I'm a Trainer!

Dearest Family,

So I had a nightmare about a week ago that it was transfers meeting and I was standing in front of everyone just waiting to hear who my new companion was. It was just way too suspenseful and embarrassing and finally President Senior shows my picture and my new companion's picture on the screen and says "Surprise! You're training!" I felt so betrayed that no one had warned me and confused and I felt bad that my companions first impression of me was freaking out...haha!

So here's reality. Thursday morning I got a phone call from the AP, "Congratulations Sister Sahagun you will be training this transfer!" I had already had a nightmare about this moment and was prepared for this! This week was a lot of change and transition, but I have felt so much peace. Before Thursday I thought okay if that really were a thing I would maybe cry for a lil bit because I can't understand Thai, but then I would be fine because all I need is the companionship of the spirit, to be obedient, work diligently, and the Lord will take care of the rest! I have felt so much peace this week. The Lord trusts me, so I need to trust myself and see myself how He sees me. I'm exercising every ounce of faith that I have and praying so earnestly for me and to know what I need to do to be a better missionary. I'm so grateful that I'm still in Pak Kret. I know the area, I know the members and our investigators and that familiarity is so comforting! My new companion is Sister Tilley. She's from Brigham City, Utah and I absolutely love her. We are so similar and have already had some great experiences teaching together and finding. She is so prepared, really her Thai is way better than mine was when I got here. The word in Thai for greenie is nong kiaw. (nong is younger, kiaw is green) so all the while I've been nong kiaw and I just never want to let that title go, but know I'm ma kiaw (green mom). That's good enough for me. All the members and other missionaries in my district have been so supportive and everyone just tells us that we're going to learn so much and so fast. I surely hope so! I believe it. This is so exciting. There are 7 other Sisters from my MTC district that are training as well. Many of them are in new areas or opening areas where there have never been Sisters! I'm feeling good. I know that youth is know excuse! The Lord trusts the youth! It's really a humbling thought and I'm doing all that I can to be worthy of the spirit and the Lord's help.

So recently as I've shown people our beautiful family picture, everyone points to me and says who is that? I'm unrecognizable. The helmet hair is just too real. Then they point to Nick and Tyler and they're like Justin Bieber! Jessica has her tongue sticking out and everyone just thinks she's the cutest. Mom and Dad you are just so young and beautiful. Sure do love ya.

The word of the week - rawang. (Sorry for the terrible romanized spelling this keyboard is too complicated) Rawang means careful. I learned it a while ago, but recently I've been hearing it at least 127 times a day. Everyone is very concerned about our safety, especially when we tell them how far we ride our bikes. The other day this lady wa-ed me out pretty bad. She said I was going too too fast by this bus and she saw the whole thing but really I feel like the most cautious missionary. I promise I'm being safe. I'll start keeping a tally of that word so I can give you a more accurate account. Exaggerating is way too fun though.

Saturday night, Sister Tilley and I went to go visit Malee and New. (New is the one that likes to study religions) Malee just kind of cut me off mid sentence and said we're Buddhist, we aren't going to change. And when I asked her about New if he was still interested she just said he has already studied with us enough. He doesn't want to learn more. My heart is broken. I sound like a drama queen, but really I am just so sad. It's different when we're just out on the streets talking to people and they reject us, it's still sad, but this was so much harder. That day we read with New in the Book of Mormon about pressing forward with a steadfast in Christ and enduring to the end was so exciting and I saw his faith growing. It's hard to watch how others choose to use their agency. I really hope New keeps reading his Book of Mormon and that someday he'll learn again with the missionaries.

Sunday we had so many people at church! Sister Tilley was so amazing and just talked to everyone and took care of our people. Elder and Sister Taber our amazing senior couple needed a translator. so I gave that a try for about 2 and a half minutes. It was so stressful!! I would understand something but not know how to phrase it  and then they would just speak so fast onto the next thing. I just watched them laugh with me a couple rows ahead and then waved down the Elders to come rescue me. Someday I'll try again. We got to watch the worldwide training...in Thai. Loved it. Can't wait to watch it in English. My favorite part was that movie with the armies of Helaman! So good, I cried.

I love you all so much! Be a member missionary! Choose the right! Remember who you are! 

Happiness is being a missionary!

