Well....

I am coming home. For my safety and for medical purpose I will be flying home starting tomorrow. I will arrive in Utah Sunday evening. This choice was made with lots of faith and tears. I prayed and I think this is what needs to be done to make sure that I am safe, I am leaving knowing that I will return to this beautiful country. Thailand means more to me that I can explain, watching the kids today I couldn't help but cry. I will miss Preawas evil laugh, Nom-Obs biting my clothes, I will miss Ongrys soft touch, I will miss Phuvits big hugs in the morning, I will miss having a child yell teacher Gabith I need you. Leaving here is like leaving my family, how do you explain to your family that you have to leave and it may be forever. I love these kids and I love holding them when they cry, tickling them tell they laugh, and teaching them something that will improve their futures. I am leaving tomorrow with a broken heart. But I am leaving with the absolute surety that the Lord will bless me and has a reason that I may not understand at this time. I am thankful to say that for the last three months I have lived in the most wonderful country with the most wonderful people. When I told mom I was leaving she cried, she asked if I was sure I had to go but made me promise to come back to see her. I have been in good hands here. I don't know if I have changed a life or done any miracle but I know that Thailand has helped me grow. The most important thing I learned was humility. It doesn't matter what you have but who you have to help you when your sick, or someone to make you laugh. I learned that people don't do things wrong but different than me. Someone doesn't need to change their ways just because it's something I don't understand. I need to learn about that person and find out why they do things different. I learned culture. For the first time in my life I have experience things I will never again experience. I have experienced the pure and perfect love of Christ through children and service. Thailand feels like home. I am scared to go home and leave the kids. Their bright smiles can lift a house. Their soft touch can be just what you need. I know I would be leaving in 4 weeks anyway but everything has happened so fast in the past week  I don't feel prepared to say goodbye. So for now it's a see you soon.

gal to the bladder

yes my friends it is true.. I went to the doctor and there is something wrong with my gallbladder. I will be going to get another test/ultra sound tomorrow so stay tuned. Sorry I haven't posted in a while but there has been a lot going on with this stupid thing. There is a chance I will be heading home to the US of A to get my gallbladder out if that is what needs to be done. I guess I could just get it done here and risk it right? I went to the hospital Monday and to say the least it was extremaly sketchy haha No worries I am just fine and cross your fingers for me.

Halloween!!

Today we had a Halloween party! Today was the most fun we have had with the kids! First, in kitchen we made some home made donuts! The kids ate them off the string, without hands, the bobbed for apples, walked through the scary hunted house we made, and painted pumpkins! Hannah and I dressed up as Harry Potter and Ron Wesley! The scare on my forehead kept disappearing because it was so dang hot haha Since today was a Thai Holiday (not Halloween) the parents came and lined up all over the school and handed out candies to the kids! They don't know what Halloween is here so they thought we were crazy, but it was really fun to have the parents come and bring the kids something. Some brought big prizes, others brought little treats, but the best part was seeing how happy the kids were that their parents came to play with them. Some of the parents dressed up all crazy and man, it was just so fun! haha When the kids first got to school none of them were dressed up so it was really disappointing but then suddenly we realized that the costumes were all in their bags! So we took the first few minutes to put those on, we had batman, spiderman, a fairy, dinosaurs, witches, Dracula, all sorts of cute little costumes!  The kids had a blast, I think we were successful in showing them a good ol' American Halloween. Best Halloween ever :)

 

worst luck ever

So after last night event Tang has told me that I must have been mean to animals in my previous life because I'm always getting hurt! So last night I'm walking with Mom and she asks if I want some fruit, Of course I want so fruit. I stepped off the curb into a whole where my foot twisted all the way up and I was only standing on my ankle. I felt a rush of pain so I sat down. Next thing I know Mom was freaking out trying to call Tang, by-standers are handing me tissue, trying to help me stand, just ridiculous! haha My ankle is so swollen and my bone felt a little out of place but really I think I'm good to go. They are going to wait a few days and then if needs be take me to the hospital, but I am fine. This where you just say suck it up right? Still can't believe that it's Halloween at home, it doesn't feel like that at all. We are working on the big party! Can't WAit!

