Thailand/Korat- week 2 Get comfortable with being uncomfortable!

Hello! 

Well I made it through my first week of being a missionary out in the field! It went by so fast but not at the same time. I'm getting used to being stared at, kind of. People here just aren't used to seeing a white girl walking around asking them if they want to go to church. It was kind of a rough week though, people just aren't that interested and I kind of started getting used to that after a while. Our district has a goal of getting 16 baptisms by the end of the transfer which I think is totally possible if it's the will of Heavenly Father. Yesterday we decided to go out and invite. I honestly did not want to at all! It was so hot and it was Sunday and Sunday's I think will be super hard for me to go out because it's Sunday haha. But we went to a park (it's humungous, with a lake!). There was hardly anyone there though, which was weird, and we were about to leave when we saw this old man. We were just like, "let's go talk to him and then leave." We asked him if he'd ever been to church before and handed him one of our handouts. He stared at it and said that someone had given him one of those before. He was such a sweet old man, I hardly understood what he'd said but I felt Heavenly Father's love for him. I've felt that so strongly for everyone I've talked to, it's kind of amazing. We got his number and he said that he'd want to try it out! We were so excited after that. We decided to stay at the park. We said he totally looked like a temple worker. So that's what we kept telling ourselves, that each person we were talking to was a future branch president or young women's leader or temple worker. It helped a lot! We talked to more people though than we ever had before. More success than we'd had all week! It was such a miracle to us. I'm grateful that we went out, we never would've found those people. One of the guys we talked to has family in Boise and he said he wants me to go teach them hahaha.

One of the members in the ward who got baptized a year ago is going to the temple soon in Hong Kong. She's an amazing lady, she broke up with her boyfriend who she had a kid with and everything because he wouldn't marry her and join the church.   

Things are going good! I'm understanding some more. I definitely need to speak more. Everyone says it takes about two transfers for things to finally click. If you work on it! So I'm going to start working on it! 

Since my companion is a sister training leader I get to go to Roi-Et this week for a couple of days. I'm so excited to go! When President Senior interviewed me, he asked me if there was anything else he didn't know about me. I'd pretty much told him everything so I blurted out that I love to travel. He said ok that's all I need to know. And he put me with a companion that travels to different places! Such a blessing! Next week I get to go to Bangkok with her so I will see Sister Johnson too! Way excited! 

Well the food is KIND of getting better for me. The smell still makes me sick and there's a taste in it that makes me sick too. But I TRY. There's a place we always go to for lunch and I have a favorite dish there I get every time. It's pretty much stir fry but whatever, it's good and I'll eat it! There's this chocolate drink that I love to get! I'm still pretty obsessed with chocolate. I found tiny bags of Brookeside at Tesco. I about cried. I was so excited. I ended up making a scene about it, everyone was staring at me haha. The place where I'm at is a city, it's really big! I think that the reason I'm having a hard time adjusting is because I really hate cities but I keep telling myself that I can't say that. I have to love where I'm at and not say that I'll be happier when this or that happens. 

Things have been getting better, I'm starting to get accustomed to stuff. I've read so many talks though about completely giving up my will to Heavenly Father. It's hard because I've never had to do that before and I'm almost scared to. But I know exactly who I want to become out of this and I know that He will show me the way to become that person. A lot of it is getting out of my comfort zone. I have to keep telling myself what Jilian Michael's used to say at the end of her workouts (haha). "Get comfortable with being uncomfortable." I also have to tell myself that I fear no man. I have to tell myself a lot of stuff to get me to go up to people. Heavenly Father is definitely taking care of me though, I've been blessed with so much strength. And at the end of the day I always think that I can't do that again but I will. I know Heavenly Father sent me here for a reason, I have no idea why! But that's ok. I'm learning! I just need to stop fighting myself and forget about everything. I don't want to waste time here and keep myself from progressing. 

Hope all is well at home! Take care! Love you all so much! 

Love, 

Sister Carrillo 

At the park.  The wind was insane!!

/

This was the park we went to invite people to

come to church.

Found this at the park!  SOOO Pretty!!

I went into our room one night and Sister Sirikwan was sitting

on my bed.  I was wondering what she was doing and she

was sewing my sheet back together that I had ripped.  

I LOVE Thai people!  The nicest people ever!!

Sister Sirikwan is from Chiang Mai and is companions

with Sister Buchter from Missouri.  We house with both of them.

