This week I officially needed a heart-monitor because I had a HEART ATTACK!
..... Well, almost. But seriously. This week was probably the craziest since...
I don't even know when. I am staying in Roi Et for another 9 weeks with Sister
Packard though! Didn't move.
So I may as well start with the incident that caused it. So on Monday,
Elder Yuen got a call that he would be training and needed to be in Bangkok the
next morning by 9am-- it was already 4:30pm! So.... needless to say we all went
for our very last Swenson's ice cream, had a tearful FHE , he got packed in 20
minutes, and we had a quick last photo and said goodbye. It was so fast and so
hard that we were way sad.
My District in Roi Et
Next day, we're at district meeting. Sigh, 4 chairs. The other two have
already left. It was raining in Roi Et. We began the meeting saying it felt
weird without the other two. BOOM the door bursts open! Elder YUEN says
frantically, "Have you seen my backpack?" and ran to the closet in the
classroom. The second he bursts open the door, me and Sis Packard are SO
SURPRISED that we SCREAM. Like, the loudest and most sincere of my whole life.
:p WE COULD NOT BELIEVE OUR EYES! He was dead to us! Then he grabbed out his
backpack (which he has a history of losing) and ran out the door with, "Okay bye
love you all!" ......... WHAT JUST HAPPENED. He was gone as fast as he was
back!
Then I realize, "We just got punked!!" and we run back after the door.
Elder Cahoon and Yuen come in cracking up. Turns out the night before, their bus
was full and they couldn't go. So they stayed until transfers because they would
miss the meeting anyway, it being the last bus. SO MEAN. But then we all got to
be together 2 more days, and then we ALL had to go to transfer meeting together!
Road trip! It was so fun. And so we're all on the bus and Elder Yuen is getting
all his important zone leader phone calls so we all know what's going down when
we get there. We all got invited to come back Sis Packard and Elder Thomas had
to renew visas.
Turns out that wasn't all! I overheard Elder Yuen say my name. I would have
to be at a meeting at 9am. ..... What. Well, then he told me I had a calling!
And so the next morning I attended my first meeting with Sister Senior, the
Mission President's wife. I'm now a Sister Training Leader (STL) -- and I cover
the Eesan! I follow-up with 4 companionships in Udon, Mahasarakham, and Kalasin.
So like I told mom: Basically I now go to the
Mission Council Meetings (Just Assistants to the President, Zone Leaders, and
Sister Training Leaders with President and his wife) each month in Bangkok. It's
kind of way humbling because now I have a direct line to President's office with
the needs of the sisters in my areas. It's really been rewarding so far because
I get to think of all the other sisters' well-being, not just me and Sis
Packard, as well as exchange, followup with language milestones, etc. with them.
It lets me look outward rather than inward. I'm way excited.
This week we
built a fence the morning after we got home from Bangkok at 2am. We were like
zombies chopping down trees. We literally chopped down the trees to make the
fence. That's no joke. Hacked down the trees, lifted them across the jungle, and
built a fence around their "cricket farm". Oh yes. This is real
life.
We adopted
Elder Wilson (my old district leader in Udon)-- he's way funny. He's quite an
addition!
We had some set-backs with Est, but we will
not give up on this amazing boy!
Oh, and hey. We taught a mute
person. We literally have a mute investigator that can hear some words but not
all, but cannot speak a single word, just scratchy sounds. Her name is Pumsii.
We taught her who God was and how to pray with Sister Jampii, who knows Thai
sign language. Pumsii prayed for her first time. Needless to say, I am learning
Thai sign language now. ...Wait, is this real life?
I love you all,
Sister Painter
Rode by an elephant family. Way cool!
Sis. Pannida, my first companion is going home tomorrow.
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