Winter Sunshine

You heard me right! It is winter here, keep in mind that means 90 degree weather instead of 100. It is 7:00 pm and 88 degrees, I tell ya it just blows my mind! The flooding in Bangkok we heard is making World Wide news but we are all very safe here in Phichit.  They say the flooding will take about sixty days to clean up and another monsoon is on it's way. We are hoping that we won't be stuck here but you never know. The government has established a national holiday from October 27-31 so pretty much everything is closing down. The school we teach at is still open but we only have had 6-7 kids this week, which is a real change for the screaming 25 we had last week. Also there is flu/cold going around and a lot of our kids are getting sick, hopefully they can get better and come back to school. It's so weird to think that everyone in the states are preparing for the Holidays and fall. It doesn't seem like fall because it's so green here and so dang hot but we are having a big old Halloween party for the kids on Monday! I've made so many cute decorations to go up so stay tuned for some super cute pictures, Yay for Halloween! Miss you all and peace and blessings.

 Our NZ/England newlyweds friends

We are home! HAPPY BIRTHDAY GRANDPA LOVE YOU

We are home and safe! Chang Mai was one of the most beautiful places I have ever seen. There was mountains that were so green and animals I have waited this whole time to see! We got there Saturday and our driver took us to see the elephants and wait for it....RIDE THEM!! I got to ride an elephant! It was so amazing, we went through the jungle to the Lady Long neck village! This village is full of girls whom wear big golden rings around their neck because they believe if they are taller the closer they are to God. They start wearing them around 5 years of age and the rings easily wear 20 pounds. We then got to see elephants play soccer, paint pictures, and lift logs! They could actually paint with their trunks! They painted flowers, trees, just anything like that. Later we went to the night market, they sale everything there!! It's all really cheap but no one was very interested in shopping so we didn't stay more than an hour. The next day (sunday) we went to the church which was just a five minute walk from the hostel. It happened to be a special conference so we listened to a broadcast from Salt Lake. Elder Scott spoke and some other members spoke, we got to listen to it in English with the headphones which was really nice. We got to witness a baptism after and of course, eat some yummy lunch! Me and Arielle hung out around the Hostel where we met some people from New Zealand and they were celebrating, because the ALL BLACKS WON THE WORLD CUP!! They were waving flags and screaming a lot haha They beat France by just one point. They told us we were more than welcome to come stay in their homes if we ever came to New Zealand so that means another trip!! haha Also on Sunday because of the special conference the sister missionaries were there. Before I even came to Thailand a lady from my dads soccer team told me about her cousin who was there serving a mission and that she would be leaving soon but she loved it in Thailand. As soon as I saw her I leaned over to Hannah and said "I think I know her cousin" haha Well I approached her after, sure as day light it was her! But it gets even crazier because she is going to Dixie in January (just like me) to finish up nursing school! She also Lived in the exact apartments I did my freshman year. It's crazy how the lord works. I come all the way to Thailand to meet a sister missionary going home to Bountiful and then to Dixie in the Spring. Chang Mai was a great experience. The beauty of everything and just meeting awesome people was great! I wouldn't change if for anything!

Chang Mai

We are headed to Chang Mai this weekend! This is the one place I haven't wanted to go more than anything! We get to ride elephants and see some beautiful parts of Thailand!  I had a problem with the ATM here in Phichit! I went to count my money and I had only gotten 4000 baht instead of 5000 but I pulled out 5000 so we talked to the bank and they said that my bank needed to call them from America! It's so frustrating! Anyway so I got to watch the security video to see if I dropped any, it was so weird watching myself ha ha I didn't drop any so we have no idea what is going on. This is our last week for having all of the kids so things will be winding back down. Halloween is soon so we are planning a big party and me and Hannah are dressing up as Harry and Ron for Halloween. ha ha The kids have never celebrated Halloween before so hopefully they know why we are doing it ha ha The flooding has finally left the north area and is doing a lot of damage to Bangkok but the good news is finally the family moved back into their own house. I think they were getting frustrated living with us because we don't do things the Thai way. Last night we made some homemade chili paste and may I say that it was the most Delicious thing I have eaten here so far. We are having another cooking lesson tonight so be prepared for me to come home and make some delicious food!!