Dearest Family,

Hello! How are you? I finally got an email from Nick! It sounds like he is doing good, well we are actually both trying to figure out how to be ourselves ha that's fun. I'm feeling more confident about that this week. I was mostly just struggling with being myself around my companion, but things are getting better. Dad, thank you so much for sending that talk. You all send the most uplifting emails I am so blessed!

I am so happy to be a missionary! This week was really good. We met with a lot of less actives one of our less actives referred her less active friend too! That was a happy day. So we've had a couple companion exchanges this transfer, but this time instead of me going somewhere else to be trained by someone else, Sister Zaugg came here and I trained her. She has been here for 6 weeks and I have been here for 12. At first I was worried that it would be like the blind leading the blind, but it ended up being an amazing day with so many miracles. We started out the day with studies and then had to go get our bikes. The day before, Sister Carter and I were on our way to District meeting when she got a flat tire. So we walked our bikes through this neighborhood and found this house with a bunch of broken bikes outside. The lady next door told us if we left the bikes overnight, the man that lived there would fix them and we could just come get them the next day. So Sister Zaugg and I took a taxi to the general location of our bikes ( I was so nervous about communicating effectively to get us there) on the way we talked to our taxi driver and found out that he had a Book of Mormon and that he'd been to church before! We had a great lil lesson with him, got his phone number, and found exactly where our bikes where! The tire was all fixed and it was only 10 baht! That is seriously nothing! Miracles! All day we were able to get to the places we needed to, we understood people, and had good success contacting. Our mission president has asked us to spend two hours each day contacting. I don't mind it at all but most missionaries hate it. So really the hard part about contacting is just getting my companion on board. So anyway that was a great day of leading Sister Zaugg around Pak Kret. 

Thursday we met with May and her friend C. We recommitted May to a new date to be baptized and also invited her friend C who we just met! It was really exciting to see her friend C so excited about wanting to be baptized. C is already Christian! That really makes teaching so much easier. So many people don't know who God is and are way confused about who Jesus Christ is. With most of our other investigators we just teach about the Godhead the first couple of times that we see them to help them really understand.

Yesterday was such a good day! Sister Carter and I sang again in the International branch. I love singing with her. In the Thai branch, Sister Carter gave a talk (she may potentially most likely be moving this week - transfers are Thursday) and her talk was so good! I understood everything!! All day I felt great about communicating with the members in Thai. I speak Thai!! So crazy. There's a billion words I don't know, but the ones I know are the most frequently used so we're good. I'll keep working hard on my language study. Embarrassing moment from yesterday: So they asked us to take care of the music in Sacrament meeting for the International branch. Sister Carter leads the music and I press the start button on the self playing organ to get the hymns going. It's lovely. Well not all of the hymns are programmed into the organ and yesterday I went to start the sacrament hymn and it wasn't there! I had to play it!! It was super rough, I felt terrible, and I'm pretty sure it was for all to hear on the sound system out in the foyer. I need to practice!! For next week, I've made sure that all of the hymns are programmed in there already.

This week I've thought a lot about consistency. I found the Conference Ensign from 2010 in our apartment and read this quote from Elder Scott, " We become what we want to be by consistently being what we want to become." I love this so much! It goes along with what we talked about at zone conference with diligence and desire too. I've been thinking about how my investigators know how to pray, they've been given the scriptures and the tools to come closer to Christ, but unless they consistently read and pray, they won't be progressing. It reminded me of the 10 virgins - the five that tended their lamps consistently and added oil had continual light, but the ones that were not consostent or worried about continually tending their light lost it. I want my investigators to have continual light so that they can become truly converted and then be a light to others. I know this church is true. I know that by consistently doing the small and simple things our faith and testimony is strengthened.

Have a wonderful week! 

Love, Love,

Sister Sahagun

Dearest Family,

How are you? How is Nick? I have not heard from Elder Sahagun since Mother's Day and I just miss him! Will you please forward me his emails?

This last week was a bit of a struggle. We were not able to get in touch with of our investigator May all week! And we didn't see her last week either..AH! She has a date to be baptized this Saturday but she ha
sn't finished learning all the lessons and she's not really progressing like she was 3 weeks ago. We finally saw her yesterday after church, but she is so busy with school we can't see her til Thursday. I'm sad about that. 

