taryn 8.25.10

Hey family! Im sorry for not writing until now, the past week has been crazy!
Im in bankok right now, but my cute greenie is still up in Chiang Mai! Oh man what an adventure! Saturday the elders called us and told me i had to come down here on monday for a new training thing that they are starting to do- the church is changing a lot of things in the way missions work. I about passed out because there is no way we could leave our area for almost a week. We arranged it so that a thai member is living at our house being her companion this week! she is so brave, im proud of her. there is no way i could have done that as a greenie! i drove down in a big van with 8 elders. the first half was amazing. so beautiful. driving through the jungley mountians of northern thailand, every once in a while passing a tiny rice farming village. huge jungle trees, green everywhere. i saw a HUGE snake on the side of the road that had been smashed. biggest snake ive ever seen. scary! hah then we hit a dog. the driver stopped, looked at his car, and then kept going, didnt say a word.
then the second half of the drive was horrible! i felt so bad. i got really sick half way down on the 13 hour drive and was throwing up in the nasty nasty thailand bus stop squatter toilets for like 30 min as the elders had to wait outside. we got in the van and i held in my throwup until we stopped to pick up more elders, threw up in their house, and then held it in until we got to the hotel in bangkok. longest 5 hours of my life! yesterday was awesome though, i felt like i was in the mtc again. we had a spiritually packed day, 8-8 at night. way motivating, it makes you just want to get out there and preach the good work and work even harder. it was fun because almost all my elders from the mtc, and sister oniel and larson were there cuz it was a leadership training meeting, only way sisters go is if they are training.
tonight after pday i get to switch off in saphaansung!!!!! my greenie area! i am so excited! then tomorrow were back to training and then leaving thurs night or fri, im not sure.
we have 12 investigators planning on getting baptized. so awesome! im sad though, i wont be here for some of them. the area is rocking, we are teaching machines. we had 29 lessons last week! because all the talking with people in apts, talking with as many as we can in between apts, and the fact that i have to do most of the talking, my voice is getting shot. every night my voice is so scratchy and hurts. any ideas what i can do? im getting to the point that there is so so much to write that i dont know what to write, and also im coming home soon so i can just tell you about it then!
we have 2 cute cousins we are teaching, age 12 and 17. the 12 year old rides a bus 45 minutes into chiang mai every saturday to sleep at her cousins so she can go to church.they have been learning only a little over a month and are both storming through the bom, the 12 year old 1/2 way through alma, and the 17 year old just finished it! she has the most incredible questions. we are trying to get the rest of the family to learn, but they just arent intersted "dont have time" which is everyones excuse here. The book of mormon is so powerful, thats something that i have been realizing more and more through my mission, and even more yesterday through training. if we can just get people to read that book, there is no way that they can deny it unless they really try to deny the holy ghost!
im sorry i dont have much time today to write, things are crazy this week. i promise a good email soon! i love this gospel. it is the only way that we can have true happiness, live with heavenly father again, and live with our families for all of eternity! i love the book of mormon. love it. i also love these people. so much. i dont know how im ever going to leave them. i love you all! be safe, take care, choose the right, read the bom every day!
love,
sister young