the most amazing thing happened. 

As I think you all know, the MTC has been kinda hard for me. IDK why really, but anyways, Elder Bednar came to speak to the MTC on Thanksgiving. I had decided to be in the choir for that devotional he was going to speak to us at, so I had gone to all the practices, and had been assigned a seat half way up the bleachers in the middle. We were singing "Come thou font of every blessing", and it was going to sound so cool. I especially like the line in that song, "Praise the mount I'm fixed upon it, mount of thy redeeming love." This just reminds me that no matter how difficult things get, we need to fix our sights on overcoming problems, and Christ truly will help us through it. 

Anyways, the morning of the devotional, Sister Burbank and I were a little late going to choir, so instead of sitting in the middle, I had to sit on the end of the row. I was like, "Okay, whatever", and proceeded to watch the devotional. This devotional was a little different though. When Elder Bednar came in he told everyone that it was being broadcast to 15 different MTC's across the globe, and that in this devotional, people would have a chance to ask questions. At the MTC's across the globe they could email them in, and here at the Provo MTC they passed out a few cellphones to the END of a couple rows, where we could text questions in and they would show up on Elder Bednars ipad. Because I was sitting on the end of the row. I got the cellphone. And i got to text a question. The question I texted was, "What is the best way to get over trials without losing faith along the way?"

I fully never expected my question to get answered, as I typed it slowly, and besides 3,000 plus missionaries were able to send questions in, and there would only be time for about 5 questions, but about half way in.... Elder Bednar reads and answers my question!!!

When he read my question, I could feel the spirit so strongly, and knew, knew, knew, that although it may take awhile. Prayers are ALWAYS answered. 

I swear Elder Bednar looked straight at me, halfway up the bleachers and answered my question. He said:

"You recieve no witness until after the trial of your faith." He then said, "I'll say that twice it is so important." All while looking at me. It was amazing as he had no way to know that I was the one that had asked that question. 

He then said:

*"The only way faith endures is from trials and difficulty, be careful when you pray for faith, because what is required is adversities, challenges, and difficulty."

*"Faith is a principle of action and power. Agency enables us to act, to act in accordance to the teachings of Jesus Christ and we'll get power."

*"Often, trials of our faith are not some huge thing. The trial is if we will daily do the simple things we know we should."

This next part is what stuck out to me the most:,"If you don't get what you want when you think it ought to come, will you give up? No! This is the trial." 

This reminded me that sometimes patience is what we all need, and that if we simply just keep going, keep waking up, the savior will help us. Undoubtedly and Everytime. 

After he answered my question, he proceeded to answer like 3 other ones, and they were all good, but he kept tying everything into the question I'd asked. And his parting words were, "I leave you all with a blessing that if you do the simple things that you know you should do, your faith will always be sufficient-for any obstacle, in the mission field and in life."

I felt the spirit so strongly while listening to this, and while writing this out again, and I know this is all true. 

The rest of thanksgiving was really great, we did a service activity where we made like a bagillion meals, and my job on the assembly line... mom you'll laugh... was scooping lentils. For hours. It was actually kinda an arm workout hahah

We also like I said before watched meet the Mormons, and they turned on the Christmas lights at the MTC. So pretty. Watching meet the Mormons and the part about the guy from Nepal made me realize a little bit just how different Thailand will be. I am excited but also a little nervous. 

One of my teachers, Brother Yuen also had an  interview with me this week and he shared Moroni 8:16, "perfect love casteth out all fear." This is really true, we can pray to feel that perfect love and we will. We are never alone. 

I would like to end this super long and probably confusing email with what Sheri dew said when she spoke to us. She talked about how everyone has questions in their lives that they want answered. Everyone's questions are hard and often there is no easy answer. However, she stated that the real question is, "Are you willing to engage in the wrestle?" Are we willing to put in the effort it takes to pray, study and "wrestle our questions to the ground?" She said often people think that giving up and not, "engaging in the wrestle" is easier, but it is not. It is far easier to engage and to find peace, revelation, and enlightenment. 

I would like to challenge you all to never give up. Have patience. If you have a question that is difficult or seemingly impossible to answer, don't give up the fight. Keep trying, and I know that if you ask for help from Heavenly Father. You'll find the answer. 

