Conference Baby

Oh conference baby... i will always watch saturday session. I thought that session was always more optional than sunday. But holy trash they have the best talks! haha anyways. Jorg and robbins had my favorite talks... I loved the one from christofferson also. And bednar is a boss... Yesterday watching conference was hilarious. our second session ended up being from april last year and it takes like 2 hours to download. so pretty much i sat and talked to elders... It's so damaging haha. Elders. They are rediculous. Talk about the most rediculous stuff. Reminded me of good old times...it was fun. All of them are marraige trunky. I never would've guessed until yesterday hhaha. This one elder finishes in 3 months and he says within 3 months he is getting married. ANd then they proceded to watch the general relief society broadcast with me because my comp was a native so she was in the thai room listening it in thai... But they talked about marriage in the most sick manner. "pretend you are about to be sealed to your sweetheart for all time and eternity while sitting inthe celstial room you look at him beaming." hahaha They had a melt down. Elders... I couldn't marry anyone I serve with thats for sure.... So hilarious..

But conference really got me pumped. These next 2 and a half weeks are going to be boss. I still love the work so it's really not hard in that sense.... I'll be lying if I said being dilligent in body mind and spirit is easy. it's really not. Ending a mission is way hard. But thats my inner thoughts. I'm trying to push hard these next two weeks. I have a meeting in Khon kaen this saturday sunday andm onday... WE ARE GETTING ANOTHER STAKE... seriously. the first stake 30 years ago. The second stake a couple months ago and another one this month. I'm so impressed with president senior. He is a boss. Such a business man and so smart. He was so needed in thailand thats for sure... I love him. He changed my life. my life rocks. Best mission. Hands down. It's way funny. Yesterday we were talking about doctrine about the church that the anti mormons use a ton because I got creamed by an anti mormon white texas man the other day and I just knew how to respond. "I don't know your answer but i know this church is true.:" haha i'm such a weenie when it comes to anti mormon literature. it just goes right over my head.. haha. I'm like ok your true everything you say is true. But the church is true too haha. Anyways. i suck at combacks. But we got to talking about masons and stuff. Anyways. Lot's of cool things i want to learn about when i get home. Because my testimony is rock solid. I'm not sure why i'm saying this.... this probably isn't the best information to share with everyone hahaha... I'm just a little weird. thats all.....

Oh we had a fun festival. it was a mini lanterns festival.... the next one is november 2nd. the real one... but we lit off some lanterns. it was alot of fun... just fun little stuff... WE found a family to teach this last week. It was a huge miracle acutally.... Saturday we went inviting and one of the elders told me whoever got a number first had to buy the other person ice cream. so what do i do? I go hard. I was motivated. i wanted ice cream. I found this old lady. She said her daughter and her family would go.. .So i got her number... i won the contest. yay... ice cream. but the cooler prize was her daughter and family actually did go and stayed and loved the church and want to come back. it was just a little gratitude to heavenly father for the desire to love ice cream. I feel way blessed. That family was so cute. We also had a walk in yesterday. She is incredibly awesome... We have a hand full of investigators to work with for the 26th. we are stoked. great sunday to end a mission:) We are going to go hard. We are going to help this become a stake and hopefully in the near future. A TEMPLE.... oh i want a temple in thailand so bad.... We found out we are the 2nd most baptizing mission.... I was weirded out by that...... doesn't always feel like it in depths of despair. But seriously. The lord is poouring his blessings on thailand. I know this is his work. And it's just whether or not i decide to keep up with it! Freak. I love it. It's changed my life. I'll talk about it for the rest of my life. BAM. go on a mission. it's the right thing to do.

I love you all. I will see you super soon.... Oh and my pday is tuesday next week. Our meeting is monday so we will push pday back a day. totally fine by me. i'm so stoked for this weekend i can't wait!!!! 

Oh and I went on a switch off with Sister Carter this week. I don't know if i told you i'm her STL.(Sister Training Leader) Send this to President Whittier. That would be cool. haha. Life is way fun with someone from your stake. whoop.

Yayyy!!

