taryn 2.15.10

hello from a steamin' hot thailand!!!> >
the weather is beginning to go from hot, to extremely hot!!! im getting nervous for what it is going to be like in april (the hottest month of the year.. i wonder why???) we are spending lots and lots of time on bikes (i love it!!) but aren’t seeing the results that i want:( we had so many appointments cancel last week. we would bike all the way out there, and then get a pitnat(canceled appt.) it would be fine, except that it happened over and over! So much wasted time. I tried to invite as much as I could, but it is getting hard because it is starting to get so hot no one is out, and we aren’t allowed to go door to door. It leaves some times of just riding around trying to find just anyone. That is one thing that is hard on a mission, I have a constant anxiety of wasting time. I don’t want a minute of the Lord’s time to be wasted, so there is that constant bugger in the front of my brain at all times thinking “is this the most productive thing that I could be doing?” it will be nice to be able to just sit and talk around the dinner table or going for a drive, not worrying about any wasted time, just enjoying life. last night i got pretty discouraged. we gathered our results for the week (55 my comp and i couldnt think of how to say that in english! it took a minute..) and the numbers were the lowest ive had on my mission. so frustrating. i know that it isnt what missionary work is about, but it is nice to have some good numbers by the end of the week- im used to getting complimented for having some of the highest in the mission:( i talked with my comp though and we are really determined to work our tails off this week and help the Lord as best as we can in this work. >
we have a recent convert of about 3 months, yaay bua, sheis incredible. she is the sweetest old lady. i dont know what is wrong, but she cant really walk because her feet/ankles hurt her so badly, she doesnt wear shoes either because it makes it worse.she has to have someone help her walk everywhere. she comes to church all by herself, and climbs the stairs up to the sacrament meeting room, then down to the gospel principles classs, and then back up for relief society, never complaining one bit. i finally got permission for her to be able to just stay upstairs with everyone else. when the missionaries first started teaching her she couldnt really remember how to read because it had been over 50 years. now she has already read the book of mormon twice, the whole new sunday school book that everyone got, all of the pamphlets that we can come up with, is begging for a d and c, and has just started reading the bible. she is a reading machine. she loves everything that we can give her from the church. how crazy would it be to be a convert into a religion and whole way of life that is so different from anything youve ever lived or been taught or even heard of. i hope that i can be like her in my life, no matter what the trial is, the Lord always comes first. >
We have an investigator who is 18 and is really wanting to get baptized, but her parents are very against it and wont give her permission (the legal age is 20 here) we are hoping and praying that her moms heart will be softened and she can get baptized soon. ive already been through this once, i know that the Lord can help us with it again!>
Ive been going through the very poorly kept area bookS (yes we have multiple, multiple branches and hundreds of less actives) trying to make sense of them. there are hardly any baptisms in this area for years!!! that is going to change very soon:)>
well, times up. never enough time, no matter how boring the week was!>
mom, thank you so much for your email last week, it was so so good to get a long letter from you! i know it takes a lot of time! :) thank you dad, and all the rest of you, especially court and grandma for writing me/us!!!! it means so so much!>
i love you. i miss you!!!> love, sister young