First of all, I'm sure you're wondering where I'm currently serving. I am in the beautiful....CHANG MAI (also known as "heaven" around here)!!! It is so beautiful. There are lots of farangs (white people) here on vacation from America, Australia, Europe, you name it. And for all sorts of reasons--they're sick of corporate America, to studying Thai for a year, to wanting to become Buddhist. Haha. There are still plenty of Thais, though, and they are wonderful. My companion is Sister Young from Orem, UT. She is incredible! Jac, you said you spent a day with a greenie that reminded you of me? WELL, this sister is a mixture of Liz and Jaclyn--she's perfect! I seriously love her, and we've gotten along really well. She's very patient with me, and gives me opportunities to grow and learn. She is also Steve Young's niece! Ha, unnecessary info, but it's fun to know. We're going to get along great.
It was so good to talk to so many of you last week! I hope Shelby's birthday party went well. :) I'm sorry I didn't get to talk to you, Shelb! Christmas is just around the corner, haha. We got to Thailand, were picked up by Pres Smith and his cute wife, and went to their house. We had a nice lunch, figured out a bunch of paperwork, then he gave us a surprise--we went inviting! I placed a Book of Mormon and got a return appointment with a family. It was super nerve racking, but it helped when the older sister I was with said, "This is her first day in Thailand!" Ha, they were pretty receptive after that. We then had an authentic Thai dinner at President's house, and hit the hay early. I honestly could not keep my eyes open at all. I've never felt quite so tired. But I woke up the next day, Wednesday, feeling quite normal! After that I haven't been affected much by the time change. After a nice breakfast of fried rice, hahaha, we went to moves meeting where I met my new companion! It was fun to see the older district that left before us, too. We soon after got on a bus headed for Chang Mai--11 hour bus ride! LIZ.................remember Ecuador and all it's glory? Just ponder those precious moments for a second and you'll know my first few hours in Thailand. Hahaha, it has been so fun. I got on the bus just sweating like crazy, and plopped in my chair totally beat. Luckily I slept most of the bus ride. We got to our appt in Chang Mai at 6:00 am the next day, slept for 20 minutes, and got up at 6:30 for my first day on the job! Haha, long day, but it was great! We've been having a lot of lessons thanks to the companionship here before, it's been really fun. Sis Young said we had more on Saturday than she did her first 3 weeks here! We had 6 appts that day. I don't say much in lessons, I'm mostly just straining to understand. But she'll turn to me and ask me to explain some simple concept, or bear my testimony, or whatever. I can do that! It definitely gets better with each lesson, and I feel I can add more and more. The Thai is coming! The hardest part is not being able to express myself in Thai the way I do in English, but that will come. Heavenly Father has already blessed me a ton just these past 6 days! It's been incredible to see and feel.
SO--Thailand. Ha, so many things to say! Our apt is nice, or "high so" (high society). We at least have a washer! There's lizards all over the walls, and I'm pretty used to ants all over everything. There are just so many things. The other day in the park we were sitting on a bench eating, and all the sudden across the way this old man turns on these huge speakers and people start gathering for an aerobics class in the middle of the park! Haha, it was hilarious. Picking noses in public is no big deal, either. Don't worry--I'm using lots of hand sanitizer. Oh, CRAZY story! Yesterday, Sunday, we were heading to church on our bikes (yes, we've been riding bikes a lot. White Rim crew--remember our sore bums on that trails? This takes a close second). Sis Young was ahead of me a ways, and we came to a corner when all the sudden this dog came running around the corner at full speed. We were cruising pretty fast, so all she had time to do was hit the dog! She nailed him, flew over the handle bars, and got a bit scraped up. It was a little intense in the moment, but now we just laugh about it. Haha. Who hits a dog at full speed on a bike? Sister missionaries in Thailand.
The bike riding is fun, I really love it. They have some clips here we can clip our skirts to the side so they kind of stay out of the way. Notice I say kind of. Haha. I'm pretty used to being wet all the time--either from rain or sweat. It's the rainy season now, so we've been caught in some storms already. It's just SO beautiful here! Get on google and look it up. This is the super touristy part of Thailand, with the elephant riding, rock climbing, hikes, etc all around. We'll be pretty busy on preparation days.
The other day we were riding through a neighborhood inviting, when we stopped at a house on the corner. The walls are garage doors, so everything was open. We saw a grandma sitting in there and decided to talk with her. We call her khunyay, which is like a respectful way of calling elderly people. (yay=grandma). She reminded me so much of Grandma Rosie! She is the sweetest woman, and so generous and kind. We got to talking, and telling her a little bit about ourselves and what we were doing. As we talked we found out (well, Sis Young found out and told me after) she is 78 years old, has a couple children and lives alone. Furthermore, she has never heard of God before, let alone Jesus Christ. That's common in Thailand, but not necessarily in Chang Mai, There's actually quite a few Christians here. Anyway, Sister Young gave her a Restoration pamphlet and asked me to say a prayer after she explained it. She said she felt something! I felt so much love for her at that moment. I know it was the love of God working within me and helping me love this woman. It amazed me that God has been aware of this woman for eternity, let alone these 78 years on earth. He has watched her, helped her, grieved with her, rejoiced with her, all the while she has never known of his name. Is that not mind boggling? We're going back to visit with her again, and she wants to come to church with us. We'll see what happens.
We've had lot of other incredible experiences already. A couple of people have even told us that they had dreams of farangs just days before we showed up in their home. I was beginning to think that was a common occurrence, but Sister Young assures me that these stories are not typical. We've seen some awesome and miraculous things! I love it here. I'll continue to help her teach, doing all I can, and trust that God will touch their hearts as I put mine out there. It's already happened.
Last night I had quite a different Sunday dinner than I've ever had. We took a few investigators to the District President's home, with his family and the Branch President. We were on the floor, with 3 little flame stoves out, and a bunch of raw meat/fish with noodles and cabbage out. We all just sat down and started cooking our meals to order! Ha, it was so fun. Nin, a 13 yr old investigator we have, was with us. She speaks English very well and is my little tutor. Everyone got a kick out of me not being able to use chopsticks, but I was determined not to use the fork they kept offering me. Everyone just laughed and laughed, the little 9 yr olds were in total awe I couldn't use them. It's like seeing someone not be able to use a fork! I felt a little foolish, haha, but improved significantly by the end of the night. :) Everything is so fun here. Different, but that makes if more fun, right? I love it.
Well, I love you all so much family! I have an hour to email, so don't be afraid to send a little note if you'd like. Not necessarily novels, but I'd love to hear from you! Preparation Days are Monday. It is 4:00 pm Monday here, so it's 2:00 am Monday there. I think. Anyway, I love you so much. I'm so grateful to be here! Sometimes it's a little overwhelming, but then I remember I'm on a mission and qualify for help as I work for it. So, I've decided I'll just get to work, pray hard, and expect miracles. They've already come to pass! It's interesting being on the other side of these letters as the missionary. Dad says I'm a little preachy, I'll try to tone it down. :) I just wish you could see inside my heart right now! There's a million things going on, changes being made. I love it. I love you all! Make it a great week!
Love,
Sisdah Naygun
(emphasis on the "gun", haha. They spelled my name wrong! I think they though it was Nay-gul, of course, but that doesn't translate into the Thai alphabet very well, Haha. So, I've been Sister Nay-gun for the past week, haha. Thailand is the best. Seriously.)
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