**Thanks to everyone who wrote Emilee on her birthday. Way to make it a special one for her! :)**

That awkward moment when you are still in denial that you are older and about to come home from your mission and you get on email and find 60 messages from those you love telling those two things to you every email. Classic. But Hey taylor put it well. Now I'm 21. I can get into any concert I want <3 hahaha. Thanks taylor :)

If you wanted to know. Nothing happened at transfers. I didn't move. Nor did my comp. I was a little ticked because I was just enduring that last transfer haha. It was so hard. But then After we got the call we decided that we couldn't just endure anymore. We had to take action. So thats what we are doing.

I'M 21 WOO. Also Ever since Udon I've never been chased by a dog till last week. Freak scariest moment of my life. I was shaking so hard afterward. I forget i'm in the asean when I ride by a wat and dogs come running out chasing you. Oh freak... Stressful moment of my entire life.

I'm having a really awkward moment right now of a thai guy that just is staring at my face. It's so awkward. I turned to stare at him and he won't stop staring. Usually when you stare at someone who is staring at you they break it. But this guy won't. haha. Freaaaaakkkk get me out of here!!!!!

Last week at transfers I saw sister her. I stayed at her house the night before transfers because I was doing visa work that day. It's so crazyyy... we got to do a switch off and I went and taught with her and oh it was so fun. Just catching up with my baby. Teaching together was fun too. First time since i trained her.She is such a boss.. Word on the street is she might be the first sister going to Laos. Pres talked to her about that... Anyways... We sllept with a blanket on tile that night. Needless to say it was way easy getting up that morning. Then I saw sister Holmes at transfers. I went to hug her and I just start crying and she just starts crying. I don't know what got into us. She had a really hard transfer in Chiang Rai with her comp. But after i pull away from her. I'm like. This is so embarrassing. I must be on my period or something. Right when an elder walks by and turns his face with horror hahaha. We just started busting up. It was perfect. I mean perfect timing hahaha. ANyways. I loved seeing her. She is my favs.... Oh i love her so much. She is in bangkok now with Elder Astle as her DL and she has a boss companion. I'm way stoked for her. It was good to catch up with friends and see President. I love him so much. So great.... Seriously. I have the best one i think. You have to watch that video on the church facebook site. Oh my heck haha. He is hilarious.....

Also. Awesome awesome news. Ubon is probably going to be a stake in october. Another stake. I can't believe it. It's a rumor there are 3 districts in the asean and they are going to make them into just 2 districts and make those districts stakes faster. Oh my heck. I'm so freaking excited. Thailand mission. WE are bosses. Well My mission pres has changed thailand forever. Alot of members hate him for it. But the members that actually understand that he is doing this for them to have a temple faster love him for it. They think it's just a burden to have so many LA's coming back to church and so many baptisms. His response to that is "Oh i'm sorry, I didn't realize what I was doing, i will decrease the number of people at church, i'll have my missionaries decrease baptisms, I'll have them start having more pdays so not many La's come back. NO we aren't going back. I'm getting you a temple dang't.!!" okay. i might have exaggerated that a bit. But he says it off those lines...

I love my mission! I loved my package! 

Talk about the coolest mission. Right here. We might go hold tigers today. Or just might go to sizzleer... I don't care too much. It's just an age change. I love it!

I love you all. Thank you for the support and the awesome emails! I feel the love. It came at great timing as weelll!!! 

Sister Phelps

I got to do a switch off with my beautiful child last week. Taught together it was awesome. I just love her and am soo proud of her! She is a beast!!!! 

THe most sabaii water fall in the area... Little fishies eating your feat.! 

My cute comp. 

baptism last week.

guess who came to visit me at transfers? Sister Somboonit! love her!!! She is going to byu next year! yaya!

My MTC districts ... may have been the last time everyone was together. I love them. 

Happy bday to me.

I feel like an idiot

I swear I've been so negative in my last emails for no reason. I barely talk about the work or our investigators and I'm just complaining about my own dumb emotions haha. 
Last week really started off right with the trip to the waterfall. Most beautiful site i've seen in thailand and just felt the presence of the Lord. Plus there were little fish that ate your toes. It was gorgeous. I was just a little jealous of the members that got to swim in it. But No worries. Beautiful. Sorry my camera cord doesn't work here so i'll have to go to another internet place next week. 

