This Week

This week was sooooo long..... I'm so tired. Haha. I can't wait to go home and hibernate for years..... But over all a sucessful week! We had mission tour. A member from the asia 70 came and we had a giant zone conference on wednesday. We had A LOT of training on the Book of Mormon. It was seriously sick and awesome. Thanksgiving lunch. President Senior. Elder Proctor and Elder Astle. It was a serious party! There is just so much that I learned about the Book of Mormon. Like 1 Nephi chapter 1 is all about the restoration. It was way weird to read the first chapter of the book of mormon and likening it unto Joseph Smith and Chapter 1 of Preach My Gospel. I can't get enough of it. Too cool. Personal study for everyone. Check out ch. 1 in Preach My Gospel and relate it to 1 Nephi 1. FUN. It was awesome. I loved wednesday. 

Thursday! Thanksgiving. The senior couple made us some awesome thanksgiving! MMMMM Turkey. I had no idea there was such a thing in thailand! But mmm so delicious. And stuffing. And of course. Som Tom. Papaya salad. Can't go a day in thailand without seeing that stuff. I didn't get a picture though. We were in such a rush. But no pie. Oh well. :) 

We have an investigator getting baptized on sunday! She is 63 and just knows the church is true! It's way sick and legit! Old people either are just "don't talk to me little young white girl." or they are like "It's all true." It just depends. They are awesome. We have this old lady in our ward. On a scale from born to death, I think she is near the end. I'm not sure how old she is. But she is crippled. BUT OH MY GOSH. I love her so much. Every time I see her she burps. Tells me I'm beautiful and anything that I say she says. "Amen" In the cutest squeekiest thai old lady voice. I need a picture with her next week. Thats my mission.

So we got some new clothes..... RELFECTIVE GEAR. Yeah. get out of town. from 5 at night till late we have to wear these tacky yellow vest that say "I'm a Mormon" In thai. It's way hilarious. Got to love the Lord's sense of humor. But the funny thing is that the same day we got the tacky wear, we saw a little boy in his school uniform and we were just matching. So we took a picture with this adorable fat boy in a tacky yellow vest..... I look pooped but the little boy is adorable. We will send that over! Man.......

Also this week we got our christmas present from the seniors...... Hahah It was a pretty bad christmas CD.... But then we got a CD from BYU Vocal point. I was like a school girl getting it. So happy. It gets rough listening to mormon tab everyday. Even if it's blasting in the house and you're sweeping the floor. It's just... you know mo tab. But now we dream about vocal point. It's way great. Best Christmas present ever....

HAPPY BIRTHDAY MCKAY. SORRRRY I MISSED IT :( BUT I REMEMBERED. FREAKING 3 YEARS OLD. THEN ERIKA HAPPY BIRTHDAY THIS WEEK! I HOPE PEARL HARBOR DAY IS JUST NOT AS GOOD AS YOUR BIRTHDAY. BECAUSE YOU DESERVE THE BEST BIRTHDAY A MOM OF TWO KIDS. SUCH A SOCCER MOM NOW. AND HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO MY LITTLE SISTER CARTER TRAINER WHO IS NOW AT HOME AND GAMLANGJA GET MARRIED. 23 IS WAY OLD MY DEAR. STAY SAUCY AND KEEP THAT EYE CREAM NEAR..

LOVE YOU ALL AND CAN'T WAIT TILL MY SECOND MOM GETS MARRIED NEXT YEAR! yayyyyyyyyyy

-Emmers

classic

Man I look way bad in both of these hahah. But here are our beautfiul vests....

We travel in style:) Sister Sahagan and I on a 7/11 trip. so nice.

Got to love thailand and their squats.

This is classic thailand. Huge mall with a bunch of shacks next to it.

What is up on the other side of the world?

Hey. Just realized. Mom has 4 kids. Hahah. Dad told me mom. No need for embarrassment but you should be ashamed that you forgot about a child.

