You have to read this -a district conference and pink sins

Dear Family!

This week was all around insane. I feel like I say that every week. This week's title of the email can only be "You have to read this" because you just really do.

Well this week was the week of District Conference for the Khongaen area held in RoiEt. It was so big there were 5 life-size carved swans involved. It was probably the most stressful week of all eternity, seeing as all the head-honcho's from Bangkok and all the branches of Khongaen came in. There were about 340 people involved.

So we tried to get everything done as early as possible, including making programs typed in Thai for our baptism. That took a long time. Thai is a beast to type. But that's not really important.

But anyway, with that said, I have never been so involved in the holding of a big conference-- it is entirely stressful! I'm sure people with high-up callings have to be pulling their hair out over these activities- down to the last catered- bowl of rice!! So it was plenty of duties for me, what with translating, training the relief society on member-missionary work, a roleplay, choir musical numbers... it was enough to feel piled on. But upon passing each thing, fulfilling.

So I'm now at this point trying to describe everything that happened to us. I can't. It was just like everything wanted our baptism to not happen. There was a lot of chaos with time changes, two other people showing up out of nowhere from the dark abyss (aka other branches and even one from our own who I did not know about) that apparently came prepared to be baptized! Oops.

"Thanks for telling the people running the baptism" - said nobody ever.

So then we call Party and we urge her to get her little tush back to the church (she went back to help in the ER, mind you she is a doctor) and eventually she shows up to the church in a red sweater with a big duck on it and a pair of faded jeans.

"Where's your nice dress you had on a few hours ago??" I ask. "Let's get you into your baptism clothes. Sorry, but everything's entirely insane here."

She follows me with probably the most hollow face I've ever seen, like she's seen a ghost or something. I hand her the dress and say, "It's okay, I'll take care of everything. It just got a little insane here, and we're apparently having two separate baptismal services and... what's wrong?"

"I crashed my car!"

"You WHAT?"

So she literally wrecked her car in her hurry to get here in the hospital parking lot. So naturally I've about had it here, and this rodeo of a baptismal service has driven me up the wall, and apparently Party's car into the flagpole.

Pictures attached.

But anyway, more than 10 investigators of ours, the youth, Party's mom, And Gee's friends all came (with the remainder of the congregation willing to stay for 'Baptism, the Sequel.') And even Sister Senior and President got to come. So all worked out.

I admit though, I got way mad and I let one of the poor elders have it. I don't think anyone had ever seen the likes of a mad sister like this before. I'm not proud of it, and later that night, I asked for sincere forgiveness. No matter who's fault everything was, I had no excuse to be a poop. I found though, that the moment I let out the sincere words of apology that any lasting annoyance was gone. It's the reason I can't explain all the things that happened to us yesterday. I'd tell you if I remembered, but I just don't. That Elder held out his hand to shake with a smile, I took it, and I forgot.

It's the Miracle of Forgiveness! I attest to the truth and divinity of the Atonement of Jesus Christ-- we can read about having Christ-like attributes all we want, but when we're put on that stage of our lives to face actual real-life situations, it's in the applying of those principles that counts.

Later that night I got to witness both those girls, Gii and Party, as recent converts in action. I can testify that there was an immediate change. They started over. They were new people. Their desires had changed, they knew where they were going, and they were dedicated to that path. I am so blessed to be here to see miracles happen. Both of those girls told us later that day, at separate times, that if we ever needed them to help teach, they were going to be there.

That morning, Party dyed her hair red. (I have no idea what prompted her to do that.) So when she came up out of the water, her dress was covered in faint left-over dye.

I helped her out of the font and said, "Wow. Who knew? Your sins were pink!"

And they were alllllll washed away. That's better insurance than her car has.

Love,

Sister Painter