There is a lot of work to be done in our little branch to strengthen the members. Yesterday the Young Women's President asked to be released from her calling because she can't get Sundays off. Mutual hasn't been the huge success that I had hoped for either. The hardest part is that the leaders are not able to come and don't really do much to help get the word out. The missionaries don't mind planning activities and contacting people, but everything we've tried hasn't been really effective. I think we just need to get the youth excited about living the gospel. Our focus this week is on lessons with recent converts and less actives. We're going to find all the lost people on our ward list! (Okay not really, that is not a realistic goal, but yes we are going on an intense adventure this week.)

Saturday we were able to help at the district primary program! The kids were so cute and had an amazing variety of talents of really cool traditional dances, hula hooping, singing, and just being cute. There was a group of four little girls that recited all 13 articles of faith! I was so impressed. Maybe that will be my next memorization goal for Thai.

Thanks for sharing your small victories mom, keep up the good work! It looks like you had a lot of fun with the Taiwanese students! Thanks for sharing pictures! I'm so happy you all got to go to the temple together! I miss the temple! I miss you! Have a wonderful week! 

Love, Love,

Sister Sahagun

Missionaries Arrive in Thailand

This video was just sent to us by Heather's Mission President. It's footage from the first day she arrived in Thailand. 

Warning: May cause some tears!

Dearest Family,

You are all so wonderful! Special Happy Father's Day shout out to one cool Daddio! I missed you a lot yesterday. Sister Carter and I spoke in the international branch and sang with some young women "I Come to Him" It was really pretty. Talking on Father's Day being away from your dad is hard! But I am so grateful to be here and I am grateful for a loving Heavenly Father that is taking such good care of me and also my family. Something I shared in my talk was that I am so grateful for the letters I get from home, especially your returned missionary words of wisdom. Even more, I'm grateful for the letters from my heavenly home that I can read in the scriptures each day. I find so much strength and guidance as I read each day.

This week we had an amazing zone conference about desires and diligence. Our desires lead to action and our actions are what shape us into who we are. Just as important as what you do is who you are. I've thought a lot about the things I do as a missionary and the reasons or my attitude as I do it. I just want to do better and be better and gain the Lord's trust.

Friday we had the most amazing day! We were instructed not to schedule ANYTHING. It was hard to understand the purpose especially since we felt like there were a million people we needed to visit that day, but at the end of our zone conference they told us that we would be spending the entire day contacting and testifying of Christ. Nothing else, just bearing testimony and being a witness. It was so incredible! It was a long day, and we actually did visit one lady that is bed ridden, but as we were out and about I just felt so much joy in sharing my testimony. I know that God is our loving Heavenly Father and we are literally His children. I know that he has a plan for each of us. I know that Jesus Christ is our Savior. The best part was when I bore my testimony to three members that I didn't know were already members...it's all good. Everyone can be reminded right? 

Sunday we had 15 Melchizedek Priesthood Holders at church!!! THAT'S A BIG DEAL! Also, our less active Sister Bin who hasn't been to church in over 8 years came to church and the members were so welcoming! I was so happy to see them all talking to her and being chatty with everyone. There was so much more love and unity. 

Oh Mom, to answer your question yes I'm still in Pak Kret, still with Sister Carter, still a missionary. Transfers are in 3 weeks. That will be the end of my training. AH! Just a lil terrifying. There are 11 new sisters coming! I have no idea what will happen. I'll keep you posted. Random: Sister Cox met one of your Knudsen cousins in Louisiana! Also, I'm super curious about this ring that Nick sent you. Send me a picture?

I'm really trying to be myself and confident in my actions. It's harder than I thought it would be to be myself as a missionary. I have to be conscious of myself and my companion. Their physical and spiritual well being. I feel like I haven't been 100% myself. I'm working hard to change that. I know that the Lord will help me as I trust in Him. D&C 121:45 If you have any advice on this, please advise.

I love you most! Have a wonderful week! 

Sister Sahagun

Ness

The Sign says it all! "And now Behold my joy is full"

Dearest Family!!

I only have ten more minutes!!! AH! Sending those pictures kinda took way longer than I wanted. I got your package! Thank you soooooo (O's x a million) much! I hope you like the pictures and I am loving the Teddy Grahams. Definitely a happy American snack that I miss.

