Hello!
Travel to Thailand was great. It was fun traveling together as a group.
The night that we got there they gave us an orientation and then immediately had us go out on the streets of Bangkok to give out a BofM (Book of Mormon) with no help from our senior companion... Scary!
But, we all did it! Awesome, right?
Moves was quite a party the next day! Oh, we stayed in the mission home with the Smiths. I got assigned to be with Sis. Lifferth in LA (AKA Bangkok, Bangkok in Thai means land of angels so they call it LA), can't remember the city name...sorry!
Sis. Jolley is in the next door city... going to see her today! Sis. Naegle went to heaven AKA ChiangMai. Sis. Johnson went to the white wash area. Sis. Hirschi went out to the middle of nowhere. I bet she's excited!
After moves we hopped into a taxi and drove about an hour away and immediately started working. Thailand reminds me a lot of China. It has the same look, except more tropical, green, and better food! The food is so good here! I was eating rice one night and the only thing that could come to mind was Heather's words, "This is good rice!" hahaha! Really! Most of the food is spicy, fortunately I've been able to find a way around it for now...
We ride bikes everywhere! I never imagined myself riding a bike in crazy asian traffic, but here I am! It's quite exciting! And sometimes we ride on the sidewalk (just like it is in China) and the tiles are broken, etc. I often feel like I'm mountain biking in a skirt!
My trainer is amazing! She's from Springville and this is her last move! She's leaving in 6 weeks! Weird!!!! So she really knows how things work which is really nice! I'm quite excited to learn from her, she's already taught me a lot! Her personality reminds me a lot of Virginia. So we have lots of fun together!
It's funny being in asia again where everyone thinks you're gorgeous because of your skin. I honestly get hit on way to many times throughout the day. I had a guy even try to kiss my hand on my second day! Sis. Lifferth and I had a good laugh about that one. Let's just say, contacting is always an adventure!!!
My second day it also downpoured like big time. We were teaching and then we came out and the streets were completely flooded! The water was almost mid-calf deep. Never been so glad to have worn crocs!!! Crazy!!! That was fun to bike through to! Like I said, it's all a great adventure!
Our house is awesome and super nice! It's two levels for the both of us and is next to a 7/11. I like the convenience! Haven't seen a cockroach yet! Our house is mostly ants. Ants that are smaller than the ones at home! I can handle those!!!
We live right next to the neighborhood called Perfect Place. It's like a ridiculously nice neighborhood. Most of them have servants and such. A lot of foreigners live there because it is a very secure and nice area! Really nice! I like biking through it everyday!
Our branch is getting a new building next week! They've been having church at an office building, but now they actually have a full out building! It looks super nice! We're excited for that!!!
Our investigators are great! We're focusing on families. We're teaching pii bu and pii rat. Both different families. They are best friends though! Pii Bu is like the social queen of the neighborhood, though! She has quite an influence. Last Friday we were teaching a lesson and all of these people kept coming in and listening so we stopped and taught the intro lesson. Many of them went home and prayed! She tells everyone that comes over how to pray and tells them to pray. Hopefully we'll see more progress in that neighborhood!
Well, I 'm off!
Love,
Em
Monday, July 26, 2010
Tuesday, July 20, 2010
Arriving in Thailand
Emily "meets" Mike and Janis Smith, her mission president and his wife (our former bishop)
Exchanging her money
The excited new sister missionaries
Emily's district from the MTC who all travelled together to Thailand
Outside the mission home
The incoming missionaries inside the mission home
Tuesday, July 13, 2010
Hello from the MTC for the last time!!!!
Hello Everyone!
Hope everything is well.....
Said goodbye to our dear Cambodian, Vietnamese, and Hmong friends today!!! It's crazy!!!!
So Sis. Hirschi and I got selected to help teach the new missionaries that come in on Wednesday how to begin teaching an investigator! How nerve-wrecking!!!! It's like 400 missionaries! It's sooo memorable that first moment!
I'm scared because I haven't done lessons in English for a long time! It could be interesting....
Jenny Oaks Baker came and did the fireside on Sunday! It was soooooo good naturally! She is so cute! I loved hearing her speak and play!