WElllll..... Awesome experiences this week. I had the most classic preach my gospel moment. We were going to teacho one of our investigators who wasn't really progressing becasue he wanted an answer to his prayers before he jumps in the water which is seriously. I'm all for that. I want him converted. That is my job. My leaders on the other hand aren't for that. I decided to let our investigator push himself. He is a 19 year old boy who is seriously the coolest kid i've ever taught. He is the ladies man at church, but he doesn't know it yet. He has never had a girlfriend and just the most humble sweet kid ever. I'll start from the beggining. His name is Ing, one sunday about a month ago. We were exhausted and sooo tired and my companion had no desire to go contacting which is pretty hard being the motivated one. But i told her we would be blessed. So we went. Found ing at a resuraunt and i don't really invite people that are sitting down and eating. But my companion decides to do it. And she makes a return appointment that night. He really loved learning and was sooo good at praying and felt peace all the time when he prayed but still something was just keeping him back. Fast forward to last week when we had the best studies of our life that totally navigated the lesson with him. We read in Enos about his prayer on the mountain to the lord and we just taught about that and shared amazing experiences praying. Everyone in the lesson was crying. Which is something i've never truly done before the spirit was so thick. And then the most preach my gospel moment of my life happened. We look at Ing to say something. And he looks up, has tears in his eyes and said. "Guys, i prayed last night. Because you sisters kept saying I was ready to be baptized I decided to ask God if i was truly ready. And I felt so much peace that I couldn't deny that god didn't exsist, That jesus is the son of God and my savior. I want to be baptized."

SEriously. Talk about MIRACLE. It was a tender mercy from the lord. He was baptized yesterday... I've realized that if I can't make any differneces hre in ubon I know that I made a difference in his life. He litterally is my little brother. One of my favorite RC's ever. He is so strong in the church and i feel like it's because we decided not to push him when he didn't even know it was true. SOOO awesome...

I'm getting so excited to  cook you guys thai food. I've gotten sooo good at it. mmm super stoked.... Marie just has to take me to that asian market!!!! I've really gotten into thrift shopping. If you guys want anything. LIterally it's like a dollar. Ubon has the best thrifting areas. I have soooo many skirts and dresses that I'm sure i'll have to give away alot when i get home haha. i don't think i want to dress like a missionary everyday. I just love them.! I also love the savior. He helped me through a lot too. Also, fun fact. Sister Summitra thought she had parasites and we got her the poop pills. That has been fun.! Oh I made some way good chicken the other day. I'm so excited because we have a toaster oven... 

All in all the work is going. We are currently teaching a drunk investigator that is looking to change his life. He stopped drinking last week. We have been teaching him for a while. It's been so awesome to just improve the quality of his life. Last night we all sang I am a child of god. And he sang along and it was just tender and sweet.!

TRANSFERS are this week. I have to go down no matter what for visa stuff. I wonder what will happen:) okay. Love you much!

Keep being happy. And slow down to smell the roses <3 Best advice I got this week.

-Sister Phelps.

P.S. Guess what.... sister Holmes just told me that my motorcycle miracle father man Jerlene..... He is elders quorum president. That branch has been seeking for an elders quorum president for 8 months now..... Seriously. I'm sooo happy right now with that news...

Baptism<3

Sorrrrryyyy

WoW!

Sounds like grandmas funeral was awesome. ANd the carriage. Such a nice touch... I was definitely touched by all the emails I received today. I've been going a little crazy emotionally this week. So we decided to go hike a waterfall today so that I can take a mental break:) Unfortunately I have no time to email anyone today:( I'm so sorry.