I love you all, have a great week. I don't know if I'll email next week, or just call from the AIRPORT!!!

Love,

Sister Remington

Every Cloud Has A Silver Lining

Hey guys, 

First of all HAPPY BIRTHDAY this week grandma!! I hope it is so great!

This week was interesting to say the least, but I just keep reminding myself two weeks until Thailand!

Something cool about this past week is that when we do our member TRC lessons, where we used to do them with just Thai people that went to BYU/ return missionaries, we now Skype with real Thai people in Thailand! So that's really cool, although Thai is like 2178234978432873420 times harder to understand when its super muffled! Thailand is a day ahead, so we do it at like 815pm, and its morning the next day their time..so weird.

Also this week Elder Webb, Elder Sun, Sister Burbank and I had a sweet time playing on the piano/singing/violin playing, "If you could hie to Kolob." It sounded awesome! We might get our whole district together and do it in sacrament before we leave. 

One thing I really learned this week as I had  a hard week was a lot more about the Atonement. I learned that the atonement of Jesus Christ is real, it is not just for sins, it is for burdens people have, be it fear, worry, or anxiety. I was praying a lot about this, and the spirit taught me that in order to use the atonement of Christ, all we have to do is call upon Christ to help us through prayer, and he will. Our fears and worries, or whatever our problems may be, may not be taken from us all at once, but little by little it gets better. 

Sorry this email is so short this week!! I will have more funny experiences/awesome stories to share next week. Promise.

I love you all so much, thanks for all the amazing advice and prayers offered in my behalf. 

Love,

Sister Remington 

REMINGTONS NEVER GIVE UP

Hey everyone! 

First of all, Happy Anniversary Mom and Dad! Suffice it to say, I am super happy you guys got married.

Thank you all so much again for the dear elders. They make me laugh, and feel so inspired! I especially loved both Wyatt and Elliott's awesome ones this week ;). Also I only get them mon-fri, so if you send any sat/sun, i don't read them until late monday night. 

Also the Peterson's sent me the NICEST package and note, it definitely made my day :). Also Grandma Cammy thanks so much for the oranges! They were even better this time if that's even possible! 

This week here is some funny stuff that happened. First of all, I realized that I've given the Elders in my district Waaay to many prank ideas. Like I am the mastermind behind all their schemes. For example (time capsule in the ceiling, ice water bucket, crazy spoon thing etc.) I realized I have to keep some of them to myself. They also tried to prank me this week by unscrewing my desk.... but i caught them! hahah Anyways, if anyone has any good prank ideas let me know. Revenge must happen.

A funny thing with the language happened when I was teaching a lesson to my investigator/teacher Bro Chamberlain. We were talking about the 10 commandments, specifically the commandment, "thou shall not kill". He had a question if he could still kill animals, because in Buddhism they don't kill anything. Period. Not even Mosquitoes. Anyways, Sis B. shared a scripture about how killing animals is fine, because they are for eating. I kinda just had this funny thought come to my head so I was like, hey I'll just go ahead and say it. It was "Raw may gin cone" (we don't eat people)." SO funny. We all just died laughing, and Bro Chamberlain couldn't get it together for the longest time! 

Also, we've started singing by reading the Thai script for the Hymns. It's so hard, and we go so slow, and half the time are singing a different tune to the hymn, than the actual hymn we are signing just because there are so many things to think about. 

Oh, and I probably should have mentioned this in like week one email, but in Thailand how people great each other is by saying Sawatdee kha (female), or Sawatdee crap (male), and by doing this little pray bow thing with their hands. So that is how anyone in my zone/district greets each other, even if they are not going to Thailand, just because its so fun. 

This next week (week 7 yay! only 3 left)  should be exciting because we are having the new thai group come, and they have one sister who will be moving into the room with me and the other Thai sisters! So we are stoked cause it'll be a change up. Also, they keep telling us that there is something awesome planned for American Thanksgiving, so i'm stoked for that! 

This week honestly was the hardest week so far at the MTC. Thursday hit, and I felt like I was living the movie Groundhog day, where the guy wakes up and relives the same day over and over and over again. That day we had done the same activity in class, same this same that, i'd eaten the EXACT same food for lunch I had for seven weeks, the language was still hard (the tones), and suffice it to say I got really frustrated. And lost it a little. I hadn't taken my own advice about having hope, and trying to make everyday the best. 