It offcially offcial

Well it is officially official, we've been here TWO months! Yesterday Tang said that the other group said the last two months went way fast! I got a little teary eyed when thinking about leaving the kids! It's crazy to think this experience is almost over! We are going to Chang Mi this weekend and that means I GET TO RIDE AN ELEPHANT! I really can't even wait! We went to church today, it was really good. The missionary that translates for us is going home soon and he is really weird around five American girls, I wonder why? haha On the way home we went to the train station where we had to pay triple for the train (we still don't know why) and they said it'd be there at two! So it was around twelve thirty so we thought oh that isn't to bad! It didn't come or leave tell after three haha It was okay though! It could be worse that is for sure. The flooding here is worse than it's been in decades so a lot of people are out of homes and food. The flooding has killed close to 300 people but where we are is pretty safe. We've been going on lots of bike rides lately and Hannah and I went on one just yesterday. We were sitting on this bridge enjoying some muffins when a lady drove by motioning us to come with her. Of course we just waved and looked back to our view of the river. Suddenly she comes back and starts speaking Thai! We say Mai Thai but she just keeps on going. So we call Tang and She speaks to her over the phone. Tang says to go with her because we are sitting at the entrance of a temple and she will take us inside, she then says if she starts taking you to far turn around and call me ASAP. So a little worried but with no bad feelings we followed her. She took us thirty seconds to this little outside food restaurant where she got us some water (we were sweating so bad) a coke and some juice haha Then she motioned for us to pick what we wanted to put in our noodle soup. We choose what we needed and the lady cooked them for us. They tried getting the cooks little girl to speak to us but she was to scared haha They feed us a great meal and sent us on our way. They are so nice here! Tang said that we can't do that anywhere outside of Phichit because it wouldn't be safe but here it's okay. We rode around for a long while after that, we turned down a dirt road when we heard quacking. We pulled over and got off our bikes to see hundreds of ducks! The first thing I thought of was my dad and uncle Ron and how they would kill to going hunting here haha We think it was a  duck farm but who knows. Everything is going well here and time is flying!

Not to much to say

There isn't a lot to say! haha Yesterday we took care of lesson plans, taught, and just hung out! We are all doing really well and just can't believe how fast the week goes by. I'll post some pictures of our service activity! Enjoy!

 Our second stop was so flooded we took a boat! SAFETY FIRST

 Our second stop, these are the boxes that were filled with food!

 We all tried to do the squat! They look so normal but we look like we were trying to go potty! haha

 This was our third and final stop for the day!

 this little  boy but the yellow thing up right as I took the picture! He was naked! haha

 This is what most roads look like here...basically a river!

They all sat down while we tried to get ready for them!

A little taste of Humble Pie

Today was so AWESOME!! As I have said before the flooding here is so terrible. There are no trains running, no buses, just your own car and the airplanes.  Because people can't travel to get their food, this is usually because the don't have a boat to get through the water, we got the opportunity to go and take them food. There were three stops today. The first stop we were taken to the front and introduced, people clapped for us like we were the ones providing the food. There were many volunteers but of course we were the only white ones. I thought we'd be giving food to around 20 families, people were squished into this room all holding green tickets. Suddenly I felt so emotional, this was our first stop and I'm already feeling guilty is all I could think. Great. Person after person came through the line, some young some old, some stricken with illness, but all so happy. Each person came through the line and we put something in their grocery bag. We hopped into the back of the truck for our second destination, this time we got in boats and floated a long way down the "river", I'm pretty sure it wasn't the river just a lot of flooded land. We hopped out, getting the same glorious greeting. People were going out of their way to make sure we were okay and had anything we needed. People were taking care of us when we didn't need to be taken care of at all. As we got back on the boat we climbed in the truck and made our way to the third and final destination.  As we drove I pulled my sunglasses down and let a few tears slip from my eyes as I thought about everything that I have at home. I never have to worry about when it rains to much, I never have to wonder if I'm going to eat that day, Today is the first day I've truly cried. Suddenly my life and my "problems" didn't matter. Suddenly it wasn't to hot or humid outside. We arrived at the third place to find people clapping as we pulled up. I watched as people got up to run to form a line, every person that walked by said thank you. Every person was so thankful to be getting the tiniest bit of food for who knows how many people. Some were trying their best to speak English to us, you could see the tears in their eyes as they were handed the food. It seemed to them we were giving them hope, that some how we were improving their lives. But honestly I know we were just giving them one more meal, it is they who gave something to me. I can't help but think how strong these people are compared to me. I can't describe how today made me feel. It made me happy, it made me sad, it made me wish that I could give everything I own to them. I am thankful for today. I realize never will I feel those exact emotions again. I want to savor today. I think I got a little taste of humble pie today.

