Give 100% To Live 100%

Hey Everyone! This week was really good.

For P-day last week we went to Chiang Rai and rode some elephants. Which is totally not like I thought it’d be. Elephants are SUPER uncomfortable to ride.  You rock back and forth a ton!

 But it was still really fun! The elephants even walked through this like lake thing. 

This week Sister Lam and I were able to meet with our investigator Jupe-Jang. She’s been an investigator for as long as I’ve been in Chiang Mai. (almost 4 months)  Jupe-Jang finally recognized her answer that this church is true. She said she kept feeling like it was good and that she should keep coming back. That made me realize that sometimes we won’t get answers to our prayers all at once, but if we listen and try to follow the promptings of the spirit, little by little the bigger picture will be made known to us.

We also had the opportunity to teach one of the Elder's investigators this week. We went out to their house that they were building, prepared to teach a lesson on The Plan of Salvation. However, the family was living in their house while they were building it, and as such they didn't really want to stop building it to let us teach them. They were so kind to each other and showed so much love too...the little girls were always helping one another.  I thought I should help too, so I just grabbed a saw and started sawing stuff. (Thanks Dad for the years of experience).  Not long after I started helping, they stopped working and we were able to teach them! (Apparently I was sawing stuff all wrong). It was a really good lesson and they all have dates to be baptized this transfer!

 On Sunday, a Thai missionary that had served in the Paris France Mission came back to Chiang Mai. He bore his testimony in sacrament meeting, and in talking to him later I realized I had seen him when I was in Paris for my study abroad!

Everyone…I have finally seen crazy rain in Thailand.  It is literally insane!  It is like buckets dumping on your head.  It was so crazy this week, that the power went out in the church so we couldn’t even have English class! 

On Friday through Sunday we had Zone and District Conference.  Zone Conference was just all the missionaries from northern Thailand, while District Conference was with all the members from northern Thailand too! It was really fun. Sister Lam and I were in charge of getting treats for the conference, so we made rice krispie squares and asked a member to get us some popcorn. It was extremley difficult to make rice krispie squares in Thailand. We got one of the senior couples to bring us the cereal from Bangkok, and then we found 3 bags marshmallows that were super expensive...as a result, there weren't very many, but they were really good! The member that went to get us popcorn gave us 35 bags the day of the conference, but we soon realized that wasn't going to be enough for all the missionaries and members that were coming. So, Sister Lam and I went to the movie theatre at the mall and ordered ALL the popcorn they had. They put it in a huge garbage bag for us and we went down the escalator. This guy going up the escalator at the same time I was going down gave me the strangest face, so I jokingly told him in Thai, "I am going to eat it all." He laughed so hard.  The popcorn was enjoyed while we watched Meet the Mormons! It was really good, but they didn't have it in Thai, so all the missionaries had to translate it for the members. 

Some of my favorite things learned from Zone Conference were from this quote, "You become the most excellent parent on the day you become an empty nester, and you will be the most excellent missionary on the day you finish....and so it is with anything in life, enjoy the process."  

I needed to hear this!  Earlier this week I had a really hard day, and realized some things needed to change. That same day I saw this sign that said, "Give 100% to live 100%". So after hearing this, I realized that I need to give 100% in order to be happy in the process, so that I can live 100%...and eventually become a better person and missionary. 

Love you all,

Sister Rem

PS. Here are some pics from last week.

Compare Yourself With Yourself

Hey everyone!! I am so sorry! I have like no time at the internet place today, so my email may be a bit disjointed this week. Next weeks will be better... I promise!

 

I get to go ride elephants in Chiang Rai today!  It is only open three hours a day....which is the reason I have no time this week. Sorry that I didn't reply to everyone (or really anyone) this week!

 

Last P-day we went to a long neck village it was SOOO cool! I'll send pictures next week.

