Week 66 - Recovery Week

So this week was recovery week from my fever, but all of the members/investigators were SO CUTE. They found out I was sick and they went 'mom mode' on me...everyone. I was offered so many drugs. They told me to do all these crazy things to recover haha.  It was adorable. I definitely felt loved. I would wake up in the morning and Sister Morganti would tell me, "last night so-and-so followed up to make sure you were feeling better" x 3. The members here are MY FAVORITE. I love them all so much! Blessed to be a missionary in Thailand. 

Saw so many miracles this week but can't think of any specifically! Sorry! Today is my companion's birthday so we are going to have a crazy fun p-day and I can't think of anything to write...but miracles are happening I promise!! I'll do way better next week I promise...but in the mean time you can read this story about how I broke my nose at the park (well kind of)

FUNNY

So this week I was really sick, but by about Wednesday I was recovering but still had a runny nose. We were inviting at a small lake/park thing by our house that day and I had a huge pack of tissues just to be safe. We were teaching this GOLDEN investigator when my nose started running, and that's when I found the best surprise ever! I had a bloody nose! So luckily my tissue supply was just about gone. The person we were teaching wanted to keep talking so she gave me some tissues but I was dying with blood dripping down my hand (haha sorry this story is so gross). Anyway she finally stopped talking so we ran through the park to get to our bikes where I had the adventure of getting on/riding my bike home with 1 hand while holding my nose with the other. Haha it was a good day, but the best part came at night. Later that night the elders ran up to us and asked if I was okay/if I broke my nose! Haha apparently they were inviting at the lake as well when everyone asked them, "hey is your falang friend okay? She broke her nose here earlier!" Good times in the life of Sister Hammon

I LOVE being a missioanry and not just because I get to ride elephants again today...:) Love you all and have the best week ever!! ENJOY CONFERENCE FOR ME!! (Asia time = a week delayed) So that's the commitment--just remember "Despite the conditions of our day, we have many reasons to rejoice and be optimistic.”—Sister Bonnie L. Oscarson

THIS IS SO TRUE!  BE HAPPY!  The end, okay bye!!

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Sister Hammon

SO CUTE! So Thai people are convinced that if your head gets wet you will get sick, since I’ve been sick all week, one of our recent converts, Brother Gawi, walked everywhere with us just so my head could be covered while it rained!  SO CUTE!  

Switch offs!

The smallest banana!

Night market inviting!

Haha this is a way cool picture the was not intended to be taken, 

but Sister Morganti is the best photographer ever.

Week 65 - Travel, Travel, Travel

Hello hello! This email may be short, I got the flu shot a few days ago and now my body hates me...but I'm still living so we're all good! 

TRAVEL, TRAVEL, TRAVEL

This week was was so crazy! Tuesday night we flew down to Bangkok for MLC which was all of Wednesday. I LOVE MLC. Honestly one of the greatest meetings, President Johnson is incredible and motivates to improve entirely through love. 

We spent another night in Bangkok then flew out to Udorn the next morning at 4 AM (a city right on the border of Laos, Northern Eastern Thailand) to do a switch off! All I can say is MIRACLES. They are a trio so I switch offed with 2 sisters, and at the beginning of the day I felt prompted to have them pick a group they wanted to focus on while inviting. They both chose Priesthood holders, so we said a prayer we would find 4 priesthood holders and we went out on our way.

The weirdest thing. We ONLY saw men...it was the biggest craziest miracle ever! We went to a big famous lake in Udorn and for 3 hours we invited and only found potential priesthood holders! It was INCREDIBLE. Truly God hears and answers prayers as long as we do our part.

If I learned anything this week it is that:

1) God hears and answers prayers...every single one

2) Plan travel is the greatest thing that man has ever invented 

Haha after we landed in Bangkok after our 45 minute flight from Roiet one of the elders said, "did you know it takes the same amount of time to fly from Roiet to Bangkok as it does for a Bangkok missionary to get to their apartment from the church" hahaha ohhh Bangkok traffic. Can't say I miss it. 

LOVE YOU ALL, God knows you and loves you and WILL hear and answer every righteous prayer...try it. 

Much much love,

Sister Hammon

Mission Leader Conference!

This cute little girl turned 8 this week!

There was a ward youth activity of making pizza…since we are falling we automatically got volunteered to stay in the kitchen all night and bake them.  haha  

That was an adventure for sure!

Yes, that is a horse in the back of a truck…..Thailand

Switch off in Udorn! (these ducks are famous)

Haha my new favorite thing to do is call people out when they’re smoking and 

tell them they can quit!

Hello there Bangkok!

Remember when I told you my favorite Book of Mormon got taken by a monsoon?  Proof.

Week 64 - Baptism of Grandma ตุ๊ and the Watered Garden

So biggest update of the week, my new companion is an AUSSIE! She's hilarious and is so excited to be in Roiet because she has been stuck in Bangkok the last few months. Her name is Sister Morganti and it'll be weird because she ends her mission before me...so that may mean I'll be staying in Roiet until I "die" (in mission terms) but we will see! We are SO excited to get Roiet going again, or as Sister Morganti says, "we're gonna get this place bumpin!" Haha it'll be a good transfer or two for sure!

Roiet slowly but surely bringing forth miracle after miracle...miracle #1 BAPTISM OF ยาย ตุ๊! (Grandma Doou)

     So the beginning of last transfer Sister Chris [Christensen] and I were inviting in a neighborhood kind of out of the way...she stopped to invite this way old woman and I waited for her a little ahead (just assuming she would say no) when Sister Chris called me back, "she said she'll listen!" So we went back and started talking to her, when her friend walked in (da da daaaa Grandma Doou in the flesh!) So we taught both of them. We would visit them a few times a week and she LOVED us. She's the one who gave us Swiss chocolate and so much yummy food (like our real grandma!) 