So we were standing in the cafeteria the other night and a sister infront of us was like, "Oh, you're going to Thailand! That's such a safe place!" We asked where she was going and she said to Oakland, California. She said she is so scared for her life. She kept talking about how lucky we are because we don't need to worry about anything in Thailand. We were thinking, Oakland is not scary. I have many roommates from there and it is not scary. Thailand just a few weeks ago had a civil war. And that's safer than Oakland? I think she's psyching herself out!
Okay for the travel plans!!!! I leave on Sunday, July 18th at 9:30pm. Get into LA at about 10:32pm. Leave LA at 1:30am and get to Taiwan 5:50am on July 20th. Leave Taiwan at 8:40am and get into Thailand at 11:15am on July 20th.
So we just had our health and safety meeting. The doctor in charge has been in this position since Dad was on a mission! Crazy I know! Anyways, this meeting could make anyone a germaphobe. That's okay! I'm super excited! They give us this spray to spray down all of our clothes and furnishings. This spray kills bugs and spiders. So if any bug or spider touches a surface we sprayed, it instantly dies!!!! How amazing is that? I think dad needed some on his boy scout adventure. The doctor explained how he used some in South America not to long ago and sprayed a towel and put it at the bottom of the door because it had a crack on the bottom. The next morning he said that there was a huge pile of bugs outside of the door! hahaha! I'm excited! Then he told us about water purification and how he put a purification system in a water bottle and just finished putting one in a straw! so no matter where you go, you'll drink purified water!!!
This week I was called up to give a talk. I talked about plum blossoms and enduring to the end. I told a story of a girl who got severe chicken pox and sat in bed and watched the plum blossoms. One night there was a huge storm and the next morning most of the blossoms fell off. But then she noticed how many clung on through the storm. Just like the plum blossoms, when storms come our way, we need to cling on to the branches. Plum blossoms often bloom in winter and cling on until the beloved spring. Right now it may seem like a never ending storm or winter, but I promise if you cling on, spring will come. And in spring you'll grow into wonderful fruit!!!
Love you all!!!!
mail takes 2weeks to get to thailand.
em
Hope everything is well.....
Said goodbye to our dear Cambodian, Vietnamese, and Hmong friends today!!! It's crazy!!!!
So Sis. Hirschi and I got selected to help teach the new missionaries that come in on Wednesday how to begin teaching an investigator! How nerve-wrecking!!!! It's like 400 missionaries! It's sooo memorable that first moment!
I'm scared because I haven't done lessons in English for a long time! It could be interesting....
Jenny Oaks Baker came and did the fireside on Sunday! It was soooooo good naturally! She is so cute! I loved hearing her speak and play!
So we were standing in the cafeteria the other night and a sister infront of us was like, "Oh, you're going to Thailand! That's such a safe place!" We asked where she was going and she said to Oakland, California. She said she is so scared for her life. She kept talking about how lucky we are because we don't need to worry about anything in Thailand. We were thinking, Oakland is not scary. I have many roommates from there and it is not scary. Thailand just a few weeks ago had a civil war. And that's safer than Oakland? I think she's psyching herself out!
Okay for the travel plans!!!! I leave on Sunday, July 18th at 9:30pm. Get into LA at about 10:32pm. Leave LA at 1:30am and get to Taiwan 5:50am on July 20th. Leave Taiwan at 8:40am and get into Thailand at 11:15am on July 20th.
So we just had our health and safety meeting. The doctor in charge has been in this position since Dad was on a mission! Crazy I know! Anyways, this meeting could make anyone a germaphobe. That's okay! I'm super excited! They give us this spray to spray down all of our clothes and furnishings. This spray kills bugs and spiders. So if any bug or spider touches a surface we sprayed, it instantly dies!!!! How amazing is that? I think dad needed some on his boy scout adventure. The doctor explained how he used some in South America not to long ago and sprayed a towel and put it at the bottom of the door because it had a crack on the bottom. The next morning he said that there was a huge pile of bugs outside of the door! hahaha! I'm excited! Then he told us about water purification and how he put a purification system in a water bottle and just finished putting one in a straw! so no matter where you go, you'll drink purified water!!!