Give some service!

Today we watched General Conference! Hannah made some yummy Cinnamon rolls and I'm pretty sure I ate three of them haha Ake, our native coordinator, asked what we learned in General Conference, this is my reply: I learned that I need to study the Book of Mormon and make sure I'm really understanding what is being said because this is a great guideline to keep me on the path that will lead me to my Heavenly father. I learned that if I earnestly pray before I study, also night and morning prayers the Savior will show me the way to become like him.  My favorite talk was about serving others and giving charity. It was said that "We need not plan out service but rather be ready to serve at any time because there are some who are lost and don't even know it." A few days ago Hannah and I were out for a walk when we heard this loud truck across the road. We turned to see a young girl pushing the back of a  truck, trying to get it unstuck from the mud. Hannah looked and me and me at her, without hesitation we checked for cars and walked across the street.  The truck had been parked on grass that had became mud soaked from the flooding here. Understanding the probably didn't speak English we motioned with our hands and stood next to the girl. Pushing and Pushing after five or ten minutes the truck lunged forward. Almost all the way to the road, the truck found another weak spot and sunk down in the grass. After many more minutes of pushing it wouldn't come unstuck. The man driving the truck opened the tailgate and motioned for us to jump up and down on the back to apply more weight. I looked at Hannah and said "finally our American weight is good for something!" We began jumping. I don't think I've ever had more fun haha I was laughing and jumping, almost forgetting there was a purpose in jumping. Then just like that the truck jumped forward onto the road! We walked away, both feeling so good. I am glad me and Hannah could recognize when someone needed our help, it wasn't anything big and it may not change their lives but it's good to know we could help them. By reading my scriptures in the morning and praying to my Heavenly Father that I would be able to recognize those that needed help I was able to notice the people across the street needing an extra hand to push. Today I talked to my parents, which was great. My mom was more than willing to help one of the girls with her fafsa! After my mom hung up she thanked me so much for having my mom do that because her parents refuse to help her. Those of you who know my mom know she is the most caring and nice lady on this earth. After saying thank you she said "You know, you remind me a lot of your mom." No, she doesn't know my mom well but that is probably the BEST compliment I have ever received.

I made it through the week alive

Our first week is complete teaching over 20 kids! My computer charger broke recently so it's hard to get on the computer cause I have to use others girls computers. But me and Hannah Banana went for a 3 hour bike ride the other day. We rode all the way out to the middle of no where where there was nothing but beautiful tree's, it is so green, wet and calming. It's a good time to think. I like going with Hannah cause we can not talk but have so much fun! When we first started biking a scooter pulled along side of us with two kids and a guy. He was slowing down and yelling in Thai, people usually force their kids to wave at the white people so I figured this guys was just going to the extreme. The little girl on front had a giant balloon in front of her face so I couldn't see her but as soon as the wind caught it...SURPRISE it was MEW MEW!! She is maybe 2 and has the cutest smile. All of the sudden I found myself almost crashing saying Mew!! Hi Princess!! haha She got this huge smile on her face! It was so exciting to see her outside of class haha