I was also thinking quite a bit this week about why exactly missions are so hard, and I thought that probably the reason they are so hard, is because you don't have anything you can do to take your mind off of anything. For example, I used to be able to whenever I wanted not to think about something, I would just go on my phone/go skiing/ hang out with friends etc. Here there aren't any of those options, you can't in a sense "numb" so you have to face all the problems that occur, instead of just pushing them away through ignoring them. 

Something however that helped me a ton this week is someone said, "Everything in your mission that happens, happens to help you." And I do believe that. All the experiences I've already had in this short almost month and a half, have really helped me, and each day I've wondered if I could still do it, something would happen to reassure me that I still could. Heavenly Father never forgets us. 

This week especially I remembered something my Mom and Dad would always say to me and my siblings when something was hard. It's that, "Remington's never give up." When it gets hard I remember that and I will NEVER give up. 

I also read in Alma 3:26 this week and it says, "You'll either have happiness or misery, according to the Spirit you listeth to obey." This is so true, we choose everyday, so we might as well choose to listen to the good.

Grandma Cammy also sent me this awesome quote, "To find real happiness we must seek for it in a focus outside of ourselves."

Oh and Elliott sent me this awesome thought! She said she was in her seminary class this week and they were reading in Joseph Smith History 1:15-20 Elliott said, "It is really cool because it's when he is in the garden and he's praying for the first time and satan is all around him it's cool because he could have just given up, he could have so easily! But nothing worth having comes easily, remember that. No matter what happens don't give up, it's all worth it in the end." 

I am so grateful for the awesome example of my family.

Also, this week when I read Alma 26:1 which says, "For could we have supposed when we started from the land of Zarahemla that God would have granted unto  us such great blessings?"I had this realization, that sometimes its hard to know at the start of things how good things could be, it's often only in looking back at the end of events, that you see why things happened the way the did. In Phillipians 4:11 it says, "For I have learned in whatsoever state I am, therewith to be content." This really made me think, as when it comes down to it, none of us really have very much time on this earth so we may as well be happy. 

Something that I am going to work on this week is to try and gain more of an unshakable testimony of Christ. I realized that it is through Christ that we are able to do all things so that is what I must begin to do. 

An awesome quote that I would like to leave you all with this week is: 

"There are 2 kinds of people in this world, those who act and those who are acted upon. Be one who acts."

I love you all and miss you so much!

Love,

Sister Remington 

P.S. I feel like this email is all over the place so sorry if it makes no sense!

Make Each Day the Best

Hey guys,

I hope your week was great. This week was a little hard, but it went by fast!!

Grandma Cammy!! Thanks so much for the mandarins you sent, I shared them with my district and zone and they loved them!!

Funny story about that actually:

I went to go hand some of them out to the Hmong elders, and I stood in the door of the classroom and tried to lightly toss each elder a mandarin. After doing this, one elder asked for a second mandarin, but told me, "Sister Remington, I bet you played baseball or softball, so throw it hard." I told him that I actually didn't play baseball or softball, but that I could still throw pretty hard. So in classic form, I wound up and threw it super hard, only it didn't go to him, it smacked against the elders desk next to him and juice was everywhere! It was super funny, and actually a little embarrassing as all the Hmong elders are all like, "Oh, Sister..." They then made me try to say the word "Hmong" correctly for like 5 min. Apparently its like a breathy H, where you blow out of your nose. It was hard, and I still can't say it right hahaha

Some random news of the week:

*They are starting to send Sisters to Laos!

*My blood type is O negative, not sure what that means, but it is. 

*I realized everyone in my district is taller than me, and also some of the Elders who have just graduated high school are older than me too. 

*Elliott! We learned how to say please pass the rice!!!!

Thai is coming along pretty well, however any prayers are still appreciated! Asian languages are hard!

This week I said so many funny things in Thai. For example in a lesson teaching about the word of Wisdom, instead of committing my investigator to Stop Smoking (leeg subburi). I committed him to Start Smoking (reum subburi) So embarrassing, and my teacher was laughing so hard, and was all like in Thai, "Don't you wan't me to stop smoking?" 