I have a joke though. It's one of those awesome ones. So there is this Elder. And he finds a magic lamp and he rubs it and a genie pops out. He says you have three wishes. The first wish he asks for a grand area. So the genie makes it happen. And he is just way happy loves his area. A few days later he rubs it again and asks the genie to give him the best companion ever. The genie bam. makes it happen. All is well he is just a happy missionary. Then He decides okay. Geenie, i want to be the best missionary in the world. And poof. The genie did just that and turned him into a sister:)

But seriously. Sister's are legit:) haha. Okay maybe it wasn't so funny. Elders are just dumb sometimes. I can't handle it haha.

This last week was adventurous. Went to bankok on friday morning. 9 hour drive. Sucked. We had our personal tv's and you know. I'm a missionary. Can't watch it. So i decided to try and sleep. Didn't work too well. Saturday we had a leadership meeting with the director of missionary work in the world. Elder Allen. And a member of the corum of the 70. Elder Funk... It was some good info. But overall the pretty much bashed our mission and the things we were doing. It was heartbreaking because President was there too. I feel like I have seen so many miracle off these things we are doing here. I'll have to explain it more when I get home. But I was pretty upset after that meeting. Then we went back to ubon. Got in at 7 in the morning. And was at the church at 8am. Barely time for a shower. The most tired I've ever been in my mission. haha. No sleep on a bus. and A stressful sunday. But it's good.

This transfer is almost over. Which scares me because I can't finish my mission like this. I've been so sad in this area for some reason. It's just my refiners fire. Trying so hard to get baptisms or just helping our zone. The AP's ragged on me and the zone leaders the other night telling us that anyone can get a baptism if we have the faith. Ugh. There are a lot of messed up missionaries right now in the mission. There is nothing that bugs me more than arrogant missionaries. But it's fine. I love my companion. I'm starting to love this area too. I feel more peace here than when I started. I just know I'm here for a reason and here to help which brings a lot of peace.

So I don't think i've said this but I taught a monk last week. All dressed up in his monk clothes.... It was intense. Mostelly because I couldn't understand his fancy vocabulary. Sister Summittra took over but he pretty muched told us how every religion in good. All that jazz. Then we thought nothing more of it after the lesson. He calls us two days ago. Telling us he has read the whole book of mormon and it's changed his life and he was currently in the hospital and wanted to come to church on sunday but wasn't sure how. But he promised to come this next week. Talk about weird. Definitely the weirdest coolest thing ever. We'll baptize a monk. We'll do it:)

So a little random side note. there is a word in thai that I cannot get right. For the life of me. It's the word for bugs and cancer. They are the same exact word. (Malaang) Just one is a little bit longer on the "A" sound haha. SO i get made fun of everytime I say one of those words. "Do you have bugs?" or "Oh my gosh, there is cancer on me." Yeah. Daily. It is dumb:) I also think it's hilarious when my companion is brushing her teeth and trying to talk to me at the same time. I'm like, what language are you speaking? haha. Way too funny.

Okay. I love you all! Have a great week! Always sending Grandma my love.

-Sister Phelps

What's Good...

Good to hear from you this week,

CRAP!. I had sooo much stuff written down in my planner that I wanted to share today... the only day I forget my planner and the only time I write down stuff from the week!

It was definitely hard news hearing about Grandmas passing on Thursday. Just an exhausting day but I had some really good studies about the plan of salvation and just know everything is meant to be. She was so cute. Every letter she sent me would make me laugh. I got one last wednesday the day before I got the news and it just made me laugh. She is so cute haha. It had a picture of everyone at there 50th wedding anniversary. And then I was thinking about her awesome reunion with grandpa and Jana. I was comparing it to what my reunion and what it will be like when I see everyones cute normal skinny faces and that will be extremely special for me and I can't even imagine the joy I will have. And then I was thinking about Grandmas reunion with Jana and Grandpa. Oh what an exciting event. I hope someone took pictures in the after life:) But Grandma was a STUD. All my district leaders and my companions know about her because every week I would get a letter with the best pictures and when I would get mail it was the "lets open it to see what picture it is".... It was awesome. And If I never went on a mission I would have never seen these pictures:) What a champ. I love her with all my heart. 

