Dear Family,

Happy Day all is well!!!! We are back to a normal missionary schedule and normal contacting and no more weird 8:00 curfew! We just got the text. I'm so happy. I was getting a lil stir crazy. There's only so much organizing and updating one can do. And we actually ran out of people to call (without being absolutely annoying) SO here we go! Today is a lil mini interim transfer. Sister Carter is moving for real this time and she's going to Khon Kaen. CRAZY lil bit of change. Love it. I'll be holding down the fort here in Asoke. I love this place.

Yoga by the fish pond! Morning Exercises!

It was a crazy weird week. I missed contacting so much. I didn't realize how much time we spent doing that until we couldn't. Dad, I don't know what you're talking about the valley of shadow and death - contacting is my favorite. It's hot as a dot, that's for sure, but I really do love contacting. We meet the coolest and craziest people. I actually met someone the other day that told me that they loved Buddhism. That was a first. Usually people are only Buddhist because it's the culture. Then the earlier this week we decided to go contact over by the university. We hadn't gone there in a while, I don't know why (that's always when the miracle comes! New path, new place CHANGE!) So we walked through the lil hole in the wall to the university and the first lady we talked to was Catholic. She stopped, listened to us teach about the Book of Mormon and agreed to come inside the church for a brief tour. YES! She accepted a Book of Mormon, we showed her the baptismal font and she was so excited and willing to read and learn more. I'm so excited to teach her!

Even though this week was kinda slow, I just feel excited about the work. Maybe it's because of the change that is happening this week. Change brings renewed faith. Faith is always pointing toward the future.Maybe it's because I still get to be a missionary and work hard every day. I know there are great things to come, and no matter what there is always something to be grateful for. "And we, ourselves, also, through the infinite goodness of God, and the manifestations of his Spirit, have great views of that which is to come; and were it expedient, we could prophesy of all things." (Mosiah 5:3) Nothing will stop this work from progressing. Isn't that so empowering and exciting? We're on the Lord's side! I read this cool story from a talk Elder Utchdorf gave at the MTC.

President Uchtdorf spoke of Elder Fabrizio Ricciardi, a convert from Italy who served some 30 years ago as a missionary in Great Britain. His parents were troubled about him serving a mission, but he went, with peace in his heart. He determined that since his decision to serve had been so costly, he would make his time as a missionary count.

One of his missionary companions, Elder Danny Q. Humphrey, later wrote that every morning before they left the house, Elder Ricciardi would look at himself in the bathroom mirror, point, and say, “I fear no man.”

President Uchtdorf related that Elder Humphrey, a junior companion, wrote that as he stumbled along, Elder Ricciardi taught him many things about being a missionary. At one point, Elder Ricciardi asked, “Elder, do you know who you are?” He then opened the Book of Mormon to 3 Nephi 5:13 and read: “Behold, I am a disciple of Jesus Christ, the Son of God. I have been called of him to declare his word among his people, that they might have everlasting life.”

“Then [Elder Ricciardi] looked at his junior companion and said, ‘Elder, you are a disciple of Christ! You fear no man!’”

I fear no man! The church is so true. Life is good. With faith, all things are possible to those that believe.

Love you most!

Sister Sahagun

Pics-morning exercises by the fish pond :)

Family,
I love you!!! I loved talking with you on Mother's Day! I love Mom! I love singing with Nick and his guitar! I love all of you! I love lots of things like Thailand and mangoes and the Book of Mormon, and 7Eleven, and mostly just talking to everyone and being a missionary.

This week was kind of a struggle. I felt like the days were going a lot like the day that Sister Carter first called Sister Senior with a stomach ache and then that night ended up in surgery getting her appendix removed. Lots going on here. It seems like a small lil thing and then BOOM it just gets way bigger and is kind of a lot harder than you thought. I'm just loving her and trying to know what's realistic to keep doing and how to keep us going.

As always, after the struggle we had a miracle. This girl named B walked into church and said that she wanted to be baptized. She was completely willing and ready. She had come to church three times in April and learned everything with the Elders, but wasn't quite ready then. She didn't know it was true and wasn't keeping all the commandments. When I asked her what was different or what changed she said it was prayer. She had been praying every day and she said she got her answer that she knew this church was true and she wanted to be baptized and follow Christ. She stopped drinking coffee! It was such a cool experience. We reviewed everything with her, had her interview with the district leader and the bishop, and after church she was baptized. I love being a witness of God's miracles in the lives of other people.