Another time in class, my teacher was testing our Thai by saying sentences in Thai and then having us raise our hand and translate them to English. He said in Thai, "In which book in Alma do they talk about Faith?" I raised my hand super quickly, and translated that sentence. But instead of saying, "In which book in Alma do they talk about Faith, I said, "In which book in Alma do they talk about Satan." Everyone just about died laughing, as the word for faith is "Sattah", and the word for Satan is "Sataan." My teacher then wrote in huge letters across the chalk board, sattah does not equal sataan. So funny. 

My teachers also think It is really funny that in just about every example/answer in class I bring in the Thai word for cake. We even told our investigator we would bring him a cake. haha

Anyways, I learned a lot this week.On tuesday, we went to the devotional in the Marriott center. It was really neat to finally go off MTC campus, but also kinda hard as I missed BYU a lot. I did however, think about how grateful I am to go to such an awesome school, and also have the opportunity to go on a mission. It was still a little hard though. Anyways, in the devotional they talked about tenacity, and how it is the "persistence, perseverance, stubborn determination, and people that just won't quit." I loved that. I really want to be a tenacious missionary, and person, and to "Pray about it, Make some decisions, and Get on with it." I also loved this devotional, as in the end the speaker referenced a talk that helped me a lot when deciding to go on a mission. The best line is, "NEVERTHELESS I WEN'T FORTH." Sometimes in life we may not know all the reasons why we are doing certain things, but the Lord will help us if we pray, have faith and hope, and go forth. 

I also kept thinking about how in this life, often hope is the most important thing someone can possess. We can never lose hope. It even says in D&C 18:19, "If ye have not faith, hope, and charity, ye can do nothing." This is true, without hope we will not have the power to go forth in anything, big or small, be it waking up, or deciding what we should major in, if there is no hope.It kind of hit me this week, that this is why I am on a mission. To tell people about the hope that the gospel brings, of knowing who you are, and in a sense the purpose of life. 

 In another devotional I saw this week given by Sister Nelson, (Russel M. Nelson's wife), she told the story of young 13 year old Henry B. Eyring. He had just moved from New York, to another state and school. In this new school all the kids teased him about his "accent" and he got pretty down, and wanted to stop going to school, and basically give any effort. One day when he was playing basketball the words came to his mind, and he wrote them in his journal :"Someday when you know who you really are, you will be sorry you didn't use your time better." Those words hit me hard. I thought about them over and over, and they are so true. We need to always give our best effort, in anything we do, be it a small task or large. This is how we live happily. This is how we live without regret. 

I love you all, and pray for each one of you! 

Make each day the best. 

Rak mag (lots of love),

Sister Remington

20 Seconds of Courage

Hey everyone!

This week was pretty good, and went fast. Its now week 5 and only like a month before I'm in Thailand! Which is good because its getting super freezing here in Utah. 

Emailing is hard because I always forget things, it would just be so much easier to call hahah

Speaking of calling, that was crazy that I got to talk to you guys for a minute about my blood type, sadly there was no field trip off MTC campus to figure it out, they just did it here. 

Thanks mom, grandma and everyone for your dear elders! I love hearing what you are up to and reading inspiring thoughts. You guys are doing so many awesome things and being so kind to others I love it. It's inspiring. Also mom and dad i got your letter in the mail-and i loved the "Christmas card" and Dad's letters. I love Dad's letters and read them often. And mom that hair stuff is AWESOME. Thanks. 

I forgot to update you all on my 4 square game last week, so here's the update:  I've been playing every gym time for the last 15 minutes, and I am getting to be pretty good. Not gunna lie. If 4 square was an Olympic sport, they'd probably put me as the back up for the team... I'm not good enough to be on the team...yet. But I have 4 more weeks. I heard an Elder say when I went in the game, "Watch out for this girl she's good." And then I slammed the ball at his feet and got him out haha

Anyways, this week we also put up a sweet Canadian flag grandma sent in the "Canadian corner" of the classroom where me Elder Darby, and Sis Burbank sit. Everyone is pretty impressed haha

Thai is coming along, we started learning the script this week and man that is hard. You literally need to know like 10 things about each letter to read... and there is 87 letters or so. But its getting better. I'm sure I'll be a pro soon. I also learned this week that the Thai word for practice (Fxg) sounds exactly like a swear word. Everyone in my district laughed about that one for a while. 