This last week was weird! President Senior came and took a visit to ubon and sat me and the zone leaders down and had a talk with us. It was awesome. Our zone right now is taking a hit and no one knows why. But he just told us he knew ubon was a great area. Gave us a lot of confidence and then told us he had a feeling to send us three here because we were one of his most hard working missionaries and stuff like that. Haha. My mind was blown. I had no idea president felt that way about me. And he really meant it. This guy is the funniest most honest man alive. it just felt way good to be that close to president senior and him calling each of us 3 by name and telling us that he loved us and sent us here and made us leaders of ubon because he had only the best confidence in us. Just way awesome. There was really a problem with a member so that why he came up to ubon but it was nice for him to sit down with us three and talk about our zone. I feel like those opportunities rarely come. 

Ubon is seeing miracles. We had 5 investigators at church yesterday. We had a way cool experience with finding them. One of them lives by the church and his name is dow. We saw him digging in the trash for bottles by the church so we stop him and invite him in. I thought he was homeless at first and he got so embarrassed to go into the church. He complained that he smelt and felt way to dirty to be going into this beautiful building (by the way our building is gorgeous) we convinced him anyways. Brought him in and showed him the church. He loved it. We showed him the baptismal font and loved it. Gave him a date for next sunday He was the most normal man I've ever met. Just the sweetest father of three children just wanting to earn extra money by getting bottles from trash bins. Sunday rolls around and he comes to church and loves it. Tells us he knows his life will change. My heart ached that day. I thought about how really important baptism is and how much god really does love his children. I thought about how much I wanted this filthy man to come into our church to learn about his divine potential but he felt like he wasn't good enough to step inside the beautiful building. I felt sad that I had judged this awesome father that loved his children and just wanted a little extra money. He was dressed and cleaned nicer than most of the members at church. He had so much potential and all it took was just an invite. Heavenly father wants us in his kingdom but we are dirty. And need to clean ourselves often.

Anyways.

A little about my companion. SHe is my favs. I have to say. I've been the luckiest when It comes time to companions. I've loved each of my companions with all my heart. sISTER Summitra is the funniest. She is 24 but she acts like she is 3 sometimes. She is NOT a morning person. And on the truth side... most of you may not no this but I hate mornings as well. ahah. Okay everyone knows that. But times that by 40. Everynight she makes sure I'm getting her up in the morning. It takes like 20 minutes. She wines and laughes. She is like a dead person in the morning. Haha. And then we just laugh about it. I mostly just poke her butt till she gets up....She is just ridiculous... She makes some boss food though. We have a new mission rule to cook more at our homes because so many people are getting sick so she teaches me how to make thai food. Yesterday we made the elders food. It was sooo freaking delicious..... Oh I love her. She is so caring too. Always asking me how I'm doing.. She loves to eat. And drink slurpees from seven.... Every time we are contacting at Big C she has either an ice cream or a bag of popcorn in one hand and a baptism card in the other. Haha. She is really heavy for how tiny she is. So dense. apparently Ubon has the best mexican food in thailand. So last week we tried it out... Definitely not close but it was decent. Just was expensive. She got a beef burrito. And she isn't a huge american food eater but she oppens the burrito and was so confused in why there was rice in it. Haha. It was way funny.

Just trying to think of random things this week. Yesterday I had that awward moment where all the members told me I was the perfect barbie and grabbing me and my face and telling me I look like barbie and she work at disneyland. It's so awkward haha..I had a moment where I was riding my bike and smelt steak. I thought I was going to die. It smelt sooo good. I can't wait to eat steak again. I'm trying to think of what else. Nothing much:)

Ubon is doing better. Definitely my hardest area so far. But i'm pretty sure it won't be that way for long. I only have one last area. ANd i refuse to let it be a stick in a bush. It's gotta be legit. And I have way great angels all about me....

I love you all. Have a great week at the funeral. Send everyone my love. Love you all.

