Sister Maisie Carrillo: Thailand/Korat- week 17 This week Elder Holland comes! I'm so excited! I'm going to meet an apostle of the Lord, who wouldn't be excited?!

Hello!

Another crazy week! I really don't remember much of the week because we were just running around everywhere but.....Brother Teerawut and Brother Weet got baptized! So exctiting! They're both awesome! It's been a really long road with Brother Teerawut but he made it. We taught him on Wednesday and we talked about the Sabbath day and he said that he was only willing to give 80% to going to church on Sunday's. He goes and works with his friends on Sunday's and was worried he'd lose his friends if he left to go to church. We talked with him about it and then at the end just bore testimony of the Sabbath day. How it's a sacrifice to keep but we are blessed for it. He left kind of frustrated with us, probably thinking that we didn't understand. The next day when we met with him we decided not to bring it up and just bear our testimonies about this church before he went in for his baptismal interview. He was a lot happier that day, and he passed his interview! He came out afterwards and thanked us for teaching him and he was grateful o know of Christ and be able to follow him.

Brother Weet's testimony he bore right after his baptism was really touching. He said that he had been searching for the truth since he was a kid. And then he had happened to meet the missionaries and when we brought up the word of wisdom it was really hard for him and he didn't know if he could do it. But we had invited him to fast about it and it took forever for him to fast but when he finally did, he was able to stop smoking. And it was then that he knew that the church was true! It was cool because we didn't know that part of the story!

We've been teaching a lot and visiting members houses. We visited Sister Nada on Wednesday and she fed us my favorite things: chicken, somtam and BROWNIES. I was in Heaven. It's what the members always make, they know me so well. I really love visiting people's houses, even though they all live so far away. I feel like you get to know them a lot better when you visit their homes. We went to Brother Miit's house on Tuesday and Sister First and her friend Loogi showed up so we got to teach them. They're so cute! We gave them a Book of Mormon and had them read a couple of verses before met again. When we met on Saturday, they'd read everything we'd assigned and read more. Sister Jo said out of all the kids that she's taught, these two are the most solid. They really pay attention when we teach and give really good answers. Sister First is so cute. She said she prayed one day for it to rain and then it started raining. And then the next time she said she'd lost her picture of the temple and prayed to be able to find it. I really love teaching them! We gave them a baptismal date but because they don't have a guardian that is a member, they have to wait three months to get baptized and come to church on Sunday's. I probably won't be here :/ but I have no doubt that they'll get baptized. I can see that they both have faith and have a desire to be baptized. I'm excited for them!

This week Elder Holland comes! We are staying at a hotel down in Bangkok and all the missionaries get to meet him on Saturday morning. I'm so excited! I'm going to meet an apostle of the Lord, who wouldn't be excited?! And then after our meeting with him, it will be our P-day so hopefully I'll be able to find a computer on Saturday to be able to write to you guys! Everyone is going to the huge market in Bangkok that is only open on Saturday's. It's the biggest market in Thailand, way excited! Sunday is a going to be a big meeting with all the members and missionaries and Elder Holland is going to come and speak to us at a university. It will be a great weekend! Then the next week is transfers. So crazy how fast this transfer went. I have a feeling I'm leaving Korat because I want to stay so bad. But I guess I'm ready for another adventure somewhere else in Thailand. I'm way to comfortable here, and I've learned that when I'm comfortable, Heavenly Father throws something my way to make my life more interesting. He's just looking out for me :)

One of my favorite parts probably about being a missionary is personal study! One hour is just not enough for me to study. I could spend all day studying really. But it's a really good time for me to receive revelation for my investigators, what their needs are, and scriptures that I could share that could help them. It's also a time that I can receive answers for myself! I've always believed that this church was true but there were things that were very wishy-washy, that I was always unsure about or didn't completely understand. So many of those things have been clarified and answered during my time being a missionary. I study things for my investigators but I as well learn something new for myself. My understanding of faith and the atonement has grown so much. I never really understood the atonement and how it worked but studying it so much and helping others to understand it has helped me to understand it so much more and gain a testimony of it for myself. It's cool to think that everything that once was so difficult for me has now become something that really isn't that difficult for me. That has been through the atonement! Or the fact that I can repent sincerely of something that I know I've done wrong and I can be forgiven. And not only forgiven but the atonement can help me to change. The atonement is infinite, for everyone and if we apply it in our lives we can change! Everything is possible through the atonement. And I know that because I have watched it change my own life.

The reunion sounds really fun! I'm sad I wasn't there :/ Tomorrow marks six months since I left home. That is also weird to me.

Ew, my birthday, I'm going to be so old. For my birthday, really what I really like in packages is food. Like jerky, mint candy (sister Jo had these see's peppermint candies that were way good!). Mainly because a lot of the American treats here are so expensive! Like Brookeside and granola bars. They don't eat granola bars here. But I might be needing some more crocs soon. These ones are still in great condition but I don't want them to fall apart one day and I have no shoes. Just the green crocs that give me the funniest tan line ever. but they're really good and airy! Let me know if you need a pic of them!

I can tell you now that I definitely won't be engaged by the next reunion nor will I be married. I still don't have a desire to get married super fast after I get back. Maybe like two years after I get back but that still seems too fast to me. I still haven't changed in that way Mom :)

Love you all! Have a great week!

-Sister Carrillo

2 Nephi 25: 23

Also theres a talk I read that I really like by Pres. Uchtdorf. It's called The Hope of God's Light. It's really good!

Fun story: We were riding our bike back from Brother Miit's and this thing ran out from the bushes and right as that happened a motorcycle came flew by and the thing got flung back into the middle of the road. It was a huge rat! It was disturbing but quite awesome. We road past there the next day and it was completely flattened to the ground from getting ran over so much. There are dead, flattened rats everywhere on the streets. It's gross!