Miracles keep pouring out in Chang Rai

    MARTIAL LAW BABY... Stop it... I'm having the most firsts in chiang Rai with sister Holmes than anywhere else We made a list.....

    Rode an ostrich, elephant, anaconda, earthquakes, ate weird fruit that the natives didn't even knew existed and it made me sick haha, Martial law, Ate sticky corn, taught member lessons over the phone, taught a gospel principles class in thai, gave a talk in thai...... I swear there was more but thats all I can think about! 

    Martial law. Literally. not dangerous here. BUT we can't be missionaries... literally. I've been a little depressed thinking about that. I've had too much time to think and be distracted. we cant go contact on the streets and we can only go to appoitments and home. Nothing else... it's a bummer. But the lord still loves us. We still haven't gotten our three baptisms. But we had two investigators pass their baptismal interviews... they will probably be for next sunday. which we aren't sad... definitely excited for june. we have a ton getting baptized next month so it's exciting.... and the investigators we were teaching we felt sick about them like... we were in it for the numbers more than making sure they were ready kind of a thing.... I had a really weird experience... REALLY WEIRD.... 

    I'll get to it in a sec though. First we had 8 investigators at church yesterday (miracle... most I've ever gotten.) with the Elders we had 19 investigators at church yesterday.... We were stoked. We beat the record for the most people ever at church on sunday. 70.... 3 months ago there were only 35 in church. huge deal. But yes. Seriously a miracle. all of us were stoked... We had investigators that kept coming in and there were no room for them... so we had to get primary chairs to sit on... it was insane.... so fun..... 80 people at church for 6 months and we can build a church building... we are excited.

    Back to my weird experience.... One of our investigators was going to get baptized that day. and he hadn't learned everything and we were going to get his interview that day and baptize him. But I was feeling sooooo sick to my stomach about it all sacrament. I didn't even know why. He was a nice boy.... wanted to be batized and knew he was going to be baptized and we were teaching him over the phone for a couple lessons. But Like i said. i was super uneasy baptizing this kid. And so I just prayed for a good time during the talks in sacrament. Like please help me feel better Heavenly Father I don't know why I was so unesasy. And the second I finished my prayer he gets up and runs out of the sacrament room...... Then I felt this huge burden lifted off of me. He never came back. Haven't talked to him since... I just knew that was an answer to my prayer in that moment..... Phew.... 

    I'm just glad I didn't have that over my head of baptizing someone who really wasn't even ready or even knew about Jospeh Smith for a number..... the day of his baptism.... So I felt better... and We rejoiced in our successes. It definitely sucked not getting baptisms but we are just seeing miracles and stoked for june... we have a TON of good investigators... I love this work. It's true. I know once those soldiers back down a bit we are going to hit those streets hard... exciting..

    Funny story about my companion.... in our lesson she finally learned the vocabulary for the law of chastity... and so she taught it for the first time ever. Did it perfect....then.... she accidentally tells our investigator that importance of church and coming is to (what she meant to say was the sacrament but instead she said. "The ordinance of pornography." Our poor investigators face.... I LOST IT........ I felt so bad.... and our member lost it... it was so hard to get back on topic... I love that girl so much hahaha..... today we are getting an ice cream cake from dairy queen... and we are not sorry......

    DON'T worry about me. Literally... totally fine.... Just loving my life. Just enduring to the end. Hitting it hard. sprinting the last part of the race and I'm glad i have a legit comp...

I love you all and pray for you daily.

Sister Phelps

our member in her photoshoot. love her.

the mist was insanely awesome... coolest waterfall in the world

this old lady and the baby is the CUTEST thing i've ever seen. my favorite picture

this legit swing that hurt my butt soooo bad

LONG NECKS SO LEGIT. Except we look like fat blobs compared to these tiny people

Miracles

    SEVEN PEOPLE AT CHURCH.....SEVEN...... ONE MORE TIME? SEVEN OF OUR INVESTIGATORS WE FOUND OFF THE STREET CAME TO CHURCH.... I don't know if anyone remembers but this is COMPLETELY the Lord's work. I'm just his hands..... Oh my.... this week was the most hard working weeks of my mission. We were so humbled when the lord just gave us miracles after miracle... This last week was make it or break it for the month.... we had one investigator who is afraid of water. We ended up giving her a blessing and she is getting baptized next week. (fingers crossed) and seven more investigators we can work with. The missions goal is three per companionship and we worked sooo hard and the miracles poured in. We built our faith a ton for this area. We really humbled our pride and took our leaders suggestions and built up our faith. We made a ton of sacrifices... And the miracles poured..... I feel sooo blessed. SO blessed and I have the greatest companion to work with. Sister Holmes and I never want to leave here. We keep telling president that we want to stay for another transfer. Definitely my favorite area and Sister Holmes and I are literally best friends and she helps me become the best person I can be.... oh we have such a love for this work and for each other. I feel SO incredibly blessed. 

