Lead Kindly Light!

Hello all!!

Well it has been another amazing week here in Udon!! My oh my how I love it here! And how I love my companion! It is so much fun trying to talk to her and get to know her better! I usually understand everything she says, but sometimes I just smile and act like I know what is going on. I sure am learning so much from her! I'm also learning how different it is here in the country than life in the big city. I love it! I need to be better at taking pictures, because I want all of you too see how beautiful it is here! We had a very successful week inviting and finding families! But yesterday at church was kinda depressing. In the first branch, none of our investigators came to church :( and in the second branch only Phii Guy, our darling little lady who is getting baptized next year, (her boy friend is in Israel and she wants to get married before she gets baptized, but he isn't coming back to Thailand til next year...anyways...) her and her crazy little son came. Oh well. That's the hardest part of being a missionary. You can help your investigators only so much, and then they have their agency. But this week we are going to work extra hard!

Ok so this last week was so great! Last monday was such an adventure. I just want to tell you really fast about it. :) So after we emailed, I wanted to make zucchini bread right? But in order to make zucchini bread, you need zucchini right? And there is a store on the way outskirts of town that we thought would probably have some. So we rode our bikes out there, probably like 30 mins. And I got some sugar, flour, and baking powder. Success. We checked out and then when we were almost outside it hit me! I hadn't even looked for zucchini! So we ran back inside, and....they didn't even have any zucchini! AH! So then we decided to try the huge mall in the center of town. There is a store there called Tops, and they have EVERYTHING from america. And so I found my zucchinis! Yeah! We don't have an oven, but the Elders do, so they baked it for me and it turned out delicious! Success! Just a side note, I love Thai food. Sister Wanlapa is such a great cook and knows where all the good resturants are! Oh I'm getting so fat!

Tuesday we went out into the jungle! It was SO beautiful! We went to visit some families with some members. It was so much fun! Then we had English. Me and Sister Wanlapa are teaching Basic. Its so different! Sister Wanlapa explains everything in Thai and then I demonstrate. Haha I don't think I should be allowed to teach English tho! Especially grammer! Haha oh my poor students. They are learning how to speak Hooper-English :)

Wednesday I decided I'm very grateful for fences, my brakes on my bike, and rain ponchoes :) It rains here a lot. But I have a great rain poncho, so don't even fret!

Thursday we found five new families!! And when I say "we" I mean Heavenly Father. :) He is so good to us! Friday and Saturday nothing too exciting. I just love being a missionary!

Sunday was so funny! In the 2nd branch me and Sister Wanlapa went to YW. Oh it was so much fun and made me miss my YW leaders so much! I'm SO grateful for all my amazing leaders and the great examples they were to me! I don't know where I would be in my life without them! It was so funny because they started talking about marriage in the temple at the very end, and the teacher showed a picture of the temple and a couple standing in front of it. And I was like "awe!!" And Sister Wanlapa leaded over and said "Lock your heart" in her darling English accent! Oh man! I started laughing so hard! Good times! Oh and I almost forgot! In the MTC we had RMs that would come and help us in the TRC right? And me and my comps first time we had a sister named Jade come help us. She had been home for about 6 years and actually married another RM from Thailand. I kinda forgot about her until my second day here in Udon, when we randomly ran into them at 7/11!! So crazy huh! They and their two sons have been in Thailand for about 3 months and just barley moved to Udon too! They are doing some sort of internship, I don't really know, but anyways they come to the 1st branch! Its so nice to have Jade there to talk to! Its crazy, after only spending about a week not speaking English all day, I already feel like I can't speak English! And my Thai is getting so much better!

Well today we were going to go to this killer shopping market about an hour away from Udon. But it has been raining all day! So we will just chill here again today! Tonight we are all heading to Kon Ken, tomorrow there is a mission tour there, so all the missionaries in this zone are going! It should be great fun! I'm way excited!

Well yesterday I was looking through old Ensigns looking for pictures and ran across the April 2008 Ensign and had the impression I needed to read it. And it was just what I needed! Everyone should read the talk by Pres. Monson, "Treasure of Eternal Value" so great! Plus the talk "Remember Who You Are" and "Your Divine Heritage" those helped me out so much!! Man its crazy how much satan tries missionaries. But on the other hand it is amazing how much help we receive from the Lord! I'm so blessed! And I'm so grateful to be here! I need to be so much better. This week I really want to work hard! I love being a missionary! I'm so happy!! The Church is so true!! Thanks so much for all your letters and love and support and prayers!!

Sister Chambers