Went to Swensen's!  It's pretty much like

Coldstone, but they have the most delicious ice cream!

My companion thought she was funny taking a picture of

herself when she was suppose to take a picture of me!

My first Cocoa Yen!

I was so obsessed with these for a while!

You have the option of getting a drink in a bag!

They don't use hand soap, they use washing liquor.

America needs to get up to date.  HAHA

(this is what it says on the soap bottle at church)

Thailand/ Korat- week 1 First letter from Thailand!

Hello my family! 

Well I'm finally in Thailand! My sleeping has been so off lately. The plane ride killed me! We went and met up with our mission president, President and Sister Senior (they are so awesome and fun!) and then left to go stay at a hotel for a couple days that is right next to the mission home. The mission home is where the temple is going to be built! It's just an old bank that they turned into the mission home that President Hinckley bought. The hotel was so nice! I loved being able to spend some time with the Senior's too. They took us to the park where President Hinckley blessed Thailand. It was a cool experience. That night we got to go eat at the Senior's home. It was my first home cooked meal and my last American meal in a while. I DEVOURED it. It was so good! I was dreading Thursday because that was transfer day and I was so sad that I'd be leaving my district and Sister Johnson. We sang our song we sang to everyone at transfers in sacrament meeting in the MTC. It was a very bittersweet moment. But yep, I got assigned to Korat! It's one of the bigger cities in Thailand in the Issan area. Sister Mamea is my trainer. I absolutely love her! She's such a good trainer and she's so patient with me. I got really lucky! We took a train here from Bangkok which took like 6 hours. It was the sketchiest train of my life. I swear it was just going to give out and fall over. 

So we don't really go out and knock on doors, we just go out contacting. We literally ask people if they want to go to church or if they want to learn more about Christ. I kind of got sick of them saying no so I just ask if they want to learn English then (we teach English classes every Tuesday night). That catches a lot of the youths attention. People here are so awkward though because they're too nice! They don't want to say no or even look at me. Some people have ran away hahaha! They're scared of white people for some odd reason. My first day was super hard and awkward for me though because I'm just not that forward. A guy came up to me and acted like he wanted to learn more and he spoke English so I was really excited. We gave him our number and then he asked who's number it was. Sister Mamea told him it was both of ours and then he said he just wanted my number and then asked me if he could have dinner with me. I was kind of in shock and Sister Mamea had to fight him off because he wouldn't leave us alone. He didn't really understand that we are MISSIONARIES and can't date and that I'd never go on a date with him. I started crying after he left. I felt like a baby but I did not like that at all. The next day was a lot better! I got a lot more confident and stopped caring what people thought of us and hopefully if anything we'll catch someone's attention that is curious about church! 

I love the ward members here! They just had a building open for this branch and they were all so excited about it. They had an open house and everything! They had food and had a choir and even had a ribbon they cut before everyone went in. They were so excited about it! I remember when our building opened across the street from us and we didn't really act like it was that big of a deal. But they met in this garage area before so this was a big upgrade. It made me appreciate a lot more of where we got to go to church, and it's only like a 2 minute walk! Some people here have to drive a long ways away. It just made me so grateful! Anyways, the members are so nice. They tell me my Thai is good alllll the time. I had to bear my testimony in sacrament in Thai and everyone told me "Keeng maag!" (not sure how to spell it). They're so friendly! And touchy! Girls will just come up to me and hug me and hold my hand. It was so weird to me at first but I'm kind of used to it now. They all say suay maag (very pretty) to me a lot! I've gotten circled a lot. It's so funny! 

Well my mission president said that I would not have a culture shock. But it's definitely been a culture shock! I don't like the food. At all. I try so hard but I have a hard time with the taste. And the smell! I have the hardest time with the smell of Thai food. Mom, it is definitely not like your peanut thai noodles! I'll hopefully get used to it though. The heat is sometimes pretty unbearable. I'm always sweating pretty much. It's hot season though, so hopefully it gets better. But oh my goodness, sometimes I feel like I'm going to die. I've never sweated so unwillingly in my entire life! The language is still my MTC language. I've learned a lot more just from listening. I went to relief society and understood nothing. It's just funny because now I know how foreigners feel when they come to the States! 