     We were a little worried that she was learning more for the social aspect than for the gospel aspect, then one day we asked her what had changed in her life since she had learned with us and she told us that since she had started praying and going to church all the loneliness she felt in her life (from her kids moving away) had left and been replaced with peace and joy!! It was such a neat experience :) And as of yesterday she is officially a baptized member of the church!! She was BEAMING yesterday, and all the old women in the ward were freaking out because they love her so much. Definitely a highlight day.

As I was reading in Old Testament this week I found a verse that made me think of this situation... When I saw the first older woman I just assumed that she wouldn't be interested, because I didn't see potential in her...in Isaiah 1:30 it says, "and as a garden that hath no water." When I first met them I didn't take the time to envision their potential (or take the time to see what the garden would be like with water) But as we pray to see things through God's eyes we will see potential in every garden//child of God. Grateful Sister Chris had the faith to see that potential even when mine was lacking! MIRACLES. (That's my challenge, see potential in everyone as a child of God!)

Being a missionary is the absolute best. Even when you get lost and have to take/bike a 24 kilo detour, or when your favorite copy of the Book of Mormon gets caught in a monsoon, or when your language study time is taken over by killing all the insects in your apartment, or when the ward chorister picks "Gently Raise the Sacred Strain" and the only people singing in the congregation are the falangs...it's all part of the experience you know?:) Ahhhh love life so much! 

Have the best week everrrr. I love you all, this week for us is filled with flying across the country for meetings and switch offs so it'll be crazy busy! Choose the right and don't do drugs :)

Much much love,

ฃิสเตอร์ แฮมมอน

Grandma Doou! Absolutely adorable and basically my Thai grandma

A good Sunday in Roiet!

Thailand!

Saying bye to Sister Christensen

My Aussie companion Sister Morganti is a hoot!

Week 63 - Broken Commandments and Diamond Lessons

The problem with mid-week p-days is that so much happens I don't know what to write about so my emails are super random but I'll give it a shot! 

First of all, Sister Christensen is leaving tomorrow! She is heading to Bangkok and I am getting an Australian companion! Woohoo, so that'll be a blast. I also get to stay in the Esan! I seriously should be breaking some kind of record. I haven't served in Bangkok for almost a year! I'm way excited for the upcoming transfer. They are also adding 2 more elders in our area! (Our mission has been short 45 missionaries for months now, but a big group of greenies is coming in so we are all so excited!)

BROKEN COMMANDMENT

So on switch off's the other day we went to eat at a less active member's restaurant. After the meal we sat and talked with her and helped wash dishes to serve her. We left and it was pretty late but we went and taught an investigator too, when half way through the lesson I realized something. We hadn't paid for dinner! SO that was an adventure. We ended the lesson, biked 5 kilos to the restaurant, found out it was closed, kind of slightly broke in and left money and a note, then raced back to beat the clock before 9. So yes. That is the story of when I broke the commandments on my mission, but it was hilarious and we had a good time. The member also hasn't answered any of our calls since that day so let's pray she doesn't hate us! haha!

DIAMOND LESSONS

So yesterday we were able to meet with 2 adorable investigators Hong (หงส์) and Juli (จุลี) (who don't know each other) but they came at the same time so we taught them the Restoration together. I don't know what it was, but the spirit was SO incredibly strong. We compared the Priesthood power with a light and the person holding the light being the prophet. We explained that the time after Christ's death the light slowly disappeared from the earth causing everyone to walk in darkness -- until one boy said a prayer that changed everything. When we explained about Joseph Smith one of the girls stopped and said, "well is there a prophet today or is the light gone again?" I have never had anyone think that far ahead or understand the concept so well! Teaching Buddhist people about prophets is difficult because they don't really have anything that compares to prophets in their religion and have never heard of the term. But it was the most incredible experience to be able to tell her that YES there is a prophet today and YES there is still a light, a light that he holds to guide us all in this world today. I am oh so grateful for President Thomas S. Monson. Being able to testify of him and his authority is something I will never tire of.

Recently as I have been doing the normal things for missionary work I have taken a step back and thought, 'wow, this is honestly remarkable.' For just about everything. The fact that I can speak this crazy language, connect with people who know nothing about Christianity, read a book filled with noodle (AKA Thai script), meet people and help them develop faith in Christ, go contacting all day and love it, etc...I love being a missionary. And my thoughts were turned to this quote from President Uchtdorf:

It seems to be human nature: as we become more familiar with something, even something miraculous and awe-inspiring, we lose our sense of awe and treat it as commonplace. We tread a path covered with diamonds, but we can scarcely distinguish them from ordinary pebbles.

For the last little while I think this has described me perfectly. I am living an awe-inspiring life, but I don't treat it that way. So! My challenge for you (and me) is to look at the life you live and discover the awe! Don't become dis-enchanted by miracles and see the diamonds placed all around you! 

I love being a missionary. I love my Savior. I am so grateful for modern day prophets and for Joseph Smith for restoring this precious light to the earth once more. 

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ซิสเตอร์ แฮมมอน

Making grilled cheese with fire to help a less active member!

Switch offs!

Rectifying our stolen dinner

This is Elder Wannasri and here’s a picture to show you how happy he is all the time

We found the biggest snail I have ever seen in my life so we named him Herman. The end.

Herman

So for p-day last week we drove up to a market by Laos! It is divided by this river so we both thought we should take a swim to see what the other side is like!

A beautiful sunset in Thailand