Life is so good when you trust in God and have faith. I loved Elder Richard G. Scott's talk in conference "I have Given You An Example".(Read the talk  below) Love seemed to be a theme this conference. Christlike love is what this world needs most. I'm grateful for the Savior's example of Charity. I'm working on finding ways to better serve and love the people around me. "...loving them is the powerful foundation for influencing those you want to help." I know that God lives and that He loves us! I hope you have a wonderful week!

Love,

Sister Sahagun

“I Have Given You an Example”

By Elder Richard G. Scott

Of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles

The greatest example who ever walked the earth is our Savior, Jesus Christ. …

  He invites us to follow His perfect example.

As I have pondered my duty to share the gospel, I have reflected on loved ones whose tender influence helped me find the divinely appointed path that aided my spiritual progression. At vital times in my life, Father in Heaven blessed me with someone who cared for me enough to help guide my choices in an appropriate direction. They observed these words of the Savior: “For I have given you an example, that ye should do as I have done to you.”¹

When I was a young child, my father was not a member of the Church and my mother had become less active. We lived in Washington, D.C., and my mother’s parents lived 2,500 miles (4,000 km) away in the state of Washington. Some months after my eighth birthday, Grandmother Whittle came across the country to visit us. Grandmother was concerned that neither I nor my older brother had been baptized. I don’t know what she said to my parents about this, but I do know that one morning she took my brother and me to the park and shared with us her feelings about the importance of being baptized and attending Church meetings regularly. I don’t remember the specifics of what she said, but her words stirred something in my heart, and soon my brother and I were baptized.

Grandmother continued to support us. I remember that anytime my brother or I was assigned to give a talk in church, we would call her on the telephone for some suggestions. Within a few days a handwritten talk would arrive by mail. After some time her suggestions changed to an outline requiring more effort on our part.

Grandmother used just the right amount of courage and respect to help our father recognize the importance of his driving us to the church for our meetings. In every appropriate way, she helped us to feel a need for the gospel in our lives.

Most importantly, we knew Grandmother loved us and that she loved the gospel. She was a marvelous example! How grateful I am for the testimony she shared with me when I was very young. Her influence changed the direction of my life for eternal good.

Later, as I was about to graduate from the university, I fell in love with a beautiful young woman named Jeanene Watkins. I thought she was beginning to have some deep feelings for me also. One night when we were talking about the future, she carefully wove into the discussion a statement that changed my life forever. She said, “When I marry, it will be to a faithful returned missionary in the temple.”

I hadn’t thought much about a mission before then. That night my motivation to consider missionary service changed dramatically. I went home, and I could think of nothing else. I was awake all night long. I was completely distracted from my studies the next day. After many prayers I made the decision to meet with my bishop and begin my missionary application.

Jeanene never asked me to serve a mission for her. She loved me enough to share her conviction and then gave me the opportunity to work out the direction of my own life. We both served missions and later were sealed in the temple. Jeanene’s courage and commitment to her faith have made all the difference in our lives together. I am certain we would not have found the happiness we enjoy without her strong faith in the principle of serving the Lord first. She is a wonderful, righteous example!

Both Grandmother Whittle and Jeanene loved me enough to share their conviction that the ordinances of the gospel and serving Father in Heaven would bless my life. Neither of them coerced me or made me feel bad about the person I was. They simply loved me and loved Father in Heaven. Both knew He could do more with my life than I could on my own. Each courageously helped me in loving ways to find the path of greatest happiness.

How can each of us become such a significant influence? We must be sure to sincerely love those we want to help in righteousness so they can begin to develop confidence in God’s love. For so many in the world, the first challenge in accepting the gospel is to develop faith in a Father in Heaven, who loves them perfectly. It is easier to develop that faith when they have friends or family members who love them in a similar way.

Giving them confidence in your love can help them develop faith in God’s love. Then through your loving, thoughtful communication, their lives will be blessed by your sharing lessons you have learned, experiences you have had, and principles you have followed to find solutions to your own struggles. Show your sincere interest in their well-being; then share your testimony of the gospel of Jesus Christ.