 

This week Sister Ooy ran into some complications, but hopefully she'll be able to be baptized by the end of this transfer. She has SO much faith and  serves everyone. Sometimes I'll just find her cleaning the church!

She told us of this really cool miracle that happened to her this week. Her life is really difficult, so she decided to put her faith in to a fast to help her and her daghter's situation. On the very day she tried fasting, she was heading home on her motorbike thinking about how her daughter had been begging her for this chair lately. Her daughter is really sad and won't leave the house. As she was going home thinking about this, there was a truck in front of her that had the very same chairs her daughter wanted on it. All of a sudden, one chair flew off as the truck drove away. She was able to pick it up, strap it to her mortorbike and take it home to her daughter.  A serious miracle.

 

Thought of this week, "Compare yourself to yourself. Are you better than you were yesterday? That's all that matters."

 

I love you all!

A Day Without a Shower in Thailand is Like a Year Without a Shower in America -Auburn

Hey everyone!! How's it going? This week was crazy...as usual. 

At the beginning of this week, Sister Lam and I received a note in our gate written in broken English, telling us to go visit a member of the church from the states in the Chiang Mai Ram hospital. We had no idea who put the note in our gate, or where this hospital was, so we just headed to our usual district meeting. After district meeting, we were going to go inviting in one of the malls. On our way there, we pass none other than the Chiang Mai Ram Hospital. So,of course, we go in and hunt the girl down. She'd just had her appendix out, and seemed to be doing fine. It also turns out she wasn't a member of the church, but had a lot of Mormon friends. She was so happy to have us visit her, as she was traveling alone when it happened. It was seriously a miracle to be able to find that hospital...and to befriend her.  I hope she will find the gospel when she returns home to the US!

Tuesday night we took a bus back to Bangkok, as the Zone Leaders and Sis Lam had a meeting with Pres Senior.  We spent 9 hours on that bus, during which Sis Lam was bitten by a ton of mosquitoes. Her lip and face swelled up so much that we had to go to the hospital in Bangkok to get her a shot so she wouldn't get some crazy disease. After that, we went to the meeting and then immediately turned around and went back to the bus station. We had to go to P-Loog, one of the other areas in the zone, so that they could do training with some missionaries there. We then spent another 7 hours on this really gross bus infested with cockroaches...it also had Thai soap operas blaring on the screens. It was a really interesting experience to say the least. We got to P-Loog at like 2 am and made our way to the Sister's house to sleep. We were so tired and they didn't have any more beds, so we literally just slept on the floor. The next day they did some training... a bit of a switch off- and then we were back on the bus (another 9 hours) to Chiang Mai. We finally arrived back home to Chiang Mai at like 3 am.  The bus driver had to wake me, Sis Lam, and The Zone Leaders up, but he waited for so long that everyone was off the bus before he woke us.  Elder Black had a funny comment on the situation, saying that the bus driver was probably thinking, "Oh look what we have here, there is a Chinese girl, a white girl, a quarter Thai guy, and a half Chinese guy all in fancy clothes....possibly all dead?" hahaha...It was so funny.  Thailand is seriously always an adventure. 

The main thing I  learned from this whole experience is that, "A day without a shower in Thailand, is like a year without a shower in America." -me

Seriously though, we were all so gross, as we had slept 3 nights on buses, without showering, and had only eaten 7-11 food. Good times. It was actually pretty fun. 

Anyways, when we got back to Chiang Mai, we were unsure if we would be able to get balanced, as we had been away for most of the week, but we saw miracles and were able to get our work balanced! 

On one of the switch-offs with another sister in the zone this week, we went to the mall to invite. We invited some lady who was talking on her phone.  She put the phone down shocked, saying she had just broken an appointment with some missionaries in Bangkok because she wanted to go shopping. She saw us and said she felt the spirit, and as such agreed to meet with us right then and there, and went to church yesterday!

