Feb 9, 2015: b u i l d

What happened. How do Monday's keep happening??

Okay Here is the gist. This week was great x 10.

Last Monday. There was a Young Single Adult activity! Oh my goodness it was so fun... Sister Brown and Sister Sanvien (the 2 Senior Sisters) prepared bags of cookies for all of us to go and hand out to random citiznes just as a service and let them know we believe in doing good! It was basically just like inviting except a million times more fun because the members were with us. Wow Family.. I wish I could explain just how amazing amazing wonderful incredible these members are. They are such dear and wonderful friends. Already! Sister Embley and I went out with Sister Gaw (wow... I love her so much... More on her later...), Bro Sam (whoa.. He is a convert of a year.. And is on the Branch counsel... He is incredible! He has that desease they did the water bucket challenge thing for? But that doesn't stop him.. He works.. And works.. All for the church.. All for others. All for the missionaries. And he is SO happy. Oh i love him! He even learned how to play "A Sky Full of Stars" on the piano for me because he knew it is my favorite! I heard it... But didn't listen of course. :P).. And with Bro cake.. Sister Noon.. Oh all of them So amazing. 

tuesday... District meeting... We have such an awesome. And HUGE district.. 12 missionaries.. whoa! The Brown's leave next Monday! :( They did so much good here... They helped so many people.. They will not be forgotten. 

Wednesday

&

Thursday: Was Khuu's with Sister Tauteoli! (Sister Embley and Sumitra are both STL's so they had to go to the special training in Bangkok).. We had fun together! We would have never thought that we would've been together when we were in the MTC... And here we are.. 2 week shy of  SIX MONTHS LATER... Where is the time going? 

Friday: MISSION TRAINING! Some inspired changes are happening here in the TBM. Thailand Bangkok Mission. literally The Best Mission... :)... We are redirecting our focus a little .. We baptized almost 2000 people last year.. (oh my word that is so incredible..).. This year.. The vision is this.. We are redoubling our diligence.. redoubling our efforts..  And again, verily thus saith the Lord: Let the work of mytemple, and all the works which I have appointed unto you, be continued on and not cease; and let your diligence, and your perseverance, and patience, and your works be redoubled, and you shall in nowise lose your reward, saith the Lord of Hosts. And if they persecute you, so persecuted they the prophets and righteous men that were before you. For all this there is a reward in heaven.To bring in the families of these 2000... The FAMILY. I found my purpose here in Thailand. And we will bring them in one by one... One family at a time. :) I have a testimony of the family. Family is the most important thing in the entire world.. universe. Everything! These Thai people they will know that by the time by the time I am through with them!  Families.. Are so important. Our duty here.. Is to build up the kingdom of God.. We are truly building... We all need to help build. The building begins in the home. In the family. 

Saturday:

While helping Sister Stoker translate for the district training.. I had a few things dawned on me.. All my life I have been a member of this church.. And all my life I have doing it wrong. We are really truly building God's Kingdom here in Thailand.. And all over the world... In our homes.. In our hearts. We cannot leave it up to the leaders of the church to do all of the work... Service.. Oh everyone in the church needs to work together... Serve together. This isn't a get up in the morning.. spend 2 hours getting ready... go to church.. come home.. eat.. and then sleep kind of church. It is all about serving others. Helping others endure to the end... Helping others know they are loved and cared about. It is not an "all about YOU" kind of church. But then in the midst of it... Just like in Elder bednar's talk ....it BEcomes about you. Because you BEcome. As you serve. 

This week I BEcame as I served I helped 4 members create a family history account and helped them enter a family member... And taught them how to do it on their own.. Wow that was so fufilling.. 

I BEcame as I helped my sweet investigator Jina learn about how because God loves her so much... She can be with her family forever. 

 Therefore I would that ye should BE(come) perfect even as I, or your Father who is in heaven is perfect.

Endless opportunities to serve surround us.. Comfort others.. Make them feel loved.. Take them an apple, a potato :), a card, a hug, a smile. Show them they are more important than a check mark on a list... Help them believe and understand that God loves them.  These people are out brothers and Sisters!! They NEED to know they have a Redeemer. They NEED to know that eternal families are a real real thing. This gospel is a REAL thing.. Just think of how amazing that is. 

