New Years in Thailand

i don't remember if anyone recalls my letters from last year about new years. in thailand, new years is bigger than christmas. it's so big that they celebrate new years THREE times. once for january 1. once for china. and once for thailand. (that one is in april and that's the party that they throw water on each other ALL WEEK LONG.) i think that one is my favorite. 

so this last week was weird. pday was not monday but thursday. weirded me out. and then i just had another pday like 4 days ago. weiiiiiird. 

events of the week... or probably both (forgive me if i repeat!)

comp crashed her bike. or her bike crashed her??? anyway, she's riding, the wheel just pops out, she flies over the front handle... sister ellis is terrified and comp refuses to go to the hospital. prayed really hard. comp got a tiny scratch on her elbow. wake up the next morning. no broken bones. shock has definitely worn off and comp says, "i hurt everywhere......" that's a good sign. it was all great until she took an excessive amount of pain pills... which she then threw up 20 minutes later. oof. note to self. don't let sick people be in charge of medicating themselves. it ends up with broken angel statues (shout out to sister tilley!) or cleaning up the bathroom... 

we had an excellent district meeting. we learned a lot about charity (which was definitely in my "lacking" department) so i have decided to be more charitable. it's hard. i'm just gonna throw that one out there... but apparently charity is tied very closely to humility... and i tend to struggle with that one as well. so. someday... when i am more humble... apparently i'll be able to love people more. 

but really - it all goes back to what makes christ CHRIST. it was the way that he did things. the way that he loved people. that way that he submitted himself to his fathers will that makes him different from us. from me. it was the way that he turned outward when sister ellis always is concerned about HER thai, and HER investigators and HER hunger... i know that when i learn to think more about what God wants, and remember who's work this is... ether 12:33-34. we'll be like him.

then new years happened. it was crazy. i was suddenly in the movie tangled. 

and the world went crazy. 

someone decided to let off fireworks RIGHT outside of our house. did we sleep? i don't think so. 

they had another party on thursday too. people here REALLY love new years. did i mention that?

on friday we had a branch activity. i helped to make these delicious philippino dessert-fried-banana-eggroll thingies. ohmyheavenstheywerethebestfoodeverrrrrrrrr! i want some now. 

president senior and sister senior also came to see us in chiang mai. that had a bunch of interviews to do with some members that have put in their missionary papers... so we got to see them for the party. 

sister senior said something that really hit me. she asked what we do when we go to members houses. now... thai people LOVE their food. but she encouraged us to "make the message more important than the meal." i think that is really inspired. for everyone. (but it was really good for my stomach to hear.) 

two people also told sister remington that she looks like a barbie. 

sister senior came over and studied with us saturday morning. was that motivation to clean our house? maybe a little bit... but studies were so good! i always love it when i get to learn from president and his wife. (now i'm kicking myself for not thinking to get a picture with her...) she came and sat in on sister remington and i doing training. and... the tv died. plans... they stink. so we improvised and talked about what we WOULD HAVE seen if the movie had worked. blast. but it was a good conversation. we talked about how important members are. about the wonderful things that we had seen at the branch party the night before. we'd invited a member and she was literally swarmed by friends. it was the greatest thing ever. and she wants to get baptized. so bad. i literally felt like she was teaching ME about faith. not the other way around... 

saturday we had LOTS of plans to contact.... it... kinda turned out like we'd planned? like we went contacting. but for about a fourth of the time that we'd planned. who knows where all the rest of the time went??? i don't. 

i got a call from utah!!! from my wonderful friend sister yui in salt lake. i answered the phone and spent the next 20 minutes NOT using my library voice. i was pretty excited. 

funny story from language study. (not to pick on sister remington... it was so cute!) 

we were reading and then i was having her translate - "is this talking about the record of neemie?" ummmm. no. we also read about ewoks and had a really good time with that particular verse... 

i love her. 

now for the cherry on top of the week. suuuuuuunday. dum dum dum!

:) 

it was so fun. 

we had our investigator actually come to church! no excuses! and then god helped us get another investigator at church too! one of the RCs brought her friend. i sat down next to her and she looks at me and says - she wants to become an investigator. YES! fist pumps in my head. alone with a very brief prayer of thanks. i love god. he's way too good to us. 

ended the day with spaghetti with the district. (decided to go for a more "american" meal - my apologies to the canadian readers... i don't know what else to call it. more FARANG? that'll work.) 

this week was good! i'm happy. i hope you are all happy. if there is anyone i can pray for... just let me know! (to quote another missionary "i love speaking to my god.")

you are great! i hope that you can feel god's love for you. 

love you bunches and bunches!

sister alice in wonderland 

(i have actually been called this...)