    Yesterday was definitely the most stressful sunday taking care of the many investigators. that hasn't ever happened and then the elders had two baptisms and then me and sister holmes taught our gospel principles class..... then we had white people I had to translate for during training meetings and sacrament meeting....so much... my brain was fried! Oh freak... teaching a group in thai is so hard haha.... But I am book of mormon class leader and have to teach every friday book of mormon class.... That is also stressful.... haha.... sometimes I still don't think i'll know thai fluently haha. 

    Anyways Super stoked to see what happens this week..... We are still expecting these miracles....

Wait. I swear I have more to say... But it was super awesome to see your guys' faces.!!! Missed them.... Loved that.....

    OH I got my death papers.....I still don't think I feel good about that.... The elders told me I got mail and of course I jumped up to go get the envelope from the church and I jumped and threw it and screamed..... needless to say.... I barely opened it... told me to like finish strong and stuff like that.... I wanted to barf.... There is no way it has gone this fast. I would give anything to just come into this mission.... it's growing so much.... A temple is SO stinking close...

    I'm still trying to get skinny and we are on a diet... I've lost my belly.... it's been pretty good actually..... my brain is a little slushy but it's so worth it! Love it so much!

Love you all...... Keep chiang rai in your prayers! It's about to boom! I hope:) 

Sister Phelps

James 2:17-18
 17: Even so faith, if it hath not works, is dead, being alone.
 18: Yea, a man may say, Thou hast faith and I have works: shew me thy faith without thy works, and I will shew thee my faith by my works.

Ether 12:12
 12: For if there be no faith among the children of men God can do no miracle among them; wherefore, he showed not himself until after their faith.

us on a roof.... 

fisshy bath.....

fat statues are the best... i guess i do look pretty skinny

our adorable elders that have thaiphoid in hospital gowns..

SKYPING :)

white wat bike trip:)

Oh Babylon Oh Babylon

CONGRATS SECOND MOM :) momma julie got murried..........

Alright... There is some serious Mainstream music playing in the background.... and I'm pretty sure its all from just dance 3.... And I'm just doing some of those motions... whoops. American Music is so hard to avoid here. ANYWAYS.

I'm going to not get into the work right away because last pday was so freaking legit. Talk about riding Ostriches. That was the hardest thing I've done ever. When they run you like squeeze your legs tight so you don't fall off... my legs hurt sooo freaking the next day haha... Oh man it was like riding a bull. There was two ostriches in the pin and the put me on the wild one first and I stay on like for 20 seconds and just fly off. I was freaking scared hahaha... I was the first missionary to go because I thought I was tough.. But holy crap. I never want to ride a bull in my entire life... But yes they totally put bags over their heads so they stop going crazy.... but freak. riding a bird. CHECK.

Then there were elephants we rode. which was freaking legit. We went into this huge river and they just pooped and pooped and pooped. Obviously legit. Met some legit monks that accepted us to take a picture with them...Then you know. Just holding a giant anaconda. That was heavier that crap ohhh my gosh. I was again the first missionary to go because I have no guts and they thew it on my shoulders. I'm like "Ahhhh ไม่ ไหว ไม่ ไหว." Which means like physically i can't carry this snake. In this picture i was fine until the guy let all the weight on me and I thought i was going to fall over haha. Soooo stinking heavy. And then the lady put the face by my face and it slithered its tounge on my neck and it WIGGED ME OUT hhaha. I have a picture of that too..... Then we hiked up to a waterfall in a skirt... That was fun....and sweaty. Then just some sweet wats around here. I think we are going to a monkey cave today..... The coolest thing is i spent probably in total about 400 baht last week which is like 12 dollars..... Thailand is so cheap. <3