You can help in ways that are grounded in principle and doctrine. Encourage those you love to seek to understand what the Lord would have them do. One way to do this is to ask them questions that make them think and then allow them sufficient time—whether hours, days, months, or more—to ponder and seek to work out the answers for themselves. You may need to help them know how to pray and how to recognize answers to their prayers. Help them to know that the scriptures are a vital source of receiving and recognizing answers. In that way you will help them prepare for future opportunities and challenges.

God’s purpose is “to bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of man.”² That is fundamental to all we do. Sometimes we get so wrapped up in things that we find fascinating or become so consumed by mundane responsibilities that we lose sight of God’s objectives. As you consistently focus your life on the most basic principles, you will gain an understanding of what you are to do, and you will produce more fruit for the Lord and more happiness for yourself.

When you focus your life on the basic principles of the plan of salvation, you will better concentrate on sharing what you know because you understand the eternal importance of the ordinances of the gospel. You will share what you know in a way that encourages your friends to want to be strengthened spiritually. You will help your loved ones want to commit to obey all of His commandments and take upon themselves the name of Jesus Christ.

Remember that the conversion of individuals is only part of the work. Always seek to strengthen families. Teach with a vision of the importance of families being sealed in the temple. With some families it may take years. This was the case with my parents. Many years after I was baptized, my father was baptized, and later my family was sealed in the temple. My father served as a sealer in the temple, and my mother served there with him. When you have the vision of the sealing ordinances of the temple, you will help build the kingdom of God on earth.

Remember, loving them is the powerful foundation for influencing those you want to help. The influence of my Grandmother Whittle and my wife, Jeanene, would have been negligible had I not first known that they loved me and wanted me to have the best in life.

As a companion to that love, trust them. In some cases it may seem difficult to trust, but find some way to trust them. The children of Father in Heaven can do amazing things when they feel trusted. Every child of God in mortality chose the Savior’s plan. Trust that given the opportunity, they will do so again.

Share principles that help those you love to press forward along the path to eternal life. Remember, we all grow line upon line. You have followed that same pattern in your understanding of the gospel. Keep your sharing of the gospel simple.

Your personal testimony of the Atonement of Jesus Christ is a powerful tool. Accompanying resources are prayer, the Book of Mormon and the other scriptures, and your commitment to priesthood ordinances. All of these will facilitate the direction of the Spirit, which is so crucially important for you to rely upon.

To be effective and to do as Christ has done,³ concentrate on this basic principle of the gospel: the Atonement of Jesus Christ makes possible our becoming more like our Father in Heaven so that we can live together eternally in our family units.

There is no doctrine more fundamental to our work than the Atonement of Jesus Christ. At every appropriate opportunity, testify of the Savior and of the power of His Atoning sacrifice. Use scriptures that teach of Him and why He is the perfect pattern for everyone in life.⁴ You will need to study diligently. Do not become so absorbed with trivial things that you miss learning the doctrine and teachings of the Lord. With a solid, personal doctrinal foundation, you will be a powerful source for sharing vital truths with others who desperately need them.

We best serve our Father in Heaven by righteously influencing others and serving them.⁵ The greatest example who ever walked the earth is our Savior, Jesus Christ. His mortal ministry was filled with teaching, serving, and loving others. He sat down with individuals who were judged to be unworthy of His companionship. He loved each of them. He discerned their needs and taught them His gospel. He invites us to follow His perfect example.

I know that His gospel is the path to peace and happiness in this life. May we remember to do as He has done by sharing our love, trust, and knowledge of truth with others who have not yet embraced the brilliant light of the gospel. In the name of Jesus Christ, amen.

My Birthday in Thailand

Celebrating my Cinco de Mayo Birthday in Thailand at a Mexican Restaurant!

FAMILY!!!

I'll be seeing you next week! Crazy! Thanks for all the birthday-ness :) It's fun to hear about dad's phone and school ending. Thanks for the pictures. Quinn and Courtney are the cutest lil family!! I loved you email mom. I'm so grateful for Aunt Kathy's example and the things that she kept in her life that were of most importance. I love our family!