Sunday: wow Best SUNDAY EVER> I had called a guy that morning to come to church.. Ned.. And he came... And he is GOLDEN. SO COOL! He had so many questions.. And was so inpsired by the words one of the Elders added in class.. *When thoughts come into your head during a lesson... share them! I would say most of the time.. Those thoughts are not for you... But what someone else needed...* What else.. Sacrament meeting in branch was so amazing.. It was the first sacrament meeting that I have understood.... In a long time. And wow it was so wonderful. Sister Gaw gave her homecoming talk. 1. I love her. I am so grateful for her example.. I look up to her so much. I will be good friends with her for the rest of my life. 2. I understood her ENTIRE talk. 1. The Gift of Tongues.. Is REAL 2. I love to listen to people speak Tahi when they can speak English too.. It is so much easier to understand! And it makes it so much easier to turn your mind set to listening and understanding when other non English speakers speak Thai... God is real. Thai is good. 

There were 3 baptisms on Sunday. Oh my good... These people are amazing.. They were probably the most sincere and incredibly testimonies I have heard so far being here... You could tell.. That they all knew it was true. BECAUSE IT IS TRUE! Oh it is so true... Our investigator Jina was there for the baptism.. Afterwords she was so flustered for words.. She was barely able to tell me how excited she was to get baptized. She is 15.. Which typically means they would need to wait 3 months and get permission.... She wants to be baptized on Valentines Day... THIS WEEK. <3 miracles. Miracles... God is SO good.

Monday.. Today.. We went to a wat. I was legit! But not as cool as the millions of miracles and times I felt the spirit this week. 

God is so good family.

Pray. He IS listening. 

He will answer.

In honor of one of the best holidays out there... Happy Valentines to all of you... To my wonderful family and friends... The people I love more than anything in the world! 

There is my rant.. That I could go on and on.

God is real.

I LOVE being a missionary.

As my wonderful Sister Jackson would say.. 

Ever Upwards.

Love,

Sister Coates

Feb 2, 2015

First matter of business: HAPPY BIRTHDAY LYNCOLN!

Second: Email time

Monday: Poor Sister Samitra was in the hospital with Bronchitis (seriously aint no   body got time for that) we took them Tim Tams.. As anyone tried to find those yet?

Tuesday: There are so many  faraangs in Udon.. It's kinda ridiculous. And a ton of them are from Germany. I have said avederzain to a handful of them this week! Ha.. Too bad I don't know how to say anything else but what my sisters have taught me: poopsagalossan. HA.

Wednesday: District meeting witht he Seniors!!! Oh they are so good. Such good and wonderful people. And just so happy. It's because they keep the commandments. and serve God in everything they do. A few things I loved from the meeting:

-Obedience + Diligence = Conversion : Obedience is the pathway to conversion.. Just like you can't plant a seed and expect to eat fruit from it the next day.. We cannot expect to be fully converted after a day's worth of obedience. We must be diligent! Going to church and really BEING there every Sunday. Praying every morning AND every night. Everyday try. Give Heavenly Father your best effort. We must be really really good at being obedient... Diligence. And then as were are trying to become obedient and are being diligent in it.. It is then we BECOME converted. Becoming. There is a scripture.. "..Those who were converted unto the Lord NEVER fell away.." You can still be a member of the church and not be converted... Change what you need to so you can be converted unto the Lord! To our Heavenly Father who promises true happiness and eternal life with our families.

Oh so good.

-We are representatives of Jesus Christ. The word for representative in Thai is Tuataan. It translates to "stand in place of"... So as tuataan of Jesus Christ... I am expected- we are expected to say and do all things in the place of the Savior. That changes everything! How we react to others.. How we testify.. All of it.

Thursday: Helped my companion take lice out of her hair. Yay for being in the cleanest country ever! :P Oh I seriously love it so much. She is all healed now. After many hours of scrubbing, coming, sleeping with olive oil and lice shampoo.. All is well.

