These are the cockroaches we swept up last P-Day

Well, this week was a bit of a ride, I must say. First, we had zone conference last Tuesday. That was good. President Smith is just one of those people who can motivate you - you know? We talked a lot about finding people to teach. Get this - as of March 1, we are changing our schedule. We are going to get up at 6:00, exercise, get ready, and leave the house for proselyting at 7:30 am. We will proselyte until 1:30 and then do our studying - from 1:30-4:00. Then we will go back out until 8:30, come back, plan, and go to bed at 10:00. It is because during the hot season, pretty much the whole country shuts down from 1-4. They all go inside, where we can't get to them. But from about 7-9, they are all on their way to work and outside doing things - so we are going to get to them then. We don't really know how it will work. We will have to see. It is our "summer schedule" - we will change back to the normal schedule in June, when the hot season ends. They are hoping it will help missionaries work more effectively and not get sick if they aren't outside during the hottest part of the day.
My birthday was good. Sister Mark gave the best present ever - a coupon for a free no phone day. I used it because my birthday would have been my phone day and that is not cool. So I got three blissful days without having to answer the phone. Of course the phone didn't even ring those three days. Naturally. Oh well. Yesterday was my phone day again. I didn't get through a single conversation with out having to give the phone to Sister Mark. Maybe my Thai didn't improve that much. Man, I hate the phone. When I get home from my mission, I am going to refuse to talk on the phone for three years. Just so you know.

Sister Mark and I are still having a blast. She is just a little too much fun. We are currently seeing how many cockroaches we can find dead in our bathroom at one time - we are currently up to 14. They just come out at night and then die. We hardly ever see them alive. It is the weirdest thing.

My Thai...well, I feel like the speaking is going pretty well. I feel like I can kind of say what I want to in lessons and such. Listening comprehension is still struggling a bit. I still have to kind of ask Sister Mark what just went on. I have been talking on the phone a lot and that is going better - I only have to frantically throw the phone at her about every third time. (That just happened actually - it is my phone day and the phone rang and the person had the wrong number and I had no idea what they were saying so I threw it at Sister Mark.) There are just some people I have a really hard time understanding - Phii Ruay talks rally fast so I usually miss what she says when she gets going. But there are some people I understand really well - like Sister Baew. So I guess it is going well.

We had a great week this week. We have seen some awesome miracles. We are pretty excited about our new family. With Phii Ruay's and Phii Nok (have I told you about her? She is the wife of a member with three kids that we have been teaching forever) that means we are teaching THREE families - that is unheard of. When we told our DL last night, he was flat out jealous. (Hee, hee!) We have TEN progressing investigators right now. That is also unheard of. We are just seeing lots of miracles and having lots of fun.

I love you all so much! You are all amazing and I look up to you all. Have a great week!

Heavenly Father speaks Thai!!

February 8, 2010
Phii Ruay is amazing. We are praying SO HARD!! I really think we are going to get a miracle. I really do. But I don't know when it will come. She told us a really cool story about why she wants to get baptized - she said that a couple of weeks before I came back she met with the Elders and her husband got angry. Afterwards, he asked her to stop learning and she actually considered it - she didn't really know if she was doing the right thing. She decided to pray and ask if she was doing the right thing. She said she prayed and then heard a soft voice say "You need to believe in Me." She said it scared her and she was like "Father, is that you?" And then she heard it again - "You need to believe in Me." She said she got up and told her husband that she couldn't stop learning. I love that Heavenly Father speaks Thai. I mean - I knew that, but it is still really cool to remember that He talks to her in her own language.
Our investigator pool is growing and Sister Mark and I continue to have a blast. I have started writing down her quotes because she is so funny! I love you all!
Sister Webb

"We are the sheep, aren't we?"

February 1, 2010
We had a good week but it wasn't necessarily super exciting. I didn't get attacked by any more monkeys or feed any more elephants. Except: I have officially eaten a bug! Phii At brought some to English last week. He had grasshoppers and crickets and little caterpillar worm things. I wasn't brave enough to eat the grasshoppers or crickets. I ate the the little caterpillar thing. It was pretty disgusting. But at least now I can say I did it. They eat bugs like candy here.
We have really been blessed in finding new investigators. We are getting the area up and running again pretty quick. We went inviting the other day - we had an hour in between appointments and decided to just ride around in neighborhoods and see if we could catch anybody outside. We spent like an average of 15 minutes with each person and three out of the four are letting us come back to teach and the other is coming to English! And, three of the four are families!! That was by far the most successful day of inviting I have ever witnessed.
Phii Ruay is having some pretty serious struggles. We are praying really hard for her. We met with her last Saturday and she said that she read about Jesus Christ being a shepherd and that He goes and looks for His lost sheep. She said "We are the sheep, aren't we?" Then she explained how it was an answer to prayer and she started crying - I think she realizes that Heavenly Father was looking for her and that is why we found her. I don't think she will ever let this go - it just might take a while to soften her husband's heart. I honestly believe there is a miracle coming on this one. She has so much faith.
Sister Webb

My second first week in Thailand. Hee Hee! That's funny!

