Scrambled Thoughts
1 week ago
Tuesday, November 25, 2008
PRE-THANKSGIVING
Well, today I did it. I got up in the closets and unloaded all of the Christmas decorations. Now, I know that it is a little bit early, but I'm not sure when I will have another chance to do it! I guess I w ill just have to cut out some paper turkeys to put on the Christmas tree. This year we are getting a late start on all of the holiday 'doings'. The turkey is frozen solid, the rest of the food has yet to be bought, the Christmas gifts for the missionaries are not ready to wrap yet, the cards to parents aren't ready to send yet, the family stuff......the family stuff hasn't even been thought of yet, and we haven't made any plans for our own missionary who will be coming home, (to Thailand) from Austria on the 19th of December!!! Life is busy, no doubt about that, but would we want it any other way?
I really do love Thanksgiving, it gives me time to ponder the things in my life that mean the most to me. I don't know where I would be without the G ospel, I am so thankful for the things that I know, and the constant reminder from the Spirit telling me that the Gospel of Jesus Christ is true. My family, I thank my Heavenly Father daily for each one of them, I still wonder what I could have possibly ever done to deserve them. The missionaries......I love them. They are just a bright light in this country and such a blessing to the people in Thailand. I hope that they realize how important they are to this mission and to the work of the Lord.... No doubt about it.....I am
blessed.
.
Saturday, November 8, 2008
Sometimes it seems like time is going faster and faster. I can't believe how fast our 6 week cycle passes. I used to be able to look at a missionary and remember just about when he/she got into country.....now, somehow it seems like they all JUST arrived! I am always surprised to see that it is time for them to return home.
This moves was great, the mission is moving forward and the missionaries are working soooooo hard......you gotta' be proud of them. President and I really do believe that they are the best missionaries in the world, (plus one more missionary in Germany/Austria!)...and some of the most obedient too. It is amazing to watch them grow and change during these 2 years....the Elders really do come in as boys and leave as young men. What a wonderful way to prepare for the rest of their lives. The growth in the sisters is the same, only much more subtle.....the light just simply shines brighter and brighter the longer they serve.
TIME MOVES ON
This moves was great, the mission is moving forward and the missionaries are working soooooo hard......you gotta' be proud of them. President and I really do believe that they are the best missionaries in the world, (plus one more missionary in Germany/Austria!)...and some of the most obedient too. It is amazing to watch them grow and change during these 2 years....the Elders really do come in as boys and leave as young men. What a wonderful way to prepare for the rest of their lives. The growth in the sisters is the same, only much more subtle.....the light just simply shines brighter and brighter the longer they serve.
TIME MOVES ON
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Tuesday, August 5, 2008
MOVES WEEK
It's true, time DOES march on, much too fast! It seems like we had our big transfers week just days ago and.....turn around and it is time to do it again. Every six weeks, whether we are ready or not, it is time for the transfer period....or as we call it in Thailand, Moves Week.
It sounds simple, I know, new missionaries in, old missionaries out. But the 'backstage' goings on just wear us out! President Dodge spends days studying his moves board, where the pictures of all the missionaries are...he studies their faces, he studies the weekly letters they send him, he studies their special needs, their trials and joys, their history and then he calls on the Lord for inspiration. It is true that it is the Lord who runs the mission, we are only here to do His will. After it is decided where they should move, train tickets have to be decided, phone calls have to be made, and schedules have to be lined up so that everyone, who is moving, can be in Bangkok in time for the Moves meeting on Thursday morning. That is where they find out who their new companion is, and where they will be serving.
After that meeting they head to the mission office to interview with President Dodge and learn about their finances..... (Yea, I wonder if they stay awake for that!) Then back to President's house, a big dinner and, hopefully, bedtime by 6 p.m. And yes, they really ARE ready for bed then! (We have actually had missionaries fall asleep during the dinner prayer!)
Thursday morning.....up at 6:30am, breakfast, and they're ready for the excitement.... MOVES MEETING. As I said before, this is where they find out who their new companion will be, and where they will be serving. It is great fun to watch them in the meeting, they are so excited and ready to work. Really and truly, they warm my heart! After the meeting and a little training, off they go.....to work!
Then it is time for us to run home to prepare.....President, for the 2 hour Zone Leader's meeting, and Sister Dodge for the big lunch for them all. (It seems like we are eating a LOT)
Thursday afternoon is when the 'old' missionaries come to the mission home. They will be staying there for the night and taken to the airport on Friday morning. It is a bittersweet experience for most of them because they DO want to see friends and family, but they DON'T want to leave Thailand. I think that parents would be surprised to realize how difficult it is for most of them to leave, they really have made this their home. While they are at our home we have a big dinner and a testimony meeting. It is amazing to see how they have grown and to feel the strength of their testimonies. They really do know that they have been on God's errand and are grateful for the opportunity to have served. We are both very proud of them.
