Sister Maisie Carrillo: Thailand/Lampang- week 22 "I finally understand that scripture where Christ says that whoever gives of his life will find it"

Hey!!

I'm in Chiang Mai! We have zone conference today and tomorrow so we came up here for P-day today :) I'm super excited! We're going to try and go up to visit a mountain tribe and then you can ride in these carts down the mountain. I'm way excited! Chiang Mai is really big, there are so many white people! I'm so not used to that. It's very touristy. I think you guys would really like it. Someday we all need to come visit here!

This week was a really good week! All my weeks just go by so fast because I don't want them to and because I love where I'm at. We've been teaching Brother Santi and his family. We went and visited their house this last week and we asked them if they wanted to be baptized this week together and they said yes. We taught them about the temple, I think that was the thing that really got them. Their one struggle was drinking coffee. They said they were having a hard time quitting. So I asked them if they had coffee still at their house and they said yes. So I told them to go get it right then and throw it away. It was really funny, here I am a kid telling these adults to throw away their coffee and stop drinking it. But Brother Santi got up and grabbed all their coffee and gave it to us. He asked if we would throw it away and then asked if we would pray for them to be able to stop. They haven't drank any since! They're so awesome! They came to church yesterday and brought their two kids and asked if we would come teach them this week so their kids could get baptized with them next Sunday. So amazing and such a miracle! A lot of amazing things happened yesterday! Brother Jeff wasn't able to get baptized but we're going to work with him for sure. Sister Saa came again and brought her sister with her. She's getting baptized this Sunday! We asked her sister if she would take a date to be baptized and she said she wanted to wait because she wants to get baptized with her husband and kids. So we're going to go teach them at their house sometime this week! They're both so great, even when I couldn't find the words to be able to say what I wanted, they always finished my sentences for me and I'd be like "yeah! That's exactly what I mean!" They're both golden, so many golden people!

My life in Lampang is pretty great, as I say every week. I love this branch and all of our investigators! We had some training this week too and so the ZL's and STL's came from Chiang Mai. They were trying to get to our house and didn't know how to explain it to the taxi driver and the driver was getting frustrated so he waved down this catewi that owned a wedding dress shop (sorry, I have no idea how to spell this in romanized! i just know how to say it!) and they asked if she knew where two farang girls that ride bicycles around everywhere live. The catewi thought for a second and then was like "oh, I know!" and gave them exact directions to our house, even described the tree in front of our house. Yeah, that's freaky! We're pretty well known here. Me and Sis. Rem started this thing where while we're riding around everywhere we just yell hello to everyone and ask how they're doing in English. It's hilarious and khon Thai's love it! They all smile and look so flattered that we're talking to them. We've been inviting at markets all this week, which is extremely distracting because then I want to buy everything but this one market that we went to had SO MANY people. We didn't know how to invite all of them so we were just yelling to everyone that we had an announcement and that we were missionaries and asked if they wanted eternal life or wanted to be free from sin etc. We have to get their attention somehow! Sometimes we even ask if they know what Christmas is and say that Christ is the reason we celebrate it. It's really funny, everyone just looks at us like we're insane (which I totally would too) or they just avoid all eye contact and walk really fastly away. It's way fun, I always feel so cool, like Paul or something. We do get people that will come up and ask us about it though, so it works! Me and Sis. Rem try and talk with everyone! I remember when I used to hate talking to people, I would've died if I knew I would be doing this a year ago. But I love it, I'm not afraid to talk to people anymore. It's definitely a weakness I've learned to overcome!

I really am so grateful to be a missionary! It really has changed a lot of me. My goals have changed for myself and I feel like I'm just a better person because of it. Never in my life have I just been happy just because. Life of a missionary is not easy, it's so tiring and you are constantly on the go but it's really taught me how to work. I finally understand that scripture where Christ says that whoever gives of his life will find it. I feel like I've finally found myself and who I want to be. I want to be a missionary forever! I want to continue to help the church grow when I get back and continue to be a light for others. More than anything I just want to be like the Savior. There were so many weaknesses and fears that have always held me back and I feel like I've finally broken down my walls and have let myself live. I feel like I really know how to live now though. Being a missionary has finally helped me to see. I know more than anything that this is Christ's church and His gospel. I don't think it would have the power to do what it has done for my life and thousands of others if this was all just a fantasy. It's as real as it gets. This life here isn't reality, it's just a small tiny part of our existence but determines where we will spend the rest of our eternity. My biggest fear is that I will meet Christ again someday and not feel worthy to stand in front of Him. I want to be better! I'm so grateful that I can see now though. Life isn't easy but I know that when we stay on this path, we will have happiness and we will be able to conquer. We'll have the greatest blessing that God can give to us and that is eternal life and to live with Him again! Never again will I spend hours and hours on my phone and tv wasting my life away. We have such better things to do and better ways to spend our earthly time! That's my rant of the week.

Yeah I'm still not eating Thai food. We don't really eat at members houses, hardly ever so I don't have to worry about eating it! Sister Remington is from Calgary and she's been out four months longer than me. She's so fun! I'm going to go visit her in Canada sometime when I get back!

You can send whatever you want in my packages! :) Especially if it's food! I miss food more than anything.

Love you all so much!

-Sister Carrillo

Alma 34: 32