taryn 4.19.10

Hello!
What a crazy week full of water and powder. monday through thursday it was hard to work, no one available, no wanting to listen because they were all out playing, and it took a loooong time to go anywhere, and then when you finally were at your destination you were soaking wet. im sad its over.. it was ridiculous! haha in the neighborhoods about every three houses people would run out into the street, blowing their whistle stopping you, rubbing white baby powder all over your face and pouring water on you. then out on the streets trucks everywhere throwing water everywhere. i dont think a single thing was dry in the whole town! on our pday we went to the park. they were pumping the water out of the lake and spraying it everywhere. my favorite was when we helped a less active member who was selling at her little stand who we helped wash her dishes in the brown water. i think they were cleaner before being washed!! (mind you a thai lake, not clean america lake. more like utah lake but much worse...) im so grateful for the blessing of being a missionary, there is no way that i could survive this! (but, i actually do think that i have my first worm at the moment . ive been really lucky not to have one yet!)
after only getting a few lessons in during those days, it was nice to get back to work, having lots of people to see, and being able to show up dry to the appts (ha well not soaking, but atleast now it is our sweat) our area is doing really well, we had 5 investigators at church on sunday which is awesome!!!!! we also have a lot of potentials pending that we will hopefully turn into progressing investigaors. our goals for this next week are super high, they are really going to stretch us. im excited! we can do it. we are going to get 7 with a baptismal date, 10 progressing, teach 20 sitting in the house lessons, and 5 new investigators. we are surpassing the mission 'standards of excellence' and i know we can do it with the Lords help!
i just beat the elders in a soft-serve ice cream eating contest. i think im going to die, but it was so worth it beating them:) hah i think the only 'big' accomplishments ever talked about or passed on as missionaries are the records of eating. good thing we bike a lot!
yesterday, about 30 seconds before the second round of church's sacrament meeting started, the branch president came up to me and asked me to speak! scary! during the first few talks i looked up some scriptures and then stood up and gave a talk about faith in thai. i didnt think that i could do something like that, especially in Thai! Heavenly Father really helped me, it was a neat feeling. i wasnt nervous at all, my mind was crisp and things just kept coming to me to say through the Spirit. after many people thanked me and commmented on how good my language was, saying it was probably as good as my english (absolutely exaggerating, but it was nice of them to say) It was one of the first times on my mission that i was able to recognize the gift of tongues. i didnt have to think about translating it, and reading the scriptures in Thai(which is so hard!) came easily and just flowed at that moment. It was a neat experience, and then having so many investigators there just topped it off.
I know i say this often, but i really dont know why i have been so blessed. in udon we have a few town 'bums', one which we call the string lady. all around town she has these piles of string that she has collected. she is even string- her hair is all dreadlocked and her clothing consists of strings draped everywhere. im not sure exactly how she does it, i think she ties a few around her body and then hangs the strings off of those. a few days ago in teh middle of the day we passed her asleep on the ground. the problem is, when you sleep on the ground with strings, the strings dont cover much. she was naked to the world. at first it was a pretty funny sight to see, but then i got really sad. realizing this is a daughter of God who was not nearly as fortunate as i have been. Heavenly Father loves her just as much as me. we are so immensely blessed. we have a lot expected of us because of this!
yesterday we taught the cutest lesson. one of the members just got her 8 yr old daughter back. she has been fighting for her for a few years now, her sister has been raising her because she used to be wild, but the church 180-ed her life. the church is amazing. she has been raised muslim, it is amazing how close our religions are, even in the way we pray. we had three little girls, one 9 (jen- a recent convert as well who lives with her grandma taht we teach every week in their one humble tiny room apt on the ground in the blistering heat with one crickety fan trying to work. i love that little girl), and the other two about 7-8 yrs old help us teach about the godhead and prayer. it was darling! i cant wait to teach her again.
family, i miss you so much. life is really really good right now, but a big piece of me is always missing. i am so thankful for you and that i have such an amazing family to miss. not a better immediate or extended family in the world. i love you! recently ive realized how short of time i have left. im down to 6 months. i remember when jan and ryan only had 6 months left, that was just barely and they are going home soon. i really am going to be home in no time, ive got to make the best of every day! that is good advice for all of us though, no matter what is going on in our lives. as prez monson once said something like, 'time is a steady constant thing and will always pass'. i hope that i can remember this for the rest of my life. to make the best of every part of life, no matter how hard or easy (is life ever easy?). we only have one chance! make the best of it, no one ever has regretted making the most of life...
i love you
love,
ซิสเตอร ยัง
ps..inviting the other day we came across a couple and their little boy's first name was jamesbond. it was wonderful in their thick thai accent. oh, and we also have a skywalker and a giant in one of our branches:)
pps..dad, its been three weeks now that my ankle has been bad and it is still pretty swollen. its driving me crazy cuz i cant run in the mornings. i put it up at night and sometimes ice it when it starts aching. any suggestions?