This week I was called up to give a talk. I talked about plum blossoms and enduring to the end. I told a story of a girl who got severe chicken pox and sat in bed and watched the plum blossoms. One night there was a huge storm and the next morning most of the blossoms fell off. But then she noticed how many clung on through the storm. Just like the plum blossoms, when storms come our way, we need to cling on to the branches. Plum blossoms often bloom in winter and cling on until the beloved spring. Right now it may seem like a never ending storm or winter, but I promise if you cling on, spring will come. And in spring you'll grow into wonderful fruit!!!
Love you all!!!!
mail takes 2weeks to get to thailand.
em
Thursday, July 8, 2010
More from Emily July 8, 2010
Emily's fruit and vegetable vocabulary pictionarySo we got a letter from Sis. Chambers, a piithay, about her second week in Thailand. It was great to hear about her adventures. It made us super excited for Thailand. She shared how she was at a member's house eating dinner when they all started pointing at her and laughing. She turned around and to her horror, there was a huge spider, bigger than her hand! Her companion informed her that she'll see bigger ones! Yikes!
She went to the mall with a bunch of sisters and got ice cream on P-day. I think Thailand has got something going there. They've combined my 3 favorite foods: ice cream on sticky rice served on a hotdog bun. hahaha! I've got to try that one!
Sunday was stressful for her cuz they had 13 investigators there! WOW!
She told about her experience teaching this lady who apparently in the middle of their lesson started chanting in Thai. Apparently she's a fortune teller. Interesting.....
Which reminds me of our lesson Sis. Noppamas gave us on beliefs in Thailand. Worshipping trees, animals, even license plates. She was trying to tell us what is in the Thai mind when we talk about religion. It helped me see how there is a lot of explanation involved! She also warned us of how much darkness is in Thailand. How it is crucial for us to always be paying attention to the spirit. Whenever it leaves, we need to leave quickly too! (Not to scare anyone.) It is always important to be following the guidance of the Holy Ghost. The Holy Ghost will always keep you in places that you should be. Look for it's guidance everyday and you will surely be guided!
She went to the mall with a bunch of sisters and got ice cream on P-day. I think Thailand has got something going there. They've combined my 3 favorite foods: ice cream on sticky rice served on a hotdog bun. hahaha! I've got to try that one!
Sunday was stressful for her cuz they had 13 investigators there! WOW!
She told about her experience teaching this lady who apparently in the middle of their lesson started chanting in Thai. Apparently she's a fortune teller. Interesting.....
Which reminds me of our lesson Sis. Noppamas gave us on beliefs in Thailand. Worshipping trees, animals, even license plates. She was trying to tell us what is in the Thai mind when we talk about religion. It helped me see how there is a lot of explanation involved! She also warned us of how much darkness is in Thailand. How it is crucial for us to always be paying attention to the spirit. Whenever it leaves, we need to leave quickly too! (Not to scare anyone.) It is always important to be following the guidance of the Holy Ghost. The Holy Ghost will always keep you in places that you should be. Look for it's guidance everyday and you will surely be guided!
Tuesday, July 6, 2010
July 7 letter
So, I'm still getting better from my sickness... had a little step backwards this week where I have so much phlegm in my throat that I'm like constantly coughing and such. Went to the doctor and got a strep test (could've told you I didn't have that one) to which the nurse informed me that I have a strong tongue and only the elders have had strong tongues.... It came back negative (naturally). Doctor said it's a virus and he can't help me. So he gave me some medication to help clear it up and gave me permission to take naps! No, I haven't taken a nap. I'm much better now. It's still not gone, but it is so much better than it was. Funny thing was this last week our task was to talk about going to the doctor and discuss illnesses. I told everyone in class that I went on a fieldtrip to the Doctor's to practice my task. Wish that was it!
Well, for all you T-ville people out there: Emily Jewkes went off cheerfully this week really early in the morning! Sam Rose left yesterday in a very excited mood. He's actually been the most enthusiastic missionary I've seen here!
So many people have left this week! The Koreans are all gone! My whole dorm floor is like empty! It's crazy! Tomorrow I get the opporutnity of hosting the new sisters who come into the MTC. I just help them find their room, get checked in, get their books, and show them around! I'm super excited! It will be fun!!!