This week I read Elder Holland's talk "Like a Broken Vessel"(Read his talk below) I've been thinking a lot about the Atonement and how I can better use it in my life each day and also how I can help the people around me turn to Christ and let him take their burdens. He breaks it down so well in his talk, but these are the two that stood out to me.

NEVER LOSE FAITH and BELIEVE IN MIRACLES

Miracles happen every day! They are so real! And God loves us! This won't mean as much to you until you know for yourself, but I've just felt so strongly the power of the Atonement in our lives and the love that Christ has for us. 

Hope you have a wonderful week!

Some of the Thailand Sisters

Love, 

Sister Sahagun

Like a Broken Vessel

By Elder Jeffrey R. Holland

Of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles

How do you best respond when mental or emotional challenges confront you or those you love?

The Apostle Peter wrote that disciples of Jesus Christ are to have “compassion one of another.” ¹ In that spirit I wish to speak to those who suffer from some form of mental illness or emotional disorder, whether those afflictions be slight or severe, of brief duration or persistent over a lifetime. We sense the complexity of such matters when we hear professionals speak of neuroses and psychoses, of genetic predispositions and chromosome defects, of bipolarity, paranoia, and schizophrenia. However bewildering this all may be, these afflictions are some of the realities of mortal life, and there should be no more shame in acknowledging them than in acknowledging a battle with high blood pressure or the sudden appearance of a malignant tumor.

In striving for some peace and understanding in these difficult matters, it is crucial to remember that we are living—and chose to live—in a fallen world where for divine purposes our pursuit of godliness will be tested and tried again and again. Of greatest assurance in God’s plan is that a Savior was promised, a Redeemer, who through our faith in Him would lift us triumphantly over those tests and trials, even though the cost to do so would be unfathomable for both the Father who sent Him and the Son who came. It is only an appreciation of this divine love that will make our own lesser suffering first bearable, then understandable, and finally redemptive.Let me leave the extraordinary illnesses I have mentioned to concentrate on MDD—“major depressive disorder”—or, more commonly, “depression.” When I speak of this, I am not speaking of bad hair days, tax deadlines, or other discouraging moments we all have. Everyone is going to be anxious or downhearted on occasion. The Book of Mormon says Ammon and his brethren were depressed at a very difficult time, ² and so can the rest of us be. But today I am speaking of something more serious, of an affliction so severe that it significantly restricts a person’s ability to function fully, a crater in the mind so deep that no one can responsibly suggest it would surely go away if those victims would just square their shoulders and think more positively—though I am a vigorous advocate of square shoulders and positive thinking!

No, this dark night of the mind and spirit is more than mere discouragement. I have seen it come to an absolutely angelic man when his beloved spouse of 50 years passed away. I have seen it in new mothers with what is euphemistically labeled “after-baby blues.” I have seen it strike anxious students, military veterans, and grandmothers worried about the well-being of their grown children.

And I have seen it in young fathers trying to provide for their families. In that regard I once terrifyingly saw it in myself. At one point in our married life when financial fears collided with staggering fatigue, I took a psychic blow that was as unanticipated as it was real. With the grace of God and the love of my family, I kept functioning and kept working, but even after all these years I continue to feel a deep sympathy for others more chronically or more deeply afflicted with such gloom than I was. In any case we have all taken courage from those who, in the words of the Prophet Joseph, “search[ed] … and contemplate[d] the darkest abyss” ³ and persevered through it—not the least of whom were Abraham Lincoln, Winston Churchill, and Elder George Albert Smith, the latter being one of the most gentle and Christlike men of our dispensation, who battled recurring depression for some years before later becoming the universally beloved eighth prophet and President of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

So how do you best respond when mental or emotional challenges confront you or those you love? Above all, never lose faith in your Father in Heaven, who loves you more than you can comprehend. As President Monson said to the Relief Society sisters so movingly last Saturday evening: “That love never changes. … It is there for you when you are sad or happy, discouraged or hopeful. God’s love is there for you whether or not you feel you deserve [it]. It is simply always there.” ⁴ Never, ever doubt that, and never harden your heart. Faithfully pursue the time-tested devotional practices that bring the Spirit of the Lord into your life. Seek the counsel of those who hold keys for your spiritual well-being. Ask for and cherish priesthood blessings. Take the sacrament every week, and hold fast to the perfecting promises of the Atonement of Jesus Christ. Believe in miracles. I have seen so many of them come when every other indication would say that hope was lost. Hope is never lost. If those miracles do not come soon or fully or seemingly at all, remember the Savior’s own anguished example: if the bitter cup does not pass, drink it and be strong, trusting in happier days ahead. ⁵

