12 March 2013

WOW!!! 42 orders?! Amazing!!! You can do it! I will pray for you hahahaha! One of the counselors in our branch presidency, he served in Australia and that is where he went back and met his wife. and their son in law is half thai! Crazy connections.

 

UGH! SHAVING MY LEGS IS GETTING OLD! but gotta do it. we as missionaries are expected to ASTONISH people. but not in a negative appalling way... gotta be presentable.

 

Anyways, I'm so so so sorry if there's repeats. you can try and delete them if you have heard them already, but I'm writing so many letters and emails, I don't know what I say to who! Tried a 6 am session today at the temple! Was hard to stay awake but so nice to have the whole day now! AHHH! 2 language mistake embarassing moments... here you go:

 

So at TRC, that is where volunteers who speak Thai come and we just share a message about the gospel. I told this guy from hawaii that my dad went to thailand on his mission. and that my mom is thai too. but... you can correct me if I'm wrong, but what I said was... now just try and understand my pasaa elder... Ma khoong sidtee pen khon thai duay.

 

So after he followed me out and said, so you're a half kid and I'm like yeah. and then he says, I'm not a thai person.

all of this is in thai. and im thinking. ok ya i never said you were.

but does duay mean like... too or also... like, the same as you? so when i said my mom is thai too, did i say my mom is thai...just like you're mom is thai? I don't know. I was just like, looking at him all weird. like. ya i never said you were thai! AHHH! whatever.

 

and then yesterday our lesson with bukkhi... ok. first of all. i keep accidentally calling sister bukkhi, sister nun! who is our other investigator!!! Ah! anyways, so yesterday I wanted to commit her to continue reading in the book of mormon. We JUST learned continue which is thobay. but i said another word that is know which is tholodbay. SO I COMMITTED HER TO READING THE BOOK OF MORMON FOREVER!!!! SOOOOO embarassing.

 

so duay and tholodbay are not my favorite words. My favorite word is about: kiawkab. AHH! love it. There is an elder hossman here who is learning laos. he is going to sacramento. if you EVER have the chance... can you somehow feed him thai food or meet him! he's so funny. and just been so great. we play four square with him. seriously, i dont know how im going to feel not seeing these people everyday. its SO wonderful!

 

Also, I am doing ok with the language. Not sure if I told you about my breakdown the other week, but yeah. Just kind of hitting a wall. Basically just thinking too much about the future. Like, I've spent my whole life already trying to know thai and now I'm supposed to know it? I felt like I had already reached my limit. But oh my goodness.

 

This is different. I'm a missionary! AH! I am ENTITLED to these blessings that are coming. I will be able to speak with Khun Yai after a while, but more importantly I can share with her my love and knowledge of the reality of Christ. Thank you for raising me in this gospel. "If the foundation of faith is not firmly planted within our hearts, the power to endure will crumble."

 

This is what God has been saving me for.

 

I can TRULY testify of the power of the Spirit. We had a practice teaching experience yesterday where we were supposed to plan on teaching the restoration but keep in mind their needs and having the faith to be flexible to change it.  and I taught Sister Sahagun and found out her concerns with prayer and taught her a semi decent lesson on the love of god among other things. Then we were asked to do it again! and I was like, already surprised by how well I thought I did the first time, we evaluated and she didnt have anything to say to me, so I went in thinking what else am I  going to give her. So we try it again but the spirit led me in ANOTHER direction. and I connected and related the prayer of joseph smith to her and it was just as good!

 

the SPIRIT touches hearts. Conversion is a change of heart. We are merely tools in the hands of the Lord.

 

HAPPY ANNIVERSARY! LOVE YOU! I will send something for you in the next couple days!

Love, Sister Mullen