Saturday, January 30, 2010

Share the gospel!

So before I decided to go to Taiwan I was also planning on going on a mission. After some talks with the bishop, Taiwan was where I was supposed to go. He said I could share the gospel and make the same kind of impact in peoples' lives...that is if I tried. Now that I'm traveling I realize just how much you can share the gospel. Who cares if they don't speak your language! I collected a bunch of Thai pass along cards and they are like candy. Plus, they are free! Taxi drivers, strangers, teachers, etc. Anyways, just sayin, share the gospel. It has never been one of my biggest strengths, but it is kind of fun to work on it.

Kind of a random post and I plan to write more, but no pictures yet....AND everytime I get on the computer I forget my journal. I would remember nothing without that thing. ALSO, I am with a professor from BYU who is pretty rad. He brought a few students here and we are staying in a super nice hotel, which is a really great change from the super cheap, dirty hostels :)

Tuesday, January 26, 2010

Myanmar

So, I have been traveling for a couple weeks now and it has been one incredible, strange, exhilarating, confusing, educational, fascinating, and beautiful. I went to Thailand first, then to Myanmar for a couple weeks, and now I am back in Thailand. It is pretty exhausting to have the kind of experiences that I have been each day. These kinds of days come once every year and now I am having them on a continual basis. I have met amazing people who are doing amazing things with their lives. I've already been able to see the amazing work NGO's have done in some of the poorest places in the world- and have had the opportunity to take part in some of that work- visiting villages in the middle of nowhere and sitting in the homes of strangers who treat you like you are family- handing out prosthetic legs to people who could not even think about the possibility of having a leg beforehand- visited monastery schools and sang ridiculous songs to the children who of course sang along or rather, mumbled along- helped with English classes with some of the most giggly and fun students- AND lots and lots of listening and learning from some truly incredible human beings. Myanmar is a strange country and there is quite a lot to talk about. Maybe I will find time later, but I am not checking the internet very regularly so we will see. I will try my hardest. The first day I went to the one small branch in the entire country. I talked for awhile after church with a sister named Janet. About an hour into the conversation she told me about her baptism and how she had to be carried into the font because she has a hurt hip and leg. As they pulled her out of the water she thought she had actually died because everything looked so different, so much more beautiful. After a few more minutes of conversation, I discovered she was actually the first member baptized in Myanmar. She invited about 15 people over to her house to learn from the first set of service missionaries who went to Myanmar. Everyone says she is quite the strength. She is too poor to come to church so she can only attend one Sunday a month. The taxi costs 6 usd each time.

Sister Janet is on the far right. Adorable Sister Alice is the other woman.

I don't really have much pictures loaded so I can't show you any, but I will soon enough! I miss home a lot, but everyday has been an adventure and such a learning experience so I am taking advantage of everything I can.