It sounds simple, I know, new missionaries in, old missionaries out. But the 'backstage' goings on just wear us out! President Dodge spends days studying his moves board, where the pictures of all the missionaries are...he studies their faces, he studies the weekly letters they send him, he studies their special needs, their trials and joys, their history and then he calls on the Lord for inspiration. It is true that it is the Lord who runs the mission, we are only here to do His will. After it is decided where they should move, train tickets have to be decided, phone calls have to be made, and schedules have to be lined up so that everyone, who is moving, can be in Bangkok in time for the Moves meeting on Thursday morning. That is where they find out who their new companion is, and where they will be serving.
On Wednesday morning we have the great opportunity to meet the new missionaries! They are so amazing, they come out of the International Terminal to meet us and we can see the excitement in their eyes. OK, it is a little bit like deer in the headlights, but they are so ready to be here! We gather them up with hugs and handshakes.... then get them some Thai money and we are off again.....to President's house for a big lunch and a short meeting. We have found that we need to meet with them early in the day because, after a 30 hour plane trip, they want to sleep!
After that meeting they head to the mission office to interview with President Dodge and learn about their finances..... (Yea, I wonder if they stay awake for that!) Then back to President's house, a big dinner and, hopefully, bedtime by 6 p.m. And yes, they really ARE ready for bed then! (We have actually had missionaries fall asleep during the dinner prayer!)
Thursday morning.....up at 6:30am, breakfast, and they're ready for the excitement.... MOVES MEETING. As I said before, this is where they find out who their new companion will be, and where they will be serving. It is great fun to watch them in the meeting, they are so excited and ready to work. Really and truly, they warm my heart! After the meeting and a little training, off they go.....to work!
Then it is time for us to run home to prepare.....President, for the 2 hour Zone Leader's meeting, and Sister Dodge for the big lunch for them all. (It seems like we are eating a LOT)
Thursday afternoon is when the 'old' missionaries come to the mission home. They will be staying there for the night and taken to the airport on Friday morning. It is a bittersweet experience for most of them because they DO want to see friends and family, but they DON'T want to leave Thailand. I think that parents would be surprised to realize how difficult it is for most of them to leave, they really have made this their home. While they are at our home we have a big dinner and a testimony meeting. It is amazing to see how they have grown and to feel the strength of their testimonies. They really do know that they have been on God's errand and are grateful for the opportunity to have served. We are both very proud of them.
On Friday morning, after breakfast, we head to the airport. A very difficult time for us! We really do grow to love these missionaries, and sending them home is, well, heartbreaking! But we do hope that we will be able to keep in touch, even a little bit, with them all. They are family.
It's funny, I could sit and watch these pictures over and over. I knew, before we were called to this position, that I would love the missionaries....I just didn't know how much. I know that each and every one of these missionaries is called of God. It is not an accident that they are serving here in Thailand. This is where the Lord wants them to be. I am as sure of that as I am sure that the sun will rise every day. The Lord wants them in this country, at this time, in their area, and with their particular companion because they have a particular work to do. They may never know what that work is, but the Lord does, and it is their duty to turn to Him for guidance. He will always be there for the missionaries just as I know that He will always be there for each one of us.
It's funny, I could sit and watch these pictures over and over. I knew, before we were called to this position, that I would love the missionaries....I just didn't know how much. I know that each and every one of these missionaries is called of God. It is not an accident that they are serving here in Thailand. This is where the Lord wants them to be. I am as sure of that as I am sure that the sun will rise every day. The Lord wants them in this country, at this time, in their area, and with their particular companion because they have a particular work to do. They may never know what that work is, but the Lord does, and it is their duty to turn to Him for guidance. He will always be there for the missionaries just as I know that He will always be there for each one of us.
Thursday, July 31, 2008
One of the most exciting, frightening, exhilarating, and life altering experiences in Thailand......driving. The traffic rarely makes much sense, and if it does, it is likely to change at a moment's notice. I have been on roads that are considered one-way on Thursday and by Friday....yea, they go the other way. I guess that just driving in Bangkok gives one a sense of adventure and an experience into the unknown....I mean, after all, there is nothing like being surprised by an elephant during rush hour!
The truth is, President and I don't ride the trains, but the missionaries do.....I just couldn't resist this clip of a train in Bangkok. It's amazing!
These next pictures are just some of my favorites about, just simply, getting around in Thailand!
The truth is, President and I don't ride the trains, but the missionaries do.....I just couldn't resist this clip of a train in Bangkok. It's amazing!
Tuesday, July 29, 2008
Lots of Wisdom
Let's face it, no mission is complete without it's Seniors!!! Thailand has been blessed with some of the greatest Senior Missionaries ever. They have given us such balance, such great examples, such joy......this mission just wouldn't be able to run as smoothly without them. Each one of them has sacrificed so much to be here and they have done it with a smile. They are loved. These great missionaries are examples of faith and service. The people of Thailand learn from them and love them like family. It is great for the members and non-members alike to see service in action. One of the greatest things to watch is the influence that the Seniors have on the Young Missionaries. Their good works are not unnoticed. It just might be possibly true that they may never know of the great work they leave behind.
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