13 January 2014

Sister Rachel Mullen I just want to thank everyone for all of their support. This mission is the most amazing thing and I wish I could share it with everyone who is helping back home. So the mission has been at a steady 30, 40, 50 baptisms every month the last year, right? but then with November and Decembers' goals we got around 100. January's goal is 200 and our faith has never been more real. Seriously, when there are disappointments, or struggles, it doesn't phase us. I don't know how to explain it. The faith of the mission is just so strong right now and it shows in our teaching and handling of our investigators. We got a new investigator this week and she is definitely prepared by the Lord. She asks great questions and is just so desirous to be baptized. She is 21 and already has a couple kids! But she is the cutest and we gave her a date for this month! She didn't come to church though, but we are seeing her again today. The couple we have been working with did not come to church or get married this last week, but they have plans to go today. I feel like I said that last week in my email. They are SO close. We have been helping them remember their goals and their vision and how this is just one thing they need to do in order to attain it. Sister Sombun, she is an older woman and the cutest thing. I didn't really know how to teach her. She wants to be baptized and comes to church. But her understanding just was so off and her memory is not the best. I didn't get discouraged in teaching her, but I was definitely in need of the Spirit and guidance. We taught her this week, and it was like a whole new investigator. She understood so well, and didn't make a fuss when we asked her to pray. Just everything was so smooth! We had training this week. Kamphaengphet came to do it with us. The Zone Leaders explained the goal again. Amazing January. 200 people baptized. They talked about working with our branches more. Having white washed trained twice already, I KNOW that is the only way to do this work. They did a Mentos activity where one Elder had to sort out a whole box full of Mentos. Put all of the white ones into another box, as many as he could in 30 seconds. Then the ZL's gave him Branch members... Haha. I was the one sister being the "relief society president"... But it really shows, if we are going to baptize people and expect them to stay, we need to include the members in the whole process and really love and serve them. I think about how all of these people have that child-like desire to be baptized. We as members think they don't know what they are getting themselves into, especially if the missionaries baptize them within just a 2 week time frame... But isn't the qualification for baptism. Desire? Don't let our own faith hinder that of another person's opportunity to come and be with us in the church. Fellowship. Love. Care. That is what helps these people for the rest of their conversion process. I am so grateful for the members all over the world who know how to do this. How to look for those recent converts and really show them the way. Did I say in my last email, when I went to Kamphaengphet, the night before I got hit in the face with a frisbee. Yeah, of course. So I had a fat lip seeing the fambam. Embarassing. But God and His tender mercies, it's almost healed. God loves His missionaries. ps. Na Tuk I think went to church yesterday. The Elders texted me!!! My birthday this last week was amazing! 23. Every other missionary calls me grandma. Elder Hunt in our district was like, 32. In just 9 years that will be you. Some of us are closer than others. Haha People hate me. No, I think the reason why this birthday has probably been the best ever is because it was on the mission. Everyone being selfless and making it a special day for me. The sisters bought me the most beautiful necklace, and LA bought me a cake, I got to pick the opening and closing song for FHE. Even if I wanted it to be Because I Have Been Given Much twice. Brother Oh drew a picture of me (the one of me sticking my tongue out... the blue one... haha) Just amazing people over here. We are going to a waterfall today. They are making me go hiking. Now that it's not my birthday, they can force me to do things I don't want to. Sister Mullen

Sister Jasmine Mullen hello! i know. my emails always randomly coming at different times. but! i had a wonderful week. seriously i don't know whats going on, but our mission is on some kind of miracle high. it scares me a little bit. but its great. i never know whats going to happen next. so we have been struggling with melissa, harriot and cooper. melissa talks for ages so its really hard to actually teach her something and get out of there in under an hour. even an hour and a half is hard. they've been taught for 3 months and melissa (the mom) hasn't actually been taught a lesson yet. so we told our district leader, and he was like, do you start with a prayer? OH MY GOSH. i felt so dumb haha. OF COURSE! lets start with a prayer haha. and now our lessons aren't perfect yet, but we were able to teach her all of the first lesson! ahhh! we gave nirosha and her family a 7 day challenge to read the book of mormon and pray about it. and committed them to be baptized february 8th. they said yes, but not sure if the book of mormon is true still. so we weren't feeling to confident but our zone leaders were like, we'll all fast for them. because we believe they can be baptized. and its soo cool! just to know that they believe when we're lacking some faith. other missionaries are there to build us up. oh! did i tell you i'm in the Manns family's ward? The famuis? Yeah. Its pretty cool. This ward is awesome. I feel like I know a lot of people, but there's still so many people to meet! Yeah its the APs ward. So its kinda nice because sometimes we go to dinner all together, (7 missionaries) and its not awkward. haha oh and yesterday we were late for a dinner appointment, (and we don't have the car) so we had to run to their house! ( i don't know if thats breaking the sabbath but...) yeah so as we're running this lady up ahead is smiling at us, so we stop and she's a less active that lives down the street from us. we've been trying to get into her house but she has 3 dogs...we asked her if she had a book of mormon and she started crying and she's going through a ton of stuff so her life could get pretty crazy after today but we're praying that it'll end up okay. but she invited us over for dinner that night. we had to say yes haha. so that was a first for me, 2 dinners in one night. but she's awesome. it was such a miracle and she said the opening prayer and she said, i'm grateful for the sisters, they were literally running towards me and i know it was for a reason. funny how things work out. my companion and i are great. i am really learning to love her. not that she's hard to love, its just you know me, i like being alone haha. our motto for this transfer is bold and bubbly with small and simple things. :) its going to be a great 4 weeks. yeah its still hot as. no chance of it cooling down soon. except when its raining. we have to keep everything in the fridge because it goes bad so quickly because of the humidity. sorry this is so long. i love you! i hope you both had a great week and that you can rest up soon! sister mullen #2