This week we also started this tape throwing competition that we do at the end of each day, you basically just try and throw the roll of tape onto the wall with coat hooks on it. It probably sounds lame but its really hard, and sometimes (actually all the time) you have to get creative in the MTC to entertain yourself. 

For Halloween in the MTC it was basically the same as any other day. I just ate a TON of candy and krispy kremes and Elder Webb and Darby wore some fake beards. SO good times. 

This week as one of the Sister Training leaders, Sister Burbank and I really tried to help this Sister missionary that was struggling with some things, and really wanting to go home. We did our best, but in the end she went home, and that was really sad. She may come back in like 6 months tho! 

Each day at the end of the day we meet with all the sisters in the Zone, and do "Zone Prayer" for a few minutes. I thought of a pretty fun question thing to do each night, where we ask one sister a funny question, she answers, and the next night she has to think of a question to ask someone else. They all loved it. 

Okay, I learned a ton this week, but a couple of things that really stuck out to me were:

1. Its all so simple: The gospel is pretty simple if you think about it. I think sometimes people (and I've been guilty of this) try and make it seem so complicated, and it's really not. I was reading in 2 Nephi 25:23 and it says, "For we labor diligently to write, to persuade our children, and also our brethren, to believe in Christ, and to be reconciled to God; for we know it is by grace that we are saved, after all we can do." I loved this scripture, to me it just reminds me thatthis is what the gospel is all about.It's the only reason for church, and the only reason for the book of Mormon. To help people come unto Christ and believe in him! Everything else will follow. 

2. I had an experience this week where I was told I am kinda quiet in class sometimes. Probably due to the fact that I wake up at 630, but none the less it really made me think. I feel like sometimes I am scared to participate or share at the risk of sounding dumb, but I prayed and then opened up to 2 Nephi 7:7. And it definitely is now my favorite scripture. It says, "For the Lord God will help me, therefore shall I not be confounded. Therefore have I set my face like a flint, and I know that I shall not be ashamed." Isn't that the best scripture ever? In life sometimes it just takes the courage and determination to try, and to "set your face like a flint" If you do this God will help you. I took these words to heart and really tried to share as much as i could in class, and I even bore my testimony in Sacrament. It was amazing the results after too.People even came up to me multiple times thanking me for things I had said. As my mom (at least I think it was my mom) says, "Sometimes it just takes 20 seconds of courage, for amazing results." This is true, and i just want to challenge everyone to try a little harder, to take a little more courage with something in your life that scares you. I know that if you do, and if you ask God for help, he will help you. That doesn't mean it still won't be hard, but I promise that each time you do it,in every way, it'll get better. 

Well that's all for now, I love and miss you all!! I pray and think about each and every one of you daily.

Peace out Girl Scouts till next week.

Love,

Sister Remington

New Zone Sister Training Leader

Hey family and friends!

This week went a whole lot faster at the MTC. I loved reading all the dear elders, and thanks so much Aunt Lisa and Grandma for the packages, they were so thoughtful and creative!! 

I'll start this email by telling kinda a funny story, that I hope I haven't emailed about before haha.On a temple walk (its where you go and walk around the provo temple with all the other missionaries, talk and take pictures) I met this Sister Missionary from Thailand!! She was so nice, and is going on her mission to Australia. She told me that once I get to Thailand the food will make me skinny, and I will get tan. The only thing is, she said all the white people sweat so much that I will have a lot of zits.... aha it was awesome. 

This week, as the Phii Thais are leaving today, Sister Burbank and I got called as the new Sister Training Leaders! So we are over all the sisters in the zone, which is Cantonese, Hmong, and Thai. 

It's crazy because we've only been here like 3 1/2 weeks, however, the way the MTC does weeks I am in week 4! Only 5 left, yay!!

Another funny story from this week, we teach our "investigators", who are really our teachers daily, and this week we taught 2 of our different teachers, who always choose to act like Thai people with long Thai names that are hard to remember. I was having a hard time keeping the names straight so in one of the lessons, i kept calling the investigator the wrong name! When I was trying to say something really deep (I mean as deep as I can say in Thai), I said the name of another investigator, to the one i was trying to teach again! I just started laughing, and he started laughing, and Sister Burbank starting laughing, and I could not pull it together for the rest of the lesson. Even at the end, when saying bye (Choke-dii, it also means good luck) I accidentally called him the wrong name again! Oh man. 