I'm doing good! A lot better than I was a few days ago. I have a hard time with change and having nothing familiar. Nothings familiar! The only familiar thing is the language. And I don't know the language! But I'm trying to learn how to submit myself. Heavenly Father has been helping me a lot or else I don't think I'd be able to do this. I would've given up as soon as I got to Korat. I'm definitely not living like I did at home. I don't think I would've ever walked into the house that I live in now or come to this area because at home, I'd consider this the ghetto. It's very dirty and poor. It's hard! We went to one of the members house and I was so silent because I wanted to cry! I don't understand why I got to lucky. I just kept thinking to myself, how dare I ask for more and more when these people have nothing and I had everything handed to me. And they're happy though! I had no idea people lived like this. It has been so humbling for me. We are so lucky!! SO LUCKY! 

Well that's all I got! I miss you all so much! It was so fun talking to you all on the phone last week! I love you all and I pray for you all everyday. Heavenly Father always assures me He's taking care of you! Choog dii! 

-Sister Carrillo 

Fun Fact: No one can say our last name here. So I just told people to call me Sister Lilo like from Lilo and Stitch. So funny! 

Goodbye MTC!

We had a little break from flying!

We are finally in Thailand!!

Selfie with Sister Senior!

Transfer Meeting!

I'm going to miss these sister's so much!

Luckily we are in the same mission!

Til we meet again!!

The sisters of Korat!

First Train ride, on our way to Korat!

Our district!  We're pretty fun together! 

We mummified Elder Baldwin!

We have to entertain ourselves somehow. :)

First bike ride!  I decided that there is no way to ride

a bike in a skirt and be modest! Not possible!!

Thank goodness for biker shorts!

Walking to church in Korat!

Ribbon cutting for the new building!

Our living room

Our kitchen

Our bathroom

Our bedroom

Our study room

Letter of arrival from President and Sister Senior

Dear Brother and Sister Carillo:

We are happy to report that your daughter arrived safely in Bangkok late last night, clearing passport control early this morning. She spent what was left of the evening in a hotel room with her companion, where she will also stay this evening. She is in good spirits and is anxious to begin laboring in the Lord's vineyard in Thailand. We are thrilled to have her as a missionary in the Thailand Bangkok Mission family.

Sister Maise Lyn Carrillo will join other newly arrived missionaries, together with President and Sister Senior and the Assistant's to the President at Lumpini Park for a morning devotional. Lumpini Park is the site where then Elder Gordon B. Hinckley dedicated the land of Thailand in 1966. Sister Carrillo will have the opportunity to dedicate and consecrate herself to the most wonderful work. Your expressions of encouragement and spiritually uplifting email correspondence will be of great support. The new missionaries will be trained by Sister Senior and me, and later oriented by the Office Couple, Elder and Sister Meeker, and the Mission Assistants. New missionaries will have their first experience street contacting in the area followed by dinner at the Mission Home.

Your daughter will receive her first assignment tomorrow morning. Preparation day will be on Monday and she will be able to email you each week.  I am sure she will much to share regarding her experiences in Thailand, missionary activities and her first Sunday in her assigned area.

Please feel free to contact us if you have any questions during your daughter’s term of missionary experience.

Sincerely,

President and Sister Senior

MTC- week 9 Good Bye MTC!

Hello family! 

I got surprised by being told I get to email you guys today since we don't get our P-day tomorrow. 

This week has gone by so fast (probably because I didn't want it to)! But it was a good week. We had our last lessons with our investigators and it was surprisingly hard to say good bye to them. Even though I'm not the best teacher in Thai, I love teaching! I've had so many good memories here in the MTC and in class. In one of our lessons last week with Phii Cittaa, me and Sister Johnson laughed. The entire time! We were already wound up because we had been laughing so much and right before we went in and taught we were trying to calm ourselves down. So we said a prayer and looked through the peep whole and he was drawing on the board. We couldn't see what he was drawing so we just knocked on the door, said our sawad dii khaa's and sat down. As soon as me and Sister Johnson looked at the board, we DIED laughing! The picture didn't get erased all the way and it just looked like a crazy animal (it should not have been that funny but it was). So here we are trying to teach a lesson and we can't even talk because we're laughing so hard! Poor Phii Cittaa, he was so confused, he had no idea what to do. We had to have him say the opening prayer because we were laughing so hard! After that we were ok and just super happy and smiley, and then a while into the lesson he started whistling! Sister Johnson started laughing and then I started laughing. I was literally begging her to stop! It was really bad. It was one of the funniest lessons of my life though! I'm just glad that wasn't a real investigator though! 