Friday: Went to the boonies of Thailand with the the Brown's! We met a sweet less active.. Who fed us some food...... Oh my word. Had my first real... Uh oh experience with food. Let's just say I prayed extra hard before I ate it. :) Yay for fish chips... Crunchy chips because you eat the bones. And... That's it. :)

Saturday: I MET SISTER GOW!!!!! Oh my word word word... It was so good getting a huge hug through her from Brittany! Oh... She is so wonderful. She was so SPARKLY! Like... Sparkly shiny new.. Right out of Salt Like City... My home! Oh it was nice to see her.. And oh it was SO fun to get the package brittany sent!!! Thank you!! Love love love all those pictures. <3 You're all so beautiful! I can't believe how much Zurie looks like Anny did when she was little... And Lyncoln's teeth! Oh my word. Everyone is changing!

Sunday: Paa Somyot didnt pass his interview again.. because.. he smoked seven times the day before.. So he has another date for nest week! Pray. For. Him. :) Walked in to our first meeting not really sure if we were going to have any investigator in the 9 o clock service.. To find a man we had contacted sitting close to the front! Whhooooa. Thank you Heavenly Father! I sat with him during sacrament meeting and learned that his name was Billy.. He's a little rough around the edges.. Looked kinda like a rock star haha.. Was wearing a bunch of jewelry and a sweet vest.. :) He had a lot of questions.. I was so grateful for the book of mormon! I opened up to 3 Nephi 18.. And told him to read verses 1-12 as they talk about the sacrament... He ended up reading all of chapter 18 AND 19! Bwa! Miracle a little! :) He doesn't have a phone.. So I don't know how we will contact him but I think that he will come back... He's got a Book of Mormon and a Restoration pamphlet. All he needs now is to be baptized! :)

This week ahead: We will be preparing for our family history fireside!! Thailand is seriously being lit on fire with family history work. If we are going to have a temple.. We need Thai names. :) It is so exciting. The spirit of Elijah is here! It is bringing so many families together.. And so many people to the church. I am so excited!

Monday today... Emailing a little later than usual because.. We went to a Thai funeral today. Hmm! Interesting. 

I love all of you. 

Working really really hard here. 

There is a million things to do always.

I am so grateful for the scriptures. 

I am so grateful for my family.

I am so grateful to be a missionary.

Love, 

Sister Coates 

I cant send pics today because this computer is TERRIBLE... All is well. 

Jan 25: UDON

OH MY HECK FAMILY.

This past week... I'm tellin ya! HA

TRANSFERS.

OH MY WORD.

Okay are you ready?

Really quick-

mon: Didn't really know it but it was my last night and last FHE in Saphan Suung. But at the same time I did know it.. I had this feeling. And HF did too. It was really nice though. And sad at the same time. My word I love my district and those Saphan Suung people. We all had been waiting for the call from the office ALL day long...Seriously we were so anxious all day... the call usually comes in the afternoonish... But it has also been known to come the day before transfers or the day of transfers, etc... So we left FHE, finished planning for the next day and had pretty much given up hope on the transfers call WHEN... The phone rang. It was Elder Burke. He said... One person is moving..... Sister Coates..... Wow.. I was really... Heartbroken. I knew it was coming. But there was that little hope inside me wanting to keep that little band aid on... Sapaan suung was my last greenie band aid that needed to be ripped off.. I am a full fledged missionary now. Ha! :P

Tues: Renewed my VISA.. Was way nice to spend time with my district and see people from my MTC district. Have I ever mentioned that I love Elder Burke and Elder Hall? Well... I do. :) I will really miss them!

Wed: Last district lunch @ Ploy's today. Packed my suit cases... Not sure how this happened but I have way more stuff now than I did at the beginning of the transfer... Said good byes to my wonderful members and RC's... Both Sister Brown and I could not fall asleep that night.. We pillow talked for a long time. I will miss her! She is a sweet heart.