We've had lots of Japanese missionaries here lately because the MTC in Japan is closed for remodeling. Everytime I shower at night I feel like I'm in Asia already!!!
So on Sunday I was sitting waiting for the fireside to start when one of the MTC presidency members came up to me and said, "someday you'll be so happy that you look so young." hahaha! Okay....
4th of July was fun! They had a fireside about our founding fathers on the 3rd (so we couldn't listen to Carrie Underwood's concert going on outside) and then we got to go outside and watch the fireworks! That was fun! Apparently our branch president's daughters went to the Provo airport after her concert and got to meet her... Lucky!
So Sis. Noppamas informed me that I will probably end up teaching Chinese instead of English in Thailand.... That will be scary! I've never tried to teach a class before! Let alone Chinese!!!! Ahhhhh!!!! It would be so much fun though! \
I chopped my hair off today!!!!! It's like above my shoulders! Ya, it's pretty intense, but I like it! I'll send pics soon!
To all those who send me letters: thank you soooo much! Sorry that it takes me forever to write back! I'll have plenty of writing time on the airplane! Just to let you know, don't send me anymore mail until you get something from me in Thailand. I'd hate to miss your letters so for security, don't send till I'm situated in Thailand.Thanks!
Oh, Sis. Hirschi and I had a progressing investigator, but he couldn't do it anymore so I have officially experienced my first investigator that has fallen through. Sad day!!!!
Oh, Sis. Eyestone, one of the new sister Thai missionaries, is very athletic. She's on the BYU Women's basketball team! Anywho, her dad is on the olmpics committee and gets to go everywhere and commentate on some sports and such. Cool, right?
Well, Love you all! Thanks for your constant support! Can't believe I leave in less than two weeks! CRAZY!!!! All of the Vietnamese, Cambodians, and Hmong leave next week! (we do a lot with them)
Love you!
Em
Well, for all you T-ville people out there: Emily Jewkes went off cheerfully this week really early in the morning! Sam Rose left yesterday in a very excited mood. He's actually been the most enthusiastic missionary I've seen here!
So many people have left this week! The Koreans are all gone! My whole dorm floor is like empty! It's crazy! Tomorrow I get the opporutnity of hosting the new sisters who come into the MTC. I just help them find their room, get checked in, get their books, and show them around! I'm super excited! It will be fun!!!
We've had lots of Japanese missionaries here lately because the MTC in Japan is closed for remodeling. Everytime I shower at night I feel like I'm in Asia already!!!
So on Sunday I was sitting waiting for the fireside to start when one of the MTC presidency members came up to me and said, "someday you'll be so happy that you look so young." hahaha! Okay....
4th of July was fun! They had a fireside about our founding fathers on the 3rd (so we couldn't listen to Carrie Underwood's concert going on outside) and then we got to go outside and watch the fireworks! That was fun! Apparently our branch president's daughters went to the Provo airport after her concert and got to meet her... Lucky!
So Sis. Noppamas informed me that I will probably end up teaching Chinese instead of English in Thailand.... That will be scary! I've never tried to teach a class before! Let alone Chinese!!!! Ahhhhh!!!! It would be so much fun though! \
I chopped my hair off today!!!!! It's like above my shoulders! Ya, it's pretty intense, but I like it! I'll send pics soon!
To all those who send me letters: thank you soooo much! Sorry that it takes me forever to write back! I'll have plenty of writing time on the airplane! Just to let you know, don't send me anymore mail until you get something from me in Thailand. I'd hate to miss your letters so for security, don't send till I'm situated in Thailand.Thanks!
Oh, Sis. Hirschi and I had a progressing investigator, but he couldn't do it anymore so I have officially experienced my first investigator that has fallen through. Sad day!!!!
Oh, Sis. Eyestone, one of the new sister Thai missionaries, is very athletic. She's on the BYU Women's basketball team! Anywho, her dad is on the olmpics committee and gets to go everywhere and commentate on some sports and such. Cool, right?
Well, Love you all! Thanks for your constant support! Can't believe I leave in less than two weeks! CRAZY!!!! All of the Vietnamese, Cambodians, and Hmong leave next week! (we do a lot with them)
Love you!
Em
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