Also, on Saturdays we do this thing called TRC, where we teach members (RM's, or actual Thai people) lessons.We are filmed, and our teachers give us feedback later. At the beginning of a lesson with some Thai people (who talked SO fast), Sister Burbank asked the man and woman, if they were father and daughter. Turns out they were friends/dating/we are not really sure but they were definitely not related. 

Thai is coming along pretty well, I can recognize and understand very well, but my accent is atrocious. I cannot figure out the tones for the life of me. My teacher this week had me try and read English sentences from PMG trying the flat, rising, falling, high and low tones, and it was so hard. I feel like I am so used to having expression in my speaking on every word, so it is hard to not change the meaning by saying a word with a different tone. Although this week instead of saying, "I believe in.... I said "I evil...." SO that's kinda funny. 

Also I am in the MTC choir, and I think they are doing a worldwide broadcast of it next tuesday, so watch it and watch for me!!

I learned a lot this week. One big thing that really stuck out to me was trying to think of myself less. I had this big "aha" moment when I was reading my scriptures by the fence at the MTC. I was looking out at the mountains and sunset, thinking about all the fun things I'd taken for granted before I came to the MTC. 

But then, looking at the sunset and mountains, i realized the world is so beautiful, and joyful! I am starting to think the only reason anyone is ever sad is because they are focusing too much on themselves and the small problems that can consume us all (if we let them) day to day. I need to definitely work on this, not letting my small problems consume me, and I would challenge you all to do the same. Read 2 ne 31:20, its awesome. 

We also had an awesome devotional where the speaker was one of those guys who spoke in conference in a different language. He spoke in English at the MtC, and he was so funny! Hard to understand, but funny. He talked a lot about how, "If your family were to spend a day in the mission field with you, would they be proud?" He also told us to read Moroni 8:1-3, and think of it as from your family to you. It was really touching, and I just want to tell you all how much I love and appreciate you. Know I pray for you all, and think about you everyday. 

Have a great week!

Rak,

Sister Remington

Auburn's zone

Auburn's Having Some Fun

Hey Family!

This week was quite a bit better. It's still kinda hard, but I've been praying a ton and Heavenly father has helped me so much day by day. 

Thanks so much for all the dear elders! It made me so happy to hear from you guys, I was SO excited everytime I got one. Thanks so much for the (wool haha) blanket too mom, I've been alot warmer! Also grandma Cammy and Grandma and Grandpa both sent me some AWESOME packages-my whole district was like, "woah your family really loves you." Thanks so so much! I wrote you all letters, so let me know when you get them!! Also PLEASE feel free to dear elder me anything awesome, newsy, funny, inspiring..whatever and whenever! I LOVE getting them. 

There are 12 of us going to Thailand in the neung Thai (younger Thai) group. We have 2 districts, so that basically means there are 6 people in 2 different freezing classrooms (the AC doesn't turn off) learning Thai and doing a lot of studying! There is the Phii Thai (older Thai) group too who are in our zone so they have classrooms in the same hall as us, and we all hang out a bunch. I have become really good friends with lots of them, so I am sad that they leave for Thailand next monday! 

Every day basically goes like this. Wake up at 630, go outside and get a sack breakfast of gross hardboiled eggs and a bagel/donut..those are the only options, then go to gym time. At gym time I usually run like 10 laps (a mile) and then do some pushups, I will then go to the lower part of the Gym and play four square... yes you heard me...four square, Haha its actually pretty fun though, and there is always a long line and all the elders and sisters are super competitive! By the end of my 9 weeks (which is basically the longest anyone is in the MTC), I plan to be champion. 

After that, we shower, get dressed (all within 30 minutes) so suffice it to say my hair is usually wet, and then we head to class where we have one of our sweet RM teachers teach us Thai for a couple of hours. The teachers are honestly awesome, and my Thai has gotten SO much better this week. I actually can understand and know a lot of what they are saying, and words to reply, which is a big blessing because some of the elders in my district are having a really hard time with it. However, my teacher makes fun of me that my accent is decidedly French...hahah. 