THURSDAY: oh my gosh. ARE YOU READY?  Okay her it is: I'VE BEEN TRANSFERRED TO UDON!!! In the ISSAN. What does that mean? It means... I am no longer in Bangkok.. Most definitely not in Bangkok anymore. I am in the country. As in there are... Trees.. And people live in sweet shacks and cook food outside in fire pits.. etc. It means there are MOTHS. And other bugs that.. Are just wow. I knew I was going to the Issan. I KNEW IT. Also.. The Issan means an entirely new language. Issan. Good thing saying "cing law"(whoa are you serious?) works for just about everything! :P My new companion is SIster Embley!!! YAYAYA! She has 3 more months on her mission.. Which is way weird.. Because as of tomorrow I will have been in Thailand for 3 months. Wat? Oh I am so excited to serve with this sister. Will talk more about her in a sec..... Later that day- almost every single missionary at the transfer meeting went to Que Pasa- one of the few mexican restaraunts in Thailand... Oh glorious mexican food. After dat! We packed all my suit cases in a taxi and headed out to the bus station.. For a SEVEN HOUR ride to Udon. 7 hours.... Before getting on the bus though... haha The taxi driver locked my suitcases in the trunk and didnt have the right key to get it out.... Oh everyday is an adventure. Can you guess how may khon Thais and missionaries it takes to get 2 suit cases out of a taxi? A lot.

Fri: We arrived in UDON @ 6:00... I unpacked. We had studies. We went inviting. we had a lesson out in the BOONIES. Oh my I failed to take pictures of this place... Because I was seriously in shock. I am not in Bangkok anymore. nope. Also new for me.... I rode a bike today for the first time in.... Years.... oh boy family. Bikes are hard hahah! I am going to lose a LOT of weight. I think I have already lost 4 lbs. Honestly I can't even remember the details of this day because it was insane we were running on like 4 hours of sleep. That night though... I slept soooooo good.

Sat: I purchased a bike!!! For..... 12,000 baht!! It's a shiny little red bike with a big basket in the back. It's name is Nong Dang.. Translates to.... Little Red... :)

Sunday: Oh man it is so different from Saphan Suung. So we are pretty much at church ALL day long. Which is way awesome! All day long BECAUSE... Instead having just one ward like in saphan suung... There are 2 branches. The little branch starts @ 9 and the big one starts @ 2. I've been to a few wards now here in Thailand.. The layout, the buildings, basically everything in each place i have been to is SO different.. However one thing has remained the same... And it still amazes me. The memebers here are INCREDIBLE. They are amazing amazing people. And oh my word there are GOOD people here just like there were in Saphan Suung. I am so excited for all the friends I will make here. I already have so many. Ah. God is so good. Udon is SO good! So, our goal here is to increase the size of branch one so that we can turn Udon into a STAKE!!!! Oh you know we are going to make that happen! I am so excited and ready to work hard... Which is TOTALLY POSSIBLE with my new wonderful companion sister Embley:

--->Whoooo-eee! Do I already love sister Mebley. Oh my goodness she works so hard. Whisch is what I have praying for. Oh I am learning so much form her already. She is from Ohio and has pretty much lived all over the world. She graduated from high school the same year as I did.. And then the following fall she left on her mission! So the same as jessica! She is an awesome awesome missionary. Is so good at the language.. I am so excited to learn more from her. God has blessed me with companions... I have learned so much from ALL of them.  Oh I can't even tell you how stoke I am to work so hard this transfer with her! She only has 2 transfers left.. So i could end up killing her in the mission... :) Possibly in Udon as well! We will see. :)

Home: We live in a way nice town hour. WAY nice. Furnished by Ikea. It is a 4 siter house. The other companionship is Sister Samitra (who is this sweet, gorgeous and wonderful khon thai!) and sister Tateouli (from my MTC group and whom I adore. She is sweet!). So are little house is way fun. 

UDON: Is huge. We live in the city center sort of.. So there are 7/11's and Big C's... There is even a little mall! Out side of the little town... There are trees.. And fields... And shacks... And scary creatures!!!! And trees.... And the only things that out number the amount of trees are the MOSQUITOES....So. Many. Mosquitoes. I can't even count the number I have on my legs. Thank heaven for 7/11 though.. Their bug lotion stuff really works.. You just have to remember to put it on. Ha! We live 2 houses down from the Elders and 5 houses down from the Senior couple!! Elder and Sister Brown! Oh They are so good. They feed us EVERY SUNDAY!! Oh my heart was so happy <3 last night we have french toast... :***) God bless Senior Missionaries.. Amurica and French Toast.

Our Elders are SWEET:

Elder Ankham- He is from Laos. And is the most boss missionary.. Oh I am so excited to serve with him is a Zone Leader with...