At church one of our daters still said she hasn't received an answer that this is all true, but she keeps coming every week because said says she feels so good at church. I know she feels that it is true, but she just isn't ready to act on it yet. However, this week she brought a friend and her friend accepted a date for baptism the second week in April!  Thrilled, her friend told us, "this is exactly what I have been looking for!"  It was so cool.  Sister Ooy didn't end up getting baptized this Sunday, as she started a new job, but we are hoping that we can meet with her this week so she can be baptized next Sunday! I really hope she has time.

On Sunday I also saw Sister Ellis one last time before she heads back to Idaho!  Her and Sis Lam taught one of our investigators together, while I went on a switchoff with a member to teach the "restoration of the gospel" to another investigator.  I was super scared as I had never taught that particular lesson alone.  I prayed that I would be able to know what to say to help our investigator. The beginning of the lesson was a little rough, but as I was able to clearly testify in Thai about how the gospel blesses families, and how each point of the restoration can help families, I knew that Heavenly Father had helped me! 

Sorry for the lengthiness of this email, a ton happened this week! I just want to close with a quote that struck me this week by Anthony D. Perkins, "You will experience greater joy in life as you eradicate adult onset pessimism and substitute childlike optimism." I know we must choose to be happy, no matter how crazy or stressful the circumstances may be. There is fun to be had every single day, and if we pray to see miracles and the Lord's hand in our lives- we will recognize it, and with that our perspective on everything will change. 

Love,

Sis Rem 

My messy desk...Elliott will love this. 

Thailand...a place where candy bars need refrigeration. 

The Difference Between Treading Water and Actually Swimming

Hey everyone!!

First of all...I am still serving in Chiang Mai, but I got a new companion! Her name is Sister Lam and she is 23, Asian, and from California! She went to BYU before and is SOOO cool. She has the best stories too. The other funny thing is that this is her last transfer, so in mission speak I am "killing" 2 companions in a row. She is also getting me to do the T25 workouts with her morning and night...I am so sore. 

Funny moment: When we got back to Chiang Mai we were contacting and Sis Lam contacted a Chinese person...that she thought was Thai. We both laughed about how she is Chinese and can't even tell the difference... Good times. haha 

I got everyones packages! Thanks so much!! I love you guys. 

Going up to Bangkok this week for transfers, we couldn't find an overnight train so we had to take the bus!  It had massaging seats...but still sucked. 

Bangkok is crazy! Sis Ellis had a bunch of interviews, and we did a lot of shopping. We also rode this water taxi thing called "The Klong Monster". It was super ghetto and you had to hold up a tarp if you wanted to stay clear of the spray!

Transfer day was really fun! I'd forgotten that I had so many friends and people that I hadn't seen in awhile! After we went to Que-Pasa ( a pretty gross mexican food place, but in my mind it was delicious as I haven't had mexican food in 3 months) and I was able to catch up with everyone. It was so fun!  Here is what I call "The Generation Picture". Sister Ellis trained me and Sister Brown, and then Sister Brown and I both had Sister Lam as our next companion, and Sister Brown is training the other girl:

Sis Lam and I also had to take the bus back to Chiang Mai...ewwwwwww....but we have seen many miracles these past 3 days in Chiang Mai! One lady that I invited last transfer at Watarote (but forgot to get her phone number) CAME TO CHURCH.  She helped us clean the church. We then taught her, and she told us this amazing story:

When I contacted her at Watarote, she was going through a really hard time with her daughter, and she also had some other crazy situations which I will not write at this time. Anyways... she said that when she saw me holding up the card with a picture of Jesus on it, she felt something so good that she decided she must come to church!  We taught her,  and she said she knows her faith in Christ can help her through anything. She has a date to get baptized next Sunday, but she has some obstacles to overcome first...so hopefully we can help her!!

Miracles.