Okay. Now that I got that worldly stuff is over... Oh crust. Meagan.... Do you know what song just started playing? The club can't handle me right now.......... I probably should go ask them to turn it off. haha. Okay anyways. The work in Chiang Rai is sooo fun. And it's even more fun when you have an amazing companion to share it with..... Sister Holmes is a STUD. Never feeling like she does enough but we contact hard on the streets. In fact we have 3 of those contacts getting baptized the 25th this month.... It's really a miracle.... But it's just so fun to like have your companion as a best friend and just hit the streets it makes the work that much more fun. We got some seriously legit training last which made us want to work harder..... so before sunday we had 25ish people tell us they were going to church....... But this was the most depressing part of the week. JUST ONE SHOWED UP. Oh man. I wanted to kill haha. I was so mad at lazy people......That was a stressful day yesterday.... But we are still tearing it up even though we dropped 3 of our daters... We just have 3 daters left. haha. Oh well. We love our investigators we are teaching. I don't know if i've told you bust a ton of people aren't Thai here. They are Acca. They sort of look thai but speak a totally different language but living in thailand they have learn thai. But 2 of our daters are Acca natives. It's pretty much the mountain people. So it's interesting... and Exciting.... I love this area. The people just are way receptive to the spirit. It's like we don't even have to convince them..... we are like okay here is the water just walk. haha. just kidding but i'm so happy here.

Did I tell you anything about sister Holmes? She is from Sandy Utah. She is 19 YEARS OLD. My first companion that is younger than me haha. I have been waiting for this day. She just graduated high school in 2013. I'm like FREAK i'm old. She is a stud. I can't say it enough. She has amazing language skills and really doesn't even feel like she is just barely not a greenie... we have sooo much fun together. Laughing at all the people that turn us down so awkwardly and she can come tour with me all over chiang rai and love it... just so fun.... She is so fun. OH I almost forgot. She got to flu so bad last thursday. We thought she had something seriously wrong with her. Just throwing up all the time. I felt so bad.... It was so sad. I like made the elders come give her a blessing because she oculdn't even walk haha. And bring her all this stuff like medicine because we are on the 3rd floor and I can't leave the house without her and it was a mess. I call them and the are SUCH Elders haha. They are like. Well. We are eating man. And we have an appoitment across town man. I was like. Oh my. you are eating sushi too? haha. Oh my then they FINALLY get to our house. My poor companioon is dead. They are like. alright man. We forgot the oil. DOn't get mad hahaha.... Then the elder was like oh man. I don't know how to start this in English so he starts in thai. But forgets to ask her name hahaha. Elders will always be elders... Bless their hearts. But they are great missionaries. And we just love them......

One last thing I want to leave that has brought seriously chills is in our training President Senior gets a call from Elder Holland and Elder Holland has told President that SALT LAKE has noticed the growth in Thailand. .... I literally. FREAKed. out... it was such a testifying feeling that the work we are doing is getting to our vision of Thailand getting a temple. We are working SO hard for that but sometimes the vision is hard to see. I'm so grateful for a mission president that has that mindset. I am not sure if you know this but Thailand is killing it. We started this inviting technique to invite directly off baptism. Sucess. Guess what else. 6 other missions have copied us in the east asia. And Someone emailed my comp and was like. Hey we saw your missions video for our training. haha. We are a huge example for the missions around us. AND salt lake city has noticed. In president seniors training in hong kong they show all the missions and their rates. And there is one mission that just has a status line that just shoots straight up. And president Holland points it out as our mission. Like freak. President senior. He knows what he is doing. The biggest genius of us all........ I'm so grateful to be here in this mission at this time. I feel sad my time is getting shorted out because of the sucess the mission is seeing. I'm a proud missionary. I should be more humble. But I literally have the greatest mission with the greatest missionaries that have one purpose. Bring others unto christ through baptism!

THE WORK IS HASTENING! I love my mission. 

Kill it at home. I love you all!

-SISTER PHELPS

Craziest Pday Ever

riding an elephant in a river!!! 

annnd otriches

my district leader obviously skipped legs day because he has chicken legs

that was me and my face falling off an ostrich

the classic bagged ostrcih....  

Waterfalls

wats

anaconda..... 

my one year mark was spent taking care of my comp

elders on the way to training. just died. greenie training power

yum pigs

my comp looks like she is those mosters from spy kids.

my companion invites through store windows... she is boss