Elder Crump!!!- Ohhhh my I already Loooove Elder Crump. He is so awesome! And was way good friends with Sister Jackson! When we found out we were going to be in the same district.. We both said what! Sister Jax is going to freak! :P He is way way good. And Anny.. He has read every Harry Potter book (and listened to on Audio) SEVENTEEN times.

Elder Wolfey- is our District leader! He seems way awesome! His Thai is awesome!

Elder Darby- Is my Nong from the MTC (the thai group that came in after me).. He is Canadian and proud of it! Haha and he also looks EXACTLY like Prince Hans from Frozen. Will send a pic sometime.

Conclusion: This is going to be an awesome transfer.

Funny/Sweet moment.. We were inviting with a cute RC named Brother Cake. Here is our convo:

Me "Bro Cake would you want to be a missionary?

Cake: "Oh for sure!"

Me "You'll be a great a missionary!"

Cake: "what state are you from?"

Me "Utah"
Cake: "Oh I love Utah!"

Me "Oh really? Have you even been?"

Cake: "No.. But I've seen 17 Miracles"

Bahahaha Oh my goodness he is SO sweet! Good good people.

The scriptures = SO cool. We visited an RCLA last night and shared 2 Nephi 25:26 to help her have a better understanding of why the scriptures are so important.. The people who wrote the scriptures knew the things in the scriptures were so incredibly important so they wrote and sacrificed so that their children could know as well. What is it in the scriptures that is so incredibly important? They testify of Christ... Why is that important? Because in this life.. Our goal is to become like him and to return to him.. How can we become like him? Learn of him. Where can we do that? The scriptures. In the scriptures.. it literally tells us the way to return home. Oh the scriptures are so sweet. I will talk more on that later.. Because... Wow. I could talk about them for hours and I don't have a lot of time left.

Gift of tongues.. It comes exactly when I need it. And it leaves when things aren't really necessary to my purpose. We were sharing a scripture with an RC... Who started talking about how someone had wronged her.. As soon she started talking about these things.. I could only understand that... Someone had wronged her and she was offended because blahhhh idk idk idk "issan...issan.. issan... issan".. Which is all we really needed to understand in order to help her. But it is real.. I wasn't sure exactly what I was going to say before we shared the scripture.. But then we did.. And thoughts were put into my head in English and then they came out in Thai. God is real.

In the same meeting with this RC @ her little house.. We were all sitting together on a mat in the middle of the room when this HUGE FLYING BEETLE landed on sister Embley- then it flew into the center of the mat where the RC then SMASHED IT WITH THE PALM OF HER HAND!!??.................. I am not in Bangkok anymore! Hahaha oh the adventures. And I didn't even write half of them.

I love being a missionary.
I am sad to leave Saphan Suung but excited to get to know this new area. 

I cannot believe how much God is really in the details of our lives. Like how the Temple Square sister missionary Sister Gow taught Brittany last week how to massaman and who had stayed with the marvels- And how that SAME sister Gow IS FROM UDON and will be back THIS THURSDAY! Whaaat. We do everything here with Sister Gow's mom, Ma Pon! It was so cool opening up Brittany's email and reading: I sent a little something with Sister Yui and SIster Gaw---> I hope you get sent to Udon! 
I. Am. In. Udon.

God is so good.

Family I love you. 
Keep praying.
Keep CTR.
Keep going to church. 

Good will come.

Love you all.
Sister Coates

Baptized cute sister Ning on Sunday! She had been learning from the Elders and Sister Embley and I for only one week before getting bapized! She was so ready! Her dad was going to be baptized on the same day but is struggling with quiting smoking. Please keep brother Samyot in your prayers!

Jan 18, 2015: Red Mango Again :)‏

It was Sister Browns birthday yesterday and Elder hall's 2 datys ago :) She is 21 and he is 19! Weird..... :) I GOT TO GO TO RED MANGO!!! AGAIN!!! HEavenly father is real life <3

Jan 18, 2015: Potatoes

Monday: Sister Brown and I went to Predoonamm? It's this huge..huge... shoppping place close to Asoke. People the malls here blow my mind. They are so hi so! At the mall... I bartered! I only got 30฿ off a shirt I bought because I felt bad! But it was fun.:)