Anyways. I cut off my toes this week. JUST KIDDING. My letters I feel like are just boring lately. Nothing exciting happens! Haha. Right now I'm living the dream though. I had some lady send me a cocoa milk shake in from outside. Now I'm living the dream. 

A week! A successful week. Finally. Our numbers are going up. We have some investigators with baptismal dates for this month and they are solid! We are excited. Keep our investigators in your prayers! I'm way excited about this new work we are doing. We've had baptisms every week in Udon from it and the members are slightly getting sick of all the baptisms haha but if they want a temple in Thailand the numbers are what they need. They are great and really supportive though. Very lovely.

Last week we dressed up as Classic thai Sisters...... I lvoed it! I looked so gross and thai. Asian just doesn't fit me.... I'm glad to say....... My companion looked great though! She was asian ....typical. 

It's thanksgiving this week! I'm thankful for my family! And turkey which they don't have in THailand! Sad. But the senior couple is having us over for dinner with a classic thanksgiving. I'm grateful for them. THey love and spoil us so much! 

Man. I'm really grateful for my savior. He helped me alot this week. My companion and I had one day this week where we were at each others throats last tuesday. But thank goodness everyone in our district applied the atonement in our lives. The savior works miracles. We are fine now. And we are happy. 

THis wednesday is Mission tour. It's like a zone conference. I'm way stoked. President senior is coming to udon again. Everyone else from our zone and khon khan zone is coming so it's pretty much like a party. Except right now i'm preparing a talk on lessons learned from the last days of moroni. SOOO MUCH AWESOMENESS. Those ten chapters in Moroni are soo powerful. So much witness of christ. Such a stud. If you have opportunities to study this week. I reccomend those chapters. The gift of disernment is totally in our lives. We are smart people. We can find out that the scriptures are true by a simple prayer. Easy. ANyways! 

I don't have anything else! I'm sorry! Not much but working working working! I love it. I will always love it. Less than a year baby! 

Love my Family. Eat some turkey for me

-Sister Phelps

bahahaha. Last week..... We dressed up in thai outfits and took pictures... I was too fat to fit in the pretty skirts.... But seriously hahaha. I ripped a skirt so they gave me an ugly skirt. Such a shame.

 I loved this bike ride. So serene. Way peaceful. I love the Aseon. 

They gave my Companion the Thai menu and me the english menu. Boy do the thai people just not understand that my companion is american haha.

 I love teaching and being a missionary. So sweet. Who teaches gospel principles on a mat. On a porch. In Thailand. Also. This lady spoke Aseon. Could barely understand her haha.

Asian. Like Always!

    HEYYYYY I'm Asian again!!!! YESTERDAY WAS THE COOOOOLEST DAY. Has this week already gone by? Holy cow. Anyways yesterday! It was my kid's birthday. She turned 22 years old. Man I'm a young mother. But wait for it...... just think of the movie tangled for a second. Do you remember what happened everyday on her birthday? think.... think..... think a little longer. LANTERN FESTIVAL FOOL! I'm totally a part of society now. That was the sickest thing I've ever been apart of. I've heard the meaning floating off the lanterns. It's like leaving away all your bad feelings. You usually do it with your wife or husband. We just sat with the elders and watched everyone in love. I turned to one of the elders and was like. Hey want to get married? Just kidding. That totally did NOT happen haha. But the lanterns was WAY cool. I'm way jealous of passed Emilee. I wish that was every night. Oh so beautiful. I never felt so at peace! Also it was pretty cool to see some of them catch on fire and burn to the ground! Oh man

    Yesterday we had district conference. President senior came and spoke. He is a boss. I love him. He told every one the new way we are doing contacting and really is just a man with a lot of faith. I respect him so much. We had an asia area authority come speak also. At the end of the conference he grabbed me and took me around having me be his personal translator. It was pretty intense. Especially when I didn't know the word for Iron. Haha. classic. But yes. Lot's of good information. I won't bore you with it. It was a ton about temples getting people pumped. We have an investigator who got so pumped of it. I was excited for her. She is getting baptized as soon as she realizes that this is the ONLY true church. That silly girl. 