-Sister Phelps

Greetings from Sister Phelps

Mom called the mission office to let them know of Grandma Phelps's passing. She wrote this special email in response:


Greetings from Sister Phelps:)

I just got a call from President Senior about 5 minutes ago and he let me hear the news. I was expecting it today for some reason...i'm not sure why.. Cried a little. But it's fine....Mom wanted to talk to me is what president said:) Silly woman. It's way okay. I am way happy for grandma that she made it this long and she is a stud for living alone for so long and being way totally happy. The only thing that makes me sad is I have a postcard written out to her on my desk that I've had for a couple weeks that I have yet to send:( Some awesome memories float to my head.. I remember going to her house for mutual and doing puzzles with her every week. Or getting my first ipod from her...swimming at her house...And I can't tell you. She has been the most faithful writer on my mission with the best pictures in the world. haha. They kill me. Some with me and dad way back in the day... Just funny...I'm way stoked that she is with Grandpa again and I know she is killing it with missionary work beyond the veil while I'm killing it here. I'm way positive that her and grandpa are my angels and are helping me every step of the way. Love you too. Send everyone at the funeral and stuff my love for them. There is an end to everything... I've thought a lot about the end of my mission. And how sad I'm going to be when it's over and President just reminds me to no matter how good something is. There is always an end. And also a begging to something else...I'm probably sure grandma wanted to stay 20 years more. But there is always a good ending. She was surrounded by all her kids and probably just way happy. I know that there is life beyond the veil. Her and grandpa probably had the best Reunion. NO DOUBT.

I love you both so much. Promise. I'll pray for you and the family. Have a great week. Don't be down. Because we can just go do some Buddhist ceremonies to feel closer to grandma. Oops. Wait we aren't Buddhist. We'll see her in a few years:)

Haha. Love you both. Don't worry about writing me on Monday if you're busy with stuff. I'll write a nice long letter. Lot's to tell this week and you know I'm really good at talking about myself:) 

“I will go before your face. I will be on your right hand and on your left, and my Spirit shall be in your hearts, and mine angels round about you, to bear you up” D&C 84:88

Woof No Time

Woof. No time.

I'm sorry. My whole time was taken up by this survey that had to be done took like an hour.

Lot's happened this last week! Went to sizzler. Ate some great food. I went to Sisagate and did a switch off when I found out I had to be in Bangkok the next morning for a training with President Senior. Ahh that meant no work in our area for like 4 days straight because Saturday we went to yassoton with a district training with President senior. Saw him twice in two days. Lucky.

But it gets better. Friday we stayed in Pakkret with the sisters there. Sister Packard and I had a meeting for STL's but our comps stayed behind. And next we were stuck in traffic for about an hour. Then as we are getting out of the taxi we were in the right lane. Tell him we just want to get out right then so he pulls in the left lane. Stuck in traffic and he stops the meter. We are pretty much right by the curve. We give him the money. We say thank you. Sister Packard opens her door. BAM a motorcyle is FLYING down the imaginary lane in between the curb and the car and nails the door. I start laughing because apparently thats what i do when I'm stressed and she starts balling. His knee is hurt and so is his hand. The people are yelling at us because we are white and don't understand bangkok traffic. Totally not our fault. The taxi dude pulled over to let us out. Totally his or the motorcyles fault. Anyways. We had the elders running to our rescue and everyone was arguing whose fault it was. We were late for the meeting so they tell us to go and so we did. Later on we get a call telling us to go to the police station to give our witness. We get there with a native thai and he told us to only speak english and let him just converse in thai. We can understand it all. They don't ask our witness. Told them because we are white and have more money that we have to pay. Thankfully the church steps in for that. President senior calmed us both telling us it's fine. They just want money. They took a bribe of 4000 baht over us taking the taxis car getting it fixed with a reciept and then putting our names on a police record. So dumb. In the end. White people can always fix the problem with money. The church is true. Thank goodness for tithing and for our savior (literally this situation helped us understand the atonement so well of feeling stressed for making a mistake and presidents senior just steps in and relieves our debts) just incredible. Sorry if it didn't make sense. Don't have much time to explain else wise.

Love my area now. It's still hard. The lord blessed us at church yesterday for not working in our area forever this last week. That blue book. It's way true. So is the church.

I love you all.

Feel better Grammy. Love you.

Sister Phelps

NO pictures sorrrry