Tuesday: They have an ice cream place here called Swenson's... They have TONS of them everywhere... Everyone is way obsessed with it.... They have them in Cali apparently. Anywho... We went as a district today! Elder Hall ate an "earthquake"...... 8 huge scoops of icecream..... He ate the WHOLE thing. To put this in perspective... I was barely able to finish 2 scoops of icecream.... Serving with Elders is SO fun. They are so good hahaha:)

Wednesday: Whoa today was so crazy full of miracles. We had 2 investigators come at the same time..SO we went on splits with members. BUT then while I was teaching my investigator Bin.. ANOTHER investigator, Bang, showed up and sat down in the lesson! What?? So I taught two.... Who both accepted a baptismal date. ??? . Seriously heaven is helping over here. Bin was invited to come to the church by her cute friend Babe (oh I love her so much)... I am telling you family.. Invite your friends to the church. And then Bang... Whoa she was the most amazing golden investigator i've ever seen. She had never been taught by the missionaries but had been to church a few times in Asoke... She had the scripture app on her phone and wanted me to order a D&C for her.... What? What? Yeah she knew what that was... The miracles didn't end there. While Elder Burke was interviewing our investigator Shampoo to be baptized- Sister Brown and I taught their investigator the Restoration and centered in on the family.... She wants to be baptized asap. What in the world?

Thursday: A DAY IN ASOKE!! Oh my word I love Asoke... It is such a special place. It was SO fun to spend the day with Sister Peterson. We were good friends together with Sister Jackson. She is one of those people that just GET IT. We were able to teach a really sweet Bollywood man and a Chinese man with Elder Curtis and Elder Jeeng. We couldn't understand ANYTHING in the Chinese lesson...But It was cool... Because you don't need to know the language being spoken to feel the spirit.  

Which topic... has been one of the themes of this transfer. Ah.. I have grown..SO much this transfer. SO much. I have learned:

-Language ability..It doesn't matter. At all. 

-I am learned SO much Thai... And can understand SO much more... Oh I can't tell you how much heaven is helping.

-I have learned how to better communicate

- have learned to pray... and then expect and wait for answers. They come.. And when we pray more.. We notice the answers more.

Another theme of this transfer: Potatoes

-A few weeks ago we were sitting eating dinner at the church with a bunch of ward members... And Sister Gow came up to me while holding a dinner roll in her hand... And asked me what it was called in english... I told her it was called a "roll"... And she sat and thought for a minute...And was like oh will you please teach me how to make this...this.... potato?... I said yes,... I can teach you how to make "rolls"...And then she went around so excited to tell everyone that I was going to teach her how to make potatoes.... hahahaha what? And everytime she saw me after that she asked about making potatoes.... aka dinner rolls. <3 LOVE! 

-There was also a talk in the Liahona this month... I believe it was called "potato for the teacher"... It was about a teacher who received a gift from one of her cute elementary students... The gift was a potato.. The little girl was SO excited to give her this potato... And when she did she said "I didn't have an apple.. But I did have a potato!"... The teacher thought this was so thoughtful and sweet even though it was a.. potato.. And then it made her think of visiting teaching.. and serving others.... How many times had she had the prompting or thought to go serve someone in need... But then thought to herself... I dont have a homemade pie to go and give..Or I dont have a casserole to go give.. Or in other words.. I dont have an APPLE to give...  Therefore neglecting the thought and the opportunity to serve.... The lesson she learned from the sweet little student.. was that... Our service we give others doesnt have to always be an "apple"... and shouldn't always be! Rather... We need to give what we do have... Even if all we have is a potato... If all we have is time enough to say hello... to check up... write a card..etc.. The offer will be so appreciated... Hopefully this made sense.. I am typing at the speed of light.

I am hoping to get back online later today when we get the transfer news!!! 

love you all,

sister coates

Jan 11, 2015

Me freaking out about the Elephant TRUNK RIGHT NEXT TO ME.. Slobbering all over my bag haahaha

Baptism day for Bro. Shark! He is a hoot.

Jan 11, 2015: That Happened.

Monday 5th: 

Went to the crocodile farm today..... NO BIG DEAL. Thought of Noahy, Lync, Reags and Zurie. They wouldve LOVED it there....