In preventing illness whenever possible, watch for the stress indicators in yourself and in others you may be able to help. As with your automobile, be alert to rising temperatures, excessive speed, or a tank low on fuel. When you face “depletion depression,” make the requisite adjustments. Fatigue is the common enemy of us all—so slow down, rest up, replenish, and refill. Physicians promise us that if we do not take time to be well, we most assuredly will take time later on to be ill.

If things continue to be debilitating, seek the advice of reputable people with certified training, professional skills, and good values. Be honest with them about your history and your struggles. Prayerfully and responsibly consider the counsel they give and the solutions they prescribe. If you had appendicitis, God would expect you to seek a priesthood blessing and get the best medical care available. So too with emotional disorders. Our Father in Heaven expects us to use all of the marvelous gifts He has provided in this glorious dispensation.

If you are the one afflicted or a caregiver to such, try not to be overwhelmed with the size of your task. Don’t assume you can fix everything, but fix what you can. If those are only small victories, be grateful for them and be patient. Dozens of times in the scriptures, the Lord commands someone to “stand still” or “be still”—and wait. ⁶ Patiently enduring some things is part of our mortal education.

For caregivers, in your devoted effort to assist with another’s health, do not destroy your own. In all these things be wise. Do not run faster than you have strength. ⁷ Whatever else you may or may not be able to provide, you can offer your prayers and you can give “love unfeigned.” ⁸ “Charity suffereth long, and is kind; … [it] beareth all things, … hopeth all things, endureth all things. Charity never faileth.” ⁹

Also let us remember that through any illness or difficult challenge, there is still much in life to be hopeful about and grateful for. We are infinitely more than our limitations or our afflictions! Stephanie Clark Nielson and her family have been our friends for more than 30 years. On August 16, 2008, Stephanie and her husband, Christian, were in a plane crash and subsequent fire that scarred her so horrifically that only her painted toenails were recognizable when family members came to identify the victims. There was almost no chance Stephanie could live. After three months in a sleep-induced coma, she awoke to see herself. With that, the psyche-scarring and horrendous depression came. Having four children under the age of seven, Stephanie did not want them to see her ever again. She felt it would be better not to live. “I thought it would be easier,” Stephanie once told me in my office, “if they just forgot about me and I quietly slipped out of their life.”

But to her eternal credit, and with the prayers of her husband, family, friends, four beautiful children, and a fifth born to the Nielsons just 18 months ago, Stephanie fought her way back from the abyss of self-destruction to be one of the most popular “mommy bloggers” in the nation, openly declaring to the four million who follow her blog that her “divine purpose” in life is to be a mom and to cherish every day she has been given on this beautiful earth.

Whatever your struggle, my brothers and sisters—mental or emotional or physical or otherwise—do not vote against the preciousness of life by ending it! Trust in God. Hold on in His love. Know that one day the dawn will break brightly and all shadows of mortality will flee. Though we may feel we are “like a broken vessel,” as the Psalmist says, ¹⁰ we must remember, that vessel is in the hands of the divine potter. Broken minds can be healed just the way broken bones and broken hearts are healed. While God is at work making those repairs, the rest of us can help by being merciful, nonjudgmental, and kind.

I testify of the holy Resurrection, that unspeakable cornerstone gift in the Atonement of the Lord Jesus Christ! With the Apostle Paul, I testify that that which was sown in corruption will one day be raised in incorruption and that which was sown in weakness will ultimately be raised in power. ¹¹I bear witness of that day when loved ones whom we knew to have disabilities in mortality will stand before us glorified and grand, breathtakingly perfect in body and mind. What a thrilling moment that will be! I do not know whether we will be happier for ourselves that we have witnessed such a miracle or happier for them that they are fully perfect and finally “free at last.” ¹² Until that hour when Christ’s consummate gift is evident to us all, may we live by faith, hold fast to hope, and show “compassion one of another,” ¹³ I pray, in the name of Jesus Christ, amen.