(Since we don't have a photo yet -- I'm putting in one from November, 2008)

January 24, 2010
(10 of the top 26 things Sara is enjoying about being back in Thailand)

1) My companion (Sister Mark) is absolutely amazing! She is brave and courageous and likes to go to bed early!! Also, she hasn't made me answer the phone yet! But, she says that is coming. Darn.

2) My reunion with Sister Baew and her family was everything I hoped for. Fir cried and screamed and wouldn't let go of me and Sister Baew cried too! I love them so much!

3) I got attacked by a monkey again! You might not think this is a good thing, but since Lauren hangs out with me, she saw it and I can finally prove to her that they are evil - even though they could take over the world and she still wouldn't think they were evil!!

4) The mascara mom found for me is melt-proof! It survives sweat, tears and all sorts of craziness!! It's a great idea!!

5) I think my Thai actually improved!! I know it is a direct result of Divine intervention. I am understanding more and feel like I have been able to express myself better.

6) It hasn't actually been that hot. I really don't know why -- but that reprieve is likely ending here soon.

7) I haven't had a cold shower yet! Oh wait, just kidding. The second day the breaker flipped and all the lights went out so it went cold, but that was towards the end, so that's ok.

8) When people ask me about my sister and we have a good cry together, I share 1 Nephi 11:17 with them -- "I do not know the meaning of all things but I know that He loveth His children."

9) Ether 2:25 is an AWESOME scripture. Heavenly Father basically says 'there is no way you can do this without me, but you don't have to!!' I like that a lot!

10) Sister Mark told me that at Moves meeting last time, President Smith explained that I had left and he said that 'losing a sister is like losing five elders.' Take that boys!

Love you all!

Sister Webb

January 2, 2010
What a transfer -- from the heat of Lopburi, Thailand to the bitter cold of Salt Lake City, Utah. But, what a grand gift is ours to have had our sweet Sister Sara be with us while we struggled and savored Lauren's last days on earth with us. We have much gratitude for everyone who made her stay in Salt Lake City possible and will continue on with her 'adventures' when she returns to her field of labor. The e-mails have been 'missing' for a few weeks, but love for Thailand and the people there are still in full force. Now, she'll just always have a constant "third" companion . . .

Stuck on Jesus

Sara's zone during the sunflower and monkey festival

Sister Josephson with Sister Webb

December 1, 2009
Hi everyone!! It's been another great week!!
We got some good news about Som - she moved up to her new city where there were no missionaries and no church but couldn't find a job and really didn't like it. So she has decided to move in with her older brother who lives in Bangkok. Obviously there are tons of churches and tons of missionaries there. She also wants to keep going to church. That was really exciting. We met her to teach her one last time on Monday. We shared a scripture with her - Mosiah 4:9-12, and testified about how much God loved her. I was about to bawl pretty much the whole time. I hope she doesn't forget about God and what He has done for her.
We also had a really great week with Ruay. We stopped by her house to talk to her last night and we ended up talking for 30 minutes and she said some pretty awesome stuff. She said that when she compared her life since she started learning with us to her life before, it was like "black and white". She also said she is addicted to reading the Book of Mormon - she is already in 2 Nephi 12. Which means she has hit the Isaiah chapters so she is really confused but when she hits Jacob and Mosiah it is going to blow her out of the water. She also said that she is "tid" on Jesus. This word doesn't really have a great English translation - it can mean addicted or stuck to or that you need it. She is so awesome.
We had two new investigators kind of fall into our laps yesterday. One of our members has been inviting - she talks to people around her neighborhood and took us to meet a lady that she thought was interested and when we got there, there was another lady too. So we talked to them and they both have become investigators. This member is really awesome - she was a missionary in Thailand a long time ago but now has some really bizarre health problems and isn't quite all there and can't come to church very often, but she still loves the gospel and loves sharing it. I wish all members were like that.
Love you all!
Sister Webb