--->Things did: Fed elephant, got elephant snot all over my bag, watched elephant dance to open gangum style, watched elephant do a head stand, walked underneath an elephant and laid on an ELEPHANT. NBD!? We were the only people @ the elephant show. So they let.. Basically just chill with the elphants.. NBD.The place wasn't just a croc farm.. It was a zoo.. So they had like.. Every type of random animal... Which was way funny.. This zoo here was like the complete oppisite of a zoo in the US.. The animals were in pretty nice enclosures but like... all fround level and separaed from the people by a chain link fence hahah! with NO security guards. So fun...... What else happened... Ummmmmm I HELD and FED a BABY TIGER. IN WHAT WORLD??? In Thailand. It was like $2 to enter the park and than like $8 to hold and feed the tiger AND get your picture taken and printed. The tiger was SO precious. Oh my word. It was so soft and cuddly.. In the pics you can see its claws like digging into my arm. <3 What else happened? Oh yeah! A WAY naughty baby monkeythat the trainers weren't watching - almost ripped my skirt off in front of a group of elders! Noahie, Reags, Lync, Zur And Char: I CAN'T WAIT TO TAKE YOU HERE! <3

--> I forgot to mention the crocodiles... THEY WERE HUGE and So scary! During the croc show... The performer put his head in the croc's mouth... Like... 5 times... And did a bunch of other way not safe stuff. haha so fun!

Tuesday 6th: 

Today was SO nuts. We had 5 investigator appointments back to back. Including district meeting AND teaching English.We both ended up splitting up with a member so we could be able to teach everyone. Family. This stuff just doesn't happen. God is seriously pouring blessings all over Thailand.

Wednesday 7th: 

Today was ridiculously and abnormally hot... For the past couple of weeks it has been way sabaay... Like the most perfect whether outside... breezy... cooo/warmm.. soo good. Minus today. It was crazy hot Which actually made inviting way fun! Because I was sweating like crazy! When I sweat a ton- I feel good.. Because it makes me feel like I am working extra hard.. It makes me feel like I am using HF's time the best I can. Tonight we helped 3 little girl students with an English prject. They had to interview us in English.. And wow. My  English is going out the window. I am not sure how much I helped them... My grammar is serious horrid and I cannot remember how to spell words... 

Thursday 8th: Mission Training! It is always way fun to have training with our zone leaders and sister training leader. Sister Adams is the training leader and her companion is Sister Lor (my faaave friend from the MTC!!)!!! It is so fun to see them. And I love Elder Bart and Elder Wahl. Both are in my district... Both are so good!!! I cannot even explain how awesome the Elders here in Samphan Suung are. I love them so much. And have felt the power of the priesthood CONSTANTLY! The priesthood is such a special thing. It helps make us feel taken care of and safe. So thankful for worthy priesthood holders. Family. Take advantage of the priesthood holders around you.Try to recognize the power in the keys they hold..... Back to the training meeting. One of the focus points was as a mission we are going to teach more towards the FAMILY.  Which is SO cool and so inspired. And has really been so awesome to teach towards. BECAUSE... This church... This gospel really is all about the family. President Packer said: 

"The ultimate purpose of every teaching, every teaching, every activity in the church is that parents and their children are happy at home, sealed in an eternal marriage, and linked to their generations.... The ultimate purpose of the adversary, who has 'great wrath, because he knoweth that he hath but a short time," 1 is to disrupt, disturb, and destroy the home and the family. Like a ship without a rudder, without a compass, we drift from the family values which have anchored us in the past. Now we are caught in a current so strong that unless we correct our course, civilization as we know it will surely be wrecked to pieces."

Whoa so true. Being here on my mission... I have come to realization of how much love I actually have for my family... You are all so good. I love you all so much. I love you so. SO. so much. I get to be with you forever. AH. And that is why teaching towards family is going to be so amazing. I am so excited to tell these people. They have to know! I want them so badly to know of the love and joy they can have in their families.. from having the gospel. 

