Sister Monica Painter: Week 3

Email - Sunday, April 28, 2013 11:01PM AZ time, Monday in Thailand

Hello everyone! I'll try to type fast. I only get an hour to read and write. :) Thank you for all the mail! And pictures! SEND PICTURES!

I would like to start by saying this: Thailand is filled with dogs. It's like a disney movie or something, like Oliver and Company. They stroll in packs and they're big! Like 20 dobermen's (however you spell that) not even exaggerating. But they're all friendly.... mostly.

This week PhiiRuung received the Holy Ghost, and we have 2 more people with a baptism date!! I am so excited for "Off" especially-- she had problems with her husband and they were seemingly going to seperate. But the gospel has changed their lives, and now she is trusting him more, he's being loyal, and their 3 girls are being blessed. It's a miracle. :)

Food continues to be a struggle for me-- I just can't down it! I'll do the rice. But yeeesh, raw fish with eye balls? Chicken body parts that you can distinguish? This may be "too much info" but my struggle this week was digestion. Needless to say, that Jamie Lee Curtis yogurt "Activia" was necessary. Who knew my commercial knowledge would help me one day distinguish which yogurt would help me survive after 5 days of near-death-ness? :p Thank you Jamie Lee Curtis.

As another funny fact: People here love Angry Birds. Everything, and I mean everything, has angry birds on it. "Anggy berr" as they say. :p So cute.

Thai continues to be the hardest thing ever. Prayer prayer prayer. :)

This week we were riding to church, and a tiny old man on a bike called to me: "PRETTY LADY WHERE ARE YOU GOING! I LOVE YOU!" I laughed so hard. Then on the way home, we saw him AGAIN! Same day, different place! Hahaha. He called again, "Hey, heeeey! Wait! To where you go! So beautiful!" Needless to say, I'm glad they only know nice things to say in Thai :P

Another week in Udon. This week I learned a few different things: if you depend on the Holy Ghost to tell you what's happening in a lesson, He'll give you pieces until you figure it out. I have been heavily relying on Him, as well as the atonement of Jesus Christ. You honestly can't know how hard a mission is until you're doing it. It's still hard to fully understand what we're doing because of the language barrier between Sis Pannida and I, but we seem to manage fairly well. In fact, we have 2 more daters this last week. Sis Pannida is teaching me so much. She keeps things simple and lets the investigator study it out themselves in the scriptures and through prayer. We give the basics and the spirit testifies the need to study it out themselves. And somehow He always keeps His word! Each person that takes the time to sincerely study and prayer for themselves truly do get that answer.

We're glad to have Elder and Sis Hart (senior couple) here in our branch, because they are great help to us! They keep us happy and healthy.

As for mission life, I'm adjusting slowly. It really is so hard to be emersed in a tonal language-- I've never done anything like it. But I know with time it'll happen and I'll understand and be able to say what I want to say! Right now the words don't come very fast!

I love you all!!!!! SO MUCH! Write me handwritten letters!

Love,

Sis Painter!