After Transfers...

23 February 2014

We had transfers this week.  I'm still in Phitsanulok but my companion moved.  My new companion is Sister Speas.  She grew up in Tremonton, Utah but went to high school in California.  She was at Utah State before her mission.  She is way cute and nice and I think we will have a great transfer together.  Next transfers will be in April, like the last week, I believe.

Love you.

Week 19 Transfers

Sorry everyone, this week's letter will be short! but long story short after a wanderful pday of tiawing (sightseeing) with my district we had to really busy days of meeting with RC's and Other members because Wed night we caught a Bus to Bangkok for transfers! Sadly my Khuu (companon) Sister Mullen moved and our Elders whitewashed out :( but Good news My new companion Sister Speas is so cute and amazing that I know I will come to Love this District as much as the last!  We've basically just been settling in this week and traveling alot but I love you all and hope your week is great!

With my new companion and the rest of the sister from Plok and Sister Mullen who is on to her next area.

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Before transfers.

February 15, 2014

This is me and Sister Mullen.  Looks like Y Sparkle, doesn't it?

Here we are working hard contacting and almost out of water.  No fountains here...Yuck if there were.

Sister Mullen is Thai but lives in California.  This family in the branch is sooo awesome and knew Sister Mullen when her and her family lived here.  :)

Sister Tawng

Brother Sawad

and their son

Week 18, Valentine's Day in Thailand

Happy Valentine’s Day!

Not to be cheesy...but this week was definitely filled with Love! Don't worry, not romantic, LOL but love of, and from, my Savior and love for everyone that I'm serving, being served by, and serving with!

This week we had a Valentine’s party for Mutual, which was so fun!  We played games, met new people, and a lot of investigators came!!!  To role with the Love theme, this Saturday we had the first ever, musical fireside in my branch! The theme: Raw Ben Luug Kaung Phraphuubenjaw (We are children and God) and He loves us! Us missionaries were in charge of it and to be honest, it was stressful to plan and carry out, but I've never felt the spirit so much and the members really loved it.

 

One thing I've definitely learned from being in Thailand is to just do all that I can, but recognize when I need to step back, trust in the Lord, and just let what’s going to happen, happen.  Five minutes before our program started, everything was falling apart but then five minutes into it, nothing mattered and everything worked out.  There will always be something to learn from and improve on, in our lives but nothing is ever going to be as perfect as we want it. This life is a time to learn and grow and part of that is facing adversity, and learning to trust in our Savior's timing and plan. This is how we improve our self daily!

Well, transfers are this week and I don't really know what will happen.  Either Sister Mullen or I will probably be moving.  Change is bitter sweet but definitely fosters growth.  So here is to another week of growing improving and becoming more like the Savior!

Love Sister Peterson

Valentine's Day!

Valentine's Day!

Everyone plays rock, paper, scissors.

If you lose, you get a sticker put on your face.  

LOL  sanuk maag (way fun)!

 

 

Look who won!

Week 17, All Creatures, Great and Small.

Six months.  Whoa!  How did that happen???  Mai najai (not sure)?  Anyways, I'm calling this week, The Week of All Creatures, Great and Small.”

It all started on Wednesday.  We left the little ran ahaan (restaurant, kind of) that we ate lunch at and started to embark on our day.  It was my companions turn to decide where to go inviting, so I was just following her, when all of a sudden, a Spider crawled up from some unknown place on my bike onto my handlebar.  I was silently freaking out (due to my giant fear of spiders, especially in Thailand), trying to watch my companion and simultaneously watching the spider move back and forth between my hands, and the traffic all around me.  Yes I was too scared to flick it of with my hand.  When we finally stopped, the trauma was over.  I got of my bike and killed the spider with my shoe.

We locked up our bikes and before we even walked 10 feet, a pigeon swooped down and hit me in the head, tokjai ตกใจ. 

I’m not sure but I think Marina just swore in Thai.  LOL

It scared me so bad, LOL, but despite that It was a great Wednesday.

We had mutual activity which a lot of investigators came to! Yea!  We split everyone into three groups and had them make pictures of Book of Mormon stories by means of finger painting.  :)  Everyone here is freakishly artistic and they turned out so awesome!  On the other hand no one here has ever finger painted and they thought we were crazy when we first mentioned it.  LOL 

 

 

Thursday night We found out we have bats in our ceiling.  I've had nightmares, where I come home and a ceiling tile is removed in the bedroom and I can actually see the various creatures living up there.  Wake UP!

This week it became a sort of reality when part of the ceiling in the front room started falling down.  LOL  Luckily the bats and unnamed creatures are securely out of sight but I’m probably going to have various ceiling falling dreams this week.  LOL 

My last run in with nature was with a bee, so not too traumatic.  On Saturday we were in a songtaw, on our way to visit an recent convert and some less active members that live an hour outside of town.  As we were driving, a bee going the opposite way collided with my forehead and stung me…I still  have a giant red bump on my forehead.  LOL  But despite the bee sting, Saturday was an amazing day.

Before heading off on our adventure, Sister Mullen and I went and visited our RC Goong, who is so amazing and to top it all off, her son Guud, moved in with her.  He is 15 and interested in the gospel! (p.s. he came to church on Sunday!)  Then we went to visit Sister Noi who was baptized in June. She lives far away, so we haven’t been able to see her out side of Church since I got here.  All four Sisters and Sister Nancy made the trip!  So glad we did.  Her testimony definitely gave us a boost and then helping her (she’s like 50 plus) cut down coconuts from her coconut tree was an added bonus we got to experience!

 

Cutting down coconut trees!

 

Living the Thai life!  LOL  Well More next week!  

Love Sister Peterson 

My letter from Marina. 9 Feb 2014

Oi! I know I can't believe its six months already and a year from now, this will be over.  I’ve kind of forgotten what it’s like to be going to school, etc.  Definitely not as busy as I am now.  I feel like I'm a completely different person.  I don’t know how to explain it? I wonder the next year will bring???

Also, I’m freaking out a bit because transfers are next week and either Sister Mullen or I will be moving for sure and maybe both of us.  The suspense is killing me. 

This week was actually kind of tiring and long but, on Saturday we had a bit of an adventure that was well timed.  I will write more about in the blog email but it just strengthened my testimony that our Father in Heaven knows us and will never give us more than we can handle and really does answer prayers in ways better than we can imagine.

It may be my second to last p-day in Phitsanulok so were going to go shopping and painting at the river one last time! Next week were going out to Suko Thai again because three of the missionaries here haven’t been and they might get transferred. But I’m excited because I lost all the pictures from the first visit anyway!

 

Well more in a bit Love you!