We've been meeting with one of the gold tag investigators, Leah, for the past couple of weeks. She was raised Christian and she knew one of the people that worked here in MTC and recommended she start coming here. We have some differences in what we all believe but what she has pointed out and taught me is how to see things in a different way. The way we say things and what we focus on and how that affects a person. There were some things we were indifferent on but I've learned that it's not what's different in our beliefs that's important but what we all share that really brings us together. It was a cool experience for me! Even though we're the ones teaching, we were also being uplifted and learning from one another's testimonies. 

Today during sacrament meeting, all of us (the two Thai districts that are leaving tomorrow) sang a musical number for the last time in the MTC. One of the elders, Elder Dickey, composed A Child's Prayer and Come Thou Fount into one song, and it sounded really good! It was a great way to end our time here together. I'll never forget these two districts, they've all strengthened my testimony so much and I feel so privileged to be serving along with them in Thailand. We had to say good bye to all of our teachers yesterday which was quite hard! I'm glad that I won't have to say good bye to my district though. Because they're all coming with me! My district has become my family, I love them all as if they were really my brothers and sisters. We've grown a lot together, and I think it's a time we've all shared together that we'll never forget! I'll miss having Sister Johnson as my companion though! She has become like a sister to me and it will be weird for us to be a part. But we said that we're going to pray that we at least get to be companions one more time out in the field. We'll see what Heavenly Father thinks!  I can't believe we're leaving tomorrow, it all feels so unreal. I'm so excited though! I can't wait to get started. I'm ready for this next adventure! 

Love you all! 

-Sister Carrillo 

We had the best teachers!

Sister Anderson and Sister Olson.

Such good little students!

Sister Johnson and my last visit to the temple!

I am going to miss her so much!

This is our room as we were

trying to pack!

It was a disaster!

Last night was our last night seeing Leah.

Since her birthday is on Tuesday , we made her a

birthday card and Elder Roberts shared his rum cake

with us.  It was a fun night!

Saying goodbye to all of our teachers!!

We will miss Brother Yuen too! 

(the Nccn Thai's stole him)  haha!

At the temple with Brother and Sister Weaver!

We are going to miss them!

Sister Olsen got a fruit basket and I got Brownies

(from my mom and dad)

We are two happy missionaries.

Especially Me!

Things I will miss about the MTC:

-Waking up at 5:45 am to go work out

-Making my own salad at the salad bar (and rice crispie treats!)

-Sunday night movies! 

-Tuesday Devo's

-Choir with Brother Egget!

-Class, I always looked forward to it

-My teachers, I learned so much from them! 

-Speaking in Thai to the other missionaries and they just stare at us 

-Going to the temple on p-days

-Having district devo's on Sunday's and Tuesday's. I learned so much from my district!

-Teaching Phii Citta and Phii Chaan

-Going to TRC (even though it was scary!)

-People calling me push-ups (I did 100 a night) 

-Singing random songs with Sister Johnson (we've been music deprived!)

-Sister Painter making us laugh until we cried

-Service days! I never realized how much I loved to clean (I know, it's weird)! 

-Trying to mimic how my teachers said a word (because I could NOT hear the tone)

-Me and Elder Wertz doing jumping jacks when we felt like we were going to fall asleep

-TALL (even though sometimes it was not very trustworthy) 

-Eating sack breakfast every morning

-When one of us in our district find a fun or crazy Thai word and teach it to each other 

-Talking about our day with all the sisters in the zone while we got ready for bed 

-Playing with Sister Johnson's magic ring-on-a-chain 

-Personal study outside when it was nice and warm!

-Singing Called to Serve before Devo with hundreds of other missionaries

-Being terrified for a lesson and then going in and loving it

-Break time with the entire zone. We are crazy! 

-Temple walks on Sunday's 

-Everyone making fun of me for my addiction to chocolate

-The branch presidency! They were like our second parents! 

-Sister Johnson, Anderson, Olsen and I randomly quoting and singing songs from Nacho Libre  

-Sacrament meeting and being terrified that I was going to get called up to speak

-Getting DearElders

-The funny/weird/random conversations our district has 

-Seeing everyone everyday!

-Going the scenic route everyday back to the residence. Me and Sister Johnson loved looking at the stars and the moon (when it was out)

-My district (my second family) and my zone! 