Anyways, this week I was thinking a lot about something Sister Ellis had said to me, to "act and the power will come." I loved that.  In my personal study I read this article that I think may have changed my mission. The main verse focuses on D & C 51:17,  "And the hour and the day is not given unto them, wherefore let them act upon this land as for years, and this shall turn unto them for their good." This made me think all about how I simply need not postpone happiness, but must act as if I am going to be here forever...not waiting until some future time to start doing my best. I know that if we all do this, we will be able to see more opportunities in our lives. This is the difference between "treading water, and actually swimming." 

I love you all!

Sis Rem

Don't Just Chill, Work For Your Goals

Hey everyone! 

First of all I am going to apologize in advance, this email may be shorter/lamer than most. Sister Ellis and I are going to Bangkok today, because she has finished her mission! Transfers are on Thursday...but it takes 12 hours to get down there and she has a lot of interviews, meetings, celebrations, and whatnot. 

SO the next time I email...I'll have a new companion! I am a little nervous, because Sister Ellis has been so awesome, but I'm sure it'll be great!

Sister Ellis has been amazing. I have really learned so much from her these past 2 transfers. I will always be grateful that she was my trainer/mom in Thailand. To sum it up quickly, she is a great example of always choosing to be happy and positive...no matter the circumstance. She doesn't postpone her happiness until something happens that makes her happy...she just chooses to be happy in each moment! I'll really miss her.  Here is a piñata that she made. 

Anyways, 

Last monday we went to this "Muga-tot" hot pot restaurant thing for FHE with our ward. The other people in my district warned me that it ALWAYS makes you sick, and to be prepared to be "out" the next morning. I was all like, "Then why are we eating it?" They replied, "Because its delicious Sister Rem."  Muga-tot is basically this raw meat, tofu, noodle, and vegetable buffet that you fry on this hot fire thing at your table. Because (naturally) I was scared of getting sick, I fried everything to a toasty burnt crisp...Everything!  Long story short, I didn't get sick.  

While I was at this place, I finally realized the reason Thai was harder than it seemed it should be!  They speak a different dilect of Thai here in Chiang Mai!!! They speak "Northern" (passa nxa).  So when I didn't understand some people, those people were speaking Northern. This definitely eased my mind concerning my language skills!  According to Sister Ellis, Bangkok is great because everyone speaks normal Thai. I've learned a few northern words though, and because people know I don't speak Northern, I guess that they speak normal Thai to me...its just the odd few that don't.  

This week Sister Ellis and I went contacting at this super fancy mall called Maya. We contacted each level, and when we got to the top there was this sweet view! I made paper airplanes out of some inviting cards and threw them off the top too...good times...I'm doing the peace sign for you Wyatt and Elliott. 

Sister Cat (our convert from last transfer), took us to see her Dad at her house this week! Her Dad and Brother are not members of the church, so we introduced ourselves and asked if we could help at all. They were really nice. Before we went over there we met Sis Cat at the grocery store in her neighbourhood, and she asked us if we "wanted to walk around and look at the grocery store." I thought this was pretty funny, but brilliant, because hot season has begun and there is A/C in there so we walked around for a few minutes... it was just like Safeway.  Haha

There was also a YSA dance activity this week. It was so funny to watch. This awesome lady in our ward was teaching all of them how to dance. She was soooo good. 

Sunday was great. We know have 2 investigators with goals of baptismal dates, they both are still praying about it though...so pray they'll get their answers! 

On Sunday, one of the people that Sister Ellis and I had contacted by saying, "gin khaw ruu yang" (have you eaten yet) , which is a perfectly normal Thai greeting I assure you, came to church, AND brought friends!  Missionary work is fun, people! 

Okay my time is almost out, so I'll leave you with something that inspired me this week that I've been thinking a lot about. It's that there are 2 types of people. Those that are letting things happen to them and just chilling, and those that are working towards becoming something...becoming more like our Savior Jesus Christ. I want to work on this! 

Love you all!!

Sister Remington 

P.S. This isnwhatbhappens when you get a girl that works in a closet to make you a dress...you look like an elf! 

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