Where do I even begin? So much happens in one week! Emails don't do this experience justice. I don't think anything can really. I am learning so much about how to be a better communicator, how to be more confident in leading others, and being bold as I lead. I am such a go with the flow kind of person and I usually want to do anything and everything. So making plans is great, we can do whatever! But other people's personalities are not so let's do whatever and it's hard to make plans. Does that make sense? I'd rather have the people around me be happy than to have our plans be exactly my way or done. I need to get over this people pleaser-ness. This is the most random tangent and I'm running out of time.

Last night we taught New and Malee more about the Plan of Salvation and asked New about his Book of Mormon reading. He said that he had marked his favorite verse. 2 Nephi 31:20. 

 " Wherefore, ye must press forward with a steadfastness in Christ, having a perfect brightness of hope, and a love of God and of all men. Wherefore, if ye shall press forward, feasting upon the word of Christ, and endure to the end, behold, thus saith the Father: Ye shall have eternal life. 

Ya know just the chapter that all missionaries refer to and love and want their investigators to understand and be converted to. It was really cool. We invited him to be baptized and he said Yeah! How do I do it? So good.

I know this church is true. Heavenly Father is helping me change each day to become better.

Love you all,

Sister Sahagun

 May 5, 2013-Celebrating my 21st birthday in Thailand with a shaved Ice!

Eating healthy foods!

Heather at the orphanage :)

"Are you following me?" 

Dearest Family,

HEY! IT"S MOM"S BIRTHDAY TODAY!!!!! HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU! HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU! HAPPY BIRTHDAY DEAR MOM! HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU!! :) May all your birthday wishes come true!!

Hello! Right now I am barefoot sitting in a smelly internet cafe. It really smells terrible and it's because people sleep here! I feel a lil bit gross, but it's all good. I'll just get out my sanitizer and say a prayer that I don't get some weird fungus disease in my feet.

It's raining!!!! Welcome to rainy season! It feels so nice outside. I love it. Maybe if they kept the door open in this place it would smell like rain instead of...whatever this is.

Yesterday I got to go to the International Branch Sacrament Meeting! ENGLISH! It was great. It felt like sacrament meeting at home. Sister Carter and I have been assigned to help in that branch in addition to the Pak Kret branch. They have one investigator named Josiah, he plays soccer, and is progressing pretty well. We haven't met him yet, but we will and we will get to teach him. They also have some less actives that we get to work with! I'm so excited!

I forget if I've told you this already...but anyway, last week we stopped at this house and asked if we could use their bathroom. The lady was so sweet and talked to us for a lil bit about religion. Her son is 24, and he loves studying all religions. We asked if we could come back on Sunday and teach them about Christ and they said yes! SO last Sunday we taught them how to pray and watched Finding Faith in Christ. It was amazing, New (the son) said the most amazing prayer (I feel like he prays better than me. Well, he does. He speaks Thai) but really he was so reverent. We went back on Tuesday, gave his Mom a picture of Christ, and then Yesterday had an awesome lesson with a member to introduce the Book of Mormon. We had a great Zone training about introducing the Book of Mormon with more sincerity and excitement. We talked about rather than just turning to the introduction page because that's what you do, we talked about being creative, sharing the stories in the Book and telling them about the people that they will be reading about. The introduction pages are powerful and should be read with investigators, but if you sit down with someone and say read the first paragraph and then the last two and then you can pray to know if it's true, they don't even know what is in the book or why they should read it. It opened my eyes to what these investigators are experiencing the first time they ever are introduced to the Book of Mormon. When we showed Malee (the mom) The Book of Mormon, we told her that the Book starts out telling about a story of a family that traveled on a boat as they were guided by the Lord. I told her about Nephi and the great faith that he had. I told her that this story and example of Nephi is one of my favorites because like Nephi, there are many times in my life where I don't know what I am supposed to do or how, but I know that through faith and trust in the Lord we can do all things. When we gave the book to New (the Son) he turned to the picture of Christ at the beginning and just kept saying how much he loved it. He told us that he would read the whole thing this week. We promised him that if he prayed as he read that he would have a greater understanding of the book. I am so excited to continue teaching this family.

The Book of Mormon is so powerful. I never want to go a day with out reading it. I love being a missionary. I love helping others become converted and change while I too get to experience a deeper conversion and change every day striving to become better. I know that this church is true.  I love you so much! Have a wonderful week!

Love, Love,

Sister Sahagun