-Sister Johnson! She is a person I will always be close with! 

-Last but not least, I'm going to just miss being here! It's been a once in a lifetime experience and one I will never forget! Being in the MTC has changed who I am and who I will be as a missionary

MTC-week 8 My last letter from the MTC!

Sawad dii khaa! 

Well it's my last week in the MTC and it's quite bittersweet for me. We got our travel plans Friday, and we leave next Monday at 3:30 in the morning (yuck). And then from SLC we fly to Minnesota and then from there straight to Thailand. I think that's kind of weird but oh well! It's going to be a 22 hour flight. I will have to sleep or else I'll probably die. I'm so excited though to go! It's finally becoming real! 

We went to an endowment session this morning and afterwards just sat in the celestial room. And then I cried when we left and pretty much had tears in my eyes all the way back down to the MTC. It's my last time going to the temple for 16 months. I'm so grateful for the time I was able to go though! Speaking of temples though, I'm guessing you all heard the fantastic news! So this last week, we were talking to our teachers about Thailand getting a temple and how perfect it would be if they announced it in conference. So we were kind of disappointed when they didn't announce anything on Saturday about new temples. But as President Monson was announcing three new temples I was just chanting in my head "Bangkok Thailand, Bangkok Thailand!" and then he said it right at the end! Our reactions were so priceless though. We all pretty much gasped and screamed and then all of us sisters started crying. Yep, I've been crying a lot lately! I'm just so happy for the saints in Thailand! Their closest temple is in Hong Kong 1,000 miles away! Now when we teach about going to the temple, it's going to mean so much more because it will be right there in the heart of Bangkok! How lucky am I to get to be apart of the growth in that part of the world. So excited! Though I won't be on my mission when they'll probably be finished with it though, I'm already planning on making my way back there for it's dedication. I wouldn't miss that for the world! 

This last general conference was such a good one! It's the first time in my life I just sat down and listened and I actually learned a lot! I loved the talks on Sunday about the atonement. Really though, without the atonement I would be nothing. If there was no atonement we would have no hope or chance of ever being like Heavenly Father or overcoming our natural selves. I'm just grateful that the Savior loved me so much that He would die so that I could live. It's a debt I know I will never be able to repay but that's why I'm out here on my mission. I owe my life to Him and giving Him 18 months of my life is nothing compared to what He did for me. Even after my mission I will spend my life serving Him and being a representative of Him! I also loved the talk (I can't remember who it was by) that talked about miracles and how we see miracles in our day. It was a miracle to me that they announced a temple in Bangkok and I had the privilege of being a missionary there in the time of it's announcement. It was a miracle the day President Monson announced the mission age change for girls because like it did for so many, it changed my life forever. Even answered prayers, or talks I find or even set backs are all from the hand of the Lord and I consider them miracles. I see so many more miracles in my life each day as I look for them more and pray to be able to see them. It's amazing how involved Heavenly Father is in our lives when we just open our eyes. 

Well this is my last time writing to you guys in the U.S. Kind of weird to think of! I'm so excited to go though, as nervous as I am. I remember when I opened my mission call and I was almost disappointed because it was not where I planned to go. But the Lord knows better! Even as I've been in the MTC I have grown to love Thailand so much. Before I left Mom, you asked me if they offered to send me to South America instead, if I'd take the offer. I was really hesitant about that but now I wouldn't trade where I'm going for anything. I can't imagine anything else besides Thailand. While being in the MTC, I've learned how to just trust in the Lord and have faith that He will lead me to where I'm suppose to go. It's been such a great experience in the MTC and one I will never forget! I can't imagine being anything else but a missionary and servant of my Savior. 

I love you all and hope you have a great week! Give the boys lots of kisses for me! 

-Sister Carrillo

P.S. I will call you guys around 6-6:30 a.m. next monday! Also thank you for the package, it was perfect! Mom you must know me really well because you gave me lots of chocolate. I'm known as the chocola-holic here! I'm also know as push-ups, that's been real fun. Mainly because I try to do a hundred push-ups every night and all the elders found out and now they try to do push-ups every night as well. It's so funny!  Anyways can't wait to talk, love you! 

This is my new name tag in Thai!

 Our District!  The MTC just wouldn't have

been the same without them!

We got our travel papers!

So Excited there's going to be a PHRAWIHAAN

in Thailand!

Sorry-  this is a horrible picture

Our group