Friday 9th:

Celebrated WanDek (children's day)... Yeah that's a thing here. They celebrate.. Children. And they celebrate HARD too. We were invited to come to this school where all these people made TONS of every kind of Thai food and treat you can imagine and then gave it to the children for free. So we were invited to come and hand out inviting cards, pamphlets, etc... SO much good was handed out. OH my word it makes me so excited. We literally handed out HUNDREDS of Family Proclamation to World..s... If you haven't read it lately... Go read! It is SO good. Such a cool experience that was! Later at the church we were making calls and making lesson plans at the church... we went out in the hall to grab a drink  when we saw that a cute member named Babe (i love her to death) and her friend were hanging out at the church too! (ALL the members in Thailand LOVE to hangout at the church... Not kidding... Every single day. So fun!).. So we talked with them for a bit... And then... Said hey.. Does your friend want to learn? Friend says... Sure why not! And.... We taught her. She is SO cute and sweet. I would not be surprised if she was baptized next week. And all because her cute friend BABE took her to the church to escape the sun for a minute. The influence of members and friends is unreal. I wish i would have known that before i was a missionary. ALL you have to do is invite a friend to come church with you. Just invite! Share what makes you so happy.

Saturday 10th:

Ate lunch @ a floating market with Sister Bruso!... at a boat restaurant... on the water... on the river... Markets here are unreal. This market was really nice too! It had a cool Pike Place Market vibe. <3 you seattle! Hello family. Drink some starbucks hot choco for me ;) Ohhhh! Here... They have iced chocolate drinks.. Called coco yens... They are a beautiful beautiful thing. I dont know why they dont have them in America. At the floating market we had coco yens made for us my this guy that would dance while making us the treat... Oh my word.. It was HILARIOUS. Sister B and I were laughing so hard... He was so serious in dance moves... pouring the coco... oh i love Thailand. Look for him in the pictures I will send. Seriously it was the best coco yen I have had yet!! I am convinced the dancing was the reason it tasted so good.

Sunday11th: Drum roll please... Mr. Shark rapped baptisima. :D He seriously is the funniest guy (see baptismt pic).. It was cool to see him sit on the stand after he was baptized... He wasn't the same person as before. And he knew it too. So cool! Sister Brown and I slammed Tim Tams that night to celebrate... Family. You need to find Tim Tams... They are bless ed australian cookie.. That you can probably find at world market... Go Slam. :) Also from today! Tuck recieved the gift of the holy ghost!!!! It was so cool sitting with her after... She kept saying... There was no way to describe how she was feeling. Attibay may tuuk cing.

Other Miracles:

-Tuck has met with us or talked to us on the phone EVERY single day now since we've met her... So 2 weeks. In that 2 weeks. She was baptized. received the Holy Ghost.. Helped us teach investigators. Planned temple trips and p days with us.... What? Unreal. She is is so cool.... I am excited to get her a CTR ring. She wants one SO bad. Is she really my RC (recent convert)? I feel so humbled... So blessed!

-Bin.. SIster Jackson and My- RC from November. Told me yesterday she wants to be a missionary.. And to call her when we teach so she can practice. Whoa... Okay?? What. 

-FAMILY! Can you believe these miracles!?! What on earth. Ha I guess that's just it... It's heaven's hand.

-OH MY GOSH I ALMOST FORGOT!! Okay do you remember about a month or two ago when I emailed about the guy I contacted named Nam Leab? It was the day I went on switch offs with Sister Mamaea in Bankapi.. The day I got Red Mango!!!.... yes that day,.. Okay so that guy Nam Leab.. I had the distinct thought in my head right when I saw him "Im gonna to get his number"... And then it happened,.. I walked away thinking... Dang that was cool. And then a few days later sister mamaea said on the conference call that he came to church! Whoa yeah cool! And then I hadn't really heard anything else...... SO it turns out... A few weeks after that... HE WAS BAPTIZED... WHOA WHOA WHOA. Um That is the coolest thing ever. To this day I can still remember so clearly the thought in my head... It was my own voice saying.. I am gonna get his number... But it was the Holy ghost that put that thought there.... Whoa... Whoa... ah.. Miracles. God is so good and so real! I feel so thankful that I was in the place heavenly father need me to be in. 

Stay tuned for more miracles in the week to come. They are going to come! And I am SO excited. 

Love you all so much

thank you for your support

thank you for your prayers

I am praying for all of you.

Heavenly father is real!

Being a missionary is the best.

lOVE 

sister Coates

PS. Transfers not this thursday but next! So This may be my last week in Saphan suung... And may be my last week with Sister Brown! :( We've had so much fun...... I really don't want to leave this area... I love these people so much. This place is magic! But I will go and do. 

Chog Dii naa