    We had a companion exchange this last week. Sister Painter was my companion. She is adorable....

    Anyways. I have not much more time and I want to send pics and try to send videos! I love my life. I love food. HAPPY BIRTHDAY CAILYN. Happy birthday ALI SCOTT! Happy birthday Taylor(late whoops). MERRY CHIRSTMAS! I love my mission. I'm seriously getting so many friends of a lifetime. My district is seriously the best role model and the best of friends. Yesterday I had a reunion with Elder Astle and ELder Proctor from the MTC. We were like little school girls. We were so excited. Man the lord just pours his blessings on me. Can't beleive it! MISS YOU BUT NOT AT THE SAME TIME..... 

see you in a year. 

What up

Sister Phelps

I know it's way rough to see this but my comp and i at a wat with laterns

the chocolate bars are awesome. 

I love my new camera and the cool fetures

My companion and I got matching ugly watches. 

Giant ducks. Can't get any better.

Horray for asian skirts...

and reunions with your MTC Group! I miss Elder astle so much. It was just a party yesterday

also..... A member did my hair like a heart on my head. Don't remember me that way haha. I love my comp 

Lanterns

 my little girl on her birthday

What is uppppp in hereee

Hey everyone! 

    Some awesome news is that I'm alive. I may have worms but I'm alive:) Haha. Some more great news is that my mission has totally changed around this last week. Some more cool news is Loas Elders are bombs and they teach english every night there because they aren't allowed to proselyte at all so their english program blew up to where they had registration day where they would only accept the first 150 people that stood in line to register. They had like 400 people show up or something. The first lady of Loas walked right to the front of the line and signed up her daughter. They had police come and tell them that if they were going to make that big of a scene they need 24 hour security at the church. Haha. It's way awesome.... 

    Our mission..... How do I say this. IS LEGIT. This last week our mission is so focused on baptisms. The higher our numbers the closer we are to a temple. This week we received a brand new training from president senior that had us all in tears. A new way of contacting. Sounds crazy but this last week we had 5 baptisms from this new way of contacting. Next week we have five. And the week after that we have 5 baptisms and it's just going up. We literally go to a crazy busy place, ask if they are familiar with baptism and ask if they want to get baptized in two weeks. I have daters from this. It's way uncomfortable and way crazy and as a trainer I have to set that example for sister Her and it's wayyyy intense. It is a fast way of sifting and then if they have 5 minutes you drag them to the church and teach them a lesson. I've had 2 of those lessons in the last 3 days and they are soooo instensly scary ahhaha. But we have seen CRAZY miracles from it.... Also our numbers this last week were through the roof. It was a serious witness to everyone in the mission that we are serious about getting Thailand a temple..... I know they used the analogy if 2 people get baptized and 1 falls away is it better than 10 people getting baptized and 8 falls away? No it's not. Because those ten people have the opportunity to go to the celestial kingdom again.......... with out the water and the spirit you can't enter the kingdom of heaven. Those 8 that fell away still can enter heaven if they repent. It's a wayyyy weird shallow explanation but I've cared more about the salvation of others than I've ever in my whole mission...... It's way exciting. The Lord literally said in D&C "I will hasten my work in it's time." That time has totally come. The prophets have said it. We are pushing it and are crazy focused! 

    I love my misson. It's special. Precious. All of the above. I would be lying if I said I didn't miss seeing my crazy nephews turn 4 this week. Or Cailyn turning 10. Or Mckay turning 3....... Or miss going and running after crazy homeless people (Dad) haha. I really do miss home. But. This next year is totally not my year. So I'll just give it all. Don't need to worry about me... I'm fat that means I'm eating well. I'll send pictures this week. Mormon prom sounds legit. Miss you all!!!!! <3 Keep praying for missionary opportunities. The missionaries aren't the only people that have to bring people closer to Christ..... 

-Sister Phelps

Yummy omelet!

yummy street food. Literally we are totally on the street. Don't remember me this way.