After this, we go to lunch...it's usually pretty gross #CannnonCentergoneBad I usually get salad, and have already lost like 5 pounds since being here ahahahah

After this, we come back and will either do personal study, companion study, and extra language study- and then have another Thai class. This order switches day by day. We also usually teach an "investigator", who is really one of our teachers. I usually just sit there and look kinda confused as they ramble about something in Thai and all I can say is "Prapupenjow rak khun" (God loves you) like 10 billion times. It is getting better day by day though. 

We also have this computer program thing called "TALL", that we do language practice on-its basically like rosetta stone and has allowed me to come to the conclusion that Thai has like 500 words that if you say them with a different tone- they mean 5 different things. Oh and that like every word starts with a K or a P. 

Its actually really fun learning Thai though! I learned the word for cake and is kaangnomekeg. This was so when the "Investigators" asked me what i like to do, I could simply say I like cake (shoutout to my roommate Destiny). 

The only things that usually change between the couple things I've mentioned are that on mondays we go to the temple, and sundays we have a bunch of devotionals, as well as one by a general authority on tuesdays. Man I love the devotionals. I also joined the choir! I suck at singing, but the choir director tells the best stories. Its cool being in the Choir because we get to sing for the general authority/apostle tuesdays!

Some funny things are:

I've started this thing called story time with lots of the elders in my zone and me and my companion. We basically will all get together the last 20 minutes of the night, and tell funny/awkward/embarassing stories. It's so funny- and also really fun to reminisce with some BYU people!

Some elders in my zone had an "Investigator", that when they asked him what he likes to do, said he liked to "Watch fish". They thought this was hilarious, so one of the elders who was from Utah, got his grandpa to overnight mail them some LIVE goldfish!! The goldfish then get there in the mail next day, half dead, and then when they teach the "investigator", they give him some half dead goldfish as a gift. He broke character and was laughing so hard, saying like, "what the heck, what even"... because you can never leave the MTC for like any reason except to go to the temple, so he was AMAZED they'd been able to get goldfish! So funny. 

Okay, now for the big things I learned this week.

Firstly, I just want to tell you all how much I miss and LOVE you. Being at the MTC gives lots of time for reflection- and I think I may have said this before-but I have been so lucky to have such awesome family and friends-who I miss and love so much. However, I know that everyone deserves this opportunity, and I know sharing the gospel with the people of Thailand will help them so much!

At the beginning of the week, I was questioning a bit being here on a mission. But during personal study, I read in 1 ne 21:23. There is one part of it that really stuck out to me... its that, "Ye shall not be ashamed that wait for the lord." I was just thinking of all the things I am waiting on by being on a mission, school, friends, family etc... but it really hit me that i will  never regret waiting on these things by serving the Lord for 18 months, and this is the best thing I could be doing in helping others to receive the wonderful knowledge that I have. I am so grateful that I know that Heavenly Father hears and answers prayers, and that the Book of Mormon is oh so true and can bring great light and knowledge of the truth into anyone's life that reads it. I am also grateful that as missionaries we don't just push our beliefs on others, we invite them to pray and to act and to find out for themselves if these things are true. With all that said I would like to challenge you all to read the book of Mormon and pray to find out if its true. I know that if you do you will be blessed. 

I also came to the conclusion this week, after doing some reading, and seeing an awesome devotional called, "the character of christ", that the only way to find joy in the journey is by helping and serving others. I need to realize that this is all not about me, it is about others, and if I serve and help them it will all work out. I need to do as christ does, and "turn outward, when you would usually turn inward."

I hope all of this random stuff made sense, I love you all and would like to leave you with a bit of my testimony in Thai, but before I do, I want to share with you some awesome words of a hymn that really help me. 

"Don't let opportunities pass by, saying sometime I'll try."

Anyways,

Sidteee ruu waa prayessukreed pen prabud khon prapupenjow,

Prapupenjow le prayesukhrid rak khun

Prayessukrid pen prapuchuayhayrod khon loog.

sitdee ruu waa pra waa sidtee aan prakhimpi moomon le suadanwan le sitdee ruusig pen khwamjing. (p.s. this is all the romanized, we learn thai script soon!)

Love you all!!

Sister Remington... a.k.a Auburn