taryn 7.5.10

Hello!
To start it off, last week i got what we call in the mission "death papers". they are the papers that tell you that youre going home soon, thank you for your service, tell you to keep working hard to the end, and ask information about your home ward/stake ect to send things to them telling them your coming home. crazy.
We've had an awesome week this week. Missionary work is so stressful for me, i get so worried about where exactly we are supposed to be, what im supposed to say and do. im working really hard to give my stresses to the Lord. Its hard being a missionary because none of it is really up to you, you try so hard, but it is really all up the agency of the people. you have to give it to the Lord and hope he can help them choose the right path. im trying to remember that and not get so stressed.
Yesterday was a very rewarding day. We had 8 investigators at church!!! we had 0 my first 2 weeks here. It was really cool, they just kept coming in. The elders just kept looking at us like "what the?" i felt bad, with 4 elders they had 1 investigator. The 1 investigator was a guy that i invited on the street last week.. I think that it is easier for sisters. the women are much more ready usually, and the families that we are teaching, the men are more responsive to women. only half of them stayed all three hours, but I was still really happy with that. i hope to have them all and more be there for the whole time next week. we are still rocking with new investigators as well, we got another 10 this week! not weve got to just help them progress and help them begin their journey to come unto Christ.We have some really good investigators right now.
to start, we have nin and her mom. her mom is all for her learning, she just doesnt know how golden she is herself. they are both praying and reading, though nin was the only one who went to church. we taught them on sat, the mom was just leaving to take her dog on a walk. Heavenly Father pulled a miracle for us, the dog wouldnt go! she was saying how wierd it was, how he usually loves walks. we taught them both, and her mom, saa, was telling us how prayer is already helping her daughters life so much. now we just have to help her to realize it is for her too.
the lahu hill tribe family that we are teaching is kind of progressing. the mom and a few of the cousins are progressing, but we want the whole family. there is a very cute girl who is staying with them who is learning with us as well. bummer though, she is the most progressing, but is from mae ho song, way way up north where the hill tribe is. there is no church up there.. she is here for awhile because her daughter is in the hospital. we went to visit the hospital a few times last week, so sad. i realized i dont thing i can be a doctor anymore. ive never gotten sick from stuff like that before, but both times we went, sis josephson and i both had to "go to the bathroom" to take a break cuz we were both about to pass out. it was another thailand hospital experience. we went to the icu where it is dirty, lined with beds with people dying on them. no privacy for the families or anything. she is a little 8 yr old girl who was climbing up a tree to get some fruit and fell. she fell on the back of her head, im not sure what is wrong with her. she can move around, but it is like she is sleeping or in a coma or something. she just stares with her eyes open, tubes down her throat, and another coming out of the back of her head draining blood. she is such a cute little girl. we had a neat experience, brother giant came and gave her a blessing. it was a very peaceful feeling, i kept having to peek cuz to thought she was going to wake up right there. she still hasnt, but i know that it is up to the Lord. being in there made me realize again how precious and fragile life is. please please please be careful!
We have some other good investigators, like mint and her dad, and then we have some others that we might have to drop this week. i dont like dropping people, but i just have to have the faith that their time will come later when they are more ready.
Weve had some fun pday trips the past few weeks. we went to some wats(buddhist temples) 2 weeks ago, there are way too many of them in chiang mai, but they are beautiful. then last week we went to the zoo which was pretty fun: up on the mountainside/jungle and there was hardly any barriers-if any- for the animals (sometimes very scary!) then today was one of my favorite things that i have done in thailand. we went about an hour away up in the mountians, watched elephants play soccer, dance, and paint, and then got to ride them up over a steep mountain side and down into a valley with some hill tribe people. amazing how there are so many different people in this world with such different lives, but they are all of Gods children. i am excited for the day that people get called to the "hill tribe mission" to learn their languages and spread the gospel up there. as we were riding the elephants on a steep ledge, jungle all around, overlooking the city far away, and watching HUGE bugs that look like shrimp but bigger fly around, i couldnt help but think that i am in the coolest mission in the world. what an amazing place to be. i am so lucky to be able to serve here. not only for the fun things to do though, but the people are amazing.
well, its that time again. please stay safe, stay happy, and choose the right always! i love you so much and i just miss you more and more every day. you are the best.
love,
sister young