I found hot cheetos!!!!! :)

that guy.... his name is dat.... he is a soccer stud. He is our awesome miracle investigator that the elders found and we taught him and got him baptized!

our awesome baptisms

I love my district

I'm still in Thailand...How great is life?

Hey family and friends:)

    I've learned a few things this week. 1) don't ride my bike with my mouth open...... There are lots of. uh bugs. 2) Baptism is important 3) When you have an asian companion, don't expect anyone to talk to the white girl. Because everyone will think the asian greenie speaks thai..... it's pretty great actually.... Then people really get surprised when I speak to them.

    What a week. Definitely a hard week..... definitely a hard week. Our numbers really struggled this week and I couldn't tell if it was me being a new trainer or if the thai people just really aren't coming unto christ. Haha. The school break is over and everyone is all of a sudden crazy busy..... Enough to where I made like hundreds of phone calls and 5 people answered and said they couldn't meet! AHHHH Sooo frustrating. President Senior has a goal for November that every companionship gets a baptism. And it's intense. And I'm trying my best. Sister Her is trying her best. But we haven't seen much of anything. The zone leaders the night before our baptism with Yim asked us to wait till the next week to get her baptized so we could make our goal. I was so mad haha. I was like NO. Oh I probably should have done it haha:) But Yim was soooo excited I couldn't tell her no one more week so I can make my goal. But yes.! Keep praying for a baptism for Sister Her and I this month. WE NEED A MIRACLE.....

    With that note:) Last night I went inviting at the park with the zone leaders and we have a new way of contacting where we share a couple sentences about baptism and ask them to get baptized on a specific date on the spot and if they say no, we move on to the next person. It's pretty stinking bold I won't lie. I'm always like. Uhhhhh.. hey whats up. But Yesterday. It was totally cool. I totally had 2 out of 7 people that I talked to commit to be baptized on the 24th..... Sooooo yes:) Hopefully thats our miracle! 

    One of my favorite things to do this week is to stand on a corner and read 2 nephi 31 haha. Such a classic. Call repentance to everyone. It's pretty effective in the fact that a white girl can read thai..... Everyone wants to know why. And my companion can just explain about baptism..... SNEAKY:)

    My companion and I are getting along soooo well. Oh man. I love her so much. She is so cool and solid and we really get along. She is totally motivated and we are just doing everything we can to help Zion build... Also, We finally had the poop talk. The other day she comes in my room and is like. Uhhh. I have a question." So I've pretty much since I've gotten here.." I was like "Yes, Sister Her Diarrhea is completely normal. You will never have a solid for the next 16 months of your life:)" Haha. So classic. We are the best of friends nooooow. 

    FOOOD. I love having an asian companion. We have been doing this thing where we just go read the menu. Whatever I can pronounce/read, I order it. Or if there are pictures we point to the pictures and the make it for us.... MAN We are rocking the system. Some things I'm like, oh that tastes like sewer. But I have eaten some super delicious food from it! Ha

    Halloween! I'm sooooo jealous! I forgot it was halloween the day I woke up... But all in all it was a good day. Our ward had a halloween party and literally every single person dressed up as a ghost. Oh my gosh. I died. It was hilarious..... The missionaries had a room with games..... It got intense. Bobbing for apples. How disgusting that game is haha. grooooosss! But anyways it was fun.! I love my nieces and nephews. They are seriosuly sooooo adorable...........! Next year baby...... I'll play with them for days on days. I'll never get married, but I'll just be a permanent nanny. That sounds good. :)

    I've really have come to understand the gist of really giving yourself fully to the Lord's work. I'm totally on the Lord's time. I get so frustrated sometimes that you probably don't even know about but I always try to make myself get over it as fast as possible because I still have to follow the plans for the day. I can't just go to the beach. Lay in the sun. Hit my snooze button. Eat Chilli's chips and salsa. Watch youtube. Go on wikapedia. No everything is just the Lord's will. It was a hard concept to swallow but I feel totally happy to give this next year of my life to him. These 18 months may be some of the hardest times of my life. I may not like some months or some days. But these 18 months are the best thing FOR my life. I realize that now. Totally grateful for prophets. WoOOp 1 year left. I'm nervous!!  Really nervous! 

That's all I have for this week:) Keep praying! Love you!

Sister Phelps

Heeeyy

    Halloween. You have got to be kidding me. I have the most adorable nieces and nephews. Stink. I can't believe it's halloween!!! Thailand I don't think celebrates it very traditionally. I know our branch is having a branch halloween party on Thursday but they don't do the whole "trick or treating" thing out here. JEALOUS... But hey..... I don't know if anyone knows... But a year from halloween either mom and dad are chilling with me in Thailand or I'll be home for halloween. CAN YOU BELIEVE I HAVE ONLY A YEAR LEFT? I just really feel weird because I'm still a baby. Well not really, I have a kid now. I was just getting off the bottle and about to start solid foods when the ripped away my pacifier and made me a mother.

     OUR INVESTIGATOR YIM GOT BAPTIZED YESTERDAY!!! I love her more than words. 16 years old and a total stud in the gospel. She was the one if you remember, we gave her a card when we were contacting and she talked with the girls at temple square after going on the website. MIRACLE.... My companion and I are totally seeing miracles. Besides I got sick again and went to the doctors this week. But oh well...... What else is new. Bacteria in thailand is literally the worst..... But worth it.

     Life as a trainer you may ask? Pretty good actually:) Talking on the phone is still the hardest part about being a missionary. I thought talking in english on the phone is hard.... but thai? Oh poop it's hard. And I'm the one making all the phone calls.... And teaching....and contacting. But It's way awesome to share the little knowledge I have with someone else... I really love my companion. I want her to succeed and I remember what worked and what didn't work with my trainer and I'm totally fresh off of training so I can be a total asset in her life. I know I'm not perfect:) No missionary is. But something I've come to realize is that I know enough. I don't know everything but I know enough to train. Joseph Smith didn't know everything restoring the only true gospel on this earth when he was 14, but he knew enough. So I can and am doing this. I'm loving it too! I really am. It's totally weird when In the middle of a lesson I turn to her and ask her to bear her testimony, because I remember just being there. Haha. 

    Teaching is the BEST. I've never felt happier than teaching these last few weeks... I got to teach two new people how to pray this week with both of the lessons ending in tears. It's so touching to be able to understand this language and connect with people on a spiritual level in a different language. When I was training I definitely didn't know how to be a normal person in a different language and I can tell that my companion feels the same. But I know that right after she is done training she will be awesome and totally normal.... The language comes pretty easily to her. She is smart and a hard worker. Still has the new missionary struggles and can't understand anyone yet. But she speaks like a boss. I'm super proud of her.  

   Anyways, I'm probably totally ranting. But yesterday I had the sweetest experience. This girl who is a member who is my age, breaking lots and lots of commandments I have been working with her since the beginning of my stay in udon. But we have never been able to meet with her. But after months of not seeing her she finally showed up at church yesterday and after our baptisms we met with her and talked to her....And I have actually never cried in a lesson to be honest because speaking thai and having emotions I have just never had together. But I have also never called anyone to repentance like this before and we all just sat and cried and I loved her so much and I have never felt God's love for one of his children more strongly than that moment and I'm going to help that girl get on a mission. Ahhhh. I can't really describe everything about it. Just a really good refreshing experience....

  I'm doing good. I'm falling in love with the members more that they rely on me more than sister Carter. They are truly amazing. I love my family. THis gospel is true. The scriptures are true. Is there anything more I need to say?:) Have fun on halloweeeeeeeen this week! 

Much Love

IT'S OFFICIAL I'M A MOM!

  So I know some heard the story all ready.... but last monday after I finished emails we get home and we get a phone call. Sister Carter answers it and runs up stairs. And I'm a little stressed about what was going to happen with transfers so I thought I was moving or something strange.... Next thing I know sister Carter says "Sister Phelps, president senior wants to talk to you in your room with the door shut." By this point I'm pretty freaking stressed haha. Thennnn.... THEN.... The words in Thai from president senior. "Sister Phelps Dierap ganriag ben puobrome may khap?" I almost started crying haha. I was like "President senior. You're not serious. Did God really tell you I need to be a trainer." I'm like "President, I can't even speak this language perfectly, what am I going to do." I'm like crying. I'm like there is 48 sisters in Thailand. Only 7sisters are called to be a trainer this transfer. Why the trash does it have to be me haha... And president Sernior just was like, don't worry your the best. Also you have to be in Bangkok tomorrow morning at 9 for a training meeting. Classic.. Sister Carter walks in and I'm totally having like a panic attack hahaha. She had to meditate and pray with me and reassured me.... It was nice... then... totally had to pack Sister Carter's mission life away within a matter of hours. Say goodbye to everyone (That was hard everyone cried saying bye to her, she is great) Then we were on our way. 

  

    The next morning was our training meeting. ALL IN THAI. Sister Stack was there, sister Tilley and another girl from my group so I was feeling a little less stressed by that point... But I loved it. It was a great meeting and I understood everything. I was like. Okay. I got this. I can be a trainer now and tell someone what to do. I was totes feeling excited. haha.... It was the most stressed I've ever been haha. Then life was getting better. We had our pday on wednesday in Bangkok. I loved it. Then came thursday. Transfers. I was soooo nervous. I was like I'm just a baby not even on solid foods yet! But thenn I got my new comp Sister Her. And I KNEW everything was going to be just fine. I CAN speak this language. I CAN love a complete stranger. I CAN be a support for someone that knows nothing about missionary work in the field. Tug yang dee.... I'M A MOM. Hahha

    

    In Thai the word for greenie is nong keyow. Which literally means green child. I always call myself a maa keyow. (A green mom). Everyone laughs. :)

  

    I'm glad you got to see sister Carter. I can't believe you stayed over night! You cute things..... :) I'm such a mother now! So boring. LIke every mother. (Yeah meagan we are cool). I didn't realize how much work goes into missionary work but being a trainer on top of that! It's beatiful. I really enjoy my time with Sister Her. She is a Hmong from sacramento... I totally have an asian companion. She is a babe though.... I love her. So sweet and she is almost 22. So that's awesome.One day I started telling her how to use the rice cooker and she looks at me. Like, are you serious right now. I'm asian. ahha. I think we willl get along just fine. She has adorable clothes and so I have to look nice when I'm around her, or I just feel so lame. Hahaha. It's awesome whoever comes up that's a thai, I start talking. And it throws them off and they start speaking crazy thai with her like she is a thai. She was like, I'M NOT THAI. Everytime. It's great. She came pre trained. She is a hard worker. Stinking tired all the time, I remember that but my favorite thing is she LOVES food and loves to eat. This is a beautiful realtionship. I think it will be just great.!!! We got her a bike and have done some little work here and there. We got someone a baptismal date already! We have a baptism this weekend! God is good. I love THAI. My thai is sooooo much better than it was last week. I'm just doing all the talking and understanding for two people! Sooooooo crazy!!!! I love it. I love my companion. I love being a missionary. I love the people. I love the Scriptures. I love Joseph Smith. I love being converted to the gospel! So many things in my life to be grateful for.......... Keep your prayers in my behalf. I'm learning how to speak aseon hahahaha. Who am I kidding. That will never happen! I lovey ou all. Keep up the good work!

Sister Phelps

I also forgot. I touched an elephant on the side of the road. It was awesome

I also forgot. I took Sister Carter (The young one) Dan jonesing and handed out a book of Mormon. 

I also forgot. Sister Stack isn't training. Sister Tilley and I were the only ones.... 

I also forgot. One picture is with sister Carters other girl she trained, who trained sister Tilley right after she was done training. And Now sister Tilley is training too..... And 2 of these pictures are our family photos. And We all wore asian clips. They are soooo asian 

I